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Commentary on Isaiah 59 verses 1–8
The prophet here rectifies the mistake of those who had been quarrelling with God because they had not the deliverances wrought for them which they had been often fasting and praying for, Isa 58:3. Now here he shows,
I. That it was not owing to God. They had no reason to lay the fault upon him that they were not saved out of the hands of their enemies; for, 1. He was still as able to help as ever: His hand is not shortened, his power is not at all lessened, straitened, or abridged. Whether we consider the extent of his power or the efficacy of it, God can reach as far as ever and with as strong a hand as ever. Note, The church's salvation comes from the hand of God, and that has not waxed weak nor is it at all shortened. Has the Lord's hand waxed short? (says God to Moses, Num 11:23). No, it has not; he will not have it thought so. Neither length of time nor strength of enemies, no, nor weakness of instruments, can shorten or straiten the power of God, with which it is all one to save by many or by few. 2. He was still as ready and willing to help as ever in answer to prayer: His ear is not heavy, that it cannot hear. Though he has many prayers to hear and answer, and though he has been long hearing prayer, yet he is still as ready to hear prayer as ever. The prayer of the upright is as much his delight as ever it was, and the promises which are pleaded and put in suit in prayer are still yea and amen, inviolably sure. More is implied than is expressed; not only his ear is not heavy, but he is quick of hearing. Even before they call he answers, Isa 65:24. If your prayers be not answered, and the salvation we wait for be not wrought for us, it is not because God is weary of hearing prayer, but because we are weary of praying, not because his ear is heavy when we speak to him, but because our ears are heavy when he speaks to us.
II. That it was owing to themselves; they stood in their own light and put a bar in their own door. God was coming towards them in ways of mercy and they hindered him. Your iniquities have kept good things from you, Jer 5:25.
1.See what mischief sin does. (1.) It hinders God's mercies from coming down upon us; it is a partition wall that separates between us and God. Notwithstanding the infinite distance that is between God and man by nature, there was a correspondence settled between them, till sin set them at variance, justly provoked God against man and unjustly alienated man from God; thus it separates between them and God. "He is your God, yours in profession, and therefore there is so much the more malignity and mischievousness in sin, which separates between you and him." Sin hides his face from us (which denotes great displeasure, Deu 31:17); it provokes him in anger to withdraw his gracious presence, to suspend the tokens of his favour and the instances of his help; he hides his face, as refusing to be seen or spoken with. See here sin in its colours, sin exceedingly sinful, withdrawing the creature from his allegiance to his Creator; and see sin in its consequences, sin exceedingly hurtful, separating us from God, and so separating us not only from all good, but to all evil (Deu 29:21), which is the very quintessence of the curse. (2.) It hinders our prayers from coming up unto God; it provokes him to hide his face, that he will not hear, as he has said, Isa 1:15. If we regard iniquity in our heart, if we indulge it and allow ourselves in it, God will not hear our prayers, Psa 66:18. We cannot expect that he should countenance us while we go on to affront him.
2.Now, to justify God in hiding his face from them, and proceeding in his controversy with them, the prophet shows very largely, in the following verses, how many and great their iniquities were, according to the charge given him (Isa 58:1), to show God's people their transgressions; and it is a black bill of indictment that is here drawn up against them, consisting of many particulars, any one of which was enough to separate between them and a just and a holy God. Let us endeavour to reduce these articles of impeachment to proper heads.
