Isaiah 59
June 13, 2024 11:15 AM
Solitary Man
solitaryman.substack.com
20240610
Although I prefer to undertake a written commentary by tackling an entire book (as previously in Jeremiah and Lamentations), I felt the Spirit’s leading to write something on this chapter, as it has a lot to say about the times we are currently in.
Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy (gone dim), that it cannot hear (shama – to hear intelligently and attentively, to discern with diligence, with the intent of obeying):
If we go back to Isaiah 58:3, the people are complaining that they have fasted and afflicted their souls, and yet God has not seemed to of taken notice. In that chapter God rebukes them for insincerity, selfishness, and a true lack of concern for others.
Now, the people may be wondering exactly how powerful is their God. Perhaps this is a circumstance that is just a bit too much for him to handle. They may of been exposed to the gods of the surrounding nations for so long, that some of their pagan theology may of started to plant doubts in their own hearts. After all, those gods had their limits, perhaps Yahweh himself may suffer from the same handicap?
Yahweh himself answers them. First and foremost, the problem is never at his end. Our God is the one true God. He has no limitations in regard to power or knowing. He sees and hears all, and at any time, he can rescue is, should he so desire. In the following verses, he will begin to explain what the real problem is. And guess what? The problem will not be found at his end.
Some of us may be tempted to entertain such a thought ourselves. Since 2020, we have seen all that we have taken for granted in our countries and in our cultures collapse all around us. Many of us have began to pray as never before. Yet all we see is victory after victory for the other side. No matter how we pray, no matter what we do, the evil agenda just keeps rolling on, with no apparent end in sight. No accountability for the mass murderers. No justice for the millions of lives forever altered for the worse. No reversal of any evil edict. Indeed, hardly a pause in the march toward a new world order.
We pray and we pray, and if we are brutally honest with ourselves, we see our prayers as having almost no effect in the larger agenda that is inexorably destroying this planet and every good thing within it.
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities (aw-vone – perversities, moral evil) have separated (baw-dal – divided, sever out) between you and your God (elohim), and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear (shama).
Always it comes back to this simple truth, does it not? How quick we tend to forget that it was our nation’s, and especially the church’s, collective sin over an extended period that has brought us to this place.
Did we think that once a few of us got on our knees for a few months or even a few years, and cried out to God, that he was automatically obligated to shut off the judgment spigot? As we thoroughly examined the book of Jeremiah, did we not learn that once a nation has crossed a certain line, that judgment will fall, and that there was no way to reverse it?
Certainly there was a time in our history when our repentance could of turned back the tide of mishpat, or judgment, that was to be sent our way. God always sends ample warnings. 1 Chr 7:14 was a verse tailor made for an individual, and a nation, in that if we repent when God initially is warning us, that God will relent and heal. However, go long enough without repentance, and 1 Chr 7:14 is not an option anymore. Thus the truths found in books such as Jeremiah take center stage. In that document we find out the fate of a nation that continually turned their back on their creator over an extended period of time. Judah reached the place of no return. Warnings were turned into solemn declarations. The time of escaping from the consequences was over. The time of retribution was imminent.
Continue in rebellion to the commandments of God long enough, and your perverse behaviors will separate you from God’s saving mercy, and God’s perfect mishpat causes him to refuse to shama to your cries anymore.
Isa 59:3 For your hands are defiled (desecrated, polluted) with blood, and your fingers with iniquity (aw-vone – perveristy); your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness (aw-vel – unrighteousness, wickedness).
Yehovah now begins to hammer his people with the brutal truth of what kind of people they have become. He enumerates a list of body parts that denote particular types of sin.
First he charges them with using their hands to murder. They are the shedders of innocent blood. Then if we look at Is 2:8:
Isa 2:8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
The fingers are said to be the creators of the various idols that are not only found, but fill the land. Are not our lands filled with idols? Not content with one or two, we have the worship of our cell phones and our social media. We have our sports teams, our compromises with our consciences to keep our jobs so we may continue to make money. Our lusting after material possessions in our materialistic culture. Our fear of being labelled a hater as we remain silent in the face of every sort of moral perversity. Our worship of political saviors, and our overindulgence of our children, refusing to discipline them as we should. Our compromised church doctrines that deny the truths of God’s holy word. And the list goes on and on.
Our culture is now one where everyone’s lips in any position of authority spews nothing but lies. Their tongues cannot produce anything but falsehoods. In short, every part of our bodies have been trained to do nothing but sin, and yet we wonder why God is not turning our situation around, and why judgment has not slacked, but is increasing?
Isa 59:4 None calleth (kaw-raw – accost a person met, mention, preach, pronounce, proclaim, publish) for justice (tseh-dek – what is morally and legally right), nor any pleadeth (shaw-fat – pronounce sentence, judge, condemn, contend, defend) for truth (em-oo-naw – firmness, stability, moral fidelity): they trust (baw-takh – to go for refuge, are confident in) in vanity (to-hoo or tohu – an empty thing, worthless, a desolation, without form), and speak lies (shav – desolating ruinous moral evil, uselessness); they conceive (haw-raw – become pregnant with) mischief (aw-mawl – misery, toil, sorrow, travail), and bring forth (yaw-lad – to bear young) iniquity (aw-ven – to exert oneself unto breathlessness for nothing).
