Isaiah 63:10-14

2. PRAYER FOR VICTORY

TEXT: Isaiah 63:10-14

10

But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.

11

Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them?

12

that caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? that divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name?

13

that led them through the depths, as a horse in the wilderness, so that they stumbled not?

14

As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest; so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

QUERIES

a.

Upon whom did Jehovah turn to be an enemy?

b.

Who remembered the days of old?

c.

When did they rest?

PARAPHRASE

In spite of all the times God vindicated His people by saving them from their enemies in past times, they have grieved His Holy Spirit by rebelling against His commandments. Because of their rebellion He had to become their enemy and must now fight against them. Now they are remembering those days gone by when Moses delivered God's people and they are crying out, Where is the One who brought our ancestors through the Red Sea with shepherds like Moses? Where is the One who put His Holy Spirit within them? They are also saying, Where is the One whose glorious power parted the Red Sea in the path of our ancestors and vindicated His name forever when Moses lifted up his rod? Where is the One who guided them through the bottom of the Sea? Like horses galloping easily through a desert cleared of all obstacles, our ancestors never slipped or stumbled walking through that Sea's rocky bottom. Just like cattle that go easily and safely down to graze in the wadis, the Spirit of Jehovah gave our ancestors rest. That is the way You led our ancestors, Lord, and Your name then was made glorious. Where are you now, Lord?

COMMENTS

Isaiah 63:10 RESISTING HIS SPIRIT: Although the Lord has given the prophet a vision of His power and faithfulness to destroy Zion's enemies and uphold her when she trusts Him (Isaiah 63:1-9), Zion seems bent on not believing and acting upon it (Isaiah 63:10-14). Therefore the Lord is going to give Zion over to humiliation, destruction and captivity (Isaiah 63:15-19).

The Hebrew word maru is translated rebel and is the strongest word for that circumstance, meaning literally, to revolt. Their revolt pained or sorrowed the Holy Spirit; in Hebrew -itzevu -eth-ruach kadesho. In Exodus 23:20-21 Jehovah said to the people, Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Give heed to him and hearken to his voice, do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him. However, the people rebelled from the time they left Egypt (Exodus 17:1 ff; Exodus 32:1 ff), and they continued their rebellion until God finally took them out of their land and into captivity. The third Person of the Godhead was actively involved in the program of redemption in the Old Testament (see Special Study, The Holy Spirit In Old Testament Times, pages 458-462). Young sees in this chapter all three Persons of the Godhead: Thus,. there is a distinction of the three persons of the Triune God: He (Yahweh), the angel of His presence and the Spirit of His holiness. In the history of the chosen people each Person of the Trinity was active. The point of this verse (10) is that the people whom Jehovah chose to cooperate with Him in redeeming the whole world forced Him to be their enemy because they revolted and afflicted His Holy Spirit. Jehovah is against them because they are against Him. He must vindicate His holiness and justice now upon the chosen people. He is giving them up to chastening in Mesopotamia for 70 years. The writer of the Hebrew epistle in the N.T. exhorts, ... do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion (Hebrews 3:7-19). The Lord had to turn from being afflicted with their affliction, to fighting against them because that was what He said He would do if they rebelled against Him. The Lord keeps His promises!

Isaiah 63:11-13 REMEMBERING HIS SPIRIT: The subject of remembered could be either Jehovah or Zion. It appears Zion would fit the context better. With the downfall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity imminent, Zion (the people of Judah) is remembering (and evidently praying for a return of) the Holy Spirit of God in power and deliverance as He did through Moses at the crossing of the Red Sea. If the Holy Spirit of God could part the waters of the Red Sea, can He not now deliver them from Babylon? The phrase, where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them? is interesting arid perhaps should give us pause to rethink our concept of the activity of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament age. The Hebrew word kerev is translated midst; the usual word for midst is tok. Kerev is unique and means inward part, inwards, bowels; hence, the heart. Kerev is the word in 1 Kings 17:22 where the soul of the child came into him again. Did God's Spirit indwell the believer of the O.T.? Could it be that God put His Holy Spirit in the hearts of the people as He was leading them in the exodus from Egyptand there they grieved Him? One N.T. passage appears to preclude the possibility of the Spirit dwelling in believers of the O.T. age. John notes, But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:39). Note, however, the word given (in John 7:39) is a supplied wordit is not in the Greek text. Does this indicate that the Spirit was not yet for everyone who believes (including Gentiles)? or does it mean that the Spirit was not yet given at all (not even for Jews) until after Jesus was glorified? The latter has been the traditional interpretation. If the latter interpretation is to be followed, what is one to do with the apostle Paul's clear statement that, ... if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. and, ... if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through the Spirit that dwelleth in you (Romans 8:9-11)? If eternal life and resurrection from the dead necessitates the Spirit of God dwelling in man, and if the Spirit was not given at all until Christ was glorified, how do we account for the eternal life apparently granted to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:28; Luke 16:23, etc.). How could Abraham be justified by faith without receiving the Spirit of God also by faith (Romans 4:2-9; Galatians 3:6-7; James 2:23)? How could the beggar be borne to Abraham's bosom if the beggar did not have the Spirit of God (Luke 16:22)? How could Moses and Elijah be transfigured with Christ in glorified appearance without having the Spirit of God (Matthew 17:1-5; Luke 9:30-31, etc.)?

