The lesson in mind concerning Isaiah 59 actually starts with Isaiah 1:2–4. Here, the Lord passes Judgement when he says, “’Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.’ Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.”
Before proceeding with Isaiah 59, it should be known that the same sentiment as been expressed in other Books in the Old Testament, including Hosea 4:1-2, Jeremiah 2:19-22, Micah 3:1-3 and in the Book of Ezekiel.
Isaiah 59 lays out the Lord’s Case against Israel, describing how its acts have alienated themselves from Him. What have the people of Israel done that was so sinful? Ezekiel 16:49–50 sheds some light. It says, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but DID NOT AID THE POOR AND NEEDY. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.” One might say that compared to Sodom, God was merciful toward Israel since He doesn’t destroy it. Perhaps God destroyed Sodom because the people there were pagan worshipers who were definitely not among His Chosen.
One may see how strongly God sees aiding the poor and needy. And Jesus in Matthew 25:41–46 says that those who do not aid the poor and needy will end up in “eternal punishment.” Seems that Sodom might have been spared if the people there, amongst their atrocities, at least helped the poor and needy, but that is just earthy speculation; it’s not up to us to second-guess the things God does and doesn’t do.
Another thought is that Isaiah 1:2–4, in passing judgement on Israel, appears to imply in Verse 3 that those who have sinned were motivated by their ignorance of God. Verse 3 says, “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” The inference is the ox and the donkey are more knowledgeable in what they know THAN the people of Israel know of God.
So what’s the lesson here? Very broadly, the lesson is not to purposely sin against God, lest you suffer the consequences.
What about the excuse mentioned in the title above? Seems that Isaiah 59, among other passages in the Bible, may serve as an excuse for some who engage in marginalizing and disenfranchising Jewish people. If such people against the Jews exist, they may have missed the last Verse in Isaiah 59. In that Verse, no. 21, God establishes a Covenant with the people of Israel. He says he vows to make it so that “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,…from this time forth and forevermore.” The words are those that are expressive of His Spirit, steering the people of Israel toward loving God as he commands in Deuteronomy 6:5, and as Jesus extends to the rest of mankind in his first and second commandment in Matthew 22:37 and 39.
Before proceeding with Isaiah 59, it should be known that the same sentiment as been expressed in other Books in the Old Testament, including Hosea 4:1-2, Jeremiah 2:19-22, Micah 3:1-3 and in the Book of Ezekiel.
Isaiah 59 lays out the Lord’s Case against Israel, describing how its acts have alienated themselves from Him. What have the people of Israel done that was so sinful? Ezekiel 16:49–50 sheds some light. It says, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but DID NOT AID THE POOR AND NEEDY. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.” One might say that compared to Sodom, God was merciful toward Israel since He doesn’t destroy it. Perhaps God destroyed Sodom because the people there were pagan worshipers who were definitely not among His Chosen.
One may see how strongly God sees aiding the poor and needy. And Jesus in Matthew 25:41–46 says that those who do not aid the poor and needy will end up in “eternal punishment.” Seems that Sodom might have been spared if the people there, amongst their atrocities, at least helped the poor and needy, but that is just earthy speculation; it’s not up to us to second-guess the things God does and doesn’t do.
Another thought is that Isaiah 1:2–4, in passing judgement on Israel, appears to imply in Verse 3 that those who have sinned were motivated by their ignorance of God. Verse 3 says, “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” The inference is the ox and the donkey are more knowledgeable in what they know THAN the people of Israel know of God.
So what’s the lesson here? Very broadly, the lesson is not to purposely sin against God, lest you suffer the consequences.
What about the excuse mentioned in the title above? Seems that Isaiah 59, among other passages in the Bible, may serve as an excuse for some who engage in marginalizing and disenfranchising Jewish people. If such people against the Jews exist, they may have missed the last Verse in Isaiah 59. In that Verse, no. 21, God establishes a Covenant with the people of Israel. He says he vows to make it so that “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,…from this time forth and forevermore.” The words are those that are expressive of His Spirit, steering the people of Israel toward loving God as he commands in Deuteronomy 6:5, and as Jesus extends to the rest of mankind in his first and second commandment in Matthew 22:37 and 39.
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