Jeremiah 25

Jeremiah 25:1

The Sins of the People

There follows a striking change in the expressions of the prophet. In the preceding verses, starting with Isaiah 56:9, he first addressed the leaders. Now he is going to address the people. Not only the leaders are responsible. Although they have a greater responsibility, the people are also responsible for their own actions. The people are addressed about two sins: idolatry and adultery. These two are also mentioned together in the New Testament (Revelation 2:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9).

First there is a warning for the evildoers to come closer and listen to the voice of God (Isaiah 57:3-4). They are addressed as “sons of a sorceress” – occultism, demon worship – and as “offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute”, as children of sin, the brood of lies. From this they derive their character, as is more often in Scripture one’s moral character is drawn by referring to one’s father or mother or both (1 Samuel 20:30; 2 Kings 6:32; Job 30:8).

Everything that follows in Isaiah 57:5-11 is addressed to those who have gone into exile and prophetically to those who have become followers of the antichrist. They practice various forms of tree worship, in which the various trees are seen as special homes of various deities (Isaiah 57:5). In this idolatry horrible rituals take place.

In Isaiah 57:6 there is mention of the worship of stones and the drink offering that is poured out to them. All this is compared with spiritual adultery, the being unfaithful to the LORD (Isaiah 57:7-9). They find peace on high and lofty places that they have climbed to offer sacrifices to their idols (Isaiah 57:7). They undergo all kinds of initiations in the higher world in order to assure themselves of business success. It does not occur to them that thereby they surrender themselves to demonic powers.

Behind the doors and posts of their houses on which they have written God’s Word (Deuteronomy 6:6; 9), they have placed their own “sign” (Isaiah 57:8). There they live their lives of debauchery and adultery. The unbelieving Israel goes in the future with the oil of worship to “the king” – or: Molech – that is the antichrist. Child sacrifices are brought to Molech (Leviticus 18:21; 2 Kings 23:10). Molech is literally Melech, which means king, as it is translated here. Today children are sacrificed to the idols ‘career’ and ‘pleasure’.

To strengthen themselves against the enemy, they send their “envoys a great distance”, to make a covenant with “Sheol” (Isaiah 57:9; Isaiah 28:15). It is a covenant with the devil “who had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14) and who manifests himself in the form of the ruler of the Roman Empire, the beast of the sea.

Idolatry and adultery are also great dangers for us. Idolatry is everything that displaces the living and true God in our lives from the first place. The apostle John warns us: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). The apostle Paul speaks about “greed, which is idolatry” and says that we have to deal with it radically (Colossians 3:5). Idolatry is closely related to adultery, an adherence to something other than God.

Jeremiah 25:2

Lying Righteousness

All this wickedness requires a lot of work and effort (Isaiah 57:10), but the people like it to make that effort. They seek new strength from the powers of darkness and not from the LORD (cf. Isaiah 40:31). It is possible that “the length of” their “road” has to do with making a second covenant with the united Europe under the leadership of the beast from Rome (Daniel 9:27), with whom Israel is forging ever stronger ties.

They have deviated so far from the LORD that they no longer think of Him (Isaiah 57:11). Instead of recognizing the hopelessness of their situation, they find new forces to continue to make connections with the heathen. The LORD did not intervene directly, but let them go their way. He has kept silent. Because He has not yet intervened in judgment, they do not fear God either (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

But He does not remain silent. When He begins to speak, He points out to them the folly of their actions. The mention “I will declare your righteousness” (Isaiah 57:12) does not imply that those with whom God has a dispute are themselves righteous. Quite the contrary is the case. It concerns what Israel, in his blind state, regards as his own righteousness. It is a false righteousness. Its true character will be revealed by God, which means exhibited and judged by Him. This is confirmed by what follows in Isaiah 57:13a.

Halfway through Isaiah 57:13 the LORD addresses Himself to the faithful among His people, a rest, a remnant. For us, to “inherit the land” speaks of taking possession of the blessings in the heavenly places, while to “possess My holy mountain” speaks of enjoying fellowship with Him.

Jeremiah 25:3

Lying Righteousness

All this wickedness requires a lot of work and effort (Isaiah 57:10), but the people like it to make that effort. They seek new strength from the powers of darkness and not from the LORD (cf. Isaiah 40:31). It is possible that “the length of” their “road” has to do with making a second covenant with the united Europe under the leadership of the beast from Rome (Daniel 9:27), with whom Israel is forging ever stronger ties.

They have deviated so far from the LORD that they no longer think of Him (Isaiah 57:11). Instead of recognizing the hopelessness of their situation, they find new forces to continue to make connections with the heathen. The LORD did not intervene directly, but let them go their way. He has kept silent. Because He has not yet intervened in judgment, they do not fear God either (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

But He does not remain silent. When He begins to speak, He points out to them the folly of their actions. The mention “I will declare your righteousness” (Isaiah 57:12) does not imply that those with whom God has a dispute are themselves righteous. Quite the contrary is the case. It concerns what Israel, in his blind state, regards as his own righteousness. It is a false righteousness. Its true character will be revealed by God, which means exhibited and judged by Him. This is confirmed by what follows in Isaiah 57:13a.

Halfway through Isaiah 57:13 the LORD addresses Himself to the faithful among His people, a rest, a remnant. For us, to “inherit the land” speaks of taking possession of the blessings in the heavenly places, while to “possess My holy mountain” speaks of enjoying fellowship with Him.

Jeremiah 25:4

Lying Righteousness

All this wickedness requires a lot of work and effort (Isaiah 57:10), but the people like it to make that effort. They seek new strength from the powers of darkness and not from the LORD (cf. Isaiah 40:31). It is possible that “the length of” their “road” has to do with making a second covenant with the united Europe under the leadership of the beast from Rome (Daniel 9:27), with whom Israel is forging ever stronger ties.

They have deviated so far from the LORD that they no longer think of Him (Isaiah 57:11). Instead of recognizing the hopelessness of their situation, they find new forces to continue to make connections with the heathen. The LORD did not intervene directly, but let them go their way. He has kept silent. Because He has not yet intervened in judgment, they do not fear God either (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

But He does not remain silent. When He begins to speak, He points out to them the folly of their actions. The mention “I will declare your righteousness” (Isaiah 57:12) does not imply that those with whom God has a dispute are themselves righteous. Quite the contrary is the case. It concerns what Israel, in his blind state, regards as his own righteousness. It is a false righteousness. Its true character will be revealed by God, which means exhibited and judged by Him. This is confirmed by what follows in Isaiah 57:13a.

Halfway through Isaiah 57:13 the LORD addresses Himself to the faithful among His people, a rest, a remnant. For us, to “inherit the land” speaks of taking possession of the blessings in the heavenly places, while to “possess My holy mountain” speaks of enjoying fellowship with Him.

Jeremiah 25:5

Lying Righteousness

All this wickedness requires a lot of work and effort (Isaiah 57:10), but the people like it to make that effort. They seek new strength from the powers of darkness and not from the LORD (cf. Isaiah 40:31). It is possible that “the length of” their “road” has to do with making a second covenant with the united Europe under the leadership of the beast from Rome (Daniel 9:27), with whom Israel is forging ever stronger ties.

They have deviated so far from the LORD that they no longer think of Him (Isaiah 57:11). Instead of recognizing the hopelessness of their situation, they find new forces to continue to make connections with the heathen. The LORD did not intervene directly, but let them go their way. He has kept silent. Because He has not yet intervened in judgment, they do not fear God either (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

But He does not remain silent. When He begins to speak, He points out to them the folly of their actions. The mention “I will declare your righteousness” (Isaiah 57:12) does not imply that those with whom God has a dispute are themselves righteous. Quite the contrary is the case. It concerns what Israel, in his blind state, regards as his own righteousness. It is a false righteousness. Its true character will be revealed by God, which means exhibited and judged by Him. This is confirmed by what follows in Isaiah 57:13a.

Halfway through Isaiah 57:13 the LORD addresses Himself to the faithful among His people, a rest, a remnant. For us, to “inherit the land” speaks of taking possession of the blessings in the heavenly places, while to “possess My holy mountain” speaks of enjoying fellowship with Him.

Jeremiah 25:6

The Dwelling Place of the LORD

The call of Isa 57:14 prepares the way for the return of the remnant from exile mentioned in Isaiah 57:13. They will inherit the land. Isaiah 62 sheds light on this (Isaiah 62:10), where the final gathering of Israel from the nations is anticipated. “[Every] obstacle” speaks of every kind of hindrance that can stand in the way of the return of the people.

In the last section of the chapter the LORD gives a message in which glory and grace are combined. It concerns His dual dwelling place: the high and holy place in heaven and the contrite and lowly of spirit on earth (Isaiah 57:15). Here His second dwelling place is not the tabernacle or temple in the midst of His people, but a remnant with the mentioned characteristics. They are “the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). Such people have nothing more to offer than the complete bankruptcy of their life. The latter will be the condition of His earthly people after their restoration.

If we humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6), He will raise us up, or as Isaiah says here, He will revive our spirit and our heart. Contrition and humiliation are cause and effect.

Jeremiah 25:7

The Dwelling Place of the LORD

The call of Isa 57:14 prepares the way for the return of the remnant from exile mentioned in Isaiah 57:13. They will inherit the land. Isaiah 62 sheds light on this (Isaiah 62:10), where the final gathering of Israel from the nations is anticipated. “[Every] obstacle” speaks of every kind of hindrance that can stand in the way of the return of the people.

