Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 12:1
And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
1. The introductory formula (here and in Isa 12:4) resembles those in Isa 25:9, Isa 26:1, Isa 27:2 thou wast angry ] a word never used by any prophet, but found in Psa 2:12; Psa 60:1; Psa 79:5; Psa 85:5.
is turned away ] The form is that of the jussive; but it is probably the contracted form of the consec. impf. which sometimes occurs in the Pss.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
1, 2. The first song, the singer being the individualised community, as frequently in the Pss.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And in that day – The day referred to in the previous chapter, the time of the Messiah, when the effects of his reign shall be seen everywhere. The duty of praise, however, is couched in such language as to make it applicable to the event predicted in the former part of the prophecy Isa. 10 – the delivering of the nation from the invasion of Sennacherib, as well as the more glorious event on which the prophet fixed his eye Isa. 11 – the coming and reign of the Messiah. The language of this song of praise would be appropriate to both these events.
Thou shalt say – The address to an individual here, in the term thou, is equivalent to everyone, meaning that all who were thus interested in the divine interposition should say it.
O Lord – O Yahweh – the great author of this interposition.
I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me – If this language is applied to the Jews, and supposed to be used by them in regard to the invasion of Sennacherib, it means, that God suffered their land to be invaded, and to be subjected to calamities, in consequence of their sins (Isa 10:6 ff.) If it is supposed to be applied to the time of the Messiah, then it is language which every redeemed sinner may use, that God was angry with him, but that his anger is turned away. As applicable to the redeemed, it is an acknowledgement which they all feel, that they have no claim to his mercy, and that it lays the foundation for unceasing praise that his anger is turned away by the plan of salvation.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 12:1-3
And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise Thee.
Praise for redemption
As the Israel that was redeemed from Egypt raised songs of praise on the other side of the Red Sea, so likewise does the Israel of the second redemption when brought not less miraculously over the Red Sea and Euphrates. (F. Delitzsch.)
A song in the night
It is time we had a hymn in this prophecy of Isaiah, for the reading has been like a succession of thunderstorms and earthquakes. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Did Isaiah write this song?
Some say Isaiah did not write this song. It is of no consequence to us who wrote it: here it is, and it is in the right place, and it expresses the right thought, and there is probably more evidence for the authorship of Isaiah than for the authorship of any other man. Some have said it is not like his style: but what is his style? What is the style of the sky? Is it for two days alike? Who could write the history of the sky simply as it appears to the vision of man? The accounts would seem to contradict one another, for the sky passes through panoramic changes innumerable, infinite, and all beautiful where they are not grand. So with the style of this great statesman Isaiah. He handles things with the infinite ease of conscious power; he is as strong in his music as he is in his prophecy. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Praise for redemption by the individual and by the Church
In that day–
I. EVERY PARTICULAR BELIEVER shall sing a song of praise for his own interest in that salvation (Isa 12:1-3). Thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise Thee. Thanksgiving work shall be closet work.
II. MANY IN CONCERT. shall join in praising God for the common benefit arising from this salvation (Isa 12:4-6). Ye shall say, Praise the Lord. Thanksgiving work shall be congregation work. (M. Henry.)
A new song for new hearts
The text is many sided. We shall find out the very soul of the passage if we consider it as an illustration of what occurs to every one of Gods people when he is brought out of darkness into Gods marvellous light.
I. THE PRELUDE of this song. Here are certain preliminaries to the music. In that day thou shalt say. Here we have the tuning of the harps, the notes of the music follow after in the succeeding sentences.
1. There is a time for that joyous song which is here recorded. The term, that day, is sometimes used for a day of terror, and often for a period of blessing. The common term to both is this, they were days of the manifestation of Divine power. That day, a day of terrible confusion to Gods enemies; that day, a day of great comfort to Gods friends. Now, the day in which a man rejoices in Christ, is the day in which Gods power is revealed on his behalf in his heart and conscience.
2. A word indicates the singer. Thou. It is a singular pronoun, and points out one individual. One by one we receive eternal life and peace. You fancy that it is all right with you because you live in a Christian nation; it is woe unto you, if having outward privileges, they involve you in responsibilities, but bring you no saving grace. Perhaps you fancy that your family religion may somewhat help you, but it is not so; there is no birthright godliness: Ye must be born again. Still, I know ye fancy that if ye mingle in godly congregations, and sing as they sing, and pray as they pray, it shall go well with you, but it is not so; the wicket gate of eternal life admits but one at a time. This word, thou, is spoken to those who have been by sorrow brought into the last degree of despair.
3. The next thing to be noted in the preliminaries is the Teacher. It is God alone who can so positively declare, thou Shalt say. If any man presumes to say, God has turned His anger away from me, without a warrant from the Most High, that man lies to his own confusion; but when it is written. Thou shalt say, it is as though God had said, I will matte it true, so that you shall be fully justified in the declaration.
4. Here is another preliminary of the song, namely, the tone of it. Thou shalt say. The song is to be an open one, avowed, vocally uttered, heard of men, and published abroad. It is not to be a silent feeling, a kind of soft music whose sweetness is spent within the spirit.
II. IN THE SONG ITSELF, I would call to your notice–
1. The fact that all of it is concerning the Lord. It is all addressed to Him. O Lord, I will praise Thee: though Thou wast angry, Thine anger is turned away. When a soul escapes from the bondage of sin, and becomes consciously pardoned, it resembles the apostles on the Mount Tabor–it sees no man, save Jesus only. God will be all in all when iniquity is pardoned.
2. The next thing in this song is, that it includes repentant memories. Though Thou wast angry with me. There was a time when God was to our consciousness angry with us. In the Hebrew the wording of our text is slightly different from what we get in the English. Our English translators have very wisely put in the word though, a little earlier than it occurs in the Hebrew. The Hebrew would run something like this, O Lord, I will praise Thee; Thou wast angry with me. Now we do this day praise God that He made us feel His anger.
3. The song of our text contains in itself blessed certainties. Thine anger is turned away. Can a man know that? can a man be quite sure that he is forgiven? Ay, that he can; he can be as sure of pardon as he is of his existence.
4. Our song includes holy resolutions. I will praise Thee. I will do it with my heart in secret. I will praise Thee in the Church of God, for I will search out other beliers, and I will tell them what God has done for me. I will cast in my lot with Thy people. I will praise Thee in my life. I will make my business praise Thee; I will make my parlour and my drawing room, I will make my kitchen and my field praise Thee. I will not be content unless all I am and all I have shall praise Thee. I will make a harp of the whole universe; I will make earth and heaven, space and time, to be but strings upon which my joyful fingers shall play lofty tunes of thankfulness.
5. This is a song which is peculiar in its character, and appropriate only to the people of God. I may say of it, no man could learn this song but the redeemed. It is not a Pharisees song–it has no likeness to God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men; it confesses, Thou wast angry with me, and therein owns that the singer was even as others; but it glories that through infinite mercy, the Divine anger is turned away, and herein it leans on the appointed Saviour. It is not a Sadducean song; no doubt mingles with the strain. It is not the philosophers query, There may be a God, or there may not be; it is the voice of a believing worshipper. It is not, I may be guilty, or I may not be. It is all positive, every note of it. (C. H.Spurgeon.)
