Our Redeemer Comes

                                                      Sunday School Lesson                                      

Lesson: Isaiah 59:15-21                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 59:20).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  Biblical history reveals that the nations of Israel and Judah consistently demonstrated a lack of justice.  It seems that there was nothing good to be found in the business transactions, religion, and courts of these ancient nations.  A solution was needed.  However, if a solution was to be found, God would have to provide one.  The title for this week’s lesson is “Our Redeemer Comes.”  But before the Prophet Isaiah can tell us about the coming Redeemer, he first had to describe the plight of God’s people.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  At the time of our lesson, the northern kingdom of Israel had been invaded and taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.  In Isaiah chapters 57 and 58, God through the prophet Isaiah condemned the southern kingdom of Judah for their sins.  In Isaiah 57:7-9, the Lord accused Judah of turning from Him and giving their love to idols, particularly Molech, the Ammonite god whose worship included child sacrifice.  The Lord said that this was equal to committing adultery, because they were breaking their exclusive commitment to Him.  Then the Lord declared that He would expose their righteousness and works for what they really were---mere pretentions of doing good (see Isaiah 57:12).  Isaiah warned the people that their righteousness and works would not save them from pending destruction, any more than their weak, worthless idols (see Isaiah 57:13).  In Isaiah 57:14-21, the prophet tells how God will deal with those who are humble and repentant or contrite, as well as those who are wicked.  In chapter 58:1-12, Isaiah declares that what they called worship was really not worship.  True worship was more than religious ritual, going to the temple every day, fasting, and listening to Scripture readings (see Isaiah 58:1-5).  God’s people missed the point of a living vital relationship with God.  He doesn’t want us acting pious when we have unforgiven sin in our hearts and performing sinful practices with our hands.  More important than correct worship and doctrine is genuine compassion for the poor, the helpless, and the oppressed (see Isaiah 58-6-12).  Note:  Isaiah was trying to get the people to understand, and we need to know this as well, that we can’t gain our salvation through good deeds because our best deeds are not good enough to outweigh our sins.  Salvation is a gift from God received only through faith in Christ, not good deeds (see Ephesians 2:8-9).  Our faith lacks sincerity if it doesn’t reach out to others.  Fasting can be beneficial spiritually and physically, but at its best, fasting helps only the person doing it.  God wants our service to Him to go beyond our own personal growth to include acts of kindness, charity, justice, and generosity.  True fasting is more than what we don’t eat, it’s pleasing God by applying His Word to our society.  In Isaiah 59:13-14, God tells His people how they should honor the Sabbath Day not only because it was a commandment, but because it was best for them and it honored God.  This is also true for believers today.  We should set aside a day of rest to refresh ourselves both physically and spiritually while we worship together and reflect on God without the stress of our everyday activities.  The Israelites needed to remember that God Himself rested on the seventh day (see Genesis 2:3).  Then in Isaiah chapter 59 from which our lesson text comes, in verses 1-2, Isaiah calls on Judah to pay attention to what he was about to say.  He went on to tell them that the Lord isn’t too weak to save them.  He isn’t getting deaf, and He can hear them when they call.  Then Isaiah told them once again why judgment would fall upon them.  The trouble was that their sins had cut them off from God.  Therefore, He had turned his face away from them and will not listen anymore.   Then in verses 3-14, Isaiah continued to give a long list of their transgressions against God.  The amazing thing was that the people admitted that they had sinned against God, but still continued in their sin.  This is where our lesson begins.
III. WHAT THE PEOPLE NEEDED (Isaiah 59:15-17) 
A. A displeased Lord (Isaiah 59:15).  After listing many of the sins the people had committed, in this verse, Isaiah continued to say “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.”  In verse 13 Isaiah told the people that they were guilty of “transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”  This caused the prophet to declare in this verse “Yea, truth faileth.”  In other words, “truth” was totally missing in Judah.  Note:  Too often today, people find it easy to lie to one another, considering it as acceptable and commonplace.  However, if we truly believe in Christ we would realize that lying is sin (see Leviticus 19:11; Proverbs 14:5; John 8:44; Acts 5:3-5; Colossians 3:9-10; James 3:14; I John 1:6; 2:21) even what we call “little white lies.”  Lies are lies and they all displease God.  As a result of there being no “truth” in the land, Isaiah said that anyone who “departeth from evil maketh himself a prey.”  This means that anyone who refused to go along with the lying, evil ways of the people, would find themselves being “a prey” or attacked by those doing evil.  Isaiah stated that “the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.”  In other words, the Lord saw all the evil and was displeased that He could find “no judgment” or justice.  Sadly, no steps had been taken against sin.
