חַסְדֵי יְהוָה ׀ אַזְכִּיר תְּהִלֹּת יְהוָה כְּעַל כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־גְּמָלָנוּ יְהוָה וְרַב־טוּב לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר־גְּמָלָם כְּרַחֲמָיו וּכְרֹב חֲסָדָיו׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אַךְ־עַמִּי הֵמָּה בָּנִים לֹא יְשַׁקֵּרוּ וַיְהִי לָהֶם לְמוֹשִׁיעַ׃ בְּכָל־צָרָתָם ׀ לֹא צָר וּמַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו הוֹשִׁיעָם בְּאַהֲבָתוֹוּ בְחֶמְלָתוֹ הוּא גְאָלָם וַיְנַטְּלֵם וַיְנַשְּׂאֵם כָּל־יְמֵי עוֹלָם׃ וְהֵמָּה מָרוּ וְעִצְּבוּ אֶת־רוּחַ קָדְשׁוֹ וַיֵּהָפֵךְ לָהֶם לְאוֹיֵב הוּא נִלְחַם־בָּם׃ וַיִּזְכֹּר יְמֵי־עוֹלָם מֹשֶׁה עַמּוֹ אַיֵּה ׀ הַמַּעֲלֵם מִיָּם אֵת רֹעֵה צֹאנוֹ אַיֵּה הַשָּׂם בְּקִרְבּוֹ אֶת־רוּחַ קָדְשׁוֹ׃ מוֹלִיךְ לִימִין מֹשֶׁה זְרוֹעַ תִּפְאַרְתּוֹ בּוֹקֵעַ מַיִם מִפְּנֵיהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ שֵׁם עוֹלָם׃ מוֹלִיכָם בַּתְּהֹמוֹת כַּסּוּס בַּמִּדְבָּר לֹא יִכָּשֵׁלוּ׃ כַּבְּהֵמָה בַּבִּקְעָה תֵרֵד רוּחַ יְהוָה תְּנִיחֶנּוּ כֵּן נִהַגְתָּ עַמְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת לְךָ שֵׁם תִּפְאָרֶת׃

7 I will make mention of the lovingkindnesses of Jehovah, and the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. 8 For he hath said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not deal falsely: so he was their Saviour. 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them and carried them all the days of old.

10 But they rebelled and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy and himself fought against them. 11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? where is he that put his holy spirit in the midst of them? 12 that caused his Glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? that divided the waters before them to make himself an everlasting name? 13 that led them through the depths, as a horse in the wilderness, so that they stumbled not? 14 As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.


This block of Scripture is the introductory portion, a retrospect, of the petition which the nation of Israel will make in the year 1945-plus. The entire prayer is to be found in Isaiah 63:7-64:12.

In this petition the prophet was carried forward by the Spirit of God to the time of Jacob's trouble, the Great Tribulation, and saw his brethren in deep contrition, imploring deliverance by Almighty God. As their leader in spiritual matters, he burst forth into this petition, which is likewise a prophecy of that which shall surely be.

He began his supplication by stating that he would make mention of the lovingkindness of the Lord and of His praises along with His great goodness, which He has in the past bestowed upon Israel. It is impossible for anyone to magnify the Lord Jehovah in the manner and to the extent that is worthy of His great heart. As an example of God's tender mercies to Israel, the prophet was led to speak of the salvation and deliverance which was wrought for her at the time of her deliverance from Egyptian bondage. In his doing so, he mentioned specifically the three divine personalities, as we see in the following verses which I shall re-quote. "For he said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not deal falsely: so he was their Saviour. 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 10 But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore, he was turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them" (Isaiah 63:8-10).

In verse 8 the Lord Jehovah acknowledges that Israel is His own peculiar people, "children that will not deal falsely." Because of this fact--the covenant relationship into which God entered with Israel at Sinai, and which covenant in turn was based upon the one into which He entered with Abraham--"he was their Saviour." His great love for His covenant people led Him to plan and devise a means of redemption and deliverance for them from the galling, bitter bondage and oppression to which they were subjected in Egypt. Thus in a real sense He became their Saviour. Moreover "in all their affliction he was afflicted." Humanly speaking, the heart of God was grieved when He saw the injustice, cruelty, tyranny, and oppression to which His beloved people were being subjected. His heart is sympathetic to all human suffering. He does not willingly afflict the children of men. Whenever He permits any suffering to come upon His people, He is forced to do so on account of their attitude, actions, and sins. Whenever anyone therefore is suffering, as he believes, unjustly, he would do well to search his own heart and take an inventory of his life, asking the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to enable him to see where the difficulties lie. In all probability the Lord God will show to such a one the cause for which he is suffering.

