Posts
Isaiah 58-60
by Samuel E. Ward
Introduction
"We live in uncertain times." If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that phrase to describe the world at almost any moment of my nearly 59 years of life, I could have retired at age 30. The times are always uncertain and because of the speed at which changes come in our world, and how quickly we must learn to adjust to them, we rarely have time to process a newly announced crisis before another one is upon us. One thing we are learning is that we are not very well equipped to multi-task crises.
Currently we have a world-wide financial crisis, a nuclear crisis with Iran and North Korea, the imminent possibility of another swine flu epidemic, an employment crisis, a health crisis, and other anticipated crises ad infinitum. It is a wonder any of us can cope and the anger that is beginning to be expressed at "town hall" meetings toward various politicians is an indication that some are being pushed to the brink of their coping skills.
To say that "everything is going to be alright" seems trite, "pollyannish", and a bit optimistic to many. For Israel, however, that is exactly what God has been seeking to convey through His prophet, Isaiah, in the prophetic book that bears his name. Chapters 40-66 is primarily a hopeful outlook for God's people.
There are sections in it, however, that indicate the road to restoration will not be an easy one. For nothing can happen to make things better until the people repent and recognize the folly of having turned their back on God.
Our study has taken us through Isaiah 57:
VI. God's Message Concerning His People's Future, Isa 40-66
A. The Sovereign God's Plan to Restore, Isa 40-48
B. The Submissive Servant's Plan to Redeem, Isaiah 49-53
C. The Steadfast God's Plan to Reconcile, Isa 54-57
Our study continues by noting . . .
D. The Stanch God's Demand for the People's Repentance, Isa 58
1. Judah's Appearance of Devotion, Isa 58:1-3
a. Judah is rebellious, Isa 58:1.
Isaiah 58:1 (NIV) 1"Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.
b. Judah's worship is hypocritical, Isa 58:2.
Isaiah 58:2 (NIV) 2For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
2. God's Assessment of Their Worship, Isa 58:3-5
a. Judah charges God with lack of attention, Isa 58:3a.
Isaiah 58:3 (NIV) 3a'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?'
b. God charges Judah with lack of sincerity, Isa 58:4.
Isaiah 58:4 (NIV) 4Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
3. God's Answer to Their Hypocrisy, Isa 58:6-13
a. Sincere worship does not contradict the character of God's compassionate heart, Isa 58:6-7.
Isaiah 58:6-7 (NIV) 6"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
We do not worship God to get what we want from Him, but to offer all we are and have to use to His glory.
b. Sincere worship will bring the blessing of God, Isa 58:7-12.
(58:9a-10)
Isaiah 58:9a (NIV) 9aThen you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
These blessings include . . .
1) The promise of guidance when your way is darkened,
Isa 58:9b-10
Isaiah 58:9b-10 (NIV) 9b "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
2) The promise of provision when your resources dwindle, Is 58:11
Isaiah 58:11 (NIV) 11The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
3) The promise of strength when your ability weakens, Isa 58:11
4) The promise of joy when you delight in pleasing the Lord,
Isa 58:13-14
Isaiah 58:13-14 (NIV) 13"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
E. The Slighted God's Description of the People's Ruthlessness, Isaiah 59
1. God Is Ready to Deliver His People, Isa 59:1.
Isaiah 59:1 (NIV) 1Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
2. Their Sins Stand in the Way of Deliverance, Isa 59:2-8.
a. Unjust condemnation to death, Isa 59:3a
Isaiah 59:3a (NIV) 3aFor your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt.
b. Perjury in legal cases, Isa 59:3b
Isaiah 59:3 (NIV) 3bYour lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things.
c. Removal of justice as the goal of legal remedy, Isa 59:4
Isaiah 59:4 (NIV) 4No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
d. Violent acts to achieve evil ends, Isa 59:6b
Isaiah 59:6 (NIV) 6Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.
e. Lack of concern for, or pursuit of, peace, Isa 59:8
Isaiah 59:8 (NIV) 8The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace.
3. Their Rebellion Has Led to Disorder and Chaos, Isa 59:9-11.
Isaiah 59:9-11 (NIV) 9So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. 10Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead. 11We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.
4. Isaiah's Evaluation of the Crisis Before God's People, Isa 59:12-15a.
Isaiah 59:12-15a (NIV) 12For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: 13rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. 14So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. 15aTruth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
5. God's Future Intervention to Establish Justice Once More, Isa 59:15b-21
The bases for God's intervention:
a. The helplessness of His people to save themselves, Isa 59:15b-16.
Isaiah 59:15b-16 (NIV) 15b The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. 16He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
b. The mistreatment of His people by their enemies, Isa 59:17-19.
Isaiah 59:17-18 (NIV) 17He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. 18According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
c. The repentance of His people from their sins, Isa 59:20.
Isaiah 59:20 (NIV) 20"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.
d. God's desire to hear His word from the mouth of His people forever,
Isa 59:21.
Isaiah 59:21 (NIV) 21"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.
F. The Savior God's Declaration of the People's Future Restoration, Isaiah 60
1. Israel's Light Will Lead the Nations from Their Darkness, Isa 60:1-3.
Isaiah 60:1 (NIV) 1"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
2. Israel's Land Will Be Filled with the Praise of the Lord, Isa 60:4-7. (60:4-6)
Isaiah 60:4-6 (NIV) 4"Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. 5Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.
3. Israel's Lord Will Honor Her Among the Nations, Isa 60:8-14. (60:15,18,21)
Isaiah 60:15, 18, 21 (NIV) 15"Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations. . . 18No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. . . 21Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.
Relevance
1. God despises hypocrisy. Jesus described the Pharisees' hypocrisy in this way:
Mat 23:28 (NIV) In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
God, through Peter, gives the following command:
1 Pet 2:1 (NIV) Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
2. Lack of repentance delays the hand of God's deliverance and incurs His denouncement.
Mat 11:20 (NIV) Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
Peter told Israel in the gospel preached to them in Acts that until they repented the promises of God to them would not be fulfilled.
Acts 3:19-21 (NIV) Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, {20} and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. {21} He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
3. God will keep His word concerning the future establishment of His kingdom on earth. Men and angels will one day submit to the universal rule of God on earth and in heaven.
(Phil 2:9-11 NIV) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, {10} that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, {11} and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Rev 15:4 NIV) Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
