Connect Isaiah 63:15 with another scripture emphasizing God's compassion and mercy. Setting the Scene • Isaiah 63 records Israel recalling God’s past deliverances, then lamenting a present sense of distance. • Verse 15 captures the raw plea: “Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and glorious habitation. Where are Your zeal and Your might? Your yearning and compassion are withheld from us.” (Isaiah 63:15) • The nation feels that God’s “yearning and compassion” are hidden—yet Scripture affirms these qualities never fail. A companion text that highlights this steadfast mercy is Psalm 103:8-14. God’s Compassion Declared “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.” Drawing the Connection • Isaiah 63:15 voices the feeling that compassion is “withheld”; Psalm 103 assures that compassion is woven into God’s very nature. • The same God who seemed distant to Israel is explicitly described as: – “Compassionate and gracious” (v. 8) – “Slow to anger” (v. 8) – “Abounding in loving devotion” (v. 8) • Isaiah’s lament arises from human perception during discipline; Psalm 103 reveals the underlying reality—discipline never nullifies mercy (see also Lamentations 3:31-33). • Notice the father-child imagery in both passages: – Isaiah appeals to God’s paternal “yearning.” – Psalm 103:13 anchors compassion in fatherhood: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion…” • The Scriptures therefore speak with one voice: even when sin brings chastening, God’s heart remains moved with tenderness toward His people. Living in the Assurance of His Compassion • Trust the unchanging character of God over shifting emotions. • Let Psalm 103 shape our response when we feel Isaiah 63:15’s ache: – Remember His past acts of kindness. – Confess sins, knowing He “has not dealt with us according to our iniquities.” – Rest in the promise that His loving devotion is “as high as the heavens.” • Because His compassion is fatherly, we approach Him with confidence, certain He understands our frailty and delights to restore. |
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