Part 19

The Holy Spirit Can Be Forsaken, Part 5

Isaiah 63:3–4 (ESV) —  “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel.  For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.

Recap

What are we talking about this month? Well, at the great risk of appearing repetitive, we are once again looking at the Scriptural truth that the Holy Spirit can be forsaken through current, continuous, ongoing, deliberate and unrepentant sin. Scripture gives at least 3 instances of this actually happening. 

The first we looked at was King Saul and the Holy Spirit departing him (1 Samuel 16:14). Saul gives us a story about an individual who Scripture says both received the Holy Spirit and then lost His presence through unrepentance. 

The second instance (which we looked at last month) is found in Ezekiel 11. In verse 23 the Holy Spirit’s gracious presence is referred to as the “glory of the Lord”,  and this same glory departed from the temple in the city of Jerusalem because of the “detestable” deeds that all the people were committing there. Not only can individuals lose the gracious presence of the Spirit, it also appears that congregations can as well. It’s not that an individual can lose the Holy Spirit (and therefore their salvation) because they belong to the wrong congregation, but what we do see in Scripture is that an entire congregation that has forsaken the Lord and His Word should not expect to continue to hold the Spirit. 

Isaiah 63

This month we continue in Isaiah 63. You may remember that our first article to be dedicated to forsaking the Holy Spirit actually began with a verse from Isaiah 63. 

Isaiah 63:8–10 (ESV) —  For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.  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; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.  But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.

This whole chapter (63) gives us a sort-of counter-weight to the Servant Song found in Isaiah 52:12-53:12. In that Servant Song, the Messiah is prophesied to suffer for the sins of others. He will be crushed to pay the price for their guilt and the result is that “offspring” will be added to Him. 

Isaiah 53:10 (ESV) —  Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

But in Isaiah 63 this mighty savior is the one doing the crushing instead of being crushed. 

Isaiah 63:3 (ESV) — [The Messiah speaking says,] “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. 

What an incredible difference! 

God As the Enemy of the Unrighteous

The key difference is that the Servant Song is (for us in our timeframe) a description of something that has been accomplished. If we trust in that work, which was accomplished for us on the cross, then that faith will be counted to us as righteousness. Chapter 63, however, is a description of the judgment day yet to come. 

Isaiah 63:4 (ESV) —  For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.

Yet, even in verse 4 we see that the day of judgment will be a day of wrath against some and deliverance for others. Every week, in the Creed, we confess that we believe that Jesus “will come again to judge the living and the dead.” That day will be a day of both “vengeance” and “redemption." For the righteous-by-faith, that day will be a day of redemption. For everyone else, it will be a day of receiving God’s vengeance. Rebellion will be met with punishment, and faith will be met with redemption. 

Chapter 63 is interesting because in this chapter the Holy Spirit and the Messiah of God are both referenced. At different points, both of them are depicted or described as the enemy of the rebellious. In verses 1-9, even though the Messiah is described as “righteous”, “mighty to save”, and “their Savior”, He is also described as “trampling the rebellious peoples in His anger” and “pouring out their lifeblood.” 

The Messiah is not the only person of the Trinity depicted as wrathful here though. The Holy Spirit is also spoken of as an adversary of the rebellious. Though the imagery is less graphic, verse 10 says that “They rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit, therefore He turned to be their enemy and Himself fought against them.”

Now, admittedly, the antecedent for the pronoun “He” in verse 10 is a bit ambiguous. The “He” that became their enemy could perhaps be said to be the Messiah. Equally, if not more likely though, is that verse 10 describes the Holy Spirit turning and becoming the enemy of those who had rebelled against Him and the Messiah. 

In Isaiah 63, God’s turning and fighting against the unrighteous actually goes a step beyond what we see happening in Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 11 the Holy Spirit’s gracious presence is lost because of apostasy. In Isaiah 63, we see beyond the patience of God (2 Peter 3:9) to judgment day when God’s wrath is no longer patiently stayed but is actively poured out on the unrighteous and rebellious.  

Twice the Bible says that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The Holy Spirit is Himself God, so it should not surprise us that He can and will turn to be the enemy of those who continue in rebellion against Him. Isaiah 63 flatly proclaims that truth. 

The Take-Away

The take-away from Isaiah 63 is rather obvious: “Don’t rebel against God and grieve the Holy Spirit.” All the nations and peoples who continue in their rebellion against the Messiah Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit will one day be trampled by them. Conversely, those who trust in Jesus will receive redemption and adoption as sons and daughters of God. 

In these articles, we’ve previously begun to look at how the Holy Spirit creates that saving faith through the Means of Grace. He works through the Word and through Baptism to save people. Baptism and the Word of God really do save you and impart the gift of the Holy Spirit, but that gift is not irresistible. We’ve now sufficiently covered the fact that believers can forsake the Holy Spirit, so next month we’ll resume looking at the Means of Grace.