Just stop and carefully meditate on all the nuances of the Hebrew words used in this verse. God is saying that in Judea at this time (and this is during Isaiah’s ministry which occurred between 739 and 686 BC, well before the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC), that there was no one who took a public stand for justice. Nor did anyone contend for the eternal, unchangeable moral truths that God had laid out many centuries ago. Instead they sought refuge in tohu – the same word that described the earth in Gen 1:2, when it was said the earth was at that time formless and void. No order. No design. Without any meaning or purpose, until God spoke order into the chaos. And these Israelites were running for refuge and were confident in what God called tohu – utter emptiness!
And what was the sign, or the confirmation of this insane belief? Their speech. They spoke nothing but desolating ruinous moral evil. Is that not exactly all we hear day and night, especially during pride month? Utterly desolating ruinous moral evil? No form, utterly empty of meaning? People who live for nothing except for their continual, unrelenting sexual urges? Pushing it on everyone around them. And we are supposed to celebrate this?
God then turns to the symbolism of conception and birth. Something that was intended to be a sacred act, a shadow of the creative power placed in us by our creator. Instead, we have chosen to create misery and sorrow. Is that not what the great reset is all about? Have we ever seen such a comprehensive global unleashing of nothing but misery and sorrow, in the guise of saving us? And what did the conceiving of such misery birth? A world that was so swamped in fear and terror, that humanity went to insane lengths to protect themself from a phantom disease that stretched them to the point of breathlessness, or to their physical limits.
That is what God saw when he looked at Judah in those days. This is what God sees when he looks at us today.
Isa 59:5 They hatch (baw-kah – to rip open, ready to burst) cockatrice’ (viper, adder) eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed (trodden on) breaketh out (baw-kah) into a viper (asp, venomous serpent).
If nothing else, this sounds like a veiled reference to the chimeric contents of the jab. Mixing snake venom proteins into the supposed cure, which was only the same toxins that they had originally created and unleashed on the world, only magnified a million fold.
How fitting that God has allowed the enemy to unleash the actual venom of serpents on the planet that has continually rejected the counsel of the Lord. In their bio-labs they have been feverishly slaving night and day in evil plots, trying to find that perfect poison in which to depopulate mankind. They weave all sorts of webs of deceit, trying to sell these toxins to us as medicines, all the while making us pay for the privilege of destroying the immune systems of ourselves and our children. Anyone who partook of this sorcery is in danger of death. And even if we try to step on these snakes, they burst upon us and sting us with false accusations, fines, arrests, and total censorship.
Isa 59:6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves (kaw-saw – cover with clothing or secrecy, conceal, hide) with their works: their works are works of iniquity (aw-ven), and the act of violence (khaw-mawce – unjust gain, violent dealing, oppression) is in their hands.
All these wicked plans of these irreparably evil men shall ultimately not succeed. They think they can clothe themselves with their dark arts, protecting themselves from the wrath to come. Jesus came to clothe us with robes of righteousness, with garments of salvation. These insane maniacs have chosen instead to clothe themselves with their web of lies and deceits. They will not remain hidden, as God exposes more and more of their evil plots every day.
Note how the devil thinks he can hide the truth from men. To the unsaved, he certainly can. Even after four years of painfully obvious evidence of the catastrophic consequences of their genocidal actions, so many still do not see, and probably never will. Yet for the redeemed, for those who truly are seeking the Lord, never before have the works of wickedness been so easy to spot.
Isa 59:7 Their feet run to evil (rah – great grievous harm), and they make haste (maw-har – rush headlong) to shed innocent blood: their thoughts (contrivances, intentions, plans, plot, imagination) are thoughts of iniquity (aw-ven); wasting (shode – violence, ravaging, robbery) and destruction (shay-ber – fracture, ruin, breaking, hurting) are in their paths.
God has these globalists pegged to a ‘T’! Have you noticed how the pace of implementation of the new world order is accelerating? That they are no longer even pretending to follow their own rules? How the WHO just this past week passed new amendments that were supposed to be available for 4 months of public review, but instead were posted for just 16 minutes online before adoption? Satan is literally whipping his minions to throw off all caution and restraint in setting up his hellscape on earth. They are running to do evil just as fast as they can. They can’t seem to slaughter us fast enough. Sometimes it seems that their very reason of existence is to shed as much innocent blood in the shortest time period possible. All they think of is how to sin more deeply, how to destroy more completely, how to steal more efficiently.
As the remnant church observes all these goings on, it is no wonder that at times we all feel that our prayers are not having any effect, at least in relation to opposing this cosmic war against mankind.
Isa 59:8 The way (dehrek – road, way of life) of peace (shalom) they know not; and there is no judgment (mishpat – verdict, sentence, decree) in their goings (path, way): they have made them crooked (aw-kash – a knot or distortion, a perversion) paths (way): whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace (shalom).
As I have repeatedly tried to show from the scripture in past teachings, there is absolutely no use to pray for those whom God has turned over to their sin, as described in Romans chapter one. These are a special class of the lost, that the bible calls the wicked. Instead of sparing a prayer for the Gates and the Schwabs of this world, how about putting that precious prayer time to a more needful and profitable use and pray for all their poor innocent victims?
These creatures have chosen their dekrek, their path, their way of life. God honors their decision, and so should we. Let us focus on the truly ignorant and the deceived. These men are not deceived, they know exactly what they are doing, and which side they are on.
Their dehrek has no mishpat. Biblical mishpat is making righteous judgments on all things. We are all called to exercise biblical mishpat. The next time a backslidden, sin loving, Laodicean ‘Christian’ tries to tell you that the bible says not to judge when you point out their obvious wilful, unrepentant sin, just remember that we are all called to righteous mishpat by our Master, and not to coddle those who refuse to walk on the narrow path. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still (Rev 22:11).
