Isaiah 64:7

7 No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and made us melt because of^[a][b]our iniquity.

Isaiah 64:7 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 64:7

And there is none that calleth upon thy name
Upon the Lord himself, who is gracious and merciful, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, and all sufficient, a God hearing and answering prayer, and the Father of his people; all which should engage to call upon him: or, "there is none that prays in thy name", as the Targum; none that prays to God in the name of his Son, the only Mediator between God and men; he is the way of access to the Father; his name is to be used and made mention of in prayer; acceptance is only through him, and all favours are conveyed by him; see ( John 14:13 John 14:14 ) ( John 16:23 John 16:24 ) , not that there were absolutely none at all that prayed to God, and called upon or in his name, but comparatively they were very few; for that there were some it is certain, since this very complaint is made in a prayer; but the number of such was small, especially that prayed in faith, in sincerity, with fervency and importunity; and, when this is the case, it is an argument and evidence of great declension: that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee;
to exercise faith on God, as their covenant God; to lay hold on the covenant itself, the blessings and promises of it, and plead them with God: or to pray unto him, which is a wrestling with him, when faith lays hold upon God, and will not let him go without the blessing; and is an entreaty of him not to depart when he seems to be about it; or a detaining of him, as the disciples detained Christ, when he seemed as if he would go from them; and is also an importunate desire that he would return when he is departed; and an earnest request not to strike when his hand is lifted up: faith in prayer does, as it were, take hold of the hands of God, and will not suffer him to strike his children; just as a friend lays hold on a father's hand when he is about to give his child a blow with it for his correction; and such is the amazing condescension of God, that he suffers himself to be held after this manner; see ( Genesis 32:26 ) ( Exodus 32:10 Exodus 32:11 ) ( Luke 24:28 Luke 24:29 ) , now, to "stir up" a man's self to this is to make diligent use of the means in seeking the Lord; particularly a frequent use of the gift of prayer, and a stirring of that up; a calling upon a man's soul, and all within him, to engage therein; to which are opposed slothfulness cold, lukewarm, negligent performance of duty, which is here complained of; there were none, or at least but few, that stirred up or "aroused" ^F2 themselves. God's professing people are sometimes asleep; and though it is high time to awake out of sleep, yet no one arouses himself or others. For thou hast hid thy face from us:
or removed the face of thy Shechinah, or divine Majesty from us, as the Targum; being provoked by such a conduct towards him, as before expressed: for it may be rendered, "therefore thou hast hid"; &c.; or "though", or "when" ^F3, this was the case, yet no man sought his face and favour, or entreated he would return again: and hast consumed us because of our iniquities;
by the sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 (rrwetm) "seipsum exsuscitat", Forerius; "excitans se", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius. So the Targum, "that awakes".
F3 (yk) "quamvis", Gataker; "cum", Junius & Tremellius; "quando", Forerius.

Isaiah 64:7 In-Context

5 You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember You in Your ways. But we have sinned, and You were angry; we will remain in Your ways and be saved.

6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

7 No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and made us melt because ofour iniquity.

8 Yet Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands.

9 Lord, do not be terribly angry or remember [our] iniquity forever. Please look-all of us are Your people!

Footnotes

• [a] LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read and delivered us into the hand of
• [b] Lit melt by the hand