Isaías 63

Isaías 63:1-6

Spurgeon - “Mighty to save.” — Isaiah 63:1 By the words “to save” we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only “mighty to save” those who repent, but he is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but he is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of his name to bend the knee before him. Nay, this is not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles wrought by “the Mighty God.” The bush burns, but is not consumed. He is mighty to keep his people holy after he has made them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates their spiritual existence in heaven. Christ’s might doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift for himself; but he who begins the good work carries it on; he who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in glory. Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is “mighty to save.” You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it to put forth its strength. Does your own case trouble you? Fear not, for his strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is “mighty to save;” the best proof of which lies in the fact that he has saved you. What a thousand mercies that you have not found him mighty to destroy! (Morning and evening) See C H Spurgeon's Sermon - A Mighty Saviour See Alexander Maclaren's Sermon - Mighty To Save Isaiah 63:2 Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the One Who treads in the winepress? Rev 14:19-20, 19:15, Joel 3:13,14 THE DIVINE VINTNER Vintner = One who makes wine, including the process of crushing grapes. In ancient times ripe grapes would be placed in a vat or container and then an individual would step into the vat and begin to crush the grapes to prepare the juice which would be used for the wine. Why is Your apparel red? - The watchman's question to Messiah. The idea is not that Messiah's entire garment is red, but that it is spattered with red, even as happens to the garments of those who trample grapes is spattered. In context the answer is clear that Messiah's garments are red because of blood. But who's blood is the question - His or those on whom He treads? Oswalt - Tertullian, Origen, Jerome, and other church fathers boldly applied this passage to Christ, asserting that the blood that spattered his garments was his own and that the winepress he trod was on Golgotha. Reacting against anything that might smack of allegorization, Calvin spoke out strongly against this interpretation, and virtually all commentators since have followed him....(Oswalt goes on to add that) the blood that spatters the robes of the Warrior is unquestionably that of his enemies. Sin and evil will be converted or destroyed. Second, this is not an allegorical presentation of the crucifixion. What the Warrior has done here may include the crucifixion, but it is not limited to, or primarily about, that event.... (NICOT-Isaiah) David Levy ties the description of Messiah in Isaiah 63:1-2 with the parallel passage in Rev 19:13 - His “vesture [is] dipped in blood” (Rev 19:13). This is not His own blood, shed on the cross, but the blood of His enemies. First, His garments will become blood-spattered when He delivers a remnant of Israelis living in Bozrah, who will flee to the land of Edom and hide in Bozrah to escape the wrath of the Antichrist (Isaiah 63:1–6). Then His garments will become even more blood-spattered as He destroys the armies at Armageddon (Rev 19:15; cp. Rev 14:14–20). In contrast, the garments of His armies will not be stained with blood. Christ alone will fight and gain this victory. Like the One Who treads the winepress - Notice that the watchman addresses this question to Messiah. Isaiah uses a term of comparison ("like" = a simile) depicting Messiah's garments as similar to the grape spattered garments of those who trample and crush the grapes in the winepress. Isaiah clearly is struck by the reddish stains on Messiah's apparel, stains which in context are not from the juice of grapes, but from the lifeblood of men who have persisted in their rebellion against and hatred of the Messiah (Even as we all had done before being transformed by the Gospel and God's Spirit! See Ro 1:30-note, Ro 5:10-note, Col 1:20-21-note) Jamieson - This final blow inflicted by Messiah and His armies (Rev 19:13–15-note) shall decide His claim to the kingdoms usurped by Satan (Ed: See Rev 5:4-7-note for the One Worthy to take the scroll, the title deed to the earth! - "A purchase was made at the cross, and now the deed of that purchase is being claimed by its rightful owner."), and by the “beast,” to whom Satan delegates his power. It will be a day of judgment to the hostile Gentiles, as His first coming was a day of judgment to the unbelieving Jews. Even the ancient Jewish writings see an avenging Messiah when He comes (for believers His Second Coming) Targum Pseudo-Jonathan writing... How beautiful is the King Messiah who is destined to arise from the house of Judah! He has girded his loins and gone down to battle against his enemies, destroying kings and their power, and there is neither king nor power that can withstand him. He reddens the mountains with the blood of their slain. His garments are saturated with blood, like those of him who presses the grapes. Winepress - The ancient wine press was a large, hollowed rock into which the grapes were put for the people to tread on them. The juice ran out a hole in the rock and was caught in vessels. As the people crushed the grapes, some of the juice would splash on their garments. Our Lord’s garments were dyed with blood as the result of His trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored." (Battle Hymn of the Republic). (See Tony Garland's interesting discussion of Blood Stained Garments) In Revelation 14 John alludes to the figure of grape gathering writing... And another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” (Rev 14:18) Tony