Come, let’s consider your options,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 1:18-20 NET
“Though your sins have stained you like the color red, / you can become white like snow; / though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, / you can become white like wool.
If you have a willing attitude and obey, / then you will again eat the good crops of the land.
But if you refuse and rebel, / you will be devoured by the sword.”
Know for certain that the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah was speaking to Judah in this passage, a nation that had failed to live up to the covenant God had established with them. And God’s message to them was a call to repentance.
God first told the people to consider their options. They had a choice with two alternatives. And the choice was theirs to make. However, they needed to evaluate the consequences of their choice carefully.
Their current condition was described as being sin-stained. But they could be made clean. They were like bloody rags but could become as white as newly fallen snow. What choice would they make?
If they responded with a willing heart and obeyed God’s call to repent, they would live in peace and security within their land. But if they refused and continued in their rebellion against God, they would be devoured by the sword–conquered by their enemies. The decision was up to them.
The choice that God offered his people in the days of Isaiah is one he continues to offer people today. Consider your options. Accept Christ, follow him as Lord, and experience eternal life. Or reject him, live life on your own terms, and experience eternal destruction. Which choice will you make?
