Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith- the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
“אם יהיו חטאיכם כשנים כשלג ילבינו” “Even if your sins will be scarlet, they will become white as snow.”
”שָׁנִי
shani – shawnee – scarlet #8144
Original Word: שָׁנִי Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: shani Phonetic Spelling: shaw-nee’ Definition: scarlet
Isaiah 1:18 HEB: יִֽהְי֨וּ חֲטָאֵיכֶ֤ם כַּשָּׁנִים֙ כַּשֶּׁ֣לֶג יַלְבִּ֔ינוּ NAS: your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white KJV: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white INT: become your sins scarlet snow white
Why does our Heavenly Father call sin as scarlet?
Scarlet is the color of blood and it is the blood of Yeshua/Jesus that removes the sin, sins are not scarlet are they?
In answering this question we must try to remember that words for things that are common usage today, would be totally confusing to people even a hundred years ago. E.g., In conversation today, we might say, “My laptop has a wifi Bluetooth mouse but my tablet and ipad do not.” This statement would mean nothing to someone born in the early 1900’s! A mouse with a bluetooth!! they would think you were completely crazy!
The point is our language and application of words changes, so when we read the scriptures we must remember what was relevant to those people at their time and according to the culture of their native country.
In those days people were not used to color as we are today. They did not decorate or color co-ordinate their homes or clothes; because bright colors were rare, they had not turned color into a science all its’ own as industry has today. There was no such thing as Interior/exterior paint and there were no paint spray cans or colored pencils/pens.
In the middle east their surroundings were mostly desert browns with sparse greenery and when a bright colorful flower animal or insect was observed it caused them to stop and be amazed.
The Hebrew word used for scarlet in this verse is kashanim
Definition: Crimson, properly, the insect or its color,
also stuff dyed with
Scarlet, crimson.
Properly, the insect ‘coccus ilicis’, the dried body of the female yielding coloring matter from which is made the dye used for cloth to color it scarlet or crimson.
The ka in front of the word is a preposition: like or as
so it would read literally:
though your sins be as or like an insect.
Translators correctly used the word scarlet because the people of that day were very familiar with this unique insect. This unusual insect caused the observers to be amazed because this little creature attached itself to a tree to give birth to its offspring, and when it died and its body dried up, it turned a bright, scarlet, red color. So a bright color such as scarlet would have been rare and thus everyone in Israel thousands of years ago, knew what scarlet/crimson was, or, the reference in the verse, red like crimson.
Scarlet is not only tied into the concept of sin and redemption, but it was also used practically within the confines of the Jewish Temple. Scarlet and crimson were united together in the Temple curtains/veils:
Exodus 35:25
All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and the scarlet material [tola’at ha-shani] and in fine linen.
The Hebrew word for material in this passage is towla-at, which is the same word used for crimson-worm. So it appears that this word evolved from representing the worm to also representing any material colored scarlet by the worm itself.
This scarlet material (tola’at shani) is found in mulyiple places in scripture, and had a particular emphasis in decorating the Temple.
Exodus 26:31-33
“You shall also makea veil of violet, purple, and scarletmaterial [w-towla’at shani], and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer. Then you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also of gold, on four bases of silver. You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve as a partition for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.”
When this scarlet worm is ready to lay its eggs, it attaches itself to the trunk of a tree, more specifically, the Kermes oak found in the Mediterranean region. It secures itself very firmly because it already knows it will not come back down that tree alive!
It is a voluntary sacrifice!
(Is this sounding familiar to another
death on a tree as a voluntary blood sacrifice??)
Its’ eggs, which are birthed beneath its body, remain protected until they hatch and are able to go off on their own. When the worm dies, it secretes a crimson fluid that stains its body and the wood around it.
Many people had the job of gathering these little insects. Once they died dried out and began to decay giving off its scarlet color. These dead insects were then collected, crushed and turned into a scarlet color dye. The dye was then applied to the material used to make clothes for royalty and those in society who could afford such luxuries. Because it was so uncommon to be clothed in bright garments, when a person wearing scarlet clothes came by, it was an obvious clue that they were very important.
Click link below for more detail on this amazing insect.
this insect that was dead, and literally decaying.
The association with sin would then be quickly recognized as that dead decaying thing in your life, that choked the spiritual life out of you.
In the same way they would also understand that in skillful hands this dead thing could be turned into something of great beauty. Our Heavenly Father was saying that although our sins make us spiritually dead as that scarlet colored insect, He is able and willing to restore us to new spiritual life.
