“Come, now, and let us set matters straight between us,” says Jehovah. “Though your sins are like scarlet, They will be made as white as snow; Though they are as red as crimson cloth, They will become like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)
Many times I speak with people. Rarely do I precede my remarks with “Come now, and let us set matters straight between us.” It means that what follows is a big deal. It means that what follows is something not intuitive, something a person might easily not think of on his or her own.
That something is that, if you repent of and leave off your wrong course, God will completely forgive. These points were the highlight of Sunday’s (September 20, 2026) Watchtower Study.
David was set as an example. After being called to account over his outrageous sin with Bathsheba, in which he even plotted another man’s death, 2 Samuel 12:13 says: “David then said to Nathan: “I have sinned against Jehovah.” Nathan replied to David:“Jehovah, in turn, forgives your sin. You will not die.” It reads sort of light here, just presented as an excerpt, but the complete context indicates he really was cut to the heart.
Thereafter, consistent with forgiveness, whenever David’s subsequent doings are mentioned, there is never attached a footnote: “But, you know, that dude did some pretty bad stuff.” Someone spoke up at the meeting that the common pattern today is, should someone do something bad, that course defines him for the rest of his life—popular opinion will accept no reform. But, with God, the reality is:
“I [Jehovah] am the One who is blotting out your transgressions for my own sake, And I will not remember your sins. (Isa 43:25)
It is: “For I will not oppose them forever Or always remain indignant; For a man’s spirit would grow feeble because of me, Even the breathing creatures that I have made.” (Isa 57:16)
Thus is presented the reason behind Isaiah 1:18 and why matters must be “set straight between us.” It is that one’s spirit may not “grow feeble because of me [God], as it surely would otherwise, upon contrasting his stature and ways with the fact one has so blatantly transgressed against them. The fact is, forgiveness is a thing with Him—and this is BEFORE the revealing of Christ, who would pay the price to redeem us from sin.
It was a fine meeting that went on to explore related points. Participation was heavy. It always is at our Hall. Few paragraphs do not strand a few hands, as the conductor presses on to cover material within the allotted time. Rarely do I get all my remarks in, though in some cases it is due to the conductor [rightly] suspecting I may launch a zinger.
****** The bookstore
Leave a Reply