Isaiah 59:1-21

Isaiah 59:1-21 NIV

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. 

For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace.

So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead. We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away. For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord. “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

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Confession is a powerful tool in the life of people of faith. To recount one's failings and weaknesses, mistakes and poor judgement is humiliating and painful, no doubt, but it leads to cleansing and renewal. Israel, through the prophet's voice, faces its own failings and fesses up to the Lord their God.

Isaiah 59 begins in Isaiah's voice as he confronts the nation with their sin and rebellion. Their sins have separated them from God and His blessings. Their prayers are not heard, for they do not heed the Lord. Instead they do violence, speak falsely, deny justice and birth evil. Their wicked tongues and empty lies are like cobwebs, thin and easily torn apart. Their weak arguments won't hold up to the truth. They don't know the way to peace and any who follow them will stumble and grope in darkness.

Then the people answer the charges. Isaiah voices the nation's confession to the Lord. To paraphrase: "Because of our sin justice and righteousness are far from us. We look for peace, but we are blinded by the dark. We seek deliverance from the Lord from the mess of a society we've created, but our sins are piled so high we cannot reach Him and His justice. We acknowledge our sin and treachery. We turned our backs on God and gone our own way. Truth was nowhere to be found in our dealings and if someone spoke up for the truth, we persecuted them. We chased after the godly like a ravenous wolf after its prey."

But the Lord saw what was going on in Israel and since no one stood up to protect the innocent, or stand against the advancement of wickedness, He stepped in. He suited up in the armor of God with righteousness and salvation. He cloaked Himself in the zeal of the Lord for His holy people. He rushed to rescue the godly from the jaws of the wicked. Like a mighty torrent, the Lord rose up to take vengeance upon those within Israel who oppress the upright and pervert justice for the poor. God will stand against the Greeks (the islands) who oppress Palestine. His mighty action to preserve holy community within Israel will cause the whole world to wonder at the name of the Lord. They will revere the name of the God of Israel.

Finally God speaks His faithful promise to His people. Though they have sinned, though they have been unfaithful to the Lord, the Lord is ever faithful to Israel. He will not abandon His holy project. He promised that His Spirit will always be upon them and God's word will always be upon their lips.

The truth the wayward seek is given when they confess their sins. Confession breaks down the wall within between the sinner and God. Then light shines once again and the blinding darkness, that freedom to do as thou wilt which seemed so compelling, is exposed for what it is, a pathway to death. Hard lessons are learned. Truth is held in esteem. Hearts change. Lives return to right living. Justice comes home. The Spirit of the Lord prevails upon His people and His truth is marching on to victory against the darkness. The children will tell of God's goodness, truth and mercy. Peace will nestle once again in the hearts of the people.

When you sense that your sins have separated you from God and you can't seem to get through to His blessing, know that confession is key to restoring your relationship. Search your heart. Allow the light of God's word to illuminate you. You will be shown the nature of your transgressions. You will be given grace to fess up and find release, for God is merciful and forgiven. God never says, "no harm, no foul." He calls sin what it is, sin. But when we acknowledge the truth of our failings, the Lord is quick to renew us in the beauty of His truth and love. Peace fills us and the black stain of guilt is washed away in His great love.