"I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee." [Isa 44:22]
Long ago, when Christ walked the earth, it came to pass on a certain day that a man, who was “afflicted with paralysis,” was brought to Jesus, “lying on a bed.” [Mt 9:2] The men, the paralytic and those carrying him, had faith, and as it is written,
“When they could not come nigh unto [Jesus] for the press, they uncovered the roof where He was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the paralytic lay.” [Mk 2:4]
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, “son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” [Mt 9:2] Notice that Jesus did not say, as a result of their faith in Him, “be of good cheer, thy legs are restored!” nor did our Lord say (though He did to others), “rejoice, man, for your faith hath made thee whole.” No, but we see what Jesus said, “son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” After their faith-filled efforts to reach Jesus, going so far as to break open the roofing of the home wherein Jesus taught and performed miracles, where most would surely think such faith demanded healing, Jesus thought differently. Jesus, directed only ever of The Father in the power of The Holy Spirit spoke as God spake and acted as He acted, just as we are admonished to do: “if any man speak, let him speak as the sayings of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth.” [1 Pe 4:11] Jesus shows us here what is far more valuable and important: forgiveness. Forgiveness of sins exceeds healing; whereas as mere men we tend to think healing is more necessary and is that which faith provokes God to do most often, here we see Jesus saying very notably, in lieu of healing the man’s legs, “son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Think of the man who lay there, after having gone to such extremes to reach Jesus. I suppose, as we might all, that he expected quite different words to come forth from The Messiah’s mouth. “Forgiveness! Why,” the man might have thought, “forgiveness is certainly good, but my legs remain paralyzed.” However, we know that the man was eventually healed; for, after the Pharisees “said within themselves, this man blasphemeth,” [Mt 9:3] it is written,
“And Jesus knowing their thoughts, said, wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, arise, and walk? But that ye may know that The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the man afflicted with paralysis,) arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.” [Mt 9:4-7]
Indeed, the paralytic was healed. But let us notice that if the Pharisees had not murmured against the good work, Jesus very well may never have healed the man, sending Him off with only forgiveness. But, having heard the thoughts of those wicked, religious leaders, Jesus healed the man to boot.
There is a great truth here for us, and it is that forgiveness is a joyful thing. It is in fact placed above every other blessing we have from The Lord, and that for at least this reason: that without forgiveness from Jesus, we cannot enjoy any good thing God desires to give us in Christ. Remember when “the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name,” and how Jesus responded, saying,
“Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” [Lk 10:19-20]
See how Jesus lays the blessing and joy on forgiveness, saying, “rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” And may we have the same attitude. No matter what gift we have received of The Lord, no matter what healing we have either been blessed with or would love to enjoy, no matter what good thing has been bequeathed to us from above, let us rejoice chief over all in that our sins are forgiven. Let us not look to physical healing or blessing for joy, but let us rejoice because our names are written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life; and our names being therein engraved, never to be blotted out, we shall never taste of death. For it is written that only “they which are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,” will be given access to God’s City, [f.f., Rev 21:27] and that outside of the city, “the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable…shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death,” [Rev 21:8] but those who are saved, who are believing in Christ, “shall inherit all things,” and dwell with God; [f.f., Rev 21:7-8] they shall avoid that death for Jesus “by the grace of God [did] taste death for every man.” [Heb 2:9]
Each of us ought to take pause at this, remembering that we too have been saved, we too have been forgiven. May we do as the Psalm says and “forget not all His benefits;” [Psa 103:2] may we be content with forgiveness, being careful not to complain because The Lord has failed to also grant us such and such things. Dear reader, sweetly think upon it and remember: dwell contently in the great safety of forgiveness; place your name in Jesus’ words and read again, “son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Having spoken of forgiveness and the joy therein contained, let us read again the verse for today.
“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” [Isa 44:22]
As we expound upon this great promise, let us have in mind the great joy of forgiveness; let us come to this truth with fresh hearts. May God anoint us with “fresh oil,” [Psa 92:10] and may The Holy Spirit be as a invigorating wind in our lungs as we come once again to the great truth of God’s forgiveness. So then, let us draw our attention to a particular word used in Isaiah, “thick cloud.”
