Isaiah 43:27

Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. THY FIRST FATHER - collectively for 'thy most ancient ancestors' as the parallelism ("teachers") proves (Maurer). Or, thy chief religious ministers or priests (Gesenius). The address is to the Jews specially. Abraham is not meant, as he is everywhere cited as an example of faithfulness, not of sin. The Jews boasted of their fathers, and thought that God's favour was due to the nation because of their fathers' merits. But here He sets aside all merit in their fathers, as in Isaiah 43:22 he had set aside all merit in themselves. Compare Stephen's reproof, , "Ye stiffnecked ... as your fathers did, so do ye." The Hebrew may mean, 'thy head fathers' (literally, father, collectively); i:e., thy kings,...

27._Thy first father sinned. _This passage is almost universally understood to refer to the “first parent” Adam. (Genesis 3:6.) Some prefer to interpret it as relating to Abraham; as if he had said, “You have not alone sinned, but your father Abraham himself sinned, though he was a man of eminent holiness.” (171) (Joshua 24:2.) By the _teachers _are understood to be meant Moses and Aaron, who were men of extraordinary holiness, and yet sinned: “how much more you who are far inferior to theme” (Numbers 20:12.) That would be an argument from the greater to the less. But I view the matter differently; for under the word _Father _he includes not one or a few of their ancestors, but many. It is an interchange of th

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...

Verse Isaiah 43:27. _THY FIRST FATHER HATH SINNED_] On this _Kimchi_ speaks well: "How can ye say that ye have not sinned, seeing your first father, Adam, sinned; and man hath sin impressed on him through natural generation?...

THY FIRST FATHER HATH SINNED - This is the argument on the side of God, to show that they were neither unjustly punished, nor punished with undue severity. The argument is, that their rulers and teachers had been guilty of crime, and that therefore it was right to bring all this vengeance upon the nation. Various interpretations have been given of the phrase ‘thy first father.’ A slight notice of them will lead to the correct exposition. 1. Many have supposed that Adam is referred to here. Thus Piscator, Calovius, and most of the fathers, understand it; and, among the Jews, Kimchi. But the objections to this are plain: (a) Adam was not peculiarly the first father or ancestor of the Jews, but of the whole human race. (b) The Jews never boasted, or gloried in him as the founder of their nation, but they always referred to Abraham under thi

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

THY FIRST FATHER HATH SINNED,.... Either Adam, as Kimchi, in whom all have sinned, and from whom all derive a sinful and corrupt nature; or Abraham, as Jarchi, the father of the Jewish nation, of whom they boasted, and in whom they trusted, as being of his seed, and through whose merits and worthiness they expected great things; yet he was but a sinful man, though a good man, and a great believer; of whose infirmity and frailty many instances are on record. Some have thought Terah the father of Abraham is designed, who was an idolater; others think some particular king is meant, the father of his people; Aben Ezra supposes Jeroboam to be intended, the first king of the ten tribes who made Israel to sin; but Kimchi observes, it is better to understand it of Saul, who was the first king over all Israel; others interpret it of Ahaz; and others of Manasseh; Vitringa of Uriah the priest, in t...

Isaiah 43:21. _This people_ That is, God's own people: «This people» Isaiah 43:21. _Have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel._ The very people whom he had formed for his praise forgot to pray to him, ceased to remember him, grew weary of him. Oh, how sad is this and how great is the longsuffering of God, that he bore with them so long. Isaiah 43:23. _Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense._ G

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