Isaiah 59
COMMENTARY:
: 1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. (7114 “shortened” [qatsar] means to dock off, cut down, much discouraged, be in a state of not having sufficient or normal length, grieved, trouble or vex.)
DEVOTION: The first part of this chapter relates the fact that the hands of the LORD are not of sufficient length to help the children of Israel. HE has enough power to deliver them from any enemy. However, HE wants them to know that it is because of their sin that HE is not acting. HE can hear their prayers but HIS answer is NO!
There is coming a time when a Redeemer will come but it is not in the present situation. The Redeemer will have a breastplate of righteousness. HE will have a helmet of salvation. HE will put the Holy Spirit upon them. HE will put HIS words in their mouths. It is yet future Isaiah is telling the people of Israel. Our God is still powerful. HE is still jealous of HIS people. HE wants them to serve HIM.
We are living in a time when some think that the LORD is not active. They are wrong. HE continues to work HIS plan. Could there be captivity in the future for our nation? Are we at the same point that the children of Israel were before HE sent captivity? Could our nation turn so far away from the LORD that HE will send judgment?
We need to pray for a revival in the hearts of all those who are genuine believers. There needs to be a fresh moving of the Holy Spirit in our midst to cause us to win others to the LORD.
Too many are just sitting and waiting for the LORD to return but HE wants to find us working until HE comes. We are to “occupy” until HE comes. Is each of doing our part to win others to HIM?
This chapter ends with a future time when the Holy Spirit will come upon the people. Also HIS words will not depart from their mouth. It will affect three generations of people.
God is still on the throne. Sin is very active in those who call themselves followers of the LORD. Many who think they are followers of the LORD are walking in darkness and don’t understand what is going on around them. They are not caring for those in need. They are not running away from evil but toward it. There needs to be a challenge given to those who think they are right with the LORD to examine their lives through a continual meditation in the Word of God.
If we are serving the LORD there will be peace in our life. If we are serving the LORD we will enjoy the truth of the Word of God. The LORD will then hear our prayers and answer.
CHALLENGE: Don’t believe in a LITTLE God. The God of the Bible has never lost any power. HE is sovereign and almighty!! Believe these truths and share them with others.
: 17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garment of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. (7068 “zeal” [qin’ah] means jealousy, ardent love, or passion.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is very displeased with what HE was seeing in the practices of the children of Israel. They were far from HIS standard. They were walking in darkness. They were out of touch with HIM. HE would not answer their prayers because of the sin in their lives.
However, HE promised a time period when HE would intervene for HIS people. HE didn’t like the fact that they had no intercessor. HE would provide such an intercessor in the future.
HE was going to put on a breastplate and a helmet to fight for HIS people. HE was going to fight to provide righteousness and salvation to the land. HE was going to put on garments of vengeance.
How was HE going to act while HE was putting on HIS armor for war against sin and iniquity? HE was going to come with passion against all those who would not yield to HIM. HE was going to pay them back for their deeds.
All of HIS enemies were going to be defeated. Those of Israel who were followers would be spared. They were the one who had the fear of the LORD in their life. They were the ones who would receive the Holy Spirit in their life. They would teach their children’s children about the right way to live. They would not live in darkness but in the LIGHT.
We need to see that even in our day there are people who claim to be part of the Biblical church who are not living according to God’s standard. We are not talking about legalism or license but a balanced Christian life that honors the LORD and brings glory to HIS name.
We are to be a people who love the truth. We are to be a people who don’t want to walk in darkness. We are a people who want to understand the Word of God and live according to the instructions given therein. We have to have a passion for the LORD that the world might not understand but fellow believers should understand and want it too.
CHALLENGE: Hitting a balance between legalism and license is hard but our goal should be to maintain this balance. The Holy Spirit is there to give us instruction in this balance.
: 21 As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). 1285 בְּרִית [bâriyth /ber·eeth/] – agreement, pledge (man to man). 1A4 alliance (of friendship). 1A5 alliance (of marriage). 1B between God and man. 1B1 alliance (of friendship). 1B2 covenant (divine ordinance with signs or pledges).