The Hebrew word for “thick cloud” in Isaiah is the same word used in Exodus. There, back in Moses’ day, “The LORD said unto Moses, lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud.” [Ex 19:9] It was that day, on Mount Sinai, where The LORD descended and gave the law. God had told Moses, “be ready against the third day: for the third day The LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai.” [Ex 19:11] But though The LORD Himself would descend, coming down to visit His people, it was a solemn and fearful event. In Hebrews we read,
“For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:).” [Heb 12:18-21]
The event there on Sinai was not at all as it was upon Mount Zion, whereupon Christ laid His foot over some two-thousand years ago. For those under the law came to Mount Sinai and faced with dread that blackish darkness and terrifying tempest. Of a truth, they saw The LORD, “the righteous judge,” [2 Tim 4:8] come down; yea, even as we – for, “[we] are come unto Mount Zion…to God the Judge of All…” [Heb 12:22, 23] However, whereas those saints of old saw God’s presence as foreboding and full of fear, (for even Moses said, “I exceedingly fear and quake;” and the Israelites when they saw and heard, “removed, and stood afar off,” and said, “let not God speak with us, lest we die.” [Ex 20:18-19, Heb 12:19]), in contrast, we of the New Covenant, who have come to Mount Zion and not Sinai, come to God’s presence with exceeding joy full of hope and faith. We approach Him in acceptance and in love as we are exhorted,
“Having therefore, brethren, freedom to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” [Heb 10:19-22]
Through Jesus’ blood and great sacrifice, we may draw near to God freely and abundantly, even whenever we please. Without condemnation or judgment, in full assurance and without guilt, (for our hearts have been “sprinkled from an evil conscience”), we can approach our blessed God through Jesus Christ His Son.
In this we see a great contrast and encouragement. For in Isaiah we read what The LORD says to us, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions.” That thick, dark cloud, which formerly abode upon Mount Sinai as a testimony to our sin and forthcoming judgment, now drapes over us as a great cloak of righteousness as it were. No longer does that cloud stir us to terror, but to joy and praise; for God has, “as a thick cloud,” blotted out our sins. They are completely, utterly removed from God’s sight. The cloud upon Sinai no longer bears witness that we are cursed creatures, transgressors of the law, no good and liable for judgment – no! but that cloud lays upon us sweetly as it were, a covering of mercy, for The LORD has blotted out our sins like a thick cloud. And why? We must see it clearly: for Jesus Christ died for our sins. It was He, “who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,” who “loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.” [Heb 9:14, Eph 5:2] Yes, as Hebrews says again, “but ye are come unto Mount Zion…to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” [Heb 12:22, 24] We have come to the blood of the Lamb which washes us white as snow; we have come to Christ, that glorious God-Man who was far superior to Moses – who did not climb the mountain to receive the law but to fulfil it; who did not descend to earth to condemn us, but to save us; who did not enter into that cloud of glory at the Mercy Seat as it were for our destruction, but for our everlasting and permanent atonement, giving Himself up and offering His very own blood for our sakes.
May we praise God all our days for Jesus’ work upon the cross, for through this act, and our acceptance of it, we have been forgiven. And as we have seen, therein lies great joy. Yes, “blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” [Psa 32:1] Blessed is that man for whom Christ died and upon Whom was reckoned all his awful sin; yes, blessed and happy and joyful is that man who can say truthfully: “I am forgiven, Christ died for me.” And may we ever look upon the thick cloud of Sinai with joy, remembering that we are no longer under that covenant nor that condemnation, for it is written,
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He made alive together with [Christ], having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.” [Col 2:13-14]
Let those of us who are Christian, who trust in Jesus, dwell often upon these truths. As God “covereth the heaven with clouds,” [Psa 147:8] preparing “rain for the earth,” and so we may find it hard or nearly impossible to peek a look beyond the clouds at the sun, so too in like manner our sins are hid from God. For Christ Jesus’ atoning work and our faith therein is, as it were, a thick cloud which blots out our sins, so that as God looks down upon us, He sees not our sins nor us, but He sees Jesus Christ, our advocate and mediator. It is Jesus’ glory which covers us; no longer does the glory stand far off, a reminder that we shall never attain righteousness and nearness to God, but it abides over our heads, a great yet tender cloud of latter rain: offering us hope, life, and peace with God. “In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and His favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.” [Prov 16:15]
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