Isaiah 58:1

Try aloud and spare not. Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinances of their God. They ask me of the ordinances of justice. They take delight in approaching to God.

"Wherefore have we fasted," say they, "and you have not seen? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and you have not taken notice? For you have not taken any knowledge." Behold, in the day of your fast, you find pleasure and exact all your labors. Behold, you fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness. You shall not fast, as you do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Or is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry and that you bring the poor that are cast out into thy house? Will thou see the naked that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?

Father, as we look into your word, we ask that you'd continue to give us wisdom and understanding. Lord, we thank you that you promised to send the Spirit of truth who would guide us in all truth and teach us all things. And we ask that tonight, Holy Spirit, you would do that. Give us insight and understanding and application into the passage before us.

Lord, that we'd not only know these things in our heads, but that it would enter into our hearts, and that, God, your word would transform our lives. But we do ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agree, saying, Amen. You can be seated. The call of God resounds once again to the prophet.

As the Lord tells Isaiah, He wants him to speak up and tell His people what they have done wrong. As if the list could get any bigger, we have been going through the book of Isaiah for well over a year now. We have seen, one after another, God giving details as to why they were being judged, explaining to them just what their sin was.

As we come here, knowing that we are near the end of Isaiah's life, we looked at last week in Isaiah chapter 57. Isaiah 57 corresponds with the time of King Manasseh, and so the life of Isaiah is nearing its end. His prophetic ministry is almost done when we come to Isaiah chapter 58. He has been serving as a prophet to the nation of Judah, specifically, and the city of Jerusalem for well over 30 years by the time we reach this passage.

Things have not really changed in the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah. Little has changed; the people continue to walk in wickedness. Therefore, God says, "I want you to cry aloud, speak up very loud, and tell them what their sin is. Do not spare. Do not stop. Speak like a trumpet."

Now remember, it was the watchman who would be placed on the wall. He would be given a trumpet in one of the cities like Jerusalem in ancient times, and he would keep watch for an enemy that would come. If he saw an enemy approaching, he would sound the alarm by blowing the trumpet so the people would know what was coming. Here, Isaiah is like a watchman—God's watchman on the wall, watching over God's people. The Lord says, "You need to call out and sound the alarm, sound the trumpet, because there is judgment coming upon them because of their sin."

In verse 2, we read, "Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinances of their God. They ask of me the ordinance of justice, and they take delight in approaching God." When we read verse 2, it appears that Judah is doing what they are supposed to be doing. They are seeking the Lord, or it would seem that way, delighting in the ways of God, as if they were a nation that did not depart from Him, walking in righteousness and seeking justice. However, that was not the case.

Judah was self-deceived, self-deceived by her daily religious rites. The nation observed their daily prayers. In the morning and at evening, they had their sacrifices that they would offer to God.

Continually, they would do these things. They held their feasts, they kept their festivals, and they even fasted as unto the Lord. Because of all these things, they thought that they were righteous, believing that their observance of these practices made them so. However, as we will see when we go through the remainder of this chapter, they were not righteous.

The temple services were kept by the people, and they appeared to have an attentive heart towards God's word and His ways. The outward evidence seemed to be there, and if one were to look at the outward evidence of the people, one would assume that they were righteous. But that was not the case.

In verse 3, they said, "Lord, we've been doing all the things that You have told us to do, and yet You don't seem to be keeping Your end of the bargain. We keep the fasts, we keep the feasts, we offer sacrifices, we bring our daily prayers. How come You're not showing up and doing for us as You ought? How come You're not blessing us the way that we think You should?" Their expectation was that if they did this, then God ought to do that.

Apparently, their fasting was just an external observance. It wasn't real righteousness unto the Lord. They were merely keeping the religious rites on the outside, not following after the Lord wholeheartedly. The Lord says in the middle of verse 3, "Behold, in the day of your fast, you find pleasure and exact all your labors. Behold, you fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness. You shall not fast as you do this day to make your voice heard on high."

These fastings, these times of separating themselves to the Lord, were meant to be times where they would devote themselves wholeheartedly to God. They would deny themselves to seek Him, afflicting their souls to draw near to God and allow Him to work in and through their lives. However, they were just performing the outward service. They were saying, "Well, we're keeping the fast, but God, You're not showing up and blessing us."

The reason for this was that although they were doing the religious service, their hearts were still wicked. They were still finding ways to indulge themselves during the times of their fasts. When we read at the end of verse 3 that they exacted all their labors, it means that they were oppressing those who worked for them. Thus, it was just an external righteousness; the people had only a show of righteousness.

