Mighty to Save: Isaiah 63, 64(5)

Pray Psalm 98.1, 2.
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
The LORD has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.

Read Isaiah 64.1-5.

Reflect.
1. Why does Isaiah pray that God would come down?

2. How does Isaiah describe those for whom God acts?

Meditate.
Isaiah continues his prayer on behalf of the people of God. He calls on God to come down, and he is probably recalling how God came down on Mt. Sinai, shook the mountain, showed His people His glory, and gave them His Law (v. 1; cf. Ex. 20-24). Isaiah wants God to reveal Himself to His adversaries (v. 2), so that the nations would tremble before Him. God’s greatest adversary at the time was Babylon, which was preparing to destroy Jerusalem and the temple, and carry the people away into captivity.

But God would have His day with Babylon, as we read in the book of Daniel (Dan. 5). God will have His way with all the nations in a Day not long hence.

Isaiah notes in his prayer the people for whom God acts in deliverance: people who wait for Him, who rejoice in Him and live in righteousness, and who remember all His ways (vv. 4, 5). This is the message he has been preaching to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, to show them how they must comport themselves in their time of captivity. He prayed they would be such a people once again.

For now, the people have sinned and are coming under God’s just judgment. Isaiah understands that they “need to be saved” (v. 5), and he is determined to intercede for them.

Just so, we should pray for the Church today, which has become captive to many of the ways of the unbelieving world, and is in need of revival and renewal. If we will pray, God will hear and answer and show us great things and mysteries we have not seen before (Jer. 33.3). Isaiah believed this. Do we?

Reflect.
1. Do you agree that churches today need revival? What can we learn from Isaiah’s prayer about how to pray for our churches?

2. If God were to “rend the heavens” and “come down” today, how would we know it? What would that look like?

3. How can you become more the kind of person for whom God acts and grants more of His salvation?

Because we sinned, you are angry with us, O Lord, for we strayed and abandoned the right path, or, according to the Hebrew text, we, who always lived in sin and are unclean in ourselves, will be saved only by your mercy. Jerome (347-420 AD), Commentary on Isaiah 17.35

I want to know more of Your salvation, Lord, so today I…

Pray Psalm 98.
Let this psalm lead you in praise and renewal in the great salvation our Lord has provided. 

Sing to the Lord.
Psalm 98 (Duke Street: Come, Let Us Sing unto the Lord)
Come, let us sing unto the Lord new songs of praise with one accord!
Wonderful things our God has done: Jesus has our salvation won!

Now is God’s saving mercy known; His glory to the world is shown.  
Faithful and kind is God our Lord; earth has the Name of Jesus heard.

Raise to the Lord your loudest voice! Break forth and sing! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Praise, praise to You our God and King, with all our hearts and strength we bring!

Now let the whole creation ‘round burst into song with joyous sound!
Jesus will come to judge the earth; let all proclaim His matchless worth!

T. M. Moore

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Forward today’s lesson to some friends, and challenge them to study with you through this series on Isaiah. Each week’s lessons will be available as a free PDF download at the end of the week. Get a copy for yourself and send the link for the download to your friends. Plan to meet weekly to study Isaiah’s important message.

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