In the context of a passing Assyrian invasion and another invasion by the Babylonians on the horizon, Isaiah has to encourage his people. Of course, the issue is not that Israel was too small to defend themselves (they were), nor that they were too ill-armored to defend themselves (they were). The issue was that the invasions were a result of God’s judgment on them for their sin. If you get right with God, you’ll be alright in the world – that was Isaiah’s message.
God’s people have always dealt with enemies who wanted to destroy them. This creates a test of faith, the temptation to put one’s trust in someone else besides God. So, God has frequently portrayed Himself as the “Divine Warrior:” Exodus 17:8-13 and Joshua 5:13-15. “The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,” Deuteronomy 1:30.
It would come as no surprise, then, that Isaiah portrays God as the Divine Warrior in his own preaching, specifically in Isaiah 59. But the context shows that the enemy is not the Amalekites or Canaanites. There are no references to the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, or the Greeks. The perennial neighbors surrounding Israel are also absent from the context – no Philistines, no Moabites, no Ammonites.
The enemy in this context is sin – 59:1-2: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 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.” In fact, the word “iniquity” is found six times in this chapter. Other synonyms or examples of sin are found also: sins, falsehood, wickedness, confusion, lies, mischief, violence, evil, devastation, destruction, crooked, denying, turning away, oppression, and revolt.
Sin is our problem. Sin is my problem. Sin is your problem. Sin is America’s problem. Thus, the “ultimate development of the Divine Warrior motif in the Bible: God comes to destroy the final enemy of what he has created: not the monster Chaos, but the monster Sin” (Oswalt, 527).
Isaiah 5:15b-19: “Now the Lord saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense. So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the Lord drives.”
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The Divine Warrior will be clothed in righteousness, as a breastplate. He will wear salvation as a helmet on His head. Vengeance will wrap around Him as garments. Zeal will be displayed as a mantle. Righteousness. Salvation. Vengeance. Zeal. That is the Divine Warrior’s weapons and what He brings to the battle. That is enough.
Thus Christians, following in the footsteps of the King of kings and Lord of lords, are clothed in the same way, as foot soldiers in His army. We are all familiar with the “panoply” (a transliteration of the Greek word for “full armor”) of God – Ephesians 6:10ff.
As soldiers in the Lord’s army, wielding the sword of His Spirit, we are assured that “God will soon crush Satan under [our] feet” (Romans 16:20).
Onward, Christian soldiers!
–Paul Holland