B. A saving Lord (Isaiah 59:16).  In this verse, Isaiah continued to say about God that “he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”  Judah’s rebellion against God, resulted in the lack of justice, righteousness, trust and honesty (see Isaiah 59:14).  The Lord looked at His people’s situation and “saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.”  In other words, God saw no one who was willing to stand for the truth, and also act as an “intercessor” meaning one who intervenes on behalf of another.  The Lord “wondered” or was devastated that He found no one to intervene for His people.  This doesn’t mean that God was not already aware of this, but that He was completely stunned at the situation.  Since the Lord couldn’t find anyone to help His people, Isaiah declared “therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”  In reality, no human being could help Judah in her sinful condition.  Only God Himself could provide a solution for His people.  He would do this by providing salvation Himself.  The phrase “his arm brought salvation unto him” means that God by His own power would bring “salvation” or deliverance from sin to Judah.  The word “him” refers to God’s people.  The last part of this verse “and his righteousness, it sustained him” means that God’s own righteousness, or His desire to do what is right “sustained” or upheld Him in coming to the aid of His people.  What the Lord wanted was the restoration of the relationship between Him and His people.  No human was available or even capable of doing this, so God would have to do it Himself.
C. A righteous Lord (Isaiah 59:17).  Still referring to God, Isaiah says in this verse “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”  Isaiah pictures the Lord as a warrior who puts on His armor and battle clothes to provide salvation for Israel and execute vengeance on His enemies.  Of course, God is already righteous so He doesn’t have to put on “righteousnes.”  But Isaiah used the human description “put on” for better understanding.  This is what is called an “anthropomorphism” which means to use human terms to describe something or someone divine.  God is said to have “put on” several pieces of clothing similar to what a soldier would wear when going into battle.  Like a soldier, Isaiah described God as first putting on “righteousness as a breastplate.”  The “breastplate” covered a soldier’s body.  Here, God’s breastplate is a covering of “righteousness.”   Second, Isaiah said the Lord also put on “an helmet of salvation upon his head.”  Of course, the “helmet” was used by a soldier to protect his head.  When used by the Apostle Paul, the “helmet of salvation” protects the believer’s mind from evil thoughts.  But when used of God, it refers to His saving power.  The phrase “and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak” pictures God as wreaking “vengeance” or revenge on the enemies of His people with great “zeal” or eagerness.  God not only has a deep and intense concern for His people, but He is also passionately determined to destroy their enemies.  All of this will eventually occur at the battle of Armageddon just prior to the establishment of the Lord’s glorious kingdom (see Revelation 19:11-21; Zechariah 14:1-9; Matthew 25:31-46).  Again, saying that God “put on the garments of vengeance for clothing” is an anthropomorphism, where Isaiah uses human terms to describe God as wearing these clothes of war.
IV. WHAT GOD DOES (Isaiah 59:18-19)
A.  God will repay Israel’s enemies fully (Isaiah 59:18).  The prophet continues to say in this verse “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.”  The phrase “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies” means that God will deal with Israel’s enemies according to how they have dealt with Israel.  In His “fury” or anger, God will “repay” Israel’s “adversaries” and “recompence” their “enemies” for how they have treated them (see Matthew 25:31-46).  The words “repay” and “recompence” both mean that God will pay back Israel’s enemies in kind for what they have done or their “deeds.”  The terms “adversaries,” “enemies,” and “the islands” all refer to the Gentile nations who have opposed Israel.  A simpler translation of this verse is “He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds—fury for his foes in distant lands” (The Living Bible Translation).  Note:  It’s interesting that unsaved persons are so sure that they are not going to reap the consequences of their sins from God.  But the Psalmist tells us why they feel this way: “The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.  He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.”  But our text tells us that “According to their deeds, accordingly he (God) will repay.”  The wicked may not believe it, but God sees and takes note of each evil deed, and will repay them for those deeds.
