Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 28:5
In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,
5. a crown of glory ] no longer a “crown of pride,” as Isa 28:1 ; Isa 28:3.
diadem of beauty ] The word phr h (diadem) occurs again only in Eze 7:7; Eze 7:10 (where, however, the sense is disputed). It probably denotes a “ring or circlet.
the residue ( remnant) of his people ] The exact phrase is not found elsewhere.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5, 6. Jehovah Himself the true glory of His people; a Messianic pendant to the foregoing picture of Samaria’s fall. The phrase in that day points as usual to the indefinite future of the Messianic age, not to the day of the judgment on North Israel. Whether the “remnant of His people” denotes the survivors of the Northern tribes, or those of Judah, or of the whole nation, it means a converted remnant; and there is no reason to suppose that Isaiah at any time expected the conversion of Judah to follow immediately the destruction of Ephraim. He is here looking beyond the whole series of national judgments, and the insertion of the promise is evidently suggested by the contrast between the false glory that has vanished and the true glory which shall endure.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In that day – This verse commences a new subject, and affirms that while the kingdom of Israel should be destroyed, the kingdom of Judah would be preserved, and restored (compare Isa. 79)
Be for a crown of glory – He shall reign there as its king, and he shall guard and defend the remnant of his people there. This reign of Yahweh shall be to them better than palaces, towers, walls, and fruitful fields, and shall be a more glorious ornament than the proud city of Samaria was to the kingdom of Israel.
And for a diadem of beauty – A beautiful garland. The phrase stands opposed to the wreath of flowers or the diadem which was represented Isa 28:1, Isa 28:3 as adorning the kingdom and capital of Israel. Yahweh and his government would be to them their chief glory and ornament.
Unto the residue of his people – To the kingdom of Judah, comprising the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. This doubtless refers to the comparatively prosperous and happy times of the reign of Hezekiah.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. In that day] Thus far the prophecy relates to the Israelites, and manifestly denounces their approaching destruction by Shalmaneser. Here it turns to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the remnant of God’s people who were to continue a kingdom after the final captivity of the Israelites. It begins with a favourable prognostication of their affairs under Hezekiah; but soon changes to reproofs and threatenings for their intemperance, disobedience, and profaneness.
Jonathan’s Targum on this verse is worthy of notice: “In that time Messiah, the Lord of hosts meshicha dayai tsebaoth, shall be a crown of joy and a diadem of praise to the residue of his people.” Kimchi says the rabbins in general are of this opinion. Here then the rabbins, and their most celebrated Targum, give the incommunicable name, Yehovah tsebaoth, the Lord of hosts, to our ever blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In that day; when the kingdom of Israel shall be utterly destroyed.
For a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty; God shall give them eminent glory and beauty. Unto the residue of his people; unto the kingdom of Judah, who shall continue in their own country, when Israel is carried into captivity.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5-13. The prophet now turns toJudah; a gracious promise to the remnant (“residue”); awarning lest through like sins Judah should share the fate ofSamaria.
crownin antithesis tothe “fading crown” of Ephraim (Isa 28:1;Isa 28:3).
the residueprimarily,Judah, in the prosperous reign of Hezekiah (2Ki18:7), antitypically, the elect of God; as He here iscalled their “crown and diadem,” so are they calledHis (Isa 62:3); abeautiful reciprocity.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory,…. Or, “glorious crown” p; surrounding, adorning, and protecting his people; granting them his presence; giving them his grace, and large measures of it; causing them to live soberly, righteously, and godly: this stands opposed to “the crown of pride” before mentioned, and refers to the time when that should be trampled under foot, or when the ten tribes should be carried into captivity, which was in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign, 2Ki 18:10 at which time, and in whose reign, as well as in the reign of Josiah, this prophecy had its accomplishment:
and for a diadem of beauty: or, “a beautiful diadem” q; the same as expressed by different words, for the confirmation and illustration of it:
unto the residue of his people; the Arabic version adds, “in Egypt”; the people that remained there, when the others were carried captive, but without any foundation. Jarchi interprets it of the righteous that were left in it, in Samaria, or in Ephraim, in the ten tribes before spoken of; but it is to be understood, as Kimchi observes, of the other two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, which remained in their own land, when others were carried captive, to whom God gave his favours, spiritual and temporal, in the times of Hezekiah and Josiah; and especially the former is meant, and who was a type of Christ, to whom this passage may be applied, who is the glory of his people Israel; and so the Targum paraphrases it,
“in that day shall the Messiah of the Lord of hosts be for a crown of joy;”
and Kimchi says their Rabbins expound this of the King Messiah, in time to come, when both the kingly and priestly glory should be restored; the one being signified by the “crown of glory”, the other by the “diadem of beauty”.
