Isaiah 64

Wesley: rent is a metaphor from men who, to help one in distress, break and fling open doors. Flow down—that all impediments might be removed; possibly an allusion to God’s coming down upon mount Sinai in those terrible flames of fire.

Prayer that he would come down as at Sinai. He is not absent from ignorance or learning the distress. Israel first; the church still asks him to rend what seems shut. Shared ground with Calvin: the cry is for his presence, not a new God.

Calvin: believers burst forth into earnest prayer. God is said to rend the heavens when he unexpectedly gives some uncommon proof of his power; when he renders no assistance he appears shut up in heaven. Come down is adapted to our flesh; he does not move from place to place.

Anthropomorphism, not a finite God climbing down. Same Sinai-shaped plea as Wesley; the accent is that he accommodates himself so we may understand.

Wesley: come with such zeal for thy people that the solid mountains may be no more before thy breath than metal that runs, or water that boils by a vehement fire. Known—that thine enemies may know thy power, and that thy name may be dreaded among them.

The nations are to tremble at a name made known—Exodus fire first, then the gospel church.

Calvin: he alludes to Sinai, where fire and lightning mingled with violent showers. The melting fire made the waters boil; the mountains flowed at his presence; he opened a passage through the most dreadful obstacles. The prophets include all the benefits of the redemption from Egypt.

The prayer recalls the same testimony from the Exodus. Same trembling nations; he is gracious to his people and formidable to his enemies.

Wesley: terrible things may relate to what he did among the Egyptians, though it be not recorded, and afterward in the wilderness. Looked not for—such things as we could never expect. Mountains—kings, princes, and potentates may metaphorically be understood.

Unexpected mercy already happened. The church still pleads the same coming down. Shared ground with Calvin: they saw what they did not look for.

Calvin: the Israelites saw what they did not at all expect; although God had forewarned them, that alarming spectacle goes far beyond our senses and the capacity of the human mind.

Sinai still exceeds us. Same unexpected descent; hope is that he will be to us what he showed himself to the fathers.

Wesley: this is to be applied to all the wonderful works God at all times wrought for his people—a plea that they might well expect such things from him now, that had done such wonderful things for their fathers. Waiteth—this may be taken with reference both to the state of grace and glory, those incomprehensible things exhibited through Christ in the mysteries of the gospel.

He works for him who waits; the gospel mysteries in Christ are the same unseen things (1 Cor 2:9). Fathers first; then grace and glory. Shared christology with Calvin: no God besides him; Paul is not twisting the text.

Calvin: believers ask nothing strange, only that God may show himself what he showed the fathers. Eye hath not seen a God besides thee that doeth such things to him that waiteth. Paul (1 Cor 2:9) applies this to the gospel, which surpasses the capacity of the human understanding; he added nothing that does not fully agree with the Prophet.

From visible favors faith rises to the invisible; the gracious covenant by which God adopted Abraham’s children into the hope of eternal life. Same God besides whom none acts; the accent is fatherly kindness toward citizens, not ordinary favors enjoyed by the bad.

Wesley: meetest—as the father the prodigal. Worketh—that rejoices to work righteousness. Continuance—to those that work righteousness. Be saved—in so doing, in working righteousness.

The Father still runs to meet those who rejoice to work righteousness. He is not surprised into anger. They confess long sin and still ask, shall we be saved? Judah first; the gospel still meets the returning. Shared ground: you were angry, and we sinned.

Calvin: formerly thou wast wont to meet the fathers before they were distressed, and to cheer them by thy approach; now thou appearest far distant. They do not murmur; they throw all the blame on themselves. We ought never to think of chastisements without calling to mind our sins. And we shall be saved is rather a wish or a prayer than an affirmation; they betake themselves to God’s everlasting mercy.

They praise what they wish, not what they have already obtained. Same confession of sin; the accent is unchangeable compassion, not salvation by the working itself.

Wesley: formerly there were some that feared thee; but now we are all as one polluted mass, nothing of good left in us by reason of an universal degeneracy. The very best of us all are no better than the uncleanest things. Taken—carried away to Babylon, as leaves hurried away by a boisterous wind.

Exile first; the church still owns the polluted garment. Shared ground with Calvin: all our righteous deeds cannot stand.

