God’s Eternal Covenant: Isaiah 59 (7)

Pray Psalm 50.1-3.
The Mighty One, God the LORD,
Has spoken and called the earth
From the rising of the sun to its going down.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God will shine forth.
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
A fire shall devour before Him,
And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.

Review Isaiah chapter 59.

Reflect.
1. How does Isaiah present the Lord to His people? What kind of response is he hoping to elicit from them? 

2. Why is it so important that we keep short accounts with God where sin is concerned?

Meditate.
Chapter 59 ends the section that began in chapter 40, in which God, through Isaiah, explained the reason for His judgment of the people, and promised restoration in the short-term and long-term, first through His servant Cyrus, and then through the suffering Servant Who brings the salvation of the Lord to His people.

This section takes as its foundation chapters 7-39, in which Isaiah displayed his credentials as a prophet by speaking the Word of God against Israel, Syria, Assyria, and other nations – prophecies which came true, and which therefore showed that the Word of God through Isaiah could be trusted.

Over and over in chapters 40-59, God admonished His people to repent of their sins, and He comforted them with the hope of deliverance and salvation to come, even promising to bring His covenant to the Gentiles, and to renew the creation as well. Isaiah was preparing the people of Judah and Jerusalem to stand firm on the Word of God while in captivity in Babylon, and not to lose hope. Jeremiah and Ezekiel would continue this emphasis in the generation following Isaiah.

Chapter 59 thus recapitulates the themes of this section of the book, culminating in the glorious promise of a new covenant, sustained by the power of God’s Word and Spirit, and reaching to all succeeding generations of God’s people, all because of the faithful and saving work of the suffering Servant.

Chapters 60-66, the concluding section of Isaiah’s prophesy, offer astounding insights and promises into the coming salvation of the Lord, and its implications for the rest of history and beyond.

Prepare.
1. Summarize Isaiah’s message to the people of God in chapter 59. How is this message relevant for God’s people today?

2. Why was it important that God repeat this message over and over?

3. What’s your primary takeaway from Isaiah 59?

But punishments lead us back to God.… Suppose anyone has a wound, which is the more deserving of fear—gangrene or the surgeon’s knife? The steel or the devouring progress of the ulcer? Sin is gangrene; punishment is the surgeon’s knife. John Chrysostom (344-407 AD), Homilies Concerning the Statutes 6.14

Lead me ever to repent of my sin, Lord, and to hold fast to Your promises, so that I…

Pray Psalm 50.
As you pray Psalm 50, ask God to make of your times of corporate worship a greater experience of His Presence and love, and of your daily life of worship, greater obedience and gratitude.

Sing to the Lord.
Psalm 50 (Austrian Hymn: Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken)
God, the Lord, the mighty Savior, summons all from east to west:
Out of Zion, rich with favor, shines He, of all things the best.
Come, O God, and keep not silence; fire devours before Your way!
He His Church, steeped in defiance, comes to judge this awful day.

“Gather now My children holy, those bound close to Me by blood.”
Let the heav’ns declare His glory, for the Lord Himself is Judge:
“Hear, My people, I will charge you; I alone am God, your God!
I will bring a solemn charge to gain you to Me for your good.

“Not for rituals I accuse you – let your worship to Me rise.
Naught to Me is any use, Who dwells in glory in the skies.
All is mine throughout creation; I your help do not require.
Offer Me no vain oblation: hear what I from you desire:

“Sacrifice of thanks now render; pay to God your solemn vows; 
Let the troubled, each offender, seek Him in the midst of woes.
In the day of strife draw near Him; He will hear, and He will save.
Honor God, rejoice, and fear Him, give to Him your grateful praise.

“All of you My Word despising, who are you to claim My grace?
Praise may from your lips be rising, but you scorn Me to My face.
You approve of all transgressions, scheme against your mother’s son! 
I will crush your vain aggressions and destroy what you have done.

“Reckon this, My sinful people, lest My wrath consume you whole:
None shall thwart Me when I seek to crush and break your sin-stiff soul.
He who thanks to Me addressing, follows after what is good, 
He shall know the way of blessing coming from the hand of God.”

T. M. Moore

Where do the prophets fit with the rest of Scripture? How can I be a better student of God’s Word? Our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, can help you gain a better approach to and understanding of the Scriptures. Watch this brief preview video, then register at The Ailbe Seminary and enroll in this free online course.

Each week’s lesson in our study of Isaiah is available as a free PDF download at the end of the week (click here). Get a copy for yourself and send the link for the download to your friends. Plan to meet weekly to study Isaiah’s important message.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).