“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
This verse, penned by the prophet Isaiah, has always been a favorite of mine. I have spent many an hour reasoning—sometimes even wrestling—with the Lord. Recently the juxtaposition of reasoning with God and my sins being cleansed has piqued my curiosity. It is particularly interesting to me since today is Good Friday.
Certainly, it is because our sins are forgiven through Christ that a relationship close enough to “reason together” with God exists. I was curious about Isaiah’s language and his use of wool as the metaphor here. Why did he use wool? What was significant about his choice of color?
Before I became a painter, I was a fiber artist. I often used special fabric paints that were at their core dyes blended in such a way that they could be applied by brush, yet they held the characteristic of dye. The “paint” was more watercolor than the acrylic paint I use today. The fabric would be saturated and need drying time. Fabric paint actually penetrates the fabric as opposed to acrylic paint which adheres to the canvas surface.
Fabric dyes are nearly impossible to remove. They are nearly inseparable from the piece once they have been absorbed by the fibers of the fabric. This would have been understood in the ancient world.
What is the significance of wool? When you think of wool and sheep, you might not think of the brightest, purest image. Ancient culture however knew much more about wool than we do in the 21st century.
In ancient culture, they understood that before wool could be dyed, it was cleaned in a special way which made it bright, white, and pure. Undyed wool could easily represent purity and holiness to Isaiah’s audience.
In this passage, Isaiah didn’t write about any color of dye. He used the red hues of scarlet, red, and crimson. Scarlet/crimson dye was one of the most expensive dyes and was considered one of the most permanent dyes as well. Like my fabric paint, dyes penetrated the very fibers of the fabric.
Beyond color, Isiah chose the words scarlet and crimson intentionally. Isaiah used the verb form for the word “red” in this passage. It speaks to something that had been made red or a deep intense coloring process. This symbolized deep and profound sin.
Personally, the use of the verb form here speaks to my choices, my personal involvement with my sin.
When Isaiah mentioned wool and red, he wrote a stunning example of the cleansing of our sins through the blood of Jesus.
In essence, Isaiah is saying is that even our deepest, intentional sin can be cleansed and restored to that place of purity before sin came into the world.
Through Christ, our sins are cleansed down to the very fibers of our being.
Through Christ we are restored to the pure and holy people God created us to be.
Through Christ we can boldly come to reason with God, to receive mercy, and find grace to help with whatever we need. Just as the writer of Hebrews tells us.
Through Christ we are changed from scarlet to snow.
This is why the writer of Hebrews could write,
“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Thank you Lord!