Isaiah 59:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Similarly, when God beheld the sins of the Egyptians, He said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters’ (Ex. 3:7); and in the days of Noah, He declared, ‘And the Lord God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually’ (Gen. 6:12).

Therefore, when they refer to the rejection experienced by the Jewish people and the divine wrath that ensued due to their rebellion against Christ, they also emphasize their eventual conversion in the final days and the awakening of their faith in Christ. To dispel any notion that the Truth might utter falsehood, He wisely illustrates their journey towards repentance, as if speaking on their behalf to God, saying, "We seek judgment, but it is absent." Yet through judgment, they explicitly call upon the truth delivered through Christ, which they longed to embrace but ultimately did not, leading them to cruelty and disobedience. Thus, they declare that salvation is far removed from us, as our iniquities multiply in Your sight, and our sins linger within us. In their complete abandonment of Him who justifies through faith, they distanced themselves from salvation. They failed to rid themselves of the filth of sin, and the weight of their iniquities clung to them like an unclean stain. Consequently, Christ beckoned them, saying, "Truly, I say to you, unless you believe as I do, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24). Because they did not place their faith in Him, they perished in their sins; due to the multitude of their wrongs against Christ, they acknowledge their sins, stating, "We have committed wrongs, engaged in slander, turned away, and strayed from following God." Indeed, they grievously committed evil, spreading lies about the glory of Christ, our Savior, and rejecting His call to discipleship. Furthermore, they confess, "We have spoken falsely and disobeyed; we have borne deceit in our hearts and uttered unrighteousness against Christ." They asserted that He cast out demons by the authority of Beelzebub, the ruler of demons (Matthew 12:24); they claimed, daringly, that He was a Samaritan and possessed by a demon, labeling Him as a perpetrator and a glutton. They slandered both Him and Pilate, accusing Him of inciting the people and prohibiting tax payments to Caesar (Luke 23:2). Thus, they admit, "We have strayed from following our God; we have spoken unjustly and disobeyed; we have borne deceit within and sung lies from our hearts; we have forsaken judgment, and the truth is distant from us"; this indicates a willful rejection of truth, as if turning our backs to it. These words reveal the hearts of those who seek repentance and pardon from Christ, for repentance and open confession of sins is vital for salvation, as it is written, "Declare your sins first, that you may be justified" (Isaiah 43:20). The divine psalmist also said, "I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my heart" (Psalm 31:5).

It involves sinning and deceiving in the presence of God, or as the Hebrew text rendered by Aquila puts it: denying the Lord, ultimately referring to our Savior. We claim to know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not recognize the truth of His ways, as evidenced by our slanderous statements regarding Him—‘If He were truly of God, He would not violate the Sabbath’ or ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons.’

There is a clearer implication in Greek regarding the concept of apostasy, where one renounces God and becomes a rejector of the faith. We have generated and spoken falsehoods from our hearts, disregarding God’s law in favor of human traditions that we have cherished in our souls. Consequently, justice has been transformed into a distant memory, and the pursuit of truth has lost its way. What communion can exist between truth and iniquity? What accord can there be between Christ and Belial? The truth has departed and distanced itself from us, as it has fallen to the ground. The path leading to destruction is wide and alluring, yet we refuse to follow the narrow way that leads to life. The truth has seemingly vanished, as is written, ‘The truth from the earth has emerged, and the truth from heaven has come.’

It should be noted that the term ‘truth’ is often used to refer to the very face of Christ, whose followers have abandoned the truth in favor of falsehood. Those who choose to distance themselves from lies have found themselves vulnerable to exploitation. While this might appear bleak, it can be understood in this way: because we have birthed lies from our hearts and turned away from God’s law, truth has become estranged, falling into the streets, leaving justice unable to approach us. The Son of God, who embodies truth, has been obscured, such that anyone seeking to leave the Jewish traditions faces intrigue and persecution. The man born blind, who was restored to sight, was expelled from the synagogues. Moreover, in the wake of the resurrection of our Lord, those assigned the ministry of the Gospel by the apostles faced relentless persecution and exploitation from those who opposed them.