This guide gives you ready-to-use questions for studying Isaiah 59, the chapter where the prophet names the sins that separate Israel from God and then shows the Lord stepping in to act. It is written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal reflection, and each section can be used on its own or in sequence.
Isaiah 59 at a Glance
The chapter opens by insisting that God’s power and listening ear have not failed. The problem lies with the people, whose iniquities have hidden God’s face from them. Isaiah then describes the nation’s corruption in vivid terms: lies, violence, crooked paths, and a collapse of justice in the courts and streets.
In the second half, the prophet speaks as the people, confessing their blindness and despair. Then the Lord sees that no one intervenes, so he acts himself, clothing himself in righteousness and vengeance to bring salvation. The chapter closes with the promise of a Redeemer for Zion and an everlasting word that will not depart from God’s people.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the actual words on the page and to notice repeated terms. Let silence sit for a moment after each question so that quieter members can speak.
Q: In verses 1-2, what two things does the prophet say are not the problem, and what does he say is?
1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Isaiah 59:1-2 (WEB)
The prophet says the Lord’s hand is not too short to save and his ear is not too dull to hear. The problem is the people’s iniquities and sins, which have separated them from God so that his face seems hidden. A leader might ask the group to name the two negatives and the single cause.
Q: In verses 3-4, which body parts and speech acts are described as defiled, and what do the people do in court?
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies. Your tongue mutters wickedness. 4 No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity, and speak lies. They conceive mischief, and give birth to iniquity.
Isaiah 59:3-4 (WEB)
Hands and fingers are stained with blood and iniquity, and lips and tongue speak lies and wickedness. In court no one sues in righteousness or pleads in truth. Notice how the violence is connected to the words spoken, so that corruption shows up in both action and speech.
Q: In verses 7-8, what do the feet and thoughts of the people pursue, and what do they not know?
7 Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. desolation and destruction are in their paths. 8 They don’t know the way of peace; and there is no justice in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves; whoever goes in them doesn’t know peace.
Isaiah 59:7-8 (WEB)
Their feet run to evil and they hurry to shed innocent blood, while their thoughts are set on iniquity. They do not know the way of peace and there is no justice in their ways. Ask the group how these verses describe a path that looks purposeful but leads only to desolation.
Q: In verses 9-11, what images does the nation use to describe its own condition?
9 Therefore is justice far from us, and righteousness doesn’t overtake us. We look for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind. Yes, we grope as those who have no eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight. Among those who are strong, we are like dead men. 11 We all roar like bears, and moan bitterly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
Isaiah 59:9-11 (WEB)
The people say they grope like the blind, stumble at noon, and roar like bears and moan like doves. They look for light and find darkness, and look for justice and salvation but find neither. Encourage the group to notice how the speakers name their own helplessness, which sets up the turn that follows.
Interpretation Questions
These questions ask the group to explain what the text means in its setting. Help members connect the chapter’s language to the broader message of Isaiah about covenant, judgment, and hope. Allow different readings to be shared, and return to the words of the chapter to test them.
Q: In verses 15-16, why does the Lord respond with displeasure, and what does his surprise reveal about the situation?
15 Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness sustained him.
Isaiah 59:15-16 (WEB)
The Lord sees that truth is lacking and justice is absent, and it displeases him. He sees that there is no man to intervene and is astonished that no intercessor steps forward. Discuss how this shows that God takes injustice seriously and that human failure to act creates the space in which he himself acts.
Q: In verses 16-17, what does it mean that the Lord’s own arm brings salvation, and what garments does he put on?
16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness sustained him. 17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.
Isaiah 59:16-17 (WEB)
The Lord acts without a human helper, and his righteousness sustains him as he works. He puts on righteousness as a breastplate, salvation as a helmet, vengeance as clothing, and zeal as a mantle. Ask the group to consider how this military imagery shows God’s commitment to set things right.
Q: In verse 20, who is the Redeemer, and to whom does he come?
“A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 59:20 (WEB)
The verse says a Redeemer will come to Zion and to those in Jacob who turn from disobedience. Discuss how the text holds together the nation’s repentance and God’s initiative, and how it points toward a future hope for the faithful.
Q: In verse 21, what is the covenant the Lord describes, and what does it say about the words in the mouths of the people?
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring, nor out of the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from henceforth and forever.”
Isaiah 59:21 (WEB)
The Lord declares that his Spirit and his words will not depart from the mouth of the people or their descendants, from now on and forever. Invite the group to think about how this promise answers the earlier verses that described lying and corrupt speech.
Application Questions
These questions move from the text to daily life. Encourage honest, specific answers and remind the group that confession and encouragement both belong in the conversation. Close by asking what one practical step each person might take this week.
Q: In verses 14-15, the chapter says truth has fallen in the street. Where do you see truthfulness tested in your community or workplace?
14 Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter. 15 Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.
Isaiah 59:14-15 (WEB)
Invite the group to name concrete situations where honesty costs something, such as in business, in friendships, or online. Discuss how a believer might speak truth and stand for justice without becoming harsh. Encourage members to pray for courage for one another in these settings.
Key Verses to Read Aloud
Memory Verse for Isaiah 59
Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
(WEB)
This verse is worth memorizing because it names the root issue between people and God in a single sentence. Keeping it in mind helps believers examine their hearts and return quickly when they notice distance from the Lord.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you knowing that your hand is not too short to save and your ear is not too dull to hear. Where our sins have hidden your face from us, we ask you to forgive us and draw us back to yourself. Give us honest hearts that name our failures and humble hands that do what is just. Make our words true and our paths straight, so that we walk in the way of peace. Thank you for the Redeemer who comes to Zion and for the promise that your Spirit and your words will remain with your people. Amen.
