Isaiah64

The chapter begins with a fervent plea for God to descend with power, rending the heavens and causing mountains to flow, as He has done in the past. The people confess their universal sinfulness, acknowledging that their righteousnesses are as filthy rags, which has caused God to hide His face. Despite their unworthiness, they appeal to God as their Father and Potter, lamenting the desolation of Zion, Jerusalem, and their holy temple, and beseeching Him not to remain silent in their affliction.

A Prayer for God's Dramatic Presence

1
Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence, ​
2
as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil; to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence! ​
3
When you did awesome things which we didn’t look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
4
For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him. ​
5
You meet him who rejoices and works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time; and shall we be saved? ​

Confession of Sin and Unworthiness

6
For we have all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment: and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. ​
7
There is no one who calls on your name, who stirs up himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have consumed us by means of our iniquities. ​

Appeal to God as Father and Potter

8
But now, LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand. ​
9
Don’t be furious, LORD, neither remember iniquity forever: see, look, we beg you, we are all your people.

Lament Over Jerusalem’s Desolation

10
Your holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. ​
11
Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant places are laid waste. ​
12
Will you refrain yourself for these things, LORD? Will you hold your peace, and afflict us very severely? ​

Study Notes for Isaiah 64

Verse 1

This lament begins with a desperate plea for a cosmic theophany, asking God to 'rend the heavens.' This imagery recalls the awesome, world-shaking manifestation of God’s power witnessed at Mount Sinai (Exod. 19).

Verse 2

The purpose of this dramatic intervention is twofold: to reveal God’s power ('make thy name known') and to strike fear into the nations who oppose God’s people.

Verse 4

This verse is a profound assurance of God's unique nature. It is famously quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:9, emphasizing that God’s future plans for those who faithfully await Him are entirely beyond human comprehension.

Verse 5

The speaker contrasts God’s usual favor toward the righteous with the current reality of divine wrath, acknowledging that the people have failed to remember and walk in God's ways.

Verse 6

This powerful confession describes the nation’s spiritual state. 'Filthy rags' (Hebrew: *iddah*) refers to polluted or defiled garments, emphasizing that even the people’s best attempts at self-righteousness are utterly worthless before a holy God.

Verse 7

The people confess not only their sin but their spiritual apathy. The judgment (God hiding His face) is justified because no one is actively seeking or 'stirring up himself' to take hold of God.

Verse 8

The appeal shifts from merit (which they lack) to relationship. Calling God 'our father' appeals to covenant loyalty, while the 'Potter/clay' metaphor stresses God’s sovereign right to shape and remold His people, even after judgment.

Verse 10

The lament grounds the spiritual appeal in the physical reality of the judgment. The 'holy cities' and Jerusalem are a 'desolation,' providing compelling evidence of the severity of God’s wrath.

Verse 11

The 'holy and our beautiful house' refers to the Temple, the central symbol of God’s dwelling place and the heart of Israel's worship, which has been destroyed by fire. This loss is the ultimate sign of divine abandonment.

Verse 12

The chapter concludes with a final rhetorical question, urging God to act. The prophet asks if God can truly remain silent and impassive when His own people and His own house have suffered such complete destruction.

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