Come let us reason together says the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)
The invitation of God to mankind is always with us. God invites us to come to Him, and he offers us an answer to the sin problem of life. It’s evident that all of humanity have been marked by sin. I’m a sinner – You’re a sinner. It’s inescapable. We’ve violated God’s holy standards, and the consequences of sin is manifest in our brokenness, our shame, and regret. At the core of it all is that sin robs us of a relationship with our Maker.
The Uniqueness of Scarlet Dye
“Though your sins be as scarlet” … Scarlet was a distinct dye used in antiquity to make cloth red. The color was derived from the crushing of a special crimson grub in the ancient. It was so unique because once the cloth was colored red, the dye remained permanent. The scarlet stain could never be removed. Today we have access to bleach and other caustic chemicals to get rid of stains, the like of which they didn’t have in ancient times. However, in ancient cultures they did use something called, “Fullers Soap,” which was mentioned in the scripture (Mal. 3:2). It was able to get rid of dirt and stains, but this soap couldn’t remove the “color fastness” of scarlet dye.
Isn’t this what we’ve been trying to do with sin … to get rid of it. to hide it – to ease the pain of it in our hearts. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with “fig leaves” to hide the consequences of their sin. It was insufficient. In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” we find Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plotting, scheming, and eventually committing the murders of “Banquo” and “King Duncan.” This was so that Macbeth could take the throne as the unchallenged King of Scotland. In the play, we find the famous narrative of Lady Macbeth’s sleep walking. Ridden with anxiety and guilt, she is seen sleepwalking and seeing her hands covered in imaginary blood. A cry arises in her sleepwalking state, “Out damned spot. Out I say …. Hell is murky.” Lady Macbeth was living a life of guilt, and she lived her days in this play, in the mental and spiritual agony of the sins of murder and every other deception that belonged to her misguided life.
If we’re honest, we too can say that we’re trying to get rid of this “stain,” this irremovable scarlet dye of sin. We work hard at trying to clear ourselves from the lingering regret of what we know is in our hearts. We want the stain of sin “out,” but this stain is irremovable by our abilities. We need something stronger than the sum of our own strength.
Prophetic Truth Revealed: Psalm 22
Psalm 22 was a Messianic Psalm, and it foretold the suffering and passion of Christ on the cross. The prophetic words, “My God, My God, why have your forsaken me (22:1), were fulfilled by Christ’s cry from the cross. (Ref: Mt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34). Ps 22:6 further tells the story of Christ’s suffering on the cross, where David writes prophetically concerning the sorrows of Jesus,
“ … but I am a WORM, and not a man, a REPROACH of men, and DESPISED by the people.” (ESV – Caps mine).
The word “worm” is the Hebrew word ‘TOLAATH’ which is defined as the same crimson grub from which scarlet dye was created.
There is no question that these verses speak to us of Christ, who became our sin bearer, but that he became the stain of sin Himself. The Bible is clear. Not only did Christ take our sins upon Himself at the cross, but the scripture teaches us that “He became sin,” (Ref: 2 Cor. 5:21). This means that Christ Himself became the embodiment of sin as He hung on the cross.
Truly, Jesus is the “CRIMSON GRUB,” who became stained with sin, who became sin, so that we can be freed from sin. He did this for us. What a loving and glorious savior!
In the book of Revelation, we read some dynamic imagery concerning believers who came through great tribulation, where the scripture declares, …. “they have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (7:14). The scripture is clear – the blood of Christ cleanses and washes our garments, which speaks of our lives. In Christ, we are covered and cleansed by His blood.
White as Snow
In Isaiah 1:18, God addresses all humanity to tell us in a sense, this profound truth. “Though you can never in your own abilities remove your sin, I will do it. I will make the scarlet stain of sin to be white as snow.”
I know what it is to live in a land of heavy snowfall. In fact, Jane and lived in a place of wintry snow for over 20 years. We saw so much snow – one year is snowed over 9 FT (2.75 M). I tell myself that I don’t miss it, but I do think about the beauty of being outside after a heavy snowfall. I have in my mind a recollection of several things that characterize the land after a snowfall.
1. The landscape is glistening white, bright and beautiful. 2. Snow covers the land, with a feeling of purity and cleansing. 3. Peace: After a heavy snowfall, the land becomes quiet and peaceful. All of this is tangible, and it’s one of the things I miss about heavy snow (but I don’t miss the clean-up and driving in it!)
Can it be any simpler? You can’t do it on your own, but … If you want cleansing from sin, cry out Jesus in prayer. Ask Him to forgive you and to take away your sin. In prayer and repentance it can become yours, and if you’ll do this, God’s forgiveness, cleansing, and His peace will flood your heart. You will be made white as snow. You will become a child of God. And it doesn’t stop. This in fact is an ongoing lifestyle for us as believers in Christ … for we deal with sins of our soul. We are called to live a life of confessing our sin and being cleansed from all unrighteousness (Ref: 1 John 1:9), being made white by the blood of the Lamb.