(1.)We must begin with their thoughts, for there all sin begins, and thence it takes its rise: Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Isa 59:7. Their imaginations are so, only evil continually. Their projects and designs are so; they are continually contriving some mischief or other, and how to compass the gratification of some base lust (Isa 59:4): They conceive mischief in their fancy, purpose, counsel, and resolution (thus the embryo receives its shape and life), and then they bring forth iniquity, put it in execution when it is ripened for it. Though it is in pain perhaps that the iniquity is brought forth, through the oppositions of Providences and the checks of their own consciences, yet, when they have compassed their wicked purpose, they look upon it with as much pride and pleasure as if it were a man-child born into the world; thus, when lust has conceived, it bringeth forth sin, Jam 1:15. This is called (Isa 59:5) hatching the cockatrice' egg and weaving the spider's web. See how the thoughts and contrivances of wicked men are employed, and about what they set their wits on work. [1.] At the best it is about that which is foolish and frivolous. Their thoughts are vain, like weaving the spider's web, which the poor silly animal takes a great deal of pains about, and, when all is done, it is a weak insignificant thing, a reproach to the place where it is, and which the besom sweeps away in an instant: such are the thoughts which worldly men entertain themselves with, building castles in the air, and pleasing themselves with imaginary satisfaction, like the spider, which takes hold with her hands very finely (Pro 30:28), but cannot keep her hold. [2.] Too often it is about that which is malicious and spiteful. They hatch the eggs of the cockatrice or adder, which are poisonous and produce venomous creatures; such are the thoughts of the wicked who delight in doing mischief. He that eats of their eggs (that is, he is in danger of having some mischief or other done him), and that which is crushed in order to be eaten of, or which begins to be hatched and you promise yourself some useful fowl from it, breaks out into a viper, which you meddle with at your peril. Happy are those that have least to do with such men. Even the spider's web which they wove was woven with a spiteful design to catch flies in and make a prey of them; for, rather than not be doing mischief, they will play at small game.
(2.)Out of this abundance of wickedness in the heart their mouth speaks, and yet it does not always speak out the wickedness that is within, but, for the more effectually compassing the mischievous design, it is dissembled and covered with much fair speech (Isa 59:3): Your lips have spoken lies; and again (Isa 59:4), They speak lies, pretending kindness where they intend the greatest mischief; or by slanders and false accusations they blasted the credit and reputation of those they had a spite to and so did them a real mischief unseen, and perhaps by suborning witnesses against them took from them their estates and lives; for a false tongue is sharp arrows, and coals of juniper, and every thing that is mischievous. Your tongue has muttered perverseness. When they could not, for shame, speak their malice against their neighbours aloud, or durst not, for fear of being disproved and put to confusion, they muttered it secretly. Backbiters are called whisperers.
(3.)Their actions were all of a piece with their thoughts and words. They were guilty of shedding innocent blood, a crime of the most heinous nature: Your hands are defiled with blood (Isa 59:3); for blood is defiling; it leaves an indelible stain of guilt upon the conscience, which nothing but the blood of Christ can cleanse it from. Now was this a case of surprise, or one that occurred when there was something of a force put upon them; but (Isa 59:7) their feet ran to this evil, naturally and eagerly, and, hurried on by the impetus of their malice and revenge, they made haste to shed innocent blood, as if they were afraid of losing an opportunity to do a barbarous thing, Pro 1:16; Jer 22:17. Wasting and destruction are in their paths. Wherever they go they carry mischief along with them, and the tendency of their way is to lay waste and destroy, nor do they care what havoc they make. Nor do they only thirst after blood, but with other iniquities are their fingers defiled (Isa 59:3); they wrong people in their estates and make every thing their own that they can lay their hands on. They trust in vanity (Isa 59:4); they depend upon their arts of cozenage to enrich themselves with, which will prove vanity to them, and their deceiving others will but deceive themselves. Their works, which they take so much pains about and have their hearts so much upon, are all works of iniquity; their whole business is one continued course of oppressions and vexations, and the act of violence is in their hands, according to the arts of violence that are in their heads and the thoughts of violence in their hearts.
