Guilty as Charged!
Yes, our rebellious deeds are many before you, and our sins testify against us.Our rebellious deeds are with us, and as for our guilty deeds, we are aware of them. (Isaiah 59:12)
Isaiah 59 discusses a difficult situation. It seems that the LORD had forsaken Israel. But the problem was not that God was unable to save or had lost interest in Israel. The problem was that Israel had become inattentive to the LORD. Actually, that difficult situation has never changed. It isn’t just the physical descendants of Abraham that ran into this problem. This is true of all mankind since the fall into sin.
The first of Martin Luther’s 95 theses was: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Matthew 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” In fact, that may have been the main reason many of the Jewish leaders rejected both John the Baptist and Jesus. They considered themselves “good people,” maybe even the “best people.” Repentance was out of the picture. Today’s society just rejects the idea of “sin” in general. There is no moral code by which we are to live. So, when things go wrong, “Blame GOD!”
By the Holy Spirit’s leading, take into your heart what Isaiah was inspired to write.
Read our verse again. Yes, we are guilty as charged! Then comes the season of Lent. Don’t fall for the devil’s trick to think this is just a season to look ahead to spring. The season of Lent is a time to review the life and death of Jesus. It points out how seriously God takes our sin. Look at the punishment Jesus endured for us! By faith we also know Easter and the victory that Jesus has won. We are guilty as charged, but by faith in Jesus the verdict is NOT GUILTY!
Prayer: Holy Spirit, lead us to see your call to repentance during this season of Lent. Also lead us to appreciate the tremendous victory that our Lord Jesus has provided for us. Enable us to live in thanks to you. Amen.