John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 64:4

"For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God besides thee, who worketh for him that waiteth for him." — Isaiah 64:4 (ASV)

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.