_THE LORD COMFORTETH THE PEOPLE WITH HIS PROMISES: HE APPEALETH TO THE PEOPLE FOR WITNESS OF HIS OMNIPOTENCY: HE FORETELLETH TO THEM THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON, AND HIS WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE OF HIS PEOPLE: HE REPROVETH THE PEOPLE AS INEXCUSABLE._ _Before Christ 712._ THE second part of this discou... [ Continue Reading ]
O JACOB, AND HE THAT FORMED THEE, O ISRAEL— Jacob and Israel are here to be understood mystically, of the true and spiritual Israel; for _they are not all Israel who are of Israel,_ says the apostle, Romans 9:6. Vitringa thinks that the prophet here addresses the true believers of his own times; tho... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THOU PASSEST THROUGH THE WATERS, &C.— The general sense of the promise in this verse is, that God will so support and protect his spiritual church in those adversities and calamities which seem to threaten its destruction, that it shall never be destroyed; and that true believers shall always b... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR I AM THE LORD THY GOD— The Almighty by his prophet proceeds to assure his church of his particular affection towards her, by a remarkable proof of that affection; which is, that the evils and calamities threatening the destruction of the Jewish nation, had by his providence been averted from the... [ Continue Reading ]
SINCE THOU WAST PRECIOUS, &C.— This verse refers, according to Vitringa, to the deliverance from Sennacherib, whereby God abundantly shewed that the Jewish nation was _precious_ and _honourable_ in his sight; and the _men,_ in the last clause, refers to the Assyrians, and the _people_ to the Chaldee... [ Continue Reading ]
FEAR NOT— You see Isaiah here, in spirit, foretelling much greater and more important things than he seemed about to declare. We must observe, that while he appears to speak of one thing only, two are understood: the less includes the greater. Speaking literally and properly of the collection of the... [ Continue Reading ]
BRING FORTH THE BLIND, &C.— Vitringa renders the 9th verse, _Let,_ &c. _Who among them could declare this? Either let them tell us what shall first happen, and bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them_ [_be content to_] _hear, and say, this is truth._ The scope of this period i... [ Continue Reading ]
I, EVEN I, AM THE LORD, &C.— _I even I,_ &c. Isaiah 43:12. _I have declared and saved, and foreshewed, and not any strange god among you_ [_hath done so_]; _therefore,_ &c. The argument of this whole discourse is so consistent in all its parts, that nothing heterogeneous is mixed with it. God is her... [ Continue Reading ]
_ISAIAH 43:14_, _THUS SAITH THE LORD_— In these verses the prophet foretels, and typically describes the benefit of deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, which God would perform for his people. The meaning, is, "I have sent to Babylon the Medes and Persians, with Cyrus at their head, who shall... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SAITH THE LORD— The prophet in these words confirms what he had advanced respecting the deliverance from Babylon, by the former deliverance which God had wrought for his people from Egypt; thus, from the view of the past, strengthening the faith and hope of believers in what was to come. Some,... [ Continue Reading ]
REMEMBER YE NOT, &C.— _Call not to mind former things,_ &c. Another specimen is here produced of a mighty work of divine providence and grace, of a singular and wonderful benefit to be conferred upon the church, which is here described as greater and more excellent than the former ones. From which w... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THOU HAST NOT CALLED UPON ME— This reproof may be connected in a two-fold manner with the preceding discourse. _First,_ that the prophet, while he consoles the better part of the church, and confirms their faith by the predictions and promises of great things to come, may at the same time reprov... [ Continue Reading ]
I, EVEN I, AM HE THAT BLOTTETH OUT— In the 25th verse the prophet declares, in words truly evangelical, that the divine grace alone, freely forgiving transgressions and sins, is the cause of the blessings and benefits predicted and promised. He then urges, Isaiah 43:26 the conviction begun, Isaiah 4... [ Continue Reading ]