Remember that all these sons of Belial who have chosen to walk this way will never know the shalom that we possess in Christ. Let that truth sustain you when the narrow way becomes dark and difficult.
Isa 59:9 Therefore is judgment (mishpat) far from us, neither doth justice (tsed-sw-kaw – rightness, moral virtue) overtake us: we wait (kaw-vaw – look patiently for) for light (ore – illumination), but behold obscurity (kho-shek – darkness, misery, sorrow, ignorance, wickedness, death); for brightness (splendor), but we walk in darkness (af-ay-law – misfortune, gloominess, in things concealed).
When God decides to reveal to us the reason for our predicament, as he has done in this chapter thus far, we are left with no defence. The stark reality of our situation will hit us square in the face, if we are genuinely desiring to know the truth. God has just laid out the moral condition of our nation and our culture. Never mind that there may still be the odd person here and there that is not like that, the fact of the matter is as far as God is concerned, we are all guilty of what has become of our nation’s soul.
Because we have allowed our nation to degenerate into the condition that it is in, there no no righteous decrees to be found anywhere. There is no moral virtue. Instead of celebrating the 10 commandments, we now celebrate the degradation of sexual appetites that have reached new lows of moral depravity.
We are all waiting for the light of revelation to give us solutions to our problems. We are waiting for the light of the gospel and its accompanying power to revive us. Instead we continue to see misery, sorrow, and death. We desperately pray for the glory of God to return to our temples, but we continue as a culture to walk in the shadow, in gloomy misfortune, in evil once concealed from all eyes now visible to all.
Isa 59:10 We grope (gaw-shash – feel about) for the wall like the blind, and we grope (gaw-shash) as if we had no eyes: we stumble (kaw-shal – totter, waver, falter, faint, be overthrown) at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places (ash-mawn – can also be translated as a fat field) as dead men.
You may wonder why I am translating so many Hebrew words in this chapter. This chapter is a great example in demonstrating that the book of Isaiah uses more unique Hebrew words than in any other book of the Old Testament. Obviously Isaiah was a very educated and literate man. While some of the Hebrew is obscure, one certainly gets the sense that his vocabulary was much broader than say, Jeremiah’s.
There is much parallelism in this verse. There is a solid wall, but like blind men, we cannot find it. The word grope is used twice in this verse, and nowhere else in the OT. Our relative ignorance and lack of insight is compared to the blind groping about and stumbling, even during high noon, just as if it was pitch dark. The word ash-mawn is also only found in this verse. It can be translated 2 very different ways. It may make more sense to translate it as a fat field, which contrasts nicely to dead men. Thus we are as dead men who wander about in a fat, fertile, pleasant field, totally unaware of our surroundings.
I think the sense is that most of us in our land is generally ignorant of what is really going on. How many just want things to go back to ‘normal’. To them, it does not matter that their governments are continuing to betray them by opening the borders and passing ever more tyrannical laws. They simply have had enough and want to pretend that it is still possible to have as normal a life as possible, regardless of reality. They simply are tired of being stressed and fearful. Just take a look at almost all the churches today, and sample their sermons. You would never know that a world ending transhumanist genocide is taking place. To them, its just business as usual. Never mind they took money to shut their doors. Never mind they encouraged their sheep to obey the government and take the jab. Never mind they shut their doors on the unjabbed. Never mind that they never apologized, nor repented for their evil deeds. Lets keep the tithes and offerings rolling in, Jesus loves us and somehow magically it will all be ok in the end.
Isaiah is telling us that if you choose to ignore the real spiritual state of your soul, or your church’s soul, or your nation’s soul, or the world’s soul, you’re no better off than the blind. If this is what you truly want, then Isaiah has already addressed the mishpat (verdict) that God has pronounced on such:
Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isa 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Isa 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
Isa 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
Has not the Lord caused a great forsaking in our land? Who is left that truly wants to keep hearing the truth, no matter how awful and wearying to the spirit?
Isa 59:11 We roar (haw-maw – make a loud sound, to be in great commotion or tumult, to rage, war, moan, clamor, be in an uproar) all like bears, and mourn (haw-gaw haw-gaw – mutter, speak, study, ponder) sore like doves: we look for judgment (mishpat), but there is none; for salvation (yesh-oo-aw – deliverance, aid, victory), but it is far off (raw-khak – removed, withdrawn) from us.
I see this verse describing the alternative media of our day. Have we not heard enough speeches of those well meaning souls, both saved and unsaved, who urge us to rise up, get involved, do not comply, run for office, vote, protest, gather, petition, write letters, start podcasts, tell everyone you know, etc, etc? They certainly know how to make a loud sound, how to start a commotion or a tumult, how to rage, moan and clamor, and generally be in a continual uproar.
They also haw-gaw haw-gaw – that is, really, really study, ponder, nutter and speak on all aspects of this all encompassing evil plan and scheme that seems to be coming at us from every conceivable direction imaginable. Four years ago, who knew anything about vaccinations, chemtrails, mrna, nanotech, 5g, snake venom proteins, transhumanism, lipid nanoparticles, the internet of things, the WHO, the WEF, the Schwab, the Harari, the dubious reality of viruses, spike proteins, big pharma, pcr tests, and on and on, etc, etc?
We all were so confident that Nuremberg 2.0 was just around the corner. That mishpat was imminent. Here we are, almost four and a half years later, and as far as mishpat goes, there is none. We look for Yesh-oo-aw to manifest in his deliverance, aid and victory role, and behold, he is not there. Instead, Yesh-oo-aw seems to be removed, withdrawn, far away from our circumstance.
