John Gill Commentary Isaiah 64

O that you would rend the heavens, that you would
come down
Before, the church prayed that the Lord would look down from heaven and behold, (Isaiah 63:15) , now that he would open the heavens, and descend from there; not by change of place, for he fills heaven and earth with his presence; but by some visible display of his power, in destroying her enemies, and delivering her from them.

Some take this to be a prayer for the first coming of Christ from heaven to earth, by his incarnation, in order to redeem and save his people; and others that it is for his second coming to judgment, to take vengeance on his adversaries, when his wrath will burn like fire; but rather it is for his spiritual coming, to avenge his church and people on antichrist, and the antichristian states. She had seen him, as a triumphant conqueror, stained with the blood of his enemies; and now she prays for the accomplishment of what she had seen in vision and prophecy:

that the mountains might flow down at your presence ;
kings and princes of the earth, and kingdoms and states governed by them, compared to mountains for their seeming firmness and stability; yet these will melt like wax, and flow like water, tremble and disappear at the presence of the King of kings, when he comes forth in his great wrath against them; as it is explained in the next verse, that the nations may tremble at your presence ;

see (Revelation 16:20) . Here ends the sixty third chapter in the Targum.

As when the melting fire burneth
Or, "the fire of melting" {k}; a strong vehement fire, as Kimchi, such as is used under a furnace for melting metals; though De Dieu thinks a slow gentle fire is intended, such as is sufficient to keep the liquor boiling; which he concludes from the use of the word in the Arabic language, which, according to an Arabic lexicographer ^F12 he quotes, so signifies; and to the same purpose Hottinger ^F13 , by the help of the Arabic language, interprets the word of a small low noise, the hissing of a boiling pot; though, as Vitringa observes, could it be granted, which can not, that a slow fire raises great bubbles in water, such as when it boils; yet the fire, with which God consumes his enemies, in a figurative sense, is represented as most vehement and noisy. It seems much better, with R. Jonah, quoted by Kimchi, to understand it of "dry stubble", which makes a great blaze and noise, and causes water to boil and rise up in bubbles; and with this agree some other versions, which render it by "bavins" ^F14 , dry sticks and branches of trees; which being kindled, the fire causes the waters to boil ;

as the fire, under the pot, causes the waters to boil in it; the church here prays that the wrath of God might break forth upon your and her enemies, like fire that melts metals, and boils water. The figures used seem to denote the fierceness and vehemency of it. The Targum is,

``as when thou sendedst thine anger as fire in the days of Elijah, the sea was melted, the fire licked up the water;'' as if the allusion was to the affair in (1 Kings 18:38) (2 Kings 1:10–14) , but rather the allusion is, as Kimchi and others think, to the fire that burnt on Mount Sinai, when the Lord descended on it, and the cloud which flowed with water, as the above writer supposes, and which both together caused the smoke:

to make your name known to your adversaries ;
his terrible name, in the destruction of them; his power and his glory:

that the nations may tremble at your presence ;
as Sinai trembled when the Lord was on it; and as the antichristian states will when Christ appears, and the vials of his wrath will be poured out; and the Lord's people will be delivered, and the Jews particularly converted.

FOOTNOTES:

• F12: Eliduri in Lexico Arabico tradit (omh) , "significare quemvis lenem et submissum strepitum", De Dieu.
• F13: "Quemadmodum accenso igne fit lenis submissusque strepitus, sibilus et stridor ferventis ollae, et ignis excitat bullas", Hottinger. Smegma Orientale, I. 1. c. 7. p. 146.
• F14: "Quemadmodum conflagrante igne cremia", Junius & Tremellius; "nam quum accendit ignis cremia", Piscator; "sicut ardente igne ex ramalibus", Grotius; "ut ignis cremia consumens strepero motu exsilit", Vitringa.

