Day 27 — Isaiah 63:1-6 The Warrior From Edom
Opening prayer
Righteous Lord, help me not to look away from the seriousness of your judgment. Teach me to hate evil, trust your justice, and take refuge in the Redeemer who saves his people completely. Amen.
Headline
The divine warrior comes alone to judge evil and redeem his people, so that salvation is secured and wickedness is finally destroyed.
Isaiah 63:1-6
63 Who is this coming from Edom,
from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson?
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?
“It is I, proclaiming victory,
mighty to save.”
2 Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?
3 “I have trodden the winepress alone;
from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled them in my anger
and trod them down in my wrath;
their blood spattered my garments,
and I stained all my clothing.
4 It was for me the day of vengeance;
the year for me to redeem had come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm achieved salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me.
6 I trampled the nations in my anger;
in my wrath I made them drunk
and poured their blood on the ground.”
Comment
After the beauty and joy of chapters 61 and 62, today’s reading is deliberately jarring.
We have heard of good news for the poor, freedom for captives, comfort for mourners, garments of salvation, new names, and a city no longer deserted. Now Isaiah sees a mysterious figure approaching from Edom, with garments stained crimson.
“Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson?” (v.1)
Edom was Israel’s long-standing enemy, often used in the Old Testament as a representative of nations hostile to God and his people. Bozrah was one of its major cities, and its name sounds like the word for vintage or grape harvest. That matters, because the imagery of the passage is a winepress.
At first, the figure appears magnificent: “robed in splendour, striding forward in the greatness of his strength” (v.1). He is not weak, uncertain, or defeated. He comes with royal dignity and irresistible power.
The answer comes from his own mouth:
“It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save” (v.1).
This is the LORD himself, or more precisely, the divine warrior who acts with God’s own saving power. In the light of the previous chapters, we recognise him as the Messiah: the Spirit-anointed one who proclaimed the year of the LORD’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God.
But why are his garments red?
The answer is not comfortable. He has trodden the winepress of God’s wrath. “I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground” (v.6).
The picture is graphic because judgment is terrible. God’s opposition to evil is not mild disapproval. He is holy. He hates oppression, cruelty, idolatry, violence, blasphemy, and every form of rebellion against his good rule. A world in which God never judged evil would not be a loving world. It would be a world abandoned to injustice.
That is why the day of vengeance is also connected to redemption. The warrior says, “It was for me the day of vengeance; the year for me to redeem had come” (v.4).
Judgment and salvation are two sides of God’s intervention. When God comes to save his people, he must also defeat what threatens, enslaves, corrupts, and destroys them. Evil must not merely be forgiven; it must finally be removed.
This work belongs to God alone. “I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm achieved salvation for me” (v.5). No human ruler, army, reform movement, or moral effort can bring final justice. Only the LORD can do it.
This language recalls Isaiah 59, where God saw that there was no one to intervene, so his own arm brought salvation. Humanity cannot rescue itself from sin or from judgment. We need God to act.
The New Testament shows us something astonishing. The warrior who will one day tread the winepress of judgment is also the Servant who was first crushed for our iniquities. At the cross, Jesus bore judgment for his people. At his return, he will judge evil and vindicate all who belong to him.
This means Christians need not be embarrassed by God’s judgment, though we should speak of it with tears. Judgment is necessary if justice is to be done, victims are to be vindicated, evil is to be ended, and the redeemed are to be secure forever.
Why does God want me to hear this today? Because I can sentimentalise God’s love and minimise the horror of evil. Isaiah reminds me that grace is not softness towards sin. Jesus saves by bearing judgment, and he will return by bringing judgment. That should humble me, comfort me, and stir me to urgent faith. The year of the LORD’s favour is still being proclaimed. The day of vengeance will come. Therefore I must take refuge in Christ and hold out his mercy to others while there is still time.
Reflect
Where am I tempted to think lightly of evil or of God’s judgment?
How does the cross help me understand both the seriousness of judgment and the greatness of grace?
Who needs me to speak of the year of the LORD’s favour while there is still time?
Closing prayer
Mighty Saviour, you alone are righteous, and you alone are mighty to save. Thank you that you bore judgment for sinners at the cross. Keep me from treating evil lightly or speaking of judgment carelessly. Help me to take refuge in you, long for justice, and urgently hold out your mercy to others before the day of your return. Amen.
Discover more from St Andrew's Roseville
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.