What does it all mean? And don’t give me the stupid religious word of faith heresy nonsense that if we simply confess and confess that we will most certainly possess. Tell that to the 25 million that have already perished from the death jab. Tell that to the 2 billion that have experienced some form of adverse effect from the deadly dart.
When will we start to embrace the facts of our predicament and stop babbling heretical man made doctrinal nonsense that only seems to work when we are in a season of prosperity, but utterly falls apart in the season of total judgment?
It is time to embrace the truth of things, no matter the unpleasantness that it involves. We are being given a harsh lesson in understanding that we need to embrace the whole counsel of God, not just the parts that we like. God gave us 66 books, not one or two. The bible does not just consist of John 3:16 and a few other comfy verses.
Let us face the war we are in like true men and women of God, suck it up, and seek the Lord with all sincerity and readiness to obey whatever order he has for us, regardless of the state of the planet. Let us stop lying to ourselves, trying to find comfort in false promises. There are many promises to be found that provide comfort in all seasons. Let us not be tripped up in trying to escape our predicament by putting our faith in things that are simply not real or applicable for our present time.
Isa 59:12 For our transgressions (peh-shah – a national, moral, or religious revolt, rebellion, sin, trespass) are multiplied (raw-bab – multiplied by the myriad, by the ten thousands) before thee, and our sins (khat-taw-aw – habitual sinfulness and its penalty to expiate and purify) testify against us: for our transgressions (peh-shah) are with us; and as for our iniquities (aw-vone – perversity, mischiefs, faults), we know (yaw-dah – recognize, acknowledge, are aware of, understand) them;
The Hebrew in this verse may be mined to yield abundant treasure in understanding. Look at the word for transgressions (peh-shah). God is speaking of national sin that encompasses aspects of morality and religion. It seems to zero in on our celebration of ‘pride’, an oxymoron if ever there was one. Why would anyone interested in self preservation celebrate the most deadly of sins that cost the angels their place in heaven? It also includes man revolting against the commands of God via religious beliefs and practices. Have not our churches done incalculable damage to our culture with their false teachings on the bible? God calls all this a revolt against him.
Isaiah goes on to say these these rebellions have multiplied, literally by the tens of thousands before God. Here are 2 more important truths. Our sins are always worse than what we think. We may see some of them, but God sees them all. Because we have fallen so far, so fast, from the genuine standard of God’s holiness and expectations for us, each and every generation tends to call less and less things as sin. For example, just look at the way people clothe themselves in our generation. Our definition of modesty has certainly been diluted year after year (never mind good taste either)! How about the reluctance to speak about capital punishment, a clear command that God expects godly nations to exercise upon the wicked. Would anyone ever speak about God’s expectation of the death penalty for certain forms of sexual depravity? Or are we too sophisticated for such things? No, we stay silent to simply avoid persecution.
The second point is that all our sins are before thee, in other words, before God. We are sinning first and foremost against him, because we are choosing to violate his will for mankind. Certain sins may be directed against our fellow man, but all sin is an act of disobedience against God’s revealed will.
Next Isaiah uses the word khat-taw-aw, one of the several types of Levitical offerings that denotes a particular type of sin, as in the verse below:
Lev 4:3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin (khat-taw-aw), which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering (khat-taw-aw).
The word connotes both the personal sin committed, and the offering that had to be made to atone for it. God says our khat-taw-aw’s testify against us. In other words, our sins are so public and so numerous, that they are screaming to all spectators present our awful spiritual state.
Then Isiah resuses the word peh-shah, our national sins, and says that they are ever with us. In other words, they are not hidden, and have not been dealt with. He finished with yet another word for sin – aw-vone. These are more personal, individual faults of a perverse nature. He says that if we are really honest with ourselves, deep down inside we know, are aware of, and fully understand just how depraved we really are.
The problem is that most churches try to suppress these truths in unrighteousness. That is, most pastors refuse to preach on the depravity of man. This allows our hearts to be covered in gross fat, our eyes to be blinded, and our ears to be stopped. The still small voice within becomes suppressed to the point of non existence. We have already seen in Isaiah chapter 6 how God says let these intentional sinners, who choose to continually sit under these lying doctrines of self delusion, stay deaf and blind.
Isaiah certainly attempted to use all the powers of his extensive vocabulary to try and penetrate his audience’s blindness and hardness of heart, by describing their sins in every possible way imaginable. Preachers who would attempt the same today would quickly be accused of legalism, judgmentalism, and being a hater. Woe, woe unto us, who are like those found in this verse of Isaiah:
Isa 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 59:13 In transgressing (paw-shah – to break away from just authority, trespass, revolt, quarrel, apostasize, rebel) and lying (kaw-khash – deceive, dissemble) against the LORD, and departing away (naw-sag – retreat) from our God, speaking oppression (o-shek – fraud, extortion) and revolt (saw-raw – apostasy, crime, turning away), conceiving (haw-raw – to become pregnant) and uttering (haw-gaw – murmur, imagine) from the heart words of falsehood (sheh-ker – untruth, sham, vain thing).
