God’s Subpoena

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord,  Isaiah 1:18a  NJKV

Come now – You probably remember this verse in its King James version suggesting that God wants you to enter into a rational discussion with Him (“reason together”).  I’ve often heard this phrase cited in classical apologetics, and, of course, the rest of the verse as an evangelical statement of the forgiveness of sins (we will get to that later).  Interestingly, the NKJV and the Orthodox Jewish Bible versions retain this rational dialogue perspective:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith Hashem   OJB

But the NASB and the NIV shift the context from rational discussion to legal proceedings:

“Come now, and let us debate your case,” says the Lord,  NASB

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.   NIV

Robert Alter provides another perspective:

“Come, pray, let us come to terms,” the Lord said.   Robert Alter

All of these remove the rational apologetic theme and focus attention on an imaginary divine courtroom.  God subpoenas Israel to a forensic examination.  Israel doesn’t show up with a justifiable argument of innocence.  The facts in the matter have been settled.  All that’s left is the sentencing hearing.

But the Judge is willing to “come to terms.”  The expected and customary sentence is still in abeyance.  Redemptive action on behalf of the plaintiff is still possible.  To see this, we need to look at the Hebrew:

לְכוּ־נָ֛א וְנִוָּֽכְחָ֖ה יֹאמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֑ה

The first word is a combined verb and emphatic particle (לְכוּ־נָ֛א).  The verb, hālak, really means “to go, to walk.”  Here it is connected to the suffix nāʾ, which means both “I (we) pray” and “now,”  but is also used as a nuance for “please” (CLICK HERE).  You can see why Alter chooses “Come, pray” rather than “Come, now.”  The particle suffix appears in a word you know, hosanna, literally, “O save us.”  Perhaps Alter’s choice captures the mood better than a simple temporal expression, but in either case, it is God who issues the summons for salvation when we would have expected the perpetrator to utter a desperate cry for leniency.  Don’t miss this point.  It isn’t Israel who pleads for mercy.  It’s God who begs Israel to come to her senses.  I would have translated the phrase, “Come, please!”

Now the critical verb, yākaḥ (“come to terms” “reason together”).  The verb is a Nif’al, vav-consecutive imperfect. Before we even attempt to understand its meaning, we need to appreciate the grammar.  The Nif’al in Hebrew indicates a simple passive or reflexive condition.  The vav-consecutive imperfect means that this action has both past, present, and future application and is not yet complete.  Whatever God is saying, it’s forever and it directly affects both the subject and the object.

What does yākaḥ mean?  decide, judge, prove, rebuke, reprove, correct^[1]  Fifty-four times the verb is in the Hiphil tense (imperative or causative).  Only three times is it a Nif’al.  This is one of those times, and because it is rare, it needs serious examination.  The verb is juridical and forensic.  It’s courtroom language, but here the impact isn’t just on the guilty.  It’s also on the Judge.  The umbrella of meanings should immediately remind you of Paul’s statement about the theópneustos (2 Timothy 3:16).  His list of what God’s word does is precisely a definition of yākaḥ.  As you can see from the various meanings in Hebrew, rational argumentation is not one of them.  God isn’t issuing a subpoena for us to show up to a debate.  He’s conducting a sentencing hearing where the judgment affects Israel and the God of Israel.

What have we learned?  Probably the most important point is that this sentence, whatever it will be, affects both the Judge and the criminal.  Involvement is the operating principle here.  God is not the God of Israel without Israel (this is a lesson the Church needs to learn).  Secondly, we discover that this subpoena has been in place forever and will continue to its calling forever.  And finally, we find that there is a distressed plea here, on behalf of God.  He’s the one initiating the call for help, and is nonplussed over Israel’s lack of response.

Is there any greater witness to God’s heart for His people?

Topical Index: hālak, come, walk, nāʾ, yākaḥ, subpoena, distress, rationality, Isaiah 1:18

^[1] Gilchrist, P. R. (1999). 865 יָכַח. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 376). Chicago: Moody Press.