Isaiah 64
COMMENTARY:
: 4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither have the eye seen, O God, beside YOU, what HE has prepared for him that waits for HIM. (2442 “waits” [chakah] means tarry, patient, lie in wait, or long for.)
DEVOTION: There is nothing new under the sun according to King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. Isaiah is restating this fact here to convey the truth that throughout the history of mankind there have been a majority of people who are not hearing what God has to say. They don’t see HIM in creation. They don’t understand why knowing God in a real way is important.
In fact, they think that those who long for a close relationship with the LORD are foolish. The reality of this fact is that they are the foolish ones according to the Word of God.
God has a special place in HIS heart for those who are patiently enduring the trials of this life because they know that the LORD is going to bless them throughout eternity. HE has prepared not only an eternal home for HIS followers but has promised many other promises that HE keeps on a regular basis.
Are we individuals who are willing to be patient while the LORD works in our life? Too often we want things to happen yesterday. We would like the LORD to judge those who hurt us right away. We would like to see our life become one that is full of blessings with only a few trials.
However, the LORD doesn’t work that way. HE want HIS followers to wait until HE does act not determine when HE should act.
Training fellow believers to be patient is not an easy task. It is hard to train our children to be patient. It is hard to train ourselves to be patient. We know that this characteristic should be part of our life but it will only come with prayer and fasting.
CHALLENGE: Longing for the LORD to act in our life is a reality. Remind yourself that HIS timing is ALWAYS perfect.)
: 7 And there is none that calls upon thy name, that stirs up himself to take hold of YOU: for YOU have hid YOUR face from us, and have consumed us, because of our iniquities. (5782 “stirreth up” [‘uwr] means act in an aroused manner, pull oneself up, opening the eyes, to wake, lift up, or to rouse oneself.)
DEVOTION: Isaiah is praying to the LORD for revival in the land. He wants the LORD to come down and save them from their present condition. He realizes that the reason for their present condition is sin. He tells the LORD that all their righteousness is as a filthy rag. He continues by saying this verse in his prayer.
There are none that are calling on the name of the LORD. There are none that want to be aroused from their sleep in relationship to the LORD. They are satisfied with their spiritual state. One commentary says that they are in the state of spiritual lethargy or inertia. Because of this, the LORD has hid HIS face from them. HE has dealt with them on the basis of their iniquities or sins.
We need to take a warning from this chapter. We can get into the state of spiritual lethargy. We cannot call on the name of the LORD in prayer. We can see the LORD hid HIS face from us. This is not a condition we want to be in.
We should want the blessings of the LORD on a daily basis. We should go into the presence of the LORD on a daily basis. Isaiah realized that the LORD is the potter and we are the clay. HE will mold us. HE will work with us.
Our relationship with the LORD is in our hands. We can be close to HIM or far from HIM. IF we choose to be far – HE will deal with us as HE dealt with Israel. HE will not leave us alone.
HE wants to see us close to HIMSELF. HE wanted Israel to be close to HIM, that is why HE sent HIS prophets. Today HE wants us close and uses the Holy Spirit and HIS servants to cause us to grow closer to HIM.
CHALLENGE: The national lesson is for repentance and seeking the face of the LORD. The personal lesson is that HE rewards those who seek HIS face.
: 8 But now, O LORD, YOU are our Father; we are the clay, and YOU our potter; and all we are the work of YOUR hand. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: A righteous remnant is confessing their trust in the Lord. Israel like obedient and submissive children are asking the Lord to remember how fragile and His created beings! How precious it is when we recognize that the Lord is in charge and we are but lumps of clay in His hands. As they proclaimed that He was in charge and solely responsible for their well-being, submission was evident.
The New Testament calls for us to remember and be submissive to the Lord as well. Romans 9 Paul refers to the potter and the authority he has over the vessels created. Actually Paul quotes Isaiah five times in this passage reminding the Romans of Israel’s place in God’s program. If Paul found it important to remind his readers of the potter’s authority we should also see his power over us!
CHALLENGE: As the reminder that we are the work of His hands is presented it would be fitting to stop and celebrate what God has created in us. All of us have a place and a special calling that He has created us for. Thank Him today for His creative work in us! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised YOU, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. (1984 “praised” [halal] means glory, celebrate, to boast, to admire, eulogize, or to extol the greatness of a deity or the deity’s works as an act of worship.)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel were to go into the Temple area to worship and praise the LORD on a regular basis. They had the Sabbath and holy days to gather together to praise and worship the LORD.
These events were to be special. Each Sabbath was to be a time of praise to the LORD. Each holy day was to be a time of praise and worship to the LORD.
The people were to gather together to remember all the blessings the LORD has given them in the past and the present.
Today we are to worship the LORD. We don’t do it into the Temple in Jerusalem, but we gather into places of worship to give praise to HIM for all the blessings we have received from HIM.
Christians are the new people of God since the coming of Christ to die on the cross for the sins of the world. Which includes every nation in our World! We are to encourage people around the world to gather to worship HIM in spirit and in truth.
There are many places that are called “churches” that don’t honor the LORD with the preaching of the Word of God. Some give book reports. Some gather to just enjoy the company of each other but not really worship the LORD.
We have a message to share with ALL THE PEOPLE of the world. It is a message of salvation to all those who will make a genuine commitment to the LORD and follow through with that commitment by actions and words.
Those who are believers are not “sinless” but we should make sure that we are trying to sin less. We are to confess our sins regularly to the LORD and HE will forgive us.
There are those who think that they are better than other people who claim Christ because they think they sin less then them but in reality, they are part of the group that we find in the Bible who are called Pharisees.
CHALLENGE: We can’t claim sinlessness but we can know that as we praise the LORD genuinely, HE will forgive our sins and help us live a life that is pleasing to HIM.
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