Isaiah chapter 59 - James

It is one of the most used passages in our New Testament as far as treating the subject of faith verses works, James chapter two. Those who use it might begin their quotation with verse fourteen.

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” (James 2:14)

The verses of chapter two that follow present an argument based upon this question. Can faith save him? And, James’ answer is; No. As we open the fifty-ninth chapter of Isaiah we read the following.

“Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1)

Do you see a connection? Isaiah is not talking about salvation by faith in Christ. Isaiah is speaking about the LORD being able to save His people, but the words are right there.

“it cannot save”

It is very important to notice the context of this phrase in James 2:14. The faith spoken of is the faith we see often where someone says to us; ‘Oh, I have faith.’ It is a faith that is nothing more than words, and that is James’ point. It is interesting that the Holy Spirit, speaking through Isaiah poses His statement in the way that He does.

He could have just said; ‘Behold, the LORD’s hand is capable of saving.’ But, He uses a double negative type of construction. “The LORD’s had is NOT shortened, that it CANNOT save”. And, that particular sentence construction makes it line up with the words of the Holy Spirit in the book of James. Check out 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 59:6)

Certainly, Isaiah is speaking about people trying to save themselves by their works, but he says that their works of evil. Is this not the subject of James chapter two? James 2:14-26 is a debate over whether salvation is by God grace or by our works. I think there is another oblique connection to be found in 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.”

Can you find anything in common between the above and James 2:25?

“Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” (James 2:25)

Where did Rahab have here apartment? It was on the outside WALL of the city. It’s only one word, and if it were the only thing we could find in common between the fifty-ninth chapter of Isaiah and the book of James, it would be nothing, but in conjunction with what we have seen here, I will claim it as a connecting word. Besides that, had not Rahab marked her window with the scarlet ribbon, the Israelites would not have been able to SEE which home to leave in tact, and they would have been BLIND to it.

This is chapter fifty-nine of Isaiah, and James is the fifty-ninth book of the Bible. They are connected.