White Like Snow

Picture one stain wey no gree comot. You wash am, you scrub am, but di deep red still dey there. Now picture say somebody collect dat cloth and give you back, white like fresh snow.

Dis na Jerusalem, about seven hundred years before Jesus. Di prophet Isaiah live through di reign of four kings of Judah. From outside, di city be like say e dey very religious. Di temple courts busy. People dey bring sacrifice, dem dey keep festivals, dem dey raise hand for prayer. But Isaiah get one hard message from God. Dia worship don become empty show. Dia hands, God talk, full of blood: dem dey cheat poor people, dem no care for orphans and widows, and dem dey twist justice because of bribe. God talk say dia festivals don tire am. When dem spread dia hands for prayer, e go hide im eyes. And then di turn come.

God talk: Wash yourself. Make yourself clean. Remove di evil wey una dey do from my front. Stop to do evil. Learn to do good. Find justice. Help people wey dem dey oppress. Defend children wey no get papa. Stand for di widow. Na very practical list. No be more festivals. No be more sacrifice. Stop to dey hurt people. Begin dey protect di ones wey nobody dey protect: children wey no get papa, women wey dia husband don die, people wey others dey push around. Na so to turn back to God dey look. Notice say God talk learn. To do good na something wey you dey practise, day by day, like how person dey learn to read or to play music instrument.

Then God talk something wey go shock you. Come now, make we reason am together. E be like court, where di judge invite di person wey guilty make e come talk di case over. And dis na wetin di judge offer. Even if una sins be like scarlet, dem go white like snow. Even if dem red like crimson, dem go be like wool. Scarlet and crimson na di deepest, strongest red wey people know, di colour of dye wey dey soak enter cloth and e no dey comot. Snow and natural wool na di brightest white. God dey talk say: di stain wey you no fit remove, I fit remove am.

But di invitation still need answer. God continue. If una dey willing and una obey, una go chop di good things of di land. But if una refuse and una rebel, sword go swallow una. Because na di mouth of di Lord talk am. Di offer na real, and di choice too na real. God no dey force anybody. E dey hold di door open. E want make im people come, make dem become clean, and make dem live for im good land again, no be as people wey dey only perform religion, but as people wey dey do good and dey find justice.

Why scarlet? For di world of Isaiah, di red dye wey people value pass dey come from one very small insect, di kermes scale insect, wey dem dey gather from oak trees. Di Hebrew words for scarlet almost mean di worm of scarlet. Di dye no dey fade: e hold wool and linen tight, na why dem use am for di curtains of di tabernacle and for fine cloth. Scarlet stain na di kind wey water no fit wash comot.

White Like Snow. You go find am for Isaiah chapter one, verse sixteen to twenty. God invite im people make dem stop to do evil, begin do good, and make dem allow am wash away wetin dem no fit wash by demself. For Christmas, plenty churches dey sing about di child wey dem born to wash away di stains of di world, and Christians believe say di invitation of God still dey stand. Come now, make we reason am together. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. God talk say: come now, make we reason am together. Wetin you go like talk over with God today?