Go Wash Yourself (Sin Purification)

Let's all read together Isaiah 1:16-18 CSB,

16. Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from my sight.

Stop doing evil.

17 Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool."

Now, before I get in the heart of this sermon, here’s some historical background on what we just read. The Book of Isaiah focuses on the life and the activities of Isaiah who was called by God to be a prophet around 740 BC. What we now know as modern day Israel, back in the O.T. era Israel was split into two kingdoms the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Isaiah was the head prophet over the entire nation of Judah and he was one of the most well known prophets in the Bible for his predictions of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Now back to the Israelites. Going all the way back from the Book of Exodus when they escaped out of Egypt under Moses’ lead and throughout their long history the Israelites constantly rebelled against the Lord. Isaiah was only one of the many prophets of God who recorded their gross idolatry and ungodly ways and expressed God's bitter indictment of His chosen nation. Israel was described by the prophet Isaiah as a sinful nation who broke their covenant with the Lord. He labeled them as evil, depraved, and sick children. Isaiah compared them to the depraved people of Sodom and Gomorrah and pronounced God's wrath upon them all. The eternal situation, at this point, for the Israelites looked pretty grim.

Now, there is a silver lining here in this story. Isaiah didn’t just see 100% outright disobedience and gloom and doom. Isaiah saw a glimmer of hope in a few survivors, who trusted their God and found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Isaiah’s writings also describe God's patience, loving-kindness and never-failing mercy towards His chosen people. Isaiah called for the Israelites to sincerely repent of their disobedience and wicked ways. This is what Isaiah said to them, “Acknowledge your sin, admit your guilt, renounce your idolatry, repent of your evil ways and turn from your ungodliness!!” God’s forgiveness had to come first then came the purifying and cleansing for Israel.

To make their relationship with God meaningful again, the Israelites had to make real changes. He offered them the opportunity to be made clean in His eyes. God told them to wash and make themselves clean. Now, He wasn’t talking about ceremonial washing in a river / lake or to conduct more burnt offerings and animal sacrifices. What God meant by becoming clean was for the Israelites to simply stop committing evil. God saw all of their evil deeds and He told them enough is enough. This was the first step towards changing how God viewed them and returning them to a close relationship with Him.

Lastly in verse 18, Isaiah also implored them to seek after justice and to defend the orphan and to plead for the widow. To bring about justice for those who are wronged, the orphans and widows, as well as intervene to stop the powerless from being oppressed by the powerful. To sum it all up, the main theme throughout the entire book of Isaiah was a never-ending call to repentance and a constant turning away from wicked ways and into goodness. Since the days of Adam and Eve, our continual unfaithfulness unto God continues with the same response. God offers His people (us) complete forgiveness and restoration if we will simply return to Him and renounce our wicked ways. Here’s what the Bible says about that in 1 John 1:5-10 CSB,

5 Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

7 For there are three that testify

8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.

9 If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son.

10 The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son.

God implores us to repent of our sins and to wash ourselves in His cleansing blood. This pertains to an inner spiritual cleansing of your heart and of spiritual de-cluttering of your mind. This also includes the outwardly good deeds of righteousness and doing the work of social justice (meaning help the poor, homeless, and orphans).