Isa 59:17 | KingComments | STEP | There is no one who sides with God against the horrors and their inevitable consequences ( ). He sees evil, but He sees no one who cares and will do something about it. In the days of the golden calf there is a man like Moses who intervenes for the people, but there is no one here (cf. ). Up to now, no help is possible. Not from below, nor from above. But now that the people have come to repentance and cry for mercy, now that they have come to confession with a truly broken heart, now help can come from above, now the LORD Himself comes, moved with compassion. If then no one would stand up for the people – and there is no one who could! ( ) –, He will do it Himself. He Himself will be the Redeemer of His people ( ). No one has to help Him. His own arm, picture of His power to do something, offers Him help. His actions happen on the basis of His righteousness. He rests on that. In the subsequent description of how He clothes Himself ( ), we have pictures of the various revelations of His features and power, the acts of His righteousness and His grace. In the clothing, the inner becomes public. “Righteousness” is His “breastplate”, “salvation” is His “helmet”, “vengeance” is His “garment” and “zeal” is His “mantle”. It is imagery. The LORD adorns Himself with these four attributes. It recalls the armor of the believer in the letter to the Ephesians, where the garments consist of the spiritual weapons available to us to resist the enemy ( ). There is this difference, however, that the LORD needs no defense. He uses these weapons to avenge Himself on His enemies. As an explanation of the clothing of the LORD follows a prophecy that unfolds in order the great future events in connection with Israel. First, the LORD will deal with the rebellious in Israel and mete out punishment on those in the nation who persistently ally themselves with the antichrist. They are the opponents referred to in the first part of . He will repay them according to their deeds. Secondly, the judgments will fall on “His enemies” in the world of the nations and “the coastlands”, all of whom will gather against the LORD and against His Anointed ( ). Through the performance of the LORD, fear of Him will arise among those who fear the wrath of God, followed by forced submission to and acknowledgment of the rights of God and His Son ( ). These enemies are the peoples who go to war against Israel under the leadership of the Assyrian, the king of the North. They will come “like a rushing stream”.

‏ Isaiah 59:17

Indignation of the LORD

There is no one who sides with God against the horrors and their inevitable consequences (Isa 59:16). He sees evil, but He sees no one who cares and will do something about it. In the days of the golden calf there is a man like Moses who intervenes for the people, but there is no one here (cf. Rev 5:4).

Up to now, no help is possible. Not from below, nor from above. But now that the people have come to repentance and cry for mercy, now that they have come to confession with a truly broken heart, now help can come from above, now the LORD Himself comes, moved with compassion.

If then no one would stand up for the people – and there is no one who could! (Psa 49:7-8) –, He will do it Himself. He Himself will be the Redeemer of His people (Isa 59:20). No one has to help Him. His own arm, picture of His power to do something, offers Him help. His actions happen on the basis of His righteousness. He rests on that.

In the subsequent description of how He clothes Himself (Isa 59:17), we have pictures of the various revelations of His features and power, the acts of His righteousness and His grace. In the clothing, the inner becomes public. “Righteousness” is His “breastplate”, “salvation” is His “helmet”, “vengeance” is His “garment” and “zeal” is His “mantle”.

It is imagery. The LORD adorns Himself with these four attributes. It recalls the armor of the believer in the letter to the Ephesians, where the garments consist of the spiritual weapons available to us to resist the enemy (Eph 6:13-17). There is this difference, however, that the LORD needs no defense. He uses these weapons to avenge Himself on His enemies.

As an explanation of the clothing of the LORD follows a prophecy that unfolds in order the great future events in connection with Israel. First, the LORD will deal with the rebellious in Israel and mete out punishment on those in the nation who persistently ally themselves with the antichrist. They are the opponents referred to in the first part of Isa 59:18. He will repay them according to their deeds. Secondly, the judgments will fall on “His enemies” in the world of the nations and “the coastlands”, all of whom will gather against the LORD and against His Anointed (Psa 2:2).

Through the performance of the LORD, fear of Him will arise among those who fear the wrath of God, followed by forced submission to and acknowledgment of the rights of God and His Son (Isa 59:19). These enemies are the peoples who go to war against Israel under the leadership of the Assyrian, the king of the North. They will come “like a rushing stream”.