There are historical and archeological references, easily found on line, describing the Assyrian armies uniforms who, in Isaiah day, were Israels’ greatest enemies and eventually conquered them. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility, that most people living in Israel had heard the battle accounts; and that one thing they would have noticed was the uniform of the soldiers in the chariots. These chariots were manned by, some say 2 others 3 warriors, 1 to drive the chariot and the other 2/3 to shoot the arrows while racing as close to the enemy lines as possible; then they would circle around for another attack.
With all the enemies arrows flying, casualties were high, however it seems one arrow was not enough to knock such tough warriors down, and their wounds still bled. The scarlet colored uniforms concealed the blood coming from their wounds, and the enemy could not tell if they were hitting their targets or were fighting against something more supernatural!
Due to this military cultural practice, scarlet became known also as a camouflage.
It was part of the art of war, a means of keeping the soldiers injuries concealed and hidden from those observing the battle.
Applying this to our spiritual condition, it is telling us that when our Heavenly Father says that even though your sins are as scarlet, these sins were not the only ones destroying you but also included are those hidden or secret sins. Hidden sins are those that no one else but our Heavenly Father knows about, and even those sins that are hidden and concealed will be cleansed.
It is interesting that a word for sin is chata’
which is an archer’s term for
missing the mark or target.
And also makes us think of the verse in Ephesians concerning the fiery darts/arrows of the evil one which is why our shield of faith should always be held up high.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The word sin both in Hebrew and Greek means missed the mark, just as any archer might.
The Mark, the centre, the bulls eye, that man is to make this his aim through life, as to THE GLORY OF GOD.
Paul tells us that to all alike, missing this mark is SIN. The standard is a high one however, we are to aim directly and always at God’s glory and not mans’.
One of the words for sin in Hebrew, as mentioned does mean:
miss the mark,
meaning that: you didn’t achieve the right goal.
There are other words for sin, and some of them mean something more like: deliberately chose the wrong goal, which is rather more serious.
In Hebrew: HATA
Hebrew Strong’s #2398
Literally: to MISS God’s Standards.
(e.g. Hosea 8:1; Daniel 9:11; Isaiah 5:20-24)
“Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 KJV cf. Romans 7:7.
God’s Target is His Commandments.
Breaking His Commandments is Missing God’s Target.
Same root, not the same word
Miss the mark is hechti החטיא
which also means: caused somebody to sin
Sin is chet חטא
Hebrew has several other words forsin beyond hata, each with its own specific meaning.
The wordpesha, or trespass,
means: a sin done out of rebelliousness.
The wordaveira means: transgression.
And the wordavone, or iniquity,
means: a sin done out of moral failing.
A Hebrew word for sin is
חטאה
hhatah,
Strong’s #2403
and literally means: miss the mark.
The Greek translation of the Old Testament often used hamartia,
an equivalent word also meaning: to miss the mark.
Word meanings were often not as precise as English words are, because the Hebrew language had a small vocabulary; and it’s very common in language to use very natural terms as a way to describe things that are much more abstract.
Just as Paul wrote in Philippians 3:14
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The same author told us in Romans 14:23
…whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
It is clear that the will of God, whether we are aware of what it is or not, is the mark. The responsibility is on us to both discover and to do it.
As noted, the common Hebrew term translated sin is chat·taʼthʹ; in Greek the usual word is ha·mar·tiʹa. In both languages, the verb forms (Hebrew, cha·taʼʹ; Greek, ha·mar·taʹno)
mean: miss, in the sense of:
missing or not reaching a goal, way, mark, or right point.
In our case how do we miss the mark?
We all miss the mark of perfection, in the sense that we are all called sinners in the scriptures.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
The reason Messiah Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach left his heavenly home and was born as a human, was to offer up His perfect human life in exchange for the perfect human life that Adam forfeited, when he rebelled against God’s authority.
“and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24
chet: a sin
Original Word: חֵטְא Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: chet Phonetic Spelling: (khate) Definition: a sin
ḥă·ṭā·’ê·ḵem — 1 Occurrence
Isaiah 1:18 HEB: אִם־ יִֽהְי֨וּ חֲטָאֵיכֶ֤ם כַּשָּׁנִים֙ כַּשֶּׁ֣לֶג NAS: Though your sins are as scarlet, KJV: the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, INT: Though become your sins scarlet snow
The Scapegoat –
Azazel עזאזל
Ayin Zayin Aleph Zayin Lamed
Leviticus 16:9-10: “And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him [for] a sin offering. (10) But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, [and] to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.”
There is something interesting in Jewish writings regarding Rosh Hashanah:
During Yom Kippur in ancient days, two goats were brought before the High Priest.
Both were as identical as possible.
Lots were then drawn.
One bore the words To the Lord and the other To Azazel.
The word Azazel is an interesting word as there is much debate as to what its meaning really is. Many translations just translate it as Azazel in reference to a geological location. Some of the earlier translations use the word scapegoat. As to whether Azazel meant scapegoat to the ancient Hebrews is said to be questionable.