Calvin: believers confess their guilt and are justly punished, yet complain of severity to move him to compassion—not to blame God. He speaks of the whole body led into captivity, not a proof-text that every work of every human is loathsome in the abstract. We fade as a leaf; our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.

The people are justly punished and still pleading. Same unclean people; the accent is captivity under wrath they deserved.

Wesley: that calleth—that call upon thee as they ought. Take hold—either to stay thee from departing from us, or to fetch thee back when departed.

None stirs himself as he ought; the fault is theirs, and the hidden face is true. He is not hiding because he cannot find them. Judah; the church still takes hold. Shared ground: no one calls upon your name.

Calvin: under “calleth on” is the whole worship of God; ceremonies without the heart are of no value. None earnestly applies his mind to seek God; all are wasted through sloth. Nothing is more desirable than to be perfectly joined to God. Thou hast made us to languish—they ask not to languish any longer amidst so great miseries.

Sloth, not a God who cannot hear. Same hidden face; they pray for alleviation they do not yet feel.

Wesley: notwithstanding all this thou art our father both by creation and by adoption, therefore pity us thy children.

“Father”—creation and adoption both; clay may still plead with the potter. Israel’s “now”; the gospel church is still the work of his hand. Shared christology: you are our Father.

Calvin: after being almost crushed, they lay hold on this altar: since God has been pleased to elect us to be his children, we ought to expect salvation from him even when matters are at the worst. We are the clay—they celebrate the mercy of God who out of mean clay determined to create children to himself. The work of thy hands is regeneration, on account of which believers are especially called the work of God.

“Father”—electing adoption and new creation, not a claim from the clay. Same Father as Wesley; the accent is undeserved election, not the clay’s worth.

Wesley: thy people—thou hast no people in covenant but us, and wilt thou not leave thyself a people in the world?

They plead the covenant remnant so he will not be without a people. Judah first; the church still says, we are all your people. Shared ground: be not angry forever; look, we are yours.

Calvin: they do not shrink from judgment, but present themselves to be corrected so as not to faint. If God do not mercifully pardon, there will be no end of the chastisements. We all are thy people does not speak of each individual, but the whole body of the Church; this prayer was offered not for every one without distinction, but only for the children of God who were still left. They plead the covenant of free grace, not merits.

The small company of believers, not every bearer of the name. Same plea not to remember iniquity forever; the fork is who “all your people” are.

Wesley has no separate note on this verse; the unit is the church’s complaint of afflictions after the burned house (vv. 6–12). Zion and Jerusalem are literally waste after the Babylonian stroke.

Judah’s cities have become a wilderness. Gospel church still grieves a desolated Zion. Shared ground with Calvin: these are his holy cities.

Calvin: the Church recounts her miseries that she may move God to mercy. The cities have been reduced to a wilderness; Zion is a desert because it was the royal residence where God wished men to call upon him. They are cities of his holiness because he had sanctified people, cities, and land.

Consecrated places laid waste. Same desolation; they ask him to look at what bears his name.

Wesley: pleasant things—the king’s palace, and the houses of the nobles, and other pieces of state and magnificence.

The temple where the fathers praised him is burned—586, not a slogan. The church still names that house. Shared ground: our fathers praised you there.

Calvin: they glory in nothing except the temple in which God wished to be adored. True glorying rested on his ordinance and word; Jeremiah 7:4 rebukes empty “temple of the Lord” talk. He mentions the fathers, not the present corrupt worship: wilt thou permit it to be profaned? The word praise denotes thanksgiving when he treated his people with kindness.

The testimony of union, now in ruins. Same burned sanctuary; they offer the fathers’ worship, not their own merits.

Wesley: wilt thou—do none of these things move thee to take vengeance? Thy peace—wilt thou be as one that regards not?

They press him with the ruins. He is not actually indifferent; they plead as if he were silent. Affliction; the church still asks him not to keep silent. Shared close with Calvin: he will not let his glory be trampled forever.

Calvin: the people strengthen themselves by assured confidence that God will not permit his glory to be trampled under foot. This yields no consolation to hypocrites. Our salvation is connected with his glory; he cannot deny himself (2 Tim 2:13). He will restrain his chastisements; his glory is deeply involved in our deliverance from death.

He cannot disregard his glory or his people. Same question to a silent Lord; hope is that he will not afflict beyond measure.