Isaiah 59

Isaiah 59:1-2:
Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Is God the one who breaks His relationships with people? No, just the opposite. What really happens is that people break their relationships with God by sinning against Him.

Isaiah 59:3-8:
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

As God presents His complaint against people who have broken away from Him in verses three through eight, He mentions three things that caught my attention: (1) in verse four, their lack of interest to come to Him for justice and truth; (2) in verse seven, their eagerness to sin; and (3) in verse eight, their miserableness is a result of their choice to sin.

Isaiah 59:9-13:
9 Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

These thoughtful words come from the deepest innermost feelings of the heart. And, equally deep within their hearts, these people do ponder the causes of their painful misery.

Isaiah 59:14-15:
14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

Joshua Arnold

Ancient Israel had no legislature, as God had already given them a law. Nor were there executive officials, except when God called one for a specific purpose. Thus, ancient Israel’s government consisted primarily of judges — appointed by the people (Deuteronomy 16:18), raised up by God (Judges 2:16), or anointed as priest (Deuteronomy 19:17) or king (2 Samuel 8:15) — resolving disputes between private parties. In addition to judges, America has law enforcement officers and public prosecutors who are also charged with ensuring the law is justly enforced. So, while America is not under the Mosaic law, its basic principles of justice apply even more broadly in the American system. The question is, what should the righteous do when “justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away,” when “truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter” (Isaiah 59:14)? We should pray. That is, we should appeal from human injustice to the divine Judge. What should we pray for? Scripture authorizes at least three pleas (seek earnestly, and you may find others) to offer up as we lament the prevalence of injustice. First, we should pray that justice officials would be saved, or at least that they would not molest Christians. Paul exhorts Timothy to pray “for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:2-4). --Joshua Arnold; Christian Post; Justice must be impartial: Biden vs. Trump treatment 8.8.23

Isaiah 59:16-17:
And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. 17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

Prayer is the doorway into the mightiest release of power that is known to man. It brings the very presence of God to and upon man in any part of the world. That power operates as believers allow those rivers of living water to gush toward the dry and thirsty. The torrential outpouring of the Spirit will cause life to spring forth in those who receive the seed of God’s Word. The result is the harvest of new creatures in Christ Jesus. You can begin a study of the art of intercession by studying Isaiah 59:16-17 which says, “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.” What is His arm? JESUS. The sole purpose Jesus came to the earth was to be that intercessor. He wore the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness. That is the same armour in Ephesians 6 for the Body of Christ. Jesus came as an intercessor. We are to put on that same armour and enter into the same field of prayer. His arm is bringing salvation again. As intercessors, we are His arm in the earth causing reconciliation between men and God. Jesus said, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). The armour is the same and the calling is the same. We have the same calling on our lives that Jesus had. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” John 14:12 You and I are responsible for the works. He provided us with the new birth. God said in Ezekiel 36:26 that a new spirit He would put within us. And that He would put His Spirit in us. That gives us the right and the miraculous power to enter into the intercessory prayer ministry. -All Nations Ministries

The fact that God was actually looking for a man to stand in the gap is shouting out a major prayer secret – and that secret is: God is looking for intercessory prayer warriors who will be willing to go into the gap from time to time to pray for someone else’s need, or possibly for an adverse situation that may be developing.When God the Father is telling us that He is actually looking for intercessory prayer warriors, then you know He is shouting out a major prayer secret loud and clear.
If God is looking for intercessors to go into the gap with Him from time to time – then this means He will answer many of these intercessory prayers if He is properly approached. -Michael Bradley

The key word here is the word “wondered.”
This key word is telling us that God the Father was wondering why no one was willing to come forth to intercede for what was being needed at the time. The way He is wording all of this, He is basically implying that He cannot believe that not even one person was willing to step forward to intercede before Him.

Isaiah 59:18:
18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

Isaiah 59:19-21:
19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

Shane Idleman Files

I’m all for political involvement (elections have enormous consequences and the church’s silence has led to the moral corruption that we see today), but politics is not the answer. Christians must move from just participation to adoration: Trusting, seeking, and fully surrendering to God is our only hope.
God’s Word is not vague on the issues confronting us today; it’s crystal clear. The Word can’t be candy-coated; it must be coated with the fragrance of God. We must be filled with the Spirit to triumph in this battle: “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” (Is. 59:19)bb --Shane Idleman May 18, 2023