Isaiah 59:1-11

Readings: 2 Kings 3; Revelation 15

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

In this chapter, Israel had become so corrupt that they could not come near to God.  In the previous chapter, Isaiah had explained to Israel the reason why their fast was not working.  Sin permeated every facet of their lives, and stifled their spiritual lives. 

Isaiah 59:1-2

Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short

That it cannot save;

Neither is His ear so dull

That it cannot hear.

2But 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.

The Lord is not the problem, His hands have not shortened, and His ears have not become deaf.  Often people blame God for their trouble, claiming that God is not listening to them.  Israel had that backwards, God's had not drawn away from Israel, they had drawn away from God.  They had allowed sin to enter their lives and to separate them from fellowship with God.

Psalm 66:18

If I regard wickedness in my heart,

The Lord will not hear;

Isaiah 59:3-4

For your hands are defiled with blood,

And your fingers with iniquity;

Your lips have spoken falsehood,

Your tongue mutters wickedness.

4No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly.

They trust in confusion, and speak lies;

They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

Corruption had reached the core of their society.  "Hands defiled with blood" was could be referring to murder, and the reference to the fingers meant that they had become intimately involved in the sin.  It was not a matter of accidental sin, but rather becoming personally involved in it.

Contrast verse 3 with Leviticus 4:30, "The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar." Also look back to verse 17, "and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil." So blood was considered have the qualities to forgive or to cover sin.  Blood was considered to be sacred, and the Jews were not allowed to eat animals who still had the blood in them.  For example, kosher means that an animal has its throat slit in order to drain the blood from the body immediately upon death.  Deuteronomy 12:23 states "Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh."  Then in verse 25, "You shall not eat it, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord."  In looking at these verses, it is very possible that God was upset with Israel abandoning their roots and indulging in the practices of the pagans by eating food which was not properly processed.  Also by abandoning the temple sacrifices where the blood was not used as a offering for sin.  Jesus offered His blood on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, and literally our spiritual life is contingent upon His shed blood.  By abandoning Judaism, they were dealing with blood in an improper way, eating it, and failing to use it in sacrifice to God. 

The study on blood is very interesting, and vital in understanding salvation.  I hit a few high points in this comment, somehow the commentators were stuck on blood as in murder, I'm still trying to figure that one out.  Perhaps I am missing something, it is probably because of the reference in verse 7.

One other thought on this, God revealed to the OT people that life was in the blood, have you ever thought about the miracle of blood banks today?  What if God had not designed blood so that it could be frozen and saved in order to save peoples lives? 

Then we are reminded of a court of law.  They had become so corrupt that there were frivolous law suits, and perjury in the courts.  This could be where the thought of murder comes from, but I believe that this refers more to the length of which the people were willing to lie and be deceptive, as is indicated by verse 4.

Isaiah 59:5-6

They hatch adders' eggs and weave the spider's web;

He who eats of their eggs dies,

And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth.

6Their webs will not become clothing,

Nor will they cover themselves with their works;

Their works are works of iniquity,

And an act of violence is in their hands.

The thought of utter sin and living in sin, then siring sin is given the illustration of snake eggs.  When the people are crushed, rather than turning to God they turn to the devil, turning further to sin.  James spoke of this:

James 1:13-15

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

  When people are carried away by the desires of their hearts which are rooted in the flesh, the result is more flesh, more death, more sin.  Nothing good can come from the flesh:

Romans 8:5-10

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Flesh reaps death, spirit brings life, Israel had abandoned the spiritual side of their lives and went after the fleshly side, therefore they were caught up in a downward spiral.  Each condition was worse than the one before it.

The thought of the uselessness of spider web is interesting.  When the spider makes the web, it is one of the most powerful fibers on earth, but it doesn't last, otherwise the garment industry would have found a way to use it.  Sin seems to be strong, but in reality the results are short lived, and transparent.  God is able to see right through the web of sin that we have sown for ourselves in life.  God was able to see through Israel's sin and call it for what it was.