And this is why Jesus, when He came, would say to His disciples that your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. The people in Isaiah's day were very similar to the scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus' day. Their right standing with God, or so they thought they had a right standing with God, was only based upon the external things that they did, and not their hearts.

But we know from the Scriptures that the heart is the major issue. The heart is the problem. These people had an unclean and wicked heart, and yet they still trusted in their own righteousness, in their own doings—the kind of religious righteousness that the Pharisees had. By their own standard, they would excuse themselves, all the while accusing others and pointing the finger at everybody else. They had a certain moral code, a certain religious standard, that if they kept these things, then they would be righteous. But it wasn't God's word; it was the commandments of men. They would follow their own standards and then look at everybody else, saying, "Well, you don't follow this standard, so you're not righteous."

It's very similar to what we see in the parable that Jesus spoke in the Gospel of Luke, in Luke chapter 18. He spoke a parable to His disciples of two men. He spoke of those who trusted in their own righteousness and despised others. He said that there were two men who went up to the temple to pray. One of them was a Pharisee, and the other was a publican, or a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus within himself, "God, I thank You that I am not as other men, extortioners and unjust and adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice a week," said the Pharisee, "and I give tithes of all that I possess."

Now you remember the story: the tax collector, standing afar off, not even wanting to draw near to God, would not even lift up his eyes unto heaven. Instead, he smote himself in the chest and said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Jesus told His hearers on that day in Luke chapter 18, "I tell you that this man, the tax collector, went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalts himself shall be abased."

We know the exhortation that is given by the Lord through James in the book of James, where we're told that we are to humble ourselves.

In the sight of the Lord, He will lift us up. We see that the publican was the one who humbled himself, but the Pharisee was the one who exalted himself. The Pharisee said, "Lord, I'm so thankful I'm not like one of these other guys." This attitude reflects how the people were in Isaiah's day, in the land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. They expressed gratitude that they were not like the other nations that God had destroyed. They thanked God that they were not like those of the northern ten tribes that He had consumed by the hand of the Assyrians.

Yet, although they had the temple, kept the feast days, fasted at the appointed times, and offered sacrifices and prayers in the city of Jerusalem, their hearts were far from God. We have seen this time and time again throughout the book of Isaiah. Going all the way back to the very first chapter, God said, "I don't want you to offer this incense anymore; your incense is an abomination. Your new moons and your feasts—away with it." From the very beginning, God was saying that their religious service had become wicked to Him because it was tainted with sin. Their hands were full of blood.

Now, as we reach Isaiah chapter 58, God is still saying that their religious service is sin to Him. There is a very real danger for us as well. We can begin to think that we have a right relationship with God because we attend a Bible study, tithe to a church, or are involved in children's ministry. We may believe that our relationship with God is dependent upon the things we do rather than the position we have in Christ.

But that is the important key: Are we in Christ? Has His blood atoned for our sin? Do we have a relationship with God the Father through His Son? Do we have the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Are we walking in the Spirit and not fulfilling the desires of our flesh?

The people in Isaiah's day, in the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah, were performing religious acts, but they were not denying the desires of their flesh. As we've already seen in this passage, they would fast but continue to seek after pleasurable things. All the while, they would accuse God of not taking notice. They would say, "Lord, You're not keeping up Your end of the bargain." Behold, in their fast, they found pleasure. On the outside, they appeared righteous and seemed to keep God's law, but that was just part of the story. It was a sham, just like the Pharisees.

In Matthew chapter 23, verse 28, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Even so, you outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." These religious individuals that God was addressing failed to recognize that God's law touches deeper than just our external activity. Even today, we have to guard against this.

They oppressed those who worked under them. Behold, we read there, "You fast for strife and debate." They fasted from food, but all the while, they were fighting with everyone around them. Fasting may have even made things worse. Perhaps you have fasted for a period of time before, and you know that after fasting for a little while, there is a real problem with our flesh. We start to get grumpy, and we begin to bite at people who talk with us. You can often tell when someone has been denying their flesh because their flesh starts to act out.

When it acts out in that way, that's when we need to bring it before the Lord and crucify it. But these people did not recognize that. They were doing the religious things, and God said, "I want you to fast at these appointed times." So they fasted at those appointed times, and by the end of the day of fasting, they were all kind of ticked off. You didn't want to get in the way of someone who was fasting; they might just beat you up.

God says, "You fast for strife and debate." To make your voice heard on high. Did you see that at the end of the verse? To make your voice heard on high. It's almost as if they were fasting to try and get their agenda pushed forward with God. We have a temptation; we are tempted to do this as well sometimes. We figure the Lord is not answering my prayer, so I'm going on a hunger strike until He does. I'm going to fast until God answers my prayer.