The prophet, continuing the narration, declared, that "the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old." The expression, "the angel of his presence," is indeed unique and striking. Concerning this one the prophet declared that he saved them, that is, the angel of His presence saved Israel. Not only did He do that, but He also, in loving kindness and pity, bore them and carried them all the days of old. Who is this one? Light is thrown upon this passage by Exodus 23:20 and 21. "Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21 Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: כִּי שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּוֹ, for my name is in him." According to this promise God sent an angel before Israel throughout her wilderness wanderings. This one was to keep her in the way and to bring her into the place which He had prepared for her. Moreover the Lord warned Israel that she must hearken diligently unto His voice and not provoke Him, stating that "he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him." Let us note that this one had the right and authority to pardon sin but would not do so if Israel committed transgressions. The entire exhortation is strengthened by this statement, "for my name is in him." The word name in this clause is indeed unique and is not to be understood in an ordinary sense. As the Hebrews anciently employed this term, it signified the nature of God. For instance in Psalm 9:10 this language appears: "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee." Certainly in this passage the word name stands for God himself. Again we see the same usage in Psalm 91:14: "I will set him on high, because he has known שְׁמִי, my name."

Further light concerning this angel is given in Exodus, chapter 33. In verse 2 the Lord reiterated the promise that He would send an angel before Moses to prepare the way. According to verse 12 he told the Lord that, though he had been instructed to take the people up, the Lord had not made known whom He would send with him. Previous to this time the Lord had assured him that he had found favor in His sight. Then Moses asked the Lord that he might be shown the ways of the Almighty to the end that he might know Him--know Him in an experimental way and continue to find favor in His sight. In reply the Lord assured him saying,

"My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Here the Lord promised that His actual presence would go with Moses and Israel in their journey to the Promised Land. Continuing his conversation with the Lord, Moses requested Him not to carry them up if His presence should not go with them. He was convinced that the Lord's presence with them in their journey was proof that he had found favor in the sight of the Almighty.

Thereupon the Lord again assured him that He would not only go along with him, but that He would also show him His glory. This promise is found in the following statement: "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee." The Lord fulfilled His promise by putting Moses in the cleft of a rock, passing by, and proclaiming His name (Ex. 34:1-7). In proclaiming His name, Jehovah declared His attributes in the following words :

וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה ׀ יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת׃ נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה פֹּקֵד ׀ עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים וְעַל־בְּנֵי בָנִים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִים׃

"And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth; 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation" (Ex. 34:6,7). From the entire narrative found in Exodus 33:1--34:9, one sees that the angel whom the Lord Jehovah promised would accompany Israel was none other than one of the divine personalities. He was one of those appearing in the form of an angel to Abraham. Concerning Him, God declared that He was His very presence.

It is indeed interesting and informative to study in the five Books of Moses the appearances and the activity of this angel who saved Israel, delivered her from Egyptian bondage, and bore her throughout her wilderness wandering. At the conclusion of the forty-year period of her stay in the wilderness, Moses delivered his final orations which appear in the form of the Book of Deuteronomy. In 4:37,38 we have a statement relative to this angel whom God called "his presence."

וְתַחַת כִּי אָהַב אֶת־אֲבֹתֶיךָ וַיִּבְחַר בְּזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו וַיּוֹצִאֲךָ בְּפָנָיו בְּכֹחוֹ הַגָּדֹל מִמִּצְרָיִם׃ לְהוֹרִישׁ גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִמְּךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ לַהֲבִיאֲךָ לָתֶת־לְךָ אֶת־אַרְצָם נַחֲלָה כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃

"And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out with his presence, with his great power, out of Egypt; 38 to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as at this day."*

With the information that we have gleaned from the chapters at which we have been looking, we can understand more fully the significance of the expression מַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו, "angel of his presence," in Isaiah 63:9. The language of this verse is of such a definite character that we are forced to the conclusion that this personality is not an ordinary angel upon whom God looks--one of those that stand before the Lord of the whole earth. This passage can mean only one thing; namely, that in the face of this angel is seen the very personality of the Almighty shining forth. There is, of course, reflected in his countenance the love, pity, and compassion of the Eternal God, as well as the sterner qualities of His nature.

