Sunday Meditation: "Come now, let us reason together." Isaiah 1:18

Jean Louis Meissonier (1815–1891)

The way people argue on social media is so often so mindless that I decided to go back and review the rules of logic. I took down Introduction to Logic by Irving Copi and Carl Cohen from a shelf in my home library to check out the fallacies. Originally published in 1994, it's a college textbook. Interestingly Part One on reasoning begins with the quote in the headline from Isaiah, "Come now, and let us reason together." Even before I had a chance to dive into the subject of logic, I was intrigued and distracted by the quote and decided to look it up and check out the context.

Bible translations vary greatly and there are a number of different translations for this particular verse. I checked them out at Bible Hub which I often use as a reference. Most of the bibles listed use the words "reason together." I'll just list one example:

English Standard Version: “Come now, 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 become like wool.

Other translations refer to settling the matter, speaking of it, arguing, or discussing it as these translations illustrate:

New International Version: “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD.  

Holman Christian Standard Bible: "Come, let us discuss this,” says the LORD.” 

New Revised Standard Version: "Come now, let us argue it out," says the LORD:

The Douay-Rheims (DR) translation, however, and the Vulgate (upon which the DR was based) both have a very different wording:

Douay-Rheims Bible and Vulgate: And then come, and accuse me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.

Accuse the Lord? What does that mean? That led me to read all the verses in chapter 1 preceding it. In those versus, God speaks to the Israelites condemning their actions which include idolatry and the notorious sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah:

Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. I have brought up children, and exalted them: but they have despised me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel hath not known me, and my people hath not understood. Woe to the sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a wicked seed, ungracious children: they have forsaken the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they are gone away backwards....Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom, give ear to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrha....Offer sacrifice no more in vain: incense is an abomination to me. The new moons, and the sabbaths and other festivals I will not abide, your assemblies are wicked....Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from my eyes, cease to do perversely....Learn to do well: seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge for the fatherless, defend the widow. And then come, and accuse me, saith the Lord.

Which translation makes the most sense? Is God saying "Come, let's discuss" your unfaithfulness and rebellion?  Does he want to "argue" about it, as though He needs to debate the matter with His creatures and "settle the matter" as if he is meeting with an arbitration board?

No! He challenges his unfaithful creatures to "accuse" Him. And isn't that exactly what human nature tends toward when things aren't going well? "Hey God, why did you do that to me?" Don't we point our finger at God so often when the cause of our problems resides with the person in the mirror? The passage in Isaiah reminded me of another prophet, Ezekiel, who also recognizes the foolishness of human nature:

And you have said: The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, O house of Israel: Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse? (Ezekiel 18:25)

While I think the quote "let us reason together" is less to the point, God gave us our reason so we could, well, reason, i.e. judge rightly. Our reason is often called the seat of judgment. 

And all this brings me back to my original intention -- to review the rules of logic so I can use my reason and judgment more effectively, avoid the fallacies, and engage in respectful and reason-able discussion. So many today argue from their feelings and when they're challenged resort to name-calling and ad hominem attacks. Studying logic could help us all engage in more effective and more respectful discussions.