Israel
thinks that her problems are God’s fault, that He is unable (arm too short) or
uncaring (ears can’t hear) about them (v1).
In Isa. 40:27 Israel
had accused God of passing by her. In
the previous chapter Israel
accused God of not responding properly to their worship (58:3). Is this not a common response today when
people encounter afflictions that are severe?
So often people respond to trials by wondering, “Where is God when I
need Him?” Or they may complain, “I used
to go to church and it didn’t get me anything!”
Like Israel
our thoughts about God are totally self-centered. If He doesn’t fix my problem then either He
is unable or He doesn’t care. Or maybe
He doesn’t even exist.
God confronts this “separation” that people
feel (v2-8). The separation is caused by
our own sins and guilt (iniquity). As
was clearly seen in the Garden of Eden, the estrangement was caused by man’s
rebellion. In Isa. 59 God points to the
same 2 areas of sinfulness as in Isa. 58: injustice and hateful
relationships. Seeking satisfaction in
these ways is both dangerous (v5) and futile (v6).
God’s strong words seem to bring about
repentance, at least by a remnant who fear God (v9-14). Note the change from “they/them” in v1-8 to
“we/us” in v9-14. This is true
confession; the individual agrees that God’s judgment is correct.
God dwells with the one with a contrite heart
(57:15). Thus He is moved by this repentance. He is not moved by obligation but by great
mercy and grace. He looks for someone to
intercede for the sinners but can find no one (v16a). Therefore He determines that He, God Himself,
will be the Redeemer to bring salvation
and righteousness (v16). In appropriate armor (v17) He will repay His
enemies for their deeds (v18) that all may fear Him (v19).
What does this mean? How will God do this, bringing physical
deliverance for Israel
while dealing with their iniquity? The
answer is bound up in the Messiah, the Son of God. Paul understood this when he quoted Isa.
59:20-21 in Rom. 11:26-27. His whole
argument was that God had only set aside Israel temporarily. Eventually the Redeemer will come out of Zion to establish God’s new covenant “from this time and
forevermore”. The Messiah has suffered
for sin; He will return to judge His adversaries in His furious wrath and to
turn away ungodliness from Israel!
Again, God is faithful to His word. We may think He has forgotten or forsaken
us. But in fact He loves us and desires
that we find satisfaction in Him. The
problem is, we will not come to Him as long as we are not willing to
acknowledge our sin and guilt. The
problem is with us, not with God. “But
God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ … For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:4-5,8-9).
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