That is almost what appears to be happening with the people of Judah and Jerusalem at this point in time. "God, you're not keeping up your end of the bargain. You're not answering our prayers, so until our voice is heard on high, we're going to fast." But God asks them the all-important question: "Is this the fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast?"

That is acceptable unto the Lord? God says, "Do you think this is really what I'm wanting from you? Just to have this external exercise? Is this the fast that I've required of you? Is this the one that I've chosen for you?"

They did all the external things. They humbled themselves, hung their heads low, dressed in sackcloth, and spread ashes underneath them. But they just did it for one day, and at the end of their day of humility, they went back to business as usual. We see similar things in our day as well. Many people are sincere when they observe Ash Wednesday. However, if you're among those who, before Ash Wednesday and Lent comes around, celebrate Mardi Gras to its fullest—Fat Tuesday, man!—you go all out and eat up life because, well, now you're going to have to deny yourself. You've failed to recognize the purpose of what is going on there. It has become more of a labor than anything.

That's what the people in Isaiah's day were doing as well. There were appointed times where God said, "I want you to fast at this period of time." So they'd go, "Well, you know, next week we're going to have to fast, so let's live it up. Let's make sure we eat and drink and be merry this week because next week we've got to do that whole fasting thing again."

In verse 6, God asks, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen?" In verse 5, He says, "Is what you're doing really what I require? Do you think this is what I'm asking you to do?" Now, in verse 6, He continues, "Is not this the fast that I've chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness? To undo the heavy burdens? To let the oppressed go free? And that you may break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry? And that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him? And that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?"

You see, the design of God's chosen fast was not mere external activity or exercise. It was an external denial of their desires, but it needed to be rooted in the heart. It should have affected the heart. God's desire was that they would fast from temporal, earthly desires, such as food. That's the primary thing that they would be fasting from. But while they were doing that, they would be reminded of what it is that God has called them to do. Like what? That they would loose the bands of wickedness, God says. That you would free...

Those that are wrongly imprisoned. That you would exercise justice is literally what God says. Here, you're fasting; you're not eating food, but you are filled with injustice. You're taking bribes, and you're not pleading the cause of the fatherless and the widows, those that are helpless.

Not only that, God says, when you fast, you should recognize that you need to undo heavy burdens. You should not oppress those that are under you. If there is anyone who is oppressed, you should let the oppressed go free. You should break every yoke. Those that are bound to you, especially as borrowers, and those you have subjected to usury, which is excessive interest, you should unbind them from that. Sure, you're fasting from food, but you are exercising usury over your brothers and sisters.

You should give to those that are in need, bring the poor into your house, clothe those that are naked, and take care of your own family. You should not hide yourself from your own flesh. What does it mean to hide yourself from your own flesh?

You may remember in the New Testament, Jesus is speaking with a group of Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees. He talks about how your customs step on God's law, and he speaks about Corban. You remember what Corban was? If a person wanted to keep their money from their father or mother and did not want to help their family members, they would say, "I've dedicated this to the temple; it is Corban," and so they couldn't use it for you. You are hiding yourself from your own flesh. God says, "Is this not wickedness?" What I have called you to do is actually reach out to those that are in need.

Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 25. I want to look at just for a moment the last few verses of chapter 25 of Matthew because there we consider how God is going to judge at the very end. Remember when he separates the sheep from the goats?

Matthew 25, verse 31: "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory." Now, why is he going to sit upon the throne of his glory? Verse 32: "And before him he shall gather all nations, and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats." He shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left hand. Then shall the king say unto them that are on his right hand.

Come, ye blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Why? Why do you get to come in?

Verse 35 states, "For I was hungry, and you gave me meat. You gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me."

Then shall the righteous, notice they are called righteous, answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come unto you?"

And the King shall answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me."

Then shall He also turn unto those that are on the left hand and say, "Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me."

Then shall they answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto you?"

And then shall He answer them, saying, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to the least of these, you did not do it unto me."

In chapter 25 of Matthew, the righteous were those who reached out to those in need, by meeting their needs and ministering love to them, revealing that they were children of their Father. The unrighteous were those who did not do it.

Now, the people in Isaiah's day in Judah thought themselves righteous. Why? Because they went to the temple, offered sacrifices, kept the feasts, observed the Sabbath, and fasted at appointed times. They did all the religious things and therefore thought that they were righteous.

