Isaiah 64 - the Lament continues

In chapter 63, the Spirit revealed the glory of Christ in the day of judgment. This scene prompted national Israel to cry out to God for mercy; this lament goes on to occupy all of chapter 64. If we fail to join in seek mercy from God, even though our circumstances are different, we are in danger.

 

Isaiah 64:1-4 (HCSB) If only You would tear the heavens open ⌊and⌋ come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence— as fire kindles the brushwood, and fire causes water to boil— to make Your name known to Your enemies, so that nations will tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains quaked at Your presence. From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened, no eye has seen any God except You, who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him.

 

Chapter 63 ended with God's covenant people asking Him to remember them as such, despite their rebellion. This chapter opens with Israel asking YHWH to reveal Himself to the nations in a similar way He revealed Himself to them on My Sinai - with blazing fire, darkness, gloom, and storm (Heb 12:18) - so they would tremble before Him. As they had done - Hebrews 12:20-21 "for they could not bear what was commanded: And if even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned! The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am terrified and trembling.)"

 

Israel might well have had this passage in mind: Judges 5:3-5 "Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes! I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. LORD, when You came from Seir, when You marched from the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured ⌊rain⌋, and the clouds poured water. The mountains melted before the LORD, even Sinai before the LORD, the God of Israel." There is no god made by man that can hear, see, speak, or think; much less such a god that has or can make all things from nothing; can cause men to fear greatly and wish for death. And yet, men stop up their ears and minds to what creation tells them of this Creator-Judge God. The Son, alone, can look upon Him and not be consumed.

 

And this God is the one Paul testified of in front of the Oprah Winfry crowd of his day: Acts 17:24-26 "The God who made the world and everything in it—He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live." This is the only God and He demands worship and is, alone, worthy of worship.

 

Isaiah 64:5-7 (HCSB) You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember You in Your ways. But we have sinned, and You were angry. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and made us melt because of our iniquity.

 

God's character never changes: He welcomes those joyfully do what is right and remember His way and obey Him. But natural man can do nothing except sin and redeemed man is not capable of perfect obedience; while sin is no longer our master, we are still weak. Isaiah, on behalf of his people, asks the question that rings through history: "How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?" The wrong answer is to rely on self - because all are unclean and even the "good deeds" of the unregenerate man are polluted by his sinful nature. The sins of natural man are his master and they carry him about like a leaf on the ocean. Isaiah leaned on the ancient preacher: Ecclesiastes 7:20 "There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins." God does not reveal Himself to sinners, his wrath against those who are not in the Son is unquenchable, hot, fierce anger against sin.

Isaiah 64:8-12 (HCSB) Yet LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands. LORD, do not be terribly angry or remember ⌊our⌋ iniquity forever. Please look—all of us are Your people! Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins. LORD, after all this, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict severely?

This passage is also filled with statements about YHWH, 8 times You and Your are used to denote YHWH must act if sinners are to be reconciled to Him. The imagery of the clay and potter have been used before by Isaiah and was picked by Paul - there is no way to brush this aside because it is offensive to our flesh. While some are made for honorable use and other made for dishonorable use, the point is man is in no way qualified to participate in his redemption. The only hope man has is to be remade into something honorable, so the potter will look kindly upon him, to call "His people" those who were not His people. If He doesn't, their iniquity will be remembered forever. Contrast this with the redeemed, whose iniquity God promises never to remember! Without His hand of redemption, all things valued by man - cities, gardens, temples - become useless, burned down, ruined by fire. The people will be consumed if He does not relent and pour out mercy.

 

Saints - do not, I beg you, grow complacent about your walk. We should plead with God to guard us against drifting into mere rote religion, wherein the living faith of Christianity is traded out for something tame, manageable - traditions developed by men that are acceptable to the flesh. Daily we should ask YHWH to stir our hearts, wake us up to the truth of who we are IN HIM! How can that which has died to sin live therein any longer? Joyful obedience to what Christ calls to is what is pleasing to Him - and this He gives us, as He wills and equips us to do that. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit but submit to Him with joy unspeakable, for He will abide in those the great Shepherd has brought into the sheepfold of God.