The hearts diapason
It is a full song–the swell of the diapason of the heart. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Grace upon grace
Thou comfortedst me. Persons may be liberated from slavery by the arm of power; they may be rescued from oppression by the exercise of justice; they may be relieved from want by the hand of bounty; but to pour reviving consolation into the dejected mind is the kind office of pure affection and pity (Isa 66:13). (R. Macculloch.)
The song of the ransomed
Such will one day be the song of a ransomed nation, and such is even now the song of the ransomed soul. Until we can sing this song we do not know what praise really means. It is a striking contrast indeed.
(1) It is a stern and terrible fact that there are some persons on whom the wrath of God does rest (Joh 3:36). There are few more startling expressions in the whole Bible than this. Think of the wrath of God abiding on you! You rise up in the morning, and there it is–hanging over you. You go forth to your work, the sun is shining in the outer world, making all nature jubilant, and over you this dark funereal pall is still hanging. You surround yourselves with all the pleasing scenes of a comfortable home. In the very midst of your comfort and prosperity still that cloud is there. You lay your head upon your pillow at night, and if you should think at all, your last thoughts might well be: If I never wake again here on earth, I must certainly wake to find the wrath of God abiding on me. This is not the only passage in which such an affirmation is made.
(2) How did this great change indicated here take place? If you refer to the immediate context, you will learn a valuable lesson. In the previous chapters we meet with a very mournful refrain: For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still. These sorrowful words come after a description of terrible and overwhelming judgment. This points to the solemn conclusion that, although it is perfectly true that sin always brings punishment in its train, the punishment which we endure, as the result of our sin, does not expiate its guilt. What was it that turned away the anger of God from Israel? The tenth chapter is merely a parenthesis. It is when the Rod of the stem of Jesse has appeared, and the eye of God, looking down upon His own nation, sees something within that nation that He is well pleased with, that a complete change comes over the aspect of things. The anger of God disappears, the sunlight of Divine pleasure bursts upon a rejoicing nation, and the next moment we are introduced to this song of triumphant praise. The moment that the eye of
God, gazing down upon you, sees in your nature that which He beheld of old in the sacred land, and which He will behold again one day on a consecrated earth, the Plant of renown–Christ received into your nature, Christ growing in the thirsty, barren soil of your fallen humanity, like a root in a dry ground, and making all things fertile and fruitful by His presence–when God, gazing down, sees within you a received Christ, He has noanger, no judgment for that. You will be able to say, Thou wast angry; Thine anger is turned away: Thou comfortedst me.
I. In reaching this point the soul proceeds to make the most astonishing and glorious discovery it is possible for us to make. Behold, God is my SALVATION. I suddenly discover that I have no longer anything to fear in God. He bridges over in His own blessed Person the vast chasm between my sin and His purity, and as I step upon this wondrous bridge I find that it will bear my weight. God Himself brings me to God. This salvation is offered to us for nothing. But it cost the Son of God something. This salvation is to be appropriated by simple trust. I will trust, and not be afraid.
II. But not only does the happy soul find out that God is his salvation; he goes on to find out that the Lord Jehovah is his STRENGTH. The very title which the prophet gives to God suggests the eternal immutability of the great I Am. As we obtain salvation by taking God for our salvation, so we obtain strength by taking God for our strength with equally simple, childlike faith.
III. When you have made the discovery that the Lord Jehovah is your strength, no wonder if you go on to make yet a third. He is our SONG. God designs that from this time forth you shall be perfectly happy; but, if you want to be really happy, God must be your song. When we think upon God there is always something to sing about. His faithfulness and truth; His unchanging love; His readiness to be to us all that we want; the hope that He holds out to us, blooming with immortality.
IV. And, as the result of this, we shall WITH JOY DRAW WATER OUT OF THE WELLS OF SALVATION. Some have sat beside the wells of salvation, from time to time, as a matter of custom and habit, and yet have never known what it was to draw water out of the wells with joy. You have come to church on Sunday because it happened to be Sunday. You were expected to be there, and there you were. Some of you have read your Bible because it is a proper thing to do. Your life has been a life of legal performances. Your prayers have been little better than superstitious incantations. Now all that is changed. It is with joy, and not with murmuring, that we are to find our wells. On more than one occasion the Israelites applied for water in this spirit, and found a curse mingled with their blessing. Let us dig our wells as they dug the well of old at Beer, when, though they lacked water, they were wise enough to leave the matter in the Lords hands. Then it was God undertook for them. (Anon.)
The present happiness of Gods people set before the unconverted
God, in His infinite mercy, has addressed the most various motives to sinners in general, to induce them to turn to Him. He has been pleased to set before sinners in His Word the immediate happiness that they may enjoy in His service, as incomparably greater than any they can hope to have in this world while absent and alienated from Him And this truth is not before us most strikingly in these words.
I. We have to consider THE JOY THAT FLOWS FROM THE SENSE OF PARDONED SIN.
1. The first thing here declared to us is, that God does pardon the penitent believer. He was originally angry with him. God is, and must be, according to His Divine perfections, angry with those who are living in a state of rebellion against Him. But when a person is brought to believe in Christ that anger is gone.
2. And as this is the blessing itself, so is the believer, when faith is strong, assured of that blessing. But when I speak of this as a constraining motive why sinners in general should turn to God, they may feel that ungodly persons have no such burden. Yet though now the sinner may not feel his need of such a consolation, he may be assured that it is a consolation surpassing in value and in peace and in joy all that he has ever experienced in a life of indifference and ungodliness.
II. THERE IS A JOY ARISING FROM TRUST IN GOD FOR FUTURE BLESSINGS. Behold, God is my salvation, etc.
1. God is become the salvation of a penitent believer. That is, He accomplishes His entire deliverance from sin and its consequences.
2. God is his salvation from all present evil, and introduces him to the possession of all real good (Psa 121:7; Psa 84:11; Rom 8:28). Hence, then, the Lord does not reserve all the blessings of His people for the eternal world, but pours out His treasures of mercy upon them even now. And as God bestows upon His people this assurance that He is their strength and their salvation, it must fill them with abiding joy. (B. W. Noel, M. A.)
The joy of salvation
At the Southport Convention, 1901, the Rev.
W.Y. Fullerton told an amusing incident of a friend of his, not a Methodist,but with enough fire for two, who wrote a post card to a friend, and having filled up the back, wrote a closing message on the front of the card, Be of good cheer, brother. And the Post Office authorities not only surcharged the recipient, but stamped beneath the message, Contrary to regulations. Christian joy is legitimate, and not opposed to the regulations of heaven. (Methodist Times.)
