Isaiah 59

Yesterday, we were subjected to the most theologically bankrupt “message” on Isaiah 59 that I could have possibly imagined.  I could talk about what was wrong with it, but rather than dwell in a negative tone, let us instead reexamine the chapter with proper categories and with an eye to redemptive historical context.

In all of the Old Testament, few passages have the richness of prophecy of Isaiah 59.  Tim LeHaye would have been doing back flips to point out the obvious messianic prophesy of this passage.  In this, he is spot on.  It is inconceivable that any proper expository preaching could fail to mention Jesus in discussion of this passage.  And yet our standard bearer is…Rick Perry?

Evil and Oppression

59:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
2 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.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 No one enters suit justly;
no one goes to law honestly;
they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies,
they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5 They hatch adders' eggs;
they weave the spider's web;
he who eats their eggs dies,
and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched.
6 Their webs will not serve as clothing;
men will not cover themselves with what they make.
Their works are works of iniquity,
and deeds of violence are in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil,
and they are swift to shed innocent blood;
their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
desolation and destruction are in their highways.
8 The way of peace they do not know,
and there is no justice in their paths;
they have made their roads crooked;
no one who treads on them knows peace.

9 Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not overtake us;
we hope for light, and behold, darkness,
and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We grope for the wall like the blind;
we grope like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
among those in full vigor we are like dead men.
11 We all growl like bears;
we moan and moan like doves;
we hope for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you,
and our sins testify against us;
for our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities:
13 transgressing, and denying the Lord,
and turning back from following our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.
14 Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far away;
for truth has stumbled in the public squares,
and uprightness cannot enter.
15 Truth is lacking,
and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

Judgment and Redemption

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man,
and wondered that there was no one to intercede;
then his own arm brought him salvation,
and his righteousness upheld him.
17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds, so will he repay,
wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies;
to the coastlands he will render repayment.
19 So they shall 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,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.

21 “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

The whole book of Isaiah is worth the read, but chapters 40-66 are the meat of the prophesy section.  In chapter 59, we see two very important themes that will be echoed in the New Testament: the sinful nature of man who is therefore incapable of righteousness, and the path put forth by God on our behalf.  The close parallel of Isaiah 59 with Romans 3 is almost staggering.  And yet, Isaiah 59 has a richness of context that Paul merely assumes that his readers in Rome know.  The build up to 59 is perhaps in the context of a hypothetical court room, in which Isaiah, the covenant attorney, is first listening to the arguments of Israel against God, for they accuse God of forsaking them and breaking covenant.  Finally, in chapter 59, Isaiah speaks on behalf of God and levels Israel with his words.  Israel is left broken, defeated, desolate and dead.  The second half of the chapter is the revelation of the messiah.  God Himself will come down and put on the body of man and save His people.  Let’s look at the text.

We know from the first two chapters of Isaiah that God is not pleased with Israel.  We learn that God is going to spread His Glory to the whole world, but only a remnant of people will be saved.  We learn of the Wrath of God, and His impending coming through the line of David.  Now, we pick up at verse one with God responding to charges leveled at Him by Israel.  Israel wonders if God is not truly all powerful, that His arm is too short to intervene.  Israel wonders if God is not omniscient, that He is unaware of the woes of His people, Israel.  Watch how Isaiah rounds on Israel.  The sin of Israel have covered their path to God.  Read all of the charges against Israel above in verses 2-13.  Compare them to Romans 3:1-20.  Now, finally, we come to verse 14, where the reading started yesterday.

See how much we missed by starting the reading at that point.  The whole tone and context of verse 14 was lost and easily contextualized to absolute malarkey because it was ripped from context.  Notice the relative lack of explanation by me.  Just let the passage speak for itself.  It is very straightforward.  Justice is turned back and righteousness is far away.  This is a courtroom scene.  This is about Judgment Day.  Righteousness is required to enter Heaven.  Israel was well aware of this theme.  The Pharisees believed that they had this righteousness in Jesus’ day.  Isaiah is telling the Jews of the Diaspora the reasons that they were banished from the land.  The reason is sin, and they are filled to the gill with it.  The righteousness that they require to enter into eternal life is far from them.  Justice does not exist in this world.  Uprightness, that is righteousness, cannot enter into this world.  Isaiah is passing judgment on the whole world in much the same way that Paul does in Romans 3.  The purpose of this judgment is to bring Israel and the whole world to their knees.

And now, in verse 15b, God begins to show his mercy and Grace.  Isaiah reveals the mechanism of salvation.  God is displeased by sin.  God sees and knows that man is totally incapable of satisfying the requirements of His justice.  So, God, in His infinite Mercy and Grace, puts on the mantle of the warrior.  He condescends to enter into the battle on behalf of man.  He Himself with be the standard bearer.  He will come in terrible judgment one day.  Each will receive that which they deserve.  And we all deserve death.  But He will also send a Redeemer (verse 20) to Zion to those in Jacob who repent. 

It bears some discussion about who exactly is included in this statement.  The first comment is that Isaiah refers them to Zion, not Sinai.  The mountain in question is the heavenly mountain, the one for which Sinai was supposed to be a type and shadow in this world, in this present evil age: Zion.  Jacob means Israel, but only those who recognize that they are sinners and then repent.  Going back to Isaiah 2, it is clear that the whole world will come to Zion and to Jacob.  (I have included the whole chapter so that you can see just how angry God really is with sin.) Therefore, while the dispensational interpretation of this passage is that it applies only to Israel, it is not a great leap at all that Paul takes to interpret that Isaiah himself spiritualizes Zion to include all nations, through the Redeemer of Israel.  It is also equally clear that not all will repent.

And finally, the last verse of the chapter concerns covenant.  Remember that Israel, who have been banished from the land and dispersed to the four winds, has the audacity to suggest that God has abandoned them and broken covenant.  They would rather infer this than face the fact that they are a wicked and sinful people, as we all are, and unworthy of the promise of God.  This whole Old Testament episode has been about God and Covenant.  Man is wholly incapable of fulfilling the Covenant of Law, and God called in the chips.  Man was left with nothing.  Now, God turns round and says that His Word and His Spirit is among His people, and shall be forever more.

For those of you who read me regularly, you will need no decoding of that Trinitarian passage.  John 1 refers to Jesus, the Son, as the Word.  The Holy Spirit is named quite clearly as well.  Man cannot save himself.  Therefore, God is going to do all of the work for man through the work of the Word and the Spirit.  That, my friends, is called the Gospel.  And we just found it in the middle of the Old Testament.  That, my friends, is a far better understanding of Isaiah 59 than to what we were subjected yesterday.

For completeness, finish Romans 3.  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—  Does it start to fit together for you?  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Back to the first half of Isaiah 59!  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.  There He is keeping his covenant through the Word that was sent to us.  And all who receive the gift of grace and faith will be redeemed. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.  And finally, both Jew and Gentile alike will be redeemed by the same mechanism, through the work of Jesus, through the gift of grace from the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

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