seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Isaiah 63:1 Who is this coming from Edom,
from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson?
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?
from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson?
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?
“It is I, proclaiming victory,
mighty to save.”
mighty to save.”
2 Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?
like those of one treading the winepress?
3 “I have trodden the winepress alone;
from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled them in my anger
and trod them down in my wrath;
their blood spattered my garments,
and I stained all my clothing.
4 It was for me the day of vengeance;
the year for me to redeem had come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm achieved salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me.
6 I trampled the nations in my anger;
in my wrath I made them drunk
and poured their blood on the ground.”
from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled them in my anger
and trod them down in my wrath;
their blood spattered my garments,
and I stained all my clothing.
4 It was for me the day of vengeance;
the year for me to redeem had come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm achieved salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me.
6 I trampled the nations in my anger;
in my wrath I made them drunk
and poured their blood on the ground.”
7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things
he has done for Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will be true to me”;
and so he became their Savior.
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.[a]
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.
10 Yet they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned and became their enemy
and he himself fought against them.
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things
he has done for Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will be true to me”;
and so he became their Savior.
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.[a]
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.
10 Yet they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned and became their enemy
and he himself fought against them.
11 Then his people recalled[b] the days of old,
the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,
with the shepherd of his flock?
Where is he who set
his Holy Spirit among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm of power
to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters before them,
to gain for himself everlasting renown,
13 who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in open country,
they did not stumble;
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
to make for yourself a glorious name.
the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,
with the shepherd of his flock?
Where is he who set
his Holy Spirit among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm of power
to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters before them,
to gain for himself everlasting renown,
13 who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in open country,
they did not stumble;
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
to make for yourself a glorious name.
15 Look down from heaven and see,
from your lofty throne, holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.
16 But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander from your ways
and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.
18 For a little while your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.
19 We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called[c] by your name.
from your lofty throne, holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.
16 But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander from your ways
and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.
18 For a little while your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.
19 We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called[c] by your name.
a. Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior 9 in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
b. Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
c. Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called
This is from bible-studys.org.
In having listed God’s conditions for peace, and by having described the nature of that peace, the prophet now describes the consummation of that peace (chapters 63-66).
“Edom” represents all who hate Israel. “Bozrah” was Edom’s capital city. “Dyed garments,” the color of “red,” are reminiscent of Revelation:
Revelation 19:13 “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
The red-stained condition of the garments has been caused by his trampling “blood” in the “winepress” of God’s judgment. The “vengeance” of God is further described as a judgment so severe that the very lifeblood of the nations will be poured out in the earth.
The entire passage is strikingly similar to (Revelation 19), where Christ comes to “judge and make war … clothed with a vesture dipped in blood … treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” The flowing of the blood is similar to the description (in Revelation 14:20).
The rest of this chapter and the following one contain a prayer of thanksgiving, confession, and intercession. “I will mention” can be translated “I will celebrate.” “Goodness” refers to God’s beneficent goodness, and “mercies” refers to His sympathizing tenderness.
“The angels of his presence” refers to the presence of the Lord Himself. (See Exodus 33:14). The reference to the “Holy Spirit” indicates His activity and ministry on behalf of Old Testament believers.
Then in verses 7-8: “Loving-kindnesses … loving-kindnesses”: All the plurals in this verse imply that language is inadequate to recite all the goodness and undeserved mercies God has showered on the nation time after time because of His everlasting covenant with them.
By His elective choice, they became His people and He their Savior; this guarantees that they will not always be false, but someday true and faithful to God because of His sovereign election of them. (Eph. 1:3-4).
“He remembered … should not stumble”: The Lord, in spite of their perversity, did not forget His covenant nor fully forsake them (Lev. 26:40-45; Psalm 106:45-46). In contrasting their present state of destitution with that of blessing experienced by Moses’ generation, the people of Israel lamented the loss of God’s mighty works on their behalf and pleaded with the Lord that He would not forsake them.
“Brought them up out of the sea … put his Holy Spirit within him … dividing the water”: Letting the people pass through the sea on dry ground was a typical mighty work of God (Exodus 14:29-30), and the Holy Spirit ministered among them (Num. 11-17, 25, 29). Another reference is made to the miracle of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22).
