Isaiah 1:16-17

Peace to you my brothers and sisters.

Today’s Bible Verse: [Isaiah 1:16-17 KJV] 16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Ceasing to do evil is repenting; A 180 degree turn away from sin.

Looking at verse 17; we see judge and judgement and immediately this comes to mind:

[Luke 6:37 KJV] 37  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Many say that this says that we are not to judge but what it is saying is that we are not to judge unrighteously. Human judgement based on God’s law is what we are called to do in Isaiah 1:17; it is to be used to allow individuals to correct us and for us to correct them based on God’s law.

We are told to judge the fatherless; that is, correct those that have no father for whatever reason.

Verse 17 tells us to relieve the oppressed. The oppressed are those that have received violence due to their faith.  We are to help them through their oppression even if it brings oppression on us.

Finally, verse 17 tells us to plead for the widow. At the time Isaiah was written a widow had little to no means of financial support so it was incumbent on society to take care of them. Verse 17 is telling us to do exactly that.

We all have a job.

[Matthew 28:18-20 KJV] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.

All of the disciples of Jesus are to spread His word and the gospel.

This is the gospel of Jesus: [1 Corinthians 15:1-6 KJV] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

Go forth and spread this good news.

I hope this has been a blessing to you. May the rest of your day be blessed. Peace.