“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18
What would you say if your pastor visited you today wearing a shirt that was stained and grungy with dirt? You would think he better get his shirt cleaned before he wears it again. Maybe he’ll need to soak it in some detergent or even add some bleach to get out the stains. Stores sell lots of soaps that claim to get our whites really white. Likely all of us have washing machines for the purpose of keeping our clothes clean.
Many years ago people made their clothing from wool. Those who raised sheep always had a ready source of wool out in the pasture. Sheep were sheared or clipped in springtime when their wool was long. The men were to shear them so all the wool was removed in one large piece. Then the women took the wool down to the river and beat it on wet rocks to wash out the stains and dirt because the sheep were sleeping in some pretty messy places. The whiter the wool, the more valuable it was. Really white wool would demand a high price at the marketplace. Buyers wanted to purchase the whitest wool they could find.
In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah wrote about the color of wool. Isaiah 1:18 says: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as white as wool.” Isaiah was comparing our sins to bright red stains. He was thinking about sins like lying, cheating, adultery, gossip, coveting, and stealing. We are certainly guilty of many sins. Each of our sins adds another bright red stain to our souls. Soon we too begin to look like dirty, grungy sheep.
Isaiah said there is hope. He said it is possible to wipe away the horrible red stains. But strong bleach won’t do the trick no matter how hard we try to rub out the stains. There is nothing we can do to make us clean. Only the blood of Jesus has the power to remove all our stains and cleanse us from all of our sins. When our souls are washed in the fountain of Jesus’ blood, we will finally remove all those terrible stains. Isaiah says our sins will be as white as snow, or washed as clean and bright as brilliant white wool.
The next time we see some sheep in a faraway field, we should look at how dirty their wool is and remember that once we were stained and dirty too, but now we have been washed clean by the Good Shepherd.
Jesus, Savior, wash away
All that has been wrong today;
Help me every day to be
Good and gentle, more like Thee. Amen.
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