INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 51 This chapter gives the church and people of God reason to expect comfortable times and certain salvation, though they had many enemies. They are directed to look to Abraham and Sarah, signified by the rock and hole of the pit, and observe how he was called alone, blessed a... [ Continue Reading ]
HEARKEN UNTO ME, YE THAT FOLLOW AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... After having declared the doom of the wicked, and those that trust to their own righteousness, the Lord returns to them that fear him, whom he describes as such that "follow after righteousness"; not the righteousness of the law, it is the cha... [ Continue Reading ]
LOOK UNTO ABRAHAM YOUR FATHER,.... Not only the father of the Jewish nation, but of all them that believe: this explains what is meant by the rock, in the former verse, who is to be looked unto for imitation in the exercise of faith, and performance of duty, and for encouragement in distressed times... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE LORD SHALL COMFORT ZION,.... The church, by his Spirit, in the ministration of the word, and administration of ordinances; by the donation of the blessings of grace, and by the application of Gospel promises; by the discoveries of his love; by granting his gracious presence; by blessing his... [ Continue Reading ]
HEARKEN UNTO ME, MY PEOPLE,.... His special people, whether Jews or Gentiles, chosen by him, taken into covenant with him; given to Christ, redeemed by him as a peculiar people, and called by his grace; these are exhorted to hearken to him; to his word, as the Targum; see Isaiah 51:1: AND GIVE EAR... [ Continue Reading ]
MY RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NEAR,.... These are either the words of God the Father, and to be understood not of his essential righteousness, nor of his vindictive justice; but of the righteousness of his Son, which he calls his own, because he approves and accepts of it, imputes and reckons it to his people... [ Continue Reading ]
LIFT UP YOUR EYES TO THE HEAVENS,.... And observe their beauty and order, the constant and regular motion of the heavenly bodies, the firmness and solidity of them: AND LOOK UPON THE EARTH BENEATH; how stable and well founded it is: FOR THE HEAVENS SHALL VANISH AWAY LIKE SMOKE; though they are so... [ Continue Reading ]
HEARKEN UNTO ME, YE THAT KNOW RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... The righteousness of God, and of his law; the purity of his nature, what righteousness is agreeable to him, and required by him; the imperfection and insufficiency of a man's own righteousness, and the glory and fulness of Christ's righteousness, reve... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE MOTH SHALL EAT THEM UP LIKE A GARMENT,.... Either these reproaches, or the persons that reproach; as a garment is eaten by the moth, secretly, slowly, surely, and at last completely, so that it becomes utterly good for nothing; so secret, gradual, sure and certain, complete and perfect, will... [ Continue Reading ]
AWAKE, AWAKE, PUT ON STRENGTH, O ARM OF THE LORD,.... The Septuagint and Arabic versions take the words to be an address to Jerusalem; and the Syriac version to Zion, as in Isaiah 51:17, but wrongly: they are, as Jarchi says, a prayer of the prophet, or it may be rather of the church represented by... [ Continue Reading ]
ART THOU NOT IT WHICH HATH DRIED THE SEA, THE WATERS OF THE GREAT DEEP,.... That is, the Red sea, and the deep waters of it; as it did, by causing a strong east wind to blow, which drove the sea back, and made it a dry land, in the midst of which the children of Israel walked as on dry land, Exodus... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SHALL RETURN,.... Or "and", or "so" q. In like manner, and as sure as the Israelites had a way made for them through the sea to pass over, so sure shall all those that are redeemed by the blood of Christ from sin, Satan, the law, death, and hell, be gathered out of... [ Continue Reading ]
I, EVEN I, AM HE THAT COMFORTETH YOU,.... This is an answer to the prayer of the prophet, or the church by him, in which the Lord promises not only assistance and help, but comfort; not only to exert his power and show his great strength by making bare his arm; but to open his heart, unbosom himself... [ Continue Reading ]
AND FORGETTEST THE LORD THY MAKER,.... That he is thy Maker, and therefore is able to protect and preserve thee; when the fear of man prevails God is forgotten, his power, his providence, his promises, and past instances of divine favour and goodness; were these more frequently recollected, consider... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CAPTIVE EXILE HASTENETH THAT HE MAY BE LOOSED,.... The time hastens on, or God will hasten the time, for the release either of the captive Jews in literal Babylon, or of his people in mystical Babylon; or they that are in exile and captivity, as soon as ever opportunity offers for their release,... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT I AM THE LORD THY GOD THAT DIVIDED THE SEA, WHOSE WAVES ROARED,.... Referring to the dividing of the Red sea by a violent wind, at which time the waves of it doubtless roared till they were made to stand quietly, as a wall on the right and left, for the Israelites to pass through, as in Isaiah 5... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I HAVE PUT MY WORDS IN THY MOUTH,.... His promises and his truths, either in the mouth of his church, and people for them, both to preserve and transmit to future generations, and to publish and declare to the comfort of each other, Isaiah 59:21 or to the Prophet Isaiah, to make known to the peo... [ Continue Reading ]
AWAKE, AWAKE, STAND UP, O JERUSALEM,.... As persons out of a sleep, or out of a stupor, or even out of the sleep of death; for this respects a more glorious state of the church, the Jerusalem, the mother of us all, after great afflictions; and especially if it respects the more glorious state of all... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS NONE TO GUIDE HER AMONG ALL THE SONS WHOM SHE HATH BROUGHT FORTH,.... Still alluding to drunken persons staggering in the streets, that can scarcely stand on their feet, and do not know their way, and yet have none to hold them up and guide them, not even of their friends and relations: NE... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE TWO THINGS ARE COME UNTO THEE,.... Affliction from the hand of God, though by means of enemies, and no friends to help, support, and comfort, as before hinted: or else this respects what follows, after it is said, WHO SHALL BE SORRY FOR THEE? lament or bemoan thee? they of the earth will rejo... [ Continue Reading ]
THY SONS HAVE FAINTED,.... Through want of food, or at the desolation made, and have no spirit in them to appear in the interest of true religion: THEY LIE AT THE HEAD OF ALL THE STREETS; emaciated by famine, and not able to walk, but drop down in the streets, and there lie panting and pining away;... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE HEAR NOW THIS, THOU AFFLICTED,.... By Babylon, by antichrist and his followers; hear, for thy comfort, the following prophecy: AND DRUNKEN, BUT NOT WITH WINE; not with wine in a literal sense; nor with the wine of the fornication of the whore of Rome; nor with idolatry, as the kings of th... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SAITH THE LORD, THE LORD AND THY GOD,.... He who is Lord of all, the eternal Jehovah, who can do all things, and who is the covenant God of his people, and will do all things he has purposed and promised, and which are for their good and his glory; of which they may be assured from the consider... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL PUT IT INTO THE HAND OF THEM THAT AFFLICT ME,.... As the Lord did to literal Babylon, Jeremiah 25:15, so will he do to mystical Babylon; he will retaliate upon her all the evils she has done to others, and destroy them that destroyed the earth; see Revelation 11:18, WHICH HAVE SAID TO T... [ Continue Reading ]