In 1530 William Tyndale broke the law of the land by translating the Bible into English. This was an act for which he was put to death.Azazel was the name of a demon and even a common name among Jews used for Satan. To say the other lot fell to Satan who was allowed to escape, did not seem right, so Tyndale considered the word Azazel to be a compound word, as for goat; ez and azal for sending away, hence scapegoat. However, if we stay with the original understanding of Azazel as a demon or even a reference to Satan himself, we are then open to a deeper and maybe a more relevant understanding of this strange ritual.
It seems obvious that the goat who received the lot, To the Lord, was representative of the Messiah, as we identify to be Jesus/Yeshua. This Messiah gave His life and shed His blood for the sins of all mankind. But what was the reason for the Azazel and sending the goat into the wilderness? because the scapegoat never made it out of the wilderness alive.
The sages had no problem with one goat being slaughtered and shedding its’ blood as a sign of God’s forgiveness of sin, but they also realized just having your sins forgiven was not enough. It was a great relief on Yom Kippur to have all your sins forgiven, ready to start the New Year with a clean sheet, but what about the consequences of those past sins which was primarily the consequence of guilt. It seems it was not uncommon for Jews to amend their rituals and add to God-given directions. An example would be that an individual may not realize until they are older of the many sacrifices made by family members for their benefit. Sometimes the commandment to honor parents cannot be fulfilled if the parents die before they are able to repent, ask for forgiveness and personally thank them. They pray and repent and they receive Gods forgiveness by faith, and that sin is washed away, like the goat shedding its’ blood for their sin; yet some individuals carry that guilt and live with the burden of it for years.
The sages saw that Azazel, a demon, or the enemy himself, is constantly whispering in our ears. We are to remember and be encouraged that after God has forgiven you and cleansed you
the only weapon the enemy has
are his lies.
Because of this it was agreed that the Azazel or the scapegoat also represented the guilt of the sin. God forgave the sin but many still live with the guilt.
One word for wilderness is medabarah which could also be translated as words from the heart. So, the picture they saw of the scapegoat was the words that the Azazel puts into your heart, words of condemnation and guilt are to be sent away far from the tabernacle or tent.
Again be certain that not only did
God forgive our sins,
He also
removed the guilt
often attached to that sin.
The only guilt we feel is just the lies of the Azazel or the enemy. Messiah came to set the captives free from ALL of it.
The sins were placed on the scapegoat and by so doing removing all guilt being carried; and they did two extra things not mentioned in the Torah which are recorded in the Talmud/Jewish Literature.
First, they tied a red wool thread around the horn of the scapegoat and cut off a piece of that red wool thread.
Then when they sent the goat away some priests followed it and when the goat got near a cliff, they made sure the goat fell to his death, accordingly the lies of Azazel were put to death!
When the Pharisees placed their hands on the goat and confessed the sins… it was ALL placed on the scapegoat. When the Pharisees slapped Jesus/Yeshua on His head and called Him blasphemous; this act was, placing the sins of all mankind on the head of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, maybe unintentionally… but it fulfilled their job! So when Messiah died and went to paradise all the guilt went too.
Tradition teaches that when that scapegoat with the red thread tied around its horn was tossed off the cliff, the piece of wool thread that the High Priest cut from the red wool thread on the horn, turned white; as proof that God not only forgave the sins of the nation but took away the guilt as well.
Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
This season of self examination should not be only for when we reflect on the Appointed Times; but daily we are to examine our hearts before our Heavenly Father and apply His precious crimson scarlet blood to our lives.
Even if your sins (all our of missing the mark), will be scarlet, be as or like a shani שָׁנִי insect; literally that dead decaying thing in our lifes/chaim that choked the spiritual life out of us – they will become white as snow in skillful hands; and this dead thing can be turned into something of great beauty.
Our Heavenly Father was & is saying that although
our sins make us spiritually dead as that scarlet colored insect,
He is able and willing to restore us to new spiritual life in Him; and in that process, completely removing
ALL sin and ALL the guilt and shame
associated with those sins through the Blood of Jesus/Yeshua, His own sacrificial Lamb and scapegoat.
How?
By staying in right relationship with Him every possible moment, and walking step by step in obedience to the path He designed for each of us.
our bridegroom is coming and the midnight hour is here.
Shalom aleikhem
friends and family – chaverim and mishpachah!
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week, especially through Sukkot.
You are greatly loved and prayed for daily.
Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation and the deep inner knowing that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
Not sure ..you can be…
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord, Your Passover Lamb/Your High Priest of the Atoning Blood Sacrifice
and soon returning King;
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