p “pro corona decora”, Piscator. q “et pro diademate ornante”, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The threat is now followed by a promise. This is essentially the same in character as Isa 4:2-6. The place of the false glory thus overthrown is now filled by a glory that is divine and true. “In that day will Jehovah of hosts be the adorning crown and the splendid diadem to the remnant of His people; and the spirit of justice to them that sit on the judgment-seat, and heroic strength to them that drive back war at the gate.” “The remnant of His people” ( with a fixed kametz, as in Isa 21:17) is not Judah, as distinguished from Ephraim that had utterly perished; but Judah and the remaining portion of Ephraim, as distinguished from the portion which had perished. After the perishable thin in which they gloried had been swept away, the eternal person of Jehovah Himself would be the ornament and pride of His people. He, the Lord of the seven spirits (Isa 11:1), would be to this remnant of His people the spirit of right and heroic strength. There would be an end to unjust judging and powerless submission. The judges are called “those who sit al – hammishpat ” in the sense of “on the seat of judgment” (Psa 9:5; Psa 122:5); the warriors are called “those who press back m ilchamah sharah ” (war at the gate), i.e., either war that has reached their own gate (Isa 22:7), or war which they drive back as far as the gate of the enemy (2Sa 11:23; 1 Macc. 5:22). The promise in this last passage corresponds to Mic 5:4-5. The athnach in Isa 28:6 ought to stand at hammishpat ; the second clause of the v. may be completed from the first, being equivalent to , and to . We might regard 2 Chron 30 as a fulfilment of what is predicted in Isa 28:6, if the feast of passover there described really fell in the age succeeding the fall of Samaria; for this feast of passover did furnish a representation and awaken a consciousness of that national unity which had been interrupted from the time of Rehoboam. But if we read the account in the Chronicles with unprejudiced minds, it is impossible to shut our eyes to the fact that this feast of passover took place in the second month of the first year of Hezekiah’s reign, and therefore not after the depopulation of the northern kingdom by Shalmanassar, but after the previous and partial depopulation by Tiglath-pileser. In fact, the fulfilment cannot be looked for at all in the space between the sixth and fourteenth years of Hezekiah, since the condition of Judah during that time does not answer at all to the promises given above. The prophet here foretells what might be hoped for, when Asshur had not only humbled Ephraim, but Judah also. The address consists of two connected halves, the promising beginnings of which point to one and the same future, and lay hold of one another.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 5-6: A SMALL RAY OF HOPE
1. There is coming a day wherein Messiah, “the Lord of hosts” Himself, will be both “a crown of glory” (Isa 4:2; Isa 41:16; Isa 45:25; Isa 60:1; Isa 60:19) and “diadem of beauty” to the remnant of His people, and they will be a crown of glory unto Him, (vs. 5; Isa 62:3).
2. To such as loyally yield themselves to Christ, the messiah, He will grant both wisdom and strength sufficient for every trying hour, (vs. 6; Isa 11:2; Isa 25:4; 2Ch 32:6-8).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
5. In that day shall the Lord of hosts. After having spoken of the kingdom of Israel, he passes to the tribe of Judah, and shews that, amidst this severe vengeance of God, there will still be room for compassion, and that, although ten tribes perished, yet the Lord will preserve some remnant, which he will consecrate to himself; so that there will be in it a crown of glory and diadem of excellence, that is, that the Church is never disfigured in such a manner that the Lord does not adorn it with beauty and splendor.
Yet I do not extend this prophecy indiscriminately to all the Jews, but to the elect who were wonderfully rescued from death; for although he calls the tribe and half-tribe a remnant, as compared with the other ten tribes, yet, as we advance, we shall see that he makes a distinction between the tribe of Judah itself and the others. Nor ought we to wonder that the Prophet speaks differently about the same people, directing his discourse, sometimes to a body corrupted by crimes, and sometimes to the elect. Certainly, as compared with the ten tribes, which had revolted from the worship of God and from the unity of faith, he justly calls the Jews a remnant of the people; but when he leaves out of view this comparison, and considers what they are in themselves, he remonstrates with equal justice against their corruptions.
I am aware that some expound it differently, on account of what is said immediately afterwards about wine and strong drink, (Isa 28:7,) and think that this statement ought to be viewed in connection with the beginning of the chapter. Yet perhaps the Lord spares the Jews. But how would he spare them? They are in no respect better than the others; for they are equally in fault, (215) and must also be exposed to the same punishments. But those commentators do not consider that the Prophet holds out an instance of the extraordinary kindness of God, in not exercising his vengeance at the same time against the whole family of Abraham, but, after having overthrown the kingdom of Israel, granting a truce to the Jews, to see if they would in any degree repent. Neither do they consider that, by the same means, he employs the circumstance which he had stated for placing in a stronger light the ingratitude of the people, that is, that they ought to have been instructed by the example of their brethren; (216) for the calamity of Israel ought to have aroused and excited them to repentance, but it produced no impression on them, and did not make them better. Although therefore they were unworthy of so great benefits, yet the Lord was pleased to preserve his Church in the midst of them; for this is the reason why he rescued the tribe of Judah, and the half-tribe of Benjamin, from that calamity.
