Isaiah 59:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

As the prophet reflects on what the Israelites would declare at their calling, seeking God's grace for salvation through Christ, he resumes his address and charges the Israelites, confirming their wickedness, their apostasy, and enmity toward the truth. He illustrates this by stating, "The truth is weary in their ways," suggesting it has been utterly destroyed and completely lost, since there is no truth evident in their deeds, in the essence of God's law. Thus, they cannot walk on the right path; having lost the knowledge of living according to divine law and thinking in accordance with truth—the very law of God—how can they pursue righteousness? How can they forge clear and unblemished paths?

By stating, "The truth was taken up, and they put away their minds to understand," he reveals that the truth had entirely departed from them, and they had fully lost the capacity to grasp that which leads to salvation. The Lord observed their condition and felt anger at the absence of justice and law. It is said that He looked and did not strike a man, and thought, yet did not strike a potential deliverer; for in His mercy, God forgives the transgressions of even an entire city for the sake of one righteous individual found within it. Thus, through Jeremiah, He declared, "Search the paths of Jerusalem, and see, and know, and seek in its hills; if you find a man who works faith and loves mercy, I will be merciful unto him," says the Lord.

He was even willing to spare the inhabitants of Sodom from destruction if there had been five righteous men, one in each city. Reflect on the reality of their situation, for no man and no deliverer could be found; a righteous man who bears God's wrath and can truly intercede for those he represents is necessary. Yet since none could be found among them, He turns His power against them and establishes them through grace; for He did not completely destroy Israel but, in His mercy, preserved a remnant and upheld His promise to their holy fathers without change.

Then the prophet affirms, "He clothed Himself with a shield, and donned a helmet and a garment of vengeance, as one who repays the adversary," indicating that the Almighty Himself has taken the role of commander against them, fully armored and prepared for battle. These words reflect the righteous intent of His wrath toward them; for the Almighty has risen against them, of whom it is rightly proclaimed, "You are fearful, and who can stand against you?" Thus, as they witness the punishments that befall the Jewish people, both those from the west and those from the east shall tremble at His glorious name; for His wrath shall pour forth upon the disobedient like a raging river, destructive in nature and unstoppable in its force.

For our numerous iniquities are evident to You, and our sins confront us. We have learned our unrighteousness as we have acted in wickedness, lied, and distanced ourselves from our God. We have spoken injustices and acted in disobedience, imparting from our hearts words of unrighteousness. We turned away from judgment and truth grew far from us, for the truth became wearied by our ways and could not walk the straight path. The truth was taken away, and understanding was obscured.

This illustrates why they cried out like bears and cooed like doves, waiting for judgment that did not come, longing for salvation that had passed to the Gentiles, lamenting that our iniquities have multiplied before You, causing You for a long time to turn away Your face, refusing to see our sins and withhold judgment. Their offenses stand against us, deserving of recompense. We have learned our iniquities, which we have long regarded as truth. What are these iniquities? To sin and deceive in God's presence, or as translated from the Hebrew by Aquila: to deny God, referencing the Savior. We have abandoned our God, claiming, "We are aware that God spoke to Moses; however, we do not know the reason for it," referring to slanderous assertions, “If He were truly of God, He would not break the Sabbath,” and, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.”

The offense that is clearer in Greek is termed apostasy, which occurs when someone denies God and becomes an apostate. We conceived and uttered deceit from the heart, scorned God's law, and adhered to human traditions, called secondary laws, which we harbored within us. Thus, justice receded and truth became distant. For what communion does truth have with iniquity? What partnership exists between Christ and Belial? Truth has faltered among the Gentiles and has grown estranged from us, for truth has fallen in the square. The path leading to destruction is broad and inviting, so they rejected the narrow way where truth resides. Truth has been forgotten, as written, "Truth has risen from the earth, and righteousness looked down from heaven."

It can be noted that the name of truth often signified the very presence of Christ, whose forsakers followed falsehood. Anyone removing themselves from falsehood faced predation. Although this appears grim, it is explained thus: our hearts produced lies, and in forsaking God's law, truth drew far away from us. It fell in the squares, justice could not reach us, and the Son of God, who embodies truth, was subjected to erasure, to the extent that anyone wishing to separate from Jewish traditions faced intrigues and persecution. The man born blind, who regained his sight, was expelled from the synagogues, and following the resurrection of the Lord Savior, persecution and exploitation befell all those entrusted with ministries by the apostles throughout the world.