I have no doubt that there will be many on that day when the Lord judges—many people who thought themselves righteous because they did religious things. But God says, "Depart from me into everlasting torment." Why? Well, when I was naked, you did not clothe me. When I was sick and in prison, you did not minister to me.

Now, I'm not saying that our works earn our salvation. Not so. Else, those people who did religious works...

They ought to be saved. However, there are certain works and characteristics that are indicative of someone who has been transformed by the life of Christ. For we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, not of works, lest any man should boast, as stated in Ephesians chapter 2. In verse 10, Paul says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God ordained beforehand that we should walk in."

The good works mentioned here are the kinds of actions we read about in Matthew chapter 25, which are characteristic of the righteous. These are the things that God calls us to do—reaching out to people with justice and equity. Unfortunately, the people of Isaiah's day were not doing that. They were angry at God because He was not blessing them, even though they were performing religious acts.

God says, "If you will keep the fast that I have called you to keep," as noted in verses 6 and 7, "then this shall be the result." In verse 8, it continues, "Then shall the light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you. The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."

Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer. You shall cry, and He shall say, "Here am I." If you take away from your midst the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity, and if you draw out your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall rise in obscurity, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.

If you will do as the Lord desires and truly requires, then, says the Lord, your light will break forth as the morning, and your health will spring forth quickly. God's glory shall be your protection. You shall call upon the Lord, and He will answer you quickly. These are all the blessings of those who seek the Lord, follow Him, and do as He calls.

If you will reform your ways, He says, if you turn from your wickedness, evidenced by an inward heart change, then you will see God move in a mighty way. In Matthew chapter 3, verse 8, John the Baptist says, "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance." This is exactly what is required.

What Isaiah is saying to his people in his day is to do things that reveal that they have turned from their wickedness. They need to stop and take away the burdens from the people, those whom they have placed burdens upon. They should stop pointing the finger of condemnation and speaking wickedness. Instead of doing those things that are unrighteous, they should start ministering to those who are hungry. This ministry is not just about providing food; it involves giving cheerfully, willingly, and giving of oneself. It should not be done out of a sense of religious obligation, but from a heart that says, "My Father God is a giver, and I want to give also."

The Apostle Paul exemplified this in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 8. He stated, "I didn't come and just offer you words. I didn't just give you a letter, but I gave of my own self." In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, he said to the church at Corinth, "I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." Furthermore, in Philippians chapter 2, verse 17, he expressed, "Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." He willingly laid himself down for them.

This is what God was calling the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do for their brothers and sisters. Instead, they were backbiting each other. Yes, they were performing religious services, but they were not walking in righteousness at all. It is possible to be religious and not righteous, which is something that is hard for people to understand. We often relate to God on a works-based relationship, thinking that if we do certain things, then He will respond in kind.

However, we have received grace, which means we are getting what we do not deserve—not because we have done all the right works, but because we have laid ourselves down before Him and said, "Lord, I can't do it in and of my own strength." If one wants to relate to God on a works-based relationship, then they can receive the wages that are due. But what are the wages of sin? Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. I don't know anybody who wants that.

To relate to God in that fashion, we must understand the significance of His guidance. Continuing on, verse 11 states, "The Lord shall guide you continually." The context here is that if you follow Him in this righteous way, He will guide you continually. This guidance will satisfy your soul in drought. If you are seeking to satisfy others, He will satisfy you. He will make fat your bones, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters fail not. Those who come from you shall build the old waste places. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations, and you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the paths to dwell in.

The result of living in the way that God is calling us to live is that God will be kind to us. If we are kind to others, He is kind to us. God will guide us continually and satisfy us. He will satisfy our souls, not just our fleshly desires, but at the soul level. You will be like a watered garden. I can't read that without thinking of Psalm 1, where David says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he does meditate day and night."

Now, what is the result for this individual? He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in his season. His leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper.

In verse 13 of Isaiah chapter 58, it says, "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, you shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then shall you delight yourself in the Lord. I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it."

If Judah would return to keeping God's ordinances with a right heart, not doing their own thing on His Sabbath and holy days, but enjoying that which He made for man—because the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath—then He would lift them up once again. This idea of coming before Him and humbling themselves before God is essential.

God will exalt that individual. In Isaiah 59:1, we read, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is His ear heavy that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear."

You see, Judah felt that they had been unjustly dealt with by God. In their view, they were doing everything that He had ordained, everything that He had required, and they wondered why He did not stand up on their behalf. They said, "God, we're doing all the things. We're going to the temple, we're offering the sacrifices, we're praying, we're keeping the feasts, the festivals, the fastings, all of it, and yet You're not standing up."

