Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 51:22
Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God [that] pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, [even] the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
22. thy Lord the Lord ] thy Lord Jehovah. It is in cases like this that we are made to feel the inconvenience arising from the Jewish reluctance to pronounce the sacred Name Yahveh.
I have taken ] Better I take (a perf. of instant action, as 1Sa 2:16).
the cup of trembling fury ] the cup of intoxication, the chalice of mine indignation (see on Isa 51:17).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling – (See the notes at Isa 51:17). This verse contains a promise that they would be delivered from the effect of the wrath of God, under which they had been suffering so long.
Thou shalt no more drink it again – Thou shalt no more be subject to similar trials and calamities (see Isa 54:7-9). Probably the idea here is, not that Jerusalem would never be again destroyed, which would not be true, for it was afterward subjected to severer trials under the Romans; but that the people who should then return – the pious exiles – should be preserved forever after from similar sufferings. The object of the prophet is to console them, and this he does by the assurance that they should be subjected to such trials no more.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 51:22
Thus saith thy Lord
God our Advocate
How can God be both judge and advocate?
Maybe Isaiah would have said, I see it not clearly myself yet. But the riddle is all explained when you bear in mind the distinction of the persons in the Godhead. He pleads His peoples cause for them by the Son, and in them by the Holy Ghost. This wonderful title, God that pleadeth the cause of His people, has been already vindicated in the history of Israel. But what is it God pleads? We may go very much astray unless we emphasize that word cause. It is not, He pleadeth the whims of His people. Everything that I may want or like God is not going to provide. That word cause means the strife, the battle, the controversy. The Church of God is just the expression of a great conflict that has been going on for ages. I want to show you how Jesus has pleaded the cause of His people, and He has done it in different courts.
I. He pleaded the cause of His people first in the COURT OF JUDGMENT that was situated at Golgotha. As to proving men innocent, that is impossible; they are guilty and condemned and yet Christ steps forward and says, I will plead their cause. And He stood in my place and yours, and pleaded our cause: but pleading our cause took Him to the Cross and into the tomb.
II. Having pleaded my cause in the court of judgment, He now pleads my cause IN THE COURT OF LAW AND JUSTICE. It is not enough for a soul to be free from sin; that is the negative side. How can any man enter heaven apart from righteousness? I will suppose for a moment that this difficulty is raised in court. Yes, the past sin is atoned for; but where is the mans righteousness? I say, Oh, my Lord, Thou who didst plead for me just now, plead again! and I hear Him say, I lived the life of perfect righteousness, I obeyed the law in every jot and tittle, I had Thy word hidden in My heart. And the answer comes, The plea is perfect: sinner, thou art not only forgiven, thou art justified; thy God hath pleaded thy cause.
III. Jesus now pleads my cause IN HEAVEN ITSELF. If I am a saint, I am sure to pray, but being an earthly saint I am sure to pray very badly; being a believer, I am sure to sing, but having an earthly nature I am sure there are many low grovelling notes. How are my prayers to enter heaven? how are my prayers to be accepted? He who pleaded my cause on Golgotha, and He who pleaded my cause in the court of law, He now as High Priest pleads my cause before the golden altar.
IV. And Jesus has not yet concluded His pleading work. Personally I am looking for a day that is yet to dawn when JESUS WILL PERFECTLY PLEAD ON BEHALF OF HIS PEOPLE THAT THEY MAY RECEIVE ALL THE RIGHTS OF REDEMPTION.
V. I have only dealt thus far with the Father and the Son, but it is the whole Trinity that pleads the cause of His people, and therefore our final point is this, that whilst Jesus has pleaded for me at Golgotha and does plead for me yonder in the court of Heaven, THE HOLY GHOST IS PLEADING MY CAUSE WITHIN. (A. G. Brown.)
The Advocate on high
How majestic are these appellations; and if we mark the variation of the appearance of the word Lord, it opens to our view at once a fund of information and comfort which would be lost if that were overlooked. The first time the word is used, thy Lord, the translators have given it to us in small letters, simply signifying a sovereign ruler and governor. The second time they have given it in capital letters, which method they adopted to distinguish the word Jehovah from the word Adonai, or Lord. When the word Jehovah presents itself to our view, we are at once filled with a consciousness of the presence of a self-existent Being, giving being to all, deriving being from none, with all worlds at His command, and all creatures under His sway. And then to have the sovereign governor, the self-existent Deity, presented to our view in His covenant character as thy God, is peculiarly sweet. There is a sevenfold preciousness in this introduction which Jehovah gives of Himself to the notice of His people, and that, too, under circumstances particularly affecting; because what the Lord was about to say to them was just called for by the exigencies in which they were placed.
