"God's Response" Sermon: Isaiah 59:14-21 (video)

 "God's Response" Sermon: Isaiah 59:14-21 - YouTube

"God's Response" Sermon: Isaiah 59:14-21 (manuscript)

 

“God’s Response”

[Isaiah 59:14-21]

May 21, 2023 YouTube

            We saw last week that Israel is being conquered by the Assyrians and are asking Isaiah if they are being conquered and taken into captivity because God is too weak or doesn’t hear them cry out for help.  Of course, Israel is wrong, and Isaiah tells them that God is all-powerful and does whatever He wills, and God hears all things and responds according to His Will.  The problem, as we saw, is Israel’s sin.  God is not the problem, their sin is – our sin is – when we suffer for our sin.

In this morning’s text, we see something of a summary of God’s Word against the sin of Israel, and what God will do in response to it.

First, God says there is a collapse of morality in Israel.

“Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.”

“Justice is turned back.”  Justice is no longer being received by those who seek it.  Justice has been put on the back burner, and, instead, the people who are looking for justice are receiving whatever benefits the judge the most.

“Righteousness stands far away.”  Moral correctness is not here – it may be way over there with some other people, but it is not here.  No one is living by the Law of God – everyone thinks whatever they want to do it right.

“Truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.”  The reason that there is no justice and no moral correctness is that truth trips in the discourse and way of life of the people.  Uprightness cannot enter because truth cannot stand upright – it keeps stumbling – and indeed, collapsing.  Nothing is sound; everyone is totally depraved.

And if there is anyone who departs from evil, he becomes prey.  The crowd is so immersed in evil and believing it is good – the right way to live – that if anyone seeks to be faithful and obey God’s Law, the rest of the people go after him to kill him.

We are reminded of the refrain from the book of Judges, “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”

“I have my truth and you have your truth, and if you disagree with my truth, I’ll take you out.”  Everything is true except for saying that there is only One Truth – God’s Truth – the Law of God, and His Son.

“What does it matter, just do what makes you happy.”

Morality has collapsed.

          Second, the Lord is appalled.

“The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede;”

God’s response to what He sees in Israel is to be appalled.  God is displeased that there is no justice – and that is not, “wow, I can’t believe there is no justice – that’s horrible.”  No, it’s “I’m furious!  How can you claim to be My people – claim to be obedient, pious, and holy, when there is no justice in Israel?  There is not a single person to stand up for justice – to intercede for justice – not one of you!”

How could God have called a people to Himself – a nation – a people – that He loves – and not one person is willing to stand up for justice.  Understand – not social justice that we hear about so much today, but justice – the holy obedience and love of the Law of God that He gives to His people.  The conformity of the people of God to His Law.

The Psalmist describes God’s Law like this:

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:7-11, ESV),

For Israel, there is no one to intercede, and God is appalled.

So, God chooses to do something about Israel:

“then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.”

In the Grace of God, God, in His Own Strength, brings Israel to salvation. God in His Own Righteousness upholds Israel before Him.

Israel is unwilling to repent and change – to seek the salvation of God.  Israel is unwilling to abide by the Righteousness of God – so God steps in and does it for Israel.

Doesn’t that sound familiar?  Remember what Paul writes, “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. ‘So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills” (Romans 9:14-18, ESV).

And John says the same thing: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13, ESV).

God is appalled at the state Israel is in, so He chooses to save a people for Himself by Himself.  He does the work, He changes hearts, He brings them to repentance, and He forgives them.

Third, the wages of sin must be paid.

          There is a false teaching in Israel – in our churches and in the world – that since God is Merciful and Gracious – since He saves a remnant for Himself – and that salvation is not earned or merited in any way by us – it is totally a work and a gift of God – that the wages of sin does not have to be paid.  That’s a lie.

          God is furious with us for our sin.  We have committed cosmic treason against the Holy God. And yet, God has promised to save a remnant – God has promised to save a people – totally by Himself by His Grace Alone. However, God is also Just, so He is, and He must be, furious with Israel and all people and the sin they have committed, and He requires the wages of that sin to be paid.

          Have you ever sinned against your parents – done something they told you not to do – and then they spank you – they punish you for your sin, and then they say they love you?

