59 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
On the surface these two scriptures appear to cancel one another out but I don't believe they do. Some people think they have done too much wrong to be redeemable, verse one is to them with the focus in the second verse being on people who are bent to do wrong with no conscience about it. Sin is an action, iniquity is a thought process. Before I asked the Lord into my heart, when I saw mischief afoot I wouldn't think anything of it as long at it didn't affect me. After I asked the Lord into my heart, the Holy Spirit within me took notice of wrong intentions in other people. Suddenly my concern about wrong-doing bothered me even when it didn't affect me. Some people call this empathy which is the ability to put yourself into someone else's shoes and care about what they have been through or are going through. A repentant heart is the difference between the two verses.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
The way of the adversary against God and his children is highlighted in these verses and you can recognize those who belong to the devil by how they treat other people and how they treat you. They delight in doing evil and they think up evil schemes. These people will not only not have peace with God through the Son of God and his manifestation of God's love for mankind through Christ, they also have contempt for the entire message of the Gospel. God doesn't send anyone to hell, people go there because they reject him and don't consider him to be worthy to be their savior. How many times have you heard someone mock God, the gospel, and the behavior of those who believe in God and accept Christ? They reject God and have contempt for those who don't reject him. They do the things listed to satisfy their fleshly natures, they are wholly consumed with the things of this life that eternity is a foreign thought to them. You won't find any humble in these people.
9 Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
Because the world has more people in it who belong to the adversary than those who belong to God, the sons of satan make the world into a very treacherous place to live. Sometimes just holding onto your faith that the Lord will one day apprehend his kingdom and return to set things right is the best you can do. This set of verses is not talking about the restoration of your soul which is the spiritual salvation, which is more real than this world, this set of verses is talking about justice on the earth and salvation from such people. The scripture says that in the last days the love of many would grow cold because wickedness abounds.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
13 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.
14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
The Lord sees what is happening on the earth, how that when a person tries to do the right thing and live the right way toward people, that person becomes a victim to the world around them. I challenge you to find people in the prison system who have not been victimized in their youth in one way or another and they feel justified by their actions and deeds and thoughts. I know someone who, when I told them that the Lord would handle my battles, they laughed. This person goes to church every Sunday, or used to and they think I'm a sucker for believing the Lord would take up my battles here on earth. They go to church, did you hear me?! Every Sunday! But they don't go for the right reason and because I believe in the love of God and his promises, they saw me as easy pickings to target, they don't expect their behavior to ever find them out or be judged by anyone. I am weaker than they are and do nothing back to them. Today they still prosper so far as I know and that's alright because when judgment comes I won't rejoice in it anyway. People like for you to throw in with them in their evil plans and devices because it validates what they do. When you refuse to, then they turn and target you as well. Christ is the only remedy and he won't always be the suffering savior, one day he will be the lion of the tribe of Judah. Those who belong to him try to rest in that.
16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
19 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.
20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
This is the way things will be when the Lord returns to the earth to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Israel will be living in peace and safety and those who would destroy them will attempt to do so when Jesus will return and stop an army with a word. Those who belong to him will be behind him on their white horses watching, even then they will not have to fight to see justice done on earth.
21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
Comments