The Gospel in Isaiah 59 - 60

Isaiah chapters 59-60 presents a perfect picture of the gospel, even though it is written approximately 600 years before Jesus came to earth. These chapters add to the weight of the Bible as the supreme Word of God and give us hope in a bleak situation. For those people at the time of writing of the book of Isaiah, the things spoken of were things to look forward to. For us today, these things have come to pass and the hope in Christ Jesus is available to us right now. Read Isaiah 59-60 and see the living breathing Word of God.

The Hopeless Situation We are In:

Chapter 59

Chapter 59 provides a picture of the world today and the current position for those who do not know Christ Jesus. Are you one of those people?

Isaiah 59 1-3 states, "Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.3 For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity;Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.". 

God is far from those people who do not know Jesus. Verse 2 states that He has hidden His face from them and cannot hear their prayers. How is this so? For we know that God is Almighty and omniscient. He is the author and creator. Matthew 10:29 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will." Not even a bird falls to the ground without God's say so, yet the Bible states that God cannot hear the prayer's of those who do not know Christ Jesus.

Many people today claim that righteousness/heaven is attainable through many ways and not just Jesus, but this is completely untrue, for without Jesus God cannot hear your prayers and petitions and you will always be in the position described in Isaiah 59:2. The reason?... Sin.

Sin separates us from God like the Berlin wall separated East and West Germany.  Only Jesus was sufficient to settle that sin upon the cross and therefore it is only through Jesus that we may approach God and be heard by Him. Only Christ has the power to break down that wall of separation that exists between us and God. Ephesians 2:14 states, "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation". We need to ensure that we are right with Christ before anything else.

Continue reading Isaiah 59 and we can see this truth confirmed.

Isaiah 59:2 tells us that it is our imperfect sinful nature that separates us from the perfect God. We are in darkness without God. We fumble around looking for the light switch without success. That is the reason that we spend our lives searching for fulfilment without success. That is the reason that we partake in activities that are clearly not good for us, even enjoying them, and why our lives are a mess. Verses 3-8 describes this increasing problem: "No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and separate lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity." How familiar these verses sound in today's world.

Isaiah 59:1-15 shows us the futility of the worlds way and the hopelessness of our situation without Christ.

Isaiah 59:15 "Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor..."

The Intercessor and What God Did For Us:

The fall of man in Genesis 3 brought about sin and resulted in our separation from God. God has been working towards a victory to reclaim us back to Him out of the grips of death ever since.  Isaiah 59:15 tells us what He had been searching for - an intercessor, that is, somebody righteous enough to be able to bridge the gap between us and God and deal with this problem of sin once and for all.  Isaiah 59:15 also tells us the result of God's search; He was unable to find such a person. 

The 10 commandments are the standard of perfection required by God. They show us that no man is perfect and therefore no man was or is sufficient to mediate between man and God. Hope seems lost at verse 15. For this reason, God did the only thing He could to solve the problem of sin; He offered down Himself to be the intercessor.

Isaiah 59:16 goes on to say, "Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him."

Remember at the time of writing of Isaiah, none of this had happened. The people of the day waited blindly for these things to come so that they may be saved, however they did not know how they would come about. Today we know that God sent Jesus Christ to earth to die for us.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  

Isaiah 59:17-18 describes how Jesus became this intercessor so that we may have access to God through Him. "He put on a breastplate of righteousness and a helmet of salvation." This verse is the same as the words in Ephesians 6. Again it is clear to see the hand of God upon the Bible and how it all links together.

Isaiah 59:21 shows us the result of Christ Jesus coming down to act as intercessor. It shows us the result that His death upon the cross and sacrifice on our behalf would have (remember, at the time of writing none of this had happened). "This is my covenant with them; My spirit is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth."

God has made a covenant with us through Jesus' death upon the Cross. A covenant is an agreement or a contract. However its connotations are slightly different, in that a covenant is more of a one sided agreement and the promise cannot be altered by our actions. In a contract the agreement can be varied based upon the actions of the parties. One party may void a contract through breaches of the contract's terms. However, a covenant remains the same. It is a promise that never waivers. God has made a covenant with us. We can break this covenant and not accept its terms. If we do so we have to deal with the consequences. The consequences are that we will live in the hopelessness as described in Isaiah 59:1-15, however not accepting it will not void the promise that God has made to us. That promise remains the same. It is that through putting your trust in Christ Jesus and repenting from your sinful ways, you can have access to Him.

Chapter 60

Isaiah 60 continues on from chapter 59 and tells us of the result of God's intercession and the amazing position that is available to us all through Christ Jesus. Isaiah 60:1, "Arise shine, for your light has come!".

Now through  Jesus we can gain access to God, for our sin has been dealt with by Christ upon the cross 2,000 years ago. God has offered us this perpetual state of peace and we must put our trust in Jesus to accept it.

Saved by Christ:

For those who have put their trust in Christ they can be confident of their salvation, no matter what may happen. They are in that state of confidence and salvation so described in Isaiah 60. Until the day that we meet Him, upon our death, we must live in the same fashion as Christ did during His time on the earth. We have discussed Isaiah 59:18 which shows how Jesus acted when He came to this earth: "He put on a breastplate of righteousness and a helmet of salvation." As Christians in today's world we are instructed to do the same. 

Ephesian 6:11-20

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ephesians 4:1 "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called."

You are being called right now. The picture portrayed in Isaiah 59-60 has come to pass. What a magnificent truth this is. Let us answer this wonderful call and walk worthy of the great undeserved gift that God has given us - grace through His Son Christ Jesus. 

Ephesians 5:8 "For you were once in darkness but now you are in light in the Lord. Therefore walk as children of light."

Christ has destroyed the brick wall that separates us from God so that we can be one. He has shone His light into the darkness and if you accept Him that light will dispel the darkness. 

Ephesians 2:14-18 "14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man fromthe two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.".

John 1:5 "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

Christ has made it possible to dispel the darkness we are in, to rescue us from these chaotic times.

Now is the time.

Isaiah 60:19 “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory."

-BACChristian