Our just authority is the word of God. Every time we rationalize why we don’t have to obey the clear instructions found therein, we are engaging in paw-shah. In essence, we are also engaging in kaw-khash – dissembling against God himself. What God sees is naw-sag – a retreat from what we know to be true and our Christian duty. Out of our mouth comes o-shek and saw-raw – fraudulent sayings and a turning away in our hearts from the narrow path, that is the only path of true salvation. When sin takes such a hold of us, we conceive (haw-raw, as if getting pregnant), and haw-gaw (imagine) in our corrupt and wicked hearts sheh-ker (things that are not true but are totally vain and useless).
Isa 59:14 And judgment (mishpat) is turned away (naw-sag) backward (aw-khore – the back, can also mean the west), and justice (tsed-aw-kaw) standeth afar off (also can mean far off in time, as of old): for truth (eh-meth – stability) is fallen in the street, and equity (nek-o-khaw – straight forwardness, truth) cannot enter.
Every court case we have seen in the past few years has seen mishpat go backward. The criminals are set free and the innocent are found guilty. It does not matter what the laws on paper say, in almost every case everyone is doing the opposite of what the law says. Perhaps there is a hint of something deeper in the word aw-khore, as one nuance of the word in Strong’s states that is can mean the west, though it is never translated so in the bible. Is it not western civilization that has decided to turn the long standing laws of right and wrong on their heads?
Another nugget is the word eh-meth, translated truth. It also means stability. When truth is abandoned, stability in your culture also goes out the window. Only truth that everyone agrees on brings stability and continuity in a nation. Since we’ve allowed our youth to begin defining their own truth beginning in the 60’s, we are now reaping the fruit of every man doing what seems right in their own eyes. When truth is abandoned, nek-o-khaw – straight forwardness, or perhaps common sense, is not allowed to enter any conversation. Notice how you cannot have a debate with any woke person anymore. As soon as you expose any of their nonsense with facts, they simply resort to insults and slogans. They have been rendered incapable of having an adult discussion, as facts are beyond their ability to comprehend. Nor do they desire to do so, as a life long habit of narcissism has rendered their minds incapable of honest debate.
Isa 59:15 Yea, truth (eh-meth) faileth; and he that departeth (soor – eschew, withdraws from) from evil (rah) maketh himself a prey (shaw-lal – to strip or plunder): and the LORD saw it, and it displeased (it was evil in his eye) him that there was no judgment (mishpat).
After this most eloquent and comprehensive summation of sin in all its Hebraic permutations, we now come to a turning point in this chapter. And what a turning point it will turn out to be! Just as Isaiah is leaving us with almost no hope due to the extreme fallen nature of mankind, God now begins to speak directly to the situation.
We cap off this recitation of woe with reiterating the fact that truth has truly departed out of our land. No one can argue this is so in our nations today. As a result, those of us who choose to not participate in the reconstructing of our civilization into the demonic image of the so called fourth industrial revolution, has painted a broad target upon their backs. Oppose any aspect of this ultimate rebellion against God, whether it be the poisonous death jabs, the grooming of our children, the pride agenda, the climate change hysteria, the illegal mandates, the death cult called islam, or simply standing with Israel, or for biblical sexual behavior, and you are now a candidate for cancellation, confiscation, and even permanent erasure.
In the midst of all this negativity, we are reminded that the Lord is observing all this. We find out first and foremost that he is displeased. Why do so many churches only preach about God’s love, and not his other equally important characteristics?
What is he displeased over? You can look at this sentence at least 2 ways. First he is displeased over the lack of mishpat. No one in authority is proclaiming righteous decrees anymore. All justice has departed. All judges have been bought. The decisions being rendered these days are no different than the judgments rendered by the courts in Germany in the 30’s. What is fascinating is how current events have led some of us to do more research as to the origins of this lawlessness than ever before. What we are finding is that this lawlessness has been going on in our nations for a long time, but until covid, was only being done here and there on a test case basis, to see exactly what they could get away with, without the general public being aware of their total criminality.
Here in Canada I have learned of 2 examples from the year 2003 onwards that I am sure were used as test cases for the new world order of lawlessness that would be unleashed on the world in 2020. Before 2020, very few knew of pastor Artur Pawlowski. I think everyone in the freedom movement knows of him now, having become a world leader amongst pastors who have taken a very public stand against evil by those in authority. Another shocking example is something that I am finding out about just now is the story of natural health company Truehope. They have just completed an 8 part series on Rumble that details the absolute corruption of the Canadian justice system from 2003 onwards, where they used the tragic death of the owner’s son as an excuse to try and mandate compulsory vaccinations on all infants, with criminal penalties for non-compliance, as well as the attempt to destroy all non allopathic healthcare options in the land. Yet I had never heard of this case until now. I have to honestly say that some of the episodes left me stunned and speechless, as I can honestly say that I do not recognize the country that I am now living in. However bad you think a nation such as Canada is, I can guarantee you that it is far worse than you can imagine. The blatant disregard of all known law by the Canadian government in attempting to exploit the tragic loss of a death of a child into an opportunity to destroy the most fundamental rights of parents and all citizens in choosing their own health care is especially jarring in that they were doing this well before the covid agenda.
In any event, back to the text, God has most certainly taken notice of what was going on in Judah. You can rest assured that he is taking notice of what is going on in our lands today.
Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered (shaw-mame – was stunned, amazed, stupified, astonished) that there was no intercessor (paw-gah – one who entreats, who goes to meet another): therefore his arm (zer-o-ah – often translated as stretched out arm, sometimes as strength, power) brought salvation (yaw-shah – rescue, deliverance) unto him; and his righteousness (tsed-sw-kaw), it sustained (established) him.
