Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 42:4
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
4. His constancy. The words fail and be discouraged correspond in the original to “dimly burning” and “broken” in Isa 42:3. (See R.V. marg.) The former is used of the failing eyesight of Eli (1Sa 3:2); cf. Eze 21:7 (R.V. marg.).
for his law ] his instruction (see on ch. Isa 1:10), his revelation of the truth. It is doubtful whether the verb of this clause should be rendered “shall wait” or “do wait.” If the latter be correct, the remarkable thought may be expressed that already the best of the heathen are dissatisfied with their religious systems and long for a purer faith.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He shall not fail – He shall not be weak, feeble, or disheartened. However much there may be that shall tend to discourage, yet his purpose is fixed, and he will pursue it with steadiness and ardor until the great work shall be fully accomplished. There may be an allusion in the Hebrew word here ( ykheh) to that which is applied to the flax ( kehah); and the idea may be that he shall not become in his purposes like the smoking, flickering, dying flame of a lamp. There shall never be any indication, even amidst all embarrassments, that it is his intention to abandon his plan of extending the true religion through all the world. Such also should be the fixed and determined purposes of his people. Their zeal should never fail; their ardor should never grow languid.
Nor be discouraged – Margin, Broken. The Hebrew word yaruts may be derived either from ratsats, to break, to break in pieces; or from ruts to run, to move hastily, to rush upon any one. Our translators have adopted the former. Gesenius also supposes that this is the true interpretation of the word, and that it means, that he would not be broken, that is, checked in his zeal, or discouraged by any opposition. The latter interpretation is preferred by Vitringa, Rosenmuller, Hengstenberg, and others. The Chaldee renders it, Shall not labor, that is, shall not be fatigued, or discouraged. The Septuagint renders it, He shall shine out, and not be broken. The connection seems to require the sense which our translators have given to it, and according to this, the meaning is, he shall not become broken in spirit, or discouraged; he shall persevere amidst all opposition and embarrassment, until he shall accomplish his purposes. We have a similar phraseology when we speak of a mans being heart-broken.
Till he have set judgment – Until he has secured the prevalence of the true religion in all the world.
And the isles – Distant nations (see the note at Isa 41:1); the pagan nations. The expression is equivalent to saying that the Gentiles would be desirous of receiving the religion of the Messiah, and would wait for it (see the notes at Isa 2:3).
Shall wait – They shall be dissatisfied with their own religions, and see that their idol-gods are unable to aid them; and they shall be in a posture of waiting for some new religion that shall meet their needs. It cannot mean that they shall wait for it, in the sense of their already having a knowledge of it, but that their being sensible that their own religions cannot save them may be represented as a condition of waiting for some better system. It has been true, as in the Sandwich Islands, that the pagan have been so dissatisfied with their own religion as to east away their idols, and to be without any religion, and thus to be in a waiting posture for some new and better system. And it may be true yet that the pagan shall become extensively dissatisfied with their idolatry; that they shall be convinced that some better system is necessary, and that they may thus be prepared to welcome the gospel when it shall be proposed to them. It may be that in this manner God intends to remove the now apparently insuperable obstacles to the spread of the gospel in the pagan world. The Septuagint renders this, And in his name shall the Gentiles trust, which form has been retained by Matthew Mat 12:21.
His law – His commands, the institutions of his religion. The word law is often used in the Scriptures to denote the whole of religion.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 42:4
He shall not fail nor be discouraged
The hopefulness of Jesus Christ
Our God is the God of hope; and the Bible is the book of hope.
If we are to be true servants of God and disciples of Jesus Christ we must be partakers of this glowing hopefulness. To be discouraged is to fail. To hope is to be strong. The prayer of St. Paul for the Christians in Rome we need often offer for ourselves (Rom 15:13). This strong hope is essential to the successful worker. The good soldier of Jesus has for his helmet the hope of salvation. The Spirit of God comes to impart this gift. Hope grows strong as it feeds upon the promises. Of every one of us this word should be true–He shall not fail nor be discouraged. The hope of the world is in Jesus Christ. It is well to begin a little farther back, at Isa 41:28. Man cannot find within himself theremedy for the ills of humanity. But when all is black and hopeless, there is another Behold. The rosy morning fills the sky. Behold My servant whom I uphold, etc. The hope of God is in Him whom He hath appointed the Saviour of the world. And our hope is in beholding Him. Here is the unfailing spring of our hope. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged. Let us look at this hope of our Saviour. It is broad based, and its foundation is deep. The tower of His confidence stands four-square to all the winds of heaven and all the blasts of hell.
I. IT IS THE HOPE OF ONE WHO KNOWS THE NEEDS OF HUMANITY. There is a shallow hope that thinks it can heal mens wounds by hiding them; or that they can banish ill by giving it some scientific name which quite satisfies everybody. But let the mind go on to think of the sin about us–the thousand shapes of ill that throng and crowd each life; the hidden sins; the sins of our great cities. He knows it all as none else can ever know it–He who was the naked conscience of the world, and upon whom was laid the iniquity of us all. Yet of Him it is written: He shall not fail nor be discouraged.
II. THIS IS THE HOPE OF ONE WHO HAS A MOST LOFTY IDEAL. There is a shallow hope that is easily able to fulfil itself by bringing down the ideal of life until it fits the case. If you would have men what they should be, it is easily done–bring down what they should be to the level of what they are. Love may afford to be blind, but the strength of hope is in its eyes. A hope that cannot see what is, and can only see what is not, is a false hope. Hope, true hope, must take the measure of what is, and the full measure of what should be. This is the hope of Jesus Christ.
III. THIS IS THE HOPE OF ONE WHO COMES INTO CONTACT WITH THE WORST SIDE OF THE WORST PEOPLE. A policeman said to me one day, It is a very easy thing for you to have faith in folks, sir: but it is very hard for me. Why so, my friend? I asked. Well, said he, you see the best of folks and you see them at their best: you see them because they are good. But I see folks because they are bad. And when you see nothing but badness it is hard to have any faith in any goodness anywhere. I sympathised deeply with that man and with thousands who are in like evil case. But this triumphant hope of Jesus Christ is the hope of One whose life and work is in relation to sin. He knows the force of adverse circumstances.
IV. THE HOPE OF JESUS CHRIST ARISES FROM HIS ESTIMATE OF MANS WORTH. Jesus Christ alone has made man worth more than gain or pleasure: and Jesus Christ alone can keep man so.
V. THE HOPE OF JESUS CHRIST IS SEEN IN HIS METHOD (Isa 41:2-3). Gentleness is the token of assured power. Bluster is commonly the mask of weakness and fear. Coercion, compulsion, are the methods of a baffled or a bewildered authority. Patient hopefulness, gentleness, brotherliness–these are the Divine methods of uplifting men.
VI. THE HOPEFULNESS OF JESUS CHRIST IS ROOTED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. He shall set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for His law. There are those who have sought to remedy our social ills by pity without judgment and without law. Their gifts have pampered the transgressor and pauperised the poor. But the remedy of Jesus Christ is in a new heart and a right spirit. (M. G. Pearae.)
Is Christianity a failure?
We often hear it said that Christianity is a failure. As if foreseeing this state of mind, two thousand five hundred years ago the prophet sang these sweet notes, saying: He shall not fail nor be discouraged. The purpose of Christ is the conquest of this world, and in carrying out this great work He is not to fail or be discouraged until the system of truth which He teaches is everywhere understood; until the principles of all government shall be brought into harmony with His Word, and men everywhere shall understand and practise the great lessons of truth and holiness. The unversality of His kingdom is expressed m the phrase, Till He hath set judgment in the earth–in all the then known habitable globe; and, looking beyond to the unknown, or to the men but partly known, the expression is added, And the isles shall wait for His law–in other words, the progress of Christs kingdom should be continually onward until its principles should prevail over all the known kingdoms of the earth, and the undiscovered portions of it also should receive His law. The work which He proposes to do is a mighty work; and the phrase represents Him as waiting.
