Isaiah 1:17-21 - From Scarlet Sins to Snow-White Grace - 280

Justice that looks like love is not an optional extra; it is the proof that repentance is real. We open Isaiah 1:17–21 and hear God redirect His people from hollow ritual toward a life that defends the oppressed, brings justice to the fatherless, and pleads the widow’s cause. Then comes one of Scripture’s most generous invitations: “Come now, let us reason together.” The stain is scarlet and set deep, but grace promises a cleansing we cannot manufacture—white as snow, like wool, and truly new.

We walk through the covenant stakes with plain clarity: willingness and obedience lead to eating the good of the land, while refusal and rebellion invite the sword. This isn’t fearmongering; it’s the moral physics of a community that either mirrors God’s character or fractures under its own selfishness. Along the way, we bring in Exodus and Deuteronomy to show how God’s heart for the vulnerable is woven into Israel’s law, and we link Isaiah’s language to the wider story of redemption that Christians see fulfilled in Christ. Mercy here does more than forgive; it reorders habits, priorities, and public life.

We also step into Isaiah 1:21, where the “faithful city” becomes unfaithful, and pair it with Hosea’s marriage imagery to expose how idolatry and injustice travel together. The lament is raw: a city once full of justice now full of bloodshed. From there, the conversation turns practical. Who are the modern widows and fatherless in our neighborhoods—single parents, foster youth, refugees, the elderly? What does it mean to plead their cause in policies, budgets, and daily choices? Obedience becomes concrete: advocacy, hospitality, fair dealing, and a refusal to benefit from harm.

If this study stirs you, join us weekly as we connect Scripture to real life. Subscribe, rate, and share the show, and tell us how you’re choosing to “learn to do good” this week. Your story may help someone else take their first step toward justice and grace.

Chapters

• 0:00 A Sharp Wake‑Up Call From Isaiah
• 0:37 Show Intro And Ways To Connect
• 3:39 Reading Isaiah 1:17–20 ESV
• 4:50 Repentance Defined As Justice And Care
• 7:17 “Come Let Us Reason Together”
• 11:50 Blessing For Obedience, Warning For Rebellion
• 17:03 From Faithful City To Betrayal
• 22:10 Summary, Application, And Next Steps

