The concept of reasoning with God has a long history in Scripture. We see the way that humans sparred linguistically with God in Abraham's bargaining for Sodom, in Moses' logic to save his people, and throughout the book of Job.
I wondered about Isaiah's statement in 1:18, “Come, let us reason together, says the Lord, Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”
Is the act of reasoning here a prelude to introducing the subject of redemption? In other words, is God saying, “Let's talk about something; specifically forgiveness of your sins”?
Or can it be cause and effect?
Is it possible that the act of reasoning with God is a trigger that causes His action: Does reasoning with Him move Him to action?
Being a Christian author means being a proxy - for the benefit of another and…
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When I think about reasoning—with God or in a situation where God is working, I think of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham “reasoned†God could raise him from the dead. But where does such ‘reasoning’ come from? Surely it’s not from Abraham himself. His human understanding would tell him that if you cut into the flesh of a living body, it bleeds. If it bleeds long enough, it dies. So where did his reasoning come from? Faith. Abraham’s faith that God could keep His promises allowed Abraham to connect his reasoning unnaturally to believe. And so the verse in Hebrews 11 goes on to say that, “in a sense, Abraham did receive Isaac back from the dead.â€
I think the Isaiah verse here follows this line of thinking. Maybe it’s God challenging our natural reasoning to be more unnatural: "This is beyond reason. You almost can't wrap your mind around this: Your sin was complete and encompassing. But I wash it away instantly and permanently." I cannot fathom my own sin being wiped clean. Nothing I could do would earn it; and my own petition can’t grant it. By faith, however, I believe that God’s complete love and redemption can accomplish such a feat. Without faith, I couldn’t accept such a truth.
So, "come, let us reason" with the Lord that we have been given an indescribable gift - the forgiveness of sins!