Today you should read: Isaiah 1
Today we start a new book in the Bible, one full of judgment, hope, visions, and prophecies of the upcoming Messiah Savior Jesus.
For a full description and explanation on what we’ll be reading through in the book of Isaiah, watch this below video by the Bible Project.
Two of those above themes are shown right away in the first chapter of Isaiah as the prophet confronts and rebukes God’s people for their rebellion and stubbornness. He shares God’s upcoming judgment on them and let’s just say they are not going to be happy with these judgments and prophecies. After all, there are 66 chapters of them. I guess that’s what comes with the stubbornness of Israel.
However, although a little less common compared to the prophecies of judgment, we do find hope in verses 16-19.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
18 “Come now, let us reason[c] together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
Here we see the encouragement to do what’s right and good, to pursue Biblical justice and to help those in need. Of course, none of that would matter without our scarlet sins beingmade as white as snow. Just trying to do those good things without the blood-bought work of Jesus in our lives who cleanses our sins through the Gospel. This is just the first of many references to Jesus in this important Old Testament book and I hope you’re looking forward to reading it with us.
By: Erik Koliser — West Campus Pastor
JumpstartCPC.com 