When thou didst terrible things, which we looked not for, thou
camest down
Referring to the wonderful things God did in Egypt, at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, and particularly at Mount Sinai, things that were unexpected, and not looked for; then the Lord came down, and made visible displays of his power and presence, especially on Mount Sinai; see (Exodus 19:18) : the mountains flowed down at thy presence ;
not Sinai only, but others also; Kimchi says Seir and Paran; (Judges 5:4Judges 5:5) (Psalms 68:7Psalms 68:8) (Habakkuk 3:3Habakkuk 3:6) .

Not only the things unexpected, undesired, and undeserved, had been done for the Lord's people of old; but there were other things, unheard of and unseen, which God, in his secret counsels, had prepared for them; and for which reason his appearance in his providential dispensations was the more to be desired and entreated.

The Apostle Paul has cited this passage in (1 Corinthians 2:9) and applied it to Gospel times, and to evangelical truths, which are not discoverable by the light of nature; had there not been a revelation from God, the ears of men had never heard them, nor the eyes of men ever seen them: neither has the eye seen, O God, besides you ;

and though there is a revelation made, yet, unless God gives men eyes to see, and ears to hear, divine truths will remain unknown to them; and those who have knowledge of them, it is but imperfect; perfect knowledge of them is reserved to another state.

These are mysteries and, though revealed, remain so; the modes of them being unknown, or the manner how they are is inscrutable; such as the mode of each Person's subsisting in the Trinity; and how the two natures, human and divine, are united in the person of Christ. Moreover, under the Old Testament dispensation, these things were not so clearly revealed as now; they were the fellowship of the mystery hid in God, the treasure of Gospel truths hid in the field of the Scriptures; they were wrapped up in the dark figures and shadows of the ceremonial law, and expressed in obscure prophecies; they were kept secret since the beginning of the world, from ages and generations past, and, not so made known, as now, to the holy apostles and prophets; a more full and clear knowledge of them was reserved to Gospel times.

This may also include the blessings of grace, more peculiarly prepared and provided for the church of Christ under the Gospel dispensation, especially in the latter part of it, as the promise of the Spirit; more spiritual light and knowledge; peace in abundance, and such as passes all understanding; and particularly what will be enjoyed in the personal reign of Christ, described in so pompous a manner, (Revelation 20:1-21:27).

And it may be applied to the glories of the future state, which are such as the eye of man has never seen, nor his ear heard; and, as the apostle adds, have not entered into the heart of man to conceive of; and, as Jarchi paraphrases the words here, ``the eye of any prophet has not seen what God will do for him that waits for him, except your eyes, you, O God;'' having cited a passage of their Rabbins out of the Talmud<sup>F15</sup> , which interprets the words of the world to come, ``all the prophets say, they all of them prophesied only of the days of the Messiah; but as to the world to come, eye has not seen''

Some read the words, "neither has the eye seen God besides you who will do for him that waits for him"^F16 ; that is, none besides you, O Christ, who lay in the bosom of the Father, and was privy to all, (John 1:18) : what he has prepared for him that waits for him ;

the apostle quotes it, "for them that love him"; which describes the same persons; for those that wait for the Lord love him, and those that love him will wait for him; as Old Testament saints did for the first coming of Christ, and as New Testament saints now wait on him, in the ministry of his word and ordinances, for his spiritual presence, and also are waiting for his second coming, and for the ultimate glory;

and for such persons unseen and unheard of things are prepared in the counsels and purposes of God, and in the covenant of his grace; Christ, and all things with him; the Gospel, and the truths of it, ordained before the world was; and all the blessings of grace and glory.

The Targum is, ``and since the world was, ear has not heard the voice of mighty deeds, nor hearkened to the speech of trembling; nor has eye seen, what your people saw, the Shechinah of the glory of the Lord, for there is none besides you, what you will do to your people, the righteous, who were of old, who wait for your salvation.''

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 63. 1. & Sanhedrin, fol. 99. 1.
• F16: (wl hkxml hvey Ktlwz Myhla htar al Nye) "nono oculus vidit Deum praeter te, faciat expectanti ipsum", Montanus; "qui faciat sic expectanti se", Pagninus, Munster.