Notwithstanding the mighty miracles and wonders which the Lord wrought in behalf of Israel in delivering her from Egyptian bondage and in His bringing her into the Land of Promise, the people "rebelled, and grieved his רוּחַ קָדְשׁוֹ, holy Spirit; therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them" (Isa. 63:10). The language, "they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit," is so very definite and personal that we cannot avoid the conclusion that this is one of the divine personalities. In Nehemiah 9:20 we are told that God gave His good Spirit to instruct Israel and withheld not manna from her. Concerning the fact that God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, came and dwelt in Israel when the Lord God through the angel of His presence delivered her, Haggai made this statement: "For I [Jehovah] am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts, according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit abode among you: fear ye not" (Haggai 2:4,5).

Turning back to our original passage, Isaiah 63:8-10, we see God who becomes the Saviour of Israel (vs. 8). In verse 9 the angel of His presence saved her in that He carried out the actual plan of the Almighty. Then in verse 10 we note the Holy Spirit whom she grieved and against whom she rebelled. Thus in these three verses we see three divine personalities. Isaiah was therefore a thoroughgoing Trinitarian--the same as was Moses.

In verses 11-14 we see a changed attitude in the nation of Israel. Here she is deeply penitent because of her disobedience and of her having grieved the Holy Spirit. Verse 11, which begins this section, starts with the temporal adverb then. This word points definitely to a certain time. In the Revised Version we have this reading in the text: "Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people." As a marginal rendering, we have these words: "Then his people remembered the ancient days of Moses, etc." Grammatically both of these translations are correct. That one which accords with the facts of the context and harmonizes with related passages is to be selected. When we remember that Isaiah 63:7-64:12 is a prophecy and at the same time a prayer which Israel will utter in the closing days of this age--as all the facts indicate--we are led to prefer the marginal reading. Then--at the time foreseen in the passage-His people (Jehovah's people) remember the ancient days of Moses. Such is the import of the prophecy, even though in the translation the past tense is employed. This verse becomes clear when we recall that Isaiah was carried forward in vision into the future and saw Israel praying as set forth in this section. In their distress and perplexity, when they realize that all human efforts will be of no avail, their minds will revert to the deliverance wrought for them by the triune Godhead when He brought them out of Egypt and settled them in the Land of Promise, the country vouchsafed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for a perpetual inheritance. They will therefore ask the various questions which are found in verses 11-13.

The first of these questions is this: "Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock?" The one concerning whom this query is made undoubtedly is the Lord Jehovah concerning whom it is said in verse 8 that He became their Saviour. The second question to be asked is: "Where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them?" The Holy Spirit of this question clearly is the Holy Spirit mentioned in verse 10.

The next question in the series is: "Where is he that caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses?" (vs. 12). As stated above, the Lord Jehovah, the Father, is still the one who is represented as acting or supervising the deliverance from Egypt. It is He who "caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses. But who or what is meant by "his glorious arm?" "The arm of Jehovah" sometimes refers to His strength or power. At other times it indicates Messiah. The facts in each context must determine its particular significance in a given case. For instance, in Isaiah 51:9 we have this language: עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי־עֹז זְרוֹעַ יְהוָה עוּרִי כִּימֵי קֶדֶם דֹּרוֹת עוֹלָמִים הֲלוֹא אַתְּ־הִיא הַמַּחְצֶבֶת רַהַב מְחוֹלֶלֶת תַּנִּין׃ "Awake, awake, put on strength, 0 arm of Jehovah; awake as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Is it not thou that didst cut Rahab in pieces, that didst pierce the monster?

In verses 9-11 the facts show that this one who is called the "arm of Jehovah" is the one who combated Rahab and other monsters in primeval times. When this verse is read in the light of Job, chapters 40 and 41, one sees that leviathan and other sea monsters are used symbolically to refer to the first great rebel who revolted against God; namely, the anointed cherub who is now known as Satan, the devil. This anointed cherub was the highest type of being whom the Almighty could create. When he rebelled against God, there was no one who could deal with him except Deity himself--as one can see in chapter 9 of my volume, What Men Must Believe.

According to Isaiah 51:10 this same arm of Jehovah is the one who dried up the sea, opened up the great waters of the deep, and allowed Israel to pass out of Egyptian bondage through the Red Sea into the wilderness. As we have already seen, the "angel of Jehovah" is the one who accompanied Israel and delivered her from her bondage. This "angel of Jehovah," as we know, was none other than Jehovah himself. From the facts of the context of Isaiah 51:9, we see that the expression, "the arm of Jehovah," is here a designation of Messiah.

