Isaiah 64:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

A similar message is conveyed by the prophet, who states that God will "open the heavens," suggesting a deluge of divine wrath akin to that which occurred during the flood, when "the gates of heaven" were unsealed. The mountains will tremble at His presence and melt like wax in the fire. However, when referring to mountains, he does not speak of physical peaks, but rather of malevolent powers that exhibit overwhelming pride, likened to the highest mountains. These haughty forces will be gripped with terror, melting away before the onslaught of divine fire. The fury descending from on high will vanquish those who appear to defy God’s will, and the name of the Lord will be made manifest among those who oppose Him.

What does this signify? The Almighty often performs wonders that showcase His boundless might and majesty, using such power to discipline wrongdoers and demonstrate His judgment. This was evident when fire rained down upon Sodom or when the obstinate Pharaoh faced severe trials. Thus, the prayer rises, O Lord, let not your greatness or your name be displayed through wrath against us, but rather direct it against the wicked spirits and those who overtly oppose your glory, lured by their own arrogance. For by maintaining your glory, even then the mountains shall tremble before you, and once more it will be noted about those mountains that have just been referenced.

Our enemies have desecrated Your sanctuary, and we have returned to our former state, when we did not call upon Your name; we plead, Oh, if You would rend the heavens and come down, and fulfill Your promises as You have always declared. This was spoken at a time before the Savior appeared, before He took upon Himself our nature and essence from the virgin womb to bring salvation, so that we might reflect the image of heavenly things, just as we have borne the image of earthly things (1 Cor. 15). If You had done this, they claim, and if the heavens had been opened, at the arrival of Your majesty, the mountains would have either collapsed or been shaken away like wax before the fire. Ezekiel encountered an open heaven and witnessed a profound vision (Ezek. 1). Also, Moses entreated between blessings in Deuteronomy, ‘May the Lord open to you his good treasure, the heavens, to grant you a blessing (Deut. 28:12). The Gospel (Matthew 3) recounts how John the Baptist witnessed the heavens opening and the Holy Spirit descending upon the Lord in the likeness of a dove. The mountains, which tremble at the Lord's coming, as it is written, ‘God is a consuming fire’ (Deut. 4:24), will similarly vanish and melt, representing the opposing forces and all who resist God's will, as sung in Psalm ninety-six, ‘Behold, the earth trembles. Melt like wax before the Lord, before the God of all the earth (Psalm 96:3-4). For had You come down and fulfilled Your promises, the waters of the sea would have vanished (according to Symmachus), and all their saltiness would have been consumed by fire. Another Psalm states, As smoke vanishes, so will they disappear; as wax melts in the fire, so shall the sinners perish in the presence of God (Psalms 67:3). It is noteworthy that when the waters of the sea are consumed by divine fire, then the name of the Lord Savior will be revealed to His enemies, as mentioned in the sixty-seventh Psalm, The tongue of your dogs will be turned against your foes (Psalms 67:24), so that those who were unaware of His goodness might recognize Him through the downfall of their city and their own captivity. From His presence, the nations will be agitated, or as the Hebrew more explicitly states, they shall be stirred, that those who were previously motionless may find salvation. When He performs marvelous works and signs as He did in Egypt and the wilderness, they will acknowledge they cannot endure His coming, for trembling will seize the mountains. It is beautifully expressed in Hebrew, as if they had been heard, that they who previously cried, Oh, if You had torn the heavens and come down, the mountains would have fallen from Your presence, now add, You have come down; the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, truly Immanuel, which means God with us. Therefore, all the mountains we discussed have crumbled before You. The Hebrews interpret this passage to say that the fire will burn the wicked as waters boil in flames, affirming that by ‘amasim’ they mean not destruction and melting, but rather the wicked.