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All along there has been warning and prophecy of judgment interspersed with occasional pictures of the salvation that is to come, the return from exile, the eternal city of Zion.  Beginning with Chapter 40, the focus of Isaiah becomes primarily restoration and hope, with some of the most beautiful passages in the whole Bible.  If you have your Bible, open up to Isaiah 59

Remember the historical setting – Judah is going into exile because of King Ahaz, who trusted in the wisdom of man instead of the wisdom of God, making a treaty with Assyria.

Isaiah 59 - Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.  ² But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

The Israelites are in exile and are wondering why they are suffering and God has not rescued them.  Why is this the case?  Is it because he’s not powerful enough?  No – surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save.  Is it because he doesn’t care enough?  No – his ear is not too dull to hear.  The answer must be that their sins that have separated them and led to this punishment, so that God will not hear them.  And then Isaiah goes on to elaborate about what exactly he means:

 ³ For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things.  ⁴ No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.  ⁵ 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.  ⁶ 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.  ⁷ Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.  ⁸ 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 in them will know peace.  ⁹ 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.  ¹⁰ Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.  ¹¹ We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.  ¹² 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:  ¹³ rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.  ¹⁴ So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.  ¹⁵ Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

Powerful stuff – the Israelites are guilty of lying, murder, injustice, rebellion, and much more.  All of this has caused justice, righteousness, truth and honesty to leave the building, and whoever tries to live righteously becomes prey.  That is the state of things.  They are growling, crying out for justice.