Devotion: When God makes a covenant with his people he keeps his promises! It may seem that He has forgotten and is silent in the Heavens but the word of God is sure and consistent. The trials and difficulties that the Israel nation endured was there to draw and remind the people of God’s promises. He rebuked through the prophets, punished through foreign nations and exiled Israel into faraway places to draw them unto himself. In these verses God is reminding them of that covenant and His timeframe to keep it.
As the church we need to cross reference and look into the New Testament to see that God is revealing truths that relate to us and how Jesus fulfills the new covenant through the new priesthood in the book of Hebrews. Re-read chapter 7-8 of Hebrews and note the usage of covenant language and how Christ fulfills it for the believers! In chapter 9 of Hebrews we see the conclusion of the author’s thoughts and his assertion that Christ is “the Mediator of the new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” (v.15)
WE can rest assured that Christ keeps his promises as well and that in spite of the difficulties being faced today by many in the church the end is under control.
Application: Isaiah proclaims a promise that the people of Israel could cling to as they endured the difficulty of exile and national disgrace. We can also be secure that Christ is in control as we face difficulties in our lives. Look up and see Christ is seated the throne!
(Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
LORD hears prayersverse 1
Sin causes the LORD to not hear prayers
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 13, 15, 19-21
LORD’S hand is not shortenedverse 1
Savesverse 1
Hearsverse 1
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)verses 2, 13
LORD displeased that there was no judgmentverse 15
HIS arm brought salvationverse 16
HE will repay according to deedsverse 18
Fury to HIS adversariesverse 18
Recompence to HIS enemiesverse 18
Name of the LORDverse 19
Glory of the LORDverse 19
Covenant of the LORDverse 21
MY words shall not depart out of mouthverse 21
MY words shall not depart out of seed’s seedverse 21
MY words shall not depart from henceforth and foreververse 21
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Redeemer shall come to Zionverse 20
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spirit of the LORDverse 19
My Spirit that is upon YOUverse 21
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
The enemy (Satan)verse 19
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Enemiesverse 18
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Iniquities verses 2-4, 6, 7, 12
Separation from Godverse 2
Sinsverses 2, 12
Sin hides HIS face from usverse 2
Sin causes God not to hear our prayersverse 2
Hands defiled by bloodverse 3
Fingers with iniquityverse 3
Lips have spoken lies against the LORDverses 3, 4, 13
Perversenessverse 3
None call for justiceverse 4
No truthverse 4
Trust in vanityverse 4
Mischiefverse 4
Violenceverse 6
Feet run to evilverses 7, 15
Shed innocent bloodverse 7
Thoughts of iniquityverse 7
Destruction is in pathverse 7
Way of peace unknownverse 8
Crooked pathsverse 8
Walk in darknessverses 9, 10
Walk like the blindverse 10
No judgment knownverse 11
Transgressionsverses 12, 13, 20
Departing away from out Godverse 13
Speaking oppression and revoltverse 13
Conceiving and uttering words of falsehoodverse 13
Judgment is turned away backwardverse 14
Justice unknownverses 14, 15
Truth unknownverses 14, 15
Equity cannot enterverse 14
No intercessorverse 16
Transgression in Jacobverse 20
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Salvationverses 1, 11, 16
Heard of the LORDverse 1
Justiceverses 4, 9, 14
Truthverses 4, 14, 15
Peaceverse 8
Departs from evilverse 15
Intercessorverse 16
Righteousnessverses 16, 17
Sustainedverse 16
Breastplate of righteousnessverse 17
Helmet of salvationverse 17
Garments of vengeanceverse 17
Zealverse 17
Judgment according to deedsverse 18
Fear the name of the LORD verse 19
Turn from transgressionverse 20
Covenantverse 21
God’s words in our mouthverse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zionverse 20
Jacobverse 20
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.