Isaiah 1:18-20
What is written? (ESV)
Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
What does it say?
God said to come and reason together with Him. Though your sins are like scarlet and crimson, they can be as white as snow and wool. If they [Judah] were willing and obedient, they could enjoy the fruit of the land. If they refused and rebelled, they would be devoured by the sword, for so is the judgment of God.
What is its immediate context?
God, through the prophet Isaiah, is addressing the people of Judah around the time 700BC. Israel, the northern tribes, had just been fully taken away/captive by the Assyrians – the pre-eminent nation of that period, but the Babylonians would soon rise to take all of Judah captive.
How Isaiah 1:18-20 is applied across Bible answers
Does man have free will?
God puts forth the binary conditions of man, either being "willing" to obey Him, or refusing and rebelling.
We see what eventually happened to Isaiah's audience in Jeremiah's day.7 Most did not listen, and they were swept away by the Babylonians.
