Devotion:
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Read Isaiah 1:18.
In this opening chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah, we hear God’s charge against the Southern Kingdom of Judah and its center of government and worship, Jerusalem. The people had turned away from God and had lived sinful, corrupt lives. The northern tribes had also turned away from God and had been defeated and taken into exile by the Assyrians. One would think the people of Judah would have learned from this, but they had not. Isaiah had been sent to turn the people back to God, and he worked diligently to do this during the reigns of four different kings, to no avail!
Since we are reading in the Old Testament, we might expect God to wipe these people from the face of the earth, handing out the justice they deserved. But in today’s verse, we see a promise that God wishes to settle this by cleansing Judah of its crimson sin. If we read the next verse, we see that God is offering to forgive the people if they will be willing and obedient to God. God has not changed; God still offers forgiveness to all who repent and turn to God.
Personal Worship Option:
Give thanks today that God does not seek our harm or punishment but rather is constantly reaching out to us. Accept the love God offers to us as grace and live in gratitude as God’s obedient child.
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