INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 59 As the former chapter declares the hypocrisy and formality of professors of religion; this expresses the errors and heresies, immorality and profaneness, which shall prevail before the spiritual reign of Christ, or the latter day glory begins; which is so fully described i... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, THE LORD'S HAND IS NOT SHORTENED, THAT IT CANNOT SAVE,.... It is not for want of power in the Lord, that he has not as yet destroyed the enemies of his people, antichrist, and the antichristian states, and saved them out of their hands, and made them to triumph over them; or brought on the g... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 2 BUT YOUR INIQUITIES HAVE SEPARATED BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR GOD,.... Like a partition wall dividing between them, so that they enjoy no communion with him in his worship and ordinances; which is greatly the case of the reformed churches: they profess the true God, and the worship of him, and do a... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR YOUR HANDS ARE DEFILED WITH BLOOD, AND YOUR FINGERS WITH INIQUITY,.... From a general charge, the prophet proceeds to a particular enumeration of sins they were guilty of; and idolatry not being mentioned, as Jerom observes, shows that the prophecy belongs to other times than Isaiah's, when that... [ Continue Reading ]
NONE CALLETH FOR JUSTICE,.... Or, "righteousness"; not for civil justice in courts of judicature, as if there were no advocates for it there; or that put those in mind of it, to whom the administration of it belongs; or that see to put the laws against sin in execution, and to relieve those that are... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY HATCH COCKATRICE EGGS, AND WEAVE THE SPIDER'S WEB,.... Invent false doctrines according to their own fancies, which may seem fair and plausible, but are poisonous and pernicious; as the "eggs [of the] cockatrice", which may look like, and may be taken for, the eggs of creatures fit to eat; and... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR WEBS SHALL NOT BECOME GARMENTS, NEITHER SHALL THEY COVER THEMSELVES WITH THEIR WORKS,.... As spiders' webs are not fit to make garments of, are too thin to cover naked bodies, or shelter from bad weather, or injuries from different causes; so neither the false doctrines of men will be of any u... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR FEET RUN TO EVIL,.... Make haste to commit all manner of sin, and particularly that which follows, with great eagerness and swiftness, taking delight and pleasure therein, and continuing in it; it is their course of life. The words seem to be taken out of Proverbs 1:16 and are quoted with the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WAY OF PEACE THEY KNOW NOT,.... Neither the way of peace with God, supposing it is to be made by man, and not by Christ; and are ignorant of the steps and methods taken to procure it; nor do they know the way of peace of conscience, or how to attain to that which is true and solid; nor the way t... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE IS JUDGMENT FAR FROM US,.... These are the words of the few godly persons in those times, taking notice of prevailing sins, confessing and lamenting them, and observing that these were the source of their calamities under which they groaned; "therefore", because of the above mentioned sins... [ Continue Reading ]
WE GROPE FOR THE WALL LIKE THE BLIND,.... Who either with their hands, or with a staff in them, feel for the wall to lean against, or to guide them in the way, or into the house, that they may know whereabout they are, and how they should steer their course: AND WE GROPE AS IF WE HAD NO EYES: which... [ Continue Reading ]
WE ROAR ALL LIKE BEARS, AND MOURN SORE LIKE DOVES,.... Some in a more noisy and clamorous, others in a stiller way, yet all in private: for the bear, when robbed of its whelps, goes to its den and roars; and the dove, when it has lost its mate, mourns in solitude: this expresses the secret groanings... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS ARE MULTIPLIED BEFORE THEE,.... Not only an increase of immorality among the people in common, but among professors of religion; and as their transgressions are committed against the Lord, so they are in his sight taken notice of and observed by him, are loathsome and abominab... [ Continue Reading ]
IN TRANSGRESSING AND LYING AGAINST THE LORD,.... The word of the Lord, as the Targum; they transgress the doctrine of Christ, as well as the law of God, and deny him the only Lord God, even our Lord Jesus Christ, his proper deity, his righteousness, and satisfaction, which is notorious in our days;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD, AND JUSTICE STANDETH AFAR OFF,.... Jarchi interprets this of the vengeance of God, and his righteousness in his judgments, not immediately executed; but it is to be understood of the want of judgment and justice being done among men; and therefore are represente... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, TRUTH FAILETH,.... Or, "is deprived" f; of its life and being; it not only falls in the street, and there lies, without any to show regard unto it; but it fails; it seems as if it had given up the ghost and expired; so very prevalent will error be, before light and truth spring up again and be... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAW THAT THERE WAS NO MAN,.... Whose works are good, as the Targum adds; no good man, or faithful and righteous one, that had any regard to truth and justice; that was an advocate for truth, and opposed error, and set on foot a reformation; or was concerned for any of these things, and mourne... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS AS A BREASTPLATE,.... Here the Lord is represented as a warrior clothed with armour, and as Christ is, and as he will appear in the latter day on the behalf of his people, and against their enemies, who is called faithful and true, and in righteousness will make war, Reve... [ Continue Reading ]
ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS, ACCORDINGLY HE WILL REPAY,.... As the enemies of his people have treated them, so will the Lord deal with them; as they have shed their blood, he will, according to the laws of retribution and retaliation, give them blood to drink, as they deserve. The whore of Rome shall b... [ Continue Reading ]
SO SHALL THEY FEAR THE NAME OF THE LORD FROM THE WEST, AND HIS GLORY FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN,.... The eastern and western antichrist being destroyed, way shall be made for the spread of the Gospel east and west; which shall be everywhere embraced, and the true worship of God set up; and the glori... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REDEEMER SHALL COME TO ZION,.... Not Cyrus, as some; but the Messiah, as it is applied in the Talmud m and in other Jewish writers n, and as Aben Ezra rightly interprets it; and so Kimchi, who also understands by the enemy, in the preceding verse, Gog and Magog; and this must be understood n... [ Continue Reading ]
AS FOR ME, THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, SAITH THE LORD,.... Which shall be manifested and made good to them that repent of their sins, and, believe in Christ; and to whom the particular blessing of it shall be applied, the forgiveness of their sins; see Romans 11:27: MY SPIRIT WHICH IS UPON THEE,... [ Continue Reading ]