Isa. 115b Your hands are full of blood;
16 wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
Gods word was a gift to Israel. Through His word He established His law. His covenant people have the law of God written on their hearts. We speak Gods covenants, laws, statutes, curses, and promises as the language that establishes peace in the land. This is why in the ot doing good is the same thing seeking the cause of the fatherless and widow. God does not measure the genuine faith by our outward worship. 1 11 "The multitude of your sacrifices-what are they to me?" says the LORD ."I have more than enough of burnt offerings,of rams and the fat of fattened animals;I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.God is looking on the heart. Our hearts have been implanted with the seed of the word of God.
This implantation is our old will being destroyed and receiving Gods will. We now embrace Gods law as the rule by which we live in universal peace.When we worship we enter into a cosmic war in which we express our prayers to God in light of being successful in our culture. The cup is the ultimate symbol of spilled blood. We fight in worship so that we might be blessed in our world. Gods law establishes eternal justice. No matter what the present circumstances we find ourselves in we have an eternal language that will one day right all the wrongs and reward us for our trust that is waiting for that day of judgement.
This is why it is important for us to be efficient in presenting our case before Gods throne. We should be able to argue before God on the basis of His covenants, laws, decrees, curses, and promises. He says 1 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,I will hide my eyes from you;even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.Your hands are full of blood;" The prophet is not necessarily talking about physical violence but going before God without understanding how to express our wills to God in a correct way. Violent language is outside the context of the Bible.
God does not work in this world in response to our actions. He works strictly by ordaining whatsoever comes to pass. God has not saved us based upon our prayers, or our forgiveness, or our obedience. But He has saved us based upon His call. He doesnt act in an emotional way. He simply speaks His word and it is accomplished. This is very important because if we imagine God as a person who pleases us emotionally then we will not learn to speak to Him according to our wills. We will always be tossed around by the emotional response. God has given us a language that reflects His the pleasure of His will. 18 "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 as crimson,they shall be like wool. The prophet is saying that as we express our desires to God through His laws, covenants, curses, decrees, and promises we are growing in our confidence to unite our wills with Gods will. If we are schooled in approaching God in this way we will learn that our asking is in the context of life and death. We use His law, decrees etc in a way that we are innocent...white as wool is the context of reasoning with God.We stand on the other side of the law. Its the enactment of the plea of the prophet that produces a blessed Israel. The highest confidence in two wills meeting is in the context of life and death. God loves us to be that bold.
16 wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
Gods word was a gift to Israel. Through His word He established His law. His covenant people have the law of God written on their hearts. We speak Gods covenants, laws, statutes, curses, and promises as the language that establishes peace in the land. This is why in the ot doing good is the same thing seeking the cause of the fatherless and widow. God does not measure the genuine faith by our outward worship. 1 11 "The multitude of your sacrifices-what are they to me?" says the LORD ."I have more than enough of burnt offerings,of rams and the fat of fattened animals;I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.God is looking on the heart. Our hearts have been implanted with the seed of the word of God.
This implantation is our old will being destroyed and receiving Gods will. We now embrace Gods law as the rule by which we live in universal peace.When we worship we enter into a cosmic war in which we express our prayers to God in light of being successful in our culture. The cup is the ultimate symbol of spilled blood. We fight in worship so that we might be blessed in our world. Gods law establishes eternal justice. No matter what the present circumstances we find ourselves in we have an eternal language that will one day right all the wrongs and reward us for our trust that is waiting for that day of judgement.
This is why it is important for us to be efficient in presenting our case before Gods throne. We should be able to argue before God on the basis of His covenants, laws, decrees, curses, and promises. He says 1 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,I will hide my eyes from you;even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.Your hands are full of blood;" The prophet is not necessarily talking about physical violence but going before God without understanding how to express our wills to God in a correct way. Violent language is outside the context of the Bible.
God does not work in this world in response to our actions. He works strictly by ordaining whatsoever comes to pass. God has not saved us based upon our prayers, or our forgiveness, or our obedience. But He has saved us based upon His call. He doesnt act in an emotional way. He simply speaks His word and it is accomplished. This is very important because if we imagine God as a person who pleases us emotionally then we will not learn to speak to Him according to our wills. We will always be tossed around by the emotional response. God has given us a language that reflects His the pleasure of His will. 18 "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 as crimson,they shall be like wool. The prophet is saying that as we express our desires to God through His laws, covenants, curses, decrees, and promises we are growing in our confidence to unite our wills with Gods will. If we are schooled in approaching God in this way we will learn that our asking is in the context of life and death. We use His law, decrees etc in a way that we are innocent...white as wool is the context of reasoning with God.We stand on the other side of the law. Its the enactment of the plea of the prophet that produces a blessed Israel. The highest confidence in two wills meeting is in the context of life and death. God loves us to be that bold.
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