SIN SEPERATES US FROM GOD
ISAIAH 59
Sin has
always formed a barrier between God and the object of His love, mankind, who
formed the crown of His creation.
Isaiah, the prophet, makes it clear in this portion of God’s Word that the sin
or religion of His people makes a close relationship impossible.
For this reason the people of Israel felt that
God had hidden His face from them and would not listen to their cry.
God hates a lying tongue; and when the mind is perverted, what comes out
of a person or nation is spelled out as hands stained with blood.
The Psalmist put it this way, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not hear me.” (Psalm 66:18)
We have set before us a people who are outward religious but who try to
clothe themselves in their own righteousness or outward forms of religion.
When teaching and preaching are poisonous, people who listen are brought
to eternal ruin, just as those who eat adders eggs in Isaiah 59:5.
The spider’s webs of Isaiah 59:6 are just foam and look beautiful but are
spun out of their own heads and do not come from the word of God.
Much of the preaching of our day, such as prosperity gospel, is made up
of flimsy spider material and will not stand the test of God’s Word or deliver
one in the trails of every day living.
The result
of all this is a lack of justice and the lost of the way of peace.
The Hebrew term for peace is, Shalom and is much more than our
term for peace. Shalom means peace
and harmony between man and his neighbor, peace within and peace with God.
When a nation and/or person turns their back on Go, a very dark and bleak
scene of moral decay results. One
only need listen to the evening news in any major city of our nation and realize
Isaiah’s message is timely. Just a
few consequences of sin are seen in no justice and a constant frustration of
helpless victims of injustice.
Without the guidance of a God-revealed righteousness, the people grope along the
wall like the blind according to Isaiah 59:10.
Truth is looked at as a missing person, and those who do not join the
wicked majority are exposed to injustice.
Then
Isaiah 50:15-18 reveals a God who decides to intervene and do battle with the
enemies of righteousness. God is
depicted as an ancient warrior with a coat of mail.
Paul wrote this same way in Ephesians 6:10-17 as he calls on present day
Christians to dress for spiritual battle.
The writer makes it clear that not only the wicked of
Israel
are being targeted, but also “The inhabitants of the
Islands,” the heathen nations who are enemies of His people and His
righteousness. Remember God is no
respecter of persons but judges all according to divine revelation, and Paul
deals with this in Romans 2:11-15.
This
chapter closes with the promise that the redeemer of
Israel
is coming to Zion
in chapter 59:20-22. The point is
that Israel is
destined to remain forever whether in obedience or disobedience and will be the
custodian of the Word of God. God’s
covenant with His people is that Israel shall remain His people and
has nothing to do with merits.
Zechariah 12:10 tells us about this, “And I will pour upon the house of David
and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication; and
they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and shall mourn for him, as one
who mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that
is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
As we pray “Thy kingdom come,” we should be interceding and intervening for
Israel as the people of God, the Church, remembering that we are the salt of the
earth and light of the world ( Matt. 5:13-16) and, God expects us to make a
difference.