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Reading Isaiah 63:7-19 where, after reading about the wrath of God which He will pour out on His enemies, we are reminded of His lovingkindness He will pour out on His people. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!
Whenever we hear about the wrath of God, that should certainly cause us to fear and want to repent of our sins. But also when we hear about the loving-kindness of God, that too should make us want to repent and come to Christ when we understand the text.
This is When We Understand the Text, a daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the Word. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we feature New Testament Study, an Old Testament book on Thursday, and our Q &A on Friday.
Now here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.
Thank you, Becky, and greetings, everyone. In our study of the book of Isaiah, we're in chapter 63. Last week, we just looked at verses 1 through 6, so we're going to pick up where we left off last week.
There's 19 verses altogether in this chapter, and I'm going to pick up reading in verse 7 and go through verse 14 out of the Legacy Standard Bible. Hear the word of the Lord. I shall bring to remembrance the loving-kindnesses of Yahweh, the praises of Yahweh, according to all the ways that Yahweh has dealt bountifully with us, and the abundant goodness toward the house of Israel, which he has dealt bountifully to them, according to his compassion and according to the abundance of his loving-kindnesses.
And he said, Surely they are my people, sons who will not deal falsely. So he became their Savior. In all their distress he was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his mercy he redeemed them, and he lifted them and carried them all the ancient days.
But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. Therefore he turned himself to become their enemy and fought against them. Then his people remembered the ancient days of Moses. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put his Holy Spirit in the midst of them? Who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? Who split the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name? Who led them through the depths?
Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble. As the cattle which go down into the valley, the Spirit of Yahweh gave them rest. So you led your people to make for yourself a glorious name. And then the last portion of Isaiah 63, there is a prayer for mercy, which we'll get to here in just a moment.
So recapping where we are, so we're setting what we just read in context. Remember that at the end of Isaiah 62, we had a picture of the king returning to Zion. And the people waiting in the gates for the return of their king.
And then in Isaiah 63, we have the return of that king whose garments are stained with the blood of the enemies that he has just struck down. Now, even though those people are standing in the gate rejoicing to see God return, yet this image of him coming in the gate would have been a terrifying picture.
Like we know that God is on our side and he has struck down our enemies. But look at the power that is being displayed here in he who had conquered the enemies on his own. He did not have the help of anyone else.
There was no one else righteous that could inflict this judgment that was poured out on his enemies. And so here the king is returned and he is covered in their blood. And it would be an astonishing image.
It's almost like the people are rejoicing to see the king come in. And here once he enters, they're just hushed. They see, yes, we have victory now and our king has delivered us. But what power he has.
And thank God he's on our side. Because what judgment would he pour out on us if we had become his enemies. Now, that kind of becomes the picture here in the middle portion of Isaiah 63. Where God was at one point a loving father who was caring for his children, even carrying them through the wilderness.
But then they in their hearts, they went after other gods. God who had done so many great things for them. And yet they worshipped and served other gods. So God went from loving them, showing his love and affection for them to becoming their enemy.
And he poured out his judgment on them. But the judgment that they endured at the hand of God, this punishment that they had to go through because of their evil. Was not as total as the judgment they see covering the king's garments in the first portion of the chapter 1 through 6.
So this also becomes a picture for the Jews in the context of the Jews to whom this was being delivered. This becomes a picture to them. See, God did not really annihilate you like he's going to show to his enemies.
So while you were an enemy of God for a time, he has shown mercy to you and lifted you out of the judgment that you were in. Which was temporary. And now he's going to deliver you back into your land.
With the same love and affection for you that he had in the days that he delivered you from slavery in Egypt by the hand of Moses. Carried you through the wilderness. So God is going to do the same for you again.
But again, all of this is a picture. It's a type and a shadow of something that is going to come later. So even though we have these things prophetically laid out, there is such a gloriousness to this prophecy.
That the Jews know they don't see fulfilled in their own lifetime. Once they get back to the land and they get to rebuild Jerusalem and they rebuild the temple, they're looking at this going. It just wasn't like it was before.
So all these promises that God had for us in the prophets, surely we're looking for another day that is to come. And so there is a micro and a macro fulfillment in what we read here in Isaiah 63. There are things that the people of God do receive as they are being delivered out of exile.
But then there's so much more that is promised to come. And that is a reward and a promise that we get to partake in and celebrate in as well as the church, as the people of God. So let me come back to verse 7.
We're going to finish the rest of Isaiah 63 today. I'll even get to the prayer of mercy in 15 to 19. So in verse 7, I shall bring to remembrance the loving kindnesses of Yahweh. So here in 7 to 14, the theme here is remembering the loving kindness of Yahweh.
That line right there is the header. It's the lead to the rest of what comes here through these seven verses. And then in light of this, in light of the judgment of God that we have pictured in 1 through 6, and the loving kindnesses of God that are being remembered in 7 through 14, the people are stirred to pray for mercy, which we have in 15 to 19.
So that's the way this chapter breaks down. So then the next line of verse 7. According to all the ways that Yahweh has dealt bountifully with us, and the abundant goodness toward the house of Israel, which he has dealt bountifully to them according to his compassion, and according to the abundance of his loving kindnesses.
