Isaiah 8.1, 63

Prayer Requests

Pray for Ann, Don Davison

Sandy, Marlin Ogden supposed to come home on Monday, but needs infusion, in a facility

Carol, Jamison great time,

Judy, really good friend Margie open heart surgery

Pam, granddaughter in Spain

Bing, friend, heart surgery, Al

Nan, Cathy out of surgery, breast cancer; Jeanie

Laura, prayers of thanksgiving to see Suzanne

Patti, for Clair Rogers—released from hospital, Joe is caregiver for 3 months; all together, pleased.

Isaiah 63:1–6 ESV

1 Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. 6 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 is very much a pivot, new section of the prophetic word here at the end of Isaiah. Last week we talked about God’s work to make Israel what He always intended her to be and he does this by His own power and might for her. He sets watchmen on her walls, he establishes Jerusalem, he cleanses the bride and makes her ready for her to be His own. And now we see the result of the security of this city that the Lord has worked to create as a place of salvation for His people.

Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimson garments from Bozrah…marching in the greatness of His strength?

A figure emerges! The watchmen that I just mentioned, they’re on the wall and what do they see but a great, might, and terrible figure coming to them…in crimson garments.

He comes, it says from Edom. Edom was the perennial enemy of Judah, so much so that Edom came to represent all of Judah/Israel’s enemies. Edom is like Babylon in that way, the big bad guy. This figure comes from Edom—are they good or bad? Is this a great warrior from our enemy? Or is this a great warrior who brings good news of victory over the enemy?

It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.

It is I, who does this sound like? Who speaks like this about themselves? Exodus 3:14

Exodus 3:14 ESV

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

This is the self-revelation of God, how YHWH identifies Himself. It is I! Then this is good news! This is our righteous one, our messiah, our God!

And how does this messiah warrior characterize Himself? As one who SPEAKS! This is the God who speaks, and indeed from Genesis to Revelation one of the main characteristics of God is that he speaks, revealing His character, his ways, and his will to His creation. It is no accident of fluke that this messianic warrior appears on the scene and identifies Himself as one who speaks!

He is speaking in righteousness. The way the Hebrew is here, we are not meant to understand this as he is talking about righteousness, but that this describes the manner in which he speaks, he speaks rightly always. He speaks as a righteous one. Holy and set apart. And what else does he reveal about Himself? He is holy, yes. And He is powerful to save.

Do you see, this person stands in contrast with all of the other false idols and false saviors of Israel’s day.

The one who continually speaks in righteousness? The one who is mighty to save. Idols cannot do this. Look at Isaiah 43:9 “9 All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true.”

God can do this. And he can say, because he is mighty to save, with absolutely certainty that all of our enemies, our greatest enemy, has been defeated. This messiah can save because he is righteous and because he is mighty to save, strong enough to save. There is no other god or idol like this.

The passage, though on its face seems to be about judgement and destruction, is about the salvation of God through this messianic figure. God, who speaks truth, says that because the enemy is destroyed, His people are delivered. Do you see, it’s a message of deliverance and salvation!

The watchmen see a mighty warrior messiah coming with whom comes the word of Salvation and that the enemy has been destroyed. And what do they see? or say? “why is your apparel red?”

He has trodden on his enemies like on grapes of a winepress! He has attacked the enemies of God’s people, and yes the red on the garments is to represent blood. But it’s a purposeful mixed metaphor. He tramples on them and it’s a whole bloody affair, but it’s meant to evoke the trampling of grapes at a vineyard.

This is meant to evoke the imagery of earlier in Isaiah when Israel is called a vineyard that has crumbled and broken down. The enemies of God’s people are vineyards that he will break down Himself.

And why does he do this? Because he is angry! Now, many of us might be put off by this reality. Might be put off by the anger of God in such bloody, vivid, full display. But we have to see that this image here should be one of great comfort to us. This is a God of justice, who will not let sin and evil stand, he will take care of it. It may not be today, but a time is coming when God will bring all evil to an end.

And who among us wouldn’t react in anger toward those who harm our children?

God is a Father whose children have been abused and mutilated. He is the Creator whose creations have perverted themselves into the very opposite of the things for which they were created. Aristotle’s passionless Unmoved Mover is the farthest thing from the God of the Bible, whose, one commentator put it: “love is more enduring than the mountains and whose fury is more white-hot than molten steel.”

Here, as the prophet has said again and again, God’s rage is directed against those who would destroy and oppress his people. He is furious against all that would deprive them of the blessings he wishes to give them. The imagery is gruesome in its vividness; it says to us that we should do everything in our power to become part of his people and not be among his enemies.

Jesus red garments’

The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66 a. The Lone Warrior (63:1–6)

4 But does not all this carnage simply suggest a heavenly tyrant gone berserk? Has not blood lust seized him in a fit of destruction? No

The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66 a. The Lone Warrior (63:1–6)

No, as this verse makes plain, the reason for what has taken place is not blood lust. But, the reader may reply, what about that word vengeance? Does that not convey a mean spirit of revenge and bitterness? It might if it were by itself, but the parallelism here shows that is not the case. What is the vengeance about? God’s hurt pride?

The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66 a. The Lone Warrior (63:1–6)

We must not leave out another side to the picture. One of the ways in which the Servant/Messiah has crushed the power of evil in the world is to have taken it into himself and forever destroyed its hold over us. He has done that alone already, as one day he alone will crush all the rebels of earth with the power of his fist.

See Isaiah 53:3–4 “3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

And then we see vv. 5-6. Isaiah 63:5–6 “5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. 6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.””

There was no one to help— this works, in I think two ways, first we’ve seen the “helpers” or “tools” of God’s plans throughout Isaiah have been the nations. The nations are now at the receiving end of his wrath and punishment, he alone gives it out. Here’s the point: No one else could do this. No one else is perfectly righteous or mighty to save, no human hand could help the messianic warrior and redeemer.

The Messiah performs the bloody business of judgment by his own “arm”—his own power—assisted only by his own wrath.1 This language stresses that redemption and judgment flow from divine power alone, not from human alliance or collaboration. In executing judgment, the Lord usually uses one nation to punish another; here, however, he is executing judgment “alone,” suggesting that the judgment in view will take place at the end of the world, when God’s final judgment will fall.4

The solitude underscores Christ’s sufficiency. He requires no human help because his power is absolute, and his righteousness is uncompromised by human limitation or sin. The work of redemption and vengeance belongs entirely to him. As it was on the cross.

Isaiah 63:7–12 ESV

7 I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 8 For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior. 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. 11 Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, 12 who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name,

The recounting of the LORD’s steadfast love and goodness to Israel (v. 7) (Isa 63)

The LORD’s commitment to Israel as his people and their redemption (v. 8) (Isa 63)

The LORD’s compassion and care during Israel’s afflictions (v. 9) (Isa 63)

Israel’s rebellion and the LORD’s consequent judgment (v. 10) (Isa 63)

The appeal to remember the exodus and the LORD’s former power (vv. 11–12) (Isa 63)