In the last section of the chapter the LORD gives a message in which glory and grace are combined. It concerns His dual dwelling place: the high and holy place in heaven and the contrite and lowly of spirit on earth (Isaiah 57:15). Here His second dwelling place is not the tabernacle or temple in the midst of His people, but a remnant with the mentioned characteristics. They are “the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). Such people have nothing more to offer than the complete bankruptcy of their life. The latter will be the condition of His earthly people after their restoration.

If we humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6), He will raise us up, or as Isaiah says here, He will revive our spirit and our heart. Contrition and humiliation are cause and effect.

Jeremiah 25:8

Peace for the God-fearing

If the LORD would constantly contend and always be angry, the spirit of the object of His righteous anger would grow faint before Him (Isaiah 57:16). He did not create man to let him die. That will be the fate of the mass who does not repent. God makes His plan come true to a remnant that has the features that allow Him to take His true and full place in heart and life.

Here the LORD clearly reminds us that the existence of the soul is due to His creative power. This is at the same time a touching call to contrite and humiliate before His face. The LORD makes the promise to Israel that, having stricken them because of their greed and the turning away of their heart (Isaiah 57:17), He will heal him, lead him and restore comfort to him (Isaiah 57:18). This will be especially for the mourners, those who grieve over their own aberration and not primarily over all the injustices in the world.

Isaiah 57:19-21 show that the consequences of God’s actions will divide the people in two parts. For those who are contrite and humiliated, who mourn their sins, there will be “peace, peace” in their contrite state, both to him who is “far” and to him who is “near” (Isaiah 57:19; cf. Ephesians 2:17). The doubling of the word “peace” means complete and uninterrupted peace, “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3). This will produce worship and songs of praise. Hence, the promise of peace is preceded by the statement that God is “creating the praise of the lips”.

On the other hand, there are the wicked, the unrepentant, the followers of the antichrist, for whom “there is no peace” (Isaiah 57:20-21).

Jeremiah 25:9

Peace for the God-fearing

If the LORD would constantly contend and always be angry, the spirit of the object of His righteous anger would grow faint before Him (Isaiah 57:16). He did not create man to let him die. That will be the fate of the mass who does not repent. God makes His plan come true to a remnant that has the features that allow Him to take His true and full place in heart and life.

Here the LORD clearly reminds us that the existence of the soul is due to His creative power. This is at the same time a touching call to contrite and humiliate before His face. The LORD makes the promise to Israel that, having stricken them because of their greed and the turning away of their heart (Isaiah 57:17), He will heal him, lead him and restore comfort to him (Isaiah 57:18). This will be especially for the mourners, those who grieve over their own aberration and not primarily over all the injustices in the world.

Isaiah 57:19-21 show that the consequences of God’s actions will divide the people in two parts. For those who are contrite and humiliated, who mourn their sins, there will be “peace, peace” in their contrite state, both to him who is “far” and to him who is “near” (Isaiah 57:19; cf. Ephesians 2:17). The doubling of the word “peace” means complete and uninterrupted peace, “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3). This will produce worship and songs of praise. Hence, the promise of peace is preceded by the statement that God is “creating the praise of the lips”.

On the other hand, there are the wicked, the unrepentant, the followers of the antichrist, for whom “there is no peace” (Isaiah 57:20-21).

Jeremiah 25:10

Peace for the God-fearing

If the LORD would constantly contend and always be angry, the spirit of the object of His righteous anger would grow faint before Him (Isaiah 57:16). He did not create man to let him die. That will be the fate of the mass who does not repent. God makes His plan come true to a remnant that has the features that allow Him to take His true and full place in heart and life.

Here the LORD clearly reminds us that the existence of the soul is due to His creative power. This is at the same time a touching call to contrite and humiliate before His face. The LORD makes the promise to Israel that, having stricken them because of their greed and the turning away of their heart (Isaiah 57:17), He will heal him, lead him and restore comfort to him (Isaiah 57:18). This will be especially for the mourners, those who grieve over their own aberration and not primarily over all the injustices in the world.

Isaiah 57:19-21 show that the consequences of God’s actions will divide the people in two parts. For those who are contrite and humiliated, who mourn their sins, there will be “peace, peace” in their contrite state, both to him who is “far” and to him who is “near” (Isaiah 57:19; cf. Ephesians 2:17). The doubling of the word “peace” means complete and uninterrupted peace, “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3). This will produce worship and songs of praise. Hence, the promise of peace is preceded by the statement that God is “creating the praise of the lips”.

On the other hand, there are the wicked, the unrepentant, the followers of the antichrist, for whom “there is no peace” (Isaiah 57:20-21).

Jeremiah 25:11

Peace for the God-fearing

If the LORD would constantly contend and always be angry, the spirit of the object of His righteous anger would grow faint before Him (Isaiah 57:16). He did not create man to let him die. That will be the fate of the mass who does not repent. God makes His plan come true to a remnant that has the features that allow Him to take His true and full place in heart and life.

Here the LORD clearly reminds us that the existence of the soul is due to His creative power. This is at the same time a touching call to contrite and humiliate before His face. The LORD makes the promise to Israel that, having stricken them because of their greed and the turning away of their heart (Isaiah 57:17), He will heal him, lead him and restore comfort to him (Isaiah 57:18). This will be especially for the mourners, those who grieve over their own aberration and not primarily over all the injustices in the world.

Isaiah 57:19-21 show that the consequences of God’s actions will divide the people in two parts. For those who are contrite and humiliated, who mourn their sins, there will be “peace, peace” in their contrite state, both to him who is “far” and to him who is “near” (Isaiah 57:19; cf. Ephesians 2:17). The doubling of the word “peace” means complete and uninterrupted peace, “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3). This will produce worship and songs of praise. Hence, the promise of peace is preceded by the statement that God is “creating the praise of the lips”.

On the other hand, there are the wicked, the unrepentant, the followers of the antichrist, for whom “there is no peace” (Isaiah 57:20-21).

Jeremiah 25:12

Peace for the God-fearing

If the LORD would constantly contend and always be angry, the spirit of the object of His righteous anger would grow faint before Him (Isaiah 57:16). He did not create man to let him die. That will be the fate of the mass who does not repent. God makes His plan come true to a remnant that has the features that allow Him to take His true and full place in heart and life.

Here the LORD clearly reminds us that the existence of the soul is due to His creative power. This is at the same time a touching call to contrite and humiliate before His face. The LORD makes the promise to Israel that, having stricken them because of their greed and the turning away of their heart (Isaiah 57:17), He will heal him, lead him and restore comfort to him (Isaiah 57:18). This will be especially for the mourners, those who grieve over their own aberration and not primarily over all the injustices in the world.

Isaiah 57:19-21 show that the consequences of God’s actions will divide the people in two parts. For those who are contrite and humiliated, who mourn their sins, there will be “peace, peace” in their contrite state, both to him who is “far” and to him who is “near” (Isaiah 57:19; cf. Ephesians 2:17). The doubling of the word “peace” means complete and uninterrupted peace, “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3). This will produce worship and songs of praise. Hence, the promise of peace is preceded by the statement that God is “creating the praise of the lips”.

On the other hand, there are the wicked, the unrepentant, the followers of the antichrist, for whom “there is no peace” (Isaiah 57:20-21).

Jeremiah 25:13

Peace for the God-fearing

If the LORD would constantly contend and always be angry, the spirit of the object of His righteous anger would grow faint before Him (Isaiah 57:16). He did not create man to let him die. That will be the fate of the mass who does not repent. God makes His plan come true to a remnant that has the features that allow Him to take His true and full place in heart and life.

Here the LORD clearly reminds us that the existence of the soul is due to His creative power. This is at the same time a touching call to contrite and humiliate before His face. The LORD makes the promise to Israel that, having stricken them because of their greed and the turning away of their heart (Isaiah 57:17), He will heal him, lead him and restore comfort to him (Isaiah 57:18). This will be especially for the mourners, those who grieve over their own aberration and not primarily over all the injustices in the world.

Isaiah 57:19-21 show that the consequences of God’s actions will divide the people in two parts. For those who are contrite and humiliated, who mourn their sins, there will be “peace, peace” in their contrite state, both to him who is “far” and to him who is “near” (Isaiah 57:19; cf. Ephesians 2:17). The doubling of the word “peace” means complete and uninterrupted peace, “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3). This will produce worship and songs of praise. Hence, the promise of peace is preceded by the statement that God is “creating the praise of the lips”.

On the other hand, there are the wicked, the unrepentant, the followers of the antichrist, for whom “there is no peace” (Isaiah 57:20-21).

Jeremiah 25:15

Introduction

Overview main part 2.3 – Isaiah 58-66

God as Judge and Savior

The third part of the second main part (Isaiah 40-66) contains Isaiah 58-66 and can be divided as follows: 1. True fasting (Isaiah 58) 2. Sin, grief and salvation (Isaiah 59) 3. The future glory of Zion (Isaiah 60) 4. The year of the favor of the LORD (Isaiah 61) 5. Convinced prayer for the future of Zion (Isaiah 62) 6. The LORD, the Avenger (Isaiah 63:1-6) 7. A psalm of praise and lamentation (Isaiah 63:7-64:12) 8. The great final decisions (Isaiah 65-66)

Introduction to Isaiah 58

With Isaiah 58 a new series of prophecies begins. The first part of it is remarkably similar to what preceded, namely admonition, warning and promise. However, the emphasis in this part is on the future realization of God’s salvation. For the earthly Israel this means the restoration in the land and receiving the full blessing in the millennial realm of peace.

