God's Call to Come Clean

Introduction

Good morning, church, and Happy Shavuot! Tonight, we celebrate Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, when God gave the Torah to Israel at Mount Sinai, a gift of His law and covenant love. While we’re on the topic of covenant and love of God’s word, let me ask you something that might be a little uncomfortable: Have you ever felt like you’ve drifted too far from God? Maybe you’ve messed up big time, or you’re carrying a burden that’s weighing you down. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Shavuot, also known as Pentecost, reminds us of God’s Torah at Sinai and how He wrote it on our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Today, as we dive into Isaiah 1:1–20, we see God calling Judah back to that covenant. They were chasing idols, ignoring justice, and rebelling, but God didn’t give up. He gave Isaiah a vision, a chazon in Hebrew, of judgment and hope, calling them to come clean and be restored. That call echoes to us, fulfilled in Yeshua, our Messiah, who washes us clean. Let’s hear what God’s saying as we celebrate Shavuot.

Isaiah 1:1–20 TLV

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah: Listen! Heavens, and hear, earth, for Adonai has spoken: “Sons I have raised and brought up, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Oy, a sinful nation, a people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons dealing corruptly! They have abandoned Adonai. They have despised Israel’s Holy One. They have turned backwards. Where will you be struck again, as you stray away more and more? The whole head is sick, the whole heart faint. From the foot to the head there is no soundness. Wounds, bruises and raw sores: not pressed, nor bandaged, nor softened with oil. Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire; your fields, strangers devour it in your presence—a desolation, overthrown by strangers. So the Daughter of Zion is left as a sukkah in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Unless Adonai-Tzva’ot had left us a small remnant, we would have been as Sodom, we would have been as Gomorrah. Hear the word of Adonai, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the Torah of our God, you people of Gomorrah! “For what is it to Me— the multitude of your sacrifices?” says Adonai. “I am full of burnt offerings of rams and fat of fed animals. I have no delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or he-goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand— trampling My courts? Bring no more worthless offerings! Incense is an abomination to Me. New Moon and Shabbat, the calling of convocations —I cannot endure it— iniquity with solemn assembly. Your New Moons and your Festivals My soul hates! They are a burden to Me. I am weary to bear them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you. When you multiply prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood!” “Wash and make yourselves clean. Put away the evil of your deeds from before My eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, seek justice, relieve the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” “Come now, let us reason together,” says Adonai. “Though your sins be like scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they will become like wool. If you are willing and obey, you will eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured with the sword.” For the mouth of Adonai has spoken.

Unpacking the Text

Isaiah 1 starts with a punch. Verse 1 says,

Isaiah 1:1 TLV

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah:

“vision”—chazon (חָזוֹן)

That word “vision”—chazon (חָזוֹן)—isn’t just a dream; it’s God’s revelation, like a spotlight on Judah’s rebellion. In the 8th century BC, Judah was acting like a rebellious kid, turning from God’s covenant, oppressing the poor, and worshiping false gods.

Isaiah 1:2–4 TLV

Listen! Heavens, and hear, earth, for Adonai has spoken: “Sons I have raised and brought up, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Oy, a sinful nation, a people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons dealing corruptly! They have abandoned Adonai. They have despised Israel’s Holy One. They have turned backwards.

Isaiah 1 starts strong. Verse 1 says, “The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (Isaiah 1:1 TLV). That word “vision”—chazon (חָזוֹן)—is God’s revelation, like a spotlight on Judah’s rebellion. In the 8th century BC, Judah was acting like a rebellious kid, turning from God’s covenant, oppressing the poor, and worshiping false gods.

Verse 2 captures God’s heartache: “Hear, heavens, and listen, earth, for Adonai has spoken: ‘Sons I have raised and brought up, but they have rebelled against Me’” (Isaiah 1:2 TLV). To the Jews of Isaiah’s day, this was a call to return to Torah, like renewing their covenant with Abraham and Moses—a covenant we celebrate today on Shavuot, when God gave the Torah at Sinai. We know it as Pentecost, when God wrote His Torah on our hearts with His Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:33, Acts 2:1–4 TLV). Judah had forgotten that covenant, breaking God’s heart.

This covenant wasn’t new. Picture this: centuries earlier, as Israel entered the Promised Land, God set up a vivid moment in Deuteronomy 27–28. He told the people to stand on two mountains—Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal—facing each other across a valley. Half the tribes on Gerizim shouted the blessings of obedience: “Obey Adonai, and you’ll be blessed in the city and the field, your crops and livestock will thrive!” (Deuteronomy 28:1–3 TLV, paraphrased). The others on Ebal declared the curses for disobedience: “Disobey, and your crops will fail, your enemies will triumph!” (Deuteronomy 28:15–16 TLV, paraphrased). Imagine voices echoing across the valley, one mountain singing God’s promises, the other warning of judgment. It was a stark reminder that God’s covenant, like the Torah given at Shavuot, meant a choice—blessing or cursing. Judah, in Isaiah’s time, was choosing the Ebal side.

