ISAIAH 1 (NOTES OF A READING)
[p. 367] ISAIAH 1 (NOTES OF A READING)
CAC In Matthew the Lord deals very much with the moral conditions according to God. We have also the presentation of what was positive in Emmanuel, and the state of things that would be set up in connection with Him, “the kingdom of the heavens”, and the future kingdom set up in power. And in the gospel there is a prophetic outline of the future, the Lord Himself being the great Prophet, and prophesying that line of things in chapters 24 and 25. So that there is a certain correspondence in all these things and what comes out in Isaiah.
Rem Isaiah means ‘Salvation of Jah’ (see footnote).
CAC The state of the people is the dark background to set forth the lustre of what would come in for God. It is so throughout Scripture. We see it in the epistles. We have only two positive epistles: Romans and Ephesians. That is, Romans gives the truth of the glad tidings, positively, and Ephesians the truth of the assembly, not contemplating departure from it. The departure becomes instruction in the epistles.
The Scriptures are simple if we are simple, and if we have got away from God and Christ and the Spirit, the way of recovery is the same as for Israel — self-judgment, repentance and turning to God — and He is quite as ready to undertake the whole matter, is He not?
It should be our great exercise to be among the small residue, for there is that found today, as it was then. Verse 9: Jehovah gets the credit for it all. There is a vast amount of truth today publicly available, but comparatively few, those really in exercise, have benefited by it. Verse 6 shows they [p. 368] are full of the weals of God’s chastening, but none the better for it. 2 Timothy 2: 22: is that not the preservative? “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart”. If Christians were to move on the line of ceasing to do evil and learning to do well, they would get on all right. It is a scripture that was powerfully used in the revival over one hundred years ago. J. N. Darby’s pamphlet, Separation from Evil: God’s Principle of Unity is on the same line. Souls begin to move when they begin to act on this principle. “Cease to do evil”; that is, what is not in line with the truth, the mind of God, is to be withdrawn from. If we name the name of the Lord, we are to withdraw from iniquity, which simply means what is not right. It is natural to man to put religious observances in place of what is morally right before God — what would be pleasing to God. We get first the moral cleansing in verses 16, 17; then in verse 18 Jehovah undertakes that they shall be judicially cleansed. Does not that verse show that God is ready to reason with His people when they are ready? And even with men; it is a wonderful attitude for Him to take up. And ought we not to be prepared to move on that line? We ourselves should be on the line of reasoning when Christians are going on lines that are displeasing to God. 2 Timothy 2: 24, 25 says, “A bondman of the Lord ought ...” to be “forbearing; in meekness setting right those who oppose”. I have not learnt that lesson yet! If God is moving on this line with us, we should be on that line with others.
Jehovah was prepared to cleanse them completely, though their sins might be of a most glaring character. Red is a colour difficult to bleach; Jehovah proposes to bleach them thoroughly. It shows how God loves to remove every stain; it is no pleasure to Him to fix a stain on us. He gives His people not only a purged conscience, but a perfected conscience.
Ques What is the difference?
CAC It says in Hebrews, “By one offering he has perfected in perpetuity the sanctified” (chapter 10: 14), and it says they are perfected as to the conscience. Christians are [p. 369] entitled to be as perfected in their consciences as if they were already in heaven.
Rem “I, I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake” (Isaiah 43: 25).
CAC Oh! He cannot bear anything that holds us from coming near to Him.
Rem We are as clear as if it had never been written in the book.
CAC And it is the blessed God that has done it. Someone has said,
‘With conscience clear as heaven’s unclouded day
Thy courts I enter in’.
Rem A man stands up with a clear record — nothing at all against him.
CAC The worshipper “once purged has no more conscience of sins”; that is, he is no more conscious of sins in the presence of God than if he had never committed one. And it is a thing that stands permanently. It is not the past sins blotted out, and then a new list! We are committed to the grace of God and of Christ, and the power of the Spirit. It has been effected once for all by our Saviour on the cross, and that stands to eternity. All our sins were future when Christ died; and God who knew them laid them on Him, and if one was omitted I should be lost eternally. Not seeing this makes for a careless walk and indifference to sins. The whiteness of the snow and the wool is permanent; it can never be altered. It is a very great proposal on God’s part.