Now, since the tribe of Judah was a small portion of the nation, and therefore was despised by the haughty Israelites, the Prophet declares that in God alone there is enough of riches and of glory to supply all earthly defects. And hence he shews what is the true method of our salvation, namely, if we place our happiness in God; for as soon as we come down to the world, we gather fading flowers, which immediately wither and decay. This madness reigns everywhere, and more than it ought to be among ourselves, that we wish to be happy without God, that is, without happiness itself. Besides, Isaiah shews that no calamities, however grievous, can prevent God from adorning his Church; for when it shall appear that everything is on the eve of destruction, God will still be a crown of glory to his people. It is also worthy of observation, that Isaiah promises new splendor to the Church only when the multitude shall be diminished, that believers may not lose courage on account of that dreadful calamity which was at hand.
(215) Bogus footnote
(216) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE BELIEVERS DIGNITY AND POWER
Isa. 28:5-6. In that day shall the LORD of Hosts be for a crown, &c.
This sustaining assurance stands in striking antithesis to the solemn threatenings and humbling charges which precede and follow it. It rises like some stately palace amid the ruins of mans humbled pride and broken hopes. This voice comes from heaven in the very hour of earths desolation and decay. The prominent figure on the prophets canvas is very unlike the objects grouped around it. On the one side you look into a lovely valley, in the centre of which, on a commanding height, stands Samaria, the capital of the Ten Tribes, the crown of pride, the glorious beauty. But that proud crown is soon to be cast to the ground; that glorious beauty is but as a garland of fading flowers; that luxuriant valley, whose very fatness was made the minister of sensual indulgence, will soon be over-swept by the desolating march of the Assyrian invader; that gaudy splendour, the boast of Ephraims drunkards, is as short-lived as the wreaths which the revellers bind around their brows. The worm of intemperance is gnawing at the root of the fading flower, and overhead the storm is gathering that will blight its beauty. Turn now to the other side of the central figure, where the kingdom of Judah is introduced (Isa. 28:7). Jerusalem as well as Samaria has her troops of reckless inebriates and her scenes of disgusting intoxication; though her punishment is not so near as that of the northern kingdom, here, too, are seen the marks of sure decline. On both sides, then, the prophets picture is gloomy and portentousthe earth a scene of drunken revelry, and the black sky streaked with the lightnings of divine wrath. But out of this sombre background of sottish intemperance and overhanging judgment, of falling crowns and fading wreaths, rises the luminous figure of our text. In that day of vanishing glory shall the Lord of Hosts, &c. In the fulness of its wealth this promise belongs to us; the Lord of Hosts has become to us a crown of glory.
I. THE BELIEVERS DIGNITY. Let us not tone down the grandeur of the promise. Christ is the crown with which the believer is invested. He is an heir of God, a partaker of the divine nature. Let us see what is implied in this representation, bearing in mind the crown to which it stands in contrast.
1. It is a crown of honour without insecurity. Man is like a discrowned and exiled king (Lam. 5:16). But God has taken means to restore him to his lost dignity (1Co. 1:30). The crown of original righteousness which sin had torn from our brows and trampled in the dust has been replaced by the righteousness of Christ. How complete and glorious is His work in our behalf, to what dignity does He raise us! This crown cannot be placed on our head without inspiring us with a sense of honour, a feeling of recovered power, of joy and hope and security. There may be a crowned head without a kingly heart. A young prince may mount the throne incapable of discharging its duties, or, perhaps, trembling lest his new dignity should make him a mark for the bullet of the assassin; but the Christians honour cometh from God, and, along with the restored kingship, kingly qualities are imparted, so that no man can take his crown.
2. This is a crown in which we may boast without pride. Samaria was a crown of pride to the Ephraimites, and because they gloried in it, it was soon to be overturned. But while this crown of carnal confidence was thus to be swept away, God becomes to His people a more glorious crown in which they might boast without pride. When anything short of God is made our confidence it fosters vainglory, but with God as our crown all self-sufficiency is excluded.
3. It is a crown of joy without degradation. As it does not foster pride, so neither does it allow its wearer to descend to low indulgence. Reference is probably made to the wreath of flowers worn by drunken revellers on festive occasions. Under the plea of festive mirth they wallowed in the mire of sensuality. How soon their garlands would fall in disorder from their heads, or fall with their heads as they lay in senseless intoxication. The believers diadem of beauty points to purity and self-control (Psa. 4:7).
4. It is an unfading crown. This point in the contrast is equally obvious. And is not the fading flower an emblem of all our earthly joys?