I. I am not surprised, however, that MEN ARE READY TO SAY THAT THIS PURPOSE MUST BE A FAILURE; for–
1. The aim is so great, the project so vast, that it seems to man impossible. There have been great kingdoms set up on this earth of ours. But there was never a kingdom which reached to its utmost bounds.
2. Men think Christianity must be a failure because the agencies seem inadequate.
3. Because it has not accomplished its work.
4. They tell us that Christianity is likely to be a failure because, they say, there is a conflict between science and religion.
II. NOW LET US LOOK AT THIS SUBJECT. It is one of the favourite expressions of these men that in the order of this world there shall be the survival of the fittest–that the weaker shall pass away, and the stronger shall remain. How, if we contrast Christianity with other forms of religion, where shall we find its failure? We may say to-day, simply as a fact, that it still remains, and, surpassing any other system in its strength and beauty, we shall see its survival over all.
1. Compare it with Paganism in its palmiest hours–the days of the philosophy of Greece and the power of Rome, when its temples shone with splendour, when its poets sang with grace, when sculpture and architecture gathered around it their forms of beauty; when it had its legends of mythology; when it had its men of strength and power to be as pillars for it. Scepticism then existed. But all the scepticism of Greece or Rome never closed one temple, never dethroned one of their imaginary deities. In the midst of scepticism popular faith went right on, and the temples had their devotees and worshippers. Judaism taught the knowledge of the one true God, yet it made no advances against idolatry. On the other hand, idolatry brought its terrible fruits into the midst of Judaism, and the people who had heard the voice of the living God turned and served idols. But what sceptical philosophy could not do, and what Judaism could not do, Christianity has accomplished. Men without earthly power, men persecuted, men in prison, men reproached, went telling the story of a living and dying and ascended Christ, and as they told this story, the temples became deserted and the idols fell, until to-day there is not a god worshipped on earth that was worshipped in the time of the philosophy and glory of Greece and Rome. Christianity is making inroads everywhere. Paganism has gone, Brahmanism is going, and Confucianism is going down. Christianity is just raising herself.
2. But you tell me there is infidelity! And what is infidelity? A negation–a something not a belief. It is a negation of system; it has no system. Where are its temples? Where are its schools? Where are its hospitals? Where were they ever? What did it ever try to do for man anywhere, or in any land, as an organised system? There have been men, strong men, learned men, wise men, who have been infidel; but they have never embodied their creed in an organisation; they have never worked together powerfully for the elevation of the race. I was in Berlin with the Evangelical Alliance. I went to Potsdam to the old palace of Frederick. There we were shown into a room where some of us held our consultations. This was the room where Voltaire studied and wrote part of his works, where he and Frederick deemed they were about to overthrow Christianity. And yet in that very hall we came to consult about the best means of spreading Christianity over the world. Voltaire said he lived in the twilight of Christianity, and so he did. But it was not, as he fancied, a twilight deepening into darkness, it was a twilight opening up into the brighter day; and the Sun of Righteousness shines now in spiritual beauty over our entire world.
3. But they tell us sometimes that the discoveries which are being made are unsettling the foundations of Christianity.
4. They tell us that Christianity has not done its work in the time it has run. I admit it. But what about it? These men want time for making this earth. They say it took millions of years. Wont you give me as much time to cure this world and turn sinners into saints as you want to turn a monkey into a man? They demand ages for the one, but are not willing to give us time for the other. The times are full of promise. Christianity is growing stronger. (Bp. M. Simpson, D. D.)
The accomplishment of Christs purpose
I. THE PURPOSE OF CHRIST.
II. THE DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY.
III. THE ASSURED VICTORY OF CHRIST. (J. Fleming, B. D.)
A great work and an invincible patience
I. THE GODLIKE WORK WHICH THIS GREAT SERVANT OF JEHOVAH UNDERTAKES.
II. THE GODLIKE FAITH AND PATIENCE WITH WHICH HE PROSECUTES IT TO ITS ACCOMPLISHMENT. (J. Kennedy, D. D.)
Christs vast redemptive undertaking
Here is a servant of God, before whose eye a future golden age is not a shadowy hope or vision, but a clearly defined reality; and who Himself undertakes to bring it to pass. He will set judgment in the earth. Is He beside Himself? Is He befooled by a benevolent imagination? Is He a visionary dreamer, without knowledge of Himself or of mankind? If ever there was a sound mind, a perfect mind, in a human body, it was that of Jesus Christ–His very enemies being judges. And yet, with full purpose of soul, and with clear consciousness of the difficulty of the task, He undertakes to set judgment in the earth. How vast the undertaking is–in its breadth covering all the nations of men, in its depth penetrating to the thoughts and innermost passions of the human soul, in its height rising to the claims of the Eternal God–may be learned from the prophet who ascribes it to Him. Isaiah had formed no superficial estimate of the wrongness of the world. Men were wrong utterly in their relations to one another; wrong utterly in their relation to God; and wrong utterly in themselves. (J. Kennedy, D. D.)
The progress of Christianity slow but sure
This is our answer to those who examine us concerning this matter.
1. The slowness of the progress of Christianity, even if exaggerated in the statement of it, does not stagger our faith; for we see in it Gods own manner of working.
2. The progress, or rather, no progress, of the worlds own thinking in the highest regions of thought, during the period of the existence of Christianity, proves the world to be as dependent on the light of Christianity as it was eighteen hundred years ago.
3. While Christianity is as needful as ever, happily we have evidence that it is as mighty for good as ever. Nothing has yet occurred to shake our faith in Christ; and while our faith in Him remains unshaken, we shall confide in the prophetic oracle which assures us that He shall set judgment in the earth. (J. Kennedy, D. D.)
Christs work no failure
Previous verses at the close of chap. 41. indicate the utter failure of the hope of man from man. How often it is so in human history; man fails to find leadership and help in man! In expounding the text, I shall need to open up the whole passage. Follow me, therefore, and obey the first word of the chapter, which is, Behold.
1. We are commanded at all times to behold the Son of God. But specially in cloudy and dark days ought we to behold Him. When after having looked, and looked long, you see no man and no counsellor, then this precept has an emphatic force about it, Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, and, when all other saviours fail, look to the Saviour whom God has set up.
2. Our great comfort is that the Lord Jesus Christ is always to be beheld. Behold Him, and your fears and sorrows will fly away. The text leads us to consider what is the work which Jesus Christ has undertaken, in which He will not fail nor be discouraged. He has come to set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for His law. The earth is to be delivered from misrule and sin, and men are to be submissive to His instruction and direction. Whatever He has undertaken, He will perform; whatever commission He has received, He will fulfil. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till all His work is done. I believe in the final perseverance of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I. LET THIS TRUTH BE CONSIDERED AND BELIEVED.
1. It is certainly a very marvellous enterprise which our Lord Jesus Christ has under taken. The salvation of a single soul involves a miracle. The salvation of myriads upon myriads of the human race: What shall I call it but a mountain of marvels? The problem staggers us. The systems of evil are colossal. The hold of evil on the race is terrible. Man is inveterately a sinner. By the use of an accursed logic he puts darkness for light and light for darkness, and thus stultifies his conscience, and hardens his heart. If, perchance, you convince his judgment, you have not won his affection, you have not carried his will, you have not subdued his mind. Nothing but Omnipotence itself can save a single soul. What must be that mighty power which shall cause nations to run unto the Lord!
2. The task is rendered the more severe because our Lord Jesus at this present works largely by a Church, which is a poor and faulty instrument for the accomplishment of His purpose. Let this battalion and the other waver as it may, He who holds the banner in the very centre of the fight will never be moved: He will hold the field against all comers.
