John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 64

Oh, that you would rend the heavens! The particle לוא (lu) appears to me, in this passage, to denote a wish. For, although it has many significations, the context shows that this signification is more appropriate to this passage than any other. Here believers burst forth into earnest prayer, as usually happens when, in severe adversity, we do not find plain terms to be sufficiently forcible for our purpose.

God is said to “rend the heavens” when he unexpectedly gives some uncommon and striking proof of his power. The reason for this mode of expression is not only that people, when they are hard-pressed, commonly look up to heaven from which they expect assistance, but also that miracles, by interrupting the order of nature, open up an unusual path for themselves.

Now, when God renders no assistance, he appears to be shut up in heaven and to disregard what is taking place on earth. For this reason, he is said to open and “rend the heavens” when he holds out to us some testimony of his presence, because otherwise we think that he is at a great distance from us.

That you would come down. This expression, like the former, is adapted to our human way of thinking; for God does not need to move from one place to another, but accommodates himself to us so that we may understand these subjects better (Genesis 11:5; Genesis 18:21).

Let the mountains flow down. That is,

“Let your majesty be openly displayed, and let the elements, struck by the perception of it, yield and obey” (Psalms 18:11).

This will appear more clearly from what immediately follows.

As by the burning of a melting fire, the fire has made the water to boil. All this might be read either in the future or in the subjunctive; as if he had said, “O Lord, if you came down, the nations would tremble at your presence; your enemies would instantly be melted away.” But I think that the translation which I have given is more simple; for it is very certain that the Prophet here alludes to Mount Sinai, where the Lord openly revealed himself to the people. From this we also see the gross absurdity of the division of this chapter, since those events are related in support of that prayer which should rather have been placed at the beginning of the chapter.

We have previously seen that the prophets, when they relate that God assisted his people, bring forward an instance in the history of redemption. Whenever, therefore, the prophets mention this history, they include all the benefits that were ever bestowed by God on his people; not only when he delivered them from the tyranny of Pharaoh, when he appeared to them in Mount Sinai, but also when, during forty years, he supplied them with all that was necessary in the wilderness, when he drove out their enemies, and led them into the possession of the land of Canaan. In a word, they include all the testimonies by which he previously proved himself to be gracious to his people and formidable to his enemies.

He says that the melting fire made the waters boil, because, contrary to custom, fire and lightning were mingled with violent showers; as if he had said that the fire of God melted the hardest bodies, and that the waters were consumed by its heat. To the same purpose is what he adds, that the mountains flowed at his presence; for he opened up a passage for his people through the most dreadful obstacles.

Terrible things which we did not look for. He says that the Israelites saw what they did not at all expect; for, although God had forewarned them, and had given them experience of his power in many ways, yet that alarming spectacle of which he speaks goes far beyond our senses and the capacity of the human mind.

From of old they have not heard. This verse confirms what has already been said: that believers do not ask here for anything strange or uncommon, but only that God may show himself to be to them what he formerly showed himself to be to the fathers; that he may continue to exercise his kindness; and that, since he has been accustomed to assist his people and to give them undoubted tokens of his presence, he may not cease in the future to cause his strength and power to shine forth more and more brightly. He represents believers as praying to God in such a manner that they strengthen themselves by the remembrance of the past and turn with greater courage to God’s assistance.

Eye hath not seen a God besides thee. The Prophet’s design unquestionably is to celebrate God’s immense goodness by relating the numerous benefits which he bestowed upon his people in ancient times. This kind of praise is highly magnificent when, rising to rapturous admiration of them, he exclaims that there is no God besides him, and that those things which the Lord has accomplished for the sake of his people are unheard-of and uncommon.

But there are two ways in which these words may be read, for אלהים (elohim) may either be in the accusative or in the vocative case: “O Lord, no one has seen besides you what you do for those who wait for you.” Another reading, however, is more generally approved: “No one has ever seen or ever heard of such a God.” Yet in this reading we must supply the particle of comparison, “as,” because otherwise the sentence would be incomplete.

The verb יעשה (yagnaseh) is used absolutely: “No ear has heard, and no eye has seen, such a God as does such things.” And thus God is distinguished from idols, from which superstitious men imagine that they obtain all good things; for they are the mere inventions of men and can do neither good nor harm, since God bestows on his worshippers benefits of every kind.

Paul appears to explain this passage differently, and to wrest it to a different purpose, and even quotes it in different words; this is because he followed the Greek version (1 Corinthians 2:9). In this respect, the Apostles were not squeamish, for they paid more attention to the matter than to the words and considered it enough to draw the reader’s attention to a passage of Scripture from which what they taught could be obtained. As for the addition Paul appears to have made of his own accord, “Nor hath entered into the heart of man what God hath prepared for them that love him,” he did so for the purpose of explanation, for he added nothing that does not fully agree with the Prophet’s doctrine.

To understand better how thoroughly he agrees with the Prophet, we must understand his design. In that passage, Paul discusses the doctrine of the Gospel, which he demonstrates to surpass human understanding. For it contains knowledge that is widely different and far removed from the perception of our flesh and, in short, is “hidden wisdom,” so that Paul is justly led to view it with astonishment.

And as the Prophet, when he considers the wonderful acts of God’s kindness, exclaims like one who is lost in amazement that nothing like this was ever heard of, so, in the most excellent of all benefits—namely, that in which Christ is offered to us by the Gospel—we may exclaim in the same manner, “O Lord, what you bestow on your people exceeds all the capacity of the human mind: no eye, no ear, no senses, no mind can reach such loftiness.” Thus Paul applies this passage admirably to his reasoning and does not make an improper use of the Prophet's statement when he elevates above the world that peculiar grace which God bestows on his Church.