          The author of Hebrews writes, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11, ESV).

And so, Isaiah uses the image of a warrior of their day so they will understand God coming as a warrior to repay the wages of sin against Him.

“He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.”

God dresses with a breastplate and a helmet to protect Himself from the weapons of war.  His breastplate and helmet announce that God is Right and Holy an is coming against those who have sinned against Him – and yet, salvation is not out of the picture.  Just as God is not merely Grace, God is not merely Justice.  God is both Gracious and Just according to His Will and His Pleasure.

“According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment.”

Sinful deeds are to be met with justice – with the Almighty Wrath of God. And it does not come reluctantly, but zealously – passionately with great energy – to each person, each people, each nation.  Each one is responsible to receive God’s Justice against the sin committed.

          The wages of sin must be paid because God is the Holy God – He is Just.

          Fourth, a Savior will come.

          As we already noted in the book of Hebrews, God disciplines those He has chosen to be His people – not to destroy them, but that they would learn righteousness – that they would turn from their sin and strive towards holiness.

          God is Gracious and God is Just, therefore the wages of sin must be paid.  However, there are two ways this can occur:  either you and I can take the whole Wrath of God upon ourselves for our sin – and the result will be an eternity in Hell.  Or someone Who is able can pay the debt for us.

“So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives.  ‘And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares the LORD.”

Those whom the Redeemer has turned from their sin shall be in awe of the One God and see the brightness of His Holiness.  And on this side of history, we know Who the Redeemer is and what He did to save the people He chose for Himself in salvation.  As Paul states:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (I Corinthians 15:3-4, ESV),

It should have been obvious to Israel that they could not save themselves, and it should be obvious to us that we cannot save ourselves – we cannot contribute a thing to our salvation.  It is entirely a gracious work of God.  And in order for the Redeemer to give us salvation, He has to take the Wrath of God on Himself so the debt for sin would be paid.

As we have seen all along, Isaiah tells Israel – you will be punished, you will be disciplined, you will be punished – but I am sending a Redeemer for the remnant of My own calling.  And God has signed a covenant – an agreement – with those who will believe in the Redeemer.

“’And as for me, this is my covenant with them,’ says the LORD: ‘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,’ says the LORD, ‘from this time forth and forevermore.’”

God makes an agreement with the remnant of Israel – those He will bring to faith in the Redeemer:  The Spirit of God is upon them and the Word of God is in their mouths and will never leave their mouths – even though they will continue to sin until the end of the age – yes, we shall, and the Word of God will be in the mouth – it will be believed from generation to generation – not every person – but always a remnant.  God will not forsake His people – there will always be a remnant on earth until the end of the age.  And He will never leave us or forsake us – He has made us His own.

          A Savior has come.

          Let us pray:

          Almighty God, we are not amazed to hear the description of the depravity of Israel in that day.  It is not at all uncommon from our day.  We who believe know that their sin – and our sin – ought to be punished, and God will punish all sin and all sinners – either on their own or through Jesus as Substitute. We thank You for showing Yourself to us and making us part of the remnant You chose to save.  Thank You for making a covenant with us that we know will never be broken throughout all generations.  Cause the Holy Spirit to work in us that we would deny sin and follow after righteousness, striving to become holy as You are Holy. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"The Problem" Sermon: Isaiah 59:1-13 (manuscript)

 “The Problem” 

[Isaiah 59:1-13] 

May 14, 2023 YouTube 

We will remember in the text preceding this one, God tells Israel that going through the motions of keeping the Law is not enough.  They must actually obey the Law and show it by loving God and loving neighbor.  And the example is given of the fourth commandment in which God commands all of those who believe in Him for salvation that the Sabbath is to be kept – and it is to be a delight to believers, because the Sabbath is a gift to humanity of rest from normal work, it is a picture of Jesus Who brings us into His rest, and it is a picture of the everlasting rest believers will be brough into in the Kingdom. 

As we turn to this morning’s text, we see: 

  The problem is not God, but our sin. 

Israel asks, “If these things are so, why aren’t we receiving them?  Isn’t God strong enough to bring them to pass?  Can’t God hear us when we cry out?” 

We can hear Isaiah respond with incredulity and anger. 