3. Notice who He is that hath undertaken all this. Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth. He who is thus spoken of will not fail nor be discouraged for–
(1) He is Gods own special Servant.
(2) Then God says of Him, My servant, whom I uphold. If God upholds Him, how can He fail? The text may be read, Behold My Servant upon whom I lean, and the picture is of a great Oriental monarch Who comes forth leaning upon a favourite lord, whom honours by placing him in that position, indicating thereby that he trusts his affairs with him, and regards him as his right-hand man, a very pillar of the State. We say it with reverence, God the Father leans on Jesus the Christ. He rests His honour and glory with the person of the incarnate God.
(3) Then the Scripture adds this very significant word, Mine elect in whom My soul delighteth. The chosen of God, the most choice one that God knows, shall He prove a failure? God said of the world, that it was very good; but we read not that His soul delighted in it: but, see, the very soul of the God-head is moved and filled with delight because of the Saviour, commissioned to redeem.
(4) Furthermore, our Lord is the abiding-place of the Holy Spirit. I have put My Spirit upon Him. He who is owned, honoured, trusted, sustained, loved, and anointed of God cannot but be successful.
(5) The success of Jesus is guaranteed by the decree of God. It is written, He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. Oh, those blessed shalls and wills!
4. It may be that at times we fear that the Gospel is not prospering nor fulfilling the purpose for which God hath sent it. Possibly this may arise out of our Lord s way of working, which is so different from what our minds would choose. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. You are in an awful hurry, are you not? But He is never in haste. You would make a great stir and noise, but Jesus will not thus spread the Gospel. You would go out and fight all the enemies of truth, and set clamour against clamour, cry against cry; but He shall not strive. You would shout, and rage, and rave; but He shall not cry. You would advertise to the ends of the earth; but He shall not cause His voice to be heard in the street. When Mohammed commenced his enterprise he announced that Paradise was to be found beneath the shadow of swords, and numbers of brave men rushed to the battle; they swept everything before them, and stained continents with blood: they carried the name of Allah and Mohammed over Asia and Northern Africa, and seemed intent on conquering Europe: and yet the work done will not endure. The prophet and his caliphs did indeed strive, and cry, and cause their voices to be heard in the street: but Christs system is the very reverse of that. Behold His battle-axe and weapons of war! Truth Divinely strong, with no human force at the back of it but that of holiness and love; a Gospel full of gentleness and mercy to men, proclaimed not by the silver trumpets of kings, but by the plain voices of lowly men. The Kingdom comes by the Holy Spirit dropping like dew on human hearts, and fertilising them with a Divine life.
5. Note well the spirit in which He works. A bruised reed, etc. You cannot work in hot haste in this spirit. Gentleness makes good and sure speed, but it cannot endure rashness and heat. We know reformers who, if they had the power, would be like bulls in a china-shop; they would do a great deal in a very short time. But the worlds best Friend is not given to quench and bruise.
II. LET THIS TRUTH BE BELIEVED AND ENJOYED.
1. Enjoy it by recollecting that Jesus has finished the work for His people.
2. He will finish the work in His believing people.
3. He will finish His work by His people. If you have the Revised Version, the margin will give you some rather singular information. The text might be read thus: A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: yet He shall not burn dimly nor be bruised. Though He deals with bruised reeds and smoking flaxes, yet He Himself is not crushed, nor does His light become a mere glimmer.
4. The text has in it great comfort to those of you who are as yet outside of the Church of God. Read the sixth and seventh verses–He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He has done, what?–the Divine will, and this is a part of it: To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. Turn your sightless eyeballs this way. Ah! saith one, but I am worse than that, I am shut up in prison. Read the seventh verse again:–To bring out the prisoners from the prison. Oh, but, saith one, in my case it is blindness and slavery united. Listen, then! He has come to bring them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The constancy and tenderness of Christ
I. THE OBSTACLES WHICH JESUS CHRIST MEETS IN HIS WORK OF KINDNESS TO MAN.
1. We may advert to these obstacles as they are general, as they attach to man under all circumstances.
2. But let us advert to the obstacles which any single human being presents to Christ when He comes forth in the power of His grace to seek and to save! Let any man look into his own heart, let him advert
(1) To the nature and bent of his inclinations.
(2) To his indisposedness to receive instruction.
(3) To the use which he makes of that instruction when received; and he will be at no loss to discover the difficulties which lie in the path of his Deliverer.
II. THE PATIENCE WITH WHICH HE ENCOUNTERS THOSE OBSTACLES.
III. THE VICTORY OVER THEM WITH WHICH HIS EFFORTS WILL ULTIMATELY BE CROWNED. (G. T. Noel, M. A.)
The setting of judgment in the earth
I. THE GREAT WORK WITH WHICH CHRIST, AS THE FATHERS SERVANT, IS HERE DECLARED TO BE ENTRUSTED. It is the work of setting judgment in the earth, so that the isles shall wait for His law. As the Fathers Servant in the economy of redemption, Christ has been set King upon the holy hill of Zion, and constituted Head over all things for the Church which is His body.
1. What is it to set judgment in the earth? By judgment here and in the preceding verses, we are evidently to understand true religion–the faith of the Gospel–Christianity in its widest acceptation, as embodying the rule of Christs righteous administration–the grand regulating principles of all His administrative acts. And so to set judgment in the earth means to establish the Christian religion throughout the world. The term law in the latter clause of the text, while it has much the same meaning as judgment, may be viewed as denoting, in particular, Gods written Word, considered specially as a rule of life and duty. For this the isles–a poetical expression for the distant Gentile nations–shall wait. That is, either they shall wait with a vague unconscious longing until it come to them, they remaining in darkness and spiritual death till its blessed life-giving light dawn upon them; or, the meaning more probably is, when judgment is being set in the earth, the nations shall embrace it as the means of their enlightenment and regeneration, and shall wait on Christ as their King, to receive and submit to His law as the supreme rule of all their conduct. So in Matthew we find this clause paraphrased thus–In His name shall the Gentiles trust.
2. That there is most urgent need for this work of setting judgment in the earth, and bringing the isles to wait for Christs law being done, is what none will question who believe that God made man upright, but that he hath sought out many inventions. Men individually in their natural condition, and the nations of the earth in their national capacity, are in a state of open determined revolt against the Most High. But has nothing been done in the way of fulfilling this hope-inspiring prediction? Since these words were uttered, not a little has been effected in this direction. Most evident it is, however, that aa yet it is but the day of small things in this work.
3. And truly a stupendous task this is–a task which none but He on whose shoulder the government has been laid, and to whom it has been entrusted, could ever hope to effect–the task of setting judgment in the earth; not in one land or over one continent only, but in every land and among every people under heaven, whatever their condition and character.
4. Not less beneficent in its character is this work than stupendous in its nature. For it involves the present highest well-being of men as individuals, as families, as Churches, and as nations, as well as the future eternal welfare of untold myriads of precious souls. This mighty, beneficent, God-glorifying work of setting judgment in the earth includes–
(1) The world-wide diffusion of the Word of God and proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, and the needed opening up of the way for these.
(2) The believing acceptance of the saving truths of the Gospel by those who hear it.
(3) As the result of the universal diffusion of the Gospel, accompanied by the working of Gods Spirit upon mens minds and hearts, there must come a world-wide profession of faith in Christ and subjection to His authority, along with practical godliness in the daily life.
(4) And the isles shall wait for His law. These words clearly teach us that the setting of judgment in the earth includes, or will issue in, the universal subjection of the nations to the law of Christ as the rule of their conduct. The Statute-books of the nations will be purged, and nothing but laws fully sanctioned by, and consistent with, the law of Christ shall find a place there. Regulated by Christs law in all their national transactions, the nations in which judgment is set, will, out of regard to the honour of their Divine Governor, be solicitous to choose and appoint as rulers only those who possess the character and qualifications which Gods Word prescribes.
