Hey there,
Today, let’s look at a statement that is supposed to bring us great assurance and comfort as believers: our God is one who is able to save.
Behold, the hand of Yahweh is not so short
That it cannot save;
Nor is His ear so dull
That it cannot hear.
— Isaiah 59:1
As the prophet delivers this prophecy to Israel, he declares, “Behold, the hand of Yahweh is not so short That it cannot save.” Here, the hand of God symbolizes His power. A similar phrase is used earlier in chapter 50:
Why was there no man when I came?
When I called, why was there none to answer?
Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke;
I make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water
And die of thirst.
— Isaiah 50:2
In this passage, the same idea of “the hand of God” is used rhetorically. “Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom?” God isn’t waiting for an answer from Israel; He is emphasizing that His power is not limited and He is fully capable of saving His people. We see this statement echoed during the time of Moses:
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Is Yahweh’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will happen for you or not.”
— Numbers 11:23
This statement implies that God is all-powerful and omnipotent. Therefore, it should be understood that God is indeed able to save His people.
The second statement is: “Nor is His ear so dull.” While the hand of God speaks to His power, His ear being dull speaks to God’s concern and care for His people. The word “dull” here means “heavy”; a dull ear is one that is hard of hearing. God says that His metaphorical ear is not so heavy that He cannot hear the cries of His children.
The previous statements spoke of God’s might and compassion. In a conversation with His disciples, Jesus tells them that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Peter concludes that it must be impossible to enter heaven, and Jesus makes a statement about God’s ability to save:
And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
— Matthew 19:24-26
Jesus’ statement reminds the disciples that left to themselves, people cannot really save themselves, but God is able to do so. Nothing is impossible for God.
The logical conclusion to this truth might be, if God can save everyone, why doesn’t He just do so? Why shouldn’t everyone go to heaven? This valid question is addressed in the second verse of the Isaiah passage:
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
— Isaiah 59:2
The verse begins with “but,” highlighting a sharp contrast to the previous statement. There is a reality present in these people that has separated them from God: their iniquities or sins. Sin has marred the relationship between God and man. The destruction of this relationship is so severe that these sins have hidden His face from the people of Israel, and He does not hear them.
This is the extreme danger of sin in people’s lives. Despite having a God who can forgive sin, save them, and hear their cry, sin drives man so far from God that man will most certainly always choose their love for sin over their love for God. Jesus refers to this total depravity of man in the Gospel of John:
And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed.
— John 3:19-20
Jesus goes as far as to state that sin actually causes people to hate the light, to hate what is good. This severely damages a person’s conscience. Sin completely shatters man’s moral compass to the point where they mislabel good and evil, calling good what is clearly evil, and evil what is clearly good. (Isaiah 5:20)
This is a very somber reality about sin and what it does to the heart of man. However, hope arises when we review the beginning of the passage where the prophet highlights that God is able and compassionate to save His people. This is why the promise that God makes to His people to give them a new heart and cause them to walk in His statutes is such an amazing act of God’s grace.
Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to do My judgments.
— Ezekiel 36:26-27
It is for this reason that we, as New Testament believers, are so fortunate to have had the Holy Spirit regenerate us and give us a new heart that can cry out to God in faith and repentance. It is only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8). In Christ, our certificate of debt is nailed to the cross, and the sin that separated us from God and hid His face from us is perfectly atoned for. The perfect sinless life that Jesus lived is credited to us by means of faith in Jesus:
Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, He also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
— Colossians 2:14
It is also for this reason that we should not cease in our efforts for evangelism. Whether by praying, sharing the gospel, or being considerate in our conduct around non-believers, let us remember that God can save the lost. Let us remember the privilege we have in being part of God’s redemption plan for those who are still doing everything they can to reject the light and turn away from God as a result of the sin in their lives that has so separated them from Him.
I pray this word reminds us of how totally depraved we were, how dead we were in our sins, and how gracious God is to have saved us by having Christ atone for our sins on the cross. Furthermore, by adopting us as children into His amazing family, let’s cherish this, give thanks for this, submit to God for this, and serve God for this.
Peace to you,
Paul.
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