{"id":1442,"date":"2011-12-31T13:22:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-31T13:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidcprice.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/31\/a-reasonable-response"},"modified":"2011-12-31T13:22:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-31T13:22:00","slug":"a-reasonable-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/a-reasonable-response\/","title":{"rendered":"A Reasonable Response"},"content":{"rendered":"
In the opening of Isaiah, God says something that, to me, is astounding.\u00a0 He calls the readers to do something that sounds, well, unreasonable.\u00a0 He says, “Come now, let us reason together.”\u00a0 Crazy, right?\u00a0 No, think about it:\u00a0 The sovereign Lord of all that is, who created by the power of His Word, who controls all that ever was, who speaks and no one can respond, who, with the power of a thought can build up or destroy, whose ways are higher and thoughts deeper than anything that could compare, calls us<\/em> to reason<\/em> with Him.<\/p>\n Be Reasonable<\/strong><\/p>\n Here’s the backstory: The Father has just laid out a grievance against Judah, that they have come to Him with acts<\/em> of worship, but filthy hands and hearts.\u00a0 Rhetorically, He has asked them where they got such an idea.\u00a0 Do you think I like this?\u00a0 Has anyone told you to do this and act this way towards me?\u00a0 Do you think I’m stupid?\u00a0 Did I say that I like for you to make a mockery of worship? (Yeah, a little bit of paraphrasing there). He then tells them what He wants them to do (which we’ll get to in a minute) then calls for them to be reasonable<\/em> in their response.\u00a0 Look at how He lays this out (so easily a baby could just about reason through this):<\/p>\n 1. Your sins are disgusting\u00a0\u00a0 —->\u00a0 they’ll be cleansed like snow.<\/p>\n 2. If you’re willing and obedient\u00a0 —->\u00a0 I’ll bless your socks off.<\/p>\n 3. If you refuse and rebel\u00a0 —->\u00a0 you’ll lose your socks. (look how strongly the Lord states this:\u00a0 “you shall be eaten by the sword.” Gives the idea of complete consumption\/destruction, no?).<\/p>\n 4. I said it. That’s it. No other options. (“…the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Simple, right?\u00a0 So, the reasonable response is……?\u00a0 Of course, any reasonable<\/em> person would do what God says.\u00a0 OK, so…..do we?\u00a0 Do you?\u00a0<\/p>\n What God Said<\/strong><\/p>\n Isaiah 1: 6-7 tells us what we’re to do that, in doing so, will lead to the blessings of God:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Learn to do good. (personal experience – it is<\/em> a process.)<\/p>\n 3. Seek justice.<\/p>\n 4. Correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
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