Assurance of salvation
Assurance of salvation makes the firmest, the most active, the most useful, the holiest, the happiest, the most even and regular Christians. (John Bate.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XII
Prophetic hymn of praise for the great mercies vouchsafed to
the children of Israel in their deliverance from the great
Babylonish captivity, and for redemption by the Messiah, 1-6.
This hymn seems, by its whole tenor, and by many expressions in it, much better calculated for the use of the Christian Church than for the Jewish, in any circumstances, or at any time that can be assigned. The Jews themselves seem to have applied it to the times of Messiah. On the last day of the feast of tabernacles they fetched water in a golden pitcher from the fountain of Shiloah, springing at the foot of Mount Sion without the city: they brought it through the water-gate into the temple, and poured it, mixed with wine, on the sacrifice as it lay upon the altar, with great rejoicing. They seem to have taken up this custom, for it is not ordained in the law of Moses, as an emblem of future blessings, in allusion to this passage of Isaiah, “Ye shall draw waters with joy from the fountains of salvation,” expressions that can hardly be understood of any benefits afforded by the Mosaic dispensation. Our Saviour applied the ceremony, and the intention of it, to himself, and the effusion of the Holy Spirit, promised, and to be given, by him. The sense of the Jews in this matter is plainly shown by the following passage of the Jerusalem Talmud: “Why is it called the place or house of drawing?” (for that was the term for this ceremony, or for the place where the water was taken up) “Because from thence they draw the Holy Spirit; as it is written, And ye shall draw water with joy from the fountains of salvation.” See Wolf. Curae Philol. in N.T. on Joh 7:37; Joh 7:39. – L. The water is Divine knowledge, says Kimchi, and the wells the teachers of righteousness. The Targum renders this in a very remarkable manner: “Ye shall receive with joy ( ulephan chadath) a new doctrine from the chosen among the righteous.” Does not this mean the Gospel, the new covenant? And did not the Targumist speak as a prophet?
NOTES ON CHAP. XII
Verse 1. Though thou wast angry – “For though thou hast been angry”] The Hebrew phrase, to which the Septuagint and Vulgate have too closely adhered, is exactly the same with that of St. Paul, Ro 6:17: “But thanks be to God, that ye were the slaves of sin; but have obeyed from the heart;” that is, “that whereas, or though, ye were the slaves of sin, yet ye have now obeyed from the heart the doctrine on the model of which ye were formed.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In that day; when this great work of the reduction of Gods Israel, and of the conversion of the Gentiles, promised in the foregoing chapter, shall be fulfilled.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And in that day thou shalt say,…. The following song of praise; just as Israel did, when they were brought through the Red sea, and saved out of the hands of their enemies; to which there are several allusions and references in it; that deliverance being typical of salvation by Christ; the Gospel day, or the times of the Gospel, are here meant:
O Lord, I will praise thee; or “confess thee”; to be my Lord, Redeemer, and Saviour, my Husband, Head, and King; or “confess to thee” q, my sins and transgressions, and unworthiness to receive any favour from thee, and gratefully acknowledge all the favours bestowed upon me:
though thou wast angry with me; as it appeared to the church, and according to her apprehensions of things, though not in reality, or strictly or properly speaking; for anger is not to be ascribed to God; but it is a speaking after the manner of men; and the Lord seems to be angry when he hides his face from his people, when he refuses to hear their cries, when he afflicts them, and continues his hand upon them, and when he lets in a sense of wrath into their consciences:
thine anger is turned away; he granting his gracious presence; taking off his afflicting hand; manifesting his love, particularly his pardoning grace and mercy; peace and reconciliation being made by the blood of Christ, and justice satisfied, the effects of resentment and displeasure cease:
and thou comfortedst me; by shedding abroad his love in her heart; by discovering the free and full forgiveness of sin; by lifting up the light of his countenance; by an application of precious promises; and by means of the word and ordinances, through the influence of the blessed Spirit as a comforter; who leads in this way for comfort to the person, blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and fulness of Christ, and comforts with these, by applying them, and showing interest in them. The Targum is,
“and thou shalt say at that time, I will confess before the Lord; for that I have sinned before thee, thine anger is upon me; but when I am turned to the law, thine anger will turn from me, and thou wilt have mercy on me;”
or rather turned to Christ, and embrace his Gospel, which is the only way to have comfort.
q “confitebor tibi”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
As Israel, when redeemed from Egypt beyond the Red Sea, sang songs of praise, so also will the Israel of the second redemption, when brought, in a no less miraculous manner, across the Red Sea and the Euphrates. “And in that day thou wilt say, I thank Thee, O Jehovah, that Thou wast angry with me: Thine anger is turned away, and Thou hast comforted me. Behold, the God of my salvation; I trust, and am not afraid: for Jah Jehovah is my pride and song, and He became my salvation.” The words are addressed to the people of the future in the people of the prophet’s own time. They give thanks for the wrath experienced, inasmuch as it was followed by all the richer consolation. The formation of the sentence after is paratactic; the principal tone falls upon 1 b, where yashob is written poetically for vayyashob (cf., Deu 32:8, Deu 32:18; Psa 18:12; Hos 6:1). We hear the notes of Psa 90:13; Psa 27:1, resounding here; whilst Isa 12:2 is the echo of Exo 15:2 (on which Psa 118:14 is also founded). (to be read ozzi , and therefore also written ) is another form of , and is used here to signify the proud self-consciousness associated with the possession of power: pride, and the expression of it, viz., boasting. Zimrath is equivalent in sense, and probably also in form, to zimrati , just as in Syriac zemori (my song) is regularly pronounced z e mor , with the i of the suffix dropped (see Hupfeld on Psa 16:6). It is also possible, however, that it may be only an expansion of the primary form zimrath = zimrah , and therefore that zimrath is only synonymous with zimrati , as chephetz in 2Sa 23:5 is with chephtzi . One thing peculiar to this echo of Exo 15:2 is the doubling of the Jah in Jah Jehovah , which answers to the surpassing of the type by the antitype.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| A Song of Praise. | B. C. 740. |
1 And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
This is the former part of the hymn of praise which is prepared for the use of the church, of the Jewish church when God would work great deliverances for them, and of the Christian church when the kingdom of the Messiah should be set up in the world in despite of the opposition of the powers of darkness: In that day thou shalt say, O Lord! I will praise thee. The scattered church, being united into one body, shall, as one man, with one mind and one mouth, thus praise God, who is one and his name one. In that day, when the Lord shall do these great things for thee, thou shalt say, O Lord! I will praise thee. That is,
I. “Thou shalt have cause to say so.” The promise is sure, and the blessings contained in it are very rich, and, when they are bestowed, will furnish the church with abundant matter for rejoicing and therefore with abundant matter for thanksgiving. The Old-Testament prophecies of gospel times are often expressed by the joy and praise that shall then be excited; for the inestimable benefits we enjoy by Jesus Christ require the most elevated and enlarged thanksgivings.