Isaiah 59:7-8

Their feet run to evil,

And they hasten to shed innocent blood;

Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;

Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

8They do not know the way of peace,

And there is no justice in their tracks;

They have made their paths crooked;

Whoever treads on them does not know peace.

 

This speaks of the total depravity of man, the desire of man to pursue sin and to enjoy its benefits.  Yet in the end, sin will have a huge price tag, it will cause misery, and will give an empty feeling.  Where is peace in the life that is steeped in sin?  There is no peace, the only peace comes through a relationship with God.  Look at Paul's reference to this in:

Romans 3:15-26

"Their feet are swift to shed blood,

16Destruction and misery are in their paths,

17And the path of peace have they not known."

18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

 

19Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God; 20because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

I am going to stop here today, it seems to be a better stopping place than the schedule I put out, tomorrow I will start with verse 9.

Father, as we consider the blood in our lives, we praise You for the forgiveness that we have received through the blood of Jesus.  We also praise You that through that blood we have received forgiveness from our sin.  Lead us, guide us, turn our hearts to You in every aspect of our lives.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible.

 

Isaiah 59:9-21

Readings: 2 Kings 4; Revelation 16

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Yesterday we looked briefly at the sinful state of man, that thought continues in this passage today. 

Isaiah 59:9-15

Therefore, justice is far from us,

And righteousness does not overtake us;

We hope for light, but behold, darkness;

For brightness, but we walk in gloom.

10We grope along the wall like blind men,

We grope like those who have no eyes;

We stumble at midday as in the twilight,

Among those who are vigorous we are like dead men.

11All of us growl like bears,

And moan sadly like doves;

We hope for justice, but there is none,

For salvation, but it is far from us.

12For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee,

And our sins testify against us;

For our transgressions are with us,

And we know our iniquities:

13Transgressing and denying the Lord,

And turning away from our God,

Speaking oppression and revolt,

Conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words.

14And justice is turned back,

And righteousness stands far away;

For truth has stumbled in the street,

And uprightness cannot enter.

15aYes, truth is lacking;

And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey.

On a historical note, at this time Jerusalem had rebelled against the Persian empire.  The Persian warriors were far away engaged in war, and the only people in Jerusalem left to keep the peace were the tax collectors, who were charging high taxes.  When the people rebelled against the Persians, they left themselves open to living in a situation without a government.  The lack of government meant that there was a high crime rate, because the robbers and ruffians moved into Jerusalem to take advantage of the situation.  In all of this, Jerusalem removed themselves out of protection of the Persian empire, and they removed themselves from the protection of God.  Remember, God had ordained Cyrus to capture Babylon and to free Israel for the purpose of restoring the nation.  He did that, and he was under the Persian authority, so Israel, although they were free, was a property of Persia at that time.

On a spiritual note, look at the way that sin stands out against man.  Verse 9 says that due to sin, injustice is typical and the people live in spiritual darkness.  10 They are in such spiritual darkness that even at midday, they are still in semi darkness and those who are strong are like dead men.  11 Man makes a big show of bravery, but it is defeated because salvation is not available.  12  The sin of man stands out as a witness against him, shouting loudly in the courts of the sin that he has committed.  13  Sin heralds the wrongs that we have committed against our God, it shouts about the lying heart and the evil intentions that have been in man's minds.  14  As a result of sin, there is no justice, truth has been compromised and no righteousness can be found.  15  Man is involved in sin and has made himself prey for evil, he has absolutely no hope in himself.   

In short, this is right out of the books on the doctrine of man.  Man is utterly and totally sinful, doomed to live his life out in sin and totally unable to have access to God because of his sinful state.  He is doomed to live life as a dead man, die as a dead man and spend eternity with his sin shouting out against him as he burns in the fires of hell.  Since man is so utterly sinful, he has no hope within himself.  (The good side of the story follows in the next few verses.)

