Isaiah 59:10

"Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn’t overtake us. We look for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity."

Key Reflection

In Isaiah 59:10, the prophet describes a dire spiritual and moral state of the Israelites, revealing that their search for justice and righteousness has been futile. The people are metaphorically blind, unable to discern true light amidst their darkness; they seek understanding but find only confusion. This reflects the harsh reality faced by the exiles who returned from Babylonian captivity, grappling with a society plagued by sin and moral decay, where traditional values had eroded, leaving them in spiritual obscurity.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

We grope for the wall like the blind -A blind man, not being able to see his way, feels along by a wall, a fence, or any other object that will guide him. They were like the blind. They had no distinct views of truth, and they were endeavoring to feel their way along as well as they could. Probably the prophet here alludes to the threatening made by Moses inDeuteronomy 28:28-29, ‘And the Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noon-day as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways.’ We stumble at noon-day as in the night -The idea here is, that they were in a state of utter disorder and confusion.

More from Isaiah 59

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