Isaiah59

Isaiah 59 declares that God's power to save is not diminished, but the people's pervasive sins have created a separation, preventing Him from hearing them. Their widespread iniquities, characterized by violence, lies, and injustice, have plunged society into darkness and removed peace. Observing the absence of any righteous intercessor, the Lord Himself resolves to bring salvation and judgment, promising a Redeemer and an everlasting covenant with those who turn from transgression.
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God Is Able, But Sin Separates

1
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. ​
2
But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. ​
3
For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice. ​
4
No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5
They hatch the eggs of vipers and weave a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched. ​
6
Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.
7
Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.
8
The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have turned them into crooked paths; no one who treads on them will know peace.

The People Confess Their Corporate Guilt

9
Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom. ​
10
Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.
11
We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but find none, for salvation, but it is far from us.
12
For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions are indeed with us, and we know our iniquities: ​
13
rebelling and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
14
So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.
15
Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil becomes prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. ​

The Lord Prepares for Intervention

16
He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him. ​
17
He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal. ​
18
So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and recompense to the islands.
19
So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD. ​

The Covenant of the Redeemer

20
“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD. ​
21
“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and grandchildren, from now on and forevermore,” says the LORD. ​

Study Notes for Isaiah 59

Verse 1

This verse addresses the potential complaint that God is either powerless or indifferent to the suffering of his people. Isaiah assures the audience that God’s power (hand) and attentiveness (ear) are undiminished.

Verse 2

This verse establishes the core theological problem: sin creates a relational barrier (separation) between a holy God and humanity, thus hindering the flow of blessing and communication.

Verse 3

The prophet provides concrete evidence of the national iniquity, focusing on two key areas of transgression: violence ('hands are defiled with blood') and deceit ('lips have spoken lies').

Verse 5

These vivid, dark metaphors illustrate that the people’s actions are both destructive (hatching the deadly serpent, the 'viper') and useless (the 'spider’s web' offers no covering or security).

Verse 9

The transition here indicates a shift to a communal lament, where the people acknowledge that the lack of justice and peace they experience is the direct consequence of the sins detailed in the previous verses.

Verse 12

This is a profound statement of corporate confession, where the community explicitly owns their transgressions, recognizing that their sins are overwhelming and self-evident before God.

Verse 15

Highlights the desperate state of society where moral standards have collapsed; those who attempt righteousness ('departeth from evil') are left vulnerable and exposed to victimization. God observes this failure of justice.

Verse 16

A pivotal verse showing that because no human leader or judge ('no man,' 'no intercessor') was willing or able to restore justice, God determined to act unilaterally through his own power ('his arm') to bring salvation.

Verse 17

God is described as a divine warrior preparing for battle, using imagery later adopted by Paul (Eph. 6) to describe the spiritual armor of the believer. God’s 'righteousness' is the means by which he executes judgment and deliverance.

Verse 19

The intervention of God’s judgment and salvation will result in universal recognition of his name. The 'Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard' signifies God providing a banner of defense and rallying point against the forces of evil or invading enemies.

Verse 20

This verse is messianic, identifying the future deliverer as the Redeemer (Hebrew: *go’el*, Kinsman-Redeemer) who comes specifically to those in Zion who turn from transgression. This promise anticipates future restoration.

Verse 21

God establishes an eternal covenant centered on the enduring presence of his Spirit and his prophetic Word. This ensures that the message of salvation will continue through subsequent generations, guaranteeing the future of the covenant community.

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