Isaiah 59:1, 2 - Sin Harms Our Relationship With God.
Isaiah 59:1, 2 (NIV) Surely the arm of the
LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too
dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have
separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his
face from you, so that he will not hear.
Isaiah 59:1, 2 (NLT) Listen! The LORD is not
too weak to save you, and he is not becoming
deaf. He can hear you when you call. 2 But there
is a problem - your sins have cut you off from
God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and
will not listen anymore.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Two Roadblocks to Prayer
Some years ago I was leading a Holy Land
tour. We also went to modern-day Turkey to visit
the biblical Ephesus, where people once
worshiped the goddess Diana. So I bought a little
statue of this goddess at a local souvenir stand to
illustrate one of my messages.
Afterward, I threw the statue in my
backpack and thought nothing more of it. But a little
later in the tour, two of my granddaughters came
across that little statue and started playing with
it.
I said, Girls, give that to me.
Then I left the room with it and threw it away.
The Bible tells us, Little children,
keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21 NKJV).
We might think of idols as images like the
little Diana statues from Ephesus. And they are, of
course. But idols also can be other things.
An idol can be something that you drive.
It can be something that you hold. Or, it can
be some passion you have in life thats more
important to you than God Himself. An idol is anyone
or anything that takes the place of the true
and living God in your life. And if we allow
things like these to crowd out God, it can bring
our prayer lives to a halt.
Another thing that can hinder our prayers
is unconfessed sin. Psalm 66 says, If I had
not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord
would not have listened (Psalm 66:18 NLT).
Also, in Isaiah 59 we read, Listen!
The Lords arm is not too weak to save you,
nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. Its
your sins that have cut you off from God. Because
of your sins, he has turned away and will not
listen anymore (verses 1-2 NLT).
God cannot forgive the sins we wont
confess. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
When God Wont Listen
If youre practicing sin as a
Christian, it will bring your prayer life to a
screeching halt. One of the reasons our prayers are not
answered is because of unconfessed sin.
The psalmist said, If I regard
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear
(Psalm 66:18 NKJV). That word regard means to
cling to or hold on to.
And in Isaiah 59, God said, Behold,
the Lords hand is not shortened, that it
cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot
hear. But your iniquities have separated you from
your God; and your sins have hidden His face from
you, so that He will not hear (verses 1"2
NKJV).
We all sin, and we sin more than we think
we do. As 1 John 1:8 says, If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us (NKJV).
That is why Jesus taught us to pray,
Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who
sin against us, as frequently as we pray,
Give us today the food we need (Matthew
6:11"12 NLT).
Theres a difference, however, between
Christians who sin and Christians who willfully and
habitually sin without remorse, without any plans to
stop.
True Christians are miserable when
theyre living in sin, and theyll want to confess
that sin. On the other hand, if someone can
continue to sin and even plan to sin more without any
remorse or pangs of conscience, it would indicate to
me that he or she isnt a child of God (see 1
John 3:8).
Unconfessed sin can hinder our prayers.
That is why we want to confess it. And when we
do, 1 John 1:9 tells us that God is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness (NKJV). [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Your Biggest Problem, and What to Do About It
Today, most cultures dont think sin is
ugly. In fact, many people think sin is fun!
Think about media. TV shows, social media
memes, and movies use sin for humor.
This is Satans strategy: to get you to
laugh at the same things that put Jesus on the
cross. Satan disguises sin to make it look
attractive, desirable, and fun. Rarely in media do you
see the consequences of sin.
If you want to know how ugly sin really
is and the damage it does, look at Jesus
bleeding on the cross. Jesus suffering shows you
just how much it takes to pay for your sins. The
cross shows the damage sin does.
Sin has all sorts of consequences in your
life! Here are just three of them.
Sin alienates you from God. Why? Because
God is holy, and you are not. Sin creates
conflict and puts distance between you and God.
Isaiah 59:2 says, It is your evil that has
separated you from your God. Your sins cause him to
turn away from you, so he does not hear you
(NCV). Sin always leaves estrangement in its wake,
even between you and God.
Sin causes enormous amounts of stress in
your life. One of the greatest sources of stress
is unrecognized and unresolved guilt. King
David said, My guilt has overwhelmed me like a
burden too heavy to bear (Psalm 38:4 NIV).
Holding on to sin takes an emotional
toll. When you break Gods laws, it leads to
worry, fear, guilt, and insecurity. You wouldnt
experience this if you always did things Gods way.
But you dont, and you cant. This is the
reality of sin.
Sin condemns you. When you violate
Gods laws, theres always a penalty - in both
self-condemnation and judgment from a righteous God. Psalm
7:11 says, God is a righteous judge and always
condemns the wicked (GNT).
You may think your biggest problem is a
relationship conflict, health issue, or trouble finding a
job. But the reality is, your biggest problem is
that youre at war with God.
Thats why youre so frustrated!
Thats why you dont sleep well. Thats why
youre stressed out. You werent made to live out
of harmony with your Creator, who loves you. He
made you, and he sent his Son to die for you. He
wants you to be in harmony with him.
Repent of your sin today - and every day
- so that you can be at peace with God. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
ONE LINER
It is not because He is unwilling to forgive
that He turns from the transgressor; it is
because the sinner refuses to make use of the
abundant provisions of grace, that God is unable to
deliver from sin. {PK 323}
CLOSING THOUGHT
Sin not only shuts away from God, but
destroys in the human soul both the desire and the
capacity for knowing Him. Through sin, the whole
human organism is deranged, the mind is perverted,
the imagination corrupted; the faculties of the
soul are degraded To the heart that has become
purified, all is changed. Transformation of character
is the testimony to the world of an indwelling
Christ. The Spirit of God produces a new life in the
soul, bringing the thoughts and desires into
obedience to the will of Christ; and the inward man is
renewed in the image of God. Weak and erring men and
women show to the world that the redeeming power
of grace can cause the faulty character to
develop into symmetry and abundant fruitfulness.
The heart that receives the word of God is not
as a pool that evaporates, not like a broken
cistern that loses its treasure. It is like the
mountain stream, fed by unfailing springs, whose
cool, sparkling waters leap from rock to rock,
refreshing the weary, the thirsty, the heavy-laden. It
is like a river constantly flowing and, as it
advances, becoming deeper and wider, until its
life-giving waters are spread over all the earth. {PK
233}
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Isaiah 59:1,2 - How Does Sin Separate Us
From God And His Blessings.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050502-1812.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