I. THE APPELLATIONS that are employed. Thy Lord; THE LORD; thy God.
II. OUR CLAIM TO AN INTEREST IN THEM, as warranted by Scripture. I will refer to the infinite perfections of the Deity to be claimed by the poor worm of the earth. What, I allowed to claim Omniscience, Omnipotence to watch over me, Omnipresence to be my company, Immutability to be my security, eternity the open prospect for me! What, I view all the perfections and attributes of the Deity, such as His justice, His holiness, His truth, His mercy, His faithfulness, everlastingly pledged for my salvation? This is something solid. What is requisite to prove the claim? You will find substantial proof nowhere but in spiritual life imparted to the soul.
III. THE TRANSACTION REFERRED TO. That pleadeth the cause of His people.
1. Let us first glance at the Divine, the sacred office assumed, as stated the text, If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. That glorious Advocate is wise, faithful, condescending, affectionate.
2. The extraordinary nature of the cause of Gods people.
(1) There are three points in the pleading of the cause that must be kept in view. God pleads thy cause. Precious Advocate!
(2) Moreover, He hath to plead for His people among the heathen; and this is implied in the text. When the people of Israel old transgressed by idolatries and superstitions, by departures from God, and mingling with the heathen, Jehovah sent them into captivity, allowed their enemies to break in upon them, and to desolate their city and temple. And the heathen mocked them. Where now is your God? Where is the God you serve? Do you think the King of glory can regard such beings as you? But Jehovah pleads His own cause, and vindicates His own honour among the heathen.
(3) But there is a worse feature relative to the cause, and that is rebellion in the heart of His own people.
3. The legal process. The only great mark of the legal process is for Gods holiness to be vindicated. Then the process must be by exacting or by surety; and it must be by His life of obedience and His death of ignominy. If the legal process be pleading with the guilty, ruined sinner, there are two or three things I shall name.
(1) He is apprehended.
(2) He is accused.
(3) He is acquitted. Acquitted, but He is condemned first. (J. Irons.)
.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people; who though he hath fought against thee, is now reconciled to thee, and will maintain thy cause against all thine adversaries.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
22. pleadeth . . . cause(Psa 35:1; Jer 50:34;Mic 7:9).
no more drink it (Isa54:7-9). This cannot apply to Israel after the return fromBabylon, but only to them after their final restoration.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thus saith the Lord, the Lord and thy God,…. He who is Lord of all, the eternal Jehovah, who can do all things, and who is the covenant God of his people, and will do all things he has purposed and promised, and which are for their good and his glory; of which they may be assured from the consideration of these names and titles of his, for which reason they seem to be used and mentioned:
that pleadeth the cause of his people, which is a righteous one, as he will make it appear to be, by delivering them out of their troubles, and by avenging their bodies.
Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling; which he himself had put there, Isa 51:17, and which none but himself could take out; not she herself, nor any of her sons, nor indeed could they give her any relief; but when the Lord’s time is come to favour his people, he himself will remove it:
even the dregs of the cup of my fury; it shall all be clean taken away, nothing of it shall remain:
thou shalt no more drink it again; or “any longer” c; after the slaying of the witnesses, and their rising again, there will be no more persecution of the church of God; see Isa 2:9.
c “non ultra”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
22. Thus saith Jehovah. Not at random does the Prophet add to the name Jehovah three epithets, namely, that he is the Lord or Defender of his Church, that he is God, and lastly, that he is her Avenger. We ought always to consider what is the nature of our relation to God; for he addresses us in a familiar manner, in consequence of having once chosen us to be his people, by uniting himself to us in an everlasting covenant. This preface encouraged the Jews, in ancient times, not to hesitate to embrace what is here promised; and at the present day the same argument applies to a new people, who have been taken under God’s care and protection not less than they. The Lord declares himself to hold the office of an “Avenger,” in order that, when we shall be threatened with the most alarming dangers, and when it shall appear as if all were over with us, we may betake ourselves to this anchor, that God is the “Avenger” of his people; and this ought to support us, not only when we are assailed by outward enemies, but also when we are assailed by Satan.