You meet him who rejoices
Not in a carnal way, nor in a sinful manner, nor in a hypocritical one, or in vain boastings, all such rejoicing is evil: but in the Lord, in the person of Christ; in the greatness, glory, and fullness of his person; at the promise, and in the view, of his coming in the flesh, as Abraham did; in the grace of God displayed in him, and in hope of the glory of God by him; such a frame of spirit is agreeable to the Lord: and works righteousness ;
a truly gracious soul is not idle, but works; not in his own strength, nor for life, or anything but what is just and right; no man indeed can work out a perfect righteousness, nor should men attempt to work out one for justification before God; but should lay hold by faith on the righteousness of Christ, which is the evangelical and best way of working righteousness; and such do works of righteousness in faith, which is doing them in the best manner, and the course of life of such is righteous; and these are regarded by the Lord, especially such who rejoice to work righteousness, or do it, in a cheerful joyful manner, which perhaps is the sense of the words.

Now such the Lord "meets", or has been used to meet, in former ages, in all generations, even in a way of love, grace, and mercy; and prevents them with the blessings of his goodness; indulges them with communion with himself through his Son, typified by the mercyseat; and at the throne of his grace, and in his house and ordinances. The Jewish commentators understand this phrase in a different manner. R. Jonah and Jarchi interpret it of God's meeting the righteous, and removing them out of the world by death, according to (1 Kings 2:25) and Aben Ezra of his receiving their prayers and intercessions for others, according to (Isaiah 47:3) . Kimchi joins both senses together, "the righteous, who were doing your commandments with joy, are not now in the world, to stand in the gap for us."

Those that remember you in your ways ;
they remember there is a God, and worship him; the perfections of his nature, and adore them; his works of providence, and admire them; and his blessings of grace and goodness, and are thankful for them: they remember him "in [his] ways"; in the ways of his providence, which are unsearchable, and past finding out; in the ways of his grace and mercy, so the Targum; or "for" or "because" ^F17 of these, and praise his name; and in the ways of his commandments, which they observe.

Behold, you are wroth, and we have sinned; or because we have sinned
{r}; as for us, we have sinned, and justly incurred the displeasure of God; and it is no wonder he hides his face from us, and does not meet us, as he has been used to meet his people formerly. The people of God sin, and this is taken notice of by him, and resented; and which is the cause of all their afflictions, in which the Lord appears to be "wroth" with them; not that he is properly so, for afflictions to them are not in vindictive wrath; but he seems to be wroth with them, he carries it towards them as if he was, when he chastises them, and hides his face from them.

In those is continuance, and we shall be saved: or "in these we have been of old" ^F19 ; that is, in these sins; we are old sinners, sinners in Adam, sinners from our birth, and so in these sins is continuance: saints indeed do not continue in a course of sin, yet sin continues in them, and they are continually sinning in thought, word, or deed; yet nevertheless there is salvation from all their sins in Christ, in whom they shall be saved.

Or there is continuance in works of righteousness, and in the cheerful performance of them; the principle of well doing continues in believers, which is the grace of God, and spiritual strength, by which they do well; and through the grace of Christ they persevere in faith and holiness, and, persevering herein, shall be saved. Or rather there is continuance in the ways of God, in the ways of his grace and mercy; in them there is constancy, perpetuity, and eternity, as the word signifies; his love is an everlasting love; his mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, and endures for ever; he is unchangeable in his grace and promises, and hence his people shall not be consumed in their sins by his wrath, but shall be everlastingly saved; which is entirely owing to his permanent and immutable grace, and not to their works of righteousness, as appears by what follows.

FOOTNOTES:

• F17: (Kykrdb) "propter vias tuas", Piscator.
• F19: (Mlwe Mhb) "in his [peccatis] consenuimus", Tigurine version some in Munster; "in ipsis [peccatis] semper [fuimus]", Forerius.