Some of the people began to doubt whether or not God could stand up. They thought, "Maybe He's unable; maybe He's deaf; maybe He doesn't have the strength to reach out to us." But it wasn't that God was weak or unable. It wasn't that His arm was not strong to reach out to them or that His ear was clogged to their words. Rather, we read that their sin has separated them from their God.

We already saw a similar thing back in Isaiah chapter 50. In verse 2, God asks, "Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? When I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea; I make rivers a wilderness, and the fish stink because there is no water and die of thirst."

He reminds them of His power when He parted the Red Sea and they crossed over on dry ground in Exodus chapter 14. He says, "Do you think I can't redeem you? Do you think I'm weak to be able to reach out to you? Remember what I did back at the Exodus?"

Our God is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the First and the Last, the One who was and is and is to come, the Creator of all things seen and unseen. Do you not think that He cannot reach out to us? He is not hindered by lack of strength. He is not hindered by weakness. The only thing that hinders Him from coming to us is our unbelief and our sin.

So God says the reason that you are separated from Him, the reason that He is not fighting on your behalf or that you are not experiencing His blessing, is not because He is unable. It is because you have sinned. Your iniquity has hindered Him from coming to you. It has separated you from your God, and He will not hear. Would you underline that at the end of verse 2? He will not hear. Not that He cannot hear; He will not hear.

His help is withheld because of their sin. Well, what was their sin? Verse 3 states, "For your hands are defiled with blood. Your fingers are... Your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies. Your tongue has muttered perverseness. None calls for justice, nor any pleads for truth. They trust in vanity. They speak lies. They conceive mischief. They bring forth iniquity. They hatch vipers' eggs, or cockatrice eggs in the King James Version, and weave the spider's web. He that catches their eggs dies. Or, I'm sorry, he that eats their eggs dies, and that which is crushed beneath breaks out into the viper."

"Your hands are defiled with blood," says the Lord. In Isaiah chapter 1, we read the exact same thing when God told religious Jerusalem and Judah, "I'm not going to come to you any longer. I'm not going to hear your prayers any longer." Why? Isaiah 1:15 states, "And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. When you make your prayers, I will not hear because your hands are full of blood." The very same thing.

Now consider how long it has been since that point. From Isaiah chapter 1 to Isaiah chapter 58, we're talking about 35 plus years, and Isaiah has seen no change in his people. I have to admit, I would think that would be rather depressing. There would be a little cause for despair. The prophet Isaiah, I would think, if I were him at that point in time, would be wondering, "What in the world am I doing?"

I think that's partly the reason why at the beginning of Isaiah chapter 58, we read, "Cry aloud and spare not." It's as if the Lord comes and encourages the prophet, saying, "Listen, you need to do it one last time. I know things are terribly bad." To see what took place in the nation from the time of Uzziah to the time of Manasseh is just terrible.

Read through 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and you can follow the history of the nation of Israel from the time of Uzziah when Isaiah the prophet began his ministry, because Uzziah died in Isaiah chapter 6. Uzziah was a fairly good king until the end of his life. Then you fast forward through the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and then to Hezekiah's son, Manasseh.

As we saw in Isaiah chapter 57, Manasseh rebuilt all the high places that Hezekiah, his father, had torn down. He caused the people to worship Baal on the mountaintops, Asherah in the groves, and Molech in the valleys. He even caused his children to pass through the fires of Molech, offering his toddlers and infants to Molech by burning them.

Isaiah was in the city of Jerusalem, no doubt hearing the drums of the priests of Molech from the valley of Hinnom, just outside the western walls of the city. They pounded the drums to drown out the cries of the children. There, in his old age and nearing the end of his life, Isaiah hears this, and God says, "I want you to go and cry aloud and spare not. Tell my people their transgression."

While all of this is happening, the people are accusing God of being unjust and not coming to them to bless them. What kind of foolishness inspires man to think that way? Yet, it's not any different today. Look at our own nation. We have "In God We Trust" on all of our coinage and money. We speak so much about how we are a Christian nation. People got up in arms and very angry when our president said we are no longer a Christian nation, which, in reality, is true.

We see all these different expressions of religion in our nation. We are very spiritual people, aren't we? We get angry because God is not blessing our nation. The dollar is at the lowest it's been in years, the economy is falling apart, and everybody's lost their jobs. As we've been going through the book of Isaiah, we must recognize that these are indications that God has removed His hand of blessing.

Why has He removed His hand of blessing? Because of our sin. Your iniquity has separated you from your God. Your hands are full of blood, your fingers full of iniquity, and your lips have spoken lies. A.W. Tozer used to say that Christians don't tell lies; they just sing them in church every Sunday. When we sing about how devoted we are to God, how much we love God, and how much we want to follow God, our actions throughout the week often show that our words on Sunday can be called lies. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue has uttered perverseness.

