Isaiah 59:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is not the fast I have chosen, declares the Lord (Isaiah 58:1-5). We have sought to clarify the meaning of this prophecy by pointing out that they rejected the teachings of the wise Moses and neglected the path of righteousness; instead, they continued in their sinful habits, remaining steadfast in a lifestyle that was abhorrent to God. In times of conflict, they resorted to fasting, believing that abstaining from food alone, whether individually or collectively, would appease the Divine Judge. Yet, when their hopes proved fruitless, they began to grumble, asking, Why do we fast, but you do not notice? Have we truly humbled ourselves and yet you have not paid attention? Notice how the divine prophet, with fervent devotion to God, admonishes them, asking, ‘Is the hand of the Lord too short to save? Has His ear become dull that He cannot hear? No, rather, he asserts, the powerful right hand of the Lord is not diminished, nor is His hearing impaired; it is your iniquities that have created a barrier between you and Him. Therefore, whoever shall eliminate this separation and remove the sin that stands like a wall between themselves and the knowledge of God will find the Savior is not far away and will certainly respond to the cries of the distressed, for it is inherent to Him to possess both limitless power and a willingness to hear the pleas of the downtrodden out of His goodness. The prophet further lists the transgressions that alienate God from the people of Israel, stating, Your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with iniquity; your lips speak deceit, and your tongue weaves falsehoods. They have slain the holy prophets sent by God, and have also accused Him unjustly. Consequently, Jeremiah laments, My strength fails because of those who seek my life (Jeremiah 15:10). Moreover, He seems to highlight their wrongdoing against Christ, asserting, Their hands are stained with blood, for they have become the murderers of the Lord, and their lips utter deceit and their tongues spread iniquity; they were persistently hostile toward Christ, reviling Him and demeaning the divine signs while fabricating falsehoods against the divine authority, ultimately accusing Him and demanding, Take Him, take Him, crucify Him! Thus, when Christ was unjustly sentenced, the prophet boldly proclaims, There is no one who speaks rightly, nor is there true judgement: they trust in illusions and utter falsehoods. What is the nature of their empty hopes? They believed that by eliminating the Heir from their midst, they could seize His inheritance. In their pitiful state, they conspired against Him with their hollow words. This prophetic declaration either indicts the people of Israel for their evil acts against Christ or highlights their overall lack of goodness; their hands are bloodied, their speech and thoughts consumed by wickedness, and especially their judges have become corrupt, accepting bribes and pursuing disgraceful gain. It is articulated elsewhere: How has the faithful city of Zion become a place of injustice? Once it was filled with truth, but now it is full of murderers; your silver is unrefined, your merchants mix water with wine. Your leaders do not show remorse, your alliances are wicked, pursuing bribes and failing to uphold justice for orphans or consider the plight of widows (Isaiah 1:21-23).

'In the name of Christ we urge you,' states the apostle, 'to be reconciled to God.' How can reconciliation occur if we do not eliminate that which creates the rift between us? As the prophet declared, His ear is not dull to hear; rather, your transgressions have created a barrier between you and your God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Thus, we cannot be reconciled to Him unless that which currently separates us is taken away, and unless what should rightfully exist between us is established. There are forces that divide; however, there is a Mediator who restores unity. The sin that separates us stands in the way, but the Mediator who brings reconciliation is the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). To dismantle the barrier of sin that stands between us, this Mediator came, offering Himself as the sacrifice.

The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous, while the cries of the wicked go unheard; this is not comparable to our human ears, which detect every word, righteous and unrighteous alike. Your sins act as a barrier, separating you from God. Thus, the Saviour, through His suffering, united all, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility through His flesh (Eph. 2), so that the blood of Christ may reconcile those estranged by sin. He reopened the gates of paradise, which had long been shut, and extinguished the fiery sword with His blood, allowing the thief to hear, “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). When it is said that He turned His face away so that He would not hear or show mercy, it signifies that the foulness of their sins was unbearable to Him, leading Him to avert His gaze, lest He be compelled to enact immediate justice. Therefore, the sinner, longing to behold the Lord’s face, cries out in the Psalm, “How long, O Lord, will You completely forget me? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 12:1). In another passage, he exclaims, “Shine Your face upon us, and we shall be saved” (Psalm 79:4).

Observe the first humans after their initial disobedience: 'I heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day,' which evokes the memory of humanity's original communion with God. However, when 'Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God' (Genesis 3:8), this illustrates the reality of sinful estrangement from Him. Notably, the compassionate Lord reaches out to humans even after their fall, yet the sinner is often unprepared to encounter God, choosing instead to evade Him. This dynamic extends beyond Eden; even following humanity's expulsion from paradise, God tirelessly seeks to reconnect with the sinner, reaching out to Cain after he has committed fratricide. Alas, it is Cain himself who separates from God, casting himself out. Since the dawn of creation, God has sought to draw near to humanity in various manners—through the wonders of nature, through His providence, via miraculous acts, during revelations, within the Law, and through the prophetic voice. Ultimately, in the closing days of this world, He manifests in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Pay heed, attentive spirit: do you not perceive 'the voice of the Lord God walking,' not just 'in the garden in the cool of the day,' but throughout all creation—during the twilight of day and the stillness of night? Would the wayward soul assert it hears nothing of the kind? To such a claim, we respond that God remains unchanged, steadfast, and actively present. If you fail to hear Him, it is due to your distraction.