Transcript

Daniel Moore: 0:06

So did you guys skip the part where God said learn to do good? Or did you just assume it was optional, fine print like a warranty that you never read? And when God said, Come let us reason together, were you expecting him to say, You're doing great, sweetie? Or were you genuinely shocked that consequences were actually consequential? And a quick check. When given a choice between obedience and being devoured by the sword, what exactly made the sword seem like a viable option? Well today we're gonna unpack some more of Isaiah chapter 1, as we start with verse 17, where God basically shifts from saying, stop the fake worship to, alright, let's fix this together. It's like God gives Israel a holy to-do list. Learn to do good, seek justice, defend the oppressed, and hey, let's clean up those sins while we're at it. And then God drops one of the most gracious invitations ever. Come now, let us reason together. Which, that's Bible speak for sit down, we need to talk. I'm not here to fry you, let's just figure this out. Honestly, it's the kind of conversation you wish your boss, spouse, or kids would use more often. We also get the classic divine fork in the road moment, if you obey blessing, if you don't. Well, let's just say the sword isn't a metaphor that you want to test. So today, we're gonna explore what real repentance looks like, why obedience is still God's love language, and how God's invitation to reason with him is proof that he's patient far beyond what any of us deserve. So grab your Bible, take a seat, and let's connect the gap between knowing what's right and actually doing it. Let's get to it. Welcome to Connecting the Gap. This is a podcast about marriage, Bible, and book studies, and we interview people that have a story. I'm Daniel Moore, your host. Thank you guys for joining us this week. If you're not familiar with our show, check out our website at www.connectingthegap.net. Our platforms are there, YouTube and Rumble Links. We're also on the Christian podcasting app at Edify. And we're also on your Alexa and Google Smart devices. You can also visit us on social, on Facebook, Instagram, and X at CTGap Online. If you're a fan of our show, please subscribe. Feel free to leave a comment on our platforms, give us a thumbs up or a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and we'd be grateful to you for doing that. Also, our new book is out, Marriage is a Mission, Living Out God's Design for Marriage. And we also have another brand new book out, 42 Days to a Stronger Marriage, a Christ-centered devotional for couples. Both of those are available on Amazon at the moment in paperback, hardback, and ebook. And there's also a six session study guide that goes with our book Marriage as a Mission, and you can pick that up on Amazon also today. So go get your copy today and hope you guys will be blessed by that. Well, this week we are going to be continuing our verse by verse study in Isaiah. And we've made it to verse 17 at this point. And we're going to pick up there today here on our Isaiah verse by verse study on connecting the gap. So as we get started this week, we're going to go ahead and read the next four verses. And we'll see what happens. Seems like that's about all we're getting through each week as we're trying to keep these around 30 minutes. So we'll start there with verse 17 today and read through verse 20, and this is the ESV version. It says, Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. 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 like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. So reading that verse there, those few verses that we just shared, there's a couple there that are very, very popular verses. You probably recognize those as we read them. So we're gonna look into those today and see what the Bible has to say for us here in Isaiah 1, 17 through 20. So as we start out here with verse 17, it says, Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow's cause. So here this verse, it lists the positive actions that follow true repentance. Here Isaiah is defining authentic holiness. It's not found in rituals, but in doing good, upholding justice, and defending the vulnerable. This reflects concern for covenantal ethics laid out in the Mosaic Law, particularly in Exodus 22, verses 22 to 24, and Deuteronomy chapter 10, verse 18, where God emphasizes protection of widows, orphans, and the oppressed. So as we reach this verse here today, let's take a look at that in Exodus and Deuteronomy, and let's see what the Bible says about those two verses. In Exodus 22, 22 to 24, it states that you shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows, and your children fatherless. In Deuteronomy chapter ten, verse eighteen it says, He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. So here, these verses that we just shared here in Exodus and Deuteronomy, they reflect a foundational aspect of covenantal ethics in the Mosaic Law. At the heart of these commandments is the concept of justice rooted in God's character. God reveals Himself as a defender of the vulnerable, which are the widows, the orphans, or the fatherless, and the foreigners or the sojourners. These groups were among the most powerless in ancient Israelite society, often lacking the social and legal standing to protect themselves. In Exodus 22, 22 to 24, the ethical obligation is not only to avoid harming the vulnerable, but to actively protect them. And that passage, as you noticed, it carried a very severe warning. If the oppressed cry out to God because of mistreatment, God was going to personally respond to them in judgment. This shows that God identifies with the afflicted and takes their suffering seriously. It also implies that justice is not merely a human responsibility, but a divine imperative, which means that God Himself intervenes when justice is denied. In Deuteronomy 10, verse 18, that scripture kind of builds on that application a little bit there in Exodus by affirming that God actively executes justice and provides for the marginalized. This is not just a call for individual compassion. This is a model that God is setting here for societal ethics. The Israelites, they were the recipients