After having extolled God’s goodness, and rehearsed God’s past faithfulness to Israel for the sake of His glory, the prophet offered a prayer of repentance by the nation in its desolate condition.
This is from the easy English site.The people’s relation with the Lord in Isaiah’s day is not the relation that their ancestors would have recognised.
· To use the two personal names, Abraham and Jacob (Abraham’s grandson), is a convenient way to refer to ancestors in general. Ancestors lived long ago, so they would not be aware of the people’s present situation. No ancestor could act as a father and give them help. But God is much more wonderful than any human ancestor. Through the centuries, he has continued to act as ‘our Father’.
· The Lord’s promise always to be ‘Our Rescuer’ to his special people was an ancient promise. God made this promise at the time of Moses (see Deuteronomy 30:1-3). The Lord rescued his people from Egypt (see Exodus 12:42). And later, he rescued them from Babylon (see Isaiah 11:11; Zechariah 10:9-10). God will never die. So God’s people can always trust him to be their Father, and he will help them.
The people may seem to be blaming God for their troubles. Such an attitude is not uncommon in the Old Testament. People considered that God was the cause of even bad events (see Job 2:10; Amos 3:6). But at the same time, Isaiah’s people did realise their own failures.
· We think it impossible to hold opposite opinions at the same time. But see the struggle between God and the Pharaoh (king of Egypt) in Exodus chapters 10 and 11. Many times God makes the king’s heart hard (see, for example, Exodus 10:1). But many times the king makes his own heart hard (see, for example, Exodus 10:11). (A ‘hard heart’ means attitudes that are unwilling to change. It is as if the person’s heart has become like stone, without normal feelings or reactions.)
Clearly, the people are praying this prayer because they are desperate. They have remembered how the Lord acted to save their nation in the past. And now they need his help again. So they confess their wrong attitudes. And they urge him to rescue them.
God may seem to have cancelled his choice of the Israelites as his special people. But God has not changed. If his people return to him, he will return to them (see Malachi 3:6-7).
Ok... this is not too hard to imagine.... [because of movies and the nightly news]..... A man shows up covered in blood..... what do you do???? Now Isaiah wants to know if the man had just left a wine press..... quite an innocent assumption.... but that wouldn't work today.... there aren't a whole lot of wine presses around the everyday home these days. I don't recall reading this before. I'm sure I did.... but I didn't let it sink in..... I think this is about when Jesus comes back the second time..... when He confronts all those humans who thought they live life on their own terms.... no god has control over them.... all the while worshiping tiny little idols, wooden bobbles, astrology or magic.
God controls time. He knows how everything is going to turn out.... He knows how my life is supposed to go..... Hubby and I were talking yesterday. I told Hubby that if it weren't for the Baptist Church.... I wouldn't have left my first husband.... I wouldn't have been in the right place at the right time to meet Hubby.... but Hubby said..... "you would have been there one way or another.... we've been together for 35 years... it was fate." So profound.....
When I was a kid.... living in Gales Ferry, Conn., we had a dog.... I was taking my dog for its first walk in the new neighborhood when it got attacked by other dogs..... I like an idiot got right in the middle and drug my dog out of the fight.... she lost a chunk of her left flank in the fight. I wanted to throw all those other dogs into the pond because of what they did to my dog. I didn't because I knew I would get in trouble. But I wanted to and I still remember that rage today.
Jesus came the first time to teach and heal.... humans beat Him to a bloody pulp and hung Him naked on a Cross in front of everyone. Isaiah said.... when Jesus comes back..... those who would beat a teacher and healer because they "live life on their own terms and don't need a god" are going to be the first to go. Don't worry.... there will be a huge earthquake before He returns.... so people will still have some time to decide to follow Christ... that is if they live long enough to see the earthquake.... Isaiah is saying... make the right decision before it's too late.... God's letting Jesus come back.... and no human wants to be on the wrong side of the Son of the Only Living God.
Anyway.... There's going to be a horrible event. Jesus is going to wear scarlet.....