Tyndale Open Study NotesIsaiah 63

The judgment of Edom serves as an example of how God judges all nations (see also Isaiah 34:5–15).

• The Lord’s robes are red with blood (Isaiah 63:3; compare Revelation 19:13).

• The name Bozrah (Hebrew botsrah) is a play on the verb batsar, which means “gather grapes.”

The term red (Hebrew ’adom) is a wordplay on the name Edom.

• the day of vengeance: See study note on Isaiah 34:8.

• redemption: See study note on Isaiah 43:1.

made them drunk: This phrase describes God’s judgment. The wicked nations are pictured as people who drink strong wine and cannot stand straight.

They are forced to drink from the cup of God’s wrath (his anger against sin). This image shows that they cannot escape his punishment (Isaiah 49:26; 51:17, 21).

The prophet reflects on Israel’s past, how God showed his unfailing love and how his people alternatively rebelled against him, suffered hardship, returned to the Lord, and experienced his blessing.

loving devotion … His praiseworthy acts … the many good things: The whole history of God’s care for his people demonstrates his compassion, provision, and protection.

• They are surely My people: God's ownership and commitment to his people were central to the agreement (see Isaiah 43:1).

• who will not be disloyal: The Lord expected his people to honor their relationship with him, unlike other nations, whose history is full of betrayal (Genesis 3–11). But Israel also betrayed their God (Isaiah 63:10).

• their Savior: God saved and protected his people (see Isaiah 43:3).

• He too was afflicted: God felt the pain of his suffering people, and their suffering caused him grief. Later, Jesus suffered for all humanity.

• He redeemed them: For example, see Exodus 12:25–33; 14:10–31; 23:20–23.

• But they rebelled: See also Isaiah 1:2, 4; 59:1–15; Psalms 78, 106.

• Persistent disobedience and unbelief grieved God's Holy Spirit (Psalm 106:33; Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:29).

• became their enemy: Examples include Israel’s period of wandering in the wilderness (see the book of Numbers), the period of the judges (see the book of Judges), and the period leading up to the exile (see the book of Jeremiah).

God provided his people with rest after leading them into the promised land (see Isaiah 63:9; Joshua 1:13; 22:4; 23:1).

The prophet’s reflections on the past (Isaiah 63:7–14) inspire him to pray that God would now rescue his people as he has done before.

our Father: God is described as a Father to his people. His care and faithfulness to his children are stronger and more secure than their family or national ancestry.

Their true identity does not depend only on being descendants of Abraham. It depends on belonging to God as his children (see Isaiah 9:6; 64:8; Deuteronomy 32:6; Psalm 68:5; Malachi 2:10; Matthew 6:9–15; Romans 8:15–17).

• The prophet understands that God has the power to keep his people faithful and asks why God has allowed them to stray from His path.

• Return, for the sake of Your servants: God also has the power to bring his people back to him (Ezekiel 36:25–27) and to defeat all their enemies.

• The people were supposed to be holy, but their lack of holiness had led to destruction.

• The holy place was the temple, which the Babylonians destroyed in 586 BC (Isaiah 64:11; 2 Kings 25:1–21).

Israel was constantly turning from God and then being punished by him.