Behold, I have taken from thy hand. He holds out the ground of hope; for it is only by temporary stripes that the Lord chastises his Church. Hence also the Jews ought to learn that all the calamities to which they were subjected were the just reward of their transgressions; for those calamities would never come to an end but by their being reconciled to God. The general meaning is, that the wrath of the Lord will be appeased, so that he will restrain and bring to a close the chastisements which he had formerly inflicted on his Church.
The cup of thy affliction, or, the cup of thy trembling. We have already spoken of the metaphor of “the cup;” and the explanation of it which we gave is fully confirmed by this passage, in which God calls it “the cup of his indignation,” though it had made the Church to tremble, as if she had been seized with giddiness. Yet it is the same word which he formerly used, תרעלה (targnelah,) which some translate “anguish,” and others “trembling.” By dregs, as I have said, he means the full measure of vengeance with which God is satisfied on account of his fatherly kindness.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
JEHOVAHS ANGER
Isa. 51:17; Isa. 51:20; Isa. 51:22. The fury of the Lord, &c. [1587]
[1587] See vol. i. pp. 284286, and H. E. I. 22882294. Gods anger must, of course, be understood in a manner in accordance with the Divine nature; and we are not to suppose that precisely the same passions or the same feelings are referred to when this language is used of God which is implied when it is used of men. It means that His nature, His laws, His government, His feelings, are all arrayed against the wicked; that He cannot regard the conduct of the wicked with favour; that He will punish them. He is angry with the wicked continually, constantly, always. It is not excitement, it is not a temporary passion, such as we see in men. It is not sudden emotion, soon to be succeeded by a different feeling when the passion passes off. It is the steady and uniform attribute of His unchanging nature to be always opposed to the wicked,to all forms of sin; and in Him, in this respect, there will be no change. The wicked will find Him no more favourable to their character and course of life to-morrow than He is to-day; no more beyond the grave than this side of the tomb. This is a fearful truth in regard to the sinner, and should make him tremble:(1.) that God is angry with himthat all His character, and all the principles of His government and law, are and must be arrayed against him; and (2.), that in this respect there is to be no change; that if he continues to be wicked, as he is now, he will every day and alwaysthis side the grave and beyondfind all the attributes of God engaged against him, and pledged to punish him. God has no attribute that can take part with sin or the sinner.A. Barnes, D.D.
The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the higher the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course when once it is let loose. If God should only withdraw His hand from the floodgate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.Jonathan Edwards.
I. It is real. There is such a thing as anger in God. Many are the expressions used concerning itjealousy, vengeance, fury, wrath; all to indicate its existence, and to show us that the human theories of Divine universal benevolence are not true, being got up for a purpose, and that purpose to persuade the sinners own conscience that he need not be alarmed because of his guilt; and that no one need dread the infliction of punishment, except perhaps a few of the most wicked of our race. But Gods words are not exaggerations, nor words of course. There is a terrible truth contained in these oft-repeated words of Scripture, His anger was kindled. Loving and gracious as Jehovah is, His anger is real. When Jesus comes the second time, He comes to take vengeance.
II. It is righteous. It is not the rage of selfishness, or passion, or affront. It is judicial anger; the anger of the righteous judge. It is anger against sin, against the sinner, anger because of insulted law and dishonoured righteousness. Nothing in it is unjust, or cruel, or arbitrary. Then the condemned soul will be compelled hereafter to say, It is all right and just, it shall be right and just to all eternity.
III. It is terrible. Though calm, it is unutterably awful; nay, overwhelming. No power and no numbers shall be able to stand before it. It shall sweep everything before it like a whirlwind. The expulsion from paradise, the Deluge, the ruin of Sodom, are specimens of its terribleness. The lost soul shall be utterly overwhelmed. ()
IV. It is inexorable. Nothing but genuine repentance shall turn it aside, or soften it when once it is kindled. The vengeance of eternal fire, the everlasting burning, the worm that dieth not, these are awful words, and however figurative they may be, they represent terrible realities (H. E. I. 2804).Horatius Bonar, D.D.: Light and Truth, Old Testament, p. 345.
THE MEMORIAL NAME
Isa. 51:22. Thy LORD the LORD, and thy God.
The history, which includes the textual statement. Consider
1. The character which God here claims for Himself.
1. Independent and self-existent in Being, and thereforeInfinitefills all space; everlastingfills all time; the source of all being.
