God grieves when truth is ignored, but He ultimately intervenes to bring justice.
“Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the LORD saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.” (v.15)
Isaiah, an 8th century BC prophet who ministered to the people of Judah under several kings (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah), paints a dire picture in this verse. By declaring that truth is lacking and describing how he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey, Isaiah reveals a society so corrupt that those who seek righteousness are preyed upon rather than championed. This moral decay in Judah runs parallel with the earlier pronouncements in Isaiah 59, where the people’s sins create a barrier between themselves and the LORD (Isaiah 59:2). The result is a broken community riddled by harmful deeds (Isaiah 59:3, 59:7, 59:11). When the prophet writes now the LORD saw, he underscores God’s keen awareness of injustice, an understanding also recognized in the New Testament when Jesus repeatedly highlighted God’s concern for the downtrodden (Luke 4:18).
The phrase it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice shows that God’s heart is grieved by the moral chaos and rampant injustice around His covenant people. God intended His people not only to be blessed, but also to demonstrate His truth and righteousness (Deuteronomy 28:9-10). Instead, they rejected His ways, echoing the tragic cycles seen throughout the Old Testament, where sin ultimately led to societal collapse (Judges 2:11-15). Nevertheless, Isaiah would go on to describe God’s redemptive action: where humans fail, God steps in to bring justice and salvation (Isaiah 59:16, 59:20). In so doing, He fulfills His covenant promises and foreshadows the ultimate deliverance found in Jesus Christ, who comes to right what is wrong and bring freedom to captives (Luke 4:18).
This verse emphasizes that a society without truth becomes predatory toward the righteous, and that the LORD is not indifferent to such injustice. His holy nature demands that wickedness and oppression be confronted. Where people refuse to repent and defend truth, God remains the One who will act on behalf of those who suffer (Isaiah 59:20), preserving a faithful remnant that looks forward to His restoration.
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Isaiah 59:15 meaning
“Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the LORD saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.” (v.15)
Isaiah, an 8th century BC prophet who ministered to the people of Judah under several kings (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah), paints a dire picture in this verse. By declaring that truth is lacking and describing how he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey, Isaiah reveals a society so corrupt that those who seek righteousness are preyed upon rather than championed. This moral decay in Judah runs parallel with the earlier pronouncements in Isaiah 59, where the people’s sins create a barrier between themselves and the LORD (Isaiah 59:2). The result is a broken community riddled by harmful deeds (Isaiah 59:3, 59:7, 59:11). When the prophet writes now the LORD saw, he underscores God’s keen awareness of injustice, an understanding also recognized in the New Testament when Jesus repeatedly highlighted God’s concern for the downtrodden (Luke 4:18).
The phrase it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice shows that God’s heart is grieved by the moral chaos and rampant injustice around His covenant people. God intended His people not only to be blessed, but also to demonstrate His truth and righteousness (Deuteronomy 28:9-10). Instead, they rejected His ways, echoing the tragic cycles seen throughout the Old Testament, where sin ultimately led to societal collapse (Judges 2:11-15). Nevertheless, Isaiah would go on to describe God’s redemptive action: where humans fail, God steps in to bring justice and salvation (Isaiah 59:16, 59:20). In so doing, He fulfills His covenant promises and foreshadows the ultimate deliverance found in Jesus Christ, who comes to right what is wrong and bring freedom to captives (Luke 4:18).
This verse emphasizes that a society without truth becomes predatory toward the righteous, and that the LORD is not indifferent to such injustice. His holy nature demands that wickedness and oppression be confronted. Where people refuse to repent and defend truth, God remains the One who will act on behalf of those who suffer (Isaiah 59:20), preserving a faithful remnant that looks forward to His restoration.