October
19th Isaiah 59 The sin of the nation
1: Behold, the LORD's hand is not
shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 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. 3: For your
hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have
spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 4: None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they
trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth
iniquity. 5: They hatch
cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs
dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 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. 7: Their feet run to evil, and they
make hast to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
wasting and destruction are in their paths. 8: The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in
their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall
not know peace. 9: Therefore is
judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but
behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. 10: We grope for the wall like the
blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday 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 judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. 12: For our transgressions are
multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions
are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; 13: In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing
away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from
the heart words of falsehood. 14:
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth
is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. 15: Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh
himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no
judgment. 16: And he saw that
there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm
brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. 17: For he put on righteousness as a
breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the
garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. 18: According to their deeds,
accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies;
to the islands he will repay recompence. 19:
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the
rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the
LORD shall lift up a standard against him. 20: And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from
transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. 21:
As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is
upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of
thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's
seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
Isaiah
60 The Future of Zion
1: Arise, shine; for thy light is
come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross
darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be
seen upon thee. 3: And the
Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4: Lift up thine eyes round about,
and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall
come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5: Then thou shalt see, and flow
together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of
the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come
unto thee. 6: The multitude of
camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall
come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises
of the LORD. 7: All the flocks
of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall
minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I
will glorify the house of my glory. 8:
Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? 9: Surely the isles shall wait for
me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver
and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy
One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. 10: And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and
their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my
favour have I had mercy on thee. 11:
Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor
night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their
kings may be brought. 12: For
the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those
nations shall be utterly wasted. 13:
The glory of Lebanon
shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify
the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. 14: The sons also of them that
afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee
shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee,
The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15: Whereas thou hast been forsaken
and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal
excellency, a joy of many generations. 16:
Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of
kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the
mighty One of Jacob. 17: For
brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass,
and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors
righteousness. 18: Violence
shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders;
but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. 19: The sun shall be no more thy light
by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the
LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20: Thy sun shall no more go down;
neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting
light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. 21: Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit
the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may
be glorified. 22: A little one
shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will
hasten it in his time.
In Ch 59 Isaiah describes the sin of Israel and its
consequences. Although the Lord is near and ready to save yet their sins
separate Israel
from fellowship the Lord and they cause the Lord to hide his face from them.
Isaiah says they grope like blind men, feeling for a wall. The Lord acts in
justice bringing full payment for their deeds. And so Israel will
fear the Lord and just when the enemy shall come to overwhelm them at that moment
the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against them. The Redeemer will
come out of Zion
to those who repent of transgression. And he will enter into a new covenant
with Israel.
In Ch 60 Isaiah sees the glorious restoration of Israel into the fullness of
salvation. He says darkness will cover the whole earth but Gentiles will find
their way to Zion
to seek the Lord. Whole Gentile nations will be converted unto the Lord. Those nations
that refuse to come to the Lord will perish forever. The glory of the Lord will
shine forth over the land
of Israel outshining the
sun and moon and all this for the glory of the Lord.
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