Monday October 5, 2009

Isaiah 62:6-65:25; Psalm 73; Proverbs 24:13-14; Isaiah 64

In the wake of Isaiah’s vision of God trampling out the nations like grapes in a winepress, the prophet’s response is striking: ‘Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down…’ Isaiah is holding two things in tension in chapter 64, two things which we also must hold in tension: 1) in the light of our sin, we should desperately want God to draw near to us and 2) in light of our sin, we should dread God drawing near to us. Isaiah resolves this tension by trusting God as Lord and Father and by acknowledging that we are the clay and God is the potter, in complete control. As Isaiah closes out the chapter asking God for mercy, let your mind leap forward to God’s mercy showered on us through the Cross of Jesus Christ, ultimately rescuing us from the winepress of his wrath. Let your heart rest in Jesus’ rescue today.