No one calls for justice, and remember, God was going to judge them because they had not pled the cause of the fatherless and the widows. No one pleads for truth. They trust in vanity. In the New International Version, when you read through the book of Ecclesiastes, it quotes Solomon's words: "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity." The NIV even describes it as "soap bubbles." Vanity, emptiness, worthlessness. They trust in vanity. Could we be called a nation that trusts in empty things? Let that sink in.

They speak lies. They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. They conceive it in their hearts and bring it forth in their actions. Mischief and iniquity. They are like a brood of vipers. Remember in Matthew chapter 3, verse 7, when John the Baptist saw the Pharisees and the Sadducees come out to his baptism? He said unto them, "O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" The people in Isaiah's day were very much like the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They were filled with outward religious action and activity, but their hearts were full of perversity.

I would say that our nation, in many ways, is filled with Pharisees and Sadducees, actively engaged in religious exercise. So much so that we're called a spiritual people, and yet we are filled with iniquity and perversity in our hearts. Their webs shall not become garments; neither shall they cover themselves with their works. Their works are the works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. The wickedly conceived plans of these sinful people of Judah bring forth nothing. They have nothing to cover themselves because all their works are wickedness and filled with iniquity. They will be left naked and ashamed by the works they did in their wickedness.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are the thoughts of iniquity, wasting and destruction.

The way of peace they have not known, and there is no judgment in their goings. They have made crooked paths. Whosoever goes therein shall not know peace. The accounting of their sin continues as God just lines it up for them. Remember, the context is Isaiah: cry aloud and spare not. Tell My people their iniquity and their transgression. I want you to tell them what they've done.

Well, what have they done? They are people who run towards evil as if it were something to be pursued, something to be followed after. They make haste to shed innocent blood, wanting to get there as fast as possible. The people had become wicked, like the sinners that Solomon spoke of in Proverbs. Proverbs 1:16 states, "Their feet run to evil; they make haste to shed blood."

What comes of those kinds of people? In verse 17, it says, "Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird." They lay in wait for their own blood and lurk privily for their own lives. They set the snare, and they will be taken in their own snare. The wicked will be taken in their own snare. Paul speaks the very same words; in fact, he quotes Isaiah 59 in Romans 3 when discussing the wicked who shall be judged. He speaks about the righteous wicked, those who do religious things, in Romans chapters 2 and 3.

In Romans 3:15, he writes, "Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. The way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." And so they will be judged. Just as we see in Isaiah 59:9, "Therefore is judgment far from us; neither does justice overtake us. We wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness."

We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope as if we had no eyes. We stumble at noonday as in the night. We are in desolate places like dead men. We roar like bears and mourn sore like doves. We look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. God had promised that if they would turn to the Lord, then they would walk in light, that they would experience blessing.

Justice and truth once again, but now He says, "Because you refuse to follow after the Lord, because you devise evil things and run towards wickedness, make haste to shed blood, then because of that, justice is far from you. Salvation is far off. Right judgment and justice are gone. All that remains is darkness. Darkness so great that the people groped around, not able to find which way to go. They staggered around like blind people, like people without eyes, He says. They stumble in the middle of the day when you should be able to see. They have no idea what way to go. What way is up? What way is down? They have no clue. They call evil good and good evil. They put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. They put darkness for light and light for darkness.

And so God, in Isaiah chapter 5, would say, "Woe unto you." Destruction is certain. They do not know the right way, and so they find themselves in desolate places, ready to die. Howling and crying out, they beg for judgment and salvation. But God says, "It's far from you." Why is it far from you? Because of your sin and your wickedness.

Verse 12: "For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them." In transgressing and lying against the Lord and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood, judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands far off. For truth has fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Why is judgment and salvation far off? Because Judah was full of transgression, and they were loaded down with sin. They knew what their sin was because God had been repeatedly telling them what their sin is. It wasn't obscure. They were liars. They had departed from God. They spoke oppression. They rebelled against the word of God. Their hearts were filled with falsehood. Their lips spoke wickedness. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matthew chapter 12, verse 34).

And so judgment and justice had been turned away. Truth has fallen in the street, He says. Truth had been slain by the people. There was no more fairness. There was no more equity any longer. Those who spoke truth, the prophets...

Of the people, they had been slain, and even Isaiah, as he continued to speak the truth, was under the reign of Manasseh when he would ultimately be put to death because of the message that he brought.