It is a common theme in the bible that God more than once laments the fact that there is no intercessor in the land to mediate between himself and his people. This must be taken as a literary device. In other words, I think without question that there must of been some individuals at all times that were interceding for help on behalf of Israel. Yet at times God judges the spiritual state of a nation in such a manner that the extreme paucity of genuine, heartfelt intercession is of such a thin quantity and/or quality, it’s as if no intercessor can be found. I wonder how God truly sees us today. We all know that we are praying, and know that others are praying. I am sure that some of us are praying at a level of desperation such as we have never engaged in. However we must take into account the doctrine of worthiness.
I believe the church in general has a poor understanding of worthiness. All evangelicals are taught about how at the cross, Jesus took our place and made us worthy to stand before the Father, bold and unashamed, as Christ’s righteousness is now our own. That is a wonderful truth.
That is positional righteousness. Jesus paid the price and made it possible to enter into eternal life. However the bible has much to say about day to day righteousness. In other words, walking in righteousness in our daily walk. That is what makes us worthy to be heard when we pray. Not all prayers are heard in heaven. Nor are all prayers answered. The bible makes that clear, and I will not take the time to go into all the scriptures that teach this. Suffice it to say, positional righteousness does not automatically guarantee that the Lord is pleased with us at all times. We must continually strive to live in holiness and obedience to him.
Having said all that, there are times such as described in this verse where God says that as far as he is concerned, I see no intercessor, no true mediator that is able to stand in the gap and avert my wrath. So what did God do? Did he turn his back on us permanently, and left us to our doom? Did he abandon mankind? No, thank God, no! His own arm brought yaw-shaw unto Israel. God’s perfect righteousness enabled him, supported him to carry out his great work of redemption.
This of course is a great Messianic verse. The Father sent his son to bring about salvation 2000 years ago. He is going to soon send his son again to reclaim the kingdom that he had won on the cross.
The great truth of scripture, that so many find it so hard to grasp, is that we cannot save ourselves. There is no man that can save us. No human savior. The savior’s name is not Trump. Nor any name, except the name of Jesus.
I don’t know about you, but since 2020 there has been precious few stories of God’s direct intervention in the affairs of any nation at the national level. It seems that no victories are occurring, when it comes to national petitions. All nations are sliding into the abyss, toward a dystopian, totalitarian nightmare. After so many years, one simply does not want to even hear the news anymore, as it contains nothing but further decline and destruction of our beloved lands. It has become very depressing, and does take a toll on one’s prayer life, as the temptation to lose heart is very real.
That is why when I saw an interview with the president of El Salvador this past week, I was greatly encouraged and uplifted in spirit. The man’s election was truly miraculous. What was even more miraculous is that this nation had the highest per capita murder rate in the world. In a country of 6 million people, 70,000 gang members ran the nation. In just 2 weeks, all the gang members were eradicated, with no loss of civilian life, using the army, which had been quickly doubled in size. It has now become one of the safest countries in the world to live, literally overnight. In fact, 62% of El Salvadorians currently living in the United States are desiring to move back home!
Now how did this come about? When asked by Tucker Carlson, he immediately stated that it was absolutely impossible what occurred, and that it was a miracle. He said that every one in his cabinet first of all prayed, and asked for the wisdom of God. He stated that the battle had to be first won in the spiritual realm, and then it simply manifested in the natural. He gave all the glory to God, and took none of it for himself.
I could not believe my ears! Here was a genuine man of God that the Father had installed as the president of a nation. He turned around and put God first, like David or Josiah of old. He prayed, believed God, and acted. And God did a miracle, on a biblical scale. For the first time since the horror unleashed on the planet in 2020, God sent an actual tangible, visual light into the darkness. He took the worst country crime wise, and in two weeks turned it into the safest! This story so encouraged me. There is hope. There is always hope. God loves the poor. He took this poorest of nations, and when the leaders wholeheartedly turned to the Lord alone for salvation, God’s own arm brought his righteousness to sweep the land.
Can it happen for us? Theoretically, yes. However, we have leaders that have chosen to worship satan. El Salvador was universally condemned by most nations in the world for their strong actions against the criminals in their land. Satanic governments always put the rights of the wicked far above their citizens. Yet God gave him complete victory.
Let us take heart from this current example of God’s grace and mercy. Yes, it will be immeasurably harder for the so called modern, developed western nations to humble themselves and turn to God with such thoroughness. However God has shown us that if we can just believe, if he can find just a few true intercessors, that have no other agenda but the salvation of their land, then who knows if God will choose your nation as the next one to bring a light in the midst of a world that is preparing to usher in the antichrist?
Isa 59:17 For he put on (clothed himself in) righteousness (tsed-sw-kaw) as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation (yesh-oo-aw) upon his head; and he put on (clothed himself in) the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad (wrapped, covered) with zeal (kin-aw – jealousy, envy) as a cloke (mantle, robe).
Who cannot immediately see where the great passage in Ephesians originated from? When Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God, he must of had this verse in mind. However here the apparel is referring to Jesus, not to the believer. The picture Isaiah is drawing is the Father dressing as a warrior going forth to battle and slaying his enemies. Of course we now know that the way the Father decided to bring salvation was through the son. Note the one striking difference in the armor that Jesus wears versus what we wear. It is said that the entire ensemble represented putting on the attire of a warrior for the purpose of vengeance. This is solely the Lord’s domain, and not ours (Rom 12:9, Heb 10:30).