of God's grace and deliverance from Egypt. As they were that, they were expected to reflect his character and their treatment of others. The covenantal framework binds them to uphold justice, mercy, and righteousness, particularly towards those who cannot repay or defend themselves. So in these scriptures here, the covenantal ethics and the Mosaic Law demand that Israel's society be structured around God's values. Justice for the vulnerable is not optional. It is a covenantal obligation that reflects God's own mercy and justice. Failure to uphold this standard invites divine judgment, while obedience aligns the community with God's purpose and character. So here in this scripture, God's basically using all of that as an example to Judah to teach them that you need to learn to do good. You know, you need to seek a justice and correct oppression. Uh, here in this time frame, they were rejecting all of those that were less than. They were not helping the orphans and the widows and all of those types of people. There was a major selfishness that actually was applying itself there in Judah at this time. And so here God was emphasizing that that protection needs to be there just like he instructed them back in Exodus and in Deuteronomy. So the rest of this verse here to seek justice or correct oppression, that would be particularly piercing accusations for the leaders and the elite classes who at this time they often exploited the poor. The ESV study Bible notes that Isaiah here links social justice with divine worship, countering the belief that ritual alone secures divine favor. There's got to be some action behind the words. John Oswald, another well-known commentator, remarks that righteousness for Isaiah is relational and social. It's not just personal or ritualistic. God's standard is rooted in his own nature. God is a defender of the oppressed. As we move to verse 18, this is a very popular verse. It says, 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 like crimson, they shall be like wool. This verse here reflects God's amazing grace. You know, despite Judah's corruption and all these things that we've been talking about here in these last verses this week and last week, you know, God invites them into dialogue. He tells them, Come on, you know, let us reason together here. The image of scarlet and crimson that conveys deeply ingrained visible sin. That's dyed cloth that cannot be washed clean by human effort. Yet God promises miraculous cleansing, turning sin white as snow or wool. This anticipates the coming gospel message. The theme of forgiveness by grace, rather than merit, is very clear here. The scarlet imagery that also evokes guilt of bloodshed, which is tying back to verse 15, if you remember from last week where it said that your hands are full of blood. The Kill and DeLeach commentary explains that reason together, or the Hebrew word navache, implies legal argument and reconciliation. God is both judge and merciful redeemer. He offers actual transformation, not just mere pardon. This verse is often cited in Christian theology, such as Hebrews 9, verse 14 and Revelation 7, verse 14, as a foreshadowing of salvation through Christ. Although in immediate context, it is a renewal of the covenant which is being offered here to Judah. And let's read those scriptures real quick. In Hebrews chapter 9, verse 14, it says, How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Revelation 7, verse 14 says, I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So here in its immediate historical context, this verse is part of God's call for the people of Judah to repent and return to Him. If they respond in obedience, God promises cleansing and restoration. It's a vivid expression of God's mercy, even though their sins are deep and glaring, such as mentioned there as being scarlet and crimson. He is willing to wash them clean if they repent and live faithfully. So in context here it's a conditional offer within the covenant relationship between God and His people. In Christian theology, however, this verse is often seen as a foreshadowing of salvation through Jesus Christ. Now we as Christians, we believe that the total cleansing of sin described here, ultimately finds its fullest and final expression in the atoning work of Christ. Jesus offers a way for sins to be washed clean once and for all, not through repeated sacrifices or covenant renewal rituals, but through his death and resurrection, as we are beyond those times of the rituals and the sacrifices at this point. The vivid imagery of scarlet sins becoming white as snow captures the heart of the gospel message. God's grace is powerful enough to remove the deepest stains of sin. Us as Christians, when we look at this verse, we see in it the idea that forgiveness and transformation are possible not through human effort, but through divine mercy and intervention, which in Christian understanding finds fulfillment in Christ. So here as we're reading Isaiah 1, verse 18, we know that this verse actually does directly just address Judah's chances for renewal. But as Christians today, we can read it as a prophetic glimpse of the ultimate cleansing and reconciliation made available through the Messiah. As we move on here to Isaiah chapter 1, verse 19, it says, If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. So here in this scripture, the conditional promise offers blessing tied to covenant faithfulness. The phrase eat the good of the land is symbolic. It symbolizes security, fertility, and prosperity. And those are blessings that were promised in Deuteronomy 28, verses 1 through 18. God desires relationship, not destruction. Obedience brings tangible blessings in the land of promise. This is a repeated thought process that has been here throughout Isaiah as we've been going through chapter 1 from the very beginning. Historically, Judah had experienced economic and military setbacks due to rebellion, and Isaiah is now reaffirming the opportunity to return and flourish. So this is a covenant renewal offer. Matthew Henry notes that willingness or the internal attitude and obedience, which is the external action, are both necessary. God honors heart and deed. Just as being a Christian, we can't give