Isaiah , Sarah Barry
GOD ACTS ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO WAIT
Passage: Isaiah 64:1~12  
Key verse: 4
64 [a]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(A) and come down,(B)
that the mountains(C) would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(D) known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake(E) before you!
3 For when you did awesome(F) things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled(G) before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(H)
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(I)
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(J)
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.(K)
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,(L)
and all our righteous(M) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(N)
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(O)
7 No one(P) calls on your name(Q)
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(R) your face from us
and have given us over(S) to[b] our sins.
8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(T)
We are the clay, you are the potter;(U)
we are all the work of your hand.(V)
9 Do not be angry(W) beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins(X) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.(Y)
10 Your sacred cities(Z) have become a wasteland;
even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.(AA)
11 Our holy and glorious temple,(AB) where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned with fire,
and all that we treasured(AC) lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?(AD)
Will you keep silent(AE) and punish us beyond measure?
Footnotes
- Isaiah 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1 is numbered 63:19b, and 64:2-12 is numbered 64:1-11.
- Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of
Cross references
- Isaiah 64:1 : Ps 18:9; 144:5
- Isaiah 64:1 : ver 3; Mic 1:3
- Isaiah 64:1 : S Ex 19:18
- Isaiah 64:2 : S Isa 30:27
- Isaiah 64:2 : Ps 99:1; 119:120; Jer 5:22; 33:9
- Isaiah 64:3 : S Ps 65:5
- Isaiah 64:3 : S Ps 18:7
- Isaiah 64:4 : S Isa 43:10-11
- Isaiah 64:4 : S Isa 30:18; 1Co 2:9*
- Isaiah 64:5 : S Isa 26:8
- Isaiah 64:5 : S Isa 10:4
- Isaiah 64:6 : S Lev 5:2; S 12:2
- Isaiah 64:6 : Isa 46:12; 48:1
- Isaiah 64:6 : S Ps 1:3; 90:5-6
- Isaiah 64:6 : Ps 1:4; Jer 4:12
- Isaiah 64:7 : S Isa 41:28; 59:4; 63:5; Jer 8:6; Eze 22:30
- Isaiah 64:7 : S Ps 14:4
- Isaiah 64:7 : Dt 31:18; Isa 1:15; 54:8
- Isaiah 64:7 : S Isa 9:18; Eze 22:18-22
- Isaiah 64:8 : S Ex 4:22; S Jer 3:4
- Isaiah 64:8 : S Isa 29:16; Ro 9:20-21
- Isaiah 64:8 : S Job 10:3; S Isa 19:25
- Isaiah 64:9 : Isa 54:8; 57:17; 60:10; La 5:22
- Isaiah 64:9 : S Isa 43:25
- Isaiah 64:9 : S Ps 100:3; S Isa 51:4
- Isaiah 64:10 : Ps 78:54; S Isa 1:26
- Isaiah 64:10 : S Dt 29:23
- Isaiah 64:11 : S Lev 26:31; S 2Ki 25:9; Ps 74:3-7; La 2:7
- Isaiah 64:11 : ver 10-11; La 1:7, 10
- Isaiah 64:12 : S Ge 43:31; Ps 74:10-11
- Isaiah 64:12 : S Est 4:14; S Ps 50:21; S 83:1
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Lord, rend the heavens and come down (1-5)
Because of the people's sin, God's holy city was ravaged, the temple burned, and his people taken into captivity. The prophet prays, asking God to come and show his might against the enemies of his people. Indeed, God acts on behalf of those who wait for him and helps those who do right. But when people continue to sin, how can he help them?
2. All our righteous acts are like filthy rags (6-7)
We must acknowledge our sin and the sin of our people. When people are separated from God by unconfessed sins and unrepentant hearts, even the good things they do are like filthy rags. We must be clothed in God's righteousness. We must put on Jesus.
3. Lord, you are our Father (8-12)
The prophet comes asking mercy, as a child comes to his father. He reminds God that God is the Potter; we are clay. We are his creation. God helps those who ask mercy and wait patiently on him.
Prayer: Lord, we are sinners, but you are merciful. Come and cleanse and help us.
One Word: God helps those who wait for him