Justice Is on the Way

When I taught Bible, I remember assigning a particular activity along with reading Isaiah 59, and afterward a couple students said, “I did not like this. At. All.” If you’re familiar with the chapter, you might understand! There’s talk of spiders, eating the eggs of vipers (!!!), blood, darkness, groping around blindly, men with no eyes, growling bears, moaning doves, and more. So no judgment on those students! But as a former English teacher, this chapter is pure gold: filled with vivid imagery, personification, a ton of figurative language….PLUS really deep truths about humanity.

The wickedness of abortion is all over Isaiah 59, but this chapter applies no matter the particular form of evil.

Take a look at all the mentions of justice:

v. 4 No one calls for justice.  Justice is denied to the innocent because people, in stating their case, use empty arguments and blatant lies. They are troublemakers and instead of promoting justice (which they think they’re doing), they’re actually inciting evil. They “give birth” to evil (personification, btw).

v. 8 There is no justice in their paths. Instead their paths are crooked, perverted, marked by ruin and destruction. What kind of destruction? For one, the destruction of human lives – “they are swift to shed innocent blood.” Notice how the evil consumes their whole being: hands stained with blood (3), lips and tongue speak lies (3), feet rush to sin (7), thoughts are evil (7). Sin doesn’t touch just an itty bitty part of our lives; it is all-consuming. We cannot fix this problem on our own. Guess why? Cuz we’re filled with sin, and it is all-consuming.

v. 9 So justice is far from us. This is depressing. We want light but all is darkness. We’re like blind men groping the walls for stability, direction, help. We want justice but can’t see it. Righteousness is out of reach, so we growl in frustration and moan mournfully like doves. Frustration, anger, grief…we’re getting desperate!

v. 11 We look for justice, but find none. 

A very important shift has taken place in the chapter by now.  The pronouns which had been primarily third person (they, their) are now first person (our, us we). The writer pivots from “their lies, their evil thoughts and deeds, their guilt” to “our offenses against God, the lies conceived in our own hearts, our rebellion.” Verse 2 told us these sins (mine, yours) separate us from God. With all these vivid descriptions of sin since verse 2, now I’m acknowledging how utterly sinful my own heart is, participating in lies, turning my back on a holy God. I see my sins, and they are many! How can my soul ever be justified?

v. 14 So justice is driven back. Righteousness stands at a distance. Truth is nowhere to be found. Those who stand for righteousness and seek to drive back evil actually become the prey. Everything is backwards and upside down. This is the lowest point, the depths of despair. What could be worse? Nothing right, true, or just anywhere in the world, in anyone else, or in my own heart. What a sorry state we are in.

There’s a break in verse 15. Pause. Think about it. Let it sink in. Is everything lost? Are we truly hopeless? Will things ever change?

Thank heaven, they do.

v. 15 The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. God is displeased about the state of mankind. He is appalled that there is no one able to bring justice, truth, and righteousness to this world. So He does something about it! The Righteous King He is, He dresses Himself in the armor of a warrior: breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, garments of vengeance, and a cloak of zeal. He pours out wrath upon His enemies, workers of iniquity who have shed innocent blood, committed unspeakable acts of violence, brought ruin and destruction, told convincing lies, and given birth to evil. He gives His enemies their due. It is a fearful thing to contemplate.

This passage is one of many prophetic scriptures fulfilled two separate times: here, in His first coming (Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection) and again to be fulfilled in His second coming. The One called Faithful and True will judge the earth with justice (Rev. 19:11-16). Righteousness will no longer stand at a distance. We will see Him face to face.

And after a lot of unpleasant talk of evil, the last few verses of Isaiah 59 are like a breath of fresh air. Verse 19: “From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory.” Jesus. Glory. Peace. Truth. Righteousness. Justice. At last. Forever.

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins” (v. 20). This brings us full circle from verses 1-2. MY sins separate me from God. I’m guilty too! But His arm is not too short to reach me, to draw me close, to declare me forgiven, when I acknowledge my sins are many and they are not just against people, they are against God (v. 12), and I repent. Repenting goes beyond acknowledging that I’m a sinner (an important first step) to turning from sin (an essential next step).

When we do that and trust in the One who brought salvation when no one else could, we enter into an everlasting covenant with Him (v. 21). He literally puts His Spirit inside us, to empower us to obey Him, and fills us with love, joy, and peace. We are His people, adopted into His family forever.

This difficult chapter is right smack in the middle of the Bible. It tells of the sinfulness of humanity and the hope we have in our Conquering Hero.  Give it a read.

Isaiah 16:5 “In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it – one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice, and speeds the cause of righteousness.”

Isaiah 51:4-5 “…my justice will become a light to the nations.  My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations.”

“Ultimately there is only one solution to the many things that break our hearts and complicate our lives: it is the reign of the risen and ascended King Jesus.  The righteous Branch has come and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father.  His reign guarantees the final defeat of evil and the ushering in of a kingdom of righteousness and peace forever.  In the midst of all the bad news that seems to flood into our lives every day, this is very good news.  There is a righteous Branch, his will shall be done, and the scourge of evil will end forever.”  Paul David Tripp, Everyday Gospel