Isaiah 59:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Here, he admonishes them again, stating, “No one raises his voice for the truth, and no one stands up for the truth; they hope in vain and speak lies, they conceive evil and bring forth wickedness, they hope in vain,” that is, in idols, “they speak lies.” All that is empty and futile either leads to deception or reproach. “They speak lies, conceive evil, and give birth to wickedness.”

In interpreting this prophecy, we noted that they defied the commands of the wise Moses and neglected the path of righteousness, adhering instead to their own ways that were displeasing to God. When facing adversity, they resorted to fasting, believing that such abstinence alone could appease the Judge. However, upon realizing their hope was in vain, they began to complain, Why do we fast and You do not see? Have we humbled ourselves, and yet You have not noticed? Here, the prophet, in his fervent devotion to God, admonishes them, asking, Can the hand of the Lord be too short to save? Or is His ear too dull to hear? Indeed, he asserts, the Lord's mighty right hand is not constrained, nor is His hearing diminished, but your iniquities have created a barrier between you and God. Whoever, therefore, removes this barrier, which separates them from the knowledge of God—namely, sin—will find that the Savior is close at hand and will surely accept the pleas of the distressed, for it is intrinsic to Him to be all-powerful and to heed the requests of the oppressed out of His love for righteousness. The prophet identifies the sins that create this separation, declaring, Your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with iniquity; your lips speak deceit, and your tongue advocates wrongdoing; for they killed the holy prophets sent by God, and they also reproached Him. Thus, Jeremiah laments, My strength is weakened by those who seek my life (Jeremiah 15:10). Alongside this, he seems to hold them accountable for their wrongdoing against Christ, stating, Their hands are stained with blood, signifying that they became murderers of the Lord, and their speech was filled with iniquity, their words promoting wickedness: they maintained hatred toward Christ, reviled Him, diminished His divine signs, concocted falsehoods against His majesty, and condemned Him, exclaiming, Take Him, take Him, crucify Him! Therefore, in the face of Christ's unjust condemnation, the prophet boldly proclaims, No one speaks truthfully, nor do they execute just judgment; they rely on emptiness and utter falsehood. What does this empty hope consist of? They believed that by removing the Heir from their midst, they would come into His inheritance. Thus, despite their wretchedness, they conspired against Him with their futile words. This prophetic message either condemns the descendants of Israel for their wrongdoing against Christ or highlights their moral depravity; their hands are sullied by blood, their speech and intentions consumed by wickedness and unrighteousness, and moreover, their judges have become corrupt, accepting bribes and pursuing disgraceful gains. In another passage, it is stated: How the once faithful city of Zion became filled with injustice! Righteousness once dwelled within it, but now it harbors murderers; your silver is unrefined, your wine merchants mix it with water. Your leaders show no remorse; your alliances are corrupt, embracing bribes and neglecting the orphans, failing to uphold justice for the widows (Isaiah 1:21-23).

Isaiah lamented, "The righteous perish, and no man receives; the righteous is taken away from the calamity to come." His resting place will be in peace, removed from the midst of injustice (Isaiah 57:1-2). Even though they did not physically harm the Lord Savior, they collectively condemned Him when they cried out in ungodliness, "His blood be upon us and our children" (Matthew 27:25); thus, they share in the guilt of His death and bear hands filled with impurity. The same prophet declares, "When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood" (Isaiah 1:15). Both their mouths and tongues speak deceit and iniquity, expecting the Antichrist rather than the true Christ. No one calls upon the truth or judges righteously, as indicated in Hebrew, which emphasizes that they do not believe in Christ but instead cling to empty hopes and speak of vanities. Consequently, the apostle urges us not to concern ourselves with Jewish myths and the doctrines of men that stray from the truth (Titus 1). In reality, they put their trust in voids and pursue emptiness, fulfilling the Lord’s prophecy: "I come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; but if another comes in his own name, you will receive him" (John 5:43).