Isaiah 59:3
For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice.
For your hands are stained with blood
The phrase "your hands are stained with blood" uses the imagery of hands to symbolize actions and deeds. In Hebrew, the word for "hands" (יָדַיִם, yadayim) often represents one's power and ability to act. The "stained with blood" indicates guilt and violence, suggesting that the people have committed acts of murder or severe injustice. Historically, this reflects the period of moral and social decay in Israel, where violence and oppression were rampant. Theologically, it underscores the seriousness of sin and its consequences, emphasizing that God sees and judges the actions of His people.

and your fingers with iniquity
The "fingers" (אֶצְבְּעוֹת, etzba'ot) further emphasize the personal and deliberate nature of sin. While hands can represent broader actions, fingers suggest more intricate and intentional wrongdoing. "Iniquity" (עָוֹן, avon) refers to moral perversity and guilt. This phrase highlights the pervasive nature of sin, affecting even the smallest actions and decisions. It serves as a reminder that no sin is hidden from God, and even seemingly minor transgressions contribute to the overall corruption of the heart.

your lips have spoken lies
"Lips" (שְׂפָתַיִם, sefatayim) are often used in Scripture to represent speech and communication. The act of speaking "lies" (שֶׁקֶר, sheker) indicates a departure from truth and integrity. In the historical context of Isaiah, falsehoods were prevalent among the leaders and prophets, leading the people astray. This phrase warns against the destructive power of deceit and the importance of truthfulness, aligning with the biblical principle that God detests lying lips but delights in those who speak truthfully (Proverbs 12:22).

and your tongue mutters injustice
The "tongue" (לָשׁוֹן, lashon) is a powerful symbol of communication and influence. To "mutter" (הָגָה, hagah) suggests a continuous, perhaps even subconscious, engagement in wrongdoing. "Injustice" (עַוְלָה, avlah) refers to actions that are morally wrong and unfair. This phrase captures the insidious nature of sin, where injustice becomes a habitual part of one's speech and life. It serves as a call to repentance, urging believers to align their words and actions with God's standards of justice and righteousness.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book. He prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah during a time of moral and spiritual decline.

2. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which Isaiah addressed. The people of Judah were often rebuked for their disobedience and idolatry.

3. God
The ultimate judge and the one who calls out the sins of the people through the prophet Isaiah.

4. The People of Judah
The audience of Isaiah's message, who are being accused of various sins, including violence, deceit, and injustice.

5. Sin and Iniquity
The actions and moral failures that separate the people from God, as highlighted in this verse.
Teaching Points
The Consequence of Sin
Sin separates us from God and leads to spiritual and sometimes physical consequences. Isaiah highlights the seriousness of sin, particularly those involving violence and deceit.

The Power of Words
Our words have the power to build up or destroy. Isaiah's rebuke of lying and injustice reminds us to be mindful of our speech and its impact on others.

Repentance and Restoration
While Isaiah points out the sins of the people, the broader context of the book calls for repentance and offers hope for restoration. We are encouraged to turn away from sin and seek God's forgiveness.

Moral Integrity
As believers, we are called to live lives of integrity, avoiding actions and words that lead to injustice and harm.

The Role of the Prophet
Isaiah serves as a mouthpiece for God, reminding us of the importance of listening to and heeding God's word through His messengers.
Bible Study Questions
1. What specific sins are highlighted in Isaiah 59:3, and how do they manifest in today's society?

2. How can we guard our hearts and tongues against the sins of deceit and injustice mentioned in this verse?

3. In what ways does Isaiah 59:3 challenge us to examine our own lives and relationships with others?

4. How does the message of Isaiah 59:3 relate to the teachings of Jesus on the importance of truth and justice?

5. Reflect on a time when your words or actions may have caused harm. How can you seek reconciliation and align more closely with God's standards?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 34:13
This verse encourages believers to keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit, directly contrasting the behavior condemned in Isaiah 59:3.

James 3:6
James speaks about the power of the tongue and its potential for destruction, which aligns with Isaiah's condemnation of lying and injustice.

