Confession and Redemption

Isaiah 59 Indeed, YHWH’s hand is not so short that it can’t save; nor his ear so dull, that it can’t hear. But y’all’s iniquities have separated y’all from your* God, and y’all’s sins have hidden ʜɪꜱ face from y’all, so that ʜᴇ will not hear. For y’all’s hands are defiled with blood, and y’all’s fingers with iniquity. Y’all’s lips have spoken lies. Y’all’s tongue mutters wickedness. No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies. They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. They hatch viper’s eggs and weave the spider’s web. Whoever eats of their eggs dies; and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper. Their webs won’t become garments. They won’t cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Desolation and destruction are in their paths. They don’t know the way of peace; and there is no justice in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves; whoever goes in them doesn’t know peace.

 

Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn’t overtake us. We look for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity. We grope for the wall like the blind. Yes, we grope as those who have no eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight. Among those who are strong, we are like dead men. We all roar like bears and moan-moan like doves. We look for justice, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far off from us.

 

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: transgressing and denying YHWH, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter. Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

 

YHWH saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. Hᴇ saw that there was no one, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore ʜɪꜱ own arm brought salvation to ʜɪᴍ; and ʜɪꜱ righteousness sustained ʜɪᴍ. Hᴇ put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on ʜɪꜱ head. Hᴇ put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, ʜᴇ will repay as appropriate: wrath to ʜɪꜱ adversaries, recompense to his enemies. Hᴇ will repay the islands their due. So they will fear the name of YHWH from the west, and ʜɪꜱ glory from the rising of the sun; for ʜᴇ will come as a rushing stream, which the Spirit of YHWH drives.

 

“A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says YHWH.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says YHWH. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth will not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring, nor out of the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says YHWH, “from now on and forever.”