Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"The LORD's hand is not shortened"
Text: Isaiah 59:1
THE PROBLEM OF SIN
Sin was a deep problem that Israel failed to comprehend fully. The nation took sin too lightly. Sin continued to form a huge chasm between Israel and God.
“Behold, the LORD’s 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.
For your hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue has muttered perversity.”
Isaiah 59:1-3
1. The effects of sin.
a) God did not hear the prayers offered.
b) His hands did not reach out to save.
c) Israel was in a precarious state.
2. Sin causes a deep separation.
a) Iniquity reflects the dark side of sin.
b) It reeks of evil that was abhorrent to God.
c) The unconfessed sins of the people had created a huge gulf.
d) The LORD did not attend to the petitions of the sinful nation.
3. A short list of the sins of Israel.
a) Their hands were full of blood.
b) Their fingers were stained with iniquity.
c) Their lips were given to speaking lies.
d) Their tongues muttered words of iniquity.
Israel did not address these problems. They thought that religious practices would be sufficient to love God and hear their prayers! They were wrong!