Isaiah uses three separate but interrelated descriptions of God dressing himself. First, God is said to of clothed himself with righteousness and salvation. This is his redemptive work. The second picture is God clothing himself in vengeance. That is his equally important work of judge. Without righteous judgment, there can be no eternal kingdom that is free from the curse of sin. The third concept is God being cloaked in zeal. The word kin-aw is used 43 times, and it is always translated one of three ways – as zeal, jealousy, or envy.
At first glance it seems that jealousy and envy should have no relation to zeal. In the New Testament, we are more than once exhorted to be zealous for the things of God. Yet nowhere are to indulge in jealousy and/or envy.
In the common usage of these words, this is certainly correct. However here in the Old Testament usage, especially when it is applied to God, the sense can become positive, at least in case of jealousy. When the word is translated envy, it is never used to describe God. However there are several instances where it is said God is jealous. Isaiah 42:13 is another verse that speaks of how God regards his enemies:
Isa 42:13 The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy (kin-aw) like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.
In regards to Jerusalem, here is what the scripture says:
Zec 1:14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous (kaw-naw – also can mean envious or zealous) for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy (kin-aw).
Zec 8:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous (kaw-naw) for Zion with great jealousy (kin-aw), and I was jealous (kaw-naw) for her with great fury.
There are times when the word was used to describe the righteous anger that God’s appointed one feels when he carries out his divine judgments, as in the case of Phinehas when he slew the unrepentant worshipper of Baal:
Num 25:11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous (kaw-naw) for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy (kin-aw).
And of Jehu, when he executed God’s judgment on the house of Ahab:
2Ki 10:16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal (kin-aw) for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.
Thus in limited cases, when God appoints one to a position of authority, being zealous to execute the judgments of God is said to be equivalent of being jealous to protect the honor and character of the Holy One of Israel.
The sense is that we should exhibit the same zeal when the character of God is being maligned, and his righteous moral decrees of old are being cast down to the ground. Not to pick up a javelin like Phinehas, or a sword like Jehu, but our inner attitude should be one that so agrees with God’s standard of living, that it should drive us to our knees in deep repentance and anguish when we see our nation crumbling to dust because of the wilful, unrepentant sin all around us.
Do we have this same spirit of zeal? As the bride of Christ, are we jealous with a holy zeal when our bridegroom is being maligned? Or do we stay silent, and let the mockers blaspheme in our presence, because we’re too cowardly to stand up for our King?
May the Lord grant us the discernment needed in each situation, so that we speak up when he prompts us to do so, yet remember that there are times when you would be casting pearls before the swine, and you would only be bringing unnecessary tribulation upon your own head. Let us always strive to find that genuine, biblical zealousness that is a sure sign of a heart that is truly devoted to their Lord.
Isa 59:18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury (indignation, rage, wrath) to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands (coasts) he will repay recompence.
There is great hope in this verse. No matter how dark it gets, no matter how many sins seem to go unpunished, God guarantees that all wickedness will experience his just retribution. The difficulty for us is to wait on the Lord’s timing. We are all called to endure, some much more than others. So many turn away or fall away from God, when they see the wicked go unpunished in a timely manner. Here is where the patience and the faith of the saints must come into the forefront (Rev 13:10, 14:12).
Another item of import is the word used to describe God’s temperament when he finally decides it is time to execute his mishpat on his enemies. We hear so much about the love, patience, and gentleness of Jesus. How about his fury, his indignation, his rage and wrath? We all eagerly anticipate the second coming of our Lord. For most, it will be the worst day in their sinful lives.
One cannot imagine how dreadful it will be to fall into God’s hands when he is stirred to an emotion such as described here, and also in Hebrews:
Heb_10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Isa 59:19 So shall they fear (yaw-ray – to revere, to dread) 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 (ruach) of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
Here is one of those few verses in the Old Testament that modern day charismatics have fallen in love with. Aren’t you tired of hearing the same preachers pull the same few verses completely out of their original context, solely for the purpose of firing up the emotions of their audience? Sometimes when I read this verse, I can’t help hearing the echo of one of those charlatans ringing in my ears, destroying the whole thrust and purpose of the passage.
First of all, we continually need to remind ourselves that the fear of the Lord must always have the component of dread, as well as reverence. I am so weary of every saint that immediately jumps up and says the fear of the Lord only means reverence, and not terror and awe. They are diluting and suppressing the truth. Reverence can quickly turn into a meaningless religious concept. Religious people show great reverence in their churches. Yet they have no dread of Yahweh. Dread implies that you are genuinely frightened of what will become of you should you decide to engage in wilful, habitual sin. Holy terror will always make you think twice before giving in so easily to that favorite temptation the devil uses time and again in your life. I know that we all sin, we all fall short. But I truly believe that if we could only grasp the fear of the Lord in its entirety, our occasions of stumbling would decreases greatly.
The mention of east and west is to denote that there is coming a day when all the earth will truly fear God. The last sentence is not clear as to how to interpret it. Is it the enemy coming in like a flood, or, like a flood the Spirit of Yahweh will raise up a standard against him? Sound arguments can be made either way, I leave it up to the reader to pray and let God speak to you as to how to interpret it. Perhaps God left it purposefully vague, as it may have deep meaning either way, depending on the circumstance and situation you are going through at one time or another.
Isa 59:20 And the Redeemer (gaw-al – the kinsman redeemer) shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from (shoob) transgression (peh-shah – national, moral or religious revolt) in Jacob, saith the LORD.
