59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak to deliver you; his ear is not too deaf to hear you. 

 

Isaiah was prophetically writing to a current and future generations of Jews. His prophetic message was that even though Israel will be too weak to deliver herself from her enemies, God's hands are strong enough to do so. God is not deaf, so He will listen to her cries. The biggest enemy of Israel was her own sin.

 

59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. 

 

Jehovah can save Israel, but her sins have separated her from God. God can hear her prayers, but He has chosen not to do so.

 

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words. 4 No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth to sin.

 

According to Psalm 66:18, sin prevents prayer from being answered. Israel’s sins included murder, lying, injustice, and planning evil. All of these sins were premeditated. These sins were corrupting Israel. These sins were planned in advance.

 

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, a poisonous snake is hatched. 

 

Isaiah was not a seeker-friendly pastor. He called the people of Israel poisonous vipers. The Messiah would later use these words against the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are sinful; they commit violent crimes. 

 

The people were metaphorically wearing cobwebs for clothing. Just as people can see through cobwebs, God can see through their evil deeds.

 

59:7 They are eager to do evil, quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful; they crush and destroy. 

 

The people of Israel were in a hurry to do evil things. They did not mind killing innocent people. Their thought life was sinful. They crushed and destroyed anyone who crossed their path. Isaiah was not a seeker-friendly teacher. Paul quoted this verse in Romans 3:15-16 in order to prove the total depravity of man.

 

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace; their deeds are unjust. They use deceitful methods, and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. 

 

Anyone who lives a life without the one true God cannot live in peace. They will perform unjust deeds which will aid the satanic world system. They will use deceitful methods to accomplish their goals. "The ends justifies the means", "Go for the gusto", "Have it your way", "If it feels good, do it", "Indulge yourself", and "He with the most toys wins" are all philosophies of the satanic world system.  Those who follow these philosophies will become pawns of Satan.  If a man will not study the Word of God, then his conscience will not allow him to live at peace with himself. Paul quoted this verse in Romans 3:17 to prove that all men were totally depraved and evil.

 

59:9 For this reason deliverance is far from us and salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness; we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness. 

 

In Isaiah 58, Israel was offered the immediate Millennial Kingdom. However, she rejected it and chose to remain in her idolatry.

 

In Isaiah 59:1-8, Israel was accused of being totally depraved and evil. Her deeds were unrighteous.

 

In verses 9-15, there is a change in pronouns.  Israel will confess the truth of what she has been accused. After the messiahship of Jesus was rejected, Jesus told the Jews that He would not return until the Jews cried out, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." This confession will take place before the Second Coming of Jesus. Verses 9-15 is the prophetic confession of Israel before the Second Coming of Yeshua (Jesus).

 

During the last three days of the Great Tribulation, Israel will be living in great darkness. The Antichrist will assemble a global army to commit genocide upon the Jews.

 

At the time of this great darkness, the Jews will recognize that Jesus is her Messiah. She will realize that she was living in darkness. She will wait the next three days for the Shekinah Glory to return to earth and light up the sky.

 

When Jesus returns, He will return as the Shekinah Glory. He will return in the same form which Peter, John, and James saw at the Transfiguration. Every eye will see Jesus return in this form.

 

59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind, we grope like those who cannot see; we stumble at noontime as if it were evening. Though others are strong, we are like dead men. 

 

During the last three days of the Great Tribulation, Israel will confess that she had been blinded. She had been looking for spiritual truths in the demonic world of idolatry.

 

59:11 We all growl like bears, we coo mournfully like doves; we wait for deliverance, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us. 

 

During the last three days of the Great Tribulation. Israel will be oppressed by the Antichrist. He will surround Israel and attempt to exterminate her from the earth. Israel will growl like a wounded bear, meaning that she will be angry at her present condition. However, when there is no hope, then Israel will coo like doves. This desperation will cause Israel to seek God. When she seeks God, then she will have her eyes opened. She will recognize Jesus as her Messiah. She will recognize Jesus as the God-man, the Messiah, the Good Shepherd, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

 

The Hebrew word for "salvation" is לִֽישׁוּעָ֖ה (la-Yeshua), which is the Hebrew name for Jesus. The lamed prefix translates as "for Yeshua". If translated literally, this verse reads, "We roar like bears. We all mourn like doves. We very much look for justice, but find none, for Yeshua is far from us."

 

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, and our sins testify against us; indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds; we know our sins all too well. 