Only one difficulty remains: namely, that Paul applies to spiritual blessings what the Prophet here says about blessings of a temporal nature.

However, we may say that Isaiah here looks only at the cause of God’s benefits, though he has in view the condition of the present life. For all the benefits that we receive from God, such as food and nourishment, are proofs of his fatherly kindness toward us; and it is the distinctive excellence of faith to rise from visible favors to those which are invisible. Therefore, although the Prophet appears to speak of external deliverance and other benefits of this life, yet he rises higher and looks chiefly at those things which belonged especially to the people of God. What stupidity it would be if, while we enjoy God’s benefits, we did not consider the fountain itself—that is, his fatherly kindness!

Ordinary favors are enjoyed indiscriminately by the good and the bad, but that favor with which he embraces us belongs especially to citizens. The consequence is that we do not merely observe those things which are perceived by human senses, but contemplate the cause itself. Therefore, although neither eyes nor ears can comprehend the grace of adoption, by which the Lord testifies that he is our Father, yet he reveals it by the testimony of his Spirit.

It is even probable that the Prophet, when he spoke of a particular instance of God’s kindness, was elevated by it to a general reflection. For, in considering God’s works, it was frequent and customary for good men to pass from a single instance to the whole class.

In that way, this single but remarkable instance of divine goodness might have raised the Prophet’s mind to such a degree as to meditate on that infinite abundance of blessings which is laid up for believers in heaven. We even see clearly that this commendation includes the gracious covenant by which God adopted the children of Abraham into the hope of eternal life (Genesis 17:7).

What has been said amounts to this: “Since the goodness and power of God are so great, we have no reason to distrust him; instead, we ought to place our confidence in him, so as to hope that he will assuredly assist us.” And such is the design of those excellent benefits which are mentioned here by the Prophet.

You have met. He proceeds with the same subject, for the people deplore their hard lot, because they feel no alleviation in their adversity, although formerly God was accustomed to stretch out His hand to their forefathers.

Believers, therefore, speak in this manner: “You were accustomed to meet our forefathers; now Your face is turned away from us, and You appear to be irreconcilable, because we gain nothing by calling on You. From where does this diversity come, as if Your nature had been changed, and You were now different from what You have been?”

They next add, and make an acknowledgment, that they are punished justly, because they have sinned. I have previously stated that nothing is better in adversity than to remember God’s benefits—not only those which we have ourselves experienced, but also those which are related in Scripture, for we cannot be armed by a stronger shield against temptations of every kind.

This verse, in my opinion, is inaccurately explained by those who think that we should read those words as closely connected, Him that rejoices and does righteousness, as if he had said, “You have met those who willingly serve You, and whose highest pleasure is to do what is right.” I think that rejoicing here denotes those who were glad in prosperity, for at that time the people were in sadness and mourning. There is an implied contrast: “Formerly You were accustomed to meet our forefathers, before they were distressed by any affliction, and to cheer them by Your approach; now You are far distant and permit us to languish in mourning and grief.”

In Your ways they remembered You. In accordance with what he has now said, he adds that they “remembered God” because they enjoyed His present grace and felt that He was the author and director of their salvation. Thus, by “the ways of God,” he means prosperity: either that in this way God was near to them when He treated them softly and gently as His children, or because God is by nature inclined to acts of kindness.

But since he said that God was accustomed to “meet him that does righteousness,” the “remembrance” may relate to the practice of piety—that is, that they devoted themselves earnestly to the worship of God. Thus, it will be an explanation of the former clause, for the prophets frequently confirm by a variety of expressions what they have previously said.

To “remember” God is to be captivated by the pleasant remembrance of Him, so that we shall desire nothing more, and to place all our happiness in Him. Nothing delights us more than the remembrance of the mercy of God; on the other hand, if we feel that God is angry, the mention of Him fills us with alarm.

And we have sinned. The reason is assigned, for when they find that God is so unlike what He formerly was, they do not murmur against Him but throw all the blame on themselves. Let us learn from this that we should never think of the chastisements which the Lord inflicts without at the same time calling to mind our sins, so that we may confess that we are justly punished and may acknowledge our guilt.

In them is perpetuity. In this passage, עולם (gnolam) denotes nothing other than “long duration,” but it may refer either to “sins” or to “the ways of the Lord.”

It may refer to sins in this way: “Though we obstinately persisted in our sins and deserved that You should destroy us a thousand times, yet until now we have been saved by Your mercy.”

If we understand it to relate to “the ways of the Lord,” it will assign the reason why the people did not perish: because “the ways of the Lord” are steadfast and perpetual, and His mercy never comes to an end. That meaning appears to me to agree best with this passage.

Some supply the words that “the age,” or “perpetuity,” is founded on the ways of the Lord. But I prefer to take the words in their literal meaning, as when David says that the Lord is not angry but for a moment (Psalms 30:5), that He is easy to be reconciled and always compassionate. For His anger is not suddenly kindled, or with immoderate rage, as happens with humans, but He is unchangeable in benevolence and favor.

And we shall be saved, or, we have been saved. We have not yet grasped the whole of the Prophet’s statement, for he says that the people are saved, although they had been led into captivity, as into a grave, and deplored their calamity. On that account, I consider the preterite to be put for the future, for it is rather a wish or a prayer than an affirmation. Nor do the saints boast that they have obtained salvation; instead, deploring their misery, they turn to God’s everlasting mercy. Consequently, they praise that which they wish for, and not that which they have already obtained.