All that sweet was made, but to be lost when sweetest.
This worlds fairest chaplets will soon wither on our brows; its honours, possessions, and hopes are evanescent; but the Lord will be our everlasting crown, our God will be our eternal glory (H. E. I., 49754989).
II. THE BELIEVERS POWER.
In Isa. 28:6 we have all the elements of personal power, social well-being, and national greatness (Act. 1:8; Eph. 5:18). The indwelling Spirit confers three benefits. I. A clear head. A spirit of judgment. Solomon asked this blessing. It does not fall to many of us to sit on the bench, but what is good for the judge is a precious gift for all. When the Spirit pours His light upon the mind, the eyes of our understanding are enlightened. A clear intellect, a sound mind, an unwarped, unprejudiced judgment, is needed in all walks of life. How appropriate is this part of the promise! How could justice be rightly administered in such a state of society as that described by the prophet? If there is one thing that saps the morals, and muddles the understanding, it is intemperance. Men in positions of responsibility need all their wits about them.
2. A brave heart is promised to them who turn the tide of battle to the gate. The soldier as well as the judge is to participate in the gifts of Gods Spirit. We have a spiritual warfare to wage (Eph. 6:12), and we are pledged to conquer the world for Christ. Beware lest we render ourselves unfit for military service by luxurious habits, and sinful indulgence. The drunkards of Ephraim could do nothing to oppose the invaders of their country. We need the Spirit to fire our hearts with courage and enterprise. Without His influence we shall prove poltroons.
3. A strong arm. Self-denial is a source of moral courage and of spiritual strength. Far from us be the dissoluteness which enfeebles our powers, both of mind and body.
Such, then, are the contents of this precious promise. Oh, that we were all invested with this crown of holiness, dignity, and beauty. How many are content with the gilded coronets and fading chaplets of the world. You remember the scene in the Pilgrims Progress, part ii., which has been made the subject of a painting by Sir Noel Patonthe man raking straw while one held a glittering crown over his head. Make Christ your boast. The crown of pride shall be hurled to the ground, the garlanded revellers shall sink in their own corruption, the honours which men so eagerly seek are as a fading flower, but this crown shall sparkle for ever on the believers head (Dan. 12:3; Psa. 90:17).William Guthrie, M.A.
God had said He would discrown Ephraim, remove his beauty, and stain his pride. This was done when Samaria was overthrown by the Assyrians. In that day He would do to the residue of His peopleapparently the kingdom of Judahwhat is said in our present text. It was done in the reign of Hezekiah, when the true worship was re-established, reformation effected, and the nation defended against its enemies.
The text may be regarded, however, as a description of the splendour of the regenerated world.
I. THE PERSONS INTERESTED.
The residue of His people: him that sitteth in judgment: and them that turn the battle to the gate. All classes. Brave defenders; governors and administrators of justice, and the great mass of the people. Hence we observe that the blessing of the Gospel is needed by and suited to every class and every man. If there be a man anywhere who does not need it, it is either because
(1), he has no soul to save; or
(2), he has not sinned; or
(3), he is sufficient in himself to remove sin and its consequences from himself. But none of these can be said of any man.
II. THE BLESSING PROMISED.
It consists in that which the Lord will be to the regenerated world.
1. Honour. Men mistake the things that constitute the true honour and dignity of human nature. Sounding titles; enormous wealth; personal beauty; commanding intellect; undisputed power. They are all insufficient and insecure, like fading flowers. God is the true crown of glory to man. When the soul returns from its wanderings to God and is re-united to Him through Christ, the crown is placed upon his head (Jer. 9:23-24).
2. Wisdom. Both in barbarous and civilised countries, man without the Gospel is ignorant of the character of God, and of the way to approach Him (1Co. 1:21). He gropes about in the darkness, if he desire to find Him at all. But Christ is made of God to us wisdom, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. In Him the divine character is clearly seen in the fulness, harmony, and glory of its attributes. In Him also we learn how man can be reconciled to God, and the way to eternal life.
3. Strength. Not physical, nor intellectual power, however valuable in the regions proper to them. But moral power; the power of the human will; the most important power of all. This alone possesses the terrible capacity of resisting the Almighty. The most powerful animals act as they have been created to act. All mechanical forces act according to their laws. But man, possessed of will, is possessed of a power that can either defy or obey the authority of Omnipotence. When the Gospel comes to the human heart, it constrains the will into a mighty force for good. God and man combine to overthrow the empire of evil in the heart and in the world. The Lord of hosts is for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
III. THE TIME INDICATED.
In that day. Christ came in the fulness of time. There are reasons and circumstances specially favourable to the advancement of the kingdom of Christ. There is a time in the purpose of Jehovah when all nations shall walk in the light. We may mark the circumstances which are usually indicative of the further spread of the Gospel.
