Isaiah 63:7-64:12 "The Prayer of the Remnant"
Having heard of the promise of the coming of the Anointed Conqueror,
the righteous remnant now lift up their prayers in response to God's promise.
We are drawing to the end of Isaiah's prophecy.
The message of salvation has been announced.
Now he gives the faithful a model for their prayers as they await the coming of that day.
And as such, it is useful for us.
Because while we live on the far side of the coming of the Christ,
we still anticipate his return and the final consummation of his kingdom.
1. Remember Your History
We have here the voice of the prophet as the one interceding for the people.
As Isaiah is bringing his message to a close,
he now summarizes the whole story.
(Read v7)
As with most biblical prayers, the prophet begins by "talking to God about God."
This verse is sandwiched by two references to "hesed"
It is the first word of the sentence.
It is the last word of the sentence.
It is variously translated: lovingkindness, steadfast love, covenant faithfulness.
Here it refers to everything that God has done in his goodness and compassion.
Then starting with the Exodus,
he recounts the history of God's dealings with his people.
He "became their Savior" when he rescued them from Egypt.
Verses 8-9 remember the redemption from Egypt,
"he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."
Echoing the language of Dt 32, "carried them on eagles wings"
and brought them out of slavery and set them free.
But.
Ah yes, that most dreaded word in the Bible!
But.
In spite of all that God has done.
In spite of his great love-his covenant faithfulness-
the redemption that he has wrought by setting you free!
But... they rebelled. And grieved his Holy Spirit. (Verse 10)
And as God had promised,
their rebellion set in motion the Divine curse of the covenant. (Dt 26-27)
God himself fought against his people.
Isaiah uses five "waws" in verses 10-11
and they rebelled,
and they grieved
and he turned
and he fought
and he remembered.
In English we say
But they rebelled and grieved
So he turned and fought,
then he remembered.
The covenant curse is not the final word.
Because God had promised that there would be grace in the end (Dt 29-34).
As God remembered Israel when they were in bondage in Egypt,
so also God will remember Israel when they are in Exile,
READ v11-14
God is the one who brought Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea.
He gave them his Spirit-the glory-cloud that led them and dwelt in their midst.
Also note that God's glorious arm went "at the right hand of Moses."
Moses, the greatest prophet of Israel's history is not called "God's right hand."
And yet Isaiah's Servant is called "the arm of the LORD" (Is 53:1)
and of the Anointed One it is said: "then his own arm brought him salvation"
(59:16)-and "my own arm brought me salvation" (63:5)
It is plain that Isaiah sees the Anointed One as a divine figure unlike Moses.
Remember your history.
Remember what God has done in bringing you out of bondage to sin and death.
That is always the foundation for our prayers.
When you pray, remember your history.
2. Plead with God for Mercy (63:15-64:12)
There are seven stanzas in this prayer.
And they form a clear chiasm.
a) The LORD's Compassion Restrained from His Holy and Beautiful House (15-16)
b) We Are Your Holy People-Though It Does Not Look Like It (17-19)
c) The Nations Would Tremble at Your Presence (64:1-3)
d) Will God Save Us? (4-5)
c') But Instead, We Tremble, for You Have Hidden Your Face (6-7)
b') Remember, God, that We Are Your People (8-9)
a') Will You Restrain Yourself from Helping Your Holy and Beautiful House? (10-12)
The center of this chiasm is the terrible question,
"Shall we be saved?"
We have sinned against the living God.
Will he remember us for good?
a) The LORD's Compassion Restrained from His Holy and Beautiful House (15-16)
There are two holy and beautiful houses in this passage.
The first is in heaven, where God himself dwells.
The second is the temple, the earthly copy of the heavenly habitation.
Here we are dealing with the archetype-as the remnant plead with God for mercy.
Where are your zeal and might?
Where is the compassion with which you loved Abraham and Isaac?
Because we, the remnant, acknowledge you as our Father.
Though Abraham and Israel forget us,
you are our one and only Father and Redeemer.
We have no hope but in you!
b) We Are Your Holy People-Though It Does Not Look Like It (17-19)
So why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart,
so that we fear you not?
This is a statement of remarkable honesty and frankness.
We know, O God, that you are the one who hardens the heart of the wicked.
We remember what happened to Pharaoh,
and we are wise enough to understand
that this is what you are doing to us.
Why?
Why are you hardening your servants-the tribes of your heritage?
We are supposed to be your people-your holy people.
And yet we are no different from the nations-
and now they have trampled down your sanctuary.
We have become like those over whom you have never ruled-
we are like the nations-those not called by your name.
Isaiah recognizes that God is sovereign,
and so lays the problem before God.
Why are you doing this, O God?
c) The Nations Would Tremble at Your Presence (64:1-3)
Because what is more troubling is that if God rent the heavens
and came down, the earth would shake.
The nations would tremble at your presence.
Even the mountains would quake at your presence.
And yet, everything is still.
Will God ever do anything about this?
d) Will God Save Us? (4-5)
And so we come to the heart of Isaiah's prayer-
the prayer of the righteous remnant.
There is no God like you.
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness-
those who remember you in your ways.
But that's not us.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
in our sins we have been a long time,
and shall we be saved?
If you reward the righteous, then we're in trouble.
c') But Instead, We Tremble, for You Have Hidden Your Face (6-7)
There is such irony here.
God's face would have brought the nations trembling before him,
but instead, "we" are shrivelling and wasting away.
Because we have all become like one who is unclean, (a leper)
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment
(menstrual rags-cf. Lev.)
We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
If we are honest, then we cannot claim that we are righteous before God.
Because there is no one who calls upon your name.
God has hidden himself from us, and therefore we tremble before him.
b') Remember, God, that We Are Your People (8-9)
BUT NOW!
V'atah!
Returning to the theme of God as Father,
The righteous remnant plead with God to remember us.
We are the clay and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Don't remember our sins-remember that you have made us to be yours.
Twice before Isaiah has utilized the image of the potter and the clay
(29:16, 45:9)
Again it plainly affirms God's sovereignty over his creatures.
Our only hope is that God will not be angry forever.
a') Will You Restrain Yourself from Helping Your Holy and Beautiful House? (10-12)
The City of God has become a wastland and a wilderness.
Zion-Jerusalem-is desolate.
Will God cast us off forever?
(Read 10-12)
The temple is burned with fire-
the holy and beautiful house that mirrored God's heavenly dwelling.
Zion has become a wilderness.
We are returning to the tohu vbohu-the barren wasteland of chaos.
Will you keep silent, O God?
Will you not speak?!
We must anticipate chapter 65 a little.
Because God promises that he will speak.
He will arise and set his people free.
And that is what he has done in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Conclude with comments on prayer
Remember your history
Plead with God for mercy that he might dwell in his holy and beautiful house.