2. Unlimited in perfection. All perfections. Infinite in each.
3. Unlimited in sovereignty. He does according to His will. His will the highest reason. None can counsel Him.
4. Unlimited in the extent of His government. None are exempted from it.
5. Himself the end of all things. Everything originates with Him. Everything terminates in Him.
II. The limitations which men put upon the claim which is thus made by God. They put limits upon,
1. His being. The having and worshipping false gods. That is not God which is not self-existent; and two self-existent Gods cannot be conceived.
2. His perfections. The conceptions which men form and express. The preference which man gives to the creature. The silence of man in His praise. The little imitation there is of Him. The manner in which men expect to recommend themselves to His favour. The manner in which His servants are treated.
3. On His absolute sovereignty. Confining our attention to systems of doctrine called Christian, men question Gods absolute sovereignty, in the election, calling, justification, and perseverance of His people.
4. On the extent of His government. Some exclude Him from creation, providence, in prayer, conversation, conduct, civil authority, the government of the Church, and conscience.
5. As the end of all things. Men make themselves the end.
CONCLUSION.He is not, and cannot be limited. In acting, He disregards the limits of men. He punishes the pride and insolence of man for limiting Him. He calls the notice of His people to the vindication of His glory.James Stewart: Outlines of Discourses, pp. 24.
THE STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF THE CHURCH
(Preached before a Presbyterian General Assembly.)
Isa. 52:1. Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion.
This language is a direct address from God to His ancient Church. The image which it presents is that of a sleeping giant. The Church of God had been a giant power in the world; but at the time in which God speaks it had relapsed into slumberhad put off its strength, and, being beset with enemies, this position of torpor and inaction was one of peril. Hence this arousing note of alarm, Awake, awake! The slumbering giant is not only summoned to arouse to consciousness, but to put on and put forth his strength for conflict and for victory.
The text is a forcible reminder of the mysterious and discouraging fact that the Church of God, in all ages, may have its times of weakness, as well as its times of power. When the Church first went forth from Jerusalem, a little flock, scattered hither and thither by the storm of persecution, it was a time of power. It was then but an infant of days, but it lifted empires off their hinges, and turned the stream of centuries out of its channel.(Richter.)
But a time of weakness followed this era of powerthe dark night of the middle ages. Again there came a time of power when, on the morning of the Reformation, the Church heard the cry, Awake, awake! and, springing up with renewed youth, it put on its strength. The chill of formalism followed the track of the Reformation, and the Church sank into the coma of wide-spread paralysis; a disguised Romanism riveted her fetters; the Socinian apostasy spread its blight over Great Britain. But then came times of power, when the Church arose in quickened majesty; and still again, times of wondrous spiritual revival, when the call sounded by Wesley and Whitefield, like the voice of the prophet in the valley of vision, seemed to awake the dead.
I. Why these periods of weakness? If the Church is a giant begirt with power, and that power is divine; if it is commissioned to exercise the evil spirit from the world, and goes forth with the promise of help and victory, then why these times of weakness? Answer:The power of the Church is divine, but it is also human. What man can do, he must do. To roll away the stone from the grave of Lazarus was something that man could do; hence our Lord commanded human hands to do it. This act of human strength must antecede the word of power which raises the dead. Divine power and human strength must work together, each in its appropriate sphere. Divine efficiency does not supersede human agency, but only supplements its weakness. If mans part in the work or warfare of the Church is properly executed, Gods part will never fail. But, as the terror of the iron chariots of the enemy paralysed the strength of Judahso that, the human part being wanting, the victory was lost (Jdg. 1:19)so, in the Church, if any cause supervenes to weaken, or render ineffective, the strength which God expects us to put forth, He will not depart from His plan, or interpose to save us from the result of our own weakness, or to hide us from the scorn and derision of the world.
II. What is the strength of the Church, and when is it put off?
1. The first element of power is the Gospel. This is the one element for our work, the one weapon for our warfareit is the power of God. The astronomer looks at the heavens. These stars are to be counted; these constellations are to be mapped; the orbits of these planets are to be observed. Here is a vast and complicated work; but how is it to be done? By the telescope. He has this, and nothing else. All the great results of astronomy must spring, first of all, from this single instrument. Just so the Church looks out upon its work. It is commissioned to bring this world in captivity to the obedience of Christ. A mighty and multiform work; how is it to be achieved? By the Gospel. God has given us this, and nothing else, to save the world. It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. It pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. Moses was commanded to smite the rock at Horeb, and bring from its bosom streams of water. How? He was given but one instrumentthe slender rod that he held in his hand. To human view the rock would be more likely to break the rod than the rod to rend the rock; but that fragile rod was Gods ordained instrument of power; and, when it smote, the riven rock gushed with the living waters. Just so, the Word of God is the rod of power. We are commanded to smite with it alone, for by nothing else can the stony heart be broken. For every work which the Church is sent to do, this is the instrument of power.