 

During the last three days of the Great Tribulation, Israel will confess her rebellious deeds against God.

 

59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord; we turned back from following our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our minds. 

 

During the last three days of the Great Tribulation, Israel will confess that she had been a bunch of rebels, deceivers, oppressors, and liars.

 

59:14 Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not even able to enter. 

 

During the last three days of the Great Tribulation, Israel will confess that there was no justice in her land. The people were living their lives as though God does not exist. There was no honesty in Israel. There was no morality in Israel.

 

59:15 Honesty has disappeared; the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed. The Lord watches and is displeased, for there is no justice. 

 

During the last three days of the Great Tribulation, Israel will confess that honesty has left Israel. Those who attempt to avoid evil are robbed.

 

The result is that Jehovah will be watching and listening to Israel's confession. He will become very displeased, because there will be no justice in Israel. Therefore, God will intervene on Israel's behalf. Verses 16-21 record the prophetic future of how God will respond to Israel's future confession.

 

59:16 He sees there is no advocate; he is shocked that no one intervenes. So he takes matters into his own hands; his desire for justice drives him on. 

 

The Hebrew word for "his hands" is זְרֹע֔וֹ (zeroahu), meaning "his arm." The arm of Jehovah was revealed in Isaiah 53 as the Suffering Servant, or the Messiah.

 

At the end of the Great Tribulation, Jehovah will hear the cries of Israel. He will look down from heaven and see that there is no man who can save Israel. He will see that no man will even attempt to save Israel. Therefore, Jehovah will intervene. He will send "his arm," the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, to intervene. The "arm of Jehovah" will desire justice, so He will execute the Father's plan.

 

59:17 He wears his desire for justice like body armor, and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. He puts on the garments of vengeance and wears zeal like a robe. 

 

The arm of Jehovah is a warrior who will come to Israel’s aide. Justice is his body armor. His desire to deliver Israel is His helmet. Vengeance is His clothing. Zeal is His robe. Paul uses this imagery for the modern day Christian in Ephesians 6.

 

It is important to note that Paul’s imagery did not come from the Roman soldier, but from the "arm of Jehovah" mentioned in this verse. Paul's point in Ephesians 6 is that Satan can be defeated by knowledge and application of Scripture. Ephesians 6 has nothing to do with the armor of the Roman soldier, because Rome was not even a nation when Isaiah wrote this Scripture.

 

How did Jesus defeat Satan? In all three temptations, Jesus quoted Scripture from the Old Testament. Satan does not want Christians to master Old Testament doctrine, because it is a powerful weapon which can be used against him. Therefore, the armor which can resist Satan is knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.

 

59:18 He repays them for what they have done, dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries and punishing his enemies. He repays the coastlands. 

 

At the end of the Great Tribulation, "the arm of Jehovah" will answer the cries of Israel. He will defend Israel from the Antichrist. He will defend Israel from the Gentile beasts who wish to devour her.

 

59:19 In the west, people respect the Lord’s reputation; in the east they recognize his splendor. For he comes like a rushing stream driven on by wind sent from the Lord. 

 

The Antichrist will lead a one-world army against Israel. "The Arm of Jehovah" will come down upon the army of the Antichrist like " a rushing steam driven on by wind." The Arm of Jehovah will be sent from Jehovah. When the Gentiles from the east and the west recognize how Jehovah protects Israel, then they will respect Jehovah’s reputation and glory.

 

59:20 “A protector comes to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,” says the Lord. 

 

The Messiah will be the “Protector” who will come to Jerusalem and save the Messianic Jews from her own rebellious deeds.

 

59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to them,” says the Lord.“My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” says the Lord. 

 

When the Messiah arrives in Jerusalem, then He will keep the Abrahamic, Davidic, and the New Covenant (the latter will be later introduced by Jeremiah). The Messiah will pour the Holy Spirit upon all of Israel who survives the Great Tribulation. This great future event will be the national regeneration of Israel. The Messiah will fill the Messianic Jews of the Millennial Kingdom with Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God. There will be no more need for Jewish evangelism, because all Jews (and their future children) will be saved. Paul used verses 20-21 in Romans 11 to prove that God is not finished with the Jews. He still has a plan for the nation of Israel. There will be a national conversion of the Jewish race.  God is not yet through with Israel. Amillennialists and postmillennialists miss this point, because they spiritualize the Scriptures to make the Word of God fit their own human speculations.