It is amazing the number of things people do in the Lord’s name. There are stories of those blowing up abortion clinics, murdering many themselves, in the name of Jesus. Many have been the televangelists who have, in Jesus’ name, taken money from people for their own personal gain, employing it in selfish ways. It is simply amazing the number of things done which the Lord would not in any way support, which have been done for him. But I don’t mean simply by those who blow up abortion clinics or who are preaching one day on television and being taken to jail for soliciting prostitution the next. No, there are many things done and said in the church by those who claim to be following the Lord.

In our own day and culture many refuse to exercise discipline in the church, for example, because they believe they are following the Lord’s teaching – even though the Lord, himself, commanding us to carry out discipline in the church in Matthew 18. And, finally, many argue against any vision of God in the Old Testament because they think that Jesus showed himself to be completely different from any picture of one who speaks of judgment or warfare as we see in the book of Judges, for example.

Why is it then that so many seem to be misrepresenting and missing our Lord’s message and teaching? No doubt for many it’s because there is simply great ignorance of the Bible, and so we cannot expect one to rightly understand what Christ has commanded if they have never read his Word. But maybe it’s because they are aware of a text like we are looking at this morning in Isaiah, in which the prophet foretells of coming judgment, and then they remember one line from the New Testament in which John writes that the Lord did not come into the world in order to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved (i.e. John 3:17). And with that they throw out any notion of a God who judges and will bring his vengeance against the world.

And it is true that Jesus’ surprise even those who knew the Old Testament well in not bringing judgment. John the Baptist, for one, struggles in understanding how Jesus can be the Messiah and yet he (i.e. John) can sit in prison. For did not the prophets foretell of a coming judgment, even as our text does this morning? In addition, we read last week in Luke 4 that Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue and claimed that the text was fulfilled in himself, but we might have also notice that the last words he read were of the servant proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor and stopped just prior to the next line which reads: “and the day of vengeance of our God.” So, is Jesus then saying that the prophets missed it when they spoke of judgment and the Son himself coming as a Judge? No.

His message was simply that redemption (which includes both mercy toward his people and judgment toward his enemies) would occur in two stages (i.e. our Lord’s first and second comings) and that judgment would not be seen in its full force until he comes for a second time. Therefore, as we look back at Old Testament texts which speak of God’s coming judgment, we should not dismiss them as somehow dismissed in the teachings of Jesus. Rather, we should understand that our Lord affirmed that though judgment did not come in full force with his first coming, it most definitely will in his second. Therefore, as we now at the text in Isaiah, speaking of the Lord’s judgment, we can rightly understand that we still await the full fulfillment of what is spoken in this text and its message is quite necessary for us and applicable to us today. With that said then, let us turn and look at what the text teaches us.

There is a coming day of judgment (63:1-6)

This is a picture that picks up where our text ended last week. Israel had heard that their salvation was coming, and they had posted watchmen to look for the coming Lord. Now, one looks and sees one coming with whom he has conversation because he doesn’t understand his appearance.

In the conversation, he sees the man and asks him why his apparel is red. The answer given is that he has been treading in the winepress. However, it becomes clear that this is a metaphor for slaughtering his enemies as he speaks in verse 3 of their lifeblood splattering on him as he trampled them in his wrath.

This idea of treading out grapes equaling trampling one’s enemies in slaughter is seen in Revelation 14:17-20. There we read, “Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia [about 184 miles].” The cup of wine is a sign of God’s wrath in Scripture, which is why Jesus wrestled in the garden, praying, “Let this cup pass from me” as he knew going to the cross meant he would take the Father’s wrath which should have come to us. Thus, in these opening verses, the watchman announces that judgment like he did not anticipate has occurred as he awaited salvation.

This text, thus, reminds us as well that there is a ferocious, merciless judgment coming against the Lord’s enemies in which pictures of a soldier in blood up to the horse’s bridle is fitting. This is no doubt bothersome to us, and in some ways I think that is natural. It is natural because of the difference we see between Isaiah and God in Isaiah 6. God is holy, holy, holy and Isaiah is only fit to die in his presence.

