Our Own Righteousness are just Filthy Rags

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Isa. 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

You may believe that nobody is justified by their own works and good deeds but in all likelihood, you’re probably offering them up to God yourself. That isn’t a condemning thing. It’s just a call to realize that much of what we offer to God is just the good of old Adam or the works of our flesh. We often do this. Probably the best example of this is what King Saul did.

King Saul was tasked to “strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has and do not spare him” (1 Sam15:3). Amalek is probably the best picture in the OT of our fleshly nature. God said he didn’t want to see it. What did Saul do? “Saul defeated the Amalekites, but Saul spared Agag (the King of the Amalekites) and the best of his sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs and all that was GOOD! (vs 7-9). Why did Saul do this? It is because Saul said, “they have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord our God” (vs 15). He wanted to offer God what God wanted utterly destroyed! He wanted to offer God the best of the flesh. And he was going to offer it to God at Gilgal! (vs 21). The place that symbolizes the cutting away of fleshly nature was the place where Saul was going to offer it back to God! What did God do? He got rid of Saul and chose a new King because of this very act! (vs 23). I hope we can all learn from king Saul.