Isaiah by the day

In contrast to the ‘ideal’ in chapter 58, here is the sad ‘actual’. Having held up the mirror of God’s Word with its requirement of a conformed life (chapter 58), Isaiah turns now to see how the Lord’s people look in the light of the call to obedience. Accusation (vv.2-3, note ‘your’) is followed by description (vv.4-8, note ‘they’, ‘their’), and this leads to confession (vv.9-13, note ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’). The passage, however, begins with a statement of Yahweh’s ability to save (v.1), and this theme is taken up in vv.14-19, where Yahweh himself dresses in garments speaking of his commitment and ability to save, to implement his own righteous purposes, and to deal with his foes.