The Yearning for Judgment: A Reflection on Isaiah 59:11
"We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us." - Isaiah 59:11
Isaiah 59:11 (KJV) states: "We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us." This verse paints a poignant picture of desperation and hopelessness experienced by the people of Israel during a time of moral decline and spiritual abandonment. The imagery of bears and doves speaks volumes about the human condition when faced with injustice, turmoil, and a longing for divine intervention.
To understand this verse deeply, we must consider the context in which it was written. The book of Isaiah was given in a time when Israel experienced internal strife and was surrounded by external threats. There was often a glaring disconnect between how God intended the people to live and how they were really living. They were mired in sin, oppression, and idolatry, which led them to feel abandoned by God. Their cries for justice were met with silence, and their hope for salvation seemed perpetually out of reach.
The phrase "We roar all like bears" captures an intense expression of anger and frustration. Bears are known for their fierce demeanor, especially when provoked. Here, the Israelites are likened to these animals in their desperation—seeking relief and restoration but finding only rage boiling within. The roar symbolizes a communal expression of anguish, suggesting that the entirety of the community is in distress, unified in their pain and longing.
Contrastingly, they also "mourn sore like doves." Doves are often seen as gentle and peaceful creatures, and their cooing can evoke a sense of vulnerability and sorrow. This duality in imagery reflects the multifaceted emotional state of the people. On one hand, they are fierce in their lament—roaring in collective anguish for judgment. On the other hand, they are tender and sorrowful, mourning for their lost state and the lack of peace that sin has brought into their lives.
The lamentation does not stop with a mere recognition of their plight. The people look for judgment, but there is none. Judgment, in the biblical sense, involves both the declaration of what is right and the execution of justice. The silence they encounter is deafening—it speaks of a God who seems to withdraw when His people turn away from Him. This absence of judgment reveals a deeper issue of guilt and estrangement from God. The Israelites are trapped in a cycle of sin, unable to see justice reestablished because their hearts are not aligned with God’s requirements.
Moreover, the search for salvation that feels "far off from us" highlights the disillusionment that arises when one feels estranged from divine help. Despite their frantic searching and cries for rescue, the realization dawns that their sin has created distance between them and God. This was a dire revelation for them, one that resonates with us in our times of personal disarray and societal wars. It begs the question: How often do we find ourselves literally "roaring and mourning" over the injustices in our lives and the world, while simultaneously feeling a void in our relationship with God?
In today's world, this verse serves as a reflective mirror. The societal decay, the cries for justice unheeded, and the distance between humanity and God are still present. We often scream our frustrations like bears, while internally, we can feel the tenderness and loss of hope like doves. Yet, in this state of desperation, we must remember: our roaring and mourning should lead us to turn our attention back to God. He is not absent, but rather waiting for us to acknowledge our role in the brokenness and our need for repentance.
Therefore, rather than exclusively lamenting our circumstances, let us also seek God’s face, earnestly pursue His presence, and return to the path He has set for us. It is through repentance and sincere prayer that we will begin to witness His judgment and experience His salvation, bringing about hope and renewal in our lives.
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Isaiah 59:11 - "We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us."
"We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us." - Isaiah 59:11
Isaiah 59:1 - "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:"
Isaiah 59:20 - "¶ And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD."
Isaiah 59:7 - "Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths."
Isaiah 59:14 - "And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter."
Isaiah 59:18 - "According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence."
Isaiah 59:15 - "Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment."
Isaiah 59:6 - "Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands."
Isaiah 59:5 - "They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper."
Isaiah 59:4 - "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity."
Isaiah 59:16 - "¶ And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him."
Isaiah 59:8 - "The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace."
Isaiah 59:3 - "For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness."
Isaiah 59:17 - "For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke."
Isaiah 59:12 - "For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;"
Isaiah 59:13 - "In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood."
Isaiah 59:2 - "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."
Isaiah 59:9 - "¶ Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness."
Isaiah 59:10 - "We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men."
"As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever." - Isaiah 59:21
Psalms 59:11 - "Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield."
Isaiah 59:19 - "So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him."
"Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:" - Isaiah 59:1
"¶ And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD." - Isaiah 59:20
Isaiah 59:4 No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
Isaiah 59:4 No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
Isaiah 59:4 No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
Isaiah 59:3 (KJVA) 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
Isaiah 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places.