B. God will defend Israel mightily (Isaiah 59:19).  Still referring to Israel’s enemies whom God will deal with, in this verse Isaiah said “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”  The word “they” here refers to the enemies of God and His people.  When God finally deals with the wicked from all nations, they will “fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun.”  In other words, when God deals with His enemies, these people will come from the west to the east and will reverence the Lord and respect his glory.  Isaiah went on to say “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Even though God’s enemies may appear to be coming to battle “like a flood,” the Holy Spirit will raise “a standard against him (God’s enemies).”  The word “standard” refers to a symbol carried on a pole and raised high in the air, much like a flag, to rally a tribe or a group of warriors to battle.  In this case, it refers to the sign God will reveal by His Spirit to His army as He prepares to war against His enemies.  Note:  As mentioned earlier, God’s dealings with all nations who oppose Him and His people will take place at the second coming of Jesus.  At that time, all the armies of the world will have gathered together against Jerusalem for the battle of Armageddon when Christ comes with all the armies of heaven (see Zechariah 14:1-7; Revelation 16:12-16).  At that time, the antichrist and the false prophet will be defeated and thrown into the lake of fire (see Revelation 19:17-20), and Satan will be bound for a thousand years (see Revelation 20:1-3).  Then the Jews and unbelieving Gentiles will be judged to determine who will enter the millennial kingdom and who will be sent away to eternal punishment.  Jews will be judged for their rejection or acceptance of Jesus, and Gentiles will be judged regarding their relationship with Jesus and their treatment of Israel (see Joel 3:1-3; Matthew 25:31-46).  The result of all of this will be according to Isaiah 59:19a: “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun.”  The vengeance of the Lord is coming and it’s just a matter of time before He intervenes in the world’s affairs and takes charge.
V. WHO GOD IS (Isaiah 59:20-21)
A. God is the Redeemer (Isaiah 59:20).  In this verse, Isaiah turns back to speaking of the Lord saying “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.”  After the Lord judges Israel and the Gentile nations, Jesus, the Messiah, who is also “the Redeemer shall come to Zion.”  He will “come to Zion” or Jerusalem as the “Redeemer” or the “one who buys back” His people from the bondage of sin.  However, at this time, He will only be the “Redeemer” for those Jews who “turn from transgression in Jacob (or Israel), saith the Lord.”  The unbelieving Jews will have already been judged and taken away to everlasting damnation.  This turning or conversion will be like what Paul wrote about in I Thessalonians 1:9-10: “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”  Note:  Today we see few Jewish people believing in Jesus as their Messiah.  But God has a plan that will change their hearts.  Isaiah 59:20 reveals the beginning of Christ’s reign over the earth, called the millennium (see Revelation 20:4-5).  During that time, Jesus Christ will be the King (see Psalms 2:6-9; Revelation 19:15-16), and the earth will finally enjoy peace, equity, justice, and prosperity (see Isaiah chapters 11, 25, 26, 27, 35; Zechariah 14:8-21), and His throne will be in the city of Jerusalem (see Isaiah 2:2-4).   
B. God is the covenant keeper (Isaiah 59:21).  In our final verse, God speaks through Isaiah saying “As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”  After God saves His people and they turn to Him, He will fulfill His promise that He here calls “my covenant with them.”  A “covenant” is a promise, but is also an agreement between two or more people and can be either conditional or unconditional.  God said that this was His covenant, or promise indicating that it was unconditional, meaning only God is responsible for keeping it.  In other words, in a conditional covenant God says “I will…, if you will…”  In an unconditional covenant God says simply “I will…”  The keeping of the covenant is dependent upon Him alone.  Many scholars believe that God was referring to the new covenant explained in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and confirmed in Hebrews 8:7-11 and this is probably true.  God’s covenant or promise to His saved people would be fulfilled when, as He declared “My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”  When believing Jews enter the kingdom reign of Christ, God promises that His Spirit will be upon them and He will put His words in their mouths, as well as the mouths of their “seed” and their “seed’s seed” meaning every generation thereafter.  God also declared that His word will never depart out of their mouths.  Of course, when God says “my words which I have put in thy mouth” most likely refers to God’s law of the new covenant that He said He would put in their minds and write in their hearts (see Hebrews 8:7-11).  This way His people will never forget His laws.
                                    
VI. Conclusion.  As we are all aware of, this world like ancient Israel is full of injustices and wickedness.  However, God has provided a remedy---His Redeemer.  We can rest assured that just as the Lord Jesus came once about two thousand years ago to work our salvation on the cross, so too, He will return for us just as He promised.  For sure, He will correct all the frustrating injustices we see.