II. “Thou shalt have a heart to say so.” All God’s other gifts to his people shall be crowned with this. He will give them grace to ascribe all the glory of them to him, and to speak of them upon all occasions with thankfulness to his praise. Thou shalt say, that is, thou oughtest to say so. In that day, when many are brought home to Jesus Christ and flock to him as doves to their windows, instead of envying the kind reception they find with Christ, as the Jews grudged the favour shown to the Gentiles, thou shalt say, O Lord! I will praise thee. Note, we ought to rejoice in, and give thanks for, the grace of God to others as well as to ourselves.
1. Believers are here taught to give thanks to God for the turning away of his displeasure from them and the return of his favour to them (v. 1): O Lord! I will praise thee, though thou wast angry with me. Note, Even God’s frowns must not put us out of tune for praising him; though he be angry with us, though he slay us, yet we must put our trust in him and give him thanks. God has often just cause to be angry with us, but we have never any reason to be angry with him, nor to speak otherwise than well of him; even when he blames us we must praise him. Thou was angry with us, but thy anger is turned away. Note, (1.) God is sometimes angry with his own people and the fruits of his anger do appear, and they ought to take notice of this, that they may humble themselves under his mighty hand. (2.) Though God may for a time be angry with his people, yet his anger shall at length be turned away; it endures but for a moment, nor will he contend for ever. By Jesus Christ, the root of Jesse, God’s anger against mankind was turned away; for he is our peace. (3.) Those whom God is reconciled to he comforts; even the turning away of his anger is a comfort to them; yet that is not all: those that are at peace with God may rejoice in hope of the glory of God,Rom 5:1; Rom 5:2. Nay, God sometimes brings his people into a wilderness that there he may speak comfortably to them, Hosea ii. 14. (4.) The turning away of God’s anger, and the return of his comforts to us, ought to be the matter of our joyful thankful praises.
2. They are taught to triumph in God and their interest in him (v. 2): “Behold, and wonder; God is my salvation; not only my Saviour, by whom I am saved, but my salvation, in whom I am safe. I depend upon him as my salvation, for I have found him to be so. He shall have the glory of all the salvations that have been wrought for me, and from him only will I expect the salvations I further need, and not from hills and mountains: and if God be my salvation, if he undertake my eternal salvation, I will trust in him to prepare me for it and preserve me to it. I will trust him with all my temporal concerns, not doubting but he will make all to work for my good. I will be confident, that is, I will be always easy in my own mind.” Note, Those that have God for their salvation may enjoy themselves with a holy security and serenity of mind. Let faith in God as our salvation be effectual, (1.) To silence our fears. We must trust, and not be afraid, not be afraid that the God we trust in will fail us; no, there is no danger of that; not be afraid of any creature, though ever so formidable and threatening. Note, Faith in God is a sovereign remedy against disquieting tormenting fears. (2.) To support our hopes. Is the Lord Jehovah our salvation? Then he will be our strength and song. We have work to do and temptations to resist, and we may depend upon him to enable us for both, to strengthen us with all might by his Spirit in the inner man, for he is our strength; his grace is so, and that grace shall be sufficient for us. We have many troubles to undergo, and must expect griefs in a vale of tears; and we may depend upon him to comfort us in all our tribulations, for he is our song; he giveth songs in the night. If we make God our strength, and put our confidence in him, he will be our strength; if we make him our song, and place our comfort in him, he will be our song. Many good Christians have God for their strength who have him not for their song; they walk in darkness: but light is sown for them. And those that have God for their strength ought to make him their song, that is, to give him the glory of it (see Ps. lxviii. 35) and to take to themselves the comfort of it, for he will become their salvation. Observe the title here given to God: Jah, Jehovah. Jah is the contraction of Jehovah, and both signify his eternity and unchangeableness, which are a great comfort to those that depend upon him as their strength and their song. Some make Jah to signify the Son of God made man; he is Jehovah, and in him we may glory as our strength, and song, and salvation.
3. They are aught to derive comfort to themselves from the love of God and all the tokens of that love (v. 3): “Therefore, because the Lord Jehovah is your strength and song and will be your salvation, you shall draw water with joy.” Note, The assurances God has given us of his love, and the experiences we have had of the benefit and comfort of his grace, should greatly encourage our faith in him and our expectations from him: “Out of the wells of salvation in God, who is the fountain of all good to his people, you shall draw water with joy. God’s favour shall flow forth to you, and you shall have the comfort of it and make use of the blessed fruits of it.” Note, (1.) God’s promises revealed, ratified, and given out to us, in his ordinances, are wells of salvation; wells of the Saviour (so some read it), for in them the Saviour and salvation are made known to us and made over to us. (2.) It is our duty by faith to draw water out of these wells, to take to ourselves the benefit and comfort that are treasured up for us in them, as those that acknowledge all our fresh springs to be there and all our fresh streams to be thence, Ps. lxxxvii. 7. (3.) Water is to be drawn out of the wells of salvation with a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction. It is the will of God that we should rejoice before him and rejoice in him (Deut. xxvi. 11), be joyful in his house of prayer (Isa. lvi. 7), and keep his feasts with gladness, Acts ii. 46.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
ISAIAH – CHAPTER 12
MILLENNIAL THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE FOR MESSIANIC DELIVERANCE
Verse 1-2: REMEMBERING GOD’S JUDGMENT AND RESTING IN HIS COMFORT
1. “In that day” refers to the coming millennial era (the day of salvation) wherein the Messianic Deliverer of Israel will rule in righteousness on, and over, the whole earth, (2Pe 3:8; Isa 26:1; Isa 60:18).
2. Judgment for the once-rebellious nation will then be past, (Isa 40:1-2; Isa 54:7-10; Psa 30:5) – the anger of Jehovah having been turned away, so that His hand is no longer “stretched out” against them.
3. Praise, rooted in comfort, trust and the banishment of fear, will be on every tongue, (comp. Isa 25:1; Psa 9:1; Zec 14:20-21).
4. All Israel will then recognize God as their Deliverer (Isa 33:2; Isa 45:17; Isa 62:11); Jehovah Himself will be acknowledged as their strength, and the object of their song, (Exo 15:2; Psa 118:14).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. And thou shalt say in that day. Isaiah now exhorts all the godly to thanksgiving. Yet the exhortation has also this object, that the promise may be more fully believed; for he seals it with that exhortation, that they may be convinced that it is certain, and may not think that they are deluded by unfounded hope, when a form of thanksgiving is now given, and, as it were, put into their mouth; and this would not have been the case, if there had not been just and solid grounds. At the same time, he points out the purpose which the Lord has in view in doing good in his Church. It is, that the remembrance of his name may be extolled; not that he needs our praise, but it is profitable to ourselves. We ought also to consider the honor which he bestows upon us, when he condescends to make use of our services for extolling and spreading the glory of his name, though we are altogether useless and of no value.
Thou shalt say. He addresses the whole people as if he were addressing one man, because it was their duty to be so united as to be one. We also are taught by the same example that we ought to be united together, that there may be one soul and one mouth, (Rom 15:6,) if we desire to have our prayers and thanksgivings accepted by God.