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;” 

“Listen up!  God’s strength and power are not lacking in the least – He is all-powerful and is able to save anyone He chooses to save.  And there is no problem with God’s hearing – God hears all things and responds as He wills.” 

So what’s the problem? 

“but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness. No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. They hatch adders’ eggs; they weave the spider’s web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched.” 

The problem is not God, but our sin.  It is our sin that separates us from God.  It is our sin – asking for things that are against God’s Will – that make it seem to us that God is not hearing us.  If we do not believe, we are dead in our sins – we are separated from God – and until the Holy Spirit brings us to life, God will not hear us – He will not give us His Grace – He will not give us the sin we ask for and desire.  

Our hands are covered with blood and our fingers have been working sinful acts.  As the Sacrificial Law tells us – these things defile us – they make us unclean – we are not able to enter the Presence of God – just as Israel are not able to enter the Temple when they are defiled and unclean until they have performed sacrifices and waited a period of time. 

And we are liars.  “Well, maybe I tell little white lies.”  We are liars. The Psalmist writes, “I said in my alarm, ‘All mankind are liars’” (Psalm 116:11, ESV). 

Then Israel’s leagal system is condemned:  no one enters a trial honestly, their pleas are empty, they lie, they look to cause mischief for innocent people, and this all leads to sin.  Like those who hatch adder’s eggs – sin breaks forth.  Like those who weave webs and think them to be a secure future – they fall apart.  When they eat the viper’s egg – when they dedicate themselves to pursuing sin – they die.  When they step on the viper’s egg, the viper springs forth – there is no escaping the penalty for sin – the sin that separates us from God. 

Sadly, this is often the case in our legal system, is it not?  Read the newspaper, watch the television, serve on a jury.  Is righteousness always being sought – is justice always being sought? 

Second, we do sinful deeds rather than righteous ones. 

Again, the problem is not God, but our sin. 

We try to hide our sin – we try to keep even God from seeing the evil we have done: 

“Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make.” 

Israel though they could keep their evil deeds hidden – they thought they could cover their defiled flesh – their unclean flesh – from their neighbors and God. 

We remember in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden fruit they are made aware that they are naked – their sin reveals itself – so they think to hide their sin by covering themselves.  “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths’” (Gensis 3:7, ESV). 

In the same way, Israel – and we – know our sin – and we try to cover it up by knitting clothes of webs.  Like Adam and Eve, we try to fashion something so no one will know we have sinned – that we would even fool God and keep Him from knowing what we have done.  And, if we are worried that knitting clothes might give us away, we simply hide. 

It wasn’t enough for Adam and Eve, and it isn’t enough for Israel. 

“And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21, ESV). 

Do we see?  Adam and Eve made clothes out of fig leaves – a symbol of their attempt to save themselves – of finding forgiveness through their own actions, but God rejects their fig-leaf clothes.  Rather, God sheds blood and puts the skins of animals on them.  God covers them according to His choosing.  God covers them with blood. 

Isreal was trying to cover her sins with clothes of woven web.  God rejects this. 

And so we look fowrad, knowning the fulfullment of the symbolism on this side of the cross:  “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:13-14, ESV). 

This is what Israel looks forward to – all those who believe – it is what we know and believe if we are believers – we have been clothed in the Blood of Christ and are forgiven of all our sin.  But we’re not there yet. 

In Isaiah’s day, God is angry with Israel – with the sin and the sinner – that they thought they could keep God from knowing their sin.  They are working off their initial lack of knowledge of God – that He is not powerful enough – that He is not aware enough – that He doesn’t hear. But He knows. 

 God evaluates those who think they can sew their own coverings – those who believe they can pay the wages of their own debt – whether it is Israel or us or others throughout time and space: 

“Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands.” 

Their works are not works of righteousness, but of evil.  The works that they do are works of violence – they are against all things that are good and true and peaceful. 

 “Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways.” 

They don’t causally make their way into sin – they run to do evil.  They love to do evil and search it out.  They want to shed innocent blood – again and again – they want to pull those down who are trying to follow the Law of God.  They seek people out to draw them into their sin.  All they think about is sin and how they can be involved in more and more sin.  Their highway – the way they travel through the world and through their life is nothing but desolation and destruction.  Their way is the broad way of sin that destroys and brings all things to a wasteland. 

