Come, Let Us Reason Together...

 “How the faithful city has become a harlot!

It was full of justice;

Righteousness lodged in it,

But now murderers.

Your silver has become dross,

Your wine mixed with water.

Your princes are rebellious,

And companions of thieves;

Everyone loves bribes,

And follows after rewards.

They do not defend the fatherless,

Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.”

Oh, the utter sadness and dismal failure this passage speaks of! God, weeping over His city Jerusalem. Mourning over how she has rejected Him as her Provider, her God, and her Lover. Now her blessings have become useless and her beauty ugly. She is broken, in fact, she is so broken that it is impossible for her to repair herself. She is just spiralling deeper, and deeper, and deeper into destruction.

Have you ever been here? Where Jerusalem is? Destitute, broken, in need of God and yet feeling totally incapable of coming back to Him? Or, feeling destitute and broken because of what you have willfully chosen and yet you still need God? I’ve been here. Over and over again, one stupid mistake after another. “God, where are you??” I cry.

It’s really a horrible place to be. But thankfully the passage doesn’t end there, it goes on to say:

“Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,

And take vengeance on My enemies.

I will turn My hand against you,

And thoroughly purge away your dross,

And take away all your alloy.

I will restore your judges as at the first,

And your counselors as at the beginning.

Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness,

the faithful city.”

The hope in this passage is like static electricity. It lights the whole chapter up. God is frustrated with His people. But He loves them and He knows their problem. Their problem is more than just taking bribes and not defending the fatherless, it is a sin of the heart. Their hearts are corrupt with self-love and pride. They are greedy and full of selfish, grasping schemes.  Their heart has never been converted. This is exactly what led them to the ruin they are in today.       

God, being merciful rebukes them and tells them He is going to punish them for their wrong in order to purge away their dross this punishment is not borne out of frustrated emotion on God’s part. It is a promise to change the nation’s heart and fix their problems.

God goes on to say that once the nation’s heart is changed and turned towards Him, He is going to accomplish His original purpose – give them judges to represent Him and give Himself as their King. This promise is vaster than it seems. God is taking the children of Israel from the books of Kings all the way back to Judges! That was His original plan all along. That they might keep Him as their one and only King. What we see here is a God of magnificent love. He protects, leads and rescues His people during and after they pursue a course contrary to His will. And even after doing all that, He promises to still solve their biggest problem – a diseased heart. “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” Are you willing?

 *the passage referred to is Isaiah 1:21-26*