1. When there is a time of special revival, reformation, and earnestness in the Church. As in time of Hezekiah.
2. When God stirs up His people to exert themselves for the worlds salvation, it is a sign that the worlds salvation is coming on apace. When God enters the chamber, and awakes His children, and bids them rise, it is a sign that the morning has come.
3. When the church longs, waits, prays for the success of the work, the time is likely to have come. As soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children. Let the Church of Christ really desire, believe in, pray for the worlds conversion, and God will open the windows of heaven and pour down the blessing. Have you been sufficiently interested in the worlds salvation? As individuals? Are we sufficiently interested in our own?J. Rawlinson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(5) In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory.The words are obviously used in direct contrast with the crown of pride in Isa. 28:1-3. The true glory of the people for the remnant that should be left of Israel, as well as Judah, should be found in the presence of Jehovah, whom they would then acknowledge. In the gathering of some of the Ten Tribes at Hezekiah s passover (2Ch. 30:11) there had already been an earnest of such a restored union.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5, 6. The subject partially changes here.
In that day Referring to the time when events above predicted should occur.
Crown of glory, and diadem of beauty The events at Samaria are to present two lessons: 1. The Lord Jehovah is himself concerned in permitting Assyria to conquer Israel. He sees it best to do so, for Israel’s and the world’s good. 2. He shows that the fear of Jehovah, not the natural loveliness of Samaria with her gross vices, is the true “crown of glory” of a nation. And the remnant left in Israel and all of Judah shall learn these lessons. He also shows that himself only can inspire truth and justice in one sitting in the magistrate’s seat, and himself only can impart true courage, and render a people when invaded or assailed able to repel attacks and drive the enemy back to his own city gates.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Flash Forward – The Coming Day of Deliverance ( Isa 28:5 ).
In the future Yahweh will have a proper crown available for those who serve Him.
Analysis.
a In that day will Yahweh of hosts be for a crown of glory (Isa 28:5 a).
b And for a diadem of beauty, to the residue of His people (Isa 28:5 b).
b And for a spirit of judgment to him who sits in judgment (Isa 28:6 a).
a And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate (Isa 28:6 b).
In ‘a’ Yahweh will be ‘for a crown of glory’, and in the parallel will be ‘for strength’ for those who defend His city. In ‘b’ He will be a diadem of beauty, and in the parallel a spirit of judgment.
Isa 28:5-6
‘In that day will Yahweh of hosts be for a crown of glory,
And for a diadem of beauty, to the residue of His people,
And for a spirit of judgment to him who sits in judgment,
And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.’
Suddenly in true Isaianic fashion we have a flash forward to the coming day when God will deliver His people. However dark the horizon Isaiah wishes to stress that beyond it is always Yahweh’s deliverance for the remnant. The false crown of Samaria has brought to mind the true crown which His true people will receive, and the comparison is made accordingly. This therefore looks back to Isa 28:1-4. However the ‘spirit of judgment’ looks forward to the following verses.
‘In that day’, that is, whenever Yahweh steps in to deliver. The same pictures are used as in Isa 28:1-4 but this time they indicate something that is real and precious and lasting. One day Yahweh will be for a true crown of glory (not a crown of misplaced pride) and a genuine diadem of beauty (not a wilting diadem of flowers) to the residue of His people, one that they can truly wear with ‘pride’. Judgment may be coming but it will produce a residue, (but only a residue), on behalf of whom God can act. Gone will be the false pride and the wilting flowers of the past, replaced by this genuine glorious crown and beauteous diadem.
Then ‘the one who sits in judgment’ will be filled with a spirit of judgment so that his judgments are in accordance with the divine will. This is in deep contrast to the present when His people can only learn little by little. Associated as this one is with the crown and the diadem, and spoken of in the singular, Isaiah may well have in mind here the coming Prince, the son of David (Isa 7:14; Isa 9:6; Isa 11:1). For He is the One who is coming to rule and will be given the spirit of wisdom in judgment (Isa 11:1-5).
Furthermore, those who guard the ‘weak point’, the gate, of the strong city (Isa 26:1) will have the strength of Yahweh and be able to turn back any attack. It will no longer be a weak point. So in that day both prince and people will be strong with Yahweh’s strength. Many, however, see it as referring to taking the battle to the gates of their enemies. Either way the point is that He will give certain victory.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 28:5-6. In that day These verses contain a promise of the preservation of the faithful, and of the restoration and defence of the state. See chap. Isa 4:2. The meaning is, that after the return from the Babylonish captivity God would more clearly reveal himself to his people, and bestow upon them those spiritual blessings reserved for the times of the Messiah. Compare Jer 31:1; Jer 30:22 and Eze 36:28. The latter clause of the 6th verse seems to refer more particularly to the heroic Maccabees. See Zec 9:13; Zec 10:5-6. Justin, speaking of the state of the Jewish nation, restored by the Maccabees, says, that their power was such, as to submit to no king of the Macedonians after Demetrius; but, subject to their own rulers, they subdued Syria in many battles. See Hist. lib. xxxvi. c. 1.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 900
THE FELICITY OF GODS PEOPLE
Isa 28:5. In that day shall the Lord of Hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty unto the residue of his people.