The only resolution of this dilemma appears to be to recognize that the Spirit of God was certainly in men of the Old Testament (Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David and the prophets, cf. Numbers 27:18; Psalms 51:11; Psalms 143:10, etc.). Rotherham says on Psalms 51:11, David. had enjoyed the presence of the Holy Spirit, or he could not have prayed, Take it not from me. Was that Spirit, not hallowing, as well as illuminating and revealing? Can we really enter into the undercurrent of this psalm, without perceiving that a hallowing Divine Presence had lain at the roots of the writer's spiritual life;. By how much soever this is clear, by so much also must it be clear that the Evangelist (John) spoke comparatively when he said (John 7:39) that the Spirit could not be given until Jesus was glorified. (Studies In The Psalms. Vol. I, by J. B. Rotherham, pub. College Press, pg. 352).

B. B. Warfield in his Biblical and Theological Studies, (pub. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1952), says, The Spirit of God, in the Old Testament, is not merely the immanent Spirit, the source of all the world's life and all the world's movement. He is as well the indwelling Spirit of holiness in the hearts of God's children.

We submit that the message of the Messiah was therefore, that the Spirit of God was not come in His fulness until Jesus was glorified and redemption was completed. After the redemptive work of God was completed through the Son, the indwelling presence of the Spirit would give man a greater, more strengthening participation in the inheritance God had stored up for believers. The New Covenant is certainly better, far surpassing and the fulfillment of the Old. The New is enacted upon better promises. But it would seem to us that the Spirit of God was in those saints of old who were justified and thus given eternal life (historically accomplished at the death of Christ, Hebrews 9:15-17; Romans 3:21-26), which they appropriated by faith. Perhaps it was a matter of good, better and best as pictured in the following chart. Or, perhaps the Spirit of God was given to the O.T. saints on credit or retroactively to guarantee their resurrection to eternal life much as their forgiveness was on credit (cf. Hebrews 9:15). One thing is certain, having the Spirit of God is necessary to being raised from the dead!

Be that as it may, the point of this passage is to portray the frustration of the people over the impending captivity. It appears to them as if God's Spirit has deserted them and that God Himself does not care that His name will be debased if He does not save them as He saved their ancestors. He led their ancestors across the bed of the Red Sea as easily and swiftly as a horse runs through a desert where all the obstacles have been removed. Why does He not do that now?

Was not The Spirit of God in the saints of old in order to keep them from eternal death? (Romans 8:9-11)

YES
Perhaps in lesser degree of companionship.
GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT

Or, perhaps the Holy Spirit was theirs in promise before Jesus was glorified and theirs in fact, retroactively, after His glorification (like forgiveness, Hebrews 9:15 f).

Isaiah 63:14 RESTING IN HIS SPIRIT: The people remember that their ancestors were led by the Spirit of God into the land of Canaan like contented cattle are led securely and easily down into the wadis to graze. The Spirit of God was the cause of their nukh (rest, settling down, having repose, abiding) in Canaan. Now they are wondering why He cannot cause them to remain in their land. Could it be that their prayer is not really a penitent prayer but a selfish one? Could it be that they want Jehovah to deliver them in their rebellion and not from itas so many of us are prone to want to be saved in sin and not from it? On the other hand, perhaps this is a prediction of the prayers of penitence the people will offer down in Babylon when they have had time to consider their sins and truly repent. Perhaps this is prophecy! When they have truly repented (cf. Daniel 9:3-19) God will hear their prayer (Daniel 9:20-23) and return them to their land to fulfill their messianic destiny (Daniel 9:24-27).

QUIZ

1.

When did God's people rebel? How long?

2.

Did God put His Holy Spirit in people in the Old Testament?

3.

Have you thought through the teaching of the Bible on the Holy Spirit as thoroughly as you would like? (We suggest C. C. Crawford's two-volume work entitled, The Eternal Spirit, His Word and Works, pub. by College Press.)

4.

Do you think the prayer of the people here is a penitent prayer?