Isaiah 63
I. (1-39) Condemnation
A. Chapters 1-12 - ”Prophecies against Israel and Judah
B. Chapters 13-23 - ”Prophecies against the Nations
C. Chapters 24-27 - ”Prophecies of the Day of the Lord
D. Chapters 28-35 - ”Prophecies of Judgment and Blessing
E. Chapters 36-39 - ”Historical accounts
II. (40-66) Consolation
A. Chapters 40-48 - Israel’s God
B. Chapters 49-54 - Israel’s Messiah
C. Chapters 55-66 - Israel’s Opportunity
1. \\#Isa 55:1-56:8\\ An Invitation
2. \\#Isa 56:9-12\\ A Condemnation
3. \\#Isa 57:1-14\\ A Warning
4. \\#Isa 58:1-14\\ A Possibility
5. \\#Isa 59:1-62:12\\ A Commitment
6. \\#Isa 63:1-64:12\\ A Psalm - A psalm is a poem or a song. They
some times tell a story and some times offer praise. This psalm
does it all. It tells the story of Israel’s past and future, and
it contains praise to God.
I. \\#Isa 63:1-19\\ A Psalm
A. \\#Isa 63:1-6\\ The Lord’s Destruction Upon Israel’s Enemies
1. \\#Isa 63:1\\ "Who is this that cometh from Edom… Bozrah?"
a. EDOM is modern-day Saudi Arabia. Edom became one of Israel’s
harshest enemies until God had to judge and remove them. The
land is located south of Israel.
b. BOZRAH - Was the capital of Edom.
c. Someone is pictured as coming out of the land of Edom.
(1) The identity of this Person is not given and various
historical figures have been debated as possibilities by
scholars in past generations. However, it seems that
enough information is given to identify Him as Christ,
who will one day move to destroy Israel’s enemies, Edom
being one of them. More will be disclosed about this
mysterious Person through the remainder of the text.
(2) "with dyed garments" - He is wearing GARMENTS which have been
dyed or colored.
(3) "glorious in his apparel" - GLORIOUS means to be exalted,
honored, or high. This Person’s clothing indicates He would
be someone of power and influence, perhaps a ruler or high
ranking official.
(4) He is "travelling in the greatness of his strength," meaning
that He is a very powerful person.
2. "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save"
a. I - It seems likely that Speaker is the One who came out of Edom.
If so, it is now revealed that He is a righteous Person.
b. If the speaker is not the one who came from Edom, it would have
to be Isaiah, perhaps stating that his words are true.
c. MIGHTY TO SAVE - If these words are attributed to the One coming
from Edom, He would appear to be powerful enough to save those who
need it.
3. \\#Isa 63:2\\ More about the clothing of the mysterious Man
a. "Wherefore are thou red in thine apparel" - His clothing is colored
red.
b. "like him that treadeth in the winefat?" - Yet, the coloring is not
one of intentional design. When one treads upon grapes in a wine-
fat, his clothing will be splattered with the juice of the grapes.
The mysterious Man’s clothing is splattered with red.
4. \\#Isa 64:3-6\\ "I" - The passage turns to the first person, as in
\\#1\\, and remains so. The One speaking now seems certain to be
the mysterious Man who came from Edom.
a. \\#Isa 63:3\\ "I have trodden the winepress alone" - The WINEPRESS
is often used as a picture of judgment and so it is here.
b. "and of the people there was none with me" - This Person is
powerful enough to carry out the intended judgment without the
aid of any other. There are several passages which describe a
time when the Lord will lead an Israeli army to deal with the
enemy nations of Israel; however, if this verse applies to that
situation, it would appear that the Lord moves against this people
alone, without any army to aid Him.
c. "I will tread them in my anger… their blood shall be sprinkled
upon my garments" - The color of red upon the Man’s clothing is
revealed to be blood, splattered as He destroyed an enemy.
d. Although the passage never directly states it, it suggests that
this Warrior is coming from Edom because that is the nation He has
judged. It looks to be Edomite blood upon His garments.
e. \\#Isa 63:4\\ "the day of vengeance… and the year of my redeemed
is come"
(1) Again, the One speaking is the Warrior coming out of Edom.
