“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove your evil deeds
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil;
learn to do good;
seek justice;
rescue the oppressed;
defend the orphan;
plead for the widow”.
(Isaiah 1:16-17, NRSV)
Dear Church Hill Faith Family,
The Book of Isaiah begins with a withering condemnation of the Israelites’ hypocrisy. God tells the people of Israel that when they pray to the Lord with outstretched hands, God will turn away from them and refuse to listen to their prayers because “your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15). This language is very similar to the English expression of someone being “caught red-handed” which in the most literal sense means that someone is found at the scene of a murder with blood on their hands. God is telling the Israelites that he is aware of their wrongdoing—that they have been “caught red-handed”—and that their worship is a mockery if they remain unrepentant.
But God does not leave God’s people without hope! By the power of the Spirit, they can make a new start. They can reject evil and embrace good. In case the Israelites are confused about what it means to “do good,” God provides them with a definition: “seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow”. This text from Isaiah shows us why Jesus combines “love of God” and “love of neighbor” into one Great Commandment. It is impossible for us to truly love God unless we also love our neighbor. True worship of God transforms us into a people who joyfully serve those in need.
In Christ,
Pastor Nicholas