our lives to Christ and then not live that life. We have to make sure that if we do give our lives to the Savior and He actually comes in, we ask Him to forgive us and cleanse us from the inside out, then our life then reflects that change to the outside as we start living like Christians in the way that God would have us to do that. So as we continue on here to verse 20, it says, But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. So here in verse 20, this verse completes the wisdom style contrast of verses 19 and 20. Blessing for obedience, judgment for rebellion. You shall be eaten by the sword, delivers a grim wordplay. While eating the good of the land represented blessing, now the people themselves will be quote unquote eaten by violence. The phrase for the mouth of the Lord has spoken adds prophetic authority. So in other words, just because Isaiah is relaying this message to Judah, this is not Isaiah's opinion. This is actually the word of the covenant God. So historically Judah would indeed face invasions and judgment if unrepentant, especially under Assyrian aggression and later Babylonian exile. This prophecy conveys real consequences for covenant violation. The Geneva Study Bible calls attention to the certainty of this threat, reminding us as the reader that everything God declares will come to pass, both promises and warnings. We can be assured that that will actually happen when it's the Word of God. So here in verses 16 to 20, this is a call to repentance and covenant renewal. God invites his people to moral cleansing, commands justice, and promises forgiveness. He offers a clear choice restoration or ruin. This passage of Scripture also bridges the themes of judgment and hope, emphasizing that true worship is ethical and relational. It's not ritualistic, it's something that comes from the heart. Commentators like Barnes Oswalt and Kill and Delish affirm that these verses encapsulate Isaiah's broader message that God desires righteous hearts and is willing to forgive if people return to him in humility and truth. So we're actually going to move on here to a few more verses this week. So we'll go ahead and move on here to verse 21. It says, How the faithful city has become a whore, she who is full of justice, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. So this verse here in verse 21, chapter 1 of Isaiah, it opens with a lament that uses a stark contrast to depict Jerusalem's moral decline. The phrase faithful city refers to Jerusalem's formal covenantal identity, a place where God was worshipped and justice upheld. The imagery of the city, now becoming a whore or spiritual adultery, evokes covenantal betrayal similar to Hosea's description of Israel in Hosea 1 through 3. So let's take a glance over here at Hosea and let's see what that passage actually has to say about this as we put these two verses, uh these two portions of scripture together here and see how they go hand in hand in parallel. So Hosea chapters one through three, these chapters present a symbolic narrative. And it's a very powerful one that combines the prophet Hosea's personal life with God's message to the people of Israel. These chapters in Hosea use a lot of imagery, just like we've been seeing here in Isaiah. There's a lot of imagery in Hosea as well of marriage and unfaithfulness to portray Israel's spiritual infidelity to God. The central theme is God's covenantal love and the painful reality of Israel's idolatry, which is likened to adultery or prostitution. In Hosea chapter 1, God commands Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman described as promiscuous or unfaithful. This marriage is a living parable of Israel's relationship with God. Gomer represents Israel, who has been unfaithful by worshiping other gods and forming alliances with pagan nations. The names of Hosea and Gomer's children, which are Jezreel, Loruhamah, and Loami, they also carry prophetic meanings. Jezreel points to upcoming judgment, Loruhama means no mercy, and Loami means not my people. These names reflect the broken relationship between God and Israel due to their unfaithfulness. Hosea II expands on that metaphor by portraying Israel as an unfaithful wife who chases after lovers, symbolizing idols and foreign powers, believing that they provide her with sustenance and prosperity. However, God declares that he was the true provider all along. The chapter moves from judgment to hope, as God promises to woo Israel back, to restore the relationship, and to renew the covenant. This restoration includes a reversal of the children's symbolic names, turning not my people to you are my people, emphasizing God's enduring love and mercy. Hosea three is a brief chapter where God tells Hosea to love Gomer again, even though she's been unfaithful. Hosea redeems her, symbolizing God's willingness to redeem Israel despite her spiritual adultery. The chapter ends with the prophecy that Israel will return to the Lord and to David their king in the latter days, pointing to Messi and a cope and ultimate restoration. So here in Hosea, this imagery of Israel's an unfaithful wife, that parallels this scripture here in Isaiah 1, verse 21, when it says that line, how the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice. Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. In Isaiah, the city of Jerusalem, which is representing Judah, is described as a woman who has turned from righteousness to corruption and idolatry. Like Hosea, Isaiah uses marital infidelity as a metaphor for covenantal unfaithfulness. Both prophets, they highlight the same spiritual reality. God's people have broken their covenant with him through idolatry and injustice. The use of sexual immorality as a metaphor underscores the depth of betrayal and the intimacy of the relationship that's been violated here. Yet both Hosea and Isaiah both, they also emphasize God's desire for restoration. In Hosea, God's love is portrayed as that of a husband who redeems his unfaithful wife. In Isaiah, the call to repentance and the promise of cleansing, which is in Isaiah 1, verse 18 that we just read, point to God's willingness to forgive and restore. So when you put these two together parallel, Hosea chapters 1 through 3 and Isaiah 