Isaiah 59:2, commentary and pictures

Your wrongdoing puts a barrier between you and God, hiding His face from you so that He does not hear. The fault is not that His power to save has lessened or His ear has grown dull or His grace has been withdrawn, but that sinners themselves turn away, refuse His provision, and cut themselves off from the channel of blessing. Adam's disobedience cut off direct communion and left humanity helpless under Satan's control, and the breach could not be mended by changing the unalterable law, but only through Christ who took humanity's weakness, bridged the gulf, and reopened access to the Father. Though innocent, He Himself fully felt that hiding of the Father's face and being forsaken under wrath while bearing the world's sins, an anguish of soul far beyond bodily pain. So long as cherished sin remains, prayer and fasting accomplish nothing and spiritual strength is lost, but all who forsake their evil ways and thoughts, confess with humility and faith in His cleansing blood, and return to Him will be healed and abundantly pardoned.

Words and Historical Setting

The verse teaches that personal wrongdoing has erected a barrier between people and God, and that their sins have concealed His face from them so that He will not listen. That estrangement is not caused by reluctance to forgive or inability to save on His part, but by sinners refusing the provisions of grace and remaining in sin. Set against it stands the declaration that the Lord's hand is not shortened so that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy so that it cannot hear; the hindrance lies in human iniquity, not in any failure of divine power to save or hear, nor in any lack of provision in heaven. Seeking God with the whole heart therefore means putting away what He forbids, living a holy life sanctified by the Spirit of truth, and undergoing a deep and thorough repentance and reformation as the remedy for the diseased soul.

It was addressed to a nation that forsook and forgot God, chose other gods, followed its own corrupt ways, trampled His law and broke His everlasting covenant, including despising His Sabbath and leaving the Sabbath breach for His people to repair. That estrangement brought calamity, for when the people transgressed His commandments He turned His face from them and their enemies prevailed. The surrounding passage spells out the separating sins as works of iniquity and violence in the hands, bloodshed, lies and injustice, running to evil and hastening to shed innocent blood, thoughts of iniquity, wasting and destruction in the paths, crooked paths with no peace, no knowledge of the way of peace and no judgment in going. Yet the separation is not beyond remedy, for people are called to turn from evil and do what is right.

The chapter portrays the character of the priests and rabbis who rejected Jesus and misled the people against Him. It exposes grievous sins that separate people from God and make stern rebuke necessary. The chapter also prophesies the state of the world just before the second coming, when iniquity abounds because men have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant given on condition of obedience, and because of continual transgression. At that time the world comes more and more under the sway of seducing spirits as men turn away from God and His righteous government, when even men professing godliness indulge their own traits of character, becoming self-indulgent and self-centered unless conscientiously under the control of God.

Fault Lies With Sinners

The barrier described is not caused by reluctance to pardon on God's part nor by inability to rescue, for heaven has not been shut and He has not stepped back from wrongdoers but remains waiting to show favor. The hiding of the face and the refusal to hear come about because sinners decline the gracious provision made for them and persist in wrongdoing rather than being delivered from it. Departure from God, mistrust of His love, and disobedience to light already received produce the distance, so that spiritual privileges, warnings, and clear truth confer no safety while the heart turns away. Even when outward opinion holds that the church is flourishing in peace and prosperity, cherished pride, covetousness, love of the world, and other grievous and presumptuous sins dwelling within, with continual backsliding, keep His people far from Him and deprive them of favor and spiritual power.

Jesus has joined sinners to God, and divine faithfulness and promises stand sure, yet privileges alone do not save apart from personal response in humble, living faith, repentance, obedience, and prayer. Sin obstructs fellowship and leaves the soul needing healing and pardon, while the law that was meant for blessing exposes wrong, measures life and character, and becomes a curse when disobeyed, with cleansing and salvation provided only through faith in Jesus and His blood. By choosing to sin, people separate themselves and sever the channel of blessing, for God does not linger in order to inflict punishment but the wrongdoer draws punishment upon himself. Every transgression reacts upon the one committing it, alters character, makes the next transgression easier, and sets in motion a train of circumstances whose certain end is ruin and death.

The declaration that wrongdoing separates the wrongdoer from God is not unjust or arbitrary. Viewing Him as a tyrant who delights in the agonies of the condemned, who formed men in His image only to plunge the wicked into hell to burn through endless eternity, instead of as the tender, pitying Friend of sinners who loves His creatures with love beyond understanding and desires their salvation in His kingdom, itself erects a wall of darkness between the soul and Him. That false picture sinks the heart in fear and brings despair of ever being rescued from the doom of sin.

