"For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?" (Jeremiah 23:18).
The Hebrew word for "counsel" is cowd, so it should be rendered "council." Those council members were both seen (marked) and heard.
The first verse in Isaiah describes the whole book, covering the reigns of four kings, as a vision. Then the next verse reads, "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." Heaven and earth are being called together in a council setting which is both seen and heard.
Then the Lord presents His case against Israel and the charges are: " I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." The Lord presents the evidence. "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider" (v. 3). This verse is a foreshadowing of the Savior's birthplace--a manger or feeding trough for animals. Christmas nativity scenes usually have animals present, and I can't imagine any such animals feeling frightened or intimidated by the presence of baby Jesus, whom the animals instinctively seem to recognize, but Israel hasn't got a clue. And the pathos is intensified. Israel not only doesn't know, but it doesn't care (consider) either.
Six more charges are filed as Israel is labeled as "laden with iniquity," a "seed of evildoers," meaning the problem is growing, "children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward" (v. 4). "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores" (vv. 5-6). The word sole is the Hebrew word kaph, meaning palm of the hand, sole of the foot, or hollow of the thigh. It's the same word as palm in a later Isaiah reference, where the Lord says, "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." It implies a covenant relationship, and Israel has departed from the covenant. Israel is left as insecure as a watchman's hut in a "garden of cucumbers" (v. 8). If the wind doesn't blow it down, the workers will tear it down in preparation of next year's harvest.
A Multiplicity of Questions
As Israel is called to the witness stand, a multiplicity of questions are fired at him:
"Why should ye be stricken any more?" (v. 5).
"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?" (v. 11).
"When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?" (v. 12).
This is typical divine council imagery, as witnesses are being cross-examined.
Bloody Hands Condemn Israel
Then the prosecution presents the evidence that puts the nail in the coffin.
"And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood" (v. 15).
The gesture of "spreading forth the hands" is described in the temple dedication in First Kings. We see this happening in three verses:
"And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven" (1 Kings 8:22).
"What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house" (1 Kings 8:38).
"And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven" (1 Kings 8:54).
This is a gesture of approach representing the manner in which we approach God. It was called the "Hallel Gesture" in ancient Israel, and has at least three symbolic purposes. First, you can see in this context that it's a prayer gesture.
Second, the open hands presented before God show peaceful intent. No weapons can be carried in the open hand. And thus, we surrender to Him, giving up our own will in favor of God's will.
Third, and most importantly here, the uplifted hands, leaving the chest exposed, show God that our hands are clean and our hearts pure.
But Israel fails the "clean hands" test. Notice in the Isaiah verse that this is still a prayer gesture, as Israel "makes many prayers," but the Lord has to hide His eyes to avoid seeing the bloody hands representing sin and uncleanness.
"Thy Wine Mixed With Water"
The Lord says, "Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water" (v. 22). Israel has polluted their inheritance and exchanged the pure silver for the dross. The wine represents blood, and it is the blood of Christ being "watered down." This can happen if Christ is not at the center of our lives and we lose the full effect of the Atonement. The effect of the Atonement is watered down and we are left with something less powerful.
Israel chooses the wrong gardens. The footnote in verse 29 tells us these gardens are used in idol worshiping. "For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen." They didn't pick the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden Tomb, all necessary for their salvation.
"Bring Forth Your Strong Reasons"
An element of divine council imagery is the debate language used. The Lord invites Israel to "produce your cause . . . bring forth your strong reasons" (Isaiah 41:21; see also D&C 71:8). In Job He says, "Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me" (Job 38:3).
The Lord invites a rebuttal, and then states, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
The Savior steps forward in this divine council and in effect says, "Israel, though thou art guilty as sin, yet you will be forgiven." The Savior is our Advocate with the Father, pleading our case. Scarlet, in those days, was a colorfast dye and was used to mark clothing, because the markings would never fade away, but even though our sins look like they can never be washed away, the Savior's precious blood cleanses our garments, making them white as snow.
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