Pondering Isaiah 63 (I)
July 2nd, 2008 by DanielPosted in Ponderances
Who is this who comes from Edom,
in crimsoned garments from Bozrah,
he who is splendid in his apparel,
marching in the greatness of his strength?
“It is I, speaking in righteousness,
mighty to save.”
-Isaiah 63:1
The Lord brought down His hand of discipline on the people of Israel through the Edomites, a distantly related tribe living southeast of Judah. This passage from Isaiah makes it clear that it was indeed God’s work, but what made this passage jump off the page into the bottom of my stomach was what God said as He came: “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Mighty to save?
To save whom? Or what? Isaiah seems to have a similar question, because, after hearing the salvific words of the Lord in v. 3, he doesn’t grasp how God could be both mighty to save and covered with the blood of His people. God replies:
“I have trodden the winepress alone,
and from the peoples no one was with me;
I trod them in my anger
and trampled them in my wrath;
their lifeblood spattered on my garments,
and stained all my apparel.
For the day of vengeance was in my heart,
And my year of redemption had come. (vv. 3-4)
Again, God’s wrath and redemption are mingled. There are two clues, I believe, to help us in understanding how this passage can be sweet to our souls, and these clues are in verse 5 and verses 7-14. Read those passages, and as we wrestle with this Word, we will see God as both more holy and more loving.