There is no longer directly talk of fulfillment in the short term, as is the case in the previous chapters. Isaiah 1-39 is about the threat of the king of Assyria with a short term fulfillment in the days of Hezekiah and a full fulfillment in the end time. In Isaiah 40-57 it is about the return from exile in Babylon with the short term fulfillment in the return of a remnant to the land and also a full fulfillment in the end time. But in this last part of the book, Isaiah 58-66, it is almost only about the fulfillment in the end time.

Isaiah 40-48 deals with the first great sin of the people of Israel, namely idolatry. That part ends with the observation that the wicked have no peace. In Isaiah 49-57 it is about the second great sin of the people of Israel, namely the rejection of Christ and receiving the antichrist with open arms. That part also ends with the statement that the wicked have no peace.

That is why Isaiah 58 begins with a call to humble themselves, just as the blowing of the trumpets is a call to humble themselves in view of the day of atonement (Leviticus 23:23-27). Also compare the call to humility and conversion by John the baptist, which is a preparation for the coming of Christ. The blowing of the trumpets goes hand in hand with fasting, which finds its climax on the day of atonement. Here, too, we find a call to fasting. The question sounds as it were: “Was it actually for Me that you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5), for the LORD “desires truth in the innermost being” (Psalms 51:6a).

Fast of the People

In order to make the contrast with the future clear, the present situation must also be clear. That is what this chapter is about, which also has great significance for us. It is about fasting, but the intention is to demonstrate the principle of the underlying hypocritical, false piety, an external religion. This is also found in professing Christianity. We find it not only in the Pharisees, but also in ourselves. These are people who seem very sincere.

The prophet is summoned to cry “loudly” (literally “with the throat”) and raise his voice like a trumpet to make God’s people known their sins (Isaiah 58:1). With this, Isaiah underlines the words of the prophet Micah, his contemporary (Micah 3:8b). The sound of the trumpet is not a silver trumpet, but a ram’s horn. The sound must penetrate to behind the hypocritical righteousness and religious masks behind which the people hide.

In Isaiah 58:2 God speaks about the righteousness of His people. Outwardly everything seems to be in order. Prophetically this is about the last week – i.e. a period of seven years – from the book of Daniel (Daniel 9:27). A covenant will be made between Israel under the antichrist and the restored Roman Empire or the united states of Europe under the leadership of the beast out of the sea (Revelation 13:1-10). The temple in Jerusalem has been rebuilt and temple service resumed, something that Israel has not been able to do for many centuries (Hosea 3:4).

It seems that they like to approach God. They seek the LORD daily. They are also interested in His ways. They would like to get to know them better and for that they read in the Bible. They even pretend they are a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. You would say, applied to our time, that they are people who like to visit Christian meetings and are also religiously engaged at home. You would say that they serve God wholeheartedly.

However, Isaiah 58:3a makes it clear that their hearts are not involved at all. Their own confession of piety becomes a cause for complaining that God does not pay attention to it. They complain that they notice so little of God’s blessing in their lives, to which they are entitled because of their tremendous dedication and interest in His things. He should reward this by giving them a pleasant life.

The fact is that they don’t notice how much they do everything to please themselves and not God. With all their ‘good’ intentions they are blind to what God wants. There is something essential missing from all that external religion. The prayer and humility that go with fasting are absent as well as the real seeking of God. They cling to the form, but their hearts are not in harmony with it. The only fasting that Scripture asks for in the Old Testament is in connection with the day of atonement and is accompanied by true humility (Leviticus 16:29).

They are blamed by God for the kind of fasting they do, because their fasting is only an outward ritual (Isaiah 58:3b). They seek their own advantage and put pressure on their staff to produce more (Isaiah 58:4; cf. James 5:1-6). They content and strife with each other. How can the relationship with the Lord be in order when we live in contention with each other? This is not the fast preferred by the LORD and pleasing to Him (Isaiah 58:5). Bowing the head, walking in sackcloth and living on ashes seems very humble, but God desires a contrite heart (Isaiah 57:15).

Jeremiah 25:16

Introduction

Overview main part 2.3 – Isaiah 58-66

God as Judge and Savior

The third part of the second main part (Isaiah 40-66) contains Isaiah 58-66 and can be divided as follows: 1. True fasting (Isaiah 58) 2. Sin, grief and salvation (Isaiah 59) 3. The future glory of Zion (Isaiah 60) 4. The year of the favor of the LORD (Isaiah 61) 5. Convinced prayer for the future of Zion (Isaiah 62) 6. The LORD, the Avenger (Isaiah 63:1-6) 7. A psalm of praise and lamentation (Isaiah 63:7-64:12) 8. The great final decisions (Isaiah 65-66)

Introduction to Isaiah 58

With Isaiah 58 a new series of prophecies begins. The first part of it is remarkably similar to what preceded, namely admonition, warning and promise. However, the emphasis in this part is on the future realization of God’s salvation. For the earthly Israel this means the restoration in the land and receiving the full blessing in the millennial realm of peace.

There is no longer directly talk of fulfillment in the short term, as is the case in the previous chapters. Isaiah 1-39 is about the threat of the king of Assyria with a short term fulfillment in the days of Hezekiah and a full fulfillment in the end time. In Isaiah 40-57 it is about the return from exile in Babylon with the short term fulfillment in the return of a remnant to the land and also a full fulfillment in the end time. But in this last part of the book, Isaiah 58-66, it is almost only about the fulfillment in the end time.

Isaiah 40-48 deals with the first great sin of the people of Israel, namely idolatry. That part ends with the observation that the wicked have no peace. In Isaiah 49-57 it is about the second great sin of the people of Israel, namely the rejection of Christ and receiving the antichrist with open arms. That part also ends with the statement that the wicked have no peace.

That is why Isaiah 58 begins with a call to humble themselves, just as the blowing of the trumpets is a call to humble themselves in view of the day of atonement (Leviticus 23:23-27). Also compare the call to humility and conversion by John the baptist, which is a preparation for the coming of Christ. The blowing of the trumpets goes hand in hand with fasting, which finds its climax on the day of atonement. Here, too, we find a call to fasting. The question sounds as it were: “Was it actually for Me that you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5), for the LORD “desires truth in the innermost being” (Psalms 51:6a).

Fast of the People

In order to make the contrast with the future clear, the present situation must also be clear. That is what this chapter is about, which also has great significance for us. It is about fasting, but the intention is to demonstrate the principle of the underlying hypocritical, false piety, an external religion. This is also found in professing Christianity. We find it not only in the Pharisees, but also in ourselves. These are people who seem very sincere.

The prophet is summoned to cry “loudly” (literally “with the throat”) and raise his voice like a trumpet to make God’s people known their sins (Isaiah 58:1). With this, Isaiah underlines the words of the prophet Micah, his contemporary (Micah 3:8b). The sound of the trumpet is not a silver trumpet, but a ram’s horn. The sound must penetrate to behind the hypocritical righteousness and religious masks behind which the people hide.

In Isaiah 58:2 God speaks about the righteousness of His people. Outwardly everything seems to be in order. Prophetically this is about the last week – i.e. a period of seven years – from the book of Daniel (Daniel 9:27). A covenant will be made between Israel under the antichrist and the restored Roman Empire or the united states of Europe under the leadership of the beast out of the sea (Revelation 13:1-10). The temple in Jerusalem has been rebuilt and temple service resumed, something that Israel has not been able to do for many centuries (Hosea 3:4).

It seems that they like to approach God. They seek the LORD daily. They are also interested in His ways. They would like to get to know them better and for that they read in the Bible. They even pretend they are a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. You would say, applied to our time, that they are people who like to visit Christian meetings and are also religiously engaged at home. You would say that they serve God wholeheartedly.

However, Isaiah 58:3a makes it clear that their hearts are not involved at all. Their own confession of piety becomes a cause for complaining that God does not pay attention to it. They complain that they notice so little of God’s blessing in their lives, to which they are entitled because of their tremendous dedication and interest in His things. He should reward this by giving them a pleasant life.

The fact is that they don’t notice how much they do everything to please themselves and not God. With all their ‘good’ intentions they are blind to what God wants. There is something essential missing from all that external religion. The prayer and humility that go with fasting are absent as well as the real seeking of God. They cling to the form, but their hearts are not in harmony with it. The only fasting that Scripture asks for in the Old Testament is in connection with the day of atonement and is accompanied by true humility (Leviticus 16:29).

They are blamed by God for the kind of fasting they do, because their fasting is only an outward ritual (Isaiah 58:3b). They seek their own advantage and put pressure on their staff to produce more (Isaiah 58:4; cf. James 5:1-6). They content and strife with each other. How can the relationship with the Lord be in order when we live in contention with each other? This is not the fast preferred by the LORD and pleasing to Him (Isaiah 58:5). Bowing the head, walking in sackcloth and living on ashes seems very humble, but God desires a contrite heart (Isaiah 57:15).

Jeremiah 25:17

Introduction

Overview main part 2.3 – Isaiah 58-66

God as Judge and Savior

The third part of the second main part (Isaiah 40-66) contains Isaiah 58-66 and can be divided as follows: 1. True fasting (Isaiah 58) 2. Sin, grief and salvation (Isaiah 59) 3. The future glory of Zion (Isaiah 60) 4. The year of the favor of the LORD (Isaiah 61) 5. Convinced prayer for the future of Zion (Isaiah 62) 6. The LORD, the Avenger (Isaiah 63:1-6) 7. A psalm of praise and lamentation (Isaiah 63:7-64:12) 8. The great final decisions (Isaiah 65-66)

Introduction to Isaiah 58

With Isaiah 58 a new series of prophecies begins. The first part of it is remarkably similar to what preceded, namely admonition, warning and promise. However, the emphasis in this part is on the future realization of God’s salvation. For the earthly Israel this means the restoration in the land and receiving the full blessing in the millennial realm of peace.

