Isaiah 63 through the first part of 65 gives the formula for the blessings we've been reading about: Judgment; Confession; Repentance.
Judgment
Isaiah 63
Oh boy. This gets real fast.
The One shows up on the scene with clothes so covered in blood, it just looks like the color of the garment. He explains that the reason He looks like He's been treading in a wine press is:
- He, alone tread the wine press of the wicked
- in anger
- with wrath
- splattering their blood onto His clothes
- The Day of vengeance was in His heart
- His Year of Redemption had come
- He had looked around for anyone else to do it; but realized He was on His own
I trampled down the peoples in my anger;
I made them drunk in my wrath,
and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”Isaiah 63:6, ESV
I gotta say...sort of puts the "love is love" crowd to shame.
This is the God who IS LOVE. Not just an attribute, but the actual essence of the thing.
And He will trample His enemies like grapes if no one else is able to do the work.
Don't ever be fooled; judgment is coming. Choose sides wisely.
Confession
Isaiah 63:7- 64:12 is labeled the confession portion.
The author starts similarly to what I just mentioned above--praising His lovingkindness.
He goes on to praise God's goodness toward Israel out of His compassion, not because they deserved it.
He claimed them as their Savior and was afflicted in their affliction. This Savior in verse 9 is The Angel of His presence, Preincarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ. He loved them, redeemed them in His mercy. lifted and carried them.
But they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
and himself fought against them.Isaiah 63:10, ESV
But they rebelled.
And grieved His Holy Spirit
He became their enemy and fought them.
You really can't summarize the Old Testament any better.
Or my own relationship with God, come to think about it.
Rebellion drove us away; and we became His enemy.
If you're keeping track, the first portion of the confession was praise for the Lord. To make it clear whose fault it WAS NOT.
Second, it was an unabashed, unvarnished description of what happened and whose fault it WAS.
Third, the author reflects on the loss of the relationship with the Lord.
- Then the people remember the days of old with Moses
- Suddenly they wonder where the God went who brought them out of the Sea and shepherded them
- Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them
- He led them, saved them from harm, and gave them rest
- In order to MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF
He didn't do it exclusively for their sake; but for His Name's Sake. I know I harp on this point a lot; but it is so important to remember that the prayers we pray, the life we live has to flag back to His Glory or they are in vain.
Starting in verse 15, they begin to beg for a return to the previous state of favored grace.
- Look down and see us from heaven
- Where is Your zeal and mighty deeds for us?
- Where is Your compassion for us?
- You're still our Father, even if Abraham and Israel don't claim us
- Why did You allow us to stray with a hard heart?
- Return for the sake of the tribes of Your heritage.
- We were the holy people who possessed Your sanctuary and now our adversaries trodden it.
- We've become like those not called by You.
The prayer goes on, but as this is the end of the chapter, I thought I would make a few comments on the "confession" so far. They half get it. They see what they lost, and that's important. They were able to recognize that what has changed in their situation is attributable to God. His zeal. His compassion. His Fathering of them.
However, they still think He should revert back to the way it used to be for their sake. They still feel entitled to His gifts, not privileged and honored to be the ones He lifted up for his name's sake.
Chapter 64
The first seven verses of Chapter 64 are a prayer from Israel during the "Confession" portion of formula for blessings provided by Isaiah. They want an intervention as the one that occurred at Mt. Sinai.
- Oh that You would come down from heaven
- Shake the mountain
- bring Your fire
- Make Your name known to our adversaries
- That the nations would tremble at Your presence.
- You did such cool things we did not expect.
- No one has seen or heard of a God besides Thee who acts on behalf of one who waits for Him
- You meet those who rejoice in good and remember Your ways
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?Isaiah 64:5b
There it is. The core of the confession. We sinned. For a long time.
Verse 6 specifies that their sin has made them unclean, like filthy garments. Our sins withers us and makes us fly away.
Verse 7 confesses that no one calls to the Lord because the Lord has hidden His face from them and has "delivered us into the power of our iniquities."
Such an importance thing to remember.
We lose the desire to even reach out to the Lord when He hides His face from us because He delivers us over to what we really want...to have our own way and do what's right in our own eyes. Which sounds like what we want; but clearly is not.
Verses 8-12 transition from the last aspect of the confession, asking for forgiveness, into the actual expression of repentance.
- You are our Father
- You are the potter, we are the clay
- we are the works of Your hands
- Don't be angry beyond measure (Reminds me of why David chose the punishment of God over man. He has restraint.)
- Don't remember our iniquities forever (How blessed are we that we serve a God who we can even ask of this!)
- We are Your people
- Your holy cities are desolate wildernesses
- Your holy temple was burned and the precious things are ruined
And the chapter ends with a question- Will you restrain Yourself knowing all of these horrible things have happened to Your people? Your cities? Your house? Will you afflict us beyond measure.
It is so much to God credit that His people know His heart. They know they can come asking for mercy and grace, even admitting that they deserved what was happening to them. He is a good, good God.
Repentance
Chapter 65
The final portion of the formula for blessing is repentance.
They asked at the end of Chapter 64 and God answers the long confession His people brought to His judgment.
Interestingly, He starts with gentiles, not even His people. He will now expand His relationship to those not who did not ask for or seek him. He will make them aware of His I am, even though they didn't call on Him.
Hallelujah and thank the Lord for that.
Then, starting in verse 2, He reiterates that He had spread out His hand to His rebellious people. they followed their own way, which was not good. They provoked Him with idolatry and violations of the law.
In verses 6 and 7 He reminds them that He will repay.
Beginning in verse 8, He speaks of new wine in the cluster, the remnant He will save. He promises this remnant land to dwell in and resting places for the herds... "for My people who seek Me."
But for those who forsake the Lord and choose idolatry with fortune and destiny, He will not save the, He will not be moved this time to save the whole people, just a remnant. The rest will face the sword and slaughter.
Verses 13-16 is a list comparing his response to the remnant to the response to those who feel entitled to be saved, but will not seek His way or worship Him alone.
- eating versus being hungry
- drink versus thirsty
- rejoice versus put to shame
- joyful versus crying and wailing with a broken spirit
- losing your name to a curse and being slaying versus receiving a new name and blessing
- having your troubles forgotten versus being hidden from God's sight.
Quite the contrast. It feels like the bookend to Deuteronomy- Do good and get good; do bad and get bad things. It's binary.
This time, they may have confessed as a nation, but God divided them sheep from lambs. Wheat from chaff. Repentance is as repentance does. And God can tell the difference.
Amen.