We're looking back on the ways that God has shown us love in the past. And in reflecting on this, we're realizing, boy, we really messed up. We did not love God in return when he had done so many great things for us, and God has poured out his judgment on us.
The people are learning from their errors, from their mistakes. They are repenting and desiring to come back into the ways that God had set before them at the first, that they should walk in them. Remember this from 1 Corinthians 10.
The Apostle Paul says this. I'm starting in verse 1. For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ.
Sounds like some things that we have being talked about here in the middle of Isaiah 63, right? So, Paul says next, verse 5. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well pleased, for they were struck down in the wilderness.
Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters as some of them were. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and stood up to play.
That's a reference back to the worshipping of the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai.
Verse 8.
Nor let us act in sexual immorality as some of them did, and 23 ,000 fell in one day. That's in the book of Numbers, when they were carousing with the Moabite women. Nor let us put Christ to the test as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
That one's also in Numbers, when God sent vipers into the camp, because the people complained and grumbled against God, and so the vipers bit the people and they died. Verse 10. Nor grumble as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
There's probably several stories that could apply to that summary. Verse 11. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have arrived.
Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed, that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. So what Paul says here, in this first half of 1 Corinthians 10, we read about these things that happened in the Old Testament to be a teacher to us, that we would not fall into the same errors in the same ways in which this people fell.
And we should not ever get this attitude either of thinking that, oh, well, that won't happen to me. That happened to them. It's not going to happen to me. We're all weak in our flesh. We all have to be very, very careful.
Hebrews talks about this. Don't let it get into your mind that you are strong enough on your own to be able to resist these temptations, because you may soon find that you've apostatized and you have left the faith entirely.
And so let us not think too highly of ourselves, but continue to draw near to Christ, fleeing from sin and drawing near to Jesus. And so what we read here in Isaiah 63, that same sort of a thing, don't get it in your head that, oh, yeah, well, they did idolatrous things.
They did sexually immoral things. They were filled with all manner of rebellion, but God didn't fully destroy them. He's not going to fully destroy me. Don't get that attitude in yourself because some of them, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10, with some of them, God was not pleased and he did destroy them in the wilderness and they were not able to come into his rest.
That's Psalm 95, which is exegeted in Hebrews to see how those rebellious people did not enter into the rest of Yahweh. And so the same sort of theme going on here in Isaiah 63, remember the loving kindness of God.
He will forgive you for the sins that you have done. So turn from those sins to Christ. It's not an excuse to continue in those sins. It's to recognize those sins, to see God's judgment that will come against those sins and to turn from them now, lest you be one who will perish in those sins on that day of judgment.
And my friends, I don't know what it is that's going on in your heart. I don't know what's in your life that you need to repent of, but I hope that as I say that, something is coming to mind and you're realizing, yeah, and this thing where I let my thoughts go, sexually immoral, the bitterness that I have in my heart towards somebody, the rebellion that I have in my heart, rebelling against authority, how lazy I am right now, how uncompassionate I am toward other people, whatever it might happen to be.
As I talk about sin and God's judgment against sin, if you are in the Holy Spirit of God, surely there is something that may come to your heart and grieve you that you know that you need to turn from and you need to seize it now before it seizes you and drags you away.
Remember the loving kindness of God. As David prayed in Psalm 13, I will remember your loving kindness because you have dealt bountifully with me. Remembering God's loving kindness can even be something that convicts our hearts and draws us away from sin and back to him.
We have pictures of his judgment, that should terrify us, but then we should be soothed with the reminders of the gospel of Christ. He who died for our sins and rose again from the dead, so that all who come to him will be forgiven their sins and have eternal life.
1 John 1, 9 If we ask forgiveness for our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, I've done my application here pretty early in this reading, but let's continue on.
Keep those things in mind, reflecting upon the loving kindness of God and that he will show you mercy. Turn from your sin back to Christ. Verse 8, And he said, Surely they are my people, sons who will not deal falsely.
So he became their Savior. Now, all of this is in retrospect. So it's looking back on the people of God that he delivered out of slavery in Egypt. I will become their Savior. In all their distress, he was distressed.
When they were enslaved in Egypt, it was as if the Egyptians were oppressing God himself. If such thing could be done, of course, God cannot be oppressed. But this is just demonstrating the way that God relates with his own people.
In their distress, he was distressed. Remember when Paul, who was at the time called Saul, was persecuting Christians. Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus and said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
God identifying with his own people, which makes his judgment all the more personal when he pours it out on those who have done wickedly, especially wickedly against the people of God. The angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and in his mercy, he redeemed them. And he lifted them and carried them all the ancient days. That in reference to God carrying them through the wilderness. But they rebelled, verse 10, and grieved his Holy Spirit.
We have those same things said to us in the New Testament. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Paul says that to the church. Ephesians 4 .30, Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you along with all malice. Instead, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.
