I Will Thoroughly Purge Away Your Dross And Remove All Your Impurities (Isaiah 1:21-31)

 

I Will Thoroughly Purge Away Your Dross And Remove All Your Impurities (Isaiah 1:21-31)

Where is our hope? It’s not in this world. Accidents, natural disasters, wars, and conflicts fill this world with pain, sighs, and groans. Every day, there’s an endless list of things to do. The moment one task is done, another one is waiting. The pressure of daily life can feel overwhelming, making us long for relief. We tell ourselves that if we just hold on a little longer—if, for example, our children get into college—things will get easier. And to some extent, that’s true.

But that’s not real hope. That’s not what truly satisfies. God has given us a hope that will never perish, spoil, or fade—a hope in His eternal kingdom. The way to enter that kingdom is only through the blood of Jesus Christ. God pours out eternal life on everyone who repents and turns to Him. This is the true hope God has given us in Christ. About 700 years before Jesus, the prophet Isaiah delivered God’s message of forgiveness and grace.

They Do Not Defend the Orphan or Care for the Widow

21 See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her—but now murderers! 22 Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water. 23 Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves;
they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them. (Isaiah 1:21-23)

Isaiah lamented over sinful Israel. But really, this was God’s lament. Israel had once been faithful but had turned away, like an unfaithful spouse. They had fallen into idolatry, abandoning God’s ways of justice and righteousness, and instead, they had become murderers. They exploited and oppressed the most vulnerable—orphans and widows.

As a result, their wealth lost its value, like silver turned to dross. Their wine—once pure—was now watered down, losing its taste. This meant their lives felt empty, never truly satisfied, always thirsty for more.

How did they fall so far from faithfulness, justice, and righteousness? The answer lies with their leaders. The rulers rebelled against God, aligned themselves with thieves, and loved bribes. They sought personal gain over God’s will. They thought they could serve both God and wealth.

But Scripture warns us:

The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10)

Because of their greed, they ignored the poor and oppressed. To them, widows and orphans were a burden rather than people in need of help. They sided with the rich in court and turned a blind eye to injustice. Their hearts were corrupt, seeking only personal benefit instead of standing for God's justice and righteousness.

God’s Purpose for His People

Why did God choose Israel? He called them to live by His justice and righteousness so they could be an example to all nations. He wanted them to trust in Him and be a source of blessing to the world. Today, God calls Christians—those redeemed by His grace—to show His mercy and love to the world. To do that, we must remain in His grace and hold on to His mercy.

Even though we belong to God, the temptations of this world are strong. Satan prowls like a roaring lion, trying to deceive and destroy believers. The world constantly tempts us with wealth and materialism. But the things of this world are like Jacob’s well—no matter how much we drink, we’ll be thirsty again.

That’s why we must stay awake spiritually and remain in God’s grace. We need to be washed daily in the blood of Jesus Christ. We must strive to love and forgive each other.

34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)

I Will Thoroughly Purge Away Your Dross And Remove All Your Impurities

24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. 25 I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. 26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.” 27 Zion will be delivered with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness. (Isiah 1:24-27)

God is the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel. He created everything with His word, and all things belong to Him. His name is the Lord, the Mighty One of Israel. He never lets His words fall to the ground unfulfilled. Just as He promised Abraham, He carried the Israelites out of Egypt on eagle’s wings and led them to the land of Canaan, fulfilling His promise after 400 years.

Yet now, the Lord declares, “Ah!”—a cry of sorrow. Why is the Almighty God grieving? Because He must bring judgment upon His own people, who have become His enemies. They refused to follow His commandments and instead became corrupt, aligning themselves with thieves. In doing so, they turned against God. The Lord judges all wickedness and injustice, as seen in the story of the great flood. However, His desire is not to bring judgment but to lead people to repentance and salvation (2 Peter 3:9). Isaiah even describes God’s judgment as a strange or unusual work (Isaiah 28:21).

This means that when God expresses His wrath, it is actually His holy love at work—purifying and refining His chosen people. Just as lye cleanses impurities, He will remove the dross from their lives and purify them completely.

6 "The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son." 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? (Hebrews 12:6-7)

God will restore the nation’s leaders to their original integrity, just as in the beginning. Then, and only then, will the city be known as the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. Zion will be redeemed through justice, and those who return to the Lord will be saved through righteousness.

This world is chaotic, tangled like a knot with problems that seem impossible to solve. But God will refine and restore His people, clothing them in righteousness. His word never fails—Jesus confirmed this Himself.

"For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18)

"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

How Does God Establish His Holy Kingdom?

It is through the blood of Jesus Christ. Only the sacrifice of Christ has the power to cleanse us from sin and restore us completely. Everything in this world will eventually perish, decay, and fade away—it cannot save anyone from sin and death. But God, in His great love, placed His only Son under judgment in our place, offering Him as the perfect sacrificial Lamb.

Now, anyone who has been washed in the blood of Jesus is made clean, holy, and new. In Christ, we have eternal life, and we are made into new creations.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The Fate of the Rebellious and Sinners

28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish. 29 “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen. 30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water. 31 The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the fire.” (Isaiah 1:28-31)

Even so, those who continue to rebel against God and refuse to turn back to Him will face destruction. They will perish because they have rejected and abandoned the love of the Lord.

When God commanded Noah to build the ark, He waited patiently for 120 years, giving the people time to repent and find salvation. But they refused, and in the end, everything that had breath perished in the great flood. In the same way, those who worshiped the sacred oaks and trusted in their chosen gardens will face shame and disgrace.

Israel turned away from the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, and bowed down to idols. Because of this, God put them to suffer shame and judgment. Those who worship detestable idols cannot escape the consequences. This is why God brought judgment on the church in Thyatira, which followed the corrupt teachings of Jezebel and refused to repent.

22 "So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." (Revelation 2:22-23)

God’s judgment is terrifying (Hebrews 10:31). If standing before a human judge in court is intimidating, how much more should we fear standing before the King of kings and Lord of lords?

In the end, the rebellious will be like oaks with withered leaves and gardens without water. Even the strong will be like dry straw, and their actions will ignite like a spark—both will burn together, with no one to put out the fire. Those who abandon the Lord will ultimately lose their lives, cutting themselves off from the very source of life.

But God alone is the true nourishment and the living water for all people. He has shown His love fully through His Son. However, those who refuse to repent and turn to Him will never experience the love, peace, and joy that come from heaven. Instead, their hearts will be filled with distress, misery, and thirst.

Yet, for those who return to the Lord, He will cleanse them with the blood of His Son and pour out His blessings like a waterfall—filling them with love, joy, and peace. He will give them the inheritance of His heavenly kingdom, and His mercy and grace will overflow in their hearts like a spring of living water. Amen!

2025. 2. 2.

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Scripture quotations are from the NIV.