Therefore, being utterly unholy while God is so utterly holy, we cannot think for one second that we adequately see sin and rightfully judge the deserving punishment for those who have turned against God in defilement of him, scorning his Son. As Alec Motyer has written, “We know nothing of the emotions proper to absolute holiness, the just, the merited and inevitable final settlement between God and all that defiles and opposes.” Indeed, this text reminds us that there is a great day of judgment coming in which God will throw into the lake of fire all those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book.

Though God has shown much mercy throughout history, even revealing himself to Israel, everyone, on our own merit, stands deserving of the Lord’s coming vengeance (63:7-64:12)

In the text we looked at last week, the Lord mentioned establishing people who would serve to remind him of his covenant. In 63:7-64:12, we find a prayer of one of those individuals. In 63:7-14 the one praying speaks to God of his love and mercy. He speaks of God caring for Israel (7-9) and showing mercy to them even as they rebelled (10-14). However, then the one praying begins to question God in 63:15-64:12. He notes that he does not see the Lord’s compassion (15-16) and questions God (though he notes their sin).

This note of sin becomes the real issue of this prayer, even if it is unbeknownst to the one praying. He questions God throughout, but by admitting his own sin (and of the people), he is admitting that the Lord owes them no acts of love, any would be sheer mercy and grace.

Thus, as he continues praying in chapter 64, he notes that the nations would tremble at the Lord’s presence (1-3), but then notes again that Israel is full of sin and wonders if salvation is possible (4-5). Finally, in verses 6-12, the author sees the reality of their sin, asks for mercy, and again questions God as to if he will merely stay silent in the midst of all that’s going on.

In praying, the author makes clear that they are guilty before a God who judges in holiness. Thus, it is a reminder that there is none who is not guilty on his own merits and deserving of judgment. In the Exodus, Israel had been guilty with Egypt. That’s why they needed the lamb’s blood as a sacrifice. And it is true of all men throughout all of history. In Romans 3:9-12, Paul declares, “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

The author has confessed his own sin and deserved punishment before a holy God. But have we rightly understood this to be the theme in the text? Indeed, because we see God’s answer to the challenge of the author, questioning his absence and silence in the next text.

Because God has only been good and man utterly evil, God is indeed going to pour out a wrath equivalent to the horrid nature of the sin committed by man (65:1-7)

God’s answers the one praying by pointing out that he has been good while they have sinned. Then, he notes that he will not be silent forever, but when he speaks and acts, it will not be what they want to hear. He says that there is a wrath coming that will be equivalent the sin committed against him.

Therefore, putting together what we’ve seen (namely, that we are all sinners and that God is bringing a wrath equal to the sin committed against him), we see that we all deserve this right judgment. However, to us it might seem unfitting (as we mentioned earlier). But, again, we must see that such judgment only shows how sinful we are. He who delights himself in sin does not see it as he should, and so we are not qualified to see what is a fitting judgment for our sin. Only God, in his holiness, can give us that picture, and he has shown us that eternal hell is fitting for our sin. God’s coming judgment is going to be perfectly fitting for our sin, which is against an infinitely holy and glorious God.

But if we’ve seen that God’s judgment is coming, that it will be fitting for our sin, and that all men are deserving of such judgment, what then is our hope? Our hope is found in the text part of our text which shows us that …

Those who belong to the Lord are not (and will not be on that day) under God’s wrath but will know his mercy and will receive the promised blessings from God that his Son deserves (65:8-16)

In 65:8, God declares that he will show mercy and give grace to his servants. The following verses then go on to contrast the blessing his servants will receive with the judgment those who are against him will receive. Thus, these verses do not tell negate what has been said about God’s coming wrath, they just remind us that such wrath will not be shown on those who are God’s servants.

But how can this be? And, who are God’s servants? It is possible for God’s servants to avoid such deserved wrath only because of the gospel, only because Christ took our penalty for us. And God’s servants are only those who have placed their faith in him and his death, burial, and resurrection so that they are united with Christ. Therefore, if we are not among this group, I urge you to repent and believe in order that you might be united with him. And if you are among this group, I urge you to let the reality of your salvation take root in your heart today – you need to know you have been forgiven much – you did not deserve it and God did not have to do it, to walk worthy of your calling (labor so that God’s grace to you will not show to have been in vain), fulfill the great commission, taking this glorious good news to others, and eagerly wait for our Lord to come get us, his friends, in order that we might reign with him forever. Amen.

GOD'S FAITHFULNESS AND A FAITHLESS PEOPLE

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