Fall, Law, and Mediator

Adam and Eve's transgression of God's expressed command, made known beforehand with its consequences, caused a fearful separation between God and humanity. In innocence Adam had been granted direct, free and happy communion with his Maker, but after transgression that communion and access were cut off. The fall left the race in a deplorable, wretched, helpless and depraved condition, fallen under the power and control of the prince of darkness so that Satan gained unlimited control. Without atonement there could be no communication of blessing or salvation from God to man.

That separation could not be removed by changing the law to meet man's necessity. God's law is unalterable, never loses its force nor yields even the smallest part of its claim, and could not be abolished or lessened to meet man in his fallen state. God is jealous for the honor of His law.

The sacrificial offerings, ceremonies and priesthood had no power to save in themselves. They were ordained to keep the separation sin had caused before the people and to show the need for a mediating ministry. The animal sacrifices signified atonement by a substitute whose death answers the sentence caused by sin, and pointed forward to Christ as Mediator standing between the Most High and His people. This was necessary because transgression places a barrier between the sinner and the holy God, so the guilty sinner with guilt upon him cannot come in his own person with no greater merit than he possesses in himself.

Through Christ the communication cut off by Adam's transgression was opened again between God and the sinner. Christ undertook to redeem man from the curse and disgrace of Adam's failure, becoming man's substitute and surety to bear guilt and the Father's wrath, to conquer Satan and ransom man. In infinite pity He consented to leave honor, kingly authority and glory with the Father, humble Himself to humanity, identify Himself with the weaknesses of the fallen race, and by firm obedience redeem Adam's disgraceful failure so that by humble obedience man might regain lost Eden. He bridged the gulf between earth and heaven and joined humanity to God, so that sinners find refuge, access and reconciliation with the Father through Him alone and not in their own sinful persons. As great High Priest and Advocate He mediates between fallen people and God, pleads for them, and enables them to present their case to the Father, so that if a person sins the case is not hopeless.

Provision through the offering of God's beloved Son left the race not beyond redemption. The only hope is a life of humble repentance and faith in that provision. All who accept Christ as their only Saviour are brought back into favor with God through the merits of His Son, find refuge from deserved wrath, and regain access to God, for God communicates with humanity through Christ alone. Through the gift of Christ God would connect man with Himself in closest union, Christ clothing divinity with humanity and joining Himself to human nature, so that man may be one with Christ as Christ is one with the Father. The plan is ample to save the whole world, eternal life being placed within reach of all, so that sinful and fallen man separated from the Father may be made complete in Jesus through forgiveness of sin and imputed righteousness, while those who despise it meet eternal condemnation.

Christ Bore the Separation

Though Himself innocent, Christ took the guilt and shame of the sins of the world upon Himself and fully realized and keenly felt in His own experience the separation between God and man that sin causes. On Calvary the hiding of His Father's face from Him left Him with the crushing sense that His Father had forsaken Him and was displeased with Him. He bore that hidden face while suffering the penalty of the law for transgression, with the sense of His Father's wrath resting upon Him as the sin-bearer. So complete was that bearing of sin's separation from a holy God that it reached even between the Father and the Son.

That mental agony crushed His divine soul and brought despair, with no ray of light to brighten the future. It was far greater than bodily pain, which was but a small part of what He endured, and rather than bodily suffering alone it was the deepest part of His agony. Its intensity is beyond faint human conception.

Prayer and Spiritual Power

Sin hides God's face so that He will not hear prayer, and fasting and prayer accomplish nothing while that barrier remains. The closest self-examination is required before praying, especially for the afflicted under Satan's control of the mind, to discover sins that must be repented of, confessed and forsaken with deep humility of soul and firm, humble reliance upon the blood of Christ alone. Cherished sin, joining to the world, covetousness, and reliance on one's own judgment and strength rather than God separate from Him, shut away from Him, hinder prayer, forfeit the Spirit's witness and the trusted promise, and leave God able to do little, for religious forms cannot save in place of doing His works. The barrier must be removed by confessing and forsaking sin, which brings into close union with Christ, and living union with God leads to hatred of the sin that separates the soul from Him, requiring the worker who carries concern for others to walk carefully and seek Jesus' help so sin does not come between.

Lack of spiritual strength, blessing, favor and power is explained by iniquity separating from God, not by any lack of power or provision in heaven or by heaven being closed. Continual backsliding and cherished sins leave people distant even when they suppose their community is flourishing, and the church's spiritual weakness and loss of God's presence result from its own course while He still waits to be gracious. Sin cuts off from the source of strength and from the fullness of His presence and power, leaving weak, defenseless and without godliness, because there is no recognized need nor hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Those who do hunger and thirst will be filled, for sinners may come to Christ in faith as they are and He welcomes, comforts, heals and strengthens the needy despite errors and repeated failures, and the remedy is to look to the cross in faith and trust Jesus as strength and salvation.

