"Come now, let us reason 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.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Isaiah 1:18-20 (emphasis added)
It is amazing how much profound truth the Lord can pack into three verses. I have always been intrigued by the economy of words that the Bible employs.
Today we concentrate on two one syllable words that present one of the greatest Gospel invitations spoken by our Lord: "Come now." To whom does the Lord say, "Come now." To those who are going in the wrong direction. This wrong direction is dangerous and deadly. Continue in your wrong direction and the result will be eternally disastrous.
Going in our own dangerous direction is graphically captured in Isaiah 53:6: "We all, like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." Astray, our way. Or as Jesus labels it in Matthew 7:13: "For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many."
So the words "Come now" are voiced with an urgency, a seriousness, a warning. These compelling words from the Lord call us to recognize our desperate and disastrous direction, causing us to stop in our tracks, not to take another step lest it be our last into eternal destruction. "Come now" and honestly face the seriousness of our sin, our rebellion against the Lord.
It is important to notice who takes the initiative in this encounter. God speaks these gracious words of invitation to us when we are His enemies, when we are spiritually dead in trespass and sin. The initiative of God in our salvation provides a vivid reminder that there was nothing that we could do to solve our sin problem. If the Lord had not taken the first step in initiating the invitation, we would have absolutely no hope.
There are only two possible responses to the Lord’s gracious invitation contained in the Gospel. Isaiah catalogs them:
Response #1 - If you are willing and obedient...
If you come now into the Lord's presence with repentance and trust, you shall eat of the good of the land. You will be saved and experience the benefits and bounty of God's gracious salvation.
Having now stopped and listened to the Lord, having recognized our wrong direction, we turn around to proceed in the right direction. This 180 degree turn is given the label repentance in the Bible.
Recognize...Repent...Receive...This is the Good News of the Gospel according to the invitation given by the Lord: "Come now!"
Response #2 - If you refuse and rebel...
You shall be eaten by the sword. This certainly is figurative language. It is a vivid, graphic description of the deadly destruction that awaits any and all who willfully ignore the Lord gracious invitation to "Come now..."
Refuse...Reject...Resist...This is the Bad News of the delusion decreed by the Devil himself. The last thing he wants you to do is to come to Jesus.
God's holy love, grace and pardon or God's holy justice, wrath and punishment. Both display the perfect righteousness of the Lord. Both declare the glory of the Lord.
If you have already responded to the Lord's "Come now" I encourage you to "Come now" with rejoicing for His salvation provided through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross as final and complete payment for your sin. Make this "salvation rejoicing" a daily occurrence in your personal prayer and worship.
If you have not yet responded to the Lord's "Come now!" I urge you to "Come now!" Respond to the Gospel and be saved!
