John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 59:2

"but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear." — Isaiah 59:2 (ASV)

But your iniquities have made a separation. The essence of what is said is that they cannot say that God has changed, as if He had deviated from His inherent nature, but that the whole blame lies with themselves; because by their own sins they, to some extent, hinder His kindness and refuse to receive His assistance. From this we infer that our sins alone deprive us of the grace of God and cause separation between us and Him; for what the Prophet testifies concerning the people of his time is applicable to all ages, since He pleads the cause of God against the slanders of wicked people. Thus God is always like Himself and is not weary in doing good; and His power is not diminished, but we hinder the entrance of His grace.

It will be objected that people cannot anticipate God by deserving well of Him, and that consequently He must do good to those who are unworthy. I reply, this is undoubtedly true; but sometimes the perversity of people grows to such an extent as to shut the door against God’s benefits, as if they purposely intended to drive Him far away from them. And although He listens to no one without pardoning them (as we always bring before Him supplication for the removal of guilt), yet He does not listen to the prayers of the wicked. We need not wonder, therefore, if the Prophet accuses the people of rejecting God’s benefits by their iniquities, and rendering Him irreconcilable by their obstinacy, and, in a word, of making a divorce, which drives away or diverts the ordinary course of grace.