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Copyright October 23, 2022 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche
Whenever I read the Old Testament and read about men who talked with God I wonder what that would be like.
I bet it is very different from what we would imagine it to be.
God does not see life the same way that we do.
We see things only in terms of how they relate to us.
God sees the much bigger picture.
We think it would be nice to tell God some things, but, He already knows more about those things than we will ever know.
I have concluded that it would be a very humbling experience to talk with God.
In Isaiah 64 and the 65 we have one of those conversations between Isaiah and God.
In Isaiah 64 the prophet comes to the Lord with His requests (the pleas actually begin in chapter 63).
He does not speak as a spokesman (using “they”); he speaks as part of the citizenry (he uses “we” to link himself with the people.)
In Isaiah 65 we will look at the first part of God’s answer and leave the powerful conclusion for next week.
A Yearning for the Presence of God
Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!
How the mountains would quake in your presence!
2 As fire causes wood to burn
and water to boil,
your coming would make the nations tremble.
Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!
3 When you came down long ago,
you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.
And oh, how the mountains quaked!
4 For since the world began,
no ear has heard
and no eye has seen a God like you,
who works for those who wait for him (64:1-4)
As you look at the world around you, isn’t there a part of you that yearns for the Lord to make an appearance to show everyone he is real and to straighten things out?
We would be OK with some New Testament miracles and maybe even some Old Testament “judgment on the wicked.”
We would love to see the power of God at work in dramatic, show stopping, “we interrupt this program with a special report” way again.
And this is the same way Isaiah feels.
Isaiah knows when God shows up in this powerful way, the nations will tremble, the mountains will quake, and the glory of the Lord will be seen by all.
He knows this because this is what we see in the Old Testament.
The mountain at Sinai shook as Moses went up to receive the Ten Commandments.
Nations ran away in fear.
God brought the Egyptians to their knees, and He sent Babylonian and Assyrian Kings running.
We would love to see evil powers put in their rightful place once again.
The Barrier to God (5-7)
5 You welcome those who gladly do good,
who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
how can people like us be saved?
6 We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Isaiah knows the Lord is eager to welcome those who seek Him.
The problem is that no one seeks Him (see Romans 3).
Isaiah includes himself in this statement.
He says “when we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.”
This is an important but very hard thing to admit.
Even our best deeds are tainted with sinful undercurrents.
What looks good on the outside is often a form of manipulation or deception on the inside.
Let me give you some examples,
· We show kindness to someone so we will look good before others or assuage the guilt in us.
· We do righteous (or “Christian”) hoping God will bless us in return (do you see the self-centeredness here?).
· We witness to others not out of love, but out of a sense of guilt.
· Our “worship” is more about our enjoyment than God’s glory.
· We learn about the Bible to make a good impression on others or even to win an argument rather than to know and obey the truth.
Even our most noteworthy deeds are often tainted with selfish and/or sinful motives.
In God’s response in chapter 65:3-5 the Lord writes,
3 All day long they insult me to my face
by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens.
They burn incense on pagan altars.
4 At night they go out among the graves,
worshiping the dead.
They eat the flesh of pigs
and make stews with other forbidden foods.
5 Yet they say to each other,
‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me!
I am holier than you!’
These people are a stench in my nostrils,
an acrid smell that never goes away.
This is a fierce indictment.
The Lord observes that the people were living just like the pagans, yet they thought of themselves as righteous and holy.
They were that deceived.
They felt they were good even while they paid no attention to the Lord in the way they lived their lives.
We want to live life our way and yet lay claim to God’s blessings!
It doesn’t work that way! God is not fooled, and He is not “bought.”
Before we can get anywhere in our relationship with God we have to stop pointing to our “good deeds” (which are not, in fact, all that good) and cry out to the Lord for mercy, grace, forgiveness, and a transformed life.
The indictment is this: superficial Christians (those who claim to be Christians but do not live like it consistently) are perhaps not genuine believers at all.
Their faith may be more show than relationship.
The Appeal to God’s Heart (64:8-11)
Isaiah knows the people (including himself) are guilty.
He does not try to convince God that it is anything other than what it is.
However, He does appeal to God’s compassion.
8 And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand.
9 Don’t be so angry with us, Lord.
Please don’t remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray,
and see that we are all your people.
10 Your holy cities are destroyed.
Zion is a wilderness;
yes, Jerusalem is a desolate ruin.
11 The holy and beautiful Temple
where our ancestors praised you
has been burned down,
and all the things of beauty are destroyed.
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