There is no longer directly talk of fulfillment in the short term, as is the case in the previous chapters. Isaiah 1-39 is about the threat of the king of Assyria with a short term fulfillment in the days of Hezekiah and a full fulfillment in the end time. In Isaiah 40-57 it is about the return from exile in Babylon with the short term fulfillment in the return of a remnant to the land and also a full fulfillment in the end time. But in this last part of the book, Isaiah 58-66, it is almost only about the fulfillment in the end time.

Isaiah 40-48 deals with the first great sin of the people of Israel, namely idolatry. That part ends with the observation that the wicked have no peace. In Isaiah 49-57 it is about the second great sin of the people of Israel, namely the rejection of Christ and receiving the antichrist with open arms. That part also ends with the statement that the wicked have no peace.

That is why Isaiah 58 begins with a call to humble themselves, just as the blowing of the trumpets is a call to humble themselves in view of the day of atonement (Leviticus 23:23-27). Also compare the call to humility and conversion by John the baptist, which is a preparation for the coming of Christ. The blowing of the trumpets goes hand in hand with fasting, which finds its climax on the day of atonement. Here, too, we find a call to fasting. The question sounds as it were: “Was it actually for Me that you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5), for the LORD “desires truth in the innermost being” (Psalms 51:6a).

Fast of the People

In order to make the contrast with the future clear, the present situation must also be clear. That is what this chapter is about, which also has great significance for us. It is about fasting, but the intention is to demonstrate the principle of the underlying hypocritical, false piety, an external religion. This is also found in professing Christianity. We find it not only in the Pharisees, but also in ourselves. These are people who seem very sincere.

The prophet is summoned to cry “loudly” (literally “with the throat”) and raise his voice like a trumpet to make God’s people known their sins (Isaiah 58:1). With this, Isaiah underlines the words of the prophet Micah, his contemporary (Micah 3:8b). The sound of the trumpet is not a silver trumpet, but a ram’s horn. The sound must penetrate to behind the hypocritical righteousness and religious masks behind which the people hide.

In Isaiah 58:2 God speaks about the righteousness of His people. Outwardly everything seems to be in order. Prophetically this is about the last week – i.e. a period of seven years – from the book of Daniel (Daniel 9:27). A covenant will be made between Israel under the antichrist and the restored Roman Empire or the united states of Europe under the leadership of the beast out of the sea (Revelation 13:1-10). The temple in Jerusalem has been rebuilt and temple service resumed, something that Israel has not been able to do for many centuries (Hosea 3:4).

It seems that they like to approach God. They seek the LORD daily. They are also interested in His ways. They would like to get to know them better and for that they read in the Bible. They even pretend they are a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. You would say, applied to our time, that they are people who like to visit Christian meetings and are also religiously engaged at home. You would say that they serve God wholeheartedly.

However, Isaiah 58:3a makes it clear that their hearts are not involved at all. Their own confession of piety becomes a cause for complaining that God does not pay attention to it. They complain that they notice so little of God’s blessing in their lives, to which they are entitled because of their tremendous dedication and interest in His things. He should reward this by giving them a pleasant life.

The fact is that they don’t notice how much they do everything to please themselves and not God. With all their ‘good’ intentions they are blind to what God wants. There is something essential missing from all that external religion. The prayer and humility that go with fasting are absent as well as the real seeking of God. They cling to the form, but their hearts are not in harmony with it. The only fasting that Scripture asks for in the Old Testament is in connection with the day of atonement and is accompanied by true humility (Leviticus 16:29).

They are blamed by God for the kind of fasting they do, because their fasting is only an outward ritual (Isaiah 58:3b). They seek their own advantage and put pressure on their staff to produce more (Isaiah 58:4; cf. James 5:1-6). They content and strife with each other. How can the relationship with the Lord be in order when we live in contention with each other? This is not the fast preferred by the LORD and pleasing to Him (Isaiah 58:5). Bowing the head, walking in sackcloth and living on ashes seems very humble, but God desires a contrite heart (Isaiah 57:15).

Jeremiah 25:18

Introduction

Overview main part 2.3 – Isaiah 58-66

God as Judge and Savior

The third part of the second main part (Isaiah 40-66) contains Isaiah 58-66 and can be divided as follows: 1. True fasting (Isaiah 58) 2. Sin, grief and salvation (Isaiah 59) 3. The future glory of Zion (Isaiah 60) 4. The year of the favor of the LORD (Isaiah 61) 5. Convinced prayer for the future of Zion (Isaiah 62) 6. The LORD, the Avenger (Isaiah 63:1-6) 7. A psalm of praise and lamentation (Isaiah 63:7-64:12) 8. The great final decisions (Isaiah 65-66)

Introduction to Isaiah 58

With Isaiah 58 a new series of prophecies begins. The first part of it is remarkably similar to what preceded, namely admonition, warning and promise. However, the emphasis in this part is on the future realization of God’s salvation. For the earthly Israel this means the restoration in the land and receiving the full blessing in the millennial realm of peace.

There is no longer directly talk of fulfillment in the short term, as is the case in the previous chapters. Isaiah 1-39 is about the threat of the king of Assyria with a short term fulfillment in the days of Hezekiah and a full fulfillment in the end time. In Isaiah 40-57 it is about the return from exile in Babylon with the short term fulfillment in the return of a remnant to the land and also a full fulfillment in the end time. But in this last part of the book, Isaiah 58-66, it is almost only about the fulfillment in the end time.

Isaiah 40-48 deals with the first great sin of the people of Israel, namely idolatry. That part ends with the observation that the wicked have no peace. In Isaiah 49-57 it is about the second great sin of the people of Israel, namely the rejection of Christ and receiving the antichrist with open arms. That part also ends with the statement that the wicked have no peace.

That is why Isaiah 58 begins with a call to humble themselves, just as the blowing of the trumpets is a call to humble themselves in view of the day of atonement (Leviticus 23:23-27). Also compare the call to humility and conversion by John the baptist, which is a preparation for the coming of Christ. The blowing of the trumpets goes hand in hand with fasting, which finds its climax on the day of atonement. Here, too, we find a call to fasting. The question sounds as it were: “Was it actually for Me that you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5), for the LORD “desires truth in the innermost being” (Psalms 51:6a).

Fast of the People

In order to make the contrast with the future clear, the present situation must also be clear. That is what this chapter is about, which also has great significance for us. It is about fasting, but the intention is to demonstrate the principle of the underlying hypocritical, false piety, an external religion. This is also found in professing Christianity. We find it not only in the Pharisees, but also in ourselves. These are people who seem very sincere.

The prophet is summoned to cry “loudly” (literally “with the throat”) and raise his voice like a trumpet to make God’s people known their sins (Isaiah 58:1). With this, Isaiah underlines the words of the prophet Micah, his contemporary (Micah 3:8b). The sound of the trumpet is not a silver trumpet, but a ram’s horn. The sound must penetrate to behind the hypocritical righteousness and religious masks behind which the people hide.

In Isaiah 58:2 God speaks about the righteousness of His people. Outwardly everything seems to be in order. Prophetically this is about the last week – i.e. a period of seven years – from the book of Daniel (Daniel 9:27). A covenant will be made between Israel under the antichrist and the restored Roman Empire or the united states of Europe under the leadership of the beast out of the sea (Revelation 13:1-10). The temple in Jerusalem has been rebuilt and temple service resumed, something that Israel has not been able to do for many centuries (Hosea 3:4).

It seems that they like to approach God. They seek the LORD daily. They are also interested in His ways. They would like to get to know them better and for that they read in the Bible. They even pretend they are a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. You would say, applied to our time, that they are people who like to visit Christian meetings and are also religiously engaged at home. You would say that they serve God wholeheartedly.

However, Isaiah 58:3a makes it clear that their hearts are not involved at all. Their own confession of piety becomes a cause for complaining that God does not pay attention to it. They complain that they notice so little of God’s blessing in their lives, to which they are entitled because of their tremendous dedication and interest in His things. He should reward this by giving them a pleasant life.

The fact is that they don’t notice how much they do everything to please themselves and not God. With all their ‘good’ intentions they are blind to what God wants. There is something essential missing from all that external religion. The prayer and humility that go with fasting are absent as well as the real seeking of God. They cling to the form, but their hearts are not in harmony with it. The only fasting that Scripture asks for in the Old Testament is in connection with the day of atonement and is accompanied by true humility (Leviticus 16:29).

They are blamed by God for the kind of fasting they do, because their fasting is only an outward ritual (Isaiah 58:3b). They seek their own advantage and put pressure on their staff to produce more (Isaiah 58:4; cf. James 5:1-6). They content and strife with each other. How can the relationship with the Lord be in order when we live in contention with each other? This is not the fast preferred by the LORD and pleasing to Him (Isaiah 58:5). Bowing the head, walking in sackcloth and living on ashes seems very humble, but God desires a contrite heart (Isaiah 57:15).

Jeremiah 25:19

Introduction

Overview main part 2.3 – Isaiah 58-66

God as Judge and Savior

The third part of the second main part (Isaiah 40-66) contains Isaiah 58-66 and can be divided as follows: 1. True fasting (Isaiah 58) 2. Sin, grief and salvation (Isaiah 59) 3. The future glory of Zion (Isaiah 60) 4. The year of the favor of the LORD (Isaiah 61) 5. Convinced prayer for the future of Zion (Isaiah 62) 6. The LORD, the Avenger (Isaiah 63:1-6) 7. A psalm of praise and lamentation (Isaiah 63:7-64:12) 8. The great final decisions (Isaiah 65-66)

Introduction to Isaiah 58

With Isaiah 58 a new series of prophecies begins. The first part of it is remarkably similar to what preceded, namely admonition, warning and promise. However, the emphasis in this part is on the future realization of God’s salvation. For the earthly Israel this means the restoration in the land and receiving the full blessing in the millennial realm of peace.