II. THE MANNER AND SPIRIT IN WHICH THIS STUPENDOUS WORK IS TO BE CARRIED ON AND THE CERTAINTY OF ITS ACCOMPLISHMENT. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till He have set judgment in the earth.
1. How is all this to be brought about? Not miraculously, but through human instrumentality, accompanied by the prospering blessing of Gods Spirit. As to the spirit in which this work was to be carried on by Him to whom it was entrusted, we learn something both from the text and the preceding context. But if this was the Messiahs spirit, as it is His spirit still, it was not because He lacked strength or courage to assert Himself against His enemies. As He does not conquer by violence, but by gentleness, so He shall not be arrested and conquered by violent opposition. No foe that comes against Him, and no weapon formed against His cause and kingdom, shall ever prosper.
2. Notice the blessed certainty of the accomplishment of this great work, which the emphatic form of expression here employed holds out to us. He shall not fail nor be discouraged. And why shall He not fail? God has promised it and confirmed His promise with an oath, and what God has promised and sworn can never fail of accomplishment. All power has been given to Christ as Mediator for this very purpose. And He makes this cheering fact the foundation on which He rests the great commission to His Church. All power is given unto Me–go ye therefore and disciple all nations. For the accomplishment of this blessed work on earth the whole Church has been looking and longing, praying and labouring, are after age, ever since she was called into existence; and these longing anticipations–these fervent prayers–these earnest labours, the result of supernatural influence, shall not be in vain. Conclustion–
(1) This subject shows us what is the grand duty of the Christian Church as a whole, and in all her sections and members; it is just, as workers together with Christ, to labour zealously, unweariedly, in the noble enterprise of setting judgment in the earth.
(2) In carrying on her great mission in the world, the Church in all her parts and members should seek to be brought into fuller sympathy with her living Head and to drink more and more deeply into His spirit.
(3) Greater encouragement to take part in the on-carrying of this great work, and to persevere unweariedly and hopefully in it, in the face of all discouragement and opposition, we could not have, than what is here given us.
(4) Is it so that Christ shall not fail nor be discouraged? And are we enlisted under His banner and leadership? Then surely we ought not faint-heartedly to fail or be discouraged in holding fast the truth as it is in Him, and in exhibiting a testimony in its behalf.
(5) Nor should we fail or be discouraged in holding forth the Word of life to our benighted and perishing fellow-men, but should persevere and abound yet more and more, in our missionary efforts at home and abroad.
(6) He who as Lord of all is engaged in this mighty work of setting judgment in the earth, is also the Advocate with the Father, pleading His people s cause, and securing that their prayers shall be heard. (Original Secession Magazine.)
The Person and mission of our Lord
1. Christianity possesses the qualities which constitute it of right the universal religion.
2. Its author has undertaken to make it the universal religion in fact.
3. He will be ultimately completely successful, as prophecy clearly declares.
I. CHRISTIANITY HAS THE ELEMENTS OF TRUTH AND ADAPTATION IN SUCH PERFECTION AS TO BE SUFFICIENT FOR ALL RACES AND ALL TIMES. In making this claim it is not necessary to deny whatever of good may exist in other religions. If we contemplate the subject philosophically, judging of it by the wants of human nature, we reach the inevitable conclusion that it is fitted to be the universal religion. But we are here led to inquire: What is religion in its essential nature apart from all the forms in which it may incarnate itself? The universal religion, call it by what name you will, must give such a revelation of the Author and Ruler of all things, and of mans relations to Him here and hereafter, as to render it certain that man can, despite sin and death, attain to everlasting blessedness.
1. Its sufficiency must be settled by practical tests. The life after death must be made so certain as to be the chief and abiding source of mans present happiness, and motive in his greatest efforts and activities. This implies forgiveness of sin and victory over death, and also consciousness of obedience to God. This soul rest from bondage to the fear of death the universal religion must provide.
2. It must provide for responsible man at every stage of his development–in its movements from deepest ignorance to the highest possible attainments of which he is capable. It must go to the sheerest idolater, to the lowest peasant, to him who is highest in authority; must meet the wants of the most enlightened sage. It must be the chief stimulus of civilisation. Science cannot overthrow it, civilisation cannot dispense with it.
3. It must meet the wants of every race.
4. This universal religion must have the power to renew itself from time to time, to prevent its becoming an empty form- a dead letter. However we may account for it, there is a strange power in Christianity to renew itself m great reformations and revivals- to renew itself in individuals and in the race.
II. THE AUTHOR OF CHRISTIANITY HAS REVEALED IT AS HIS PURPOSE TO PUSH ITS CONQUESTS UNTIL IT SUPERSEDES ALL OTHER RELIGIONS. The living power by which this religion renews itself as perpetually as nature renews the face of the earth in every returning spring, the Messiah promised to pour out upon His disciples till all nations are instructed in His principles, and yield a hearty obedience to Him. The true conception of Christianity , therefore, is not that of a sage who proclaims a system, and, dying, leaves it to work its own way in a hostile world; but rather of One who has given His life to seal its truth, and, rising from the dead, comes back to His disciples to fill them with supernatural energy, that under His personal supervision they may go forward to its complete establishment. Thus the best test of the true Church is found in her members working along the line of this universal conquest. The Christian conquest is distinguished from any other which may bear a possible semblance to it, by the peculiar and subordinate sphere which all physical power in governmental relations must sustain to it.
III. In ancient times, when the warrior returned from battle with his trophies, he adorned with them the heathen temples. Under this imagery THE HOLY PROPHETS FORETELL THE GOOD TIME COMING WHEN ALL NATIONS WILL ADORN THE TEMPLE OF CHRIST with all the boundless resources of agriculture, commerce, and manufactures. (C. Graham.)
Christs final triumph
1. It seems not unreasonable to think that, since the plan of redemption has been from the beginning of the world the great object of the Divine dispensations, and since means so very striking and unusual have been employed in brining it forward, it will surely produce effects, even in this world, proportionable to the magnitude of the preparation.
2. But it will be said, if Christianity for so many ages has made little progress in the world, and if, even among its professing followers, its influence is far from being productive of universal holiness, what reason can we have for supposing that it will ever be otherwise?
3. Observe that the corruptions which have obscured the lustre of the Gospel, originally owing to the mixture of human speculations, were long fostered by a system of priestcraft, which, being once detected, is the less likely again to arise. Under that system men gradually acquired the power of shutting out from their brethren the pure sources of knowledge, and thus innumerable errors and prejudices were propagated, the effects of which have not wholly disappeared even in our own days. But the circumstances of the world are now so much improved, that it does not seem possible any such power will be ever again acquired, or at least retained for any considerable length of time. And further, there is in the mind of man so strong a thirst for knowledge, that some, according to their talents and opportunities, are always arising to search after it; and we may rest assured that this thirst for knowledge, aided by Christian zeal, will extend to the interesting truths of revelation, as well as to the various branches of human science.
4. But let it be granted that the Gospel, through the progress of inquiry, shall be restored even to its simplest form, and its excellence and truth clearly displayed; still, what reason have we to think that mens lives will be universally influenced by it, since hitherto that has been so far from being the case, that, on the contrary, infidelity seems to have kept pace with the increase of knowledge? With respect to increasing infidelity, it is nothing more than might naturally be expected when, after a long period of ignorance, prejudice, and even imposture, men first begin to inquire and discuss. The evil is only temporary, and will cease with the causes which lead to it. Men will at length return from the extremes into which they run.
5. With respect to the influence which pure Christianity may be expected to have on its votaries, we observe–
(1) That a difference of circumstances may be expected to produce a difference of effects.
(2) The more the native beauty of the Gospel appears, men will be the more likely to embrace it with sincerity, and for its own sake.