Romans 3:13-14
Paul references the sinful nature of humanity, including deceitful speech, echoing the themes found in Isaiah 59:3.
Hindrances to the Conversion of All NationsJ. M. Sherwood, D. D.Isaiah 59:1-9
Isaiah 57. and 59F. Delitzsch, D. D.Isaiah 59:1-9
Sin and GraceIsaiah 59:1-9
The Sad Issues of SinA. Smellie, M. A.Isaiah 59:1-9
Why Some Seekers are not SavedIsaiah 59:1-9
The Separation of the Soul from GodE. Johnson Isaiah 59:1-15
People
Isaiah, Jacob
Places
Jerusalem, Zion
Topics
Blood, Deceit, Defiled, Falsehood, Fingers, Gives, Guilt, Hands, Iniquity, Lies, Lips, Mutter, Muttered, Muttereth, Mutters, Perverseness, Polluted, Sin, Speak, Spoken, Stained, Tongue, Unclean, Unrighteousness, Uttered, Wicked, Wickedness
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 59:3

     5152   fingers
     5156   hand
     5164   lips
     5193   tongue
     6118   blemish

Isaiah 59:1-3

     6174   guilt, human aspects

Isaiah 59:1-4

     5550   speech, negative
     8715   dishonesty, and God

Isaiah 59:1-8

     5975   violence

Isaiah 59:2-3

     7318   blood, symbol of guilt

Library
Flimsy Garments
'Their webs shall not become garments.'--ISAIAH lix. 6. 'I counsel thee to buy of me ... white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.'--REV. iii. 18. The force of these words of the prophet is very obvious. He has been pouring out swift, indignant denunciation on the evil-doers in Israel; and, says he, 'they hatch cockatrice's eggs and spin spiders' webs,' pointing, as I suppose, to the patient perseverance, worthy of a better cause, which bad men
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Salvation
ISAIAH lix. 15, 16. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And 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. This text is often held to be a prophecy of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I certainly believe that it is a prophecy of his coming, and of something better still; namely, his continual presence; and a very noble and deep one, and one from
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

How Shall one Make Use of Christ as the Life, when Wrestling with an Angry God Because of Sin?
That we may give some satisfaction to this question, we shall, 1. Shew what are the ingredients in this case, or what useth to concur in this distemper. 2. Shew some reasons why the Lord is pleased to dispense thus with his people. 3. Shew how Christ is life to the soul in this case. 4. Shew the believer's duty for a recovery; and, 5. Add a word or two of caution. As to the first, There may be those parts of, or ingredients in this distemper: 1. God presenting their sins unto their view, so as
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

'The Breastplate of Righteousness'
'Having put on the breastplate of righteousness.'--Eph. vi. 14. There can be no doubt that in this whole context the Apostle has in mind the great passage in Isaiah lix. where the prophet, in a figure of extreme boldness, describes the Lord as arming Himself to deliver the oppressed faithful, and coming as a Redeemer to Zion. In that passage the Lord puts on righteousness as a breastplate--that is to say, God, in His manifestation of Himself for the deliverance of His people, comes forth as if arrayed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Universal Chorus
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that stteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. M en have generally agreed to dignify their presumptuous and arrogant ^* disquisitions on the works and ways of God, with the name of wisdom ; though the principles upon which they proceed, and the conclusions which they draw from
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

The Lack of Prayer
"Ye have not, because ye ask not."--JAS. iv. 2. "And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor."--ISA. lix. 16. "There is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee."--ISA. lxiv. 7. At our last Wellington Convention for the Deepening of the Spiritual Life, in April, the forenoon meetings were devoted to prayer and intercession. Great blessing was found, both in listening to what the Word teaches of their need and power, and in joining
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

God Seeks Intercessors
"I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night. Ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, keep not silence, and give Him no rest till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth."--ISA. lxii. 6, 7. "And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor."--ISA. lix. 16. "And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered, and there was none to uphold."--ISA. lxiii. 5. "There is none that calleth upon Thy name, that
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

"For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Hath Made Me Free from the Law of Sin and Death. "
Rom. viii. 2.--"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." That which makes the delivery of men from the tyranny of sin and death most difficult, and utterly impossible unto nature, is, that sinners have given up themselves unto it, as if it were true liberty, that the will and affections of men are conquered, and sin hath its imperial throne seated there. Other conquerors invade men against their will, and so they rule against their will.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Hindrances to Mourning
What shall we do to get our heart into this mourning frame? Do two things. Take heed of those things which will stop these channels of mourning; put yourselves upon the use of all means that will help forward holy mourning. Take heed of those things which will stop the current of tears. There are nine hindrances of mourning. 1 The love of sin. The love of sin is like a stone in the pipe which hinders the current of water. The love of sin makes sin taste sweet and this sweetness in sin bewitches the
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Concerning Perfection.
Concerning Perfection. In whom this pure and holy birth is fully brought forth, the body of death and sin comes to be crucified and removed, and their hearts united and subjected to the truth; so as not to obey any suggestions or temptations of the evil one, but to be free from actual sinning and transgressing of the law of God, and in that respect perfect: yet doth this perfection still admit of a growth; and there remaineth always in some part a possibility of sinning, where the mind doth not most
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