(4.)No methods are taken to redress these grievances, and reform these abuses (Isa 59:4): None calls for justice, none complains of the violation of the sacred laws of justice, nor seeks to right those that suffer wrong or to get the laws put in execution against vice and profaneness, and those lewd practices which are the shame, and threaten to be the bane, of the nation. Note, When justice is not done there is blame to be laid not only upon the magistrates that should administer justice, but upon the people that should call for it. Private persons ought to contribute to the public good by discovering secret wickedness, and giving those an opportunity to punish it that have the power of doing so in their hands; but it is ill with a state when princes rule ill and the people love to have it so. Truth is opposed, and there is not any that pleads for it, not any that has the conscience and courage to appear in defence of an honest cause, and confront a prosperous fraud and wrong. The way of peace is as little regarded as the way of truth; they know it not, that is, they never study the things that make for peace, no care is taken to prevent or punish the breaches of the peace and to accommodate matters in difference among neighbours; they are utter strangers to every thing that looks quiet and peaceable, and affect that which is blustering and turbulent. There is no judgment in their goings; they have not any sense of justice in their dealings; it is a thing they make no account of at all, but can easily break through all its fences if they stand in the way of their malicious covetous designs.
(5.)In all this they act foolishly, very foolishly, and as much against their interest as against reason and equity. Those that practise iniquity trust in vanity, which will certainly deceive them, Isa 59:4. Their webs, which they weave with so much art and industry, shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves, either for shelter or for ornament, with their works, Isa 59:6. They may do hurt to others with their projects, but can never do any real service or kindness to themselves by them. There is nothing to be got by sin, and so it will appear when profit and loss come to be compared. Those paths of iniquity are crooked paths (Isa 59:8), which will perplex them, but will never bring them to their journey's end; whoever go therein, though they say that they shall have peace notwithstanding they go on, deceive themselves; for they shall not know peace, as appears by the following verses.
The Lord can prohibit adversities, but the merits of sinners cause him to give no aid.… Therefore, let your sins and offences be numbered; let the wounds of your conscience be considered; and let each one cease to complain about God and about us, if he understands that he deserves what he suffers.
Let us consider our sins, and reviewing the secrets of our action and mind, let us weigh the merits of our conscience.
Inasmuch, then, as this is the cause that puts us far from God, let us remove this obnoxious barrier that prevents any near approach being made.But now hear how this has actually occurred in real instances. Among the Corinthians some man of mark committed a sin such as was not named even among the Gentiles. This man was a believer and belonged to the household for Christ; and some say that he was actually a member of the priesthood. What then? Did Paul cut him off from the communion of those who were in the way of salvation? By no means, for he himself it is who rebukes the Corinthians countless times, backwards and forwards, because they did not bring the man to a state of repentance; he desired to prove to us that there is no sin that cannot be healed.
But punishments lead us back to God.… Suppose anyone has a wound, which is the more deserving of fear—gangrene or the surgeon’s knife? The steel or the devouring progress of the ulcer? Sin is gangrene; punishment is the surgeon’s knife. As then he who has a gangrene, although he is not lanced, has to sustain the malady and is then in the worse condition when he is not lanced, so also the sinner, though he is not punished, is the most wretched of people and is then especially wretched when he has no punishment and is suffering no distress.
The enmity that God had both against Jews and Gentiles was, as it were, a middle wall. And this wall, while the law existed, was not only not abolished but rather was strengthened.
(Chapter 59, Verses 1, 2) Behold, the hand of the Lord is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. (Chapter 70) Is the Lord's hand shortened, that He cannot save, or His ear heavy, that He cannot hear? But your sins have separated you from your God, and because of your sins, He has turned His face away from you, so that He will not show mercy. I could do what I said I would do: You will be confident in the Lord, and He will lift you up to the good things of the land, and He will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father, before the completion. For my hand is not shortened, nor is it contracted, that I cannot stretch it out to deliver my people: nor do I have deaf ears, that I cannot hear. From this it is shown that the ears of the Lord, which listen to the righteous and do not listen to sinners, are in no way similar to our ears, which equally hear the spoken word of either justice or injustice; but your sins, like a certain wall in the middle, separate you and God. And so, the Savior in His passion made both one (Ephesians 2), and by breaking down the middle wall of partition, He destroyed enmity in His flesh, so that the blood of Christ might unite those whom the wall of sin had divided. He opened the door of paradise, which had been closed for a long time (Genesis 3), and He extinguished the fiery sword with His own blood, so that the thief might hear: Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). And what follows: And because of your sins, He turned His face away from you; to not hear, or to not show mercy, he demonstrates this, that he was not able to bear the stench of sins and their iniquities, but he turned his face away, so as to not see their shamefulness, and he would immediately be forced to strike. In the psalm, when the sinner desiring to see the face of the Lord says: How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Ps. XII, 1). And elsewhere: Show your face, and we shall be saved. (Ps. LXXIX, 4).