This being so, we can readily see from this standpoint how this strength may be put off, and power give place to weakness. To neglect, to withhold, to minimise, to obscure in any manner the truth of God, is to put off this element of power, and to bring in a time of weakness.
This may occur
(1.) When the truth is depreciated, or its necessity not clearly recognised. Thus, for example, some say, Preach morality; let us hear more about the duties of life, and less about the doctrines of the Cross. Morality, without principle, is a sham; it is tinselled fruit tied upon a Christmas-treethe only connection is the tape that ties it. Morality is the fruit of principle, but principle is doctrineand the only doctrine that bears this fruit is the doctrine of the Cross.
(2.) Whenever the Gospel is subordinated to human themes. If the Church dispenses essays upon history, antiquities, philosophy, politics, science, or reflects the light of the secular press, &c., it will be no marvel if it sinks into imbecility.
(3.) Our strength is crippled when the Gospel is caricatured by sensational themes, discussions, illustrations and expedients, which attract attention, indeed, but which belittle the sacred doctrine of the Cross.
But whilst causes like these paralyse our power, there are others which produce simply an abatement of strength. For example, the Church can only put forth half its strength when the Gospel is but half told. If it sets out in full light the Divine love, whilst it keeps back Divine justice under the shadow of a dark eclipse; if it tells of Christs teachings, and is silent about Christs sacrifice; if it points to Christs life, and not to Christs blood, as the centre of saving efficiency; if it sets out the freedom of man, and holds in abeyance Divine sovereignty and efficacious grace; or if it minimises the Gospel in the one sentence, Come to Jesus; or if it lays Christ as a humble suppliant at the feet of men until proud sinners imagine that it is a stoop of condescension to permit Jesus to save themthen, surely, it is no marvel that men turn away from a belittled Gospel and a belittled Saviour, and that the Church sits in weakness.
2. The second element is the ministry. Let us not lose sight of the figure of the text. The Church is a giant; the Gospel is the instrument of his workthe weapon of his warfare. But what wields the weapon? The giants armthis is the ministry. It is the arm or the agent of the Churchs power. The symbol of the Gospel is a hammer, a word; but a hammer is powerless without a strong hand to use it; the sword is ineffective without a skilful arm to wield it. This arm, this sword, this agent of strength and skill, is the ministry.
This figure seems to describe accurately the kind of power with which the ministry is invested. It is not an original power inherent in itself, but a delegated power. It is the power of an agent, and it has an instrument of power put into its hands. It is not a power to infuse grace, or to forgive sins, or to bind the conscience, but simply an administrative power. It is a power of vocation to utter the Gospel call, to summon Gods sons from afar, and His daughters from the ends of the earth. A teaching powergo teach all nations; preach the Gospel to every creature. A dispensing power to break the Bread of Life, and to distribute, with a liberal hand, to all Gods children, giving to each a portion in due season. A power to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
We may readily see when this strength is put on, and when it is put off. Whatever cripples or weakens or interferes with the right use and proper functions of a giants arm, weakens and abates the effectiveness of the giant himself; so whatever weakens the ministry, or hinders its effectiveness, puts off to that extent the strength of the Church, and introduces a time of weakness and defeat.
(1.) The ministry, as an arm of power, may be withered by a perfunctory education. Ministers may be taught to know about God, but not to know God. They may learn to explain and defend the Gospel, without having ever felt that a single Gospel truth has been riveted as a living, burning power in their own souls. A minister who knows what it is to be a saved sinner, can tell of it with such power as to make others feel that there is nothing between them and eternal death but the blood of Jesus. But, without this experience, the minister will be a perfunctory drone, stepping in a treadmill, or doing out his lifeless essay whilst sinners are slipping through his fingers into perdition.
(2.) The ministry must be a source of weakness instead of power to the Church, if it is not in sympathy with the hearts of the people, and the souls of perishing men. He who was once lost but is found again, will know how to feel for the lost, and the lost will listen to him who once was lost himself. This is the natural power of the minister, the link of sympathy that binds him to the hearts of the people and the souls of men. If this be lost the ministry is powerless.