Wherefore Christ Undertook a Method of Setting us Free So Painful and Laborious, when a Word from Him, or an Act of his Will, Would Alone
Wherefore Christ undertook a method of setting us free so painful and laborious, when a word from Him, or an act of His will, would alone have sufficed. 19. Then he labours to teach and persuade us that the devil could not and ought not to have claimed for himself any right over man, except by the permission of God, and that, without doing any injustice to the devil, God could have called back His deserter, if He wished to show him mercy, and have rescued him by a word only, as though any one denies
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

The Beginning of Justification. In what Sense Progressive.
1. Men either idolatrous, profane, hypocritical, or regenerate. 1. Idolaters void of righteousness, full of unrighteousness, and hence in the sight of God altogether wretched and undone. 2. Still a great difference in the characters of men. This difference manifested. 1. In the gifts of God. 2. In the distinction between honorable and base. 3. In the blessings of he present life. 3. All human virtue, how praiseworthy soever it may appear, is corrupted. 1. By impurity of heart. 2. By the absence of
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Some General Uses from this Useful Truth, that Christ is the Truth.
Having thus cleared up this truth, we should come to speak of the way of believers making use of him as the truth, in several cases wherein they will stand in need of him as the truth. But ere we come to the particulars, we shall first propose some general uses of this useful point. First. This point of truth serveth to discover unto us, the woful condition of such as are strangers to Christ the truth; and oh, if it were believed! For, 1. They are not yet delivered from that dreadful plague of
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Christ the Mediator of the Covenant
'Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant,' &c. Heb 12:24. Jesus Christ is the sum and quintessence of the gospel; the wonder of angels; the joy and triumph of saints. The name of Christ is sweet, it is as music in the ear, honey in the mouth, and a cordial at the heart. I shall waive the context, and only speak of that which concerns our present purpose. Having discoursed of the covenant of grace, I shall speak now of the Mediator of the covenant, and the restorer of lapsed sinners, Jesus the Mediator
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Concerning Justification.
Concerning Justification. As many as resist not this light, but receive the same, it becomes in them an holy, pure, and spiritual birth, bringing forth holiness, righteousness, purity, and all those other blessed fruits which are acceptable to God: by which holy birth, to wit, Jesus Christ formed within us, and working his works in us, as we are sanctified, so are we justified in the sight of God, according to the apostle's words; But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

A Defence of the Doctrine of Justification, by Faith in Jesus Christ;
SHEWING, TRUE GOSPEL-HOLINESS FLOWS FROM THENCE; OR, MR. FOWLER'S PRETENDED DESIGN OF CHRISTIANITY, PROVED TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN TO TRAMPLE UNDER FOOT THE BLOOD OF THE SON OF GOD; AND THE IDOLIZING OF MAN'S OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS AS ALSO, HOW WHILE HE PRETENDS TO BE A MINISTER OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, HE OVERTHROWETH THE WHOLESOME DOCTRINE CONTAINED IN THE 10TH, 11TH, AND 13TH, OF THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES OF THE SAME, AND THAT HE FALLETH IN WITH THE QUAKER AND ROMANIST, AGAINST THEM. BY JOHN BUNYAN
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"And we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind, have Taken us Away. "
Isaiah lxiv. 6.--"And we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Here they join the punishment with the deserving cause, their uncleanness and their iniquities, and so take it upon them, and subscribe to the righteousness of God's dealing. We would say this much in general--First, Nobody needeth to quarrel God for his dealing. He will always be justified when he is judged. If the Lord deal more sharply with you than with others, you may judge there is a difference
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
The duty of Covenanting is founded on the law of nature; but it also stands among the arrangements of Divine mercy made from everlasting. The promulgation of the law, enjoining it on man in innocence as a duty, was due to God's necessary dominion over the creatures of his power. The revelation of it as a service obligatory on men in a state of sin, arose from his unmerited grace. In the one display, we contemplate the authority of the righteous moral Governor of the universe; in the other, we see
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
The object of this chapter is to present a rudimentary outline and summary of all that Augustin penned or spoke against those traditional North African Christians whom he was pleased to regard as schismatics. It will be arranged, so far as may be, in chronological order, following the dates suggested by the Benedictine edition. The necessary brevity precludes anything but a very meagre treatment of so considerable a theme. The writer takes no responsibility for the ecclesiological tenets of the
St. Augustine—writings in connection with the donatist controversy.

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Of Justification by Faith. Both the Name and the Reality Defined.
Sections. 1. Connection between the doctrine of Justification and that of Regeneration. The knowledge of this doctrine very necessary for two reasons. 2. For the purpose of facilitating the exposition of it, the terms are explained. 1. What it is to be justified in the sight of God. 2. To be justified by works. 3. To be justified by faith. Definition. 3. Various meanings of the term Justification. 1. To give praise to God and truth. 2. To make a vain display of righteousness. 3. To impute righteousness
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

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