(3) When Christianity is wholly disencumbered of the tenets and observances which obstruct its reforming power; when it is universally admitted to be a doctrine according to godliness; when the illusions by which men foster their negligence, and the pleas by which they lull asleep their consciences, are all given up; when the truth is clearly and fully understood, that without real, heartfelt holiness no man shall see God,–we may with safety conclude that then the moral and sanctifying spirit of the Gospel will acquire an influence far beyond anything we have yet seen.
6. It may perhaps be said that little hope can be entertained of so favourable a change on the hearts and lives of men, unless human nature be itself changed; since, in all past ages, mankind have been imperiously hurried away by the strength of their passions. But it is equally certain that these are not uncontrollable; since, though not wholly subdued, for that would be hurtful, they have been, at an earlier or later period of life, gradually brought under subjection by multitudes of good men in all ages. They are inflamed, besides, by example, and by the temptations which mankind throw in one anothers way; and surely it is conceivable that these are circumstances which may not only gradually cease to inflame, but may come at length, in the progress of improvement, rather to check the undue indulgence of our passions. Consider, moreover, the power of habits formed before the heart be yet hardened, or the feelings blunted; and is it not possible that to the instruction of the young a growing attention may be paid, and endeavours be more earnestly and universally employed to instil into them from their tenderest years the habits of piety and virtue? Were this supposition realised, it alone, independent of all other circumstances, would powerfully contribute to that universal diffusion of the influence of Christianity which we are taught to expect.
7. We may appeal to experience. We know what the Gospel can accomplish, from the example of many individuals. Should it be admitted that the effects now enumerated may very naturally arise at length within the limits of the Christian Church, it will follow, as a just conclusion, that the Gospel may then be expected to spread over all lands.
8. There is a further consideration, of very high importance. It is, that by means of prophecy, there is an evidence for the truth of the Gospel provided, which will accumulate as ages advance.
9. We may add that, the world being wholly under the administration of that Divine Being who watches over the interests of Christianity, the ordinary course of human events will doubtless concur with the progress of the Gospel, and both tend to the same point.
10. Practical observations.
(1) Next to heaven itself, there is not perhaps a more elevating subject of contemplation than the state of things which shall take place during the Messiahs reign on earth.
(2) From what has been said, let us draw a confirmation of our faith. The present system of things will not be dissolved till the Gospel have wrought out its final triumph, and be preached for a witness to all nations.
(3) Since we know that righteousness and truth are finally to prevail, let it encourage us to promote that great object.
(4) The prophecies of Scripture are partly given, that they who believe may possess their souls in patience. (T. S. Hardie, D. D.)
The want of the world, and the way of supplying it
I. MORAL RECTITUDE IS THE GREAT WANT OF THE WORLD. We take the words judgment and law as expressing the same generic idea–rectitude; that is, a rightness in man in all the powers and operations of his soul, and in all his relations to God and the universe. This rectitude is his want of wants. The want of it involves the want of all other good.
1. Rectitude will put an end to all the painful feelings which afflict the individual soul. Conflict of passions–fear–jealousy–envy–ambition–remorse; these, and kindred feelings which torment the individual soul, will all disappear when rectitude is established.
2. Rectitude will put an end to all the social evils which afflict the state. Monopoly–injustice–oppression–cupidity–the source of poverty and feuds–would all go were rectitude established.
3. Rectitude would put an end to all religious evils which afflict the world. Rectitude is the panacea; it will heal all the evils. Well may the isles wait for it. Universal conscience is crying out for rectitude. The fact that they wait for it implies–
(1) That they have a deep belief in its existence.
(2) That they have a capacity to receive it.
(3) That they feel its necessity.
II. THERE IS A GLORIOUS BEING ENGAGED TO ESTABLISH RECTITUDE IN THE WORLD. He shall not fail. Who is He? The Servant, the Elect of Jehovah. Christs work is to establish rectitude. He died, and lives again, to put away sin.
1. His life gives the highest expression of rectitude.
2. His death gives the highest motives to rectitude.
3. His Spirit supplies the highest helps to rectitude.
III. THIS WORK OF ESTABLISHING RECTITUDE IS CARRIED ON WITH INVINCIBLE PERSEVERANCE. He shall not fail, etc. There are four things which cause men to fail and be discouraged in an enterprise–
1. The want, at the outset, of a full appreciation of all the difficulties that would arise in the working of it out to completion. But Christ saw the end from the beginning. All the arguments of infidelity, all the efforts of persecutors, all the opposition which prejudice, craft, and depravity would ever raise in any age, He foresaw, and was prepared to meet.
2. The want of a thorough sympathy with the undertaking. Men sometimes begin a work from certain motives–gain or fame, or it may be from benevolence-but with no hearty sympathy; and the consequence is that their little interest in it gradually decreases, until at last they give it up altogether; they fail and are discouraged. Will Christ never fail or be discouraged on this account? Never! His whole heart is in it. He has proved His interest in it by giving His life to promote it.
3. The want of a thorough acquiescence of the conscience in the undertaking. Men sometimes begin a work, and they find that it is not such that their conscience approves of. Though it may be lucrative–though it may lead them to fortune and fame–yet their conscience disapproves it; and by its constant rebukes they are forced to give it up. But Christ will never fail nor be discouraged on this account. It is a righteous enterprise; it is fulfilling the will of Heaven.
4. The want o f time to complete the undertaking. Men often begin a work to which they attach vast importance, and which meets the entire sympathies of their hearts and consciences, and fail in its accomplishment for the want of time. Death comes and breaks our purposes, and leaves our work undone. But Christ will never fail nor be discouraged on this account. He is alive to live for ever. Let us have faith in the work of establishing rectitude in the world. (Homilist.)
The isles shall wait for His law.
Isles or coasts. This word, denoting properly the isles and coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, is used in chaps,
40-46., representatively of distant regions of the earth, which are, moreover, in several of the passages personified by the prophet. (Prof. S. R. Driver, D. D.)