Verse 15 states, "Yea, truth fails, and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey." The Lord saw it, and it displeased Him. It displeased Him that there was no judgment. He saw that there was no man, and He wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore, His arm brought salvation unto Him, and His righteousness sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation upon His head. He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

In Jerusalem and Judah, truth failed. They had slain truth, as we saw in the streets a couple of verses before, and now in verse 15, we read that truth had failed. Perversity and lies had so taken hold of the people that anyone who desired to live after godliness or in a godly fashion would find himself under persecution. Truth fails, and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey. The person who says, "I want to follow after the Lord," suddenly becomes the focal point of persecution.

It is funny how that is the way it is in our day today as well. When you stand up and say, "I want to follow after righteousness; I want to follow after the Lord," that is when persecution begins to come from people. Yes, today, the persecution is not so much in the form of bodily injury, but it manifests in the media, speaking ill of anyone who says, "I want to follow after righteousness." The Lord saw it. He saw their sin, even though they foolishly thought that they had hidden their sin from God.

Turn back to Isaiah chapter 29 just for a moment. Isaiah 29:15 says, "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark. They say, 'Who sees us? Who knows us?'" Woe to them! Judgment is certain for that person who tries to hide their sin, thinking no one sees them or knows them. How foolish is that?

Isaiah 47.

In verse 10, we see, "For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness; thou hast said, 'None sees me.' No one sees me. No one knows what's going on." You put yourself in a very precarious position when you think, "Well, I've hidden my way from the Lord." God saw their wickedness; He knew what they were doing, and He was displeased and grieved.

In the Book of Judges, we read twice that "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25). Everyone did what was right in his own eyes, and then seven times in the Book of Judges, we read that Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. God saw it; He knew what they did.

In John chapter 3, when Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus, He says that men love darkness. Why? Because their deeds are evil. They think, in their foolishness, that they can hide their wickedness from God. He sees; He knows. But the person, like in Isaiah 29:15, asks, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" God was grieved. He was even more grieved when He saw that there was no intercessor.

Not only did God see the sin of His people, which was great, but He also saw that there was no one standing in the gap on behalf of the poor and the needy. There was no one in the nation who stood up for the righteous. As we saw a couple of weeks ago, the righteous died, and no one took notice. No one was standing or interceding, and God wondered why there was no one to help the trodden down. None regarded truth; none regarded justice. Nobody pled the cause of the fatherless and the widows—those who were beyond help. No one stood as an advocate for the oppressed. The nation was full of corruption.

So, when such is the case, what can be done? Well, what do we see there in verse 17? At the end of verse 16, it states, "Therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; His righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation upon His head." Therefore...

There was not a single advocate that would stand for righteousness in the nation, nor would anyone intervene because of their wickedness. So, God steps in. His strong arm of salvation comes in, and He puts on righteousness as a breastplate and the helmet of salvation.

Where have you heard of the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation? Ephesians chapter 6 discusses the armor of God. Finally, brethren, Ephesians 6, verse 10 states, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." It continues, "Having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

I think that Paul probably had that passage in mind when he wrote to the Ephesians. He had Isaiah chapter 59 in mind, where we read of the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. However, you'll notice in verse 17 of Isaiah 59 that there are two other articles of clothing or armor mentioned that are not included in the armor we are to take up in Ephesians chapter 6. Isaiah 59, verse 17 states, "He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation upon His head; He put on zeal as a cloak."

God looks at the wickedness of man, specifically at this passage, the wickedness of His people in Judah and Jerusalem, and He says, "I'm going to do something about this." Just like when God looked down from heaven at Sodom and Gomorrah and heard the cry that came up from those cities, He declared, "No more; something is going to be done."

So, what did the Lord do? He put on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. He saved Lot, did He not? But He also put on, as we read here, the garments of vengeance and the cloak of zeal. What was this for? It was for the day of the Lord Jesus.

He will wear these garments: the cloak of zeal and the garment of vengeance when he returns. Turn just a few chapters over to Isaiah chapter 63. We are going to be looking at this in just a couple of weeks.

Isaiah 63, verse 1 states, "Who is he that comes from Edom with dyed garments from Basra, this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?" Isaiah sees somebody coming from the east. He is standing in Jerusalem and sees a man coming from the east, from Edom, which is modern-day Jordan. This man is in glorious clothing, traveling in the greatness of his strength.

Then the man answers him, "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." Who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save? Jesus. Isaiah then asks him in verse 2, "Wherefore are you red in your apparel, and your garments like him that treads the winepress? Why are you all covered in red like you've been treading the winepress in these nice, beautiful clothes?"

