“I have blotted our your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist”
Isaiah 44:22
God’s faithfulness to his people is exhibited by him blotting out their transgressions. I find it so comforting to hear what he likens our sin to.
He says that they are like a “cloud” and like a “mist”, both very transient and light-weighted object.
I don’t think this passage is making a commentary on the seriousness of sin. Sin and disobedience is obviously very serious in God’s eyes, as most of Isaiah is rebuking Israel’s sin. We even gain Isaiah’s famous commentary on sin for many gospel presentations in Isa 59:2 “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.”
So what then is God saying in this passage?
Well, I think it’s saying this:
That when the power of God’s forgiveness meets our sins, no matter how weighty, like a mist or a cloud, they can be easily lifted and removed.
The point of this passage is not how heavy sin is, it’s the power of God’s forgiveness to cover a multitude of sins! Mercy triumphs over judgment and God’s forgiveness and love triumph over our shortcomings.
For those who appeal to God’s forgiveness, they should never let the Devil or anyone accuse them of heaviness because it’s all very light once God’s forgiving hand touches it!
