Isaiah 63:16

The people’s relation with the *Lord in Isaiah’s day is not the relation that their *ancestors would have recognised.

• To use the two personal names, Abraham and Jacob (Abraham’s grandson), is a convenient way to refer to *ancestors in general. *Ancestors lived long ago, so they would not be aware of the people’s present situation. No *ancestor could act as a father and give them help. But God is much more wonderful than any human *ancestor. Through the centuries, he has continued to act as ‘our Father’.

• The *Lord’s promise always to be ‘Our Rescuer’ to his special people was an ancient promise. God made this promise at the time of Moses (see Deuteronomy 30:1-3). The *Lord rescued his people from Egypt (see Exodus 12:42). And later, he rescued them from Babylon (see Isaiah 11:11; Zechariah 10:9-10). God will never die. So God’s people can always trust him to be their Father, and he will help them.