Isaiah 64:1-9

Ancient lens

What's the historical context?

Longing created by exile

For the Israelites, who escaped enslavement and exile in Egypt, the experience at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19 was formative. It framed their past, their present, and their future. The day that the Lord came down and revealed himself to Moses and Aaron was seared in the collective memory of the people and their offspring, “Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke in a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently” (Exodus 19:18, NRSV). God spoke to the people, “I am the Lord God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other…