Isaiah 63-64

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Isaiah 63:1–6
• Sermon
• Prayer of Dismissal

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Sermon Title: The Victorious Redeemer and the Prayers of Zion

Scripture: Isaiah 63–64

I. A Vision of the Victorious Redeemer — Isaiah 63:1–6

A. The Redeemer comes from Edom and Bozrah — Israel's ceaseless and eschatological enemy

1. Edom appears earlier in Isaiah 34:5 as the object of the Lord's promised judgment
2. Bozrah is the capital city of Edom; its mention identifies this as the same enemy

B. The Redeemer's garments connect to earlier commissioning language

1. Garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness given to the Redeemer in Isaiah 61:10
2. The promise of Isaiah 62:11 — "your salvation comes; his reward is with him" — is now being fulfilled

C. The wine press imagery explains the red garments — Isaiah 63:3–6

1. The Redeemer trod the wine press alone; no one was found to help him
2. The grapes symbolize the peoples: their lifeblood stains his garments
3. The full meaning surfaces in verse 6: he trampled the peoples in his wrath and poured out their lifeblood on the earth

D. The key interpretive statement: Isaiah 63:4 — "the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come"

1. This is an eschatological, final judgment, not merely a historical one
2. The judgment is for the cause of Zion — fulfilling the Lord's promise to his people (cf. Isaiah 34:8)
3. The reward and recompense of Isaiah 62:11 takes different forms for Zion versus those outside the covenant

E. The final fulfillment of this vision is portrayed in Revelation 18–19

1. Revelation 18:1–2 — "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great"
2. Babylon represents the city of rebellion across all time and space (Augustine's two cities: Babylon and Zion)
3. Revelation 18:4–8 — the Lord repays Babylon double; his people are called out of her
4. Revelation 18:20 — "Rejoice over her, O heaven and you saints… for God has given judgment for you against her"
5. Revelation 19:1–8 — the fall of Babylon is met with the praise of a great multitude and leads immediately to the marriage supper of the Lamb

II. Zion Recounts the Lord's Steadfast Love — Isaiah 63:7–14

A. The prophet recounts the Lord's compassion and covenant faithfulness to Israel throughout redemptive history

1. The Lord declared them his people and became their Savior
2. The angel of his presence saved them; he lifted them up and carried them in the days of the Exodus

B. Israel's rebellion is also recounted — they grieved his Holy Spirit and he became their enemy

1. Yet the Lord always remembered the days of old and his servant Moses

C. High point of the section — Isaiah 63:14: the Lord led his people to make for himself a glorious name

III. Zion's Prayer for Mercy — Isaiah 63:15–64:12

A. The prayer begins with a cry for the Lord to look down from heaven — Isaiah 63:15

1. His zeal and compassion seem withheld; Zion pleads for him to act
2. He is addressed as Father and Redeemer from of old

B. A painful low point is reached — Isaiah 63:18–19

1. The holy people held possession for only a little while
2. Adversaries have trampled down the sanctuary; Israel has become like those never ruled by the Lord

C. The prayer intensifies in Isaiah 64:1 — "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down"

1. Zion is praying for exactly what the opening vision of chapter 63 portrays
2. Look down and see becomes rend the heavens and come down — an escalation of longing

D. Confession of sin accompanies the prayer — Isaiah 64:5–7

1. All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment
2. We all fade like a leaf; iniquity like the wind carries us away
3. This confession distinguishes Zion from Babylon — contrition over sin rather than pride

E. The posture of clay before the Potter — Isaiah 64:8–9

1. "You are our Father; we are the clay and you are the Potter"
2. This heart posture — clinging to God's fatherhood despite failure — is the defining mark of Zion

F. The prayer closes with desolation and urgent appeal — Isaiah 64:10–12

1. Zion is a wilderness; Jerusalem a desolation; the house of God burned with fire
2. "Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord?"
3. This sets the stage for chapter 65 and the vision of the new heavens and the new earth