Misinformation is one of the great themes of our time. Hardly a day goes by without hearing some accusation of “fake news.” It must be tough to be a relativist because the truth is squarely back in fashion! Most everyone now acknowledges the importance of discerning truth from lies. False narratives have severe consequences. If we don’t keep a firm grip on the truth, we’ll inevitably make poor decisions which will lead to suffering & misery rather than flourishing.
The Bible has suffered more than its fair share of mistreatment. The Bible is a marvelous collection of stories, poems, prophecies & letters spanning over a thousand years. In its pages, we encounter ancient cultures very different from our own. The more you study the scriptures, the more you realize that they must be handled with care. Small bits and pieces of the Bible can be misused to support all kinds of misguided conclusions.
For my money, there is one verse in the Bible that’s been misquoted more than any other. Isaiah 64:6: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”
Evangelicals usually quote this verse in naked isolation, without the slightest attempt to place it in context. It’s often included in “gospel” presentations which put a vigorous emphasis on the inability of human beings to make themselves acceptable to God. Purveyors of this gospel stress that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus – faith being defined as simple belief or trust. Such faith is starkly contrasted with works – works being defined as any form of human conduct.
Let’s take a deep breath and try to clear things up.
The Hebrew words translated as “filthy rags” literally refer to a soiled menstrual cloth. This vivid and repulsive metaphor is used to describe the “righteous acts” of the people of Judah. So, does this passage then imply that all effort to behave righteously is loathsome in the eyes of God?
Let’s sharpen this up a bit. Say you’re driving down the road and come along an unfortunate family whose car has broken down. Despite having a busy schedule, you cheerfully pull over and offer to help. Perhaps you have some mechanical knowledge and are able to correct the problem.
Or perhaps you have a heart for the poor in the third world. You decide to sponsor a child from some far away country so that they can have proper nutrition, clothes & education.
Or maybe you’re struggling with your temper. You recognize that your anger gets the best of you & is hurting your relationships. Endeavoring to change, you commit your emotions to God in prayer and perhaps even enlist a friend to hold you accountable.
How does God look upon such actions? Are these efforts to do and say the right thing detestable to him?
The book of Isaiah deals with the final years of the kingdom of Judah and her eventual exile. Because of Israel’s rebellion and wickedness, God’s judgment came crashing down upon her. Led by King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians invaded Judah, destroyed Jerusalem & burned down the temple. The Jews who managed to survive this catastrophe were carried into exile.
2 Chronicles 36 documents this history. A man named Zedekiah was the last king of Judah. He “did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God…He became stiff necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD… The LORD… sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.”
In Isaiah 64:10-11, the prophet laments the destruction of the city of Jerusalem (also known as Zion) and the temple: “Zion is a desert, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and glorious temple, where our fathers praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins.”
In the latter part of Isaiah, the prophet reflects upon all that had befallen Israel. They did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they were completely unfaithful to the covenant. In fact, their behavior was just as despicable as the pagan nations the Lord had driven out before them!
Notably, the Chronicler adds that they “defiled the temple of the LORD.” Defiled means to profane something which is sacred. The temple in Jerusalem was meant to be the holy place where the presence of the living God dwelt among his people. There Israel could worship the LORD and seek his blessing. But because of her wickedness, Israel had instead dishonored the temple. As long as she engaged in open rebellion, her hollow worship was an insult to God.
Knowing this context, we can now see that when Isaiah says “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”, he is not referring to genuinely righteous conduct. Rather, he’s saying that Israel had become so totally corrupt that even her best actions were repugnant in God’s sight.
We should even detect a note of sarcasm here. It’s as if the prophet were saying, “Oh yes, God sees your “righteous’ conduct”…like bloodshed, lies, and injustice!” In fact, that’s precisely what Isaiah stated several chapters earlier: “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.” (Isaiah 59:2-4)
Israel’s conduct is even more appalling considering that she has the effrontery to embrace evil yet still come into the temple of God, call upon his name and claim his blessing.
The discordance between Israel’s behavior and her worship was often the subject of Isaiah’s scorn: “‘The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me?’ says the LORD. ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New moons, Sabbaths and convocations – I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates…Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight!” (Isaiah 1:11-14,16-17)
For the people of Israel to embrace wickedness and then come to worship in the temple of the LORD was an act of spectacular hypocrisy. Israel’s “righteous acts” – her meaningless sacrifice and false worship – were revolting to God. That’s the proper meaning of Isaiah 64:6.
Moreover, there are numerous passages within the book of Isaiah which promise that if Israel would in fact genuinely return to the LORD and offer him proper covenant obedience, then God would rescue and restore them.
We can start with Isaiah 64 itself: “No eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.” (vv4-5) The prophet here celebrates the fact that God will indeed deliver those who do what is right! He does not despise genuine righteousness.
In chapter 58, Isaiah castigates Israel for her false worship. Specifically, God rejects Israel’s fasting because, even as they fast, they continue to practice injustice by exploiting their workers; on the day of fasting they quarrel, argue and attack each other violently. (v3-4)
God then lays down the terms for proper fasting: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice…and to set the oppressed free? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” (Isaiah 58:6-9)
Once again, we find the same theme: God promises healing and rescue for those who truly pursue righteousness.
How should we understand Isaiah in light of the New Testament? The apostle Paul recognized the plight of Israel. Even though they’d been given God’s holy law (the Torah), Israel failed to keep it because of their sinful inclination.
But Christians can now celebrate, because those who have given their loyalty to Jesus and received his Spirit have the power to behave righteously and therefore receive salvation. For Paul, this is not a matter of “do it yourself” religion. No: it’s a gift of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The righteousness that the Spirit produces is certainly not “filthy rags”! Rather, it’s the mark of genuine humanity, now remade in God’s image and pleasing to him in every way.
Thanks for sharing this perspective and bringing clarity here, Joel. Although these days, when it comes to misunderstood – or misused – verses, Matthew 7:1 is certainly at or near the top of the list.