Islands
Islands have not been formed by chance; they are part of the wise and far-reaching design of Him who weighed the mountains in scales, and holds the ocean in the hollow of His hands. He made for a special purpose those little fragments of the earth, and shut them off from the great continents by the waters of the sea, and placed them exactly where they are. Many islands are the mountain-tops of old submerged lands; and what a wonderful change took place in the old climate and productions in consequence. Instead of snowy and stormy wastes, where only a meagre vegetation struggled for life, there sprang up a lovely paradise of calm blue skies and tropical luxuriance. Many islands have been formed by volcanic outbursts; and it is amazing what a vast number of islands have been created by the labours of soft, tiny creatures, hundreds of which a childs tiny hands would squash, and surrounded with coral reefs which have stood out against the wildest waves of the ocean. Islands are of the most beautiful parts of the world; they have usually milder climates than continents, are less exposed to parching droughts; they have more frequent rain and dew; the sunshine, not so scorching, is tempered by sea breezes and silvery clouds; the vegetation also is of a softer kind; the leaves of the trees, instead of being hard and dry and much divided, as on continental areas, are broad and tender and delicate. Who has not heard of the summer isles where the breezes are fragrant with spices, and birds of the most gorgeous plumage flit through the groves of graceful palm trees? Lace-like waterfalls drip languidly from rocks. The dreams of the most ancient nations placed the heaven of bliss in fabled isles, where they exaggerated and idealised all the favourable conditions in the loveliest landscape with which they were familiar. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
The Divine separation of mankind
God has formed islands and separated them from the great lands, and richly furnished them for human habitation, in order that mankind by means of them might be broken up into smaller sections. On continents human beings have always been apt to corrupt each other. He separated mankind into distinct communities, placed them in different scenes and circumstances, and effectually kept them apart by means of tractless seas, and thus the passions of men were confined within the narrowest limits, and rendered comparatively innocuous. By this method of separation national character was also formed and educated; and the one type of human nature at the beginning developed itself into every possible modification by the force of different circumstances and experiences. If there were no individuality among nations mankind would make no progress, all human societies would lose the mental activity which distinguished them. For such serious and gracious purposes God separated mankind into different nations and races, and placed them amid varied scenes of nature and circumstances of life And into this Divine method of dealing with mankind the existence of islands fitted admirably as part of one wise and gracious scheme. God made use of islands as places in which infant races might receive the education and the discipline which should afterwards qualify them for enlarged intercourse with each other when the sea should cease to be an estranging barrier, and by improved methods of communication should be a marriage-ring uniting nations. It was on islands chiefly that those who greatly influenced their fellows were educated under Gods own eye, and in close communion with heaven. It was in islands chiefly that those great events began which ever and anon raised the human race from ignorance and vice to nobler aspirations and purer ideals. How much does the world owe to the isles of Greece, gilded with the eternal summer of human memory, where poetry and art and all that dignifies and blesses human life originated! How much does the world owe to the little islands of Great Britain and Ireland, which have colonised the largest portions of the globe, which have been the bulwark of political freedom and the channel of world-wide enterprise, and to whose hospitable shores the white wake of every ship is the fitting avenue of approach! (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
Islands and the Gospel
But vast as has been the influence of islands in connection with the civilisation of the world, they have had still greater influence in connection with religion. Islands have been identified from the beginning with the progress of Christs kingdom; and there is not in all history a more romantic chapter than that which records the part which islands have played in diffusing the knowledge of Jesus Christ throughout the world. The men, outside the apostolic band, who were most influential in the spread of Christianity, were the natives of islands. Nazan, the ancient disciple, as he is called, who it is supposed took part in the first preaching of the Gospel throughout Galilee by the seventy disciples whom Christ sent out two by two, and whose lavish hospitality and great zeal in the service of the Church drew forth the love and admiration of all the brethren, was a native of the island of Cyprus. So also was Barnabas, to whom, after Paul, the early Church was more indebted than to any one else. It was to the birthplace of this remarkable man that the first missionary expedition of the Christian Church was sent. Several years before the mainland of Europe received the Gospel, Paul and Barnabas were consecrated by the Holy Spirit for the special purpose of evangelising the important island of Cyprus, which was the bridge of commercial intercourse between the Eastern and Western worlds. By the stepping-stones of this and other islands–of the Levant, of the Grecian Archipelago–Christianity proceeded on its westward march from the land where it was nurtured on the lap of Judaism to the conquest of the nations, in fulfilment of Christs own command to His disciples, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. After the time of the apostles the early missionaries of Christianity to Europe sought refuge in the islands which lie off the coast of the Mediterranean, for there they could have the best security from the troubles of those rough ages. Near the shore of Cannes, in the south of France, there is a little island covered with ecclesiastic ruins called the island of St. HonorS, which is one of the most impressive spots in the world. It was by that island that the Christianity of Palestine and Egypt in the fifth century came to Western Europe independent of Rome. There St. Patrick was educated, who brought the Gospel to Ireland; from thence St. Columba brought it to Scotland, and we all know how Iona, the little island amid the clouds and mists of the wild Atlantic, formed the centre which drew to it, and from whence were dispersed, all the spiritual and intellectual forces of Christendom during its darkest ages. Besides Iona, Lindisfarne, or Holy Isle, off the coast of Northumberland, afforded retreat to St. Cuthbert and to his followers, from whence they preached the Gospel to the rude populations of the mainland. And Malta in the Middle Ages preserved the fife of religion burning brightly when it was all but extinguished in other places, and by the Knights Templars, who were stirred by a wonderful enthusiasm in the cause of Christ. It was to the East Indies that the first missions of the Roman Catholics were sent; and the Island of Ceylon was the point of vantage from whence South India was taken possession of for Christ. St. Francis Xavier, that most devoted of missionaries, carried the Christian faith to the island of Japan, and fevered and died on the island near Canton, from whence he attempted to attack the root of the mighty superstition of Buddhism in the jealously-guarded land of China, instead of merely lopping off branches. And, turning to other parts of the world, Captain Cooks wonderful discoveries among the South Sea Islands created profound interest in the new types of humanity which they revealed, and led to the formation of the London Missionary Society. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
Islands sunk in savagery, yet Christianised
It may be said that the inhabitants of remote islands, on account of their isolation from great centres of civilisation, have lost the highest capacities of the race, and have sunk to the lowest depths of savagery. Throughout the fair paradises of Polynesia, when first discovered, idolatry prevailed in its most grovelling form, degrading the nations, and tribal wars kept the people in a state of constant alarm; cannibalism cast a haunting shadow over many a lovely island, and threatened to exterminate the population. Who does not remember the brutal murder of Captain Cook on the scene of one of the grandest of his discoveries; and the martyrdom of Williams and Patterson amid circumstances of the utmost atrocity towards those to whom they had proved the truest friends? There is hardly a single island in the Pacific but has its bloody record of the slaughter of these devoted men who first came to them with the message of Divine peace. And yet nowhere else have the triumphs of the Cross been so remarkable as on the islands that witnessed these barbarous acts. The simplicity and pliability of disposition peculiar to insular races which have made them the easy slaves of cruel practices, have made them, on the other hand, more susceptible to the power of Divine grace. They were not hampered by the shackles of religious organisations which had grown up during ages, and which had extended their roots so far and deep that they could only be torn up at the risk of destroying the whole social fabric that rested upon them. They had no elaborate caste like India, no gigantic ritual like China, because of the almost insuperable barriers in the way. They were far less self-sufficient than those who inherited the ancient religious and social systems of the great continental areas; they were, like children, ready to be attracted by any novelty. And so in spite of their superstition and measureless depravity, like the publicans and sinners of our Lords time, they were ready to receive the kingdom of heaven, readier to receive the kingdom of heaven than the heathen of the continental lands when in Gods good providence, that kingdom of heaven came to them. The Sandwich Islands, where Williams was martyred, the Fiji Islands, notorious for their cannibalism, the islands of New Zealand, the abode of the most crafty and cruel savages, all were brought more or less under the influence of Christ. The history of the spread of Christianity in Japan and Madagascar, the courage and fortitude of the converts through years of relentless persecution, and the calmness with which they endured tortures from which death was a merciful relief, form one of the most thrilling chapters in the history of Christian missions. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
Islands the cradles of new movements
Naturalists tell us that our earth from time to time has been exhausted by bearing countless generations of plants and animals; and has only recovered its fertilising materials under the baptism of the great waters, and become fit for bearing new life when the sea changed its bed. Continents are losing the elements which are necessary for building up the bone and brain of man by the streams and rivers that carry them away to the ocean; and islands, owing to the way in which they have been produced from the sea, are rich in such elements, and are therefore fitted to nourish and to maintain vigorous races. This is one reason why islands, more than continents, have been the cradles of new movements connected with the progress of man; and it may be, reasoning from this analogy, that if we in this old island impart to the young isles of the sea the knowledge of the law of Christ for which they are waiting, newer and more vigorous manifestations and developments of that law may be met in those islands than we have yet seen. Christianity may acquire a new impulse from the fresh force and enthusiasm of new races, and the things that have been latent in it may blossom and bear fruit in a new soil for the good of the world. It may be that the isles of the sea that now wait for the law of Christ, shall in turn communicate that law to the regions from which they originally derived it, and which, from their sloth and selfishness, have sunk into ignorance and darkness, just as the candlestick that was removed from places once bright with the light of the truth because of their carelessness, was set up in our heathen island long ago. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged – “His force shall not be abated nor broken”] Rabbi Meir ita citat locum istum, ut post yaruts, addat cocho, robur ejus, quod hodie non comparet in textu Hebraeo, sed addendum videtur, ut sensus fiat planior.
