Oh, that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, -- that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
A prayer rises here from people in deep trouble, asking God to tear the sky open and come down where they are. Two questions follow: whose voice is this, and how did God answer such a prayer?
The verse sits inside a long exchange that begins earlier in Isaiah 63. One writer marks out where the exchange begins, and who is speaking in it.
These chapters, Isaiah 63:7 to 65, give a sample of what the remnant go through inwardly, which we find described at such length in the Psalms. They form an appeal and an answer, between the remnant and Jehovah-Messiah. The Spirit has recorded these experiences of God's people, much as Christian books do in our own times. For the remnant are the saints of their day. They are called a "remnant" only because God leaves them for the kingdom out of the judgment of the nation. This passage is a dialogue, and we call it "Israel's prayer and Messiah's answer."
One writer traces how the prayer builds, and what gives it force.
The plea grew deeper and more urgent through Isaiah 64. This chapter brings together the beginning of their national history, when they left Egypt, with the far greater and wider judgments that open their final deliverance and blessing under their Messiah. Faith gives power to repentance, and mercy expected ahead of time makes guilt hateful.
The prayer will not settle for God looking on from a distance.
This leads out the heart in still more earnestness. "Look down from heaven" is no longer enough.
The ESV says the mountains would "quake"; the older translation these writers use says they would "flow down." Either way, the picture points back to an event the nation already knew.
The words that follow make very plain what Isaiah had in mind. He wanted God to step in personally, in power and in judgment. He knew that God had come down at the start of their national history. There were thunders, lightnings and fire, and "the whole mountain trembled greatly" — even if the mountain did not flow down at His presence. Now, if there were another such display of the divine presence, surely the effect would be great.
God did come down. One writer points to the incarnation — God coming down as a newborn child.
The way of the incarnation is as marvellous as the fact is wonderful. For we read, "you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger" — the divine answer to the cry that went up from a human heart, "Oh that You would tear the heavens open, that You would come down." God has indeed come down, but not in the way the prophet wanted. The prophet had asked for melting fire and boiling water, to make the nations tremble at His presence. God has answered the cry in His own way and according to His own heart. It is a way that stills our fears and captivates the heart touched by grace and divine love. God has drawn near to us at the lowest point of our weakness, and in the greatest depth of our poverty.
Another writer hears Isaiah's word again in the moment the heavens were torn open over God's Son.
"He saw the heavens torn apart" — that is what the word translated "opened" really means: they were torn apart. I cannot tell you how precious that expression is to me. It was as if God hurried to announce what His heart had found in His own Son; He tears the heavens open. I have thought many times of that word, "Oh that You would tear the heavens open and come down." But look here. The heavens are torn apart to let out the whole mind of heaven, in delight over Jesus Christ that words cannot express.
God has not cancelled the judgment side of this prayer. It waits for its day.
But when Jehovah comes in this way, in the person of the Messiah, He comes with power and great glory. The earth will acknowledge the presence of her rightful Lord. The mountain on which He will stand splits down the middle... So it will also be in the day Zechariah speaks of. The wonders flowing from the presence of Jehovah will strike terror into the hearts of those who see them.
- The cry — these words belong to a believing remnant in distress. Their prayer is part of a dialogue that starts back in Isaiah 63.
- The escalation — "look down from heaven" no longer satisfies; only God Himself coming down will do.
- The request — God stepping in Himself, in power and judgment, as He did when the nation began, with the nations trembling.
- The answer given — God came down, but in a manger, at the lowest point of our weakness. Then heaven was torn open to declare His delight in His Son.
- The answer awaited — the judgment side is still to come. The mountain will split when He comes in glory.
-- as fire kindleth brushwood, as the fire causeth water to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations might tremble at thy presence!
Isaiah 64 is one long cry for God to come down. This verse says how the prophet wanted Him to come, and what God's answer turned out to be.
Earlier the prophet asked God only to look down. Now nothing less will do than God coming down Himself:
This leads the heart out into still more earnestness. "Look down from heaven" is no longer enough.
Older translations read "melting fire" where the ESV has fire kindling brushwood. The plea behind both is the same. It also has a precedent in Israel's own history:
The words that follow make very plain what Isaiah had in mind. He wanted God to step in personally, in power and in judgment. He knew that God had come down at the start of their national history, when there were thunders, lightnings, fire, and "the whole mount quaked greatly," even if it did not actually flow down at His presence. Now, if there were another such display of the divine presence, surely the effect would be great.
The verse gives the goal of this coming: God's name made known to His enemies. One writer counts the times that name appears through these chapters. This verse is one link in the chain:
Looking right back to the time of Moses, the soul sees Jehovah's glorious Arm working on their behalf — the Arm that brings salvation, when He "led them by the right hand of Moses," to make Himself "an everlasting name." This is the first of the seven times His Name is mentioned here. Second, it is a "glorious Name." Third, the remnant own Him as their national Father and Redeemer, and say, "Your Name is from everlasting." Fourth, the adversaries "were not called by Your Name." Fifth, "make Your Name known to Your adversaries" (Isa. 64:2). Sixth, "there is none that calls upon Your Name." Seventh, Jehovah then replies: I am sought and found by the Gentiles who were "not called by My Name."
Who are these adversaries? One commentator ties this prayer to a coming persecutor, and to the people who will suffer under him:
Three things are told us in Daniel 7:25 about the last Roman ruler. First, he will be a blasphemer and an unbeliever — "he will speak great words against the Most High." Second, he will be a persecutor — "he shall wear out the saints of the high places." These are the Jewish saints of the last days. They are called by this name because they own heaven as the true source of government, and look there for deliverance from their cruel foe (Isa. 64:1-3).
One commentator sets this trembling in a coming day, when the earth itself will react to its rightful Lord:
But when Jehovah comes in this way, in the person of the Messiah, He comes with power and great glory. The earth will acknowledge the presence of her rightful Lord, and so the mountain on which He will stand splits apart... So it will also be in the day Zechariah speaks of, and the wonders flowing from the presence of Jehovah will strike terror into the hearts of those who see it.
God did answer this cry. But not in the form the prophet asked for:
We read, "You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger" — the divine answer to the cry that went up from a human heart, "Oh that You would tear open the heavens, that You would come down." God has indeed come down. But not in the way the prophet wanted — not like melting fire and boiling water, making the nations tremble at His presence. He has answered the cry, but in His own way and according to His own heart, a way that quiets our fears and wins the heart touched by grace and divine love.
One commentator links this to a name Isaiah had given earlier, and to the day heaven really did open:
Earlier Isaiah had foretold the coming of One whose name would be Immanuel, and the opening of Matthew's Gospel tells us the meaning of that name — God with us. The heavens were torn open above Him just as He came out into public service. He came among us "full of grace and truth"; not doing "terrible things," but suffering the terrible things Himself, when He died as the Sacrifice for sin.
- The cry. Looking down from heaven is no longer enough. The prayer asks God Himself to come down and act.
- The pattern. Isaiah wanted God to step in as He once did at the start of Israel's history — in power and judgment, with thunder, fire, and a quaking mountain.
- The purpose. The fire is not the point. God comes to make His name known to His adversaries, so that the nations tremble.
- The people. Those who pray this own heaven as the true source of government, and they look there for rescue from a cruel foe.
- The answer. God came down — first in a manger. The heavens were torn open over a Man who suffered the terrible things instead of doing them. The trembling of the nations is still to come.