121, they together present a vivid picture of Israel and Judah's spiritual adultery and God's unwavering commitment to redeem and restore his people. The marriage metaphor powerfully communicates the covenantal nature of the relationship between God and his people, the pain of betrayal, and the hope of reconciliation through divine mercy. God went to great lengths with Judah to try to explain to them how they were making God feel. They were rejecting God for who he was as their savior, and God was trying to offer them redemption through his love and trying to redeem them back. The faithful city here in verse 21, that's become a whore, has degenerated from righteousness to bloodshed. The use of murderers suggests rampant injustice and violence, likely from corrupt officials and leaders who are probably exploiting the weak, just like uh the verse earlier was talking about the orphans and the widows and those that are weak that was there in society. The Kill and Delleash commentary notes this verse as marking a dramatic fall from grace. Jerusalem, once known for God's presence and moral uprightness, now mirrors the behavior of pagan cities. John Oswald comments that this lament is deeply emotional, expressing not only divine anger, but divine heartbreak. The city that represented God's purpose on earth now reflects the opposite. So we'll be summarizing here in just a moment of what we went through today and doing a little bit of application here for what this is telling us in our lives today in the society that we live in now. But first, before we do, uh if you would like to reach out to us here at Connecting the Gap, you can email Daniel at connectingthegap.net. You can also go to our website, connectingthegap.net, and we have a form there that you can fill out and send it in as well. And if you'd like to jump in on the conversation, please do. Love to hear from you guys and uh see what you'd have to say about this study that we're going through right now. Next week we're going to be picking back up uh with verse 22 here in chapter one as we continue our verse-by-verse study here in Isaiah. And it's been a good one so far. I've really enjoyed this. And so hopefully you guys will come back next week as we continue this study. So here's we finish up this week. Isaiah chapter 1, verses 17 through 20 is a continuation of God's call for genuine repentance and righteous living. After rebuking the people in the previous verses for their empty religious rituals, God now outlines what true obedience looks like and offers both a promise and a warning based on their response. Verse 17 says, Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow's cause. This verse here is a clear call to action. God is not just looking for people to stop doing evil, he wants them to actively pursue what is right. Doing good involves seeking justice and standing up for the vulnerable, especially the fatherless and the widows, who are often the most marginalized in ancient society. This verse defines righteousness not only by personal morality, but by social responsibility and compassion. In verse 18, where God says to come now and let us reason together, talking about the sins that are like scarlet, they'll be white as snow, though they're like crimson, they'll be like wool. Here God's extending a gracious invitation. Despite the people's deep sinfulness, symbolized by scarlet and crimson, colors that are vivid and very hard to remove out of anything, they stain very badly, God offers forgiveness and cleansing. This shows God's desire to restore his people if they are willing to turn to him. It also emphasizes his mercy and the possibility of transformation, no matter how severe that their sin may be. Here in verse 19, it says, If you're willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. This is a promise of blessing. If the people respond to God's call with willingness and obedience, they'll enjoy the prosperity and fruitfulness of the land. It reflects the covenant relationship that God had with Israel, where obedience led to blessing. This was a promise from God. That verse presented the opposite outcome, a warning of judgment. Refusal and rebellion is going to lead to destruction, which is symbolized by being devoured by the sword, and that underscored the seriousness of their choice and the authority behind the message as it was spoken from the Lord Himself. So how do we apply these scriptures to us today? These verses here that we have read and that we've studied through today here in Isaiah, they are very deeply relevant to our modern life. They teach that God desires more than religious activity. He wants lives marked by justice, compassion, and integrity. Today this means standing up for those who are oppressed, advocating for the vulnerable, and living out our faith through tangible acts of love and justice. Verse 18 is especially powerful in the context of the gospel. For us today, that highlights God's willingness to forgive and cleanse us from sin, pointing forward to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The promise is no matter how stained our past may be, no matter how much baggage that we carry around and bring into this relationship with God, He offers us a fresh start if we come to Him in repentance. And as we finished out with 19 through 21, that reminded us that our choices have consequences. Obedience leads to blessing, not always material, but certainly spiritual and relational. But rebellion, on the other hand, leads to brokenness and that eternal separation from God. So as we leave this week here on Connecting the Gap, these verses call us to live out our faith by doing good, seeking justice and caring for others, and it reminds us of God's mercy and his desire to forgive, while also emphasizing the importance of our response to his invitation. If you enjoyed this episode this week, please share it with a friend. We'll be back next week as we continue this verse-by-verse study on the Bible. And as we go, we believe that God's word never fails us. God's word has stood the test of time, and through Jesus' death on the cross, he has connected the gap. This is an extension of Connecting the Gap Ministries, and we pray that you have a blessed week.