In Isaiah 53:1 we have this language: "Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?" In this passage the same words, which are translated, "the arm of Jehovah," occur as in Isaiah 51:9. An examination of the context of this verse shows that this "arm of Jehovah" is an individual--the Messiah of Israel--who suffers in behalf of the nation.

From Isaiah 40:10,11 we see that the "arm of Jehovah" signifies Jehovah himself:
"Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young."

The Book of Isaiah, with the exceptions of chapters 36-39, is written in poetical form, the fundamental principle of which is Hebrew parallelism. A statement is made by the choice of certain words and then is repeated or modified by another statement expressed in different language. In the first part of verse 10 the declaration is made, "Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one." This same thought is repeated in these words "And his arm will rule for him." The "Lord Jehovah" in the first statement is "his arm" in the second. This second sentence becomes a comment upon the first. Thus we see here a prediction that this one who is designated as the arm of Jehovah will come as a warrior, a mighty hero, and will set up a reign of righteousness on the earth in behalf of the Lord Jehovah. From this passage we learn that the expression, the arm of Jehovah, is used to signify the Messiah.

Again, in Isaiah 52:10, appears this same arm of Jehovah. But in order for a person to understand it properly, he must examine the context, especially verses 7-10. The prophet saw a messenger bringing good tidings to Zion--tidings of peace and of salvation. The watchmen of Zion hear the glad message and burst forth into singing. They are convinced of the truthfulness of what is announced to them and are persuaded that they shall see "eye to eye when Jehovah returneth to Zion" (vs. 8). The implication of this statement is that Jehovah will have come to Zion, but will have left it prior to the time here foreseen by the prophet; but in this revelation he sees Jehovah returning to Zion to establish His reign. In view of this disclosure the prophet calls upon the waste places of Jerusalem and vicinity to break forth into singing. Of course, he is speaking of the people who can sing and rejoice. (continued on next page)




Footnote:

*9 Hear, 0 Israel: thou art to pass over the Jordan this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the sons of Anak? 3 Know therefore this day, that Jehovah thy God is he who goeth over before thee as a devouring fire; he will destroy them, and he will bring them down before thee: so shalt thou drive them out, and make them to perish quickly, as Jehovah hath spoken unto thee. 4 Speak not thou in thy heart, after that Jehovah thy God hath thrust them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness Jehovah hath brought me in to possess this land; whereas for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah doth drive them out from before thee. 5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may establish the word which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

6 Know therefore, that Jehovah thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people. 7 Remember, forget thou not, how thou provokedst Jehovah thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou wentest forth out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against Jehovah. 8 Also in Horeb ye provoked Jehovah to wrath, and Jehovah was angry with you to destroy you (Deut. 9:1-8).

6 For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 7 Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: 8 but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that Jehovah thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations, 10 and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them (Deut. 7:6-11).


In the latter section of Isaiah, chapters 40-66, we read of "the servant of Jehovah." Usually the term, "my servant," appears. The prophet uses this expression with three connotations: (1) It embraces the entire nation of Israel; (2) it includes only the faithful remnant of the nation; and (3) it indicates King Messiah, the ideal Israelite. The facts of the context must determine its significance in each case. For example, in Isa. 42:18-22, this expression occurs. An examination of these verses shows that it signifies the entire nation of the Hebrews. But in Isa. 41:8-16 the same expression occurs (vs. 8), but the facts of this context show that it has a limited signification here. For this Israel is gathered back from the four corners of the globe to the land of the fathers and is reinstated into fellowship with the Almighty. This fact, together, with all that is said in this particular paragraph, shows that the servant here has the restricted meaning of the remnant of the Hebrews. On the other hand, the same expression, my servant, occurs in 42:1-4. An examination of the facts of this passage shows that his servant has as his objective the introduction of a new world order, spiritually, socially, and politically. In other words, He establishes a reign of righteousness and justice on the earth in accordance with the principles of truth. This is not a man-size job; it is a God-size job. Only Deity can perform this task. In view of these facts we must understand the servant of this passage to refer to King Messiah who is God in human form. (I establish this thesis beyond a peradventure in my book: Messiah: His Nature and Person.) When one studies the facts as they appear in Isa. 52:13--53:12 one sees that the data demand that we understand the servant of this passage to be none other than King Messiah. (For a full discussion of this point see my book, The Eternal God Revealing Himself to Suffering Israel and Lost Humanity.)