There is no longer directly talk of fulfillment in the short term, as is the case in the previous chapters. Isaiah 1-39 is about the threat of the king of Assyria with a short term fulfillment in the days of Hezekiah and a full fulfillment in the end time. In Isaiah 40-57 it is about the return from exile in Babylon with the short term fulfillment in the return of a remnant to the land and also a full fulfillment in the end time. But in this last part of the book, Isaiah 58-66, it is almost only about the fulfillment in the end time.

Isaiah 40-48 deals with the first great sin of the people of Israel, namely idolatry. That part ends with the observation that the wicked have no peace. In Isaiah 49-57 it is about the second great sin of the people of Israel, namely the rejection of Christ and receiving the antichrist with open arms. That part also ends with the statement that the wicked have no peace.

That is why Isaiah 58 begins with a call to humble themselves, just as the blowing of the trumpets is a call to humble themselves in view of the day of atonement (Leviticus 23:23-27). Also compare the call to humility and conversion by John the baptist, which is a preparation for the coming of Christ. The blowing of the trumpets goes hand in hand with fasting, which finds its climax on the day of atonement. Here, too, we find a call to fasting. The question sounds as it were: “Was it actually for Me that you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5), for the LORD “desires truth in the innermost being” (Psalms 51:6a).

Fast of the People

In order to make the contrast with the future clear, the present situation must also be clear. That is what this chapter is about, which also has great significance for us. It is about fasting, but the intention is to demonstrate the principle of the underlying hypocritical, false piety, an external religion. This is also found in professing Christianity. We find it not only in the Pharisees, but also in ourselves. These are people who seem very sincere.

The prophet is summoned to cry “loudly” (literally “with the throat”) and raise his voice like a trumpet to make God’s people known their sins (Isaiah 58:1). With this, Isaiah underlines the words of the prophet Micah, his contemporary (Micah 3:8b). The sound of the trumpet is not a silver trumpet, but a ram’s horn. The sound must penetrate to behind the hypocritical righteousness and religious masks behind which the people hide.

In Isaiah 58:2 God speaks about the righteousness of His people. Outwardly everything seems to be in order. Prophetically this is about the last week – i.e. a period of seven years – from the book of Daniel (Daniel 9:27). A covenant will be made between Israel under the antichrist and the restored Roman Empire or the united states of Europe under the leadership of the beast out of the sea (Revelation 13:1-10). The temple in Jerusalem has been rebuilt and temple service resumed, something that Israel has not been able to do for many centuries (Hosea 3:4).

It seems that they like to approach God. They seek the LORD daily. They are also interested in His ways. They would like to get to know them better and for that they read in the Bible. They even pretend they are a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. You would say, applied to our time, that they are people who like to visit Christian meetings and are also religiously engaged at home. You would say that they serve God wholeheartedly.

However, Isaiah 58:3a makes it clear that their hearts are not involved at all. Their own confession of piety becomes a cause for complaining that God does not pay attention to it. They complain that they notice so little of God’s blessing in their lives, to which they are entitled because of their tremendous dedication and interest in His things. He should reward this by giving them a pleasant life.

The fact is that they don’t notice how much they do everything to please themselves and not God. With all their ‘good’ intentions they are blind to what God wants. There is something essential missing from all that external religion. The prayer and humility that go with fasting are absent as well as the real seeking of God. They cling to the form, but their hearts are not in harmony with it. The only fasting that Scripture asks for in the Old Testament is in connection with the day of atonement and is accompanied by true humility (Leviticus 16:29).

They are blamed by God for the kind of fasting they do, because their fasting is only an outward ritual (Isaiah 58:3b). They seek their own advantage and put pressure on their staff to produce more (Isaiah 58:4; cf. James 5:1-6). They content and strife with each other. How can the relationship with the Lord be in order when we live in contention with each other? This is not the fast preferred by the LORD and pleasing to Him (Isaiah 58:5). Bowing the head, walking in sackcloth and living on ashes seems very humble, but God desires a contrite heart (Isaiah 57:15).

Jeremiah 25:20

The Fast Which the LORD Chooses

The fast that is pleasing to Him will lead to loosen the bonds of wickedness and the release of the oppressed (Isaiah 58:6). By presenting the fast that is pleasing to Him as questions to His people, the LORD asks if they agree with Him that His measure is the right one. Happy fast will work out that they care for the hungry, the poor and the naked and their families (Isaiah 58:7).

These hungry, poor, and naked belong prophetically to the faithful remnant of Israel, referred to by the Lord Jesus as “the least of these brethren of Mine” (Matthew 25:40; 45). This shows that the restoration of the sacrifices and the temple service in Jerusalem after the rebuilding of the temple will only be external. They are a fig tree that has been putting forth leaves (Matthew 24:32), but is still without fruit.

The seven forms of fasting mentioned by the LORD require a renunciation of one’s own interests and a sacrifice in the form of time, forces and means. In larger churches, some brothers and sisters, members of God’s family, may be spiritually hungry, poor and out in the cold, while the highest truths are proclaimed. They are not looked after. Sometimes they are not even missed if they do not come to the meeting. If they are not cared for outside the meetings, the meetings have no meaning for Him.

Jeremiah 25:21

The Fast Which the LORD Chooses

The fast that is pleasing to Him will lead to loosen the bonds of wickedness and the release of the oppressed (Isaiah 58:6). By presenting the fast that is pleasing to Him as questions to His people, the LORD asks if they agree with Him that His measure is the right one. Happy fast will work out that they care for the hungry, the poor and the naked and their families (Isaiah 58:7).

These hungry, poor, and naked belong prophetically to the faithful remnant of Israel, referred to by the Lord Jesus as “the least of these brethren of Mine” (Matthew 25:40; 45). This shows that the restoration of the sacrifices and the temple service in Jerusalem after the rebuilding of the temple will only be external. They are a fig tree that has been putting forth leaves (Matthew 24:32), but is still without fruit.

The seven forms of fasting mentioned by the LORD require a renunciation of one’s own interests and a sacrifice in the form of time, forces and means. In larger churches, some brothers and sisters, members of God’s family, may be spiritually hungry, poor and out in the cold, while the highest truths are proclaimed. They are not looked after. Sometimes they are not even missed if they do not come to the meeting. If they are not cared for outside the meetings, the meetings have no meaning for Him.

Jeremiah 25:22

Promise of Blessing

If in these things they are in fellowship with the LORD, thinking about fasting as He does and thereby acting as He wants, their light will break through and their incurable wound will soon be healed (Isaiah 58:8; cf. Isaiah 1:6). Righteousness and glory will protect them before and behind as the pillar of cloud was with them during the wilderness journey.

They will please God. Their prayer will be answered by Him. He will show Himself to them when they no longer subject others to rule over them and abuse them for the pursuit of their own desires (Isaiah 58:9). They will then give to others what they desire for themselves, resulting in a life in the light (Isaiah 58:10).

Merely external religion and external conformity to rituals are easy. In doing so, they create a spirit of complacency. However, what corresponds to God’s approval is obedience to His Word. The first effect of this will be that they are kept in true exercise of heart in His presence. Subsequently, it leads to a fulfillment of His righteousness in their ways and relationships with others.

We can accurately fulfill spiritual duties, while all the time the heart is not upright toward God because there is sin in life that does not escape His all-seeing eye. That is the message of this section.

Isaiah 58:11 continues on what is said in Isaiah 58:8, with promises of abundant blessing if the conditions are met. The promises are: 1. uninterrupted guidance; 2. satisfaction of the soul even in extreme drought and aridity; 3. the giving of strength to the bones, so that the body can be the instrument to fulfill His will; 4. the green beauty of a watered garden, as a picture of the brilliant manifestations of the working of the Spirit of God; 5. the outpouring of blessing by the Holy Spirit, presented as a source of water whose water does not disappoint.

What is promised here to Israel, the Lord in His grace wants to give in the life of the believer also now.

Isaiah 58:12 contains the promise of national restoration. Those who return from exile will rebuild the old ruins on foundations that many generations before have been laid. They will be given the beautiful names “the repairer of the breach” and “the restorer of the streets”.

Jeremiah 25:23

Promise of Blessing

If in these things they are in fellowship with the LORD, thinking about fasting as He does and thereby acting as He wants, their light will break through and their incurable wound will soon be healed (Isaiah 58:8; cf. Isaiah 1:6). Righteousness and glory will protect them before and behind as the pillar of cloud was with them during the wilderness journey.

They will please God. Their prayer will be answered by Him. He will show Himself to them when they no longer subject others to rule over them and abuse them for the pursuit of their own desires (Isaiah 58:9). They will then give to others what they desire for themselves, resulting in a life in the light (Isaiah 58:10).

Merely external religion and external conformity to rituals are easy. In doing so, they create a spirit of complacency. However, what corresponds to God’s approval is obedience to His Word. The first effect of this will be that they are kept in true exercise of heart in His presence. Subsequently, it leads to a fulfillment of His righteousness in their ways and relationships with others.

We can accurately fulfill spiritual duties, while all the time the heart is not upright toward God because there is sin in life that does not escape His all-seeing eye. That is the message of this section.

