God has the ability to save us. He knows that we need to be saved. Why, then, doesn't he save us all from the mess we are in? Simple. We push Him away.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things. (Isaiah 59:2-3 NIV)
Whenever we sin, we tell God, "I don't need you. I don't want you here. Leave me alone." God, being the gentleman that He is, honors our request.
No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace. (Isaiah 59:4-8 NIV)
We live in a world where we aren't the only ones who sin. The world is filled with people telling God, "I don't need you. I don't want you here. Leave me alone." Each of us does this in different areas of our lives. The result, however, is that the world is filled with people who sin. We don't want God in our lives.
So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead. We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away. For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. (Isaiah 59:9-13 NIV)
The result is that we deal with the consequences of not only our sin, but the sin of others as well. Someone else steals, so we lose our possessions. Someone else murders, so our friend or relative dies. Justice is not served and people get away with their evil. Then, we look at the three fingers pointing back at ourselves.
My sin, I realize, is "uttering lies my heart has conceived." My sin, I cannot deny, "incites revolt and oppression. My sin, I am horrified to admit, is "rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning my back on God." I am to blame for the state of this world.
So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. (Isaiah 59:14-15 NIV)
When I try to do something about the evil and injustice of the world, I find myself overwhelmed by the world. I am only one person. I cannot overcome against the billions of others who do not want to shun evil and make this world a better place. The world simply chews me up and spits me back out. I cannot overcome the power of sin in me. I cannot overcome the power of sin around me.
He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. From the west, people will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. (Isaiah 59:16-19 NIV)
God, however, has the power to overcome sin. He has the power to overcome evil. He is the one our rebellion is against and He is the one who can balance the scales of justice. So, He does.
He balances the scales of justice with His righteousness.
He offers salvation to those who want to be with Him.
He zealously pours out vengeance upon those rebelling against Him.
"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD. "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants--from this time on and forever," says the LORD. (Isaiah 59:20-21 NIV)
The problem with this picture is obvious. We are all people who rebel against Him when we sin. We cannot win in a battle against the LORD. Our only hope is to stop our rebellion, lay down our weapons, and hope for mercy. We need to repent to be saved. When we do, He will give us mercy. He will give us His Spirit. He will give us His words to lead us throughout our life...everlasting.
How about you? Have you laid down your weapons of rebellion against God? Have you repented of your sin? Have you stopped fighting Him and started fighting sin in your life? Don't try to do it alone. You'll get chewed up and spit out. You need His mercy, and His Spirit, to win.
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