“Rabbi Meir cites this passage so as to add after yarats cocho, his force, which word is not found in the present Hebrew text, but seems necessary to be added to make the sense more distinct.” Capell. Crit. Sac. p. 382. For which reason I had added it in the translation, before I observed this remark of Capellus. – L.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He shall not fail, nor be discouraged; though he be thus meek, and gentle, yet he is also courageous and resolute against all the great and many difficulties and conflicts to which he will be exposed, and will not give over till he have finished his work; or, as others render the words, He shall not be darkened (this glorious light shall not be eclipsed or obscured; or, He shall shine forth brightly and gloriously, as the LXX. render this word) nor broken by all the attempts and vigorous endeavours of his enemies who design it.
Till he have set judgment in the earth; till he have published and established his law or doctrine (as this judgment is expounded in the next clause) among the nations of the earth. And this word till respects only the time past, but not the time to come, as if he would then fail, or be discouraged, when once he had
set judgment on the earth; which is contrary to reason, and to other evident scriptures. And so this word is used, Gen 28:15; Psa 71:18; Mat 1:25.
The isles; the countries remote from Judea, to which Gods law was now confined, as this word is oft used.
Shall wait for his law; shall gladly receive his doctrine and commands from time to time.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. failfaint; man inreligion may become as the almost expiring flax-wick (Isa42:3), but not so He in His purposes of grace.
discouragedliterally,”broken,” that is, checked in zeal by discouragements(compare Isa 49:4; Isa 49:5).ROSENMULLER not so welltranslates, “He shall not be too slow on the one hand, nor runtoo hastily on the other.”
judgmentHis truereligion, the canon of His judgments and righteous reign.
isles . . . wait, c.Thedistant lands beyond sea shall put their trust in His gospelway of salvation. Mt 12:21virtually gives the sense, with the inspired addition of anotheraspect of the same thing, “In his name shall the Gentilestrust” (as “wait for” here means, Isa30:18). “His law” is not something distinct fromHimself, but is indeed Himself, the manifestation of God’scharacter (“name”) in Christ, who is the embodiment ofthe law (Isa 42:21 Jer 23:6;Rom 10:4). “Isles”here, and in Isa 42:12, mayrefer to the fact that the populations of which the Church wasprimarily formed were Gentiles of the countries bordering on theMediterranean.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He shall not fail,…. For want of strength to go through the work of redemption: or, “grow dim” i and dark, as a lamp for want of oil, or as the wick of a candle ready to go out. Hence the Septuagint version, “he shall shine k”; in the glory of his person, as the Son of God; in the fulness of his grace, as Mediator, which shall never fail; and in the hearts of his people by his Spirit; and in his Gospel published to the world:
nor be discouraged; at the number, power, and menaces of his enemies, he had to grapple with, sin, Satan, the world, and death: or,
nor be broken l; with the weight of all the sins of his people upon him; and with a sense of divine wrath; and with the whole punishment due unto them, inflicted on him, enough to have broke the backs and spirits of men and angels; but he stood up under the mighty load, and did not sink beneath it, but endured all with an invincible courage and resolution of mind:
till he have set judgment in the earth; fully satisfied the justice of God for the sins of his people, and performed the work of their redemption in righteousness; and then he sent and settled his Gospel in the world, proclaiming the same; and fixed a set of Gospel ordinances to continue the remembrance of it, till his second coming. Maimonides m produces this passage to prove that the Messiah shall die, because it is said, “he shall not fail–till”, c. but this does not signify that he should fail afterwards, but that he should continue always:
and the isles shall wait for his law; his doctrine or Gospel, the law or doctrine of faith, particularly that of justification by his righteousness, with every other; this the inhabitants of the islands, or distant countries, the Gentiles, should be desirous of hearing, readily embrace and receive, and trust in Christ, made known to them in it. The Septuagint version is, “and in his name shall the Gentiles trust”; and so in Mt 12:20.
i , “non caligabit”, Pagninus, Montanus. k , Sept. l , “nec fraugetur”, Paguinus, Montanus. m Porta Mosis, p. 160.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The figures in Isa 42:3 now lead to the thought that the servant of God will never be extinguished or become broken Himself. “He will not become faint or broken, till He establish right upon earth, and the islands wait for His instruction.” As (become faint) points back to (the finat or glimmering wick), so must point back to (the bruised or broken reed); it cannot therefore be derived from (to run) in the sense of “He will not be rash or impetuous, but execute His calling with wise moderation,” as Hengstenberg supposes, but as in Ecc 12:6, from = (Ges. 67, Anm. 9), in the neuter sense of infringetur (will break). His zeal will not be extinguished, nor will anything break His strength, till He shall have secured for right a firm standing on the earth ( is a fut. ex. so far as the meaning is concerned, like in Isa 10:12). The question arises now, whether what follows is also governed by , in the sense of “and until the islands shall have believed his instruction,” as Hitzig supposes; or whether it is an independent sentence, as rendered by the lxx and in Mat 12:21. We prefer the latter, both because of Isa 51:5, and also because, although may certainly mean to exercise a believing confidence in the word of God (Psa 119:74, Psa 119:81), can only mean “to wait with longing for a person’s instruction” (Job 29:23), and especially in this case, where no thought is more naturally suggested, than that the messenger to the Gentile world will be welcomed by a consciousness of need already existing in the heathen world itself. There is a gratia praeparans at work in the Gentile world, as these prophecies all presuppose, in perfect harmony with the Gospel of John, with which they have so much affinity; and it is an actual fact, that the cry for redemption runs through the whole human race, i.e., an earnest longing, the ultimate object of which, however unconsciously, is the servant of Jehovah and his instruction from Zion (Isa 2:3) – in other words, the gospel.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
4. He shall not faint, nor be discouraged. The Prophet alludes to the preceding verse, and confirms what he formerly said, that Christ will indeed be mild and gentle towards the weak, but that he will have no softness or effeminacy; for he will manfully execute the commission which he has received from the Father. This is what he means when he says that “he shall not faint;” and in this verb יכהה (yichheh) there is an allusion to a former verse, in which he spoke of “smoking flax.” Now, he shews what is the true moderation of meekness, not to turn aside to excessive indulgence; for we ought to use it in such a manner as not to swerve from our duty. Many persons wish to profit by the name of gentleness, so as to gain the applause and esteem of the world, but at the same time betray truth in a base and shameful manner.
I remember that there were in a populous city two preachers, one of whom boldly and loudly reproved vices, while the other endeavored to gain the favor of the people by flatteries. This fawning preacher, who was expounding the Prophet Jeremiah, lighted on a passage full of the mildest consolation, and having found, as he imagined, a fit opportunity, began to declaim against those harsh and severe reprovers who are wont to terrify men by thunderbolts of words. But on the following day, when the Prophet changed his subject and sharply rebuked wicked men with his peculiar vehemence of style, the wretched flatterer was constrained to encounter bitter scorn by retracting the words which were fresh in the recollection of all his hearers. Thus the temporary favor which he had gained speedily vanished, when he revealed his own disposition, and made himself abhorred by the good and the bad.
We must therefore distinguish between the submissive and the obstinate, that we may not abuse that mildness by using it on every occasion. Yet Isaiah declares that Christ’s fortitude will be unshaken, so that it shall surmount every obstacle; for by these words, Till he put judgment, he means that the ministry of Christ will be so efficacious that the fruit of his doctrine shall be manifested. He does not merely say, “Till he shall have made known the will of his Father,” but “Till he establish judgment,” that is, as we formerly said, the proper exercise of government. Christ’s ministry, therefore, he testifies, will not be unfruitful, but will have such efficacy that men shall be reformed by it.
This must not be limited to the person of Christ, but extends to the whole course of the gospel; for he not only discharged the embassy committed to him for three years, but continues to discharge the same embassy every day by means of his servants. Yet we are reminded that it is impossible for us to discharge that office without being laid under the necessity of suffering many annoyances, and sustaining contests so severe and dangerous, that we shall be almost overwhelmed and ready to abandon everything. Still we must not desist, but persevere constantly in our duty, and run to the very end; and therefore the Prophet testifies that Christ will be so steadfast that he will pursue his calling to the end; and, following his example, we ought boldly to persevere.