Though thou wast angry with me. The leading thought of this song is, that God, though he was justly offended at his people, yet was satisfied with inflicting a moderate chastisement, and showed that he was willing to be pacified. The particle כי ( ki) being sometimes expressive of a cause, some render it, I will praise thee, O Lord, because, having been angry with me, still thou art immediately reconciled; but as it sometimes signifies though, (193) I have adopted the rendering which I considered to agree best with this passage.
Believers, therefore, first acknowledge their guilt, and next ascribe it to the mercy of God that they have been freed from their distresses. The words being in the future tense, the following interpretation might also be adopted: — “The temporal chastisement will not prevent thee from having at length compassion on me, and from giving me ground of joy and comfort.” Whichsoever of these views be taken, this sentiment ought to be carefully observed; for as soon as a conviction of God’s anger seizes our minds, it prompts us to despair, and if it be not seasonably counteracted, it will speedily overwhelm us. Satan also tempts us by all methods, and employs every expedient to compel us to despair. We ought, therefore, to be fortified by this doctrine, that, though we feel the anger of the Lord, we may know that it is of short duration, (Psa 30:5,) and that we shall be comforted as soon as he has chastened us.
When we have been relieved from distresses, let us call to remembrance that our punishment is ended, not because we have paid to the justice of God what we had deserved, but because through his fatherly love he spares our weakness. This confession belongs properly to the godly and elect; for though the chastisements of the godly and ungodly appear to be the same, yet the reasons of them are exceedingly different. The wrath of the Lord against the ungodly is perpetual, and the chastisements which are inflicted on them are forerunners of everlasting destruction: no alleviation or consolation is promised to them. But the godly feel that the wrath of God is of short duration, and encourage their hearts by hope and confidence; for they know that God will be gracious to them, since he has declared that he punishes their sins for no other reason than to train them to repentance, that they may not perish along with the world. (1Co 11:32.)
(193) Lowth remarks that the Hebrew phrase is exactly the same with what we find in Rom 6:17. But thanks be to God that ye were the slaves of sin, but have obeyed from the heart; that is, that whereas, or though ye were the slaves of sin; yet ye have now obeyed from the heart the doctrine on the model of which ye were formed. “ For thou wast angry. That is, whereas thou wast angry, now hast thou forgiven and comforted me.” — Stock.
FT185 He also is become my salvation. — Eng. Ver.
FT186 In the margin he adds, “or, of salvation. ”
FT187 Call upon his name, (or, Proclaim his name.) — Eng Ver.
FT188 Declare his doings among the people. — Eng. Ver.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
A NEW SONG FOR NEW HEARTS
Isa. 12:1. And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, &c.
This prophecy is said by some to relate to the invasion by Sennacherib, and the marvellous deliverance therefrom. If so, it is an instance of sanctified affliction, and a lesson to us that whenever we smart under the rod we may look forward to the time when it shall be withdrawn; it is also an admonition to us, that when we escape from trial we should take care to celebrate the event with grateful praise. It is thought by others that the text mainly relates to the latter days, and I think it would be impossible to read the eleventh chapter without feeling such a reference is clear. Both these interpretations are true and instructive; but we shall find out the very soul of the passage, if we consider it as an illustration of what occurs to every one of Gods people when he is brought out of darkness into Gods marvellous light, when he is delivered from the spirit of bondage beneath Divine wrath, and led by the Spirit of adoption into the liberty wherewith Christ makes him free. In regarding the text from this point of view, we shall first observe the prelude of this delightful song, and then listen to the song itself.
I. THE PRELUDE OF THIS CHARMING SONGIn that day thou shalt say. Here we have the tuning of the harps, the notes of the music follow after in the succeeding sentences. Note,
1. There is a time for the joyous song here recorded, In that daythe day of the manifestation of the Divine power.
2. One word indicates the singer. Thou shalt say. One by one we receive eternal life and peace. Religion is an individual matter. The word thou is spoken to those brought down into the last degree of despair. Thou broken-hearted sinner, ready to destroy thyself because of the anguish of conscience, in the day of Gods abounding mercy, thou shalt rejoice!
3. The Teacher of the song. In that day thou shalt say. Who but the Lord can thus command mans heart and speech?
4. The tone of the song. Thou shalt say. The song is to be an open one, vocally uttered, heard of men. It is not to be a silent feeling, a kind of soft music whose sweetness is spent within the spirit; but in that day thou shalt testify and bear witness what the Lord has done for thee (H. E. I., 39033921).
II. THE SONG ITSELF.
1. All of it is concerning the Lord; it is all addressed to Him. O Lord, I will praise Thee: though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away. When a soul is escaped from the bondage of sin, it resembles the apostles on Mount Taborit sees no man but Jesus only.
2. It includes repentant memories. The Hebrew would run something like this, O Lord, I will praise Thee; Thou wast angry with me. We do this day praise God because He made us feel His anger. What, is a sense of anger a cause for praise? No, not if it stood alone, but because it has driven us to Christ. The song in its deep bass includes plaintive recollections of sin pressing heavily on the spirit.
3. It contains blessed certainties. Thine anger is turned away. Can a man know that? Can he be quite sure he is forgiven? He can be as sure of pardon as he is of his existence, as infallibly certain as he is of a mathematical proposition. The Scriptures teach that to the sinner who trusts in Jesus there is no condemnation, and every one may know whether he is trusting in Jesus or not (H. E. I., 309, 310, 324334, 986989).
4. It includes holy resolutions. I will praise Theein secret, in public. For this purpose I will unite with Thy people. I will not be content unless all that I am and all that I have shall praise Thee.
5. It is a song which is peculiar in its characteristics, and appropriate only to the people of God. It is a song of strong faith, and yet of humility. Its spirit is a precious incense made up of many costly ingredients. Humility confesses, Thou wast angry with me; gratitude sings, Thine anger is turned away; patience cries, Thou comfortest me, and holy joy springs up, and saith, I will praise Thee. Faith, hope, loveall have their notes here, from the bass of humility up to the highest alto of glorious communion.
By way of practical results from this subject, let me speak,
1. A word of consolation to those who are under Gods anger. God never shut up a soul in the prison of conviction, but sooner or later He released the captive. The worst thing in the world is to go unchastised; to be allowed to sin and eat honey with it, this is the precursor of damnation; but to sin, and to have the wormwood of repentance with it, this is the prelude of being saved. If the Lord has embittered thy sin, He has designs of love towards thee; His anger shall yet be turned away.
2. A word of admonition. Some of you have been forgiven, but are you praising God as you should? (H. E. I., 39033911).C. H. Spurgeon: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (vol. xvi. pp. 241250).
The preceding chapter relates to the reign of the Messiah; the end of it especially to the ingathering of the Jewsa period which will be the spiritual jubilee to the tribes of Israel, and the beginning of the millennium to the world itself. That is the day in which Israel shall say, O Lord, I will praise thee, &c. This passage may be applied also to every spiritual child of Abraham. Consider
I. The previous state referred to. Thou wast angry with me. Anger in God is not, as it often is in us, a blind, furious passion; but a holy disapprobation of wrong, and a righteous determination to punish it (H. E. I., 22882294).