Isaiah 59:15b-16

Now the Lord saw,

And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.

16And He saw that there was no man,

And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;

Then His own arm brought salvation to Him;

And His righteousness upheld Him.

The Lord is not happy with this situation.  No man is able to save himself, no man is able to access the truth, there is no man that can intercede with a holy and righteous God, because all men are evil.  The Lord sees this and decides to take action.  Could it be astonishing to the Lord because man was created in His image and in His likeness, yet chose not to follow Him?  The only way for man to be saved from the utter devastation of his sin is for the Lord to do something about it.  God is the only one capable of bringing salvation to man.  In verse 16 where it talks about the Lord bringing salvation to man, it looks forward to the time when Jesus would come to the earth and hang on the cross, as a payment for the sin of all mankind.  Now that the penalty of sin has been taken care of, and it is unable to shout in the courts as to the injustice of man, there is hope for man.  It is simple, sin is a crime against God, and God demands payment for the sin, yet in His wisdom He provided Jesus as a payment for our sin because we, in our dead sinful state, groping in the darkness would never find salvation or a way to approach a Holy and Righteous God. 

Isaiah 59:17-20

And He put on righteousness like a breastplate,

And a helmet of salvation on His head;

And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

18According to their deeds, so He will repay,

Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;

To the coastlands He will make recompense.

19So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west

And His glory from the rising of the sun,

For He will come like a rushing stream,

Which the wind of the Lord drives.

20"And a Redeemer will come to Zion,

And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," declares the Lord.

Since God has provided salvation through Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah, man now has hope.  Man also stands warned that the Messiah has come and that his sin has been paid for.  The only catch is that man has to come to God and accept the sacrifice as his payment.  This is much like the automobile tax that had recently been raised by California.  I may be mis-understanding the law, but once the tax is repealed, it will be retroactive for a certain period of time.  Anyone who calls the DMV will have their credit mailed out to them, anyone who does not call the DMV will not get their rebate.  God has made the payment for the crime of sin available as paid in full, but man has to come to God and accept the payment as being for his sin.  At that time God promises to forgive man and to give him salvation.  Stand warned though, since the payment has been made, God is zealous in prosecuting those who do not accept the payment.  Jesus is the only way to righteousness, apart from Him is the direct path to hell, there is no purgatory, no second chances.  Earth is our home, and our lives are our testimony before the court of God.  Once we die either our sin will be shouting out against us convicting us of the crime of sin, dooming us to hell, or the payment of our sin by the blood of Jesus will make us righteous and holy in the sight of God.  Paul picked up on this and exhorted all believers in Ephesians 6:17 where he tells us how to live a victorious Christian life.

Isaiah 59:21

"And as for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring," says the Lord, "from now and forever."

 

This verse looks forward to both the salvation provided by Jesus, and to the millennial second coming of Christ.  (I just had the beeper go off, so I have to wrap up.)  At the second coming of Christ, there will not be any doubt in Israel any longer that He is king.  The long awaited Messiah will have returned and taken His rightful position over Israel.  Until then, we can cling to the same promises because we are a spiritual Israel as Gentiles.  Look at these verses that carry the same message:

Ezekiel 36:27

"And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Joel 2:29

"And even on the male and female servants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. 33"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34"And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Father, as we come before You we want to praise You for the provision that you made for us to pay the penalty of our sin.  We praise You for salvation, and we praise You for the opportunity to have a righteous new life in Jesus.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

Note: All Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible.  

Joe,
 
Historical note is actually a prophetic future about Jerusalem from Isaiah's perspective, right? We look back, he was looking forward? Your comment appears to make Isaiah contemporaneous with the Persian empire. Was that your intention?
 
I checked the DMV site. Rebates are supposed to be sent out automatically.
 
Thanks.
 
IHG,
 
Erik

 

 

        

Last changed: 09/17/08