Isaiah 58:11 continues on what is said in Isaiah 58:8, with promises of abundant blessing if the conditions are met. The promises are: 1. uninterrupted guidance; 2. satisfaction of the soul even in extreme drought and aridity; 3. the giving of strength to the bones, so that the body can be the instrument to fulfill His will; 4. the green beauty of a watered garden, as a picture of the brilliant manifestations of the working of the Spirit of God; 5. the outpouring of blessing by the Holy Spirit, presented as a source of water whose water does not disappoint.

What is promised here to Israel, the Lord in His grace wants to give in the life of the believer also now.

Isaiah 58:12 contains the promise of national restoration. Those who return from exile will rebuild the old ruins on foundations that many generations before have been laid. They will be given the beautiful names “the repairer of the breach” and “the restorer of the streets”.

Jeremiah 25:24

Promise of Blessing

If in these things they are in fellowship with the LORD, thinking about fasting as He does and thereby acting as He wants, their light will break through and their incurable wound will soon be healed (Isaiah 58:8; cf. Isaiah 1:6). Righteousness and glory will protect them before and behind as the pillar of cloud was with them during the wilderness journey.

They will please God. Their prayer will be answered by Him. He will show Himself to them when they no longer subject others to rule over them and abuse them for the pursuit of their own desires (Isaiah 58:9). They will then give to others what they desire for themselves, resulting in a life in the light (Isaiah 58:10).

Merely external religion and external conformity to rituals are easy. In doing so, they create a spirit of complacency. However, what corresponds to God’s approval is obedience to His Word. The first effect of this will be that they are kept in true exercise of heart in His presence. Subsequently, it leads to a fulfillment of His righteousness in their ways and relationships with others.

We can accurately fulfill spiritual duties, while all the time the heart is not upright toward God because there is sin in life that does not escape His all-seeing eye. That is the message of this section.

Isaiah 58:11 continues on what is said in Isaiah 58:8, with promises of abundant blessing if the conditions are met. The promises are: 1. uninterrupted guidance; 2. satisfaction of the soul even in extreme drought and aridity; 3. the giving of strength to the bones, so that the body can be the instrument to fulfill His will; 4. the green beauty of a watered garden, as a picture of the brilliant manifestations of the working of the Spirit of God; 5. the outpouring of blessing by the Holy Spirit, presented as a source of water whose water does not disappoint.

What is promised here to Israel, the Lord in His grace wants to give in the life of the believer also now.

Isaiah 58:12 contains the promise of national restoration. Those who return from exile will rebuild the old ruins on foundations that many generations before have been laid. They will be given the beautiful names “the repairer of the breach” and “the restorer of the streets”.

Jeremiah 25:25

Promise of Blessing

If in these things they are in fellowship with the LORD, thinking about fasting as He does and thereby acting as He wants, their light will break through and their incurable wound will soon be healed (Isaiah 58:8; cf. Isaiah 1:6). Righteousness and glory will protect them before and behind as the pillar of cloud was with them during the wilderness journey.

They will please God. Their prayer will be answered by Him. He will show Himself to them when they no longer subject others to rule over them and abuse them for the pursuit of their own desires (Isaiah 58:9). They will then give to others what they desire for themselves, resulting in a life in the light (Isaiah 58:10).

Merely external religion and external conformity to rituals are easy. In doing so, they create a spirit of complacency. However, what corresponds to God’s approval is obedience to His Word. The first effect of this will be that they are kept in true exercise of heart in His presence. Subsequently, it leads to a fulfillment of His righteousness in their ways and relationships with others.

We can accurately fulfill spiritual duties, while all the time the heart is not upright toward God because there is sin in life that does not escape His all-seeing eye. That is the message of this section.

Isaiah 58:11 continues on what is said in Isaiah 58:8, with promises of abundant blessing if the conditions are met. The promises are: 1. uninterrupted guidance; 2. satisfaction of the soul even in extreme drought and aridity; 3. the giving of strength to the bones, so that the body can be the instrument to fulfill His will; 4. the green beauty of a watered garden, as a picture of the brilliant manifestations of the working of the Spirit of God; 5. the outpouring of blessing by the Holy Spirit, presented as a source of water whose water does not disappoint.

What is promised here to Israel, the Lord in His grace wants to give in the life of the believer also now.

Isaiah 58:12 contains the promise of national restoration. Those who return from exile will rebuild the old ruins on foundations that many generations before have been laid. They will be given the beautiful names “the repairer of the breach” and “the restorer of the streets”.

Jeremiah 25:26

Promise of Blessing

If in these things they are in fellowship with the LORD, thinking about fasting as He does and thereby acting as He wants, their light will break through and their incurable wound will soon be healed (Isaiah 58:8; cf. Isaiah 1:6). Righteousness and glory will protect them before and behind as the pillar of cloud was with them during the wilderness journey.

They will please God. Their prayer will be answered by Him. He will show Himself to them when they no longer subject others to rule over them and abuse them for the pursuit of their own desires (Isaiah 58:9). They will then give to others what they desire for themselves, resulting in a life in the light (Isaiah 58:10).

Merely external religion and external conformity to rituals are easy. In doing so, they create a spirit of complacency. However, what corresponds to God’s approval is obedience to His Word. The first effect of this will be that they are kept in true exercise of heart in His presence. Subsequently, it leads to a fulfillment of His righteousness in their ways and relationships with others.

We can accurately fulfill spiritual duties, while all the time the heart is not upright toward God because there is sin in life that does not escape His all-seeing eye. That is the message of this section.

Isaiah 58:11 continues on what is said in Isaiah 58:8, with promises of abundant blessing if the conditions are met. The promises are: 1. uninterrupted guidance; 2. satisfaction of the soul even in extreme drought and aridity; 3. the giving of strength to the bones, so that the body can be the instrument to fulfill His will; 4. the green beauty of a watered garden, as a picture of the brilliant manifestations of the working of the Spirit of God; 5. the outpouring of blessing by the Holy Spirit, presented as a source of water whose water does not disappoint.

What is promised here to Israel, the Lord in His grace wants to give in the life of the believer also now.

Isaiah 58:12 contains the promise of national restoration. Those who return from exile will rebuild the old ruins on foundations that many generations before have been laid. They will be given the beautiful names “the repairer of the breach” and “the restorer of the streets”.

Jeremiah 25:27

Keeping the Sabbath

The promises of the previous verse, Isaiah 58:12, are also subject to conditions (Isaiah 58:13). Account must be taken of what the LORD has said. One’s own will may not be followed, one’s own pleasure may not be sought, worthless words may not be spoken. He who renounces all this shall rejoice in the LORD (Isaiah 58:14). It is not merely a matter of keeping a commandment. The LORD Himself is inseparable connected to His law. The commandment is nothing but the expression of His own features and attributes.

Our rest, of which the sabbath speaks, is in the accomplished work of Christ. Awareness of this will keep us from pursuing our own interests. In this sense for us it is sabbath every day. We may experience every day as a “holy [day]” of the Lord, a day that is lived not for ourselves, but for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15b). To live in this way is true peace for the believer. It is the life flowing from the peace that the Lord Jesus has acquired for us through His death and resurrection.

To “take delight in the LORD” is the highest possible occupation. It is the privilege of the believer, either in times of fellowship and worship, or in the activities of the service. It has become possible because the Lord Jesus has become their Messiah. In connection with Him they can delight in the LORD. But it is only possible if the preceding conditions are met.

Then there are more promises, which are literal for Israel and spiritual for us. Riding “on the heights of the earth” speaks of the position of Israel among other nations (cf. Deuteronomy 32:13). Applied to us, we may think of our position in the heavenly places in Christ.

Feeding with “the heritage” speaks of taking possession of the entire inheritance promised to the fathers. For us, it means that we may think of enjoying the blessings we received in Christ in heaven. Both for Israel and for the church these blessings are certain, “for the mouth of the LORD has spoken”.

Jeremiah 25:28

Keeping the Sabbath

The promises of the previous verse, Isaiah 58:12, are also subject to conditions (Isaiah 58:13). Account must be taken of what the LORD has said. One’s own will may not be followed, one’s own pleasure may not be sought, worthless words may not be spoken. He who renounces all this shall rejoice in the LORD (Isaiah 58:14). It is not merely a matter of keeping a commandment. The LORD Himself is inseparable connected to His law. The commandment is nothing but the expression of His own features and attributes.

Our rest, of which the sabbath speaks, is in the accomplished work of Christ. Awareness of this will keep us from pursuing our own interests. In this sense for us it is sabbath every day. We may experience every day as a “holy [day]” of the Lord, a day that is lived not for ourselves, but for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15b). To live in this way is true peace for the believer. It is the life flowing from the peace that the Lord Jesus has acquired for us through His death and resurrection.

To “take delight in the LORD” is the highest possible occupation. It is the privilege of the believer, either in times of fellowship and worship, or in the activities of the service. It has become possible because the Lord Jesus has become their Messiah. In connection with Him they can delight in the LORD. But it is only possible if the preceding conditions are met.

Then there are more promises, which are literal for Israel and spiritual for us. Riding “on the heights of the earth” speaks of the position of Israel among other nations (cf. Deuteronomy 32:13). Applied to us, we may think of our position in the heavenly places in Christ.

Feeding with “the heritage” speaks of taking possession of the entire inheritance promised to the fathers. For us, it means that we may think of enjoying the blessings we received in Christ in heaven. Both for Israel and for the church these blessings are certain, “for the mouth of the LORD has spoken”.

Jeremiah 25:30

The LORD Can Save and Hear

This chapter continues with the topic of transgressions that prevent the promised blessing. It is not the LORD’s fault. The Israelites think that their sacrifices and temple service do not change their situation at all. Perhaps they think that He cannot save from the power of the king of the North and that He is not able to hear.

