125. Thou Art Our Father

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Hymns: RHC 337 Never Give Up 338 Show Me Thy Way, O Lord 339 When I Fear My Faith Will Fail

Isaiah 64

1 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, 2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! 3 When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. 4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. 6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. 8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. 9 Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. 12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

Thou Art Our Father

OUTLINE

  • His Mercy Has Always Been with His People Who Wait for Him (v1-5)
  • His Neglect in the Lives of His People (v6-7)
  • His Mercy in the Times of His Wrath (v8-12)

INTRODUCTION

Since the beginning of man’s existence, all who acknowledge the living and true God and worship Him find life and peace and strength. 

In the Book of Genesis, Moses described Him as “The God”, “Har Elohim” whenever the word “God” is used, there is a definite article attached to it!

As Isaiah rightly puts it in verse 4-5, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.”

In Genesis 5 and Genesis 4 is given the contrast of those who walked with the living and true God and those who do not!

The ungodly Enoch of Genesis 4 was the name of a city that his father Cain named after. God was not in the heart of Cain nor in his son Enoch. Whereas in Genesis 5, there is the godly Enoch, the son of Jared through the line of Seth walked with God – Genesis 5:22 (KJV) And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 

There is the ungodly Lamech who began polygamy in Genesis 4:19 – Genesis 4:19 (KJV) And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 

And there is the godly Lamech who was the father of Noah in the generation that God judged the world with a global flood – Genesis 5:29-30 (KJV) And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. 30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:

There has always been two groups of people. Those who fear God and serve Him versus those who spurn Him and desert Him, albeit they are all His people!

This was the situation in Israel during the time of Isaiah. God’s people have sadly turned from Him though He has not abandoned, His chastises His wayward children.

  • His Mercy Has Always Been with His People Who Wait for Him (v1-5)

1 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, 2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! 3 When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. 4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

Here is an earnest pleading with God, in view of the inestimable value of the favours which He conferred – the fact that there was nothing so much to be desired, that the world could confer nothing that was to be compared with His favour. [Barnes]

The calamity and disaster in the world since the beginning of man’s existence of those who reject the living and true God.

Isaiah speaks here of God melting the mountains with fire through perhaps a volcanic eruption.

Had a visit to the Philippines to see the site of a town that was covered by the ashes of the Mayan volcano whose lava.

The nations awake in a natural disaster to the fearful anger of God in a disaster. So it was in the days prior to the flood.

Noah, was a preacher of righteousness, warning the coming flood – Genesis 6:4-7 (KJV) There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

There is a contrast here with Noah and the wicked men of his day – Genesis 6:8-9 (KJV) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 5Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

It is the language of humble confession, denoting that this had been the characteristic of the nation [of Israel], and that this was the reason why God was angry at them. [Barnes]

  • His Neglect in the Lives of His People (v6-7)

6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

We are all polluted and defiled. The word used here means properly that which is polluted and defiled in a Levitical sense; that is, which was regarded as polluted and abominable by the law of Moses, and may refer to animals, people, or things; also in a moral sense. The sense is, that they regarded themselves as wholly polluted and depraved.

Leviticus 5:2 (KJV) Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and ifit be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.

Deuteronomy 14:19 (KJV) And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.

Job 14:4 (KJV) Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Without God, fallen man on his own is miserable and wanting.

The plural form (righteousnesses) is used to denote the deeds which they had performed – meaning that pollution extended to every individual thing of the numerous acts which they had done. The sense is, that all their prayers, sacrifices, alms, praises, were mingled with pollution, and were worthy only of deep detestation and abhorrence.

Matthew 5:19-20 (KJV) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

  • His Mercy in the Times of His Wrath (v8-12)

8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. 9 Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 

Tender and affectionate pleading from the fact that they were His people. The idea seems to be, that their condition then had been produced by Him as clay is moulded by the potter, and that they were to be returned and restored entirely by Him – as they had no more power to do it than the clay had to shape itself. 

The sense is, that they were wholly in His hand and at His disposal.

Isaiah 29:16 (KJV) Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

Isaiah 45:9 (KJV) Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. 12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

It is to be remembered that this is supposed to be spoken near the close of the exile in Babylon. 

The threatened destruction will take place and the people of God who walk with Him saw the destruction and plead for God’s mercy.

A tender and affectionate argument from the fact that the holy city was waste; the temple in ruins; and the beautiful house where their fathers worshipped had been burned up with fire.

This last passage (v10-12), proves that the scene of this prayer and vision is laid in Babylon. The time is after Jerusalem had been destroyed, the temple fired, and their sacred things transported; after Edom had joined with the Chaldeans in demanding the entire destruction of the city and temple, and had urged them on to the work of destruction (Psalm 137:7); after the Idumeans had invaded the territories of Judea, and established a kingdom there. In their exile they are represented as calling upon God, and they are assured that the kingdom of their enemies would be wholly destroyed. [Barnes]