1
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
2
But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
3
For your hands are stained with blood,
your fingers with guilt.
Your lips have spoken falsely,
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4
No one calls for justice;
no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies;
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
5
They hatch the eggs of vipers
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6
Their 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.
7
Their feet rush into sin;
they are swift to shed innocent blood.
They pursue evil schemes;
acts of violence mark their ways.
8
The 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 along them will know peace.
9
So 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.
10
Like the blind we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead.
11
We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.
We look for justice, but find none;
for deliverance, but it is far away.
12
For our offences are many in your sight,
and our sins testify against us.
Our offences are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13
rebellion and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,
uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
14
So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15
Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16
He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.
17
He 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.
18
According 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.
19
From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the Lord drives along.
20
‘The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,’
declares the Lord.
21
‘As for me, this is my covenant with them,’ says the Lord.
‘My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you,
and my words that I have put in your mouth
will always be on your lips,
on the lips of your children
and on the lips of their descendants
– from this time on and for ever,’ says the Lord.
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Word by Word Meditations
by Fred Ursell
Isaiah 59: “separated” (v.2)
When using radio, if communication problems crop up, it’s described as ‘interference’. Our spiritual communication with God might suffer interference as well. “Your iniquities have separated you from your God … so that he will not hear” (v.2). You won’t fix it by praying more or trying harder. You’re on the wrong wavelength. He’s holy, you’re not. The right frequency is sincere honesty. “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD would not have heard my … prayer” (Psalm 66 v.18). Got a short-circuit? Switch. Are you receiving me?
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READING
The Book of ISAIAH
- Chapter 59 -
- Read by David Suchet -
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TEACHINGS
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The Book of ISAIAH
Part 1 by David Pawson
https://youtu.be/XqNzGrYbFWg
The Book of ISAIAH
Part 2 by David Pawson
https://youtu.be/1VLLZ_6ZjiE
OVERVIEWS
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ISAIAH Chapter 1 to 39
- Overview -
The Bible Project
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8
ISAIAH Chapter 40 - 66
- Overview
The Bible Project
https://youtu.be/_TzdEPuqgQg
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