“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence…” (Isaiah 64:1).
The absence of God makes us keenly aware of our need of God’s presence! This prayer of Isaiah reflects a time when God seems to be absent from Israel and Israel is removed from the land of Promise. The perceived absence of God is painful to the point of being unbearable. It seems that there is a vast veil that separates God from the earth. God’s absence means that the people are alone in hopeless despair. This forces a cry of lament: “God, tear apart the heavenly veil and come down!” God’s presence causes a cosmic cataclysm. The heavens are rent, mountains quake, and nations tremble. God’s presence is “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).
God is revealed to God’s adversaries. “To make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence!'” (Isaiah 64:2). Throughout the Old Testament, the adversaries of Israel have been the adversaries of God – the Edomites, the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians. But Isaiah also speaks to a time that Israel herself has become an adversary of God!
When God is present, God does awesome & unexpected things. “When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence” (Isaiah 64:3). Moses did not expect to encounter Yahweh as a burning bush on Mt. Sinai. The Egyptians did not expect Yahweh to reveal Godsself through the ten plagues. Israel did not expect to pass through the Red Sea. God’s presence often surprises us. Perhaps the most awesome surprise of God is the Incarnation – the birth of God by the Virgin Mary. In Christ, God became flesh and dwelt among us, and we God’s glory (John 1:14). Christ is Immanuel, that is, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). The joy of Christ’s birth turned into the despair of the cross, but the despair of the cross gave way to another surprise – the Resurrection! Then, on the day of Pentecost the heavens were rent and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the New Israel – the disciples of Jesus. However, it seems that God is pleased to surprise us again, at Caesarea when the Spirit is given to the Gentiles! (Acts 10).
God acts for those who long for God and rejoice in righteousness. “Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways” (Is 64:4-5). God hears the cry of despair in praying people. The cry of despair becomes the voice of hope, the longing of the heart seeking after God. The human heart cannot bear separation from God, but longs to dwell with God.
The presence of God makes us aware of our sinfulness. Sometimes we are pleased with God’s surprises. But often we are terrified. Israel was horrifically surprised when Jerusalem was sacked and they were exiled to Babylon (Isaiah 64:10-11).
“Behold…” (Isaiah 64:5). Isaiah offers a prayer of confession. When God comes down we are forced to take a good look at our present condition. We discover that we are sorely afflicted by the consequences of our sin.
The greatest consequence of our sinfulness is the absence of God. God becomes “angry” and we are exiled from God’s presence. God’s face no longer shines upon us (Numbers 6:25), but God has hidden his face (Isaiah 64:7).
God’s presence makes all things new!
“But now…” (Isaiah 64:8). God’s presence dramatically alters the situation. Israel’s past does not determine her future. She has confessed her sinfulness. Now, God acts as Israel’s Father. Just as God took dust from the ground to form Adam, now God, the divine potter, takes the clay and forms a new Israel.
“Behold…” (Isaiah 64:9). God has heard the cries of despair and the confession of sin. God’s anger has given way to God’s compassion. Father God is merciful and forgiving. Jesus Christ is Immanuel – God with us. Because of Christmas a new cosmic reality is revealed. The Apostle Paul declared, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).
This gives way to another unexpected and awesome surprise. John testified, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away …and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. …And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’” (Revelation 21:1-5).
