1 Oh that Thou would rend the heavens, that Thou would come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence,
“I wish You’d charge out of heaven and save us!”
2 As when the melting fire burns, the fire causes the waters to boil, to make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Thy presence!
“Just like a fire conquers everything, I want You to conquer those who are conquering us.”
3 When Thou did terrible things which we looked not for, Thou came down, the mountains flowed down at Thy presence.
“You’ve done it before; performed miracles to save Your people.”
4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what He has prepared for him that waits for Him.
“No human has ever even been able to imagine what blessings You have in store for those who love You.
5 Thou meet him that rejoices and works righteousness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways: behold, Thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
“You are mad, God, but those of us who repent will have salvation.”
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
All human beings have sinned and deserve hell. It not possible to be righteous enough to earn salvation.
7 And there is none that calls upon Thy name, that stirs up himself to take hold of Thee: for Thou hast hid Thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
Jesus said no one can be saved unless the Father calls them. Now, the Bible is clear that God wants everyone to be saved, so at some point in every life, God calls that person to Him. They then have the choice to listen or not.
At this point, God is not offering salvation to these rebels. Not until the punishment is over.
8 But now, O Lord, Thou are our father; we are the clay, and Thou our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand.
God formed each and every one of us in the womb. We are all a work of art, a masterpiece of the Master Artist.
Just a note on pop culture: Harry Potter, pronounced in an English accent is ‘arry Potter; or “Heir of the Potter.” Child of God. This series of books is the author’s allegorical rendition of the path the believer takes from conversion (or, really, discovering they are a Christian, since she is a Presbyterian and they believe in predestination) to maturity and fully selling out to God (killing that evil inside of ourselves).
“Harry Potter. The greatest evangelical opportunity the Christian world ever missed.”
9 Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity forever: behold, see, we beseech Thee, we are all Thy people.
Many Jews turned back to God because of the Babylonian captivity.
10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Judah is destroyed.
Assyria flattened most of the country, and Babylon took three trips to destroy the rest. Don’t know just where in the timeline this was written.
11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
Either the Temple has been destroyed (which happened in the last wave from Babylon), or Isaiah is prophesying that happening.
12 Will thou refrain Thyself for these things, O Lord? will Thou hold Thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
“Aren’t You going to do anything about it?”