(2) That One is fulfilling two long-awaited events.
(a) His DAY OF VENGEANCE, indicating this day of judgment
has been a long time in coming.
(b) AND THE YEAR OF His REDEEMED, indicating that good things
are about to happen to those whom He has redeemed.
(3) By now, the identity of the mysterious Man seems obvious. He
is the Christ, moving to destroy the enemies of His redeemed
people, Israel, in particular, those enemies who reside in
the land once possessed by Edom. The time would be from the
the tribulation to the beginning of the millennial, when
God’s army brings the hitherto fore rebellious nations under
His dominion.
f. \\#Isa 63:5\\ "there was none to help; and I wondered that there
was none to uphold"
(1) This is not concern for either the Edomites or other of
Israel’s enemies, but a reference to a commitment God made
earlier.
Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no
intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness,
it sustained him.
(a) God had seen that there was no one to help Israel, so He
determined to help them.
(b) The Lord then adorned Himself in battle clothing
\\#Isa 59:17\\ and went forth to judge the world
\\#Isa 59:18\\, that judgment being the tribulation.
(2) The similarities in these two verses connect them. Both
verses are describing the same event, that is Messiah
conquering the enemies of Israel.
g. "mine own arm brought salvation" - One of God’s purposes in the
tribulation is to bring salvation, both physical and spiritual,
to Israel.
h. \\#Isa 63:6\\ "I will tread down the people in mine anger… my
fury" - The extent of God’s wrath and of the enemies’ destruction
are being described.
B. \\#Isa 63:7-14\\ A Summary of God’s Past Goodness
1. \\#Isa 63:7\\ "I will mention the lovingkindness of the Lord" - Isaiah,
the psalmist, speaks as the representative of Israel. He will
describe God’s LOVINGKINDNESS, "goodness," and "mercies" to Israel.
2. \\#Isa 63:8\\ God’s Selection
a. "Surely they are my people" - The account of God’s goodness begins
with His selection of Israel. God made them His people and became
"their Saviour."
b. "children that will not lie"
(1) The word LIE means TO DEAL FALSELY.
(2) God knew the character of Abraham and selected him to produce
a people that would serve Him.
Ge 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household
after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment;
that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
(3) Of course, God knew from the beginning that Abraham’s
descendents would rebel, but God apparently sees something
in them which, as yet, has not been brought to the surface.
3. \\#Isa 63:9\\ God’s Care
a. "In all their affliction" is a reference to the hardships that the
Jews experienced before God had to begin to judge them, i.e. the
journeys of the patriarchs, their slavery in Egypt, and their
first years in the Promised Land.
b. "he was afflicted" - As His people ached and grieved, so did God.
(1) This verse assures us that God is not a detached, uncaring
Deity. He feels what His people feels.
(2) It also teaches us that even though God loves His people, He
does not recuse them from their share of suffering.
Hardships offer lessons which are needful to the frail and
fragile human race.
c. "the angel of his presence saved them" - God gave angels to watch
over and to protect Israel.
d. "in his love… pity he redeemed… bare… and carried them"
Like a parent, God loved and cared for Israel.
4. \\#Isa 63:10\\ Israel’s Rebellion
a. "But they rebelled" - Israel had many early episodes of rebellion.
Jacob and his sons demonstrated a strong sinful nature; however,
though they did sin, they maintained an overall allegiance to God.
At some point after inheriting the land, Israel turned from the
Lord in both their actions and heart.
b. "therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against
them" - At that point, God ceased to protect Israel and became
a scourge to them.
5. \\#Isa 63:11-14\\ Israel’s Understanding
a. \\#Isa 63:11\\ "Then he remembered"
(1) HE - That is Israel.
(2) REMEMBERED - Something came to Israel’s mind. They REALIZED
some things.
