Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
Isaiah 59 unveils a stark contrast: the Lord's unwavering power to save and humanity's profound separation from Him due to sin. This chapter serves as a powerful reminder that our relationship with God is not determined by His limitations, but by our own choices and actions. It also foreshadows the coming of a divine Redeemer who will ultimately bridge the gap created by sin.
The Unhindered Power of God (Isaiah 59:1-2)
The chapter opens by addressing a potential misconception among the people of Judah. They may have felt abandoned or forgotten by God, perhaps questioning His ability to deliver them from their circumstances. Isaiah 59:1 emphatically declares, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear." God's power is not diminished; His ability to save remains absolute. He hasn't been defeated or become impotent. The problem lies not with God's capabilities, but with the people's iniquities. Isaiah 59:2 clearly states, "but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." It is their sin that has erected a barrier, preventing their prayers from reaching Him and hindering His blessings. God's unwillingness to bless them stemmed directly from their actions. They, not God, were the source of the problem.
A Catalog of Sins (Isaiah 59:3-8)
Isaiah doesn't shy away from detailing the sins that have alienated the people from God. Isaiah 59:3-4 paints a grim picture of a society riddled with "blood on your hands" and "fingers defiled with iniquity," along with "lips [that] have spoken lies" and tongues that "mutter injustice." The catalog of sins includes violence, deceit, and a general disregard for righteousness. It's a society where justice is perverted, and truth is absent. This extensive list of wrongdoings reveals the depth of their moral decay. It's no wonder God was unimpressed by their insincere worship, and perhaps even surprising that they dared to question why their prayers were unanswered. Isaiah 59:5-6 further illustrates the futility of their efforts to conceal their sins. Their actions are likened to "spiders' webs" – easily seen through and incapable of providing true covering. They cannot become spiritual clothing to hide their works from God's sight (Isaiah 59:8).
Identification and Lament (Isaiah 59:9-15)
Notice the shift to the use of "us," "we," and "our" in this section. Like many Old Testament prophets, Isaiah identifies himself with his people, confessing their sins as his own. This act of solidarity underscores the collective responsibility for the nation's spiritual state. God repeatedly sent prophets and allowed calamities to befall them, all in an attempt to awaken them to their need for repentance. Yet, Isaiah laments that "justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us" (Isaiah 59:9). While God's hand of salvation was capable of reaching them, the people of Judah had convinced themselves that they were innocent and didn't need it. They were like the blind, stumbling in darkness, and like the dead among the healthy (Isaiah 59:10). They yearned for justice, but it was nowhere to be found. The truth was that they were steeped in sin, yet blind to their own condition.
God's Intervention (Isaiah 59:16-21)
Isaiah 59:16 reveals God's astonishment at the absence of righteous leadership and intercession. "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede." Where were the prophets, priests, and kings who should have been guiding the nation back to God? While there were exceptions like Isaiah himself, many leaders had become corrupt, leading the people astray instead of toward righteousness. In the absence of human intercession, God takes matters into His own hands. His own arm brings salvation; He himself intercedes. Isaiah 59:17 vividly portrays God arming Himself for battle: "He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head, and put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak." The following verses (Isaiah 59:18-20) offer a prophetic glimpse of Christ's second coming, when He will judge His enemies and establish His righteous reign. To those who reject Him, He will come as a "rushing stream" (Isaiah 59:19), a terrifying conqueror. But to those who "turn from transgression," He will come as the Redeemer (Isaiah 59:20).
Isaiah 59 underscores the crucial truth that God's power to save is never in question. The barrier to salvation lies in humanity's sin. However, the chapter also offers hope through the promise of a divine Redeemer who will ultimately break down that barrier and bring salvation to those who turn from their transgressions. This chapter calls for introspection, confession, and a turning toward the God who is always ready and able to save.
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
Isaiah 59 unveils a stark contrast: the Lord's unwavering power to save and humanity's profound separation from Him due to sin. This chapter serves as a powerful reminder that our relationship with God is not determined by His limitations, but by our own choices and actions. It also foreshadows the coming of a divine Redeemer who will ultimately bridge the gap created by sin.
The Unhindered Power of God (Isaiah 59:1-2)
The chapter opens by addressing a potential misconception among the people of Judah. They may have felt abandoned or forgotten by God, perhaps questioning His ability to deliver them from their circumstances. Isaiah 59:1 emphatically declares, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear." God's power is not diminished; His ability to save remains absolute. He hasn't been defeated or become impotent. The problem lies not with God's capabilities, but with the people's iniquities. Isaiah 59:2 clearly states, "but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." It is their sin that has erected a barrier, preventing their prayers from reaching Him and hindering His blessings. God's unwillingness to bless them stemmed directly from their actions. They, not God, were the source of the problem.
A Catalog of Sins (Isaiah 59:3-8)
Isaiah doesn't shy away from detailing the sins that have alienated the people from God. Isaiah 59:3-4 paints a grim picture of a society riddled with "blood on your hands" and "fingers defiled with iniquity," along with "lips [that] have spoken lies" and tongues that "mutter injustice." The catalog of sins includes violence, deceit, and a general disregard for righteousness. It's a society where justice is perverted, and truth is absent. This extensive list of wrongdoings reveals the depth of their moral decay. It's no wonder God was unimpressed by their insincere worship, and perhaps even surprising that they dared to question why their prayers were unanswered. Isaiah 59:5-6 further illustrates the futility of their efforts to conceal their sins. Their actions are likened to "spiders' webs" – easily seen through and incapable of providing true covering. They cannot become spiritual clothing to hide their works from God's sight (Isaiah 59:8).
Identification and Lament (Isaiah 59:9-15)
Notice the shift to the use of "us," "we," and "our" in this section. Like many Old Testament prophets, Isaiah identifies himself with his people, confessing their sins as his own. This act of solidarity underscores the collective responsibility for the nation's spiritual state. God repeatedly sent prophets and allowed calamities to befall them, all in an attempt to awaken them to their need for repentance. Yet, Isaiah laments that "justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us" (Isaiah 59:9). While God's hand of salvation was capable of reaching them, the people of Judah had convinced themselves that they were innocent and didn't need it. They were like the blind, stumbling in darkness, and like the dead among the healthy (Isaiah 59:10). They yearned for justice, but it was nowhere to be found. The truth was that they were steeped in sin, yet blind to their own condition.
God's Intervention (Isaiah 59:16-21)
Isaiah 59:16 reveals God's astonishment at the absence of righteous leadership and intercession. "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede." Where were the prophets, priests, and kings who should have been guiding the nation back to God? While there were exceptions like Isaiah himself, many leaders had become corrupt, leading the people astray instead of toward righteousness. In the absence of human intercession, God takes matters into His own hands. His own arm brings salvation; He himself intercedes. Isaiah 59:17 vividly portrays God arming Himself for battle: "He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head, and put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak." The following verses (Isaiah 59:18-20) offer a prophetic glimpse of Christ's second coming, when He will judge His enemies and establish His righteous reign. To those who reject Him, He will come as a "rushing stream" (Isaiah 59:19), a terrifying conqueror. But to those who "turn from transgression," He will come as the Redeemer (Isaiah 59:20).
Isaiah 59 underscores the crucial truth that God's power to save is never in question. The barrier to salvation lies in humanity's sin. However, the chapter also offers hope through the promise of a divine Redeemer who will ultimately break down that barrier and bring salvation to those who turn from their transgressions. This chapter calls for introspection, confession, and a turning toward the God who is always ready and able to save.