Scripture is accustomed to call hatred “toil.” For the word has more than one meaning. Hatred wastes and withers up the hearts of those who receive it. Thus says the psalmist about someone or about Israel as a whole, “He conceived toil and bore iniquity.”
Rising again with the same flesh as that with which he was buried, [Christ] stands behind the wall of our unbelief, the wall that as we sinned we built with our muddy, dirty works. About these works God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, “But your sins have made a wall between you and God.” Behind the wall stands Christ the Lord, and he waits to be called on by the ungodly, and he summons the sinful soul to penitence. Behind the wall where [Christ] stands, he waits for the unbelieving to believe in him until such time as they reach baptism or penitence.
Therefore, since bodies that cannot exist without a place cannot be spatially separated from God, without a doubt neither are the spirits that God created spatially separated from God.For every spirit that God created exists in some place, and God is there. [God], through the grace by means of which he grants to whom he wishes a holy and blessed life, is not in evil spirits; still he is always in all his creatures through his natural power. Thus there is no creature than can be found in whom God is not present through his power. Therefore, that nature can be separated from God that was or is able to be subject to sin. There is no other thing that can go away from God except that substance that is able or has been able to sin with its own will. For Isaiah says, “See, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save or his ear too dull to hear. Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God.”
But since we say that God is plenteous in mercy, why is it that when amidst temptations we unceasingly knock and pray, we are not heard and He disregards our prayer? This we are clearly taught by the Prophet when he says, “The Lord’s hand is not little, that it cannot save; nor is He hard of hearing, that He cannot hear: but our sins have separated us from Him.” … Remember God at all times, and He will remember you whenever you fall into evils.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 59:2 delivers a profound and somber theological truth, unequivocally stating that the chasm existing between humanity and God is not a result of divine impotence or indifference, but rather the direct consequence of human transgression. It asserts that the cumulative weight of Israel's iniquities and sins has erected an impassable spiritual barrier, obscuring God's benevolent presence and rendering their cries unheard, thereby highlighting the severe relational and spiritual ramifications of unrepentant sin on the sacred covenant.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 59:2 employs several potent literary devices to convey its stark and impactful message. Anthropomorphism is prominently featured in the phrase "hid his face," attributing human characteristics (a face, the ability to conceal it) to God. This device makes God's displeasure and the withdrawal of His presence comprehensible and deeply impactful, evoking a powerful sense of abandonment and divine refusal to engage. Parallelism is also strikingly evident, with "your iniquities have separated" directly paralleling "your sins have hid," reinforcing the singular cause (human sin) and its dual, devastating effect (separation and divine withdrawal). The prophet's deliberate use of distinct but complementary terms like "iniquities" (perversity, distortion) and "sins" (missing the mark, transgression) creates a rich synonymous parallelism that emphasizes the comprehensive and pervasive nature of the people's wrongdoing. Furthermore, the entire verse functions as a clear cause-and-effect statement, meticulously delineating that the people's unrighteous actions are the direct and unavoidable cause of their spiritual alienation from God and the subsequent lack of divine response or favorable intervention.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 59:2 stands as a foundational text for understanding the profound and devastating impact of sin on the sacred relationship between God and humanity. It unequivocally asserts that sin, in its various forms of perversity, transgression, and moral failure, creates an active and formidable barrier that obstructs divine communion, withdraws God's favor, and renders human cries unheard. This sobering theological truth powerfully underscores God's absolute holiness, which cannot and will not tolerate unrighteousness, and highlights the severe spiritual consequences of living in opposition to His divine will. The verse establishes the critical and urgent need for a divine intervention, a righteous deliverer who alone can bridge this seemingly impassable chasm, thereby setting the stage for the later revelation of God's comprehensive redemptive plan. It teaches that true, unhindered fellowship with God is fundamentally predicated on a state of righteousness, whether imputed through divine grace or achieved through sincere repentance and a transformed life.