Isaiah 59:1-3 – Don’t let sin curtail the work of God in your life

In Ephesians 3:20 Paul said that God is “able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think….” Here in Isaiah God puts the same thing in another way. He said, Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.” What God is saying is that He will save and He will hear. There is no limit to what God can do because of His unlimited power.

Much as God can do and want to save and heal us, there is a possibility that His works can be hindered. How so? The connective “but” is telling. It suggests that we can prevent it from happening in our lives by our sin and wayward conducts. If we regard iniquity in our hearts God will not hear us. So here Isaiah said that the wrongdoings of the Jews in Isaiah’s day had caused a breach between them and God. Their sin had caused God to hide His face from them. So He refused to hear their cries. As their sins had created a barrier between them and God, so can ours. We need to keep short accounts with God so that our cries to Him will not be blocked.    

Illustrating with some parts of the human anatomy in verse 3, God warns us of conducts that can prevent Him from hearing and saving us. Firstly, we must not defile our hands with blood i.e. do not be guilty of doing another person in. Secondly, our fingers must not engage in wrongdoing, meaning we should not be involved in wrongful activities. Thirdly, we must not practice deceit. In other words, don’t lie and speak falsehood. And fourthly, we must not speak wickedness. A barrier between us and God will be formed when we engage in these activities.

Beloved, God is more than able to save us and hear us. But know that we can sabotage what He wants to do for us by not connecting with Him. Desiring to connect with Him of necessity tells us that we must come to Him with clean hands and pure hearts. Psalm 15:2-4 gives us the prescription to enjoy lasting fellowship with God. That person, the Psalmist says, must walk:
“…with integrity, practice righteousness
And speaks truth in his heart.
He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor do evil to his neighbor,
Nor bring shame on his friend;
A despicable person is despised in his eyes,
But He honors those who fear the Lord….”