1. Mans character and conduct, while in his natural state are such as justly to expose him to the Divine anger. What does God survey in the sinner? Ignorance, unbelief, envy, malevolence, impurity, &c. In his conduct, likewise, how much there is that must necessarily be displeasing to God!ingratitude, disobedience, selfishness, abuse of long-suffering, the rejection of Christ.
2. No intelligent being need be in any doubt as to whether he is, or is not, an object of the Divine anger. The teaching of Scripture is clear (Psa. 7:11; Psa. 34:16, &c.) This is ratified by the workings of conscience. Let any one do good secretly, and contrast his state of mind with the feelings arising after the commission of secret evil.
3. The Divine anger is of all things to be deprecated. Remember what its effects have been upon impenitent sinners. Think of the old world; of Pharaoh and the Egyptians; of Sodom, &c. View them written in indelible and awful characters in the history of the Israelites. Nothing can resist it, alleviate it, or deliver from it.
II. The delightful change experienced.
1. The Divine displeasure is removed. Anger turned away. The cloud blotted out; no longer under condemnation, &c. This necessarily supposes a change in the creature. His enmity and opposition to God have ceased; he has seen the evil of sin; confessed and forsaken it; and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. A state of unbelief exposes us to the Divine wrath; a state of faith brings upon us His favour. God abhors the high and proud spirit; but He looks in pity on the lowly and contrite.
2. The Divine favour is enjoyed. Thou comfortest me. We cannot stand in a neutral state with respect to God. The instant His anger is removed, His favour is enjoyed. Guilt, remorse, the burden of sin, are gone; and in their stead there is a sweet assurance of acceptance with God. This comfort is real, not visionary; suitable, abiding, and inexpressibly precious; it is associated with all good, both in this life and that which is to come; it is the precursor of everlasting felicity.
III. The grateful return presented. I will praise Thee. Acceptable praise,
1. Includes the offering of a thankful heart. It must arise from within; it must be the expression of the affections of the soul. Heart gratitude is alone real, and that which God will receive.
2. It must be free and spontaneous. I will. Not I ought, or should, but I will.
3. It must be constant (Eph. 5:20; 1Th. 5:18; Psa. 34:1).
APPLICATION.Let the text be
1. The test of our state. Can we use it? Is it so with us? Is God our reconciled friend?
2. The test of our spirit and conduct. Do we love and bless God? Is it our delight to do so?
3. Let it be attractive to the convicted, mourning sinner. There is a way to Divine peace, and to real and heavenly comfort. Christ is that way. Come now to God through Him.Jabez Burns, D.D.: Pulpit Cyclopdia (iii. 221224).
In this verse we have a representation
I. Of the natural condition of sinful men. An object of Divine anger.
1. The nature of the emotion described;
2. The cause of this anger;
3. How much it is to be feared. Unlike the anger of man it is changeless, and behind it is boundless wisdom and irresistible power.
II. Of the change effected in the state of believers by Divine grace. They are blessed,
1. By the removal of the Divine displeasure, effected by the work accomplished for them by the Son of God, and in them by the Holy Spirit.
2. In the enjoyment of Divine consolation.
III. Of the adoring thankfulness which the change demands and calls forth.
1. The individual character of the declaration: Thou shalt say.
2. The vocal proclamation: Thou shalt say. True gratitude is never silent (Psa. 66:16, &c.)
3. The delightful burden of the song.George Smith, D.D.
In this verse we have three pictures. I. God angry with the sinner. II. God reconciled to the sinner. III. God comforting the sinner.H. F. Walker.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
ISAIAHS VISION OF THE KING AND OF HIS KINGDOM
CHAPTERS 11 AND 12
This is one of the visions that Isaiah saw (chap. Isa. 1:1, Isa. 2:1, &c.). He was a dreamer of dreams. With a keen perception, not surpassed, of the men and things actually surrounding him, much of his life was passed in an ideal and future world. There he found comfort and strength to endure the sorrows that otherwise would have crushed him. At the outset of his ministry, when the great king who had done so much to restore the prosperity of the nation was about to be removed, there was vouchsafed to him a vision of the King immortal, eternal, invisible, throned in the temple, and surrounded by the exalted intelligences who do His will (chap. Isa. 6:1-4); and now, at the close of the wicked and disastrous reign of Ahaz, when his hopes concerning his race would naturally have failed, there was granted him a vision of a King of righteousness and peace, who on earth would rule over a kingdom such as the world had never seen. His soul had been stirred and appalled by a vision of disaster and woe. He saw the king of Assyria, then the terror of the earth, utterly broken, his vast armies hewn down as forests fall before the axes of the woodmen (chap. Isa. 10:33-34); a vision of blood and terror which may well have filled him with trembling. But just as sometimes the sweetest day break follows a night of storm, this vision of terror fades away, and he sees
I. A KING (chap. Isa. 11:1-5).
1. Royally descended, a rod out of the stem of Jesse, A simple farmer on the hills of Bethlehem, and yet a father of kings. Not an accident. We are here confronted with the mystery of blood, of race. No common man was he from whom sprang David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, and a long line of kings. In his ordinary hours, Isaiah may well have derived assurance that the vision that gladdened him was given him from above, from the fact that it was in harmony with Gods promise (2Sa. 7:12-16). Without dismay he could view the royal house lapsing into the obscurity from which it sprangbecoming merely a house of Jesse once moreassured that in His own time God would again raise it up to glory [979] It is always well when our hopes rest upon the Word of God.
2. Royally endowed; a King by truest right divine, because possessed of royal qualities of heart and mind (chap. Isa. 11:2-3). Of the thousands who have sat on thrones, how few have possessed them! How many have ruled over the miserable wretches subject to their sway merely by the craft of the serpent or the cruelty of the tiger! Of those who have been popular, how many have owed their popularity to mere physical prowess and politic good-nature (Richard I., Charles II.)! How few have endeavoured to approach the Biblical conception of what a ruler ought to be (Deu. 17:14-20; 2Sa. 23:3; Psa. 72:4; Pro. 20:28)! In the marvellous superiority of that conception to anything that has prevailed among men, have we not another proof that the sacred writers were indeed inspired by the Spirit of God?
3. Ruling in righteousness; using His marvellous endowments for the welfare of those subjected to His authority (chap. Isa. 11:3-5); not judging of things or men by their mere appearance, nor by common report; caring for the poor, befriending the shrinking and helpless, fearless in His dispensation of justice; His very words being swords that smote and overthrew the arrogant oppressor; made strong by the very righteousness which merely politic men would have feared to display in view of the might of iniquity in this disordered world; a Hero of the truest and divinest kind, in actual life setting forth the ideal to which the noblest knights in the purest days of chivalry strove to conform. Such was the King whom the prophet saw in an age when ruler was merely another word for tyrant and oppressor. Surely the vision so fair and wondrous was given him from above!