(3) Although this is a past tense verb, God is still waiting for
Israel to comprehend and understand. It will happen but not
until the days of tribulation.
b. "the days of old, Moses" - Israel will remember and understand
that things are not like they were in days of old.
c. "Where is he that brought them up… the shepherd of his flock?"
One day, Israel will realize that God is not among them. They
will understand that the One who parted the Red sea and "put
his holy Spirit within" Israel has departed.
d. \\#Isa 63:12\\ They will see that the One "that lead them by the
right hand of Moses" is gone.
e. \\#Isa 63:13\\ It will dawn upon Israel that the One who kept them
from stumbling has left them.
f. \\#Isa 63:14\\ "the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest" - In
the future, Israel will know that it was God’s Spirit who gave
them REST and allowed them to have "a glorious name." They will
perceive that "as a beast" has an internal guide to direct them
"down into the valley" to find water, so God was their Guide.
C. \\#Isa 63:15-64:12\\ A Prayer of Israel - This section is continued into
the next chapter. Israel’s prayer has a strange element to it, in that
parts of it might seem to come from a godly people. In truth, it is a
prayer being offered by a proud and unrepentant people, as the verses will
bear out.
1. \\#Isa 63:15-19\\ A Plea for God’s Help
a. \\#15\\ A Request
(1) "Look down… and behold" - Israel prays to request that God
look upon them again. The notion is that God would look with
caring eyes upon them again.
(2) "where is thy zeal… strength… mercies" - They ask God to show
those attributes which would bring help, protection, and
deliverance to them.
b. \\#Isa 63:16\\ An Acknowledgement
(1) "Doubtless thou art our father" - Here the reason Israel
would request God’s help. It is because of God’s
relationship to Israel - because Israel belongs to God.
While this prayer may sound good, there is a problem with it.
(2) This reason will be repeated throughout the prayer
\\#Isa 63:19, 64:8\\. Note that Israel is not coming to God
because of their renewed relationship to Him, but because of
His existing relationship to them. They are not repentant;
their attitude is one of entitlement. It is a prideful
attitude which continued into Jesus’ day.
Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our
father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children
unto Abraham.
John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to
any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
(3) "though Abraham… and Israel acknowledge us not" - Israel
recognizes that their behavior is so sinful that Abraham
and Jacob (his name was changed to Israel) would not claim
them; yet they do not offer to turn from it. Mere
acknowledgement of sin is meaningless unless it is
accompanied by repentance.
c. \\#Isa 63:17\\ A Charge
(1) "why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our
heart" - The true pride and arrogancy of this people comes
out. They want to hold God accountable for their hardened
hearts!
(2) The Bible does give an example of God hardening a sinner’s
heart; however, the hardening began with the sinner.
\\#Ex 7:14, 22, 8:15, 19, 32\\ all say that Pharaoh hardened
his heart first, then \\#Ex 9:12\\ says that God hardened
Pharaoh’s heart. God was not responsible for Israel’s
sinful condition. Israel was, but they would not admit it.
d. \\#Isa 63:18-19\\ Some Facts - These are all true statements, but
the issue of repentance is still avoided.
(1) \\#Isa 63:18\\ - "The people of thy holiness have possessed it
but a little while" - This was a prophecy. At the time
spoken, Israel was still an autonomous nation. Assyria began
the assimilation of Israel’s land, and Israel has not been
the sole possessor of the land since. In all, Israel’s total
time of possession was very small.
(2) "our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary" - This had
already begun, but not like what would come to pass.
(3) \\#Isa 63:19\\ "We are thine" - Again, Israel seeks God
because of His relationship to them. Where is the remorse?
Where is their repentance? If sin brings God’s judgment,
then only repentance will stop it.
(4) "thou never barest rule over them; they are not called by
thy name" - This is speaking of the nations who dominated
Israel. All of them rejected God. For the land of Israel
to be controlled by these nations no doubt added an insult
to their injury.
(5) Although all of these statements are true, acknowledging
the truth is not repentance.
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