Blotted Out

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

There are many similarities, parallels if you will, between the nation of Israel and Christ followers. I’m not saying they are one and the same, mind you, but often we see ourselves in their story. For example, let’s go back to Isaiah’s day - in the 700’s BC. Israel was in a self-destructive state. They were falling apart, failing, because of their sin, immorality, greed, laziness, and misplaced priorities. Sound familiar? Their safety was a major concern because Sargon II and, later, Sennacherib of Assyria were about to invade their land. During that time, many Israelites had the audacity to bemoan the “good ol’ days,” and question God about His love for them and why He didn’t intervene. Didn’t He care about them anymore? Didn’t He love them?

Through the prophets, God let them know that they deserved what they were getting because of their sins. They deserved their earthly punishment because they had sinned over and over again. But then, God said a remarkable thing, something only a loving God could say, I will “blot out your transgressions.” Sure, they suffered for their transgressions. Both Sargon and Sennacherib came and decimated the people. But God did not leave them forsaken in a sinful state. He restored them to vitality. 

We can be thankful that God deals with us like that. We deserve wrath, punishment, and, yes, hell for our transgressions. And while we may experience earthly consequences for our sins, from the eternal perspective, God “blots out our transgressions.” All because “He who knew no sin became sin for us” [2 Corinthians 5:21]. By faith in what Christ did for us at Calvary, God chooses not to remember our sins, ever. That is Good News!

I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for My own sake and will never think of them again.   Isaiah 43:25