by “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Isaiah 1:18
This is a very colorful verse. It mentions scarlet, red, crimson, and white. For the sake of time, let’s just focus on scarlet. For centuries, scarlet has been a color that signifies wealth and power.
How ironic that the color really came from a bug!
The finest scarlets in antiquity came from a tiny scale insect called Kermes, which were parasites among the oak trees throughout the Mediterranean world. The male insects were very small and could fly away, but the females had no wings. When collected, they were found to contain thousands of eggs and their offspring were brilliant red. The insects were captured, dried, and ground into powder, which was used to form the scarlet dye.
In a remarkably similar way, sin is a parasite to the human soul, and it dyes us—and it causes us to die. The devil wants to stain us through and through.
Only the scarlet blood of Christ can counteract the stain and make us white as snow.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe; now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
James L. Nicholson
Turning point with David Jeremiah