THE sublime expressions of Scripture frequently raise in our minds a pleasing sensation, while yet we entertain but very confused notions of the truths contained in them. It is scarcely possible to read the words of the text without being struck with wonder and admiration: but we cannot enter into their full import without a careful attention to the preceding context. Samaria was the capital of the ten tribes: it was situated on a high hill, and surrounded by fertile vallies, which were skirted with other hills: hence it was compared to a crown or chaplet; which, while it adorned the adjacent country, marked its pre-eminence above all the other cities of Israel. But for the pride and intemperance of its inhabitants, God denounced his judgments against it, declaring that this beautiful chaplet should be a fading flower, and this boasted fortress, a desolation. He foretold that its wealth and beauty should but excite the avidity of its enemies, who, as soon as they came against it, should prevail over it, and greedily devour it, as one would devour a delicious piece of fruit which he unexpectedly found hanging on a tree. Then, to mark as strongly as possible, the contrast between them and his faithful people, he promises that He himself will be to his people a crown of glory that shall never perish, and a diadem of beauty that shall never fade
This was fulfilled in the preservation of the two tribes under Hezekiah from the forces of the Assyrians, after they had destroyed Samaria and carried captive the whole kingdom of Israel. But its full accomplishment must be sought for in the blessings which God vouchsafes to his people under the Gospel dispensation. To illustrate it we must observe, that,
I.
In the most degenerate times God has a remnant of faithful people
There has been no season when God has not had some faithful adherents
[In the antediluvian world all flesh had corrupted their way, and it seemed as if the very remembrance of God had been effaced from the minds of his creatures: but yet there was one small family who maintained their steadfastness, and openly acknowledged the true God. Before God separated the Israelites for himself, the world was again reduced to a state similar to that before the deluge: yet even then there were found an Abraham, a Melchizedec, a Job, and perhaps a few others connected with them. The times of Elijah were extremely degenerate: yet then, though he thought himself the only servant of God in Israel, there were seven thousand others that had never bowed their knee to Baal. Though therefore the knowledge of God has frequently been almost extinct, yet there never has been a period when he had not some to be his witnesses in the ages in which they lived.]
But at no time has he had more than a little remnant
[When first the twelve tribes were established in Canaan, piety prevailed among that nation more than at any other period: but there is no reason to imagine that the godly bore any proportion to the ungodly; nor, if their whole nation had been pious, did they bear any proportion to the world at large. There were many converted in the days of the Apostles; and religion flourished far beyond what it ever did before or since that time: yet Christians were even then like the gleanings of the olive, one or two upon the topmost boughs. The name of Christ is indeed very widely spread; but if his professed followers be sifted, how little true wheat would be found in comparison of the chaff! Truly it is a little flock, a remnant according to the election of grace; though the nominal Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is only a small remnant that will eventually be saved [Note: Rom 11:5; Rom 9:27.].]
Their state however is peculiarly happy; for,
II.
While they honour God, God greatly exalts and blesses them
The terms used in the text import that God will be to his people a source of,
1.
Honour
[A crown is the highest honour to which a human being can aspire in this world. But how poor and contemptible is such a dignity, when compared with that which God confers on his people! He is not ashamed to be called their God: He acknowledges them as his sons and daughters: they are the very members of Christs body, yea, they are one spirit together with him. While monarchs are surrounded by their nobles, the saints are attended by holy angels, who, as ministering spirits, are sent from heaven to minister unto them. When they go hence they have a crown of righteousness, and a throne of glory on which they shall sit with Christ at the right hand of God, in whose presence they shall reign as kings and priests for ever and ever. Such honour have all his saints.]
2.
Beauty
[A crown is deemed the brightest ornament to the person that wears it; nor is any thing wanting to it that can increase its splendour. This idea is particularly marked in that a crown is called a diadem of beauty. But God puts a far brighter ornament around the head of his people: He beautifies them with salvation. He encircles them, as he did Moses of old, with rays of his own glory, insomuch that his own glory is seen upon them. A meek and quiet spirit is but a single grace out of many with which they are endued; yet that is an ornament of great value even in the sight of God himself; what then must be the constellation of graces that form their character? But what can God himself say more than this, that they are renewed after his own image in righteousness and true holiness, and that they are progressively changed into his image from glory to glory by the agency of his almighty Spirit? Is the ornament of a glittering bauble worthy to be compared with this?]
3.
