Isaiah 8.1, 63:7-19

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Carol, Jamison doing well

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Jeanne, treatment

Isaiah 63:7–14 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, 13 who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. 14 Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name.

Last week we focused on v. 1-6, the image of God as one who carries out vengeance against the enemies of His people. God pouring out his wrath against those who reject Him and His children. But it’s meant as a reminder of God’s all-sufficient might to save and rescue, and His mercy to save Israel even when they did nothing to deserve it. He saved them because they were His children. And now we continue on as the prophet invites us to remember the goodness of the Lord all the more—

V. 7 I will remember the steadfast love of the Lord…this is an invitation, as I’ve said, to be reminded of God’s goodness, something that Israel struggled with throughout their history. They had been rescued from Egypt and as soon as they were in the wilderness that had forgotten God’s goodness. Here we are told to remember the love of God “according to all that the Lord has granted us.”

We’re told to remember what we already have in Him. NOT to whine or worry about wha the hasn’t yet given us. About he He hasn’t yet saved us from X, y, or z. No! We’re told to remember what He has done for us. And this is an gracious invitation for us because there will be times when it feels like—what do I have to be thankful for? Have you ever felt that way?

The point is this: The Lord has been gracious and generous to you. He has saved you! If you know the love of your savior, if you hae the gift of faith, that is sufficient!

Now see in v. 7 that his steadfast love and generosity are grounded in HIs compassion, so you see He does not give gifts or love out of obligation or duty, out of some sense of, well I guess, becaus eyou prayed a prayer or you did the right things. No, the Lord loves us, he has compassion on us in our suffering and in our sin.

That compassion, as we see in v. 8 is rooted in how God sees us: Surely they are my people, children…and he becamse their savior.”

And see how closely He identifies with us—this has been a theme throughout Isaiah. In v. 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.”

Here now Isaiah is recounted the acts of old. But it also tells uis about the character of the Lord. He is afflicted when His children are afflicted. He feels their hurts and their pains and their oppression. Oh what kindness this is. To know that in your deepest pain the Lord God not only sees you in your pain, but that he grieves with you, he shares in this sorrow.

V. 10—here we turn and see what is so often a reaction, a response from people: they rebelled. Even though salvation was there, they revelled. This is Israel’s story in the wilderness (I think that’s what is primarily in view here) but this is also a repeated pattern again and again throughout their history as we’ve said.

For again, they were brought to the promised land, established as a nation, and they revelled against God. The book of Judges, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

So what is God’s response? It says here in v. 11, He remembered Moses and the Israelite rescue out of Egypt. God remember what he did for them (as if he forgot?), of course he hasn’t forgotten. Again, we’re reminded of God’s character and his pattern of salvation for His people.

He did that in Egypt, he’ll do it again in exile, he’ll do it for us in eternity. Now that’s a picture of what God has done and what could be again for Israel. Now that the prophet, the exiled Israelite, whoever it is that is remembering, now that they have remembered the nature and work of God, they can let that motivate their prayer and the end of 63 into 64 is that prayer.

Isaiah 63:15–19 ESV

15 Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. 16 For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. 17 O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. 18 Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. 19 We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.

The prayer starts with a question—if you love never fails, then where is it now? Where is your might for us now? Because it certainly feels as though you are holding back your compassion and love. But do you see the trajectory here? The person, Isaiah?, has grounded themselves in biblical truth, in theology, and in certain history and they’re saying: where are those part of you, O, God?

Then in v. 16 we get an admission of guilt, and admission that the people have been unfaithful. Look at the way he frames it. You are our Father, God, through Abraham—because of the covenant you’ve made with Him—but Abraham and Israel (another patriarch) they don’t even acknowledge us because we have fallen so far.

but you are still our Father and redeemer, God. That’s how this prayer reads. We’ve sinned, but thankfully our status with you is because of a covenant you made and we’re still there. Thank you that you are our redeember!

This chapter can become a model of prayer for us—remember who God is, recognize the trial or sorrow, stand in your identity as one of His children.

V. 17 is an admission of guilt continued: Why do you make is wander from your ways and harden your heart

Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary ii. Asking (63:15–64:12)

Make us wander is not an attempt to lay the blame on the Lord, rather a recognition that the guilt of his people is such that the Lord had no option but to drive them from him and into the far country of sin which they had chosen.

Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary ii. Asking (63:15–64:12)

Likewise harden our hearts does not blame the Lord for our sin. The heart choosing disobedience hardens progressively against God’s way until the moment (known only to God and fixed by him) comes when the point of no return is reached, when the final, decisive choice of sin is made. When this point is passed the situation is humanly irretrievable: only God can change it—if only he will return.

Throughout Scripture, God’s “hardening” operates as a judicial response to prior rejection. When people refuse to listen and submit, God responds by releasing them to their own stubborn inclinations (Ps 81:11–12). This appears repeatedly: God gives people over to their own desires after they have already exchanged truth for lies and chosen idolatry (Rom 1:24–28). The sequence matters—human rebellion comes first, then divine withdrawal follows as consequence.

Isaiah 63:17 is actually a lament, not an accusation. The prophet grieves that God’s judgment has taken the form of abandonment—that the people have been left to wander in their rebellion. Yet even this lament assumes the people’s culpability.

v. 18-19

The people’s possession of the land has been brief and contested, with enemies desecrating the sacred temple. (Isa 63:18–19) This describes the catastrophic reality of exile—what once belonged to God’s covenant people now lies under foreign control. The sanctuary, the physical center of Israel’s identity and worship, has become a symbol of their powerlessness.

The second verse intensifies the spiritual dimension: Israel has become indistinguishable from nations that never knew God’s rule or bore His name. (Isa 63:18–19) This isn’t merely political defeat—it’s a crisis of identity. The people who were called, chosen, and set apart now experience themselves as abandoned, stripped of the distinguishing marks that made them God’s people. They’ve lost not just territory but their covenantal status.

Together, verses 18–19 shift from lament about divine withdrawal (v. 17) to the concrete, visible consequences of that withdrawal. The enemies’ trampling of the sanctuary and Israel’s reduction to the status of pagan nations demonstrate what happens when God’s protective presence is removed. Yet even here, the prayer contains an implicit plea: if God would restore His rule and reclaim His name among them, their status would be reversed. The despair is real, but it rests on the assumption that restoration remains possible—that God’s people can be reclaimed, that the sanctuary can be reconsecrated, that the divine name can once again distinguish them from the nations.