“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” (Isaiah 1:16–17, ESV)
“In 1818, Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis was born into a world of dying women. The finest hospitals lost one out of six young mothers to the scourge of “childbed fever.” A doctor’s daily routine began in the dissecting room where he performed autopsies. From there he made his way to the hospital to examine expectant mothers without ever pausing to wash his hands. Dr. Semmelweis was the first man in history to associate such examinations with the resultant infection and death. His own practice was to wash with a chlorine solution, and after eleven years and the delivery of 8,537 babies, he lost only 184 mothers—about one in fifty. He spent the vigor of his life lecturing and debating with his colleagues.
Semmelweis once argued, “Puerperal fever is caused by decomposed material, conveyed to a wound. I have shown how it can be prevented. I have proved all that I have said. But while we talk ,talk, talk, gentlemen, women are dying. I am not asking anything world shaking. I am asking you only to wash. For God’s sake, wash your hands.”
But virtually no one believed him. Doctors and midwives had been delivering babies for thousands of years without washing, and no outspoken Hungarian was going to change them now! Semmelweis died at the age of 47, his wash basins discarded, his colleagues laughing in his face, and the death rattle of a thousand women ringing in his ears.” (bible.org).
Just as doctors in olden days did not understand the importance of washing their hands between patients, many Christians today don’t understand the great importance of spiritual washing or spiritual cleansing. A spiritual washing cleanses the heart and soul of the residue of past sin. It washes away the guilt and pain that remain long after a sin has damaged your life. Spiritual cleansing is necessary for every person. It is a basic need when a person comes to Jesus. It is perfect to recover a relationship with God when your connection with God has gone awry.
In our scripture today, Isaiah expresses the need for sinful Judeans to “wash themselves” and “make themselves clean” (Isaiah 1:16). Several things were required to accomplish this cleansing of the land. First, the people needed to “remove the evil of their deeds” from before God’s eyes. Sin was running rampant throughout the kingdom. The people were ignoring God’s law to pursue their own selfish and lustful ways. God wanted this evil to stop. The second thing required of the Judeans was to “correct oppression” (Isaiah 1:17). Sin in the land caused oppression and suffering to multiply. Powerful people took advantage of others, especially the needy and poor. Orphans (the fatherless) and widows were especially vulnerable to oppression and suffering. As a sign of true cleansing, God wanted to see “justice for the fatherless” and support for the widows in the land. The Judeans couldn’t just talk about their need for spiritual cleansing, they had to change the wrongs being practiced in the land, act upon their faith, and care for the needy. A true cleansing cannot occur as long as such things were prevalent in God’s Kingdom.
How do you do a spiritual cleansing? Following Isaiah 1:16 from our scripture today, you need to purge any evil in your life. You also need to overturn any evil in the world around you. A good place to start is by repenting of your sin. Be honest with God. Ask for forgiveness for all those things that have darkened your soul or poisoned your thoughts. Don’t just get rid of evil thoughts. Cleanse your world around you by righting the wrongs being practiced in your church and community, your country and your world. Be a force for good. Make sure to watch over the vulnerable and hurting. Find ways to make right the wrongs being perpetrated by sin around you. And finally, don’t let your sinful ways sneak back into your everyday world.
When Dr. Semmelweis tried to change the way that doctors took care of their patience, he grew frustrated that too many resorted to “talk, talk, talk”. They didn’t want to change their ways nor even acknowledge their mistakes. You also must not fall into this same spiritual trap, where you talk about the sin in your life but never change your ways. God sees a true spiritual cleansing not as just a work of the heart and soul and mind. It involves outreach and mission, a turning away from power and privilege, and a cleansing of one’s social environment. Sometimes, more is required than just a cleansing of your thoughts and beliefs.
Is there some evil poisoning your heart today? Do you know of a needy person requiring help? Is there a past sin that keeps sneaking back into your life? Every now and then, a good spiritual washing can go a long way to making things right.
Semmelweis once argued, “Puerperal fever is caused by decomposed material, conveyed to a wound. I have shown how it can be prevented. I have proved all that I have said. But while we talk ,talk, talk, gentlemen, women are dying. I am not asking anything world shaking. I am asking you only to wash. For God’s sake, wash your hands.”
But virtually no one believed him. Doctors and midwives had been delivering babies for thousands of years without washing, and no outspoken Hungarian was going to change them now! Semmelweis died at the age of 47, his wash basins discarded, his colleagues laughing in his face, and the death rattle of a thousand women ringing in his ears.” (bible.org).
Just as doctors in olden days did not understand the importance of washing their hands between patients, many Christians today don’t understand the great importance of spiritual washing or spiritual cleansing. A spiritual washing cleanses the heart and soul of the residue of past sin. It washes away the guilt and pain that remain long after a sin has damaged your life. Spiritual cleansing is necessary for every person. It is a basic need when a person comes to Jesus. It is perfect to recover a relationship with God when your connection with God has gone awry.
In our scripture today, Isaiah expresses the need for sinful Judeans to “wash themselves” and “make themselves clean” (Isaiah 1:16). Several things were required to accomplish this cleansing of the land. First, the people needed to “remove the evil of their deeds” from before God’s eyes. Sin was running rampant throughout the kingdom. The people were ignoring God’s law to pursue their own selfish and lustful ways. God wanted this evil to stop. The second thing required of the Judeans was to “correct oppression” (Isaiah 1:17). Sin in the land caused oppression and suffering to multiply. Powerful people took advantage of others, especially the needy and poor. Orphans (the fatherless) and widows were especially vulnerable to oppression and suffering. As a sign of true cleansing, God wanted to see “justice for the fatherless” and support for the widows in the land. The Judeans couldn’t just talk about their need for spiritual cleansing, they had to change the wrongs being practiced in the land, act upon their faith, and care for the needy. A true cleansing cannot occur as long as such things were prevalent in God’s Kingdom.
How do you do a spiritual cleansing? Following Isaiah 1:16 from our scripture today, you need to purge any evil in your life. You also need to overturn any evil in the world around you. A good place to start is by repenting of your sin. Be honest with God. Ask for forgiveness for all those things that have darkened your soul or poisoned your thoughts. Don’t just get rid of evil thoughts. Cleanse your world around you by righting the wrongs being practiced in your church and community, your country and your world. Be a force for good. Make sure to watch over the vulnerable and hurting. Find ways to make right the wrongs being perpetrated by sin around you. And finally, don’t let your sinful ways sneak back into your everyday world.
When Dr. Semmelweis tried to change the way that doctors took care of their patience, he grew frustrated that too many resorted to “talk, talk, talk”. They didn’t want to change their ways nor even acknowledge their mistakes. You also must not fall into this same spiritual trap, where you talk about the sin in your life but never change your ways. God sees a true spiritual cleansing not as just a work of the heart and soul and mind. It involves outreach and mission, a turning away from power and privilege, and a cleansing of one’s social environment. Sometimes, more is required than just a cleansing of your thoughts and beliefs.
Is there some evil poisoning your heart today? Do you know of a needy person requiring help? Is there a past sin that keeps sneaking back into your life? Every now and then, a good spiritual washing can go a long way to making things right.