Isaiah 26:7

"The way of the just is uprightness: thou that art upright doth direct the path. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, have we waited for thee; to thy name, even to thy memorial name, is the desire of our soul. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee earnestly: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah."

Note that Isaiah 26:7-8 are speaking of the same thing, and therefore they are included in the same paragraph here.

"It is especially significant in this paragraph that righteousness is learned only when God's judgments are abroad in the earth (Isaiah 26:9b). When favor is shown to the wicked, they learn nothing."[9] It must not be thought, however, that this failure of the wicked was due to their inability to learn. It was the result of their stubborn refusal to learn. Barnes rendered Isaiah 26:10, "He will not learn," indicating that the wicked have no desire to learn. As Christ saw it, "Light has come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil" (John 3:19). Satan would have us believe that men disbelieve because they are "smart"; but that is one of Satan's favorite lies. Men disbelieve because they are wicked.

Here also we find the necessity for God's judgments. Isaiah 26:10 carries the idea that, "God's judgments are necessary because his favor is ineffectual."[10] However, Isaiah 26:11 in the next paragraph, thunders God's message, "The adversaries shall see ... and be ashamed."[11] This is the ultimate word for all unbelievers. Whether or not they wish to believe or intend to believe, there will not be an unbeliever anywhere in the whole universe on the occasion of the final judgment. See Revelation 6:12ff.