However, the problem is not with Him, but with them. He is powerful to deliver them from their predicament of slavery of the nations. With His power He is at their disposal. If they call upon Him for help, He will listen to them. The believing remnant of Israel, “the wise” (Daniel 12:3), the maskilim, will proclaim the message of this verse to the people.

Jeremiah 25:31

Separation Between the People and God

Through their sins they have erected a barrier between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2). Here we find the spiritual state of the people of Israel during the great tribulation. If we pray and are not heard, we must also ask ourselves whether there is sin in our lives that prevent Him from hearing (cf. James 4:3). God and sin cannot go together. He cannot see the sins of His people, but hides His face from them, so that they must miss the joy of the light of His face.

Then the prophet as one of the maskilim will explain to them what is wrong. He points out their wickedness, their murderous actions, their lies and insincerity (Isaiah 59:3). This takes place because they have rejected the LORD and will result in the murder of Christ. This evil will manifest itself again when the people under the leadership of their king, the antichrist, persecute the faithful believing Jews (Revelation 13:7; cf. Psalms 10:8-11).

They falsely accuse each other and the jurisprudence is crooked. They put their trust in worthless talk. What develops in them and presents itself as new life, turns out to be nothing but doom. They cannot be trusted and will surrender the true believers with lie and betrayal (Micah 7:1-6). Righteousness is lacking in their justice, everything is crooked (Isaiah 59:4).

In Isaiah 59:5-6 Isaiah draws the comparison with hatching eggs from poisonous snakes and weaving cobwebs. With this he indicates the harmful character of the devilish teachings which the antichrist will proclaim in the country. The eggs of the poisonous snake have a twofold result. Whoever eats them dies, and if someone steps on an egg that has hatched a little further, a viper hatches. In both cases death is the result.

He also compares the actions of these instruments of satan with the weaving of a spider’s web, which visually indicates the worthless and harmfulness of their activities (Job 8:14). It is not good for clothing, it does not give any warmth. That is how their actions are. Whoever is caught in their web dies a slow death.

The description of their activities in Isaiah 59:7-8 is quoted by Paul in Romans 3 (Romans 3:15-17). He does this to describe the general guilt of man. He sketches the picture of the sinner and does so on the basis of this description given by the LORD of His people. This indicates that God’s people have sunk so deeply, that they have sunk to the level of man without God, yes, to the level of man who wants to be like God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Thus, the measure of mankind’s sin is full. Isaiah represents the contrast that exists between their ways of destruction and corruption and the way of peace, both in connection with God and in connection with their fellow man. Those who follow the path of the man of sin know no peace.

Jeremiah 25:32

Separation Between the People and God

Through their sins they have erected a barrier between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2). Here we find the spiritual state of the people of Israel during the great tribulation. If we pray and are not heard, we must also ask ourselves whether there is sin in our lives that prevent Him from hearing (cf. James 4:3). God and sin cannot go together. He cannot see the sins of His people, but hides His face from them, so that they must miss the joy of the light of His face.

Then the prophet as one of the maskilim will explain to them what is wrong. He points out their wickedness, their murderous actions, their lies and insincerity (Isaiah 59:3). This takes place because they have rejected the LORD and will result in the murder of Christ. This evil will manifest itself again when the people under the leadership of their king, the antichrist, persecute the faithful believing Jews (Revelation 13:7; cf. Psalms 10:8-11).

They falsely accuse each other and the jurisprudence is crooked. They put their trust in worthless talk. What develops in them and presents itself as new life, turns out to be nothing but doom. They cannot be trusted and will surrender the true believers with lie and betrayal (Micah 7:1-6). Righteousness is lacking in their justice, everything is crooked (Isaiah 59:4).

In Isaiah 59:5-6 Isaiah draws the comparison with hatching eggs from poisonous snakes and weaving cobwebs. With this he indicates the harmful character of the devilish teachings which the antichrist will proclaim in the country. The eggs of the poisonous snake have a twofold result. Whoever eats them dies, and if someone steps on an egg that has hatched a little further, a viper hatches. In both cases death is the result.

He also compares the actions of these instruments of satan with the weaving of a spider’s web, which visually indicates the worthless and harmfulness of their activities (Job 8:14). It is not good for clothing, it does not give any warmth. That is how their actions are. Whoever is caught in their web dies a slow death.

The description of their activities in Isaiah 59:7-8 is quoted by Paul in Romans 3 (Romans 3:15-17). He does this to describe the general guilt of man. He sketches the picture of the sinner and does so on the basis of this description given by the LORD of His people. This indicates that God’s people have sunk so deeply, that they have sunk to the level of man without God, yes, to the level of man who wants to be like God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Thus, the measure of mankind’s sin is full. Isaiah represents the contrast that exists between their ways of destruction and corruption and the way of peace, both in connection with God and in connection with their fellow man. Those who follow the path of the man of sin know no peace.

Jeremiah 25:33

Separation Between the People and God

Through their sins they have erected a barrier between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2). Here we find the spiritual state of the people of Israel during the great tribulation. If we pray and are not heard, we must also ask ourselves whether there is sin in our lives that prevent Him from hearing (cf. James 4:3). God and sin cannot go together. He cannot see the sins of His people, but hides His face from them, so that they must miss the joy of the light of His face.

Then the prophet as one of the maskilim will explain to them what is wrong. He points out their wickedness, their murderous actions, their lies and insincerity (Isaiah 59:3). This takes place because they have rejected the LORD and will result in the murder of Christ. This evil will manifest itself again when the people under the leadership of their king, the antichrist, persecute the faithful believing Jews (Revelation 13:7; cf. Psalms 10:8-11).

They falsely accuse each other and the jurisprudence is crooked. They put their trust in worthless talk. What develops in them and presents itself as new life, turns out to be nothing but doom. They cannot be trusted and will surrender the true believers with lie and betrayal (Micah 7:1-6). Righteousness is lacking in their justice, everything is crooked (Isaiah 59:4).

In Isaiah 59:5-6 Isaiah draws the comparison with hatching eggs from poisonous snakes and weaving cobwebs. With this he indicates the harmful character of the devilish teachings which the antichrist will proclaim in the country. The eggs of the poisonous snake have a twofold result. Whoever eats them dies, and if someone steps on an egg that has hatched a little further, a viper hatches. In both cases death is the result.

He also compares the actions of these instruments of satan with the weaving of a spider’s web, which visually indicates the worthless and harmfulness of their activities (Job 8:14). It is not good for clothing, it does not give any warmth. That is how their actions are. Whoever is caught in their web dies a slow death.

The description of their activities in Isaiah 59:7-8 is quoted by Paul in Romans 3 (Romans 3:15-17). He does this to describe the general guilt of man. He sketches the picture of the sinner and does so on the basis of this description given by the LORD of His people. This indicates that God’s people have sunk so deeply, that they have sunk to the level of man without God, yes, to the level of man who wants to be like God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Thus, the measure of mankind’s sin is full. Isaiah represents the contrast that exists between their ways of destruction and corruption and the way of peace, both in connection with God and in connection with their fellow man. Those who follow the path of the man of sin know no peace.

Jeremiah 25:34

Separation Between the People and God

Through their sins they have erected a barrier between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2). Here we find the spiritual state of the people of Israel during the great tribulation. If we pray and are not heard, we must also ask ourselves whether there is sin in our lives that prevent Him from hearing (cf. James 4:3). God and sin cannot go together. He cannot see the sins of His people, but hides His face from them, so that they must miss the joy of the light of His face.

Then the prophet as one of the maskilim will explain to them what is wrong. He points out their wickedness, their murderous actions, their lies and insincerity (Isaiah 59:3). This takes place because they have rejected the LORD and will result in the murder of Christ. This evil will manifest itself again when the people under the leadership of their king, the antichrist, persecute the faithful believing Jews (Revelation 13:7; cf. Psalms 10:8-11).

They falsely accuse each other and the jurisprudence is crooked. They put their trust in worthless talk. What develops in them and presents itself as new life, turns out to be nothing but doom. They cannot be trusted and will surrender the true believers with lie and betrayal (Micah 7:1-6). Righteousness is lacking in their justice, everything is crooked (Isaiah 59:4).

In Isaiah 59:5-6 Isaiah draws the comparison with hatching eggs from poisonous snakes and weaving cobwebs. With this he indicates the harmful character of the devilish teachings which the antichrist will proclaim in the country. The eggs of the poisonous snake have a twofold result. Whoever eats them dies, and if someone steps on an egg that has hatched a little further, a viper hatches. In both cases death is the result.

He also compares the actions of these instruments of satan with the weaving of a spider’s web, which visually indicates the worthless and harmfulness of their activities (Job 8:14). It is not good for clothing, it does not give any warmth. That is how their actions are. Whoever is caught in their web dies a slow death.

The description of their activities in Isaiah 59:7-8 is quoted by Paul in Romans 3 (Romans 3:15-17). He does this to describe the general guilt of man. He sketches the picture of the sinner and does so on the basis of this description given by the LORD of His people. This indicates that God’s people have sunk so deeply, that they have sunk to the level of man without God, yes, to the level of man who wants to be like God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Thus, the measure of mankind’s sin is full. Isaiah represents the contrast that exists between their ways of destruction and corruption and the way of peace, both in connection with God and in connection with their fellow man. Those who follow the path of the man of sin know no peace.

Jeremiah 25:35

Separation Between the People and God

Through their sins they have erected a barrier between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2). Here we find the spiritual state of the people of Israel during the great tribulation. If we pray and are not heard, we must also ask ourselves whether there is sin in our lives that prevent Him from hearing (cf. James 4:3). God and sin cannot go together. He cannot see the sins of His people, but hides His face from them, so that they must miss the joy of the light of His face.

