Our next segment of Chapter 63 speaks of the great goodness of God and of man's unfaithfulness in spite of His goodness.
"I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which He is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us---yes, the many good things He has done for Israel, according to His compassion and many kindnesses." (Isaiah 63:7) The Lord has been good to Israel---and to people all over the earth---but we have not always been true to Him. Granted, we cannot live perfect lives as long as we are in these mortal bodies in a fallen world, but there is a difference between making mistakes (while still loving the Lord) and forsaking Him. A majority of the people of the northern and southern kingdoms ended up forsaking Him for idols. In some cases they chose to worship literal idols; in other cases they chose to have no religion and to simply do what their carnal natures wanted to do.
After the Lord made a mighty nation out of Isaiah's ancestors by doing many miraculous things for them, He had a right to expect their fidelity. "He said, 'Surely they are My people, children who will be true to Me,' and so He became their Savior." (Isaiah 63:8) He brought them out of Egypt, which was one of the most---if not the most---idolatrous nations of all time and proclaimed Himself the one and only God by many awesome signs and wonders on their behalf.
He sympathized with their troubles in Egypt and was moved by compassion for them. His heart broke for the way they were oppressed and persecuted. "In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old." (Isaiah 63:9) The Lord caused them to multiply greatly while in Egypt and He protected them from the plagues that He sent upon the Egyptians. He provided for them in spite of their wicked taskmasters' prejudice against them. He brought them out of the land of slavery with many valuable possessions and sent them water and food during the wilderness years. Day after day and night after night He led them, protecting them from their enemies, providing their every need.
But many did not trust Him and I want to point out that it's not only Isaiah's people who have rewarded His goodness with unfaithfulness. The Lord has been kind to everyone, yet we have been wayward at times. We were once lost in our sins, serving the flesh and serving the gods of this world. Even after we accepted Him as Lord, we have sometimes done what we wanted---what we knew was wrong---instead of repaying His kindness with obedience. Because Isaiah's people repaid His kindness with rejection and idolatry, He allowed them to be conquered and taken captive. "Yet they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy and He Himself fought against them." (Isaiah 63:10)
They turned against Him and, after repeatedly warning them and pleading with them, He turned against them, allowing pagan idolaters to flood in and take their territory over, allowing their human enemies to capture them. But even this was the goodness of God, for it was not done to make an end of them as a people but to turn them back to Him, as we will see in our next study session. The people will question why such calamity has come upon them and they will acknowledge that they brought it upon themselves. They will recall the days of old, as Isaiah will phrase it, and will remember how carefully the Lord watched over them when they were faithful to Him.
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