Happiness
[Men conceive that the possession of imperial honours must of necessity contribute greatly to their happiness: hence, if such a station be within their reach, there is nothing which men will not do to attain it. But supposing that all the satisfaction which men expect from their elevation were invariably attached to it, how much greater happiness does God impart to his chosen people! Their peace passeth all understanding; their hope is full of immortality; their joy is unspeakable and glorified. They are not indeed exempt from sorrows; but they have joys with which the stranger intermeddleth not. No tongue can declare the comfort they sometimes feel in a sense of the divine favour; nor can the heart of man conceive those joys which are prepared for them at the right hand of God.]
4.
Security
[The idea of security attaches to the condition of a king, because, the instant that he is in danger, there are thousands at his command to rally round the throne, and to expose their lives in his defence. But if the Lord of Hosts himself be our crown, then are we secure indeed. And has he not said that He standeth round about his people; that their place of defence is the munition of rocks [Note: Isa 33:16.]; that He himself will be to them as a broad and rapid river that can neither be passed nor navigated [Note: Isa 33:21.]; yea, that He will be a wall of fire round about them [Note: Zec 2:5.], not only to protect their persons, but to destroy all that would invade their peace? Has he not assured us that neither the power nor the policy of hell shall ever prevail against them? and that none shall ever pluck them out of his hand? Having HIM, they have all. If none can separate them from his love, their honour and beauty, their happiness mid security, are as firm and immovable as God himself.]
Infer
1.
How desirable is it to be found among the little remnant!
[Look at the greatest monarch upon earth; and the condition of Lazarus is infinitely preferable to his, unless he be among the number of Gods people. Created glory, like that of Samaria, is but a fading flower; but if we belong to God, we have a portion, substantial in its nature, and everlasting in its duration. Let us then seek this portion with all earnestness through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.]
2.
How little should we regard the scoffs and contempt of men!
[It is indeed a small matter to be judged of mans judgment. If God commend us as wise, we need not be concerned though men should account us fools. Time will show, who are the truly wise, they who through the love of the world or the fear of man displease their God, or they, who face the frowns of the world, and sacrifice its interests in order that they may please him. Indeed the ungodly themselves will soon alter their sentiments respecting these things [Note: Wisd. 5:36.]. And, if a king upon his throne would not regard the ravings of a maniac who should conceit himself to be arrayed in royal majesty, so neither need we regard those who enjoy only the appearance of happiness, while we possess God himself for our crown of glory, and our diadem of beauty.]
3.
How are we bound in our respective spheres to honour and glorify our God!
[Can we reflect a moment on such transcendent mercies, and not feel it our duty to walk worthy of them? If any ask, How shall I requite the Lord? We answer, Be ye a crown of glory and a royal diadem in his hand [Note: Isa 62:3.]. It is true, we cannot add to his honour, beauty, happiness, or security; but, as a diadem is that on which the prince looks with peculiar complacency, so may we be objects of pleasure and delight in the hand of our God. Let us then endeavour so to walk that we may be his boast: so to shine, that it may be seen to whom we belong; and so to honour him, that he may acknowledge us as his in the day that he shall make up his jewels.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
How blessed do these verses come in, after such views as the former held forth of man’s sin, to afford relief, in the contemplation of God’s glory. I hope the Reader is too well taught by the Holy Ghost, to need any other information of who is here meant, by the crown of glory and a diadem of beauty. Surely none but Jesus the Mediator can come up to this Character. And if the Reader will turn to the sixty-second chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy, verses 2 and 3 (Isa 62:2-3 ) , he will there find Jehovah’s promises to the Lord Christ, as the Head of his Church, under those very characters. And when the Reader hath done this, if he will turn to the fourth chapter of the same prophecy, he will find no less instruction concerning this Spirit of judgment and of burning, by which the Lord carries on his purposes of grace in the hearts of his people. I only detain the Reader to remark yet further on this passage, that by what is here said of the residue of his people, probably is meant the kingdom of Judah, or, if not, some of God’s hidden ones in Ephraim, who might be alarmed in the times of general calamity. Reader! it is blessed to see, that in the worst of times, there is a seed remains. And it is further blessed to see, that the Lord knoweth and watcheth over them that are his. Psa 22:30 ; 2Ti 2:19 ; Isa 27:3 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 28:5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,
Ver. 5. For a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty. ] So he was to Judah – called here the “residue of his people” – during Hezekiah’s days; a crown unfading, or a garland made of amaranth, as 1Pe 1:4 which is, saith Clement, a certain flower that being hung up in the house, yet is still fresh and green. And as God is thus to his people, so, interchangeably, are they to him “a crown of glory,” Isa 62:3 and “a royal diadem,” ( ib. ); his “throne of glory”; Jer 4:21 “The beauty of his ornament.” Eze 7:20
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isaiah
THE JUDGMENT OF DRUNKARDS AND MOCKERS
MAN’S CROWN AND GOD’S
Isa 28:5
Connection of first prophecy-destruction of Samaria. Its situation, crowning the hill with its walls and towers, its fertile ‘fat valley,’ the flagrant immorality and drunkenness of its inhabitants, and its final ruin, are all presented in the highly imaginative picture of its fall as being like the trampling under foot of a garland on a reveller’s head, the roses of which fade and droop amid the fumes of the banqueting hall, and are then flung out on the highway. The contrast presented is very striking and beautiful. When all that gross and tumultuous beauty has faded and died, then God Himself will be a crown of beauty to His people.