Neglecting or exploiting the poor, sick, disabled, widowed and orphaned is the separating wrongdoing for which God hides His face and will not hear prayers while the afflicted are left uncared for, and the church as a body is accountable for its members' wrongdoing and must do its duty and take every possible step to remedy the harm. Neglect of duty in the home and among neighbors also cuts off from God, for unfaithfulness in failing to warn neighbors and urge them to come to Jesus is separating sin. Allowing iniquity to remain separates from Christ and at the same time keeps from doing the work He has given.

The willful commission of a known sin separates the soul from God and silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit. Trampling upon even one of God's requirements shuts out His pardon and blessing, and no ecstasy of religious feeling can overcome that separation or keep Jesus abiding in a heart that disregards the divine law, for God honors only those who honor Him. No one can serve Christ while choosing to serve sin, so keeping united to God is a daily work of sanctification through obedience.

Cherished sin and indulged sinful traits knowingly held place outside God's watch-care and leave vulnerable to Satan's deceptions. Unovercome defects and unholy traits of character separate from the presence of a pure, holy, sin-hating God and close heaven against them, requiring thorough and impartial examination of the thoughts, tempers, purposes, words, works and religious experience by the Bible standard, judging by fruits of righteousness borne whether in the faith, seeing defects of character and making decided advance in overcoming them. Jealousies, evil surmisings, envyings and selfishness build barriers between workers and God that make it impossible for the Lord to do His precious work of bringing souls to knowledge of the truth, and where love of Jesus and love of souls for whom Christ died does not control, this separation prevents raising up a strong company and leaves newly converted lambs without right instruction, training and example.

Iniquity separates from Christ so that His company is lost by carelessness, as Joseph and Mary lost Jesus by one day's neglect. Failure to love to think of Him and pray to Him, with idle, unkind or evil words and lack of prayer and love for His presence, leaves lonely and sad without Him. If His company is really desired He will always be with those who seek His presence, for the Saviour loves to stay with all who truly seek Him and will brighten the poorest home and gladden the lowliest heart.

Repentance, Pardon, and Application

The barrier described is a call to immediate repentance and thorough consecration without delay, because eternal realities are at stake. The remedy for the diseased soul is a deep and thorough work of repentance and reformation, a decided change required not only among the young but among instructors of the young. Those who are not right must forsake sin, confess transgression, and seek the Lord, while the repentant and contrite have hope. The invitation is to seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near, to let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and return for mercy, since His ways and thoughts are higher than human ways as the heavens are higher than the earth.

The separation is not final or beyond remedy. Christ came to counterwork sin and gave His life for the sinner, and God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes should not perish but have everlasting life. Those who return with contrition of soul will be healed, have backsliding cured, and receive abundant pardon and mercy. Spiritual privileges, truth, and light do not save apart from response, but Jesus joins the returning one to God, and His faithfulness and promises remain sure to those who answer with humble, living faith and obedience.

Restoration requires seeking God with the whole heart by putting away what He forbids and living a holy life sanctified by the Spirit of truth. Barriers of pride, selfishness, evil thoughts and evil speech are to be broken down through humility, for Jesus does not dwell where sin rules, but when the will is submitted to Him the soul is reconciled and the human will united with the divine. God's holy law serves as a mirror and detector of sin, the only standard and royal law whose requirements must be met, exposing transgression and measuring life and character. Pardon comes through practical faith in Jesus as the sin-pardoning Saviour, whose precious cleansing blood alone removes every spot and stain, joined with repentance, obedience, humble prayer, and daily sanctification.

The fifty-eighth and fifty-ninth chapters are to be searched and studied as a great lesson for preparing for the future immortal life by divesting every sin, humbling the heart before God, and getting ready to meet the King in His beauty. The separating sins to be searched out, acknowledged, and forsaken include drunkenness and sustaining the liquor trade, which injure souls and keep them from turning to take hold of truth and of Jesus Christ. They include pride, covetousness, and love of the world living in the heart, with grievous and presumptuous sins and continual backsliding, even while supposing the church is flourishing in peace and prosperity. They include disobedience to the law including Sabbath breach that must be repaired, ministers rejecting the law and withholding its truth, and a message whose proclamation brings conversion as part of Christ's work to set matters right and bring righteousness and salvation. They include selfishness, cherished idols, envy, hatred, jealousy, suspicion, rivalry, strife, bitterness, deception for gain, evil thoughts and speech, wicked works contradicting truth, misusing visions, Sabbath breach, ministers rejecting the law, and an unthankful spirit, which corrupt the church, dishonor the cause, weaken labor, and hinder the work until put away.