And the isles shall wait for his law. Here he employs the word Law to mean “doctrine,” as the Hebrew word for “law” is derived from a verb which signifies to teach; (153) and thus the prophets are accustomed to speak of the gospel, in order to shew that it will not be new or contrary to what was taught by Moses.
The isles. We have formerly shewn that the Hebrew writers give the name of isles to countries beyond the sea.
The Prophet confirms the former statement, by which it was declared that Christ had been appointed not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles, though they had nothing in common with the Jewish commonwealth. In short, that promise relates to all nations, that the advantages of this restoration and reformation may be shared by every part of the world.
By the word wait, he means that the elect will eagerly embrace the gospel offered to them; for the Lord displays in it the power of his election, when “they who wandered in darkness,” (Mat 4:16,) as soon as they hear the voice of the gospel, embrace it with the utmost eagerness, and although they formerly wandered, like scattered and lost sheep, yet hear immediately the voice of the shepherd, and cheerfully submit to him, as Christ himself has also spoken. (Joh 10:16.) Hence we learn that the saying of Augustine is exceedingly true, “that many sheep wander out of the folds, while wolves frequently dwell within the folds.” This attention is the work of God, when men who thought that they were wise give up their own judgment, and have to learn the gospel of Christ, so as to depend entirely on this teacher.
(153) That is, תורה (torah), “a law,” is derived from ירה ( yarah), which in the Hiphil conjugation, הורה ( horah), signifies “he taught.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) He shall not fail nor be discouraged . . .Both verbs in the Hebrew point back to those of the previous verse, He shall not burn dimly nor be crushed, as if to teach that in helping others to strength and light, the servants of the Lord, after the pattern of the Servant, gain light and strength for themselves.
The isles shall wait for his law.The relation of the servant to the far off Gentile world is still dominant in the prophets mind. The LXX. Version, given in Mat. 12:21, In His name shall the Gentiles hope, is a paraphrase rather than a translation. The words describe the earnest expectation, the unconscious longing of the heathen for One who shall be a true teacher (Rom. 8:22).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. He shall not fail His work, though unshowy, shall be efficiently done; shall be everywhere extended.
Set judgment Established his religion.
Isles Regions in and around the seas: heathendom shall tire of idols, and clamour for Messiah’s coming and religion.
In these four verses are predicted attributes and doings which assuredly make out God’s “servant” (Isa 42:1) as more than a mere man, and more than Israel collectively.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 42:4. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged These words are to be referred to the success of this great teacher’s doctrine; who, with admirable diligence and patience, without any remission of zeal or labour, should go on calmly and deliberately in its establishment, nor depart from the undertaking, till he had settled his doctrine and left a perfect canon of it to his disciples: a doctrine, not confined to the Jews, but to pass to the Gentilesthe isles of the earth, and to be by them received with faith and hope. Compare chap. Isa 51:5 and see Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
Ver. 4. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged. ] Non erit tristis nec turbulentus; so the Vulgate hath it. He shall be master of his passions, and keep an even state of his looks and motions, whatever befall, as they report of Socrates. He shall not knit his brows, or chide – which was Eli’s fault, 1Sa 3:13 but is Christ’s commendation – so Lud. de Dieu rendereth it. He shall not make to smoke (so Junius from Isa 42:3 ), nor shall he bruise any one.
Until he have set judgment.
And the isles shall wait for his law.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
fail = go out (as a lamp).
be discouraged = break, or break down.
in = upon.
isles = maritime countries. The Divine interpretation = “Gentiles” (Mat 12:18-21). See note on Isa 11:11.
wait. Reference to Pentateuch (Gen 8:12 “stayed”).
and stretched them out = they that stretched them out. Compare “us”, “our” (Gen 1:26). Compare “image” (singular).
breath. Hebrew. neshmah, App-16). See note on Isa 2:22.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shall not: Isa 9:7, Isa 49:5-10, Isa 52:13-15, Isa 53:2-12, Joh 17:4, Joh 17:5, Heb 12:2-4, 1Pe 2:22-24
discouraged: Heb. broken
and the isles: Isa 42:12, Isa 2:2-4, Isa 11:9-12, Isa 24:15, Isa 24:16, Isa 41:5, Isa 55:5, Isa 60:9, Isa 66:19, Gen 49:10, Psa 22:27, Psa 72:8-11, Psa 98:2, Psa 98:3, Mic 4:1-3, Zec 2:11, Rom 16:26, 1Co 9:21
Reciprocal: Gen 10:5 – isles 2Ch 20:12 – wilt Psa 97:1 – let the multitude of isles Psa 99:4 – thou dost Psa 110:6 – judge Psa 119:51 – yet have Psa 119:157 – yet do I Ecc 9:17 – General Isa 11:11 – the islands Isa 32:16 – General Isa 42:10 – the isles Isa 51:5 – the isles Jer 31:10 – declare Zep 2:11 – the isles Zep 3:5 – bring Mat 12:20 – till Mar 3:3 – he saith Luk 6:8 – Rise Joh 7:26 – he speaketh 2Co 10:1 – by
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 42:4. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged Though he be thus meek and gentle, yet he is also courageous and resolute, notwithstanding all the many and great difficulties and conflicts to which he will be exposed, and he will persevere till he have finished his work. Till he have set judgment in the earth Till, by his holy life, his extreme sufferings, his many miracles, his resurrection from the dead, his visible ascension into heaven, and the wonderful effusion of his Holy Spirit, in extraordinary gifts and graces on his apostles and other servants, he shall fully evince the certain truth and infinite importance of his doctrine, and the divine original and authority of that holy religion which he came to establish: or, till he shall erect his kingdom in the world, or a church for himself among men, and, by the power of his gospel and grace, shall reform mankind, and fix such principles in their minds as will make them wise and holy, just and good. Lowth thinks this prophecy relates chiefly to the propagation of the gospel in the world by his apostles and other messengers; observing that Christ himself was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and consequently could be a light to the Gentiles only as he commissioned others to preach the gospel to them: see Eph 2:17. And, taking the words in this comprehensive sense, they import, that our Saviour and his apostles would not be discouraged at the difficulties they were to meet with in the discharge of their office, but would still continue unwearied in their work, till, at last, they should surmount all opposition, plant judgment and truth in the earth, and make the remotest parts of the world own their dependance upon him as their Lord, and submit to his government. And the isles Of the Gentiles, the countries remote from Judea, as the word often signifies; shall wait for his law Shall gladly receive his doctrine and commands from time to time.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he hath {i} set judgment in the earth: and the {k} isles shall wait for his law.
(i) Till he has set all things in good order.
(k) The Gentiles will desire to receive his doctrine.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Not only would He not break or extinguish others, but the pressures and blows of others would not break or extinguish Him. This reflects the Spirit’s empowerment in His life (cf. Isa 42:1). He would complete His mission of establishing justice on the earth. The furthest reaches of the earth will, therefore, anticipate the coming of His law, as Israel did at the base of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19; cf. Isa 2:3). They would do so eager for justice to come to the earth, not necessarily eagerly anticipating it to come through the Lord’s Servant.
The Lord now turned from describing His Servant’s task by speaking about Him to confirming His task by speaking to Him. This is a pattern in the Servant Songs: confirmation follows description (cf. Isa 49:7-13; Isa 50:10-11; Isa 54:1 to Isa 55:13). Two aspects of the Lord’s glory that earlier exposed the plight of the Gentile world, namely, that the Gentiles do not know the only true God and that they worship idols, bracket this passage dealing with Gentile hope. [Note: Ibid., p. 321.] The task of the Servant, not His identity, continues to be the focus of attention. Each segment begins with a reaffirmation of the identity of the true God (Isa 42:5-6; Isa 42:8).