[979] The image is now transferred to the state and king of Israel, which is also to be cut down to the stump, like the tree in Nebuchadnezzars dream. But out of that stump, and from its living roots, shall grow up a scionone of those slender shoots which we see springing up from, and immediately around, the stock of a truncated tree. A king of the race of Jesse shall sit on the throne of his fathers, in accordance with the covenant made with David (Psa. 89:3-4).Strachey.
When the axe is laid to the imperial power of the world, it falls without hope (chap. Isa. 10:33-34). But in Israel spring is returning (chap. Isa. 11:1). The world-power resembles the cedar-forest of Lebanon; the house of David, on the other hand, because of its apostasy, is like the stump of a felled tree, like a root without stem, branches, or crown. The world-kingdom, at the height of its power, presents the most striking contrast to Israel and the house of David in the uttermost depth announced in chapter 6, fin., mutilated and reduced to the lowliness of its Bethlehemitish origin. But whereas the Lebanon of the imperial power is thrown down, to remain prostrate, the house of David renews its youth. Out of the stump of Jessei.e., out of the remnant of the chosen royal family, which has sunk down to the insignificance of the house from which it sprangthere comes forth a twig (choter), which promises to supply the place of the trunk and crown; and down below, in the roots covered with earth, and only rising a little above it, there shows itself a ntzer, i.e., a fresh, green shoot. In the historical account of the fulfilment, even the ring of the words of the prophecy is noticed: the ntzer, at first so humble and insignificant, was a poor despised Nazarene (Mat. 2:23).Delitzsch.
II. He saw also THE KINGDOM.
1. A kingdom of righteousness (chap. Isa. 11:9). The kingdom necessarily resembles the king. Appalling is the influence of a court upon a nation. Correspondingly great is the responsibility of those who sit in high places.
2. A kingdom of peace. Set forth by the most beautiful symbolism (chap. Isa. 11:6-10; Isa. 11:13).
3. A kingdom of prosperity. Those included in it are no longer miserable exiles and bond slaves; rather they rule over those by whom they were spoiled and oppressed (chap. Isa. 11:14). This is the true interpretation of a symbol that is in itself harsh and repulsive. The coarseness of the symbol is due to the coarseness of the minds it was first intended to touch. 4. A kingdom of gladness and joy. There pervades it the gladness of exiles who have been restored to their own land (chap. Isa. 11:15-16); the true and religious joy of men who recognise that the deliverances which inspire their songs have been wrought for them by God (chap. Isa. 12:1-5); the joy of men who are absolutely assured of continual safety (chap. Isa. 12:2; Isa. 12:6).
Was all this merely a bright vision?
1. It has been already fulfilled in part.
2. In our own day it is being fulfilled more completely than ever before.
3. It shall yet be fulfilled triumphantly [982] Let us then,
1. Recognise and rejoice in the fact that we are living under the rule of this righteous King. This is at least the dawning of the day which Isaiah saw (Mat. 13:16).
2. Exult in view of the certain future of our race. The kingdom of God shall come generation after generation with mightier power (H. E. I., 34213423).
3. Labour as well as pray that future may be hastened.
[982] For additional suggestions on this part of the subject, see outlines on pages 7173, 101, 182, 186, 191194.
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD
Isa. 11:2. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.
This is declared concerning the Messiah. Short as this declaration is, some of the profoundest of all truths are involved in it. It is implied that God is a person, that from Him there goes forth an influence by which the character of other persons is affected, and that all that qualified Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah came from God. Let us think of these things. Do not be deterred from doing so by the idea that they are transcendental, far away from our daily life. They need not be so; we shall be very blameworthy if we make them so.
I. God is a person. There are those who would have us put away this faith. In their view, God is merely the great controlling Force behind all other forces, the life of the universe, diffused through it, manifesting itself in innumerable forms. As it is the same life in the tree that manifests itself in root, trunk, branch, spray, twig, leaf, blossom, fruit, so all things that exist are not the creations of a personal will, but the manifestations of an impersonal and all-pervading life; all forces, convertible the one into the other, are but varying forms of the one underlying force. Every individual life is but a wave that seems for a moment to be separated from the one universal ocean of life; it leaps up from it, falls back into it, is absorbed by it. True, these waves are often strangely diverseNero and St. Paul, John Howard and Napoleon, the Virgin Mary and Lucrezia Borgia; but in that great Unity of which they are all manifestations, there is an all-comprehensive reconciliation, though it may elude our grasp. For Pantheism, many would have us put away the doctrine of a personal God. But this exchange, if it could be forced upon us by some logical necessity (which it is not), would not be a gain, but a tremendous loss. For,
1. There would be a tremendous loss to the heart. A force may be feared, but not loved. To gravitation we owe much, but no one ever professed to love it. A force cannot be loved, because it does not love. Strike out of our life all that comes to us from the confidence that God loves us, and from the responsive love that springs up in our hearts towards Him, and how much is lost! Then there is no longer any assurance amid the mysteries of life, nor consolation in its sorrows. In a word, we are orphaned: we can no longer say, Our Father, who art in heaven. There is no longer a Father, knowing us, loving us, causing all things to work together for our good; there is only a Force, to which it is useless to appeal, against which it is impossible to contend.
2. We should also lose one of the greatest of all helps to a noble life. Not to dwell on the fact that to speak of virtue or vice would then be absurd,then we should no longer sin, we should merely make mistakes,consider how much the world owes to the aspiration to be like God which has stirred so many noble souls. Through them the average morality of the world has been marvellously raised; but this would have been impossible but for the stimulus these inspiring souls found in the character of God. That is the first fact of which this text reminds us, that God is a person from whom a spiritan influencecan go forth affecting the character of other persons.
II. From God such an influence does go forth. The possibility is a glorious fact. That from God a spirit should go forth, and that it should do so invisibly, is in accordance with all that we know of the universe which God has made, and which is in some sort a revelation of Him.
1. Nothing in the universe is unrelated. From orb to orb influences go forth by which they are mutually affected.
2. The mightiest influences are invisible. In all this, the material is a counterfact and revelation of the spiritual. It would be altogether abnormal, if from God there did not go forth an influence operating upon and affecting other persons. It is invisible, but its effects are recognisable. One of them is the activity of conscience, rightly understood. Another is the moral growth and refinement which those in whom it is most conspicuous, most invariably and distinctly attribute to influences exerted upon them by God. Even Socrates did so. This also is a doctrine full of hope and comfort. If we need moral transformation, there streams from God an influence capable of effecting it: to that influence let us submit ourselves, and the transformation shall come to pass; the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon us, and we shall become like Him.
