Background
Isaiah 1:18, Come now let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land.
Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said We will not walk therein. Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said we will not hearken.
The existence of a thing is realized when one sets his heart to seek. From the history of creation, one thing we realize is that each time men turned away from the principles of God,they could not escape the evil repercussions that followed. Indeed man has the free will to make choices, but the results reveal the quality of those choices. From the scriptures of study today, the Lord imploys the return of man to His counsel and His ways, for man to reason with Him and to receive pardon in order to receive the promise…let’s get into the Word.
Friendship with God by covenant
The books of the prophets and scriptures in general record God’s plans towards His people beginning from the patriarchs and demonstrated through the people of Israel descending from Jacob tracing back to Abraham. Abraham throughout the bible is known as a friend of God, a man through whom the Lord established a covenant of redeeming grace. I am sure you wonder what was it that qualified him for this position. We understand from the fall of man, in Genesis 3 after evil began to the reign , that God made a promise to Abram as he was known then(Genesis 12), he obeyed and did exactly as the Lord instructed him. Further in chapter 17, the Lord appeared to Him with the condition and a sign of the covenant; verse 1-8 ” I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless and I will make My covenant between Me and you and will multiply you exceedingly great. In verse 9, the sign of the covenant was for every male child to be circumcised(the cutting away of the foreskin), which symbolises a life of consecration (a life set apart unto God). To this covenant, Abraham adhered to and acted accordingly.
In Genesis 18 we understand how evil and extremely wicked men had become which attracted the wrath of God upon men, leading to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, the Lord was reminded of His covenant and friendship with Abraham and said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?(verses 17 -19 of Genesis 18). God’s intent for destruction was interrupted because He remembered His promise towards Abraham.
The benefits of friendship with God
Further in Isaiah 1:18, the people of Israel had rebelled against the laws of God and walked in disobedience, forgetting the covenant God made through Jacob from whom they descended, and in turn, a descendant of Abraham(Isaiah 41:8). The Lord, rich in mercies yet still sought to redeem them and called to them to repentance. Here again, the people of Israel are reminded of the promise of God. God is Holy and He calls us to be Holy as He is, the reward accompanied by this way of living is a promise of good. Had Adam lived from God’s principles, our world would not be in shambles as we see today. As aforementioned, God does not impose His will upon man but intends to reason with man, and to allow man the possibility of seeing and understanding from His perspective.
Jesus affirmed in John 15:13-16; “Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” God’s initiation for reasoning with man and His redemption plan is mainly out of love.His love is revealed towards us through the sacrifice of His son. John 15 further reads You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. As we obey and restore fellowship with God, we can also be deemed friends of God; ”No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. The benefit of our friendship with God by living accordingly is what witholds God from bypassing us in executing His plan. Beloved, we are ambassadors of God on earth, this is His original plan for man. You did not choose Me Jesus said, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” As ambassadors, God is not aiming for a boss and servant relationship, but to establish a friendship and intimate relationship whereby He can commune with us and establish an unbreakable bond with us. An ambassador is not independent from the government he represents but serves his interest from a cordial relationship.
Back to the ancient paths
Therefore what are we being called to do hearing this intent? Our second passage of study lays down the guidelines, Jeremiah 6:16(NKJV) the Lord implores us to ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and to walk therein, and we will find rest for our souls. Now note that the ancient path is not the mannerisms of the old, but the character of the life in God as Abraham demonstrated, a life separated unto God.No matter how far we have drifted away from God, as His love and mercy endureth for ever, as seen towards the people of Israel, He continued to call forth to them,irrespective of the number of times they rebelled, God still made attempts to redeem them. In this present day, His everlasting covenant still stands firm and sure through the final sacrifice of His very own son Jesus, that whosoever believes in Him should have the life of God(Hebrews 8:7-12 NKJV). Though our sins are like scarlet He says, when we come to Him they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Therefore, all that is required is our faith, Jesus says ; “behold, he stands at the door and knock if anyone will hear My voice and opens the door of his heart, I will come in to him and dine with Him, and He with Me.
