“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 1:18 Mean?
God issues one of the most generous invitations in the Old Testament: come now, and let us reason together. The invitation is to dialogue — God and the sinner, face to face, working through the problem together.
"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" — the transformation is total. Scarlet is a permanent dye — it does not wash out. Snow is the purest white. God promises to do what is chemically impossible: turn a permanent stain into pristine whiteness.
"Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" — the repetition intensifies: deep red to natural white. The double promise removes all doubt: no matter how deeply stained, the cleansing is complete.
The invitation comes in the middle of Isaiah 1's indictment of Israel's corrupt worship. After condemning their empty sacrifices, God turns and offers complete cleansing. The severity and the mercy exist side by side.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does 'let us reason together' reveal about God's posture toward sinful people?
- 2.How does scarlet becoming snow describe what is humanly impossible but divinely certain?
- 3.Why does this invitation follow the indictment of empty worship?
- 4.What sin do you consider too permanent for cleansing — and how does this verse address that?
Devotional
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD. Come. The God of the universe invites conversation. Not demands submission. Not threatens judgment. Invites dialogue. Let us reason together — you and me, face to face, working this out.
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Scarlet does not wash out. It is a permanent dye. But God says: I will turn permanent stain into pristine whiteness. What no human effort can remove, divine grace makes as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. The double promise: even the deepest stain. Even the most saturated color. Natural, undyed wool — pure, clean, untouched. That is what your crimson sins will become.
The invitation follows the indictment. After God says he is full of empty sacrifices — after the rebuke of corrupt worship — he turns and offers this. Come. Reason. Be cleansed. The severity does not cancel the mercy. The mercy follows the severity.
If your sins feel permanent — scarlet-dyed, crimson-saturated, impossible to remove — this verse says otherwise. The stain that nothing human can clean is the stain God specializes in. Scarlet to snow. Crimson to wool. Complete. Total. White.
Come. The invitation is open. The reasoning is available. And the cleansing — from the deepest, most permanent stain — is offered freely to anyone who responds.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Come now, and let us reason, together, saith the Lord,.... These words stand not in connection either with the preceding…
Come now - This is addressed to the nation of Israel; and the same exhortation is made to all sinners. It is a solemn…
Though God had rejected their services as insufficient to atone for their sins while they persisted in them, yet he does…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture