Isaiah 64:6

September 12, 2023

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

The prophet Isaiah was one of the most influential prophets in the entirety of the Word of God. He is considered a major prophet because of the length of the book that bears his name. The book of Isaiah is filled with prophecies of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to the people of Israel. He also delivered messages of honesty and correction.

Here is one of the most powerful passages out of the Old Testament that reveals just how dirty and unclean we are within our own righteousness. Because of what Adam and Eve did at the Garden of Eden disobeying a direct commandment by God, sin was introduced to the entire human race. This was a debt that could only be paid through the blood of a perfect sacrifice blemish free and One that was born with no sin.

That Sacrifice was His Only Son Jesus Christ. God’s grace and mercy for His children afforded us to have a second chance at eternal life with Him in heaven. Jesus came down from His throne and became fully man still fully God and operating through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is because of His death, burial, and resurrection atoning for our entire sin debt that has given us the opportunity to wash our sins away and reconciling us back to our Heavenly Father.

We are in right standing and righteous in the Lord’s eyes because of the righteousness of Christ. That does not negate the fact that even at our best: living to the best of our abilities, doing what is right before the Lord, and following every one of His commandments we are still filthy compared to the holiness of God. We have to keep in mind that He is absolute perfection.

God’s Word makes it abundantly clear in Romans 3:23-24 when the Apostle Paul states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Every one of us has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, but because of what Jesus Christ did at the cross at Calvary we are justified and made in right standing with the Lord.

Now that we have an idea as to why we are in need of redemption and why our deeds of righteousness are like a filthy garment let’s break down this passage of Scripture found in Isaiah. The words “like an unclean” is the Hebrew word “ṭāmē’” which means: unclean and impure ritually. So in other words, the prophet Isaiah is explaining that even at our best when compared to the Lord, we are still as dirty as an unclean person that was unclean in those times.

Under the Jewish law if you were said to be “unclean” you were not allowed to go to the house of the Lord and were to remain away from God’s house until you were no longer unclean. Things that deemed a person unclean in those days include: skin diseases, a woman on her menstrual cycle, giving birth, a man having unnatural emission from his private parts.

Another part of the passage of Scripture that I want to highlight is when Isaiah states “our righteousness.” This is the Hebrew word “ṣᵊḏāqâ” which means: righteous acts (of man’s moral conduct). Then the prophet goes on to describe what our righteousness is as when he states the word “filthy” which is the Hebrew word “ʿidâ” which means: menstruation. It doesn’t stop there, he goes even deeper by stating that they are filthy “rags” which is the Hebrew word “beḡeḏ” which means: treachery, deceit, and a piece of garment used indiscriminately.

Breaking down this portion of the Scripture we can determine what the Lord has to say about us trying to live up to His standards through our own righteousness. He is stating that no matter how perfectly we think that we are living our lives it is still comparable to a woman’s filthy garment being unclean because it is her time of the month or an unclean person because of leprosy on their skin.

Anyone that lived in Isaiah’s time while he was making this declaration knew exactly what this description meant. It didn’t get any dirtier or more unclean than that! This is the same way that the Lord God views our own human righteousness when we try to do things our own way without Christ. It is a very dangerous place to be when you live your life ignoring the Word of God because of blatant disobedience.

The next portion of this verse of Scripture out of Isaiah tells us exactly what can happen. It states “we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” The word “fade” used here is the Hebrew word “nāḇēl” which means: sink, drop down, wither and fall. The words “and our iniquities” is the Hebrew word “ʿāôn” which means: iniquity (immorality) and guilt.

Then Isaiah states exactly what immorality can do to the life of a believer “have taken us away” which is the Hebrew word “nāśā’” which means: to lift, carry, and take. When we put this entire portion of this Scripture into context we can conclude that the Lord is warning us that when we choose a life filled with our own righteous acts, doing unclean things, sinning intentionally, and disobeying the Word of God; we will be in such a state of fragility being so withered that one burst of air (an attack from the enemy) will blow us away like a wilted leaf on a tree.

The bottom line is that if we want to be firmly planted, immovable, and unfazed when the storms hit, we have to make sure that we are living a life obedient to the Lord’s Word. We do not have an excuse not to live right before the Lord because our sins have been forgiven and our garments have been made white as snow because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. It has nothing to do with our righteous deeds, good works, or how many good things that we have done in our life; but it has everything to do with us trusting that we are redeemed and made justified in God’s eyes because of the sacrifice of Christ.

Isaiah himself recognized just how unclean he was in the presence of the Lord when God called him into his prophetic ministry. Isaiah 6:5 recalls “So I said:

“Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” When the Word of the Lord came to Isaiah asking him who would go for Us, Isaiah immediately felt how sinful and filled with iniquity he was in the presence of God. This passage of Scripture is significant because it gives us an idea of just how pure and perfect the Lord truly is.

We don’t want to underestimate the power that a Christian has that is living a life of righteousness. A believer that reads the Lord’s Word, studies God’s Word, and lives their life according to the Word of God is a threat to the kingdom of darkness. The devil, also known as the prince of the power of the air, is searching for lukewarm Christians that do not take their walk with Jesus seriously.

God’s Word is extremely clear in 1 Peter 5:8 when Peter states, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The enemy is just waiting for you to open up the door so that he can come right on in. That is why Isaiah is making the point that when you are living in sin: you are fragile, withered, and easily consumed.

We are never going to be perfect, it is impossible but what we can do is live a life worthy for the Lord to say to you “well done my good and faithful servant,” Matthew 25:23. We have to gain the understanding that we are made upright before the Lord’s eyes because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross and not anything that we did. Our righteousness within our own abilities will never be enough and it is a vulnerable place to be when you assume that it is!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

Who is the Prophet Isaiah

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent