D F 1. Salvation. Yahaveh's power.
G 2-8. Israel. Incrimination.
G 9-15. Israel. Confession.
F 16-21. Salvation. Yahaveh's work.
603-588 B.C.
Isaiah 59)
1 Behold, the Lord's (Yahaveh's) hand is not shortened (see Num. 11:23. Cp. 50:2. The phrase occurs nowhere else in O.T.), that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: (No mater how bad things become in this generation, God is still there for those that love and serve Him. On the other hand, He will turn a deaf ear to those that don't.)
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. (cp. 45:15; 54:8; 57:17)
3 For your hands are defiled with blood (polluted. See Ezra 2:62. Neh. 7:64. Lam. 4:14. Dan. 1:8,8. Zeph. 3:1. Mal. 1:7,12), and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perverseness. (= wickedness. Even churches that teach traditions of men, rather than the Word of God, are wicked in His eyes.)
4 None sues for righteousness (nobody calls for what is right), nor any pleads in truth: they trust in confusion (as in Gen.1:2 ["without form"]. See 24:10), and speak vanity; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. (= emptiness. God has a plan. He expects those that love Him to study that plan, whereby they may be of service to Father to accomplish that plan. Others are playing church.)
5 They hatch adders' eggs (or, vipers'. See 11:8), and weave the spider's web: (see 19:9) he that eats of their eggs dies, and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper. (The spider web is a web of lies and deception created by false teachers. What is false teaching? If it is contrary to God's Word, it's false teaching.)
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. (The web of deceit will not be suitable to serve as the gospel armor [Eph. 6])
7 Their feet run to evil, (feet put for the whole person. Quoted in Rom. 3:15,16) and they make haste to shed innocent blood: (see Deut. 19:10,13; 21:8,9) their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their highways. (Think for yourself. These lead a trail of confusion, not peace of mind. Ignorance is no excuse. If you were running a company and you had an employee that would never study the program that you put forth, that you desired to have done to accomplish something, create a product, that would produce fruit. If you had an employee going the other direction all the time, what are you going to do? Get rid of him. That's what God does. He's no different. Also, consider the many churches that have allowed pagan rituals and fertility rights to become part of what should be their highest Christian day of celebration, Passover.)
8 The way of peace they know not (see Rom. 3:17. Its impossible to have peace of mind without knowing God's plan); and there is no righteousness in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goes therein shall not know peace.
G i¹ 9. Justice. Departed.
k¹ 10,11-. Condition. Comparisons.
i² -11. Justice. Looked for in vain.
k² 12,13. Reason.
i³ 14-. Justice. Turned away backward.
k³ -14,15-. Reason.9 Therefore is righteousness far from us, neither does righteousness overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. (This happens if you look for your guidance from this world today. Righteousness is far from us and difficult to find in this generation. Watch the evening news.)
10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: (see Deut. 28:29. Idea the same, but word different. The word in Deuteronomy is the same as in Gen. 27:12,22; 31:34,37. Ex. 10:21. Job 5:14; 12:25. The word in Isaiah occurs nowhere else. There is no need to grope when you posses the Word of God AND STUDY IT!!!) 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 righteousness, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. (IF you are not in the right walk)
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; (You are hurting if you don't know them. As a nation, we have children killing children in gang violence. Our government sponsors a welfare system that that supports children being born outside the family. That's not God's way.)
13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God (they have "big plans", none are which are God's plans), speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
14 And the verdict is turned away backward, and righteousness stands afar off:
for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. (our judicial system is falling. Get ready for this!)
15 Yea, the truth is found missing; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey: (i.e.is liable to be despoiled, or outlawed. Rashi says, "is considered mad")
F l -15,16-. Evil seen by Yahaveh.
m -16-18. Evil removed by Yahaveh.
n 19-. The blessed result.
l -19-. Evil inflicted by enemy.
m -19,20. Evil removed by Yahaveh.
n 21. The blessed result.
and the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no righteousness. (When you make a stand God sees it)
16 And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor:
therefore His arm brought salvation to Him; (this is where Christ enters) and His righteousness, it sustained Him. (= hold up or to lean upon. Peace of mind comes with stability. Set firm, set in place, to not be moved. God guaranteed it. When you try to do what is right. The salvation He brought forth was Jesus Christ. What did He lean upon? His righteousness. Your righteousness stabilizes you, as well. When you make an effort to understand God's Word and follow His instructions, you become stabilized.)
17 For He put on (note that all the armor is for defense) righteousness as a coat of mail, and an helmet of salvation upon His head; and e put on the garments of avenging for clothing (vengeance belongs to our Father. Cp. 61:2; 63:4. The Oxf. Gesenius explains it as "of Yehovah as Champion of Israel" [p.528 b]), and was clad with jealousy as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; to the maritime-countries He will repay recompense. (shore to shore, coast to coast, around the world. Vengeance belongs to the Father.)
19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun (all the way to the east).
When the enemy shall come in like the flood, (the Nile in its overflow. Also, spiritually, flood of lies)
the Spirit (Ruach) of the Lord shall lift up a standard (or, banner [of truth and knowledge]. See Ex. 17:15. God's election. See Ps. 3) against him. (God will lift up some of His servants to stand against Satan and Satan's flood of lies with the truth. Those servants must be established in in the Word to be of any use to God.)
20 And a Redeemer (i.e. the Messiah. Quoted in Rom.11:26,27, showing that the fullness of the Gentiles [= nations] must be the fullness of the Gentile [nations] time) shall come for (i.e. on behalf of) Zion, and to them that turn (i.e. God's election) from transgression in Jacob," says the Lord.
21 "As for Me, this is My covenant (= contract) with them," says the Lord; My spirit that is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed," says the Lord, "from henceforth and for ever." (this coming deliverance for Israel will be final, and cannot therefore as yet have taken place. See Num. 16:14-30)