Isaiah 64:1-12
In 63:1 the mighty warrior returns and demonstrates his power.
In 63:15-19
Isaiah speaks for the remnant of
They ask God to see how bad their situation is.
In 63:18 Isaiah speaks prophetically in 700 BC about the Babylonian destruction in 586
63:19 leaves the situation as:
a) We are the people of God
b) God has not been allowed to rule them and so he has not been seen
c) In their present condition they are as if they never where the people of God
Isaiah is speaking the attitude of a future generation concerning an judgment that has not yet occurred. This is a classic example of the word of God being given for a generation that has not yet even been born.
In 64:1-7 Isaiah, again speaking for the remnant, pleads with God.
64:1
They want God to intervene like he did in the past. The description is a theophany like on Sinai.
“Rending” means to tear the sky like cloth.
64:2
The manifestation of the LORD would result in the enemies of
There is through out Isaiah a two fold enemy:
a) The sin of the people
b) The
nations who oppress
64:1 and 2 can be read together as one broken sentence in the Hebrew basically telling God if he had just done those things listed there everything would have been different.
“cause the nations to quake” refers to supernatural manifestations that control events that men can not control.
64:3
A reference to
64:4
God is the only God that can
manifest himself and intervene in history
He is historically the only
God who has appeared visibly to his people.
Notice, though, waiting is involved. The Exodus generation had waited 400
years. God will appear but it will be in
his time.
64:5
How do we wait? By continuing to do right. Gal. 6:9; Heb. 12:3;
See Isaiah 7:9 with Ahaz and
Isaiah words in 8:17
If you do not continue to do
what is right you are not waiting for the Lord.
The Israelites in captivity
needed to live as Daniel did. Continue
to be righteous and wait for God. Do not
say I am waiting for God and when he does something then I will be
righteous.
God helps those who. . .
a)
gladly do right
b)
remember your
ways
But, if you do not remember
God’s ways and instead sin against them. . .
a)
God is angry
b)
People need to be
saved
64:6
Describes the people
a)
unclean
b)
so unclean that
the best they can do is filthy rags
They are like dead leaves
that sin blows away.
A leaf that has fallen from
the tree because of the blowing of sin.
When it falls sin finishes it off
64:7
Here a description of the
people after they have entered into sin and rebellion towards God:
a)
they do not call
on his name . . . . . . Do not pray for help
b)
they do not
strive to lay hold of his name . . . . Do not seek God for direction
This is all, they admit because
of their sins.
64:8
“Yet” is ‘atta and means
“now” or in summary. This begins the
summary of the final decision and response of the remanant.
In scripture clay responds to
the potter:
a)
2 Timothy 2:20-21
b) Jeremiah 18:6
The incorrect response for the
clay is to disregard the potter as in Isaiah 29:16
In Isaiah 45:9 the clay
rejects the potter.
These next verses are the
remnant saying we will wait because we know God will not punish us beyond
measure or remember their sins forever.
In other words the road to
recovery is to start being righteous now.
64:9
The remnant does not ask that
God stop the judgment but just that it not last forever.
Here
They say “we are your people.’
64:10
They say “
64:11
They say, “Even the temple
has been burned.”
64:12
After all this: Your people, Your city, Your temple, will you
still be silent?
The remnant thinks not and
are waiting for God’s time.