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 59:2 serves as a timeless, sobering, and profoundly relevant reminder that the very state of our spiritual relationship with the Almighty God is directly and profoundly impacted by our choices and actions. It challenges the common, yet misguided, misconception that God is distant, unresponsive, or uncaring without just cause, instead placing the responsibility for relational brokenness squarely on human sin and rebellion. For every believer, this verse underscores the ongoing and vital necessity of cultivating a genuinely repentant heart and maintaining an unwavering commitment to righteousness, not as a means to earn salvation, but as an essential component of preserving and deepening intimate communion with a perfectly holy God. It issues a compelling call for us to regularly and honestly examine our lives, to confess our transgressions without reservation, and to earnestly seek divine cleansing and forgiveness. We must recognize that unaddressed, unconfessed, and unrepented sin can indeed hinder our prayers, obscure our experience of God's tangible presence, and diminish His favor in our lives. This verse compels us to live in a manner that consistently honors God, ensuring that no barrier of iniquity or sin is allowed to separate us from the One who passionately desires to hear, respond to, and commune with us.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse mean God literally cannot hear our prayers if we sin?
Answer: No, this verse does not imply that God is literally deaf or unaware of our prayers. God is omniscient and omnipresent, always knowing our thoughts, words, and the deepest intentions of our hearts. The phrase "that he will not hear" is a powerful and common biblical idiom signifying a refusal to respond favorably, to acknowledge with approval, or to grant the petitions of those in a state of unrepentant sin. It communicates a withdrawal of divine favor, presence, and active intervention because sin creates a spiritual barrier that is fundamentally incompatible with His holy nature. It's about a breakdown in intimate communion and a lack of divine approval or blessing, rather than a literal inability for God to perceive our words.
If sin separates us from God, how can anyone ever be in relationship with Him?
Answer: This verse powerfully highlights the problem of sin and its isolating effect, but the broader biblical narrative provides the glorious solution. While sin indeed creates a chasm that humanity cannot bridge on its own, God, in His infinite love, mercy, and wisdom, has provided the ultimate means to bridge that very gap. The Old Testament, through its system of sacrifices and the call to repentance, foreshadowed this solution. Ultimately, the New Testament reveals that Jesus Christ, through His perfect and atoning sacrifice on the cross, became the complete and final solution for humanity's sin. His death and resurrection provide forgiveness, reconciliation, and a righteous standing before God. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 powerfully declares, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Through faith in Christ, the profound separation caused by sin is overcome, and intimate communion with God is miraculously restored.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 59:2 powerfully articulates the dire and devastating consequence of human sin: a profound separation from God, where His benevolent face is hidden and fervent prayers seemingly go unheard. This ancient lament, echoing the universal human condition, finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The very chasm described by Isaiah, created by "iniquities" and "sins," was decisively and eternally bridged by the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. On the cross, Christ bore the full, crushing weight of humanity's sin, becoming the ultimate, perfect sin offering, so that we, who were once alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds, might be reconciled to God (Colossians 1:21-22). His unparalleled sacrifice removed the formidable barrier that our transgressions had erected, making it wonderfully possible for God's face to shine upon us once more and for our prayers to be heard, accepted, and answered (Hebrews 4:16). Through saving faith in Christ, believers are no longer separated by their iniquities but are brought near by His precious blood, experiencing the restored communion and unhindered access to the Father that Isaiah's generation so desperately longed for (Ephesians 2:13). He is the true bridge, the living way, who turned God's hidden face back towards humanity in boundless grace, unfathomable mercy, and eternal fellowship.