How does Isaiah 59:7 describe the actions of the wicked? Key Verse (Isaiah 59:7) “Their feet run after evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction are in their paths.” Plain-Sense Description • Eager feet: they rush toward evil instead of hesitating. • Violent hands: they hurry to spill innocent blood. • Corrupt minds: their inner life churns out “sinful thoughts.” • Destructive wake: wherever they go, “ruin and destruction” follow. Word-by-Word Observations • “Feet run” – deliberate, energetic pursuit, not accidental wandering (cf. Proverbs 1:16). • “Swift to shed” – urgency in violence, revealing hardened hearts (Genesis 6:11). • “Innocent blood” – God highlights the innocence of the victims, sharpening the moral outrage (Deuteronomy 27:25). • “Thoughts are sinful thoughts” – wickedness is rooted in the mind long before it shows in action (Matthew 15:19). • “Ruin and destruction” – the inevitable fruit of sin; it harms both victim and perpetrator (Galatians 6:7-8). Illustrating Scriptures • Proverbs 6:17-18 – “hands that shed innocent blood… feet that run swiftly to evil.” • Romans 3:15-16 – Paul quotes Isaiah: “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery lie in their wake.” • Micah 2:1 – plots conceived on the bed, acted out at dawn. • Psalm 36:4 – “Even on his bed he plots evil; he sets himself on a path that is not good.” • John 8:44 – those who follow the devil’s desires “were murderers from the beginning.” Takeaway for Today Isaiah 59:7 unmasks the wicked as people who eagerly plan, pursue, and perpetrate evil, leaving devastation behind. Their external violence flows from internal corruption. Recognizing this pattern urges us to guard our thoughts, resist the first steps toward sin, and walk in paths of peace and righteousness instead (Isaiah 59:8; Romans 12:18). |
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