This verse served as inspiration for the apostle Paul in Romans:
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
We do not need to review the story of Ruth, which serves as the fundamental template that teaches us all about the role of a kinsman redeemer. According to Paul, the main thrust of this verse is to remind us that first and foremost, this verse teaches us about the ultimate restoration of the nation of Israel back into total salvation. Never allow yourself to entertain the thought for even one moment that God is finished with Israel.
The second point is that not only does the bible guarantee that Israel will be once more visited with general salvation, but that God promises to visit each and every one of us who genuinely shoob, or turn away from, our sin, in whatever form it takes. It can be personal sin, general church sin, or national sin. As in the case of El Salvador today, if only our leaders would repent whole heartedly, we could stand on verses such as these. Sadly, for us in North America, that scenario is increasingly remote. Yet we can all stand on this verse as individual believers, and no evil government leader can annul it. If we shoob away from sin, and shoob toward God with our whole heart, we can stand on this verse for our personal deliverance, of whatever form that needs to take.
Isa 59:21 As for me, this is my covenant (ber-eeth) with them, saith the LORD; My spirit (ruach) 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.
Who is them? Not so much the prophet Isaiah, but those of verse 20, all who have turned away from wilful sin, and have joined themselves to the Lord. This is another verse that foreshadows the new covenant that would be cut at the cross. God promises to those that are truly his, that he will not take away the revelatory truth of his word out of your mouth. In other words, you can stand on this verse that you will continue to testify of your real relationship with Christ right until it is time to go home, regardless of any temporal pressure you may be going through that is tempting you to draw back. Meditate on verses such as this when you feel the pressure to compromise, or even to quit being such a strong witness. It is the Spirit of God that empowers you, and not you yourself.
We all know of the verse in Acts that we quote in relation to the salvation of our family:
Act_16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Well here is a second witness to that wonderful biblical truth. In the mouth of two or three witnesses let every matter be established.
In concluding this study, I wish to leave you with a passage from the Barnes notes on the bible commentary:
1. The great majority of those who become religious are the descendants of those who were themselves the friends of God. Those who now compose the Christian churches, are not those generally who have been taken from the ways of open vice and profligacy; from the ranks of infidelity; or from the immediate descendants of scoffers, drunkards, and blasphemers. Such people usually tread, for a few generations at least, in the footsteps of their fathers. The church is composed mainly of the descendants of those who have been true Christians, and who trained their children to walk in the ways of pure religion.
2. It is a fact that comparatively a large proportion of the descendants of the pious themselves for many generations become true Christians. I know that it is often thought to be otherwise, and especially that it is often said that the children of clergymen are less virtuous and religious than others. But it should be remembered that such cases are more prominent than others, and especially that the profane and the wicked have a malicious pleasure in making them the subject of remark. The son of a drunkard will be intemperate without attracting notice – for such a result is expected; the son of an infidel will be an infidel; the son of a scoffer will be a scoffer; of a thief a thief; of a licentious man licentious, without being the subject of special observation. But when the son of an eminent Christian treads the path of open profligacy, it at once excites remark, because such is not the usual course, and is not usually expected; and because a wicked world has pleasure in marking the case, and calumniating religion through such a prominent instance of imperfection and sin.
But such is not the common result of religious training. Some of the most devotedly pious people of this land are the descendants of the Huguenots who were expelled from France. A very large proportion of all the piety in this country has been derived from the ‘Pilgrims,’ who landed on the rock of Plymouth, and God has blessed their descendants in New England and elsewhere with numerous revivals of religion. I am acquainted with the descendants of John Rogers, the first martyr in Queen Mary’s reign, of the tenth and eleventh generations. With a single exception, the oldest son in the family has been a clergymen – some of them eminently distinguished for learning and piety; and there are few families now in this land a greater proportion of whom are pious than of that. The following statistical account made of a limited section of the country, not more favored or more distinguished for piety than many others, accords undoubtedly with similar facts which are constantly occurring in the families of those who are the friends of religion. The Secretary of the Massachusetts Sabbath School Society made a limited investigation, in the year 1838, for the purpose of ascertaining the facts about the religious character of the families of ministers and deacons with reference to the charge so often urged that the ‘sons and daughters of ministers and deacons were worse than common children.’ The following is the result.
In 268 families which he canvassed, he found 1290 children over fifteen years of age. Of these children 884, almost three-fourths, are hopefully pious; 794 have united with the churches; sixty-one entered the ministry; only seventeen are dissipated, and about half only of these became so while with their parents. In eleven of these families there are 123 children, and all but seven pious. In fifty-six of these families there are 249 children over fifteen, and all hopefully pious. When and where can any such result be found in the families of infidels, of the vicious, or of irreligious people? Indeed, it is the great law by which religion and virtue are perpetuated in the world. that God is faithful to this covenant, and that he blesses the efforts of his friends to train up generations for his service.
3. All pious parents should repose on this promise of a faithful God. They may and should believe that it is his design to perpetuate religion in the families of those who truly serve and obey him. They should be faithful in imparting religious truth; faithful in prayer, and in a meek, holy, pure, and benevolent example; they should so live that their children may safely tread in their footsteps; they should look to God for his blessing on their efforts, and their efforts will not be in vain. They shall see their children walk in the ways of virtue; and when they die, they may leave the world with unwavering confidence that God will not suffer his faithfulness to fail; that he will not break his covenant, nor alter the thing that is gone out of his lips Psalm 89:33-34.
Let us be encouraged that in this time of such forces of wickedness attacking our children, that God takes a special interest in preserving the lineage of those who are his own.
May the Lord richly bless you as you continue to seek his will in these final days.
Solitary Man
https://solitaryman.substack.com/