 “The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace.” 

They do not want the yoke lifted from themselves or those they make like themselves – they do not want true peace for anyone – just the peace of the haunting results of sin.  They don’t want justice – they want what they want with no one getting in their way or telling them that what they are doing is wrong.  They are their own lawgiver.  They make the straight roads crooked so anyone who follows them will be denied the peace that they have been denied. 

And we recognize this imagery that Isaiah gives us earlier: 

 “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken’” (Isaiah 40: 3-5, ESV). 

This comes later and in the midst of those still trying to make the straight crooked – and it continues to this day.  With every sin, we seek to make the straight crooked.  And just like Israel, we do sinful deeds instead of righteousness. 

Third, we search for truth and light, but we don’t find it. 

Isaiah tells Israel that the problem of their sin and their following after sin rather than righteousness is why they do not find the light and truth they have fooled themselves into believing they are looking for. 

There are plenty of people in the world – as we once were – children of wrath – seeking only after evil – and yet many say that they can find peace without the God – without the Savior.  They believe they can be moral and ethical and know the truth while denying that there is a God.  They say it doesn’t matter what you believe so long as you love others. 

Isaiah says: 

“Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men.” 

Those who believe that injustice is justice and unrighteousness is righteous will never be overtaken by them.  They are like the sellers in the Temple who provide a good and needed service but use false measures and false coins.  The good they believe they are doing for the worshippers and themselves becomes nothing but evil. 

Israel – and those who do not believe – are like those who say they are searching for truth – for light – that they are seekers – that they are spiritual but not religious.  They are searching for light in a dark room.  They are searching for bright light in the night of gloom.  They are all twisted around and can’t find what they believe they want because they are looking where it will never be. 

They are searching in a dark room – feeling along the wall.  They are groping around as the blind – as those who have no eyes – stumbling and falling when the sun is at its brightest like it were pitch dark – thinking themselves strong and wise and on the right track when they are no better than dead men. 

I have a new doctor, and as I am want to do, I talked with him about religion.  He showed me that he has a red string around his wrist, which is a Hindu device to protect from evil.  He also has a rosery around the other wrist, and an icon of Padre Pio in his pocket, and a Torah in his pants pocket. He believes he is looking for light – or may even have found it, but the one thing he has not looked for is the Light. 

Those in Israel who did not believe – we who do not believe – those around us who think they are faithfully seeking the light – but in the darkness – are dead and blind.  And over time, this will fail for many – it will become a source of frustration as they go from one supposed light to another not finding what they truly want and need to be filled. 

“We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.” 

Israel comes to the point – as all honest people who have sought where truth and light cannot be found – where the pain and frustion comes out in growls and moans of pain and anger and futility.  We get to the point where we understand we are not finding justice – we are not even looking for justice – and we are crushed.  We understand that everywhere we have looked and believed that salvation was to be found – there it is not to be found. 

Light and truth have not yet been found, but we see that: 

“For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities:” 

Israel understands that they have been sinning and sinning – building up sin upon sin against God.  There is no need for witnesses to be brought against them – their sin testifies against them.  They know that they bring their transgression – their iniquities – their sin along with them – especially in this way: 

“transgressing, and denying the LORD, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.” 

They sin – and they sin in denying the Lord.  No matter what they realize about the futility of their sin – they won’t look to the Lord.  They turn away from following the Lord – they will follow every god and idea and sin they can think of, but the Lord is a step beyond what they are able to consider.  Rather, they speak oppression and revolt -- they tell others what words can be said – what actions can be done – and they conceive these things from their heart of lies – they utter them from their heart of lies. 

Israel needs to understand – everyone who does not believe needs to understand – we who do not believe need to understand – the problem is not with God; it is with people who love their sin and pursuing it and believe they can find light in the darkness. 

Let us pray: 

Almighty God, Israel is at a point in her history in our text when she doesn’t want to hear God’s Word or believe it or follow it.  We were at that point once, and the Holy Spirit convicted us of the Truth and showed us the Light of Jesus Christ. Cause us to show the Light and the Truth of Jesus to those around us and cause the Holy Spirit to bring people out of the darkness and out of their sin to You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.