Filthy Rags

Filthy Rags

Prophecy is typically a grossly misunderstood topic in Christian culture(s) in that we tend to think of it as akin to mysterious oracles and fortune telling - when in reality that’s not what prophecy is at all.

In the biblical sense a prophet was a person who received a direct message from God for the purpose of sharing the message with the intended audience. Often times a prophet would share the inevitable consequence of (continued) disobedience. So in some regard there was a future aspect to prophecy, but the future aspect was always auxiliary to the primary message of God’s desire for humanity to repent (literally “to turn”) from rebellion and idolatry to allow the grace of God to reconcile and redeem our broken relationship with Him.

So when the prophet Isaiah prophesied (i.e. pronounced) pending judgment upon the southern kingdom of Judah what Isaiah was doing was crying out to the kingdom of Judah to turn from their wickedness and return to abundant life in the presence of God Almighty. Isaiah was attempting to remind Judah of the fidelity and lovingkindness of God who had:

1) created humanity in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27)

2) made Israel into a nation (Gen 32; 35; 47; et al)

3) delivered them from 400+ years of slavery (Ex 12)

4) blessed them with a unique status (Ex 19:5-6)

5) gave them a prime real estate at the crossroads of the world

6) dwelled with them perpetually in the tabernacle and temple…

Toward the end of the book of Isaiah the prophet tells the Israelites that their rebellion will lead to the loss of that privileged status as “a kingdom of priests” designated to serve as mediators of reconciliation between Creator and fallen humanity.

Additionally, Isaiah points out that God’s plan will not/cannot be thwarted and - if the nation fails to repent (turn) from their blatant perpetual idolatry - God will accomplish the task Himself, because "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to only restore the tribes of Jacob and merely bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you (the Servant of the LORD) a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."

That last part is the key to everything in the Bible. God’s plan from before the foundation of the cosmos/world (Rev 13:8) has always been to reconcile and redeem humanity AT ANY/ALL COST. Not just Judah, not just Israel, but as Gen 12:3 tells us - so that “...all the peoples of the world will be blessed.” God’s blessing of reconciliation has always been intended for all of humanity!

God knew that humanity would rebel.

God knew that the nation of Israel would turn away.

God knew the Church would be filled with imperfect broken sinners.

God knew from before time began that He would need to rescue depraved humanity from ourselves.

So when we come to Isaiah chapter 64 what we find is the unmitigated, unqualified, sheer, pure, and perfect prophecy (message from God to His intended audience - humanity).

What we find is that after Isaiah tells us about the glorious character and nature of God as almighty and sovereign Creator - Scripture then reveals (vv.6-7) to us the utterly systemic corrupt nature of humanity both collectively and individually:

“All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,

and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

No one calls on your name

or strives to lay hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us

and have given us over to our sins.”

The absolute best humanity can muster amounts to a massive dung heap of filthy, stinky, nasty rags. Thankfully, as is the awesome and glorious character of our Creator, God doesn’t leave it there!

Some of God’s final words in this prophetic (not fortune telling, but character revealing) book resound even in the darkest, blackest, and most nefarious hearts:

“Before they call I will answer;

while they are still speaking I will hear.”

-Isaiah 65:24

God’s exclusive and perfect answer resides eternally at the Cross of Christ. His love and forgiveness precedes and trumps our folly. Even while issuing our lament He has already heard, concurrently hears, and responds perfectly in mercy and grace.

What does that reality change or cause in you?

Blessings,

-Kevin

@KMKelley1968