I have to wonder if Paul had in mind that phrase from Isaiah 63 when he says do not grieve the Holy Spirit. For there's only two places in Scripture exactly that phrase appears. Isaiah 63 .10 and Ephesians 4 .30.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. So they rebelled against God. They grieved his Holy Spirit. Therefore he turned himself to become their enemy. He fought against them. So when Paul encourages the church not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, it's as though to say don't continue in this sin that's going to cause God to turn himself against you.
Verse 11,. Then his people remembered the ancient days of Moses. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put his Holy Spirit in the midst of them?
They're looking back and remembering God did deliver us. He brought us through the sea. He gave us his very presence who was with us and we're recognizing now his presence isn't with us anymore. How do we get that back?
Verse 12,. Who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? Who split the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name? That being in reference to the Red Sea and then also the River Jordan.
Who led them through the depths like the horse in the wilderness? They did not stumble. God being the one to sustain them even in the wilderness and delivering them into the promised land. As the cattle which go down into the valley, the Spirit of Yahweh gave them rest.
So you led your people to make for yourself a glorious name. And this is what God said he was going to do with his people in bringing them into the promised land. It was in them he was going to make a glorious name.
A name for himself among all the nations. And God does that even now through his church. A point I'll come back to here in a moment. Let's look at the final portion of Isaiah 63 where we have this prayer for mercy and God's deliverance.
Verse 15,. Look down from heaven and see from your holy and glorious habitation. Where are your zeal and your mighty deeds? The tumults within you and your compassion are restrained toward me. So this is the people saying our hearts are turning back to you.
Will you return back to us? The zealousness that you had, the passion, the power of God that was demonstrated through your people. Will we get to see that again? Where are your mighty deeds that we may know that God is with us?
Now really what this should be anticipating is the Savior who is coming. God will be among his people again and he will do mighty deeds through whom did he do this? Jesus Christ. When God himself, Emmanuel came and dwelt with his people.
Accomplishing great miracles but the greatest thing he accomplished being his death and his resurrection from the dead. And here as this appeal continues before God. Verse 16, For you are our Father though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us.
You O Yahweh are our Father our Redeemer from everlasting is your name. So what's being said here is our sins are so great we don't look like the children of Abraham. We do not look like we bear the name of Israel.
That was given to Jacob and to his descendants. We are undeserving of these titles. Just like you know I have the last name Hughes which I got from my father. And I learned from my father when people look at me they see a resemblance of my father.
Not just in my appearance but even in my character. I sound like dad. I have mannerisms that are like my dad. And I would hope that some of the wisdom that he has poured into me is also something that people will see when they look at me.
But here this people are saying we don't look anything like our father Abraham anymore. We are undeserving to be called as children but you are our father. This is an acknowledgement of you are our God.
We are returning to you. Our Redeemer from everlasting is your name. Verse 17, Why O Yahweh do you cause us to stray from your ways and stiffen our heart from fearing you? This is like David saying in Psalm 51, Purge me with hyssop that I might be clean.
Open my mouth and I will declare your praise. So God why have you prevented my heart from knowing you, acknowledging you and my mouth from praising you? Return for the sake of your slaves the tribes of your inheritance.
Here's the last couple of verses 18 and 19. Your holy people possessed your sanctuary for a little while. Our adversaries have trodden it down. We have become like those over whom you have never ruled.
Like those who were not called by your name. We've become like the nations. We've become like pagans, like Gentiles. But we recognize our errors now and we are repenting before you that you might deliver us up and bring us back into your presence.
Your holy people possessed your sanctuary for a little while. Our adversaries have trodden it down. The presence of God is no longer with us. And that's the thing, that's the thing that distinguishes us from everybody else.
The presence of God. And so God bring your presence back to us again. Now we as the church, we as the people of God who are followers of Jesus Christ, what makes us holy or set apart from the rest of the world?
It's not our works. It's the presence of Christ with us. It's not our buildings. It's not the t-shirts we wear. It's not the slogans we have. It's not the Christianese that we speak. It's not our religious practices.
These things are not what separates us out from the rest of the world. Because the world has their own language. There are people, different places all over the world that have their own religious practices, that have their own blasphemy laws even.
If you blaspheme our laws, well, we will pour out judgment on you. They've got their own commandments, their own set of commandments that they follow. So why should they pay any attention to us with all the rules and regulations and things that we go through?
They're like, it's just your religion. We have ours. What separates us and makes us distinct from the rest of the people in this world is the presence of Christ. And so turn from your sin to the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will make you a new creation.
Don't be as the rest of the world. Be as Christ, set apart for his kingdom and his purposes. Heavenly Father, we thank you for what we've read here today, what we finished up reading here, studying through Isaiah 63.
And coupled with what we read last week with regarding the judgment that God is gonna pour out through his son, may our hearts be stirred to you, knowing that it's only through Christ that we are delivered from that day of judgment.
It is only through Christ that we get to experience the loving kindnesses and the mercies of our God. Forgive us our sins, lead us in paths of righteousness for your namesake. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
This has been When We Understand the Text of Pastor Gabriel Hughes. For all of our podcasts, episodes, videos, books, and more, visit our website at www .utt .com. If you'd like to submit a question to this broadcast or just send us a comment, email whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com and let your friends know about our ministry.
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