Saturday, April 30, 2016

Isaiah 59: If You Want Something Done Right...

...You've got to do it yourself!  This is especially true when it comes to God and salvation!

The first part of Isaiah 59 lays out the issue: SIN! The prophet begins by saying that our problem is not a lack in God's ability (vs. 1).  "Rather, you iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear" (vs. 2).  We have met the enemy, and he is us!

Isaiah then lists the grievous nature of our sinful deeds.  Whether it's bloodguilt, lies, violence, plotting, evil thoughts or corruption, sin is everywhere.  The upshot is that we cannot save ourselves.  "Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us; we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness; and for brightness, but we walk in gloom" (vs. 9).

Verses 10-15 continue to describe the consequences of sin and our inability to do anything about repairing the breach ourselves.  "We wait for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us" (vs. 11).  "For truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter" (vs. 14).  As Paul would ask, hundreds of years later, "Wretched man that I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24)

Returning to Isaiah 59, we see the solution: GOD!  "[God] saw that there was no one, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him" (vs. 16).  The prophet looks ahead and sees that God Himself will not only provide the solution to humanity's sin problem, but He will become the answer Himself!  "And he will come to Zion as Redeemer, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, says the Lord" (vs. 20).

God knows that if there is to be a solution to humanity's problem of sin, it is going to have to come from His side of things.  We are incapable of helping ourselves or reaching up to Him.  Thank God that He reached down to us in the person of Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord!

P.S. Speaking of Paul, did you catch the foreshadowing of the spiritual armor he will write about in Ephesians 6?  It's hinted at here in Isaiah 59:17 when the prophet says, "He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head."  Paul borrows these two components from Isaiah directly while he adds some other equipment as well.

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