Truth is Fallen in the Street

July 6, 2025
Dr. Terry LeQuieu
Isaiah

Pastor Terry opened Isaiah 59 to describe the moral and spiritual moment we’re living in: “judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter” (v.14). The problem isn’t God’s inability—“the Lord’s hand is not shortened… neither his ear heavy” (vv.1–2)—it’s our iniquities that have created the separation. When truth (God’s Word) is pushed out of public life and private hearts, judgment is paralyzed, justice drifts, and equity can’t even get through the door. The remedy is not nostalgic outrage but repentant return: bring God’s Truth back to the center by proclaiming it, rejecting counterfeits, and living it consistently. summary

I. The Diagnosis: The Problem Is Not With God (Isaiah 59:1–2)

God’s capacity remains unchanged: He still saves and still hears.
Our iniquities separate: the blockage is our sin, not His weakness.
Implication: Spiritual drought, unanswered prayer, and societal confusion trace back to personal and collective sin that resists the Word.

II. The Evidence of Decay (Isaiah 59:3–8)

Hands, fingers, lips, tongue (v.3): deeds, digital dabbling, lies, and crooked talk reveal the heart.
Vanity trusted, lies spoken (v.4): empty things become functional “truths.”
Cockatrice eggs & spider webs (vv.5–6): sin incubates danger; human “coverings” can’t clothe guilt.
Feet run to evil; thoughts invent iniquity (v.7): a culture sprinting toward the next wrong thing.
No peace on crooked paths (v.8): life without God’s Word yields agitation, not rest.

III. The Consequences When Truth Is Removed (Isaiah 59:9–15a)

Light withheld, obscurity multiplied (vv.9–10): groping at high noon as if it were night.
Judgment turned backward (v.14): the verdict won’t face reality.
Justice stands afar off (v.14): without true judgment, justice can’t enter the room.
Truth fallen in the street (v.14): Truth (God’s Word) has been displaced—tossed out.
Equity cannot enter (v.14): fairness/equality cannot operate where truth is absent.
Departing from evil makes you a prey (v.15a): those who stand for right become targets in a truthless age.
Illustration Pastor gave: when Truth lies outside, Judgment won’t look, Justice keeps its distance, and Equity is barred at the door.

IV. The Lord’s Response and The Standard He Lifts (Isaiah 59:15b–19)

God is displeased where there is no judgment (v.15b).
He arms Himself with righteousness and intervenes (vv.16–18).
“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” (v.19)
- That standard is the Word of God—the fixed plumbline by which He measures and corrects.

V. What God’s People Must Do Now

Declare the Truth
- “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17).
- “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
- “Buy the truth, and sell it not” (Prov. 23:23).
- Preach plainly (Isa. 58:1): name sin, hold up Scripture, and call people to Christ.
Denounce What Is Not Truth
- “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).
- Label sin biblically (not culturally): do not relabel rebellion as lifestyle, preference, or illness to avoid repentance.
- Warn against gateways that normalize sin (unfiltered media, unguarded screens, worldly counsel).
Demonstrate a Life of Truth
- Consistency kills hypocrisy: live what you profess at home, online, and at work.
- Personal holiness: let God’s Word change speech, music, dress, habits, priorities.
- Witness: take the truth to others—tracks, conversations, faithful soulwinning.
- If we want our world turned upside down, let God’s truth turn our world upside down first.

VI. The Pathway to Restoration (Isaiah 59:20–21; 1 Pet. 4:17; 2 Chr. 7:14)

Judgment begins at the house of God: revival starts with the church returning to the Book.
Repent, intercede, and obey: God still sends Redeemer to those who turn from transgression; He puts His Spirit and Word among His people again.

Summary

Big Idea: When Truth (God’s Word) is expelled, Judgment is reversed, Justice retreats, and Equity can’t enter. The fix is not political first—it is biblical and personal: return Truth to the center. Declare it without fear, denounce counterfeits without apology, and demonstrate it without hypocrisy. God’s hand is not shortened; His ear is not heavy. If we humble ourselves, confess, and obey, He will lift up His standard again—and a truth-shaped people can shine in a truth-starved world.