Is 64,

9:14 am
sitting at my desk
going to rush night at FWBBC tonight; six flags over Georgia tomorrow

Isaiah 64

These words are incredibly powerful. The prophet Isaiah is speaking to God. He longs to see God. He wants God to come down.

Oh, that You would rend the heavens!
That You would come down!
That the mountains might shake at Your presence--

Isaiah wants God to show Himself to His people. He then goes on to praise God, claiming that no man has seen a God like this God. Indeed.

The prophet then makes a turn when he acknowledges that man has sinned. That is the reason God is not showing Himself to His people--they have sinned. Isaiah realizes the need for his people to have a Savior.

In these ways we continue;
And we need to be saved.

He then goes on to say that man cannot save himself. The righteousness of man is like "filthy rags." Man is like a leaf. It lives for a while, fades away, and is eventually carried away by the wind. A leaf has no control over what it does with its life. It just lives on the supplies it has been given. When its time is done, it passes, and another leaf lives in its place. Interesting picture Isaiah paints here.

Isaiah then pleads with God, calling Him Lord, Father, and the potter. People are the work of the hand of God, the prophet says. He begs God not to be furious with His people, although He has a right to be.

He then concludes the section with a question. It's very post-modern of Isaiah. He just asks the question. The passage doesn't give an answer in this chapter. Isaiah says, "Will You hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?"

The prophet leaves it at that.

Interesting.

That is really all man can do. When faced with the knowledge of my sin, I can do nothing on my own to fix it. I must come directly to God, pleading for mercy. Begging God to do something about it.

When I sin, it is against God. He is the holy One who is the standard of all righteousness. Perfection. So when any wrong happens, it is against God. Any wrong I do, no matter who it directly impacts, is ultimately against God Himself. He is angered by this. He cannot stand for imperfection. It is against who He is. He must hold everything accountable. He is the only one who can forgive the debts I owe.

Sometimes I think God wants us to sweat a little. It seems like Isaiah is sweating in this passage. Even the way Isaiah ends the passage with a question, waiting for God to answer.

Sometimes God wants me to wait before He gives me an answer.

What I need to remember from this passage:

1. When I sin, it is against God.
2. God is the only one who can forgive me.
3. Sometimes God wants me to wait for an answer.

God,

Thank You for the truths of Your Word. Not only that they are true, as if they make sense when standing up with other things that are true, but that they are the literal truth. Your words, O God, are the standard of truth. The ultimate.

When I sin, it is against You, God. You are the only one who can forgive me.

O God, turn the hearts of Your people back to You! My heart longs for You! I yearn for the presence of the living God! Do not turn Your face from me.

There is no other God like You. God of the past, present, and future.

God of all nations.

Answer when and if You will, Lord.

Through the blood of Christ, who is God incarnate,
Jacob