He says, "I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me. For I will tread them in my anger and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon all my garments, and I will stain all my clothing. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come."

The cloak of zeal is given to Jesus alone; we do not hold on to that as armor.

In Revelation chapter 19, verse 11, we see the very same picture once again. John, the one who recorded the revelation of Jesus Christ, states, "I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. In righteousness, he does judge and make war." Who is that? Jesus. His eyes were a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name that was written that no man knew but he himself, and he was clothed in a robe.

That was dipped in blood. Isaiah 63 and Isaiah 59 state that His name is called the Word of God, and the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. They do not have the garments of vengeance on. Out of His mouth went a sharp sword, and with it, He should smite the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron; He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. This is referenced in Isaiah 63, Joel chapter 3, and Revelation 14.

He has on His vesture, on His robe, and on His thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is coming a day when Jesus will return wearing the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, but He will also have the cloak of zeal and the garments of vengeance. According to Isaiah 59, verse 18, He will repay according to their deeds. Fury will be given to His adversaries and recompense to His enemies; to the islands, He will repay recompense. This speaks to the whole world.

Why will He repay? The wages of sin is death, as stated in Romans 6:23. Woe to the wicked! Isaiah 3, verse 11 says it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him. Jesus is going to come to repay their deeds accordingly.

In verse 19, it says, "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun." When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him, and the Redeemer shall come to Zion unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, says the Lord.

What will be the result of the Lord returning with the garments of vengeance? They shall fear the name of the Lord from the east to the west, throughout the whole world. They will reverence God. We read that the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. This is one of those verses that people love: "The enemy comes in like a flood; the Spirit of the Lord raises up a standard against him." However, a lot of times we don't really know what it means. What does it mean that He'll lift up a standard against him? Rabbi David Kimchi, in the 12th century, writing on this passage, explains it.

The standard bearer was always the one who began the battle by being the first to smite the enemy. The standard bearer was the one who first went and fought. When the enemy comes in like a flood and stands against God and His people, the Spirit of the Lord goes forth and first encounters the battle. Those who go against sin and Satan with the Holy Spirit at their head are sure to win the day.

After He comes, wearing the garments of vengeance and the cloak of zeal, He judges those treading the winepress in His wrath and vengeance. The fear of the Lord will go throughout the whole earth, and the enemy will not be able to stand against Him. We read in verse 20 that the Redeemer shall come to Zion and to those who turn from transgression, says the Lord. He will return once again to Zion and will be the Lord of those who turn from their sin and repent.

In verse 21, the Lord says, "As for me, this is my covenant with them." To those who turn from their transgression, God will give His Spirit that is upon you and His words which He has put in your mouth. These shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed, says the Lord, from henceforth forevermore.

God has an everlasting covenant, His abiding Spirit and Word in those who turn from their transgression. They will have this covenant forevermore, from generation to generation. This is the promise that we have in Christ: when we turn from our wickedness and transgression to Him, repent of our sin, and receive Christ Jesus as Lord, we are given this everlasting covenant. We shall be with Him eternally.

We will be with Him when He returns, as He is wearing the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation with which He has redeemed you and me. However, He will also be clothed in the garments of vengeance and will have the cloak of zeal. He will execute righteous judgment upon those who have not turned from their transgression.

God would say to Isaiah, "Cry out and spare not. Tell the people of their transgression." Why? That they would repent. I believe the Lord would give you and me the same call in our day: cry aloud and spare not. Do not stop pleading with sinful man that he would repent, because the wrath of God will come. As we read in Revelation chapter one, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. None of us want to see anybody we know, even if we would account them as our enemy, to be under the wrath of God on that day. So, cry aloud and spare not. Tell the people their transgression and tell the people of the gospel of peace and the Lord who will return.

Let's stand and pray. Father, we do thank You that when the enemy rises against us in our lives, You fight on our behalf, just as Joshua fought the battle against Amalek in the valley while Moses was seated on the hilltop with his hands lifted high, and Aaron and Hur helped maintain his hands. Father, may we recognize that we are not the ones in the battle fighting against Amalek, but we are in the position of Moses, praising You. As our hands are lifted high, we see victory.

So, Father, help us to maintain that position and to be in constant fellowship with other brothers and sisters, that we would be able to help each other lift our hands in praise and adoration to You. For then we see You victorious, God, glorious on that day and in our lives today. We desire that You would have victory over anything that exalts itself against You. We would be bright, shining lights in a dark place, for we ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen. A percentage and then the hour blessing our prayers. She answered, "Great, nice." In the nice wash, once done, I was waiting.