3. The third and principal element of the Churchs power is the Holy Ghost. The implement of the Churchs work is the Word; the arm of the Churchs power is the ministry; but the power itself is the Holy Ghost. As He causeth the earth to bring forth and bud by showers from heaven, so He causes His Church to abound in the fruits of righteousness by times of refreshing from on high. A revival is a day of the Spirits power, when the enemy is repulsed; when sinners are made willing; when doubt and unbelief are dissipated. If such a day of power were granted to us now, you would see rationalism, scepticism, and infidelity driven like smoke before the wind.
III. Such being the elements of the Churchs power, and the causes which convert its strength into weakness, let us now listen to Gods call to the Church to put on and put forth her strength. Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion! An army puts on its strength when it goes forth to battle, but this is strength to destroy. A fireman puts on his strength when he enters a burning dwelling, and plucks its sleeping inmates from the flames. This is strength to save. Oh, it is a glorious thing to put on strength to save! How, then, shall we put on this strength?
Physical strength is put on in one way, and spiritual strength in another. Some seem to imagine that they have only to arouse and stir themselves into an agony of effort. Samson arose and shook himself, and thought he would go forth and smite the Philistines, as aforetime; but, alas! the strength was not thereit had departed from him. So the Church may shake herself and advance to the conflict, but the strength is not there; the Philistines are upon her, and she wists not that the Lord has departed. This is not the way! One who is physically strong is conscious of his strength, but one who is spiritually strong is conscious of nothing but weakness. Spiritual power, in its first element, is the sense of our own weakness.
No man ever puts on spiritual strength except on his knees. It was there that the apostles found it. When Peter stood forth and preached to the multitude, that day of Pentecost was a day of power; it was the Spirits power; but how did the apostles put it on? Upon their knees; in those days of prayer, in the upper chamber in Jerusalem. It is upon our knees that the Church must put on its strength! Then shall our work be mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strongholds.W. M. Paxton, D.D.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(22) Thy Lord the Lord . . .Note the emphatic combination of Adonai (or rather, in this solitary instance, of the plural Adonim used like Elohim) with Jehovah. Mans necessity is once more Gods opportunity. He will plead for His people when none else will plead. The cup of trembling shall be taken from the hand of the forlorn castaway, and given to her enemies. (Comp. Jer. 25:15.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 51:22 Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God [that] pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, [even] the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
Ver. 22. Behold I have taken. ] Though man could not. Where human help faileth, divine help beginneth.
Thou shalt no more drink it.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
thy LORD the LORD = thy Adonim Jehovah. See App-4.
Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos.
no more drink it again. All this refers therefore to the final restoration of Israel.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
pleadeth: 1Sa 25:39, Psa 35:1, Pro 22:23, Jer 50:34, Jer 51:36, Joe 3:2, Mic 7:9
I have: Isa 51:17, Isa 54:7-9, Isa 62:8, Eze 39:29
Reciprocal: Psa 11:6 – their Psa 60:3 – to drink Psa 75:8 – For in Isa 3:1 – the Lord Isa 26:13 – other Isa 29:9 – they are Isa 49:17 – thy destroyers Jer 25:15 – Take Jer 30:20 – and I Jer 31:40 – it shall Jer 51:24 – General Lam 1:21 – they shall Lam 3:34 – crush Eze 23:33 – with the cup of astonishment Oba 1:16 – as ye Mic 7:10 – now Nah 1:12 – I will Zep 3:15 – hath taken Zep 3:19 – I will undo Zec 6:8 – quieted Zec 12:1 – for Zec 12:2 – a cup Mar 10:38 – drink of the Luk 22:42 – cup Rev 14:10 – drink Rev 16:6 – they have
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The God offering Israel a comforting promise was her master, Yahweh, the God of the covenant, the God who had taken her to Himself, who consistently defends His people. He promised that the Israelites would never again experience the outpouring of His wrath as they had. Obviously the Jews have experienced worse persecution in recent history than they did during the Babylonian exile: the German holocaust, the Russian pogroms, etc. And they will undergo the worst trials of their history in the Tribulation (cf. Jer 30:4-7). I take it that God meant that He would not punish them as He had because He would provide the Servant to drink the cup of His wrath for His people. They would not have to suffer in the future as they had in the past because God would provide a Savior who would suffer in their place. That so many of the Jews have suffered terribly and will yet do so is because they have rejected the Savior that God provided.