The second text comes into remarkable line with this. The verbal resemblance is not quite so strong in the original. The words for diadem and crown are not the same; the word rendered glory in the second text is rendered beauty in the first, but the two texts are entirely one in meaning. The same metaphor, then, is used with reference to what God is to the Church and what the Church is to God. He is its crown, it is His.
I. The Possession of God is the Coronation of Man.
b Crowns were worn by kings. They who serve God are thereby invested with rule over selves, over circumstances, over all externals. He alone gives completeness to self-control.
c Crowns were worn by priests. The highest honour and dignity of man’s nature is thereby reached. To have God is like a beam of sunshine on a garden, which brings out the colours of all the flowers; contrast with the same garden in the grey monotony of a cloudy twilight.
II. The Coronation of Man in God is the Coronation of God in Man.
The true glory of God is in the communication of Himself. What a wonderful light that throws on divine character! It is equivalent to ‘God is Love.’
He who is glorified by God glorifies God, as showing the most wonderful working of His power in making such a man out of such material, by an alchemy that can convert base metal into fine gold; as showing the most wonderful condescension of His love in taking to His heart man, into whose flesh the rotting leprosy of sin has eaten.
Such a man will glorify God by becoming a conscious herald of His praise. He who has God in his heart will magnify Him by lip and life. Redeemed men are ‘secretaries of His praise’ to men, and ‘to principalities and powers in heavenly places is made known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God.’
He who thus glorifies God is held in God’s hand.
‘None shall pluck them out of My Father’s hand.’
All this will be perfected in heaven. Redeemed men lead the universal chorus that thunders forth ‘glory to Him that sitteth on the throne.’
‘He shall come to be glorified in His saints.’
‘Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
the Lord of hosts. See note on Isa 1:9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shall the: Isa 41:16, Isa 45:25, Isa 60:1-3, Isa 60:19, Isa 62:3, Jer 9:23, Jer 9:24, Zec 6:13-15, Luk 2:32, 1Co 1:30, 1Co 1:31, 2Co 4:17, 1Pe 5:4
for a diadem: Job 29:14, Psa 90:16, Psa 90:17
residue: Isa 10:20, Isa 10:21, Isa 11:16, Isa 37:31, Isa 37:32, Rom 11:5, Rom 11:6
Reciprocal: Pro 4:9 – a crown Isa 2:11 – in that day Eze 16:11 – and a 1Pe 2:7 – precious
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 28:5-6. Thus far, says Bishop Lowth, the prophecy relates to the Israelites, and manifestly denounces their approaching destruction by Shalmaneser. Here it turns to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the remnant of Gods people, who were to continue a kingdom after the final captivity of the Israelites. It begins with a favourable prognostication of their affairs under Hezekiah: but soon changes to reproofs and threatenings, for their intemperance, disobedience, and profaneness. In that day When the kingdom of Israel shall be utterly destroyed; the Lord of hosts shall be for a crown of glory, &c. Shall give eminent glory and beauty unto the residue of his people Unto the kingdom of Judah, who shall continue in their own country, when Israel is carried into captivity. And for a spirit of judgment, &c. He explains how, or wherein, God would glorify and beautify them, even by giving wisdom to their rulers, and courage to their soldiers; which two things contribute much to the strength, safety, and glory of a nation. To them that turn the battle to the gate Who not only drive their enemies from their land, but pursue them into their own lands, and besiege them in their own cities.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
28:5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, to the {e} remnant of his people,
(e) Signifying that the faithful who do not put their trust in any worldly prosperity but made God their glory, will be preserved.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
"In that day," when Ephriam would fall, the Lord would also preserve a remnant of the Northern Kingdom. He would be the true crown (king, cf. Isa 11:1-9) of His people and a source of glory for them, in contrast to their present fading garlands (cf. Isa 28:1; Isa 4:2-6). He would also become the standard and facilitator of justice for their judges and the strength of their soldiers (cf. Isa 11:2). This does not mean that the faithful Ephraimites would turn on their enemies and defeat them, but that they would find in the Lord all that they had looked for previously in the wrong places. Note that this note of mercy concludes a pronouncement of judgment.