Then the prophet as one of the maskilim will explain to them what is wrong. He points out their wickedness, their murderous actions, their lies and insincerity (Isaiah 59:3). This takes place because they have rejected the LORD and will result in the murder of Christ. This evil will manifest itself again when the people under the leadership of their king, the antichrist, persecute the faithful believing Jews (Revelation 13:7; cf. Psalms 10:8-11).

They falsely accuse each other and the jurisprudence is crooked. They put their trust in worthless talk. What develops in them and presents itself as new life, turns out to be nothing but doom. They cannot be trusted and will surrender the true believers with lie and betrayal (Micah 7:1-6). Righteousness is lacking in their justice, everything is crooked (Isaiah 59:4).

In Isaiah 59:5-6 Isaiah draws the comparison with hatching eggs from poisonous snakes and weaving cobwebs. With this he indicates the harmful character of the devilish teachings which the antichrist will proclaim in the country. The eggs of the poisonous snake have a twofold result. Whoever eats them dies, and if someone steps on an egg that has hatched a little further, a viper hatches. In both cases death is the result.

He also compares the actions of these instruments of satan with the weaving of a spider’s web, which visually indicates the worthless and harmfulness of their activities (Job 8:14). It is not good for clothing, it does not give any warmth. That is how their actions are. Whoever is caught in their web dies a slow death.

The description of their activities in Isaiah 59:7-8 is quoted by Paul in Romans 3 (Romans 3:15-17). He does this to describe the general guilt of man. He sketches the picture of the sinner and does so on the basis of this description given by the LORD of His people. This indicates that God’s people have sunk so deeply, that they have sunk to the level of man without God, yes, to the level of man who wants to be like God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Thus, the measure of mankind’s sin is full. Isaiah represents the contrast that exists between their ways of destruction and corruption and the way of peace, both in connection with God and in connection with their fellow man. Those who follow the path of the man of sin know no peace.

Jeremiah 25:36

Separation Between the People and God

Through their sins they have erected a barrier between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2). Here we find the spiritual state of the people of Israel during the great tribulation. If we pray and are not heard, we must also ask ourselves whether there is sin in our lives that prevent Him from hearing (cf. James 4:3). God and sin cannot go together. He cannot see the sins of His people, but hides His face from them, so that they must miss the joy of the light of His face.

Then the prophet as one of the maskilim will explain to them what is wrong. He points out their wickedness, their murderous actions, their lies and insincerity (Isaiah 59:3). This takes place because they have rejected the LORD and will result in the murder of Christ. This evil will manifest itself again when the people under the leadership of their king, the antichrist, persecute the faithful believing Jews (Revelation 13:7; cf. Psalms 10:8-11).

They falsely accuse each other and the jurisprudence is crooked. They put their trust in worthless talk. What develops in them and presents itself as new life, turns out to be nothing but doom. They cannot be trusted and will surrender the true believers with lie and betrayal (Micah 7:1-6). Righteousness is lacking in their justice, everything is crooked (Isaiah 59:4).

In Isaiah 59:5-6 Isaiah draws the comparison with hatching eggs from poisonous snakes and weaving cobwebs. With this he indicates the harmful character of the devilish teachings which the antichrist will proclaim in the country. The eggs of the poisonous snake have a twofold result. Whoever eats them dies, and if someone steps on an egg that has hatched a little further, a viper hatches. In both cases death is the result.

He also compares the actions of these instruments of satan with the weaving of a spider’s web, which visually indicates the worthless and harmfulness of their activities (Job 8:14). It is not good for clothing, it does not give any warmth. That is how their actions are. Whoever is caught in their web dies a slow death.

The description of their activities in Isaiah 59:7-8 is quoted by Paul in Romans 3 (Romans 3:15-17). He does this to describe the general guilt of man. He sketches the picture of the sinner and does so on the basis of this description given by the LORD of His people. This indicates that God’s people have sunk so deeply, that they have sunk to the level of man without God, yes, to the level of man who wants to be like God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Thus, the measure of mankind’s sin is full. Isaiah represents the contrast that exists between their ways of destruction and corruption and the way of peace, both in connection with God and in connection with their fellow man. Those who follow the path of the man of sin know no peace.

Jeremiah 25:37

Separation Between the People and God

Through their sins they have erected a barrier between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2). Here we find the spiritual state of the people of Israel during the great tribulation. If we pray and are not heard, we must also ask ourselves whether there is sin in our lives that prevent Him from hearing (cf. James 4:3). God and sin cannot go together. He cannot see the sins of His people, but hides His face from them, so that they must miss the joy of the light of His face.

Then the prophet as one of the maskilim will explain to them what is wrong. He points out their wickedness, their murderous actions, their lies and insincerity (Isaiah 59:3). This takes place because they have rejected the LORD and will result in the murder of Christ. This evil will manifest itself again when the people under the leadership of their king, the antichrist, persecute the faithful believing Jews (Revelation 13:7; cf. Psalms 10:8-11).

They falsely accuse each other and the jurisprudence is crooked. They put their trust in worthless talk. What develops in them and presents itself as new life, turns out to be nothing but doom. They cannot be trusted and will surrender the true believers with lie and betrayal (Micah 7:1-6). Righteousness is lacking in their justice, everything is crooked (Isaiah 59:4).

In Isaiah 59:5-6 Isaiah draws the comparison with hatching eggs from poisonous snakes and weaving cobwebs. With this he indicates the harmful character of the devilish teachings which the antichrist will proclaim in the country. The eggs of the poisonous snake have a twofold result. Whoever eats them dies, and if someone steps on an egg that has hatched a little further, a viper hatches. In both cases death is the result.

He also compares the actions of these instruments of satan with the weaving of a spider’s web, which visually indicates the worthless and harmfulness of their activities (Job 8:14). It is not good for clothing, it does not give any warmth. That is how their actions are. Whoever is caught in their web dies a slow death.

The description of their activities in Isaiah 59:7-8 is quoted by Paul in Romans 3 (Romans 3:15-17). He does this to describe the general guilt of man. He sketches the picture of the sinner and does so on the basis of this description given by the LORD of His people. This indicates that God’s people have sunk so deeply, that they have sunk to the level of man without God, yes, to the level of man who wants to be like God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Thus, the measure of mankind’s sin is full. Isaiah represents the contrast that exists between their ways of destruction and corruption and the way of peace, both in connection with God and in connection with their fellow man. Those who follow the path of the man of sin know no peace.

Jeremiah 25:38

The Acknowledgment of the People

In Isaiah 59:9-15 the prophet goes from speaking in the third person plural, “they” and “their”, to the first person plural, “we” and “our”. He includes himself with the people. First he stands opposite to the people and speaks to them. Now he stands among the people and speaks with and on behalf of them. The message of God comes to their heart just as later the message of John the baptist comes to the people. With and on behalf of the people, the prophet acknowledges the transgression and confirms the consequences of God’s judgment on them (Isaiah 59:9).

The LORD does not act against His enemies for the benefit of His people (Isaiah 59:19). That is why they are still in darkness. As exiles they hope for deliverance, but things seem to get worse. They grope around like blind people, though it is broad daylight, and stumble (Isaiah 59:10). Without any view, they feel like dead.

Two thirds of the people were exterminated by of the king of the North and his allies (Zechariah 13:8-9). But now the people repent. It is not because of the powerlessness of the LORD that this has happened to them, but their iniquities are the cause of it. They finally understand this.

Those who persist in error will receive no help from the light of God’s truth, although it is available to them. Christ and the Scriptures have become a stumbling block for the Jews (John 5:39-40; 2 Corinthians 3:14; 16). It is no different in professing Christianity. The Scriptures are read but not understood. The blinding power of interpretive traditions obscures the light of God’s Word. People who have the Bible remain in religious slavery. They are unable to enjoy the truth that would set them free if they listened faithfully to its voice instead of clinging to people’s systems.

The first part of Isa 59:11 describes two states. “Growl like bears” presupposes impatience; “moan sadly like doves” presupposes despair. Both are the opposite of the peace of the believer that comes from a contrite heart and submission to God’s will. Because there is no surrender to the LORD, they miss that peace, and salvation remains far away.

After acknowledging their blind and dead state (Isaiah 59:9-11), the people is now going to confess and name sins. These disasters all come on them because of their numerous transgressions (Isaiah 59:12). They know this and acknowledge it now. They know that as a nation they have on the one hand denied the LORD by rejecting Christ, the Immanuel, and have fallen away from God by acknowledging the antichrist as king and god. On the other hand, they use “lying words” that originate from a depraved inner being and with which they persecute their fellowmen, the faithful remnant (Isaiah 59:13).

“Justice” and “righteousness” are supplanted by injustice (Isaiah 59:14). In the place where all people meet, “in the street”, “truth” and “uprightness” are not upheld (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:8). One tries to enrich oneself with as many lies and dishonest intentions as possible at the expense of the other. From those who do not participate, their possessions are even violently taken away (Isaiah 59:15a).

From Isaiah 59:15b up to and including Isaiah 59:19 is the third part of this chapter. In it we see the attitude of the LORD toward their behavior and the way in which He intervenes. “One to intercede” (Isaiah 59:16) can also be translated as ‘someone who intervenes’, a ‘mediator’. He sees the evil mentioned in the preceding verses (Isaiah 59:15b). The lack of justice is a great evil in His eyes. There is astonishment with Him because there is no man of character or someone who has the ability to turn the tide of evil for the grieving remnant.