But God doesn’t stop there. Verse 18 is the heart: “Come now, let us reason together,” says Adonai. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18 TLV). Picture a courtroom.

God’s the judge, but He’s not slamming the gavel. He’s inviting Judah to confess and be cleansed. Back then, Jews would’ve heard this as a call to Temple sacrifices or repentance, like the Dead Sea Scrolls’ focus on returning to God’s ways. For us, it points to Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29 TLV). His blood fulfills that promise, washing our sins white as snow. Verses 19–20 echo those mountains:

Isaiah 1:19–20 TLV

If you are willing and obey, you will eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured with the sword.” For the mouth of Adonai has spoken.

It’s the same choice Israel faced at Sinai—life with God or life without Him.

Living it Out

So, how do we live this out? Isaiah’s vision is God’s call to come clean, just as He called Judah. On Shavuot, Jews in Isaiah’s time and the Second Temple period celebrated Torah as God’s guide for repentance—keeping His commandments, pursuing justice. That’s still true, but Yeshua fulfills it. His sacrifice makes forgiveness possible for all, Jew and Gentile alike, writing God’s law on our hearts through the Spirit. John 10:10 says, “I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly!” (John 10:10b TLV). That abundant life starts when we confess our sins and trust in Jesus’ cleansing blood.

Think of King David in Psalm 51, after his sin with Bathsheba—adultery, betrayal, and the murder of Uriah. His shame was a crushing weight, like a stone on his chest, his heart torn by the anguish of letting God down. He was Israel’s king, anointed by God, yet he’d fallen so far.

Psalm 51:1–6 TLV

For the music director: a psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he went to Bathsheba. Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your mercy. According to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.

Can you feel his desperation? He’s not just sorry—he’s broken, pleading for God’s mercy to erase the stain of his guilt. Then in verses 7–10, he prays,

Psalm 51:7–10 TLV

Behold, I was born in iniquity and in sin when my mother conceived me. Surely You desire truth in the inner being. Make me know wisdom inwardly. Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness, so the bones You crushed may rejoice.

David’s begging for more than forgiveness—he wants his joy back, his crushed spirit healed, his heart made new. That’s the cry of repentance, church, and it’s answered in Yeshua’s blood, making us whiter than snow, just like Isaiah 1:18! On this Shavuot, the Holy Spirit moves in us, as at Pentecost, creating clean hearts to live out God’s Torah with passion and power.

Let me share a story. Right before my divorce, I had a rough night. My ex and I were separated, and after a family event - a wedding ironically enough, we got into a heated argument at the venue which we then continued at our house. Words flew, accusations were made, and she brought up what she wanted from a divorce. I said, “There are consequences to divorce,” meaning it’s a serious choice, but there are laws that dictate what you are and are not entitled to in a divorce settlement. In my desperation I made a dumb mistake and made an attempt on my own life, she called the police, and then twisted my words and claimed that I threatened her, telling her there would be consequences if she tried to divorce me. They arrested me for disturbing the peace, charging me under a domestic violence statute. In that jail cell, I was furious—not just at her, and the police, but at God as well. I blamed Him, like a kid throwing a tantrum. “God, why is this happening?” But even in my anger, God didn’t give up. He spoke to me, used me to minister to other prisoners, even to prophesy to them. I was a mess, yet He was faithful. In tears, I repented, begged His forgiveness, and He washed me clean, just like Isaiah 1:18 promises. No matter how far we stray, God’s ready to forgive when we come clean.

And here’s the beautiful part: God’s promise to Judah isn’t canceled, and it’ wasn’t just for the children of Israel.

Romans 11:17–18 TLV

But if some of the branches were broken off and you—being a wild olive—were grafted in among them and became a partaker of the root of the olive tree with its richness, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, it is not you who support the root but the root supports you.

We Gentiles “were grafted in among them and became a partaker of the root of the olive tree’s richness” (Romans 11:17 TLV). God’s covenant with Israel, sealed at Sinai and celebrated on Shavuot, is eternal. Through Yeshua, we’re invited into that covenant, not to replace Israel, but to share in their blessings, worshiping the God of Abraham together.

As Shavuot starts tonight, here’s a challenge: Take 5 minutes in prayer this week. Name one specific sin or struggle, confess it to God, and thank Him for Yeshua’s cleansing. Write it down if it helps, then tear it up as a symbol of God’s forgiveness. As you celebrate Shavuot, maybe with cheesecake or Torah study, reflect on God’s Torah—His gift of guidance and grace, now written on our hearts by the Spirit.

Putting it All Together

Church, Isaiah’s vision and Shavuot remind us of a God who sees our rebellion but never gives up. He called Judah to come clean, and He’s calling us to do the same through Yeshua’s sacrifice. Whether you feel far from God or close to Him today, hear His invitation: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow.” Let’s respond, trust in His forgiveness, and walk in the joy of His covenant love.