Isaiah 43:24

Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. THOU HAST BOUGHT ME NO SWEET CANE - for "sweet cane" (aromatic calamus) was not indigenous in Palestine, but had to be bought from foreign countries (). It was used among the Hebrews to make the sacred ointment (). It is often offered as a mark of hospitality. NEITHER HAST THOU FILLED ME - satiated me (). God deigns to use human language to adapt Himself to human modes of thought. THOU HAST MADE ME TO SERVE - though "I have not caused thee to serve" ...

24._Thou hast not bought cane for me. _He means the _cane _or _calamus _of which the precious ointment was composed, as we are informed, (Exodus 30:23;) for the high priests, the tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, together with its vessels, were anointed with it he says, therefore, “Although thou buy cane for me with money, yet thou oughtest not to reckon that to be expense bestowed on me, as if I approved of it.” They lost their pains in all those ceremonies, because they did not look to the proper end, since they did not exercise faith, or worship God with a pure conscience. _And thou hast not made me drunk. _This corresponds to a mode of expression employed in the law, in which God testifies that sacrifices are pleasant and delightful feasts to him; not that he took pleasure in the slaughter of animals, but that by these exercises he

22-28 Those who neglect to call upon God, are weary of him. The Master tired not the servants with his commands, but they tired him with disobedience. What were the riches of God's mercy toward them? I, even I, am he who yet blotteth out thy transgressions. This encourages us to repent, because there is forgiveness with God, and shows the freeness of Divine mercy. When God forgives, he forgets. It is not for any thing in us, but for his mercies' sake, his promise' sake; especially for his Son's sake. He is pleased to reckon it his honour. Would man justify himself before God? The attempt is desperate: our first father broke the covenant, and we all have copied his example. We have no reason to expect pardon, except we seek it by faith in Christ; and that is always attended by true repentance, and followed by newness of life, by hatred of sin, and love to God. Let us then put him in reme...

THOU HAST BOUGHT ME - You have not purchased this - implying that it was not produced in Palestine, but was an article of commerce. It was to be obtained only from abroad. This is expressly affirmed in Jeremiah 6:20 : ‘To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from afar country?’ That it was an article of commerce is also apparent from Ezekiel 27:19 : ‘Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs (that is, Tyre): bright iron, cassia, and calamus (קנה _qâneh_), were in thy market.’ SWEET CANE - The word used here (קנה _qâneh_), denotes properly “cane, reed, calamus” (Greek κάννα

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 43:1 A RENEWED PROMISE TO ISRAEL OF PROTECTION AND DELIVERANCE. Severe rebuke (Isaiah 42:18) is followed, as so often in Isaiah (Isaiah 1:25-23; Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah 9:1, etc.), by comfort and consolation. Israel is assured that God has not cast him off, and promised the comfort of the Divine presence during the existing tribulation (verse 2), and. a speedy restorati

THOU HAST BOUGHT ME NO SWEET CANE WITH MONEY,.... Or "calamus" r, which was used in the anointing oil, and for the perfume or incense, Exodus 30:7, this they thought too expensive, and so left it out of the composition, or neglected the whole this being put a part for the whole. Jarchi gives it as the sense, that they had no need to buy it, since it grew in great plenty in the land of Israel, which he took to be cinnamon; though this is distinguished from calamus, or the sweet cane, Song of Solomon 4:14, wherefore Kimchi much better observes, that it was not to be had in the land of Israel, but came from a land afar off; and therefore must be bought; see Jeremiah 6:20, hence grudging to give the price for it, a

Isaiah 43:1. _But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine._ I cannot pause to comment upon each of the precious sentences here, but every word is full of marrow and fatness. Ask the Lord to enable you to feed upon each sentence as it passes before your mind. Isaiah 43:2. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou was precious in my sight, thou hast been hono

CHAPTER 43 Jehovah Speaks in Comfort to His People 1. _What Jehovah is and will be to Israel (Isaiah 43:1)_ 2. _Second address to the blind and deaf people (Isaiah 43:8)_ 3. _Jehovah deals with their enemies (Isaiah 43:14)_ 4. _Blessed things to come: They shall show forth My praise (Isaiah 43:18)_ 5. _Jehovah's loving appeal and promise to remember their sins no more (Isaiah 43:22) _ Chapter s 43-45 must be studied together. Jehovah speaks in these Chapter s as nowhere else in the prophetic Word. Note the man

ISAIAH 43:22 TO ISAIAH 44:5. YAHWEH'S INTERVENTION, NOT PURCHASED BY HIS PEOPLE BUT ENTIRELY OF HIS GRACE, SHALL BRING NEW LIFE TO ISRAEL. It is not that during the exile Israel has assiduously sought Yahweh's aid by prayer and sacrifice. Nor has He exacted gifts and incense. So far from requiring them to buy sweet-scented cane to make fragrant their choice sacrifices, He has been compelled to do service for them, in saving them from the consequences of their sins. (Of His grace He will pardon their sins. What plea can they advance?) Their ancestor, Jacob, and the prophets, the very men who should have mediated between Yahweh and Israel, sinned against Him; the princes profaned His sanctuary. So He had given His people to the ban. Yet He bids His chosen people, addressing them by the pet name Jeshurun the upri

BUT. Note the solemn antithesis. MADE ME TO SERVE. Put by Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Effect, of the verb), for the judicial consequences of their sins....