III. To the influence exerted upon Him by the Spirit of the Lord, Jesus of Nazareth owed all that qualified Him to be the Messiah (Isa. 11:2-5). That which was born of the Virgin Mary was a true human child. A sinless child, yet sinless not as the result of the sinlessness of the mother (as Rome teaches), but of the influence of the Spirit of the Lord resting upon Him from the beginning of His earthly life. His was a real humanityour humanity sanctified. All that was pure, noble, Godlike in Him was born not of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. How full of comfort and hope is this truth also! To us also is offered the same Spirit. Nothing can be more express than the declarations that we may have it if we will, and that, if we have it, the ultimate result will be that we shall be found partakers of the holiness of God. Let us not be unwisely cast down by the frailty and pollution of our nature; if the Spirit of the Lord rest upon us, the purity and the strength of God will become ours, and at length the Father will say of each of us, as He did of Jesus of Nazareth, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE
Isa. 11:3. And He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears.
A glorious difference between our Lord and ourselves. He knew what was in man, and needed not the evidence of external signs, which often mislead us. He could deal with the motives of the heart (H. E. I., 3332, 4147). Not by human sight, but by Divine insight, He judged the conduct and character of men.
1. Our judgment is enfeebled by ignorance. We do not see and hear all, and from our imperfect knowledge of facts we draw wrong and often disastrous conclusions (H. E. I., 29973005). But our Lord could go behind the visible works, and detect what often deceived mene.g., His treatment of pharisaism.
2. Our judgment is enfeebled by prejudice. This is often the result of ignorance. Seeing only certain sides of men, we dislike them, and frame our judgments accordinglye.g., Nathanael (Joh. 1:6). With no better reason than Nathanael had, we regard many a man as an enemy, or otherwise place him in a false light. But our Lord dealt with none in this way. Seeing men as they really were, no preconceived opinions led Him to unworthy conclusions.
3. Partiality enfeebles and perverts our judgment. Judging by sight and hearing, we approve of one man more than another, because he has certain artful or pleasing methods for winning our favour; flattery, offers of gain, &c. (P. D., 1275, 1281, 1283). But our Lord could not be won in this way (Mar. 12:14; Joh. 6:15). He was infinitely compassionate, tender, forgiving, but no feeble partiality interfered to prevent most righteous judgment.
4. Our judgment is often perverted by passion. In the pursuit of some unlawful and all-absorbing aim, we become too disturbed to weigh calmly even the evidences we can see and hear. We look at everything in the light of our false affection, and are thereby rendered absolutely incapable of beholding others in their true light, especially if they stand in our way and oppose our progress (P. D., 2060). But the one absorbing and unremittent purpose of Jesus of Nazareth was to do the will of His Heavenly Father, and to finish the work He had given Him to do. Hence He dwelt always on a pure altitude, in whose clear atmosphere He saw men and things as they are.
5. Our natural depravity is also a serious hindrance to our right judging. Our very organs of knowledge, our affections, our conscience, have been perverted. Let a man be ever so disposed to take correct views of men and things, there will be some flaw in his vision, some defect in his hearing. Hence there are times when we cannot accept as final the judgment of the best and holiest of men. But Christ had no secret evil to lead Him wrong.
In view of all this, how fitting it is that Christ should be our judge! How well, too, He is qualified to be the merciful High Priest whom we need (Heb. 4:15-16). He who tenderly sympathises with us is He who perfectly knows us (H. E. I., 956; P. D., 462).William Manning.
THE UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION AND REDEMPTIVE POWER OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
(Missionary Sermon.)
Isa. 11:9. They shall not hurt nor destroy, &c.
We have here a picture of the golden age. I. The whole earth shall be as Mount Zion. II. Shall be freed from injustice and violence. III. Shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.
1. Wherein this knowledge consists.
2. To what extent it shall prevailuniversal, deep.
3. By what means it is to be diffused.J. Lyth. D.D.: Homiletical Treasury (p. 18).
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. It seems clear that in these words the prophet intended to be understood as speaking of the whole earth. He would scarcely, in the same sentence, have used the expressions in questionthe holy mountain in the first clause, and the earth in the otherif by these expressions he had not meant the same thing, namely, the whole globe of the earth, when the dwellers thereon should come to be true worshippers, like those who first worshipped at Mount Zion, and who were a type of the greater assembly of worshippers, the holy and universal Church, which in the fulness of time would be established.
I. The prophet grounds the hope of that reformed and purified state of the moral world, described in the beautiful words of the text, upon the increase of religious knowledge which he saw to be coming. They shall not hurt for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. II. These words may be taken as descriptive of the legitimate effect of Christian knowledge. The general scope, aim, and tendency of gospel principles is such as would produce the change described, were it not counteracted by the tendency within us to what is wrong. III. They are more than this: they are prophetic of the actual results of Christian knowledge. The gospel will render war impossible. True, so-called Christian nations have not yet ceased to wage war with one another, nor so-called Christian men to rob and circumvent and ruin each other. Nevertheless, this prophecy shall yet be fulfilled. We see it in the process of fulfilment. The condition of the moral world has been meliorated by Christianity. Wars have not ceased, but their conduct has been mitigated. In their private dealings with each other, men have become more just and trustworthy. Already there are millions of men who would shrink from doing harm of any kind to their fellow-men. Compare Christendom with heathendom, and you will see what mighty changes the gospel has already wrought. The practice even of Christian men falls short of their knowledge. Nevertheless, the practice and the morals of men are, generally speaking, the best where their knowledge is the most. The prophets words are justified by fact, and men forbear one another most, and hurt and destroy least, where knowledge is the greatest. It is a fact that life and property are more safe and secure in the Christian portion of the earth, than in any other portions. And the knowledge of the Lord grows year by year; partly through the labours of missionaries in many places; still more by the rapid growth of the nations that are Christian. The violent and lawless races of the earth are dwindling away. The only races that are increasing are those that fear God, and are willing to respect the rights, the properties, and the lives of their neighbours. Through the medium of this natural increase of peace-loving races, and through the conversion of many among the benighted nations, this prophecy is receiving a gradual, but very appreciable, fulfilment. The world is advancing, with ever-accelerating speed, towards knowledge and peace, and this declaration shall yet be literally fulfilled (H. E. I., 979, 11611168; P. D., 2465, 2466).
Application.
1. We are permitted to rejoice in the hope of a period when justice and benevolence shall prevail in the world.
2. We are required to contribute towards the realisation of this hope. This we are to do
(1) by the purification of our own hearts; by the conquest of every passion and desire that would make us hurtful to our neighbours.
(2) By prayer (Mat. 6:9-10).
(3) By helping to diffuse that knowledge of the Lord which is the great peace-maker in the earth.A. Gibson, M.A.: Sermons on Various Subjects; Second Series (pp. 246265).
In this and the preceding verses we have a beautiful picture of a state of human society entirely different from anything that has been witnessed since the Fall. The prophet beholds changes in human character so great that he feels he can only symbolise them by transformations in the members of the animal kingdom of the most astonishing kind. Isa. 11:6-8 are symbolical, and are intended to excite within us the liveliest anticipations of the glorious effects that would follow the universal proclamation and acceptation of the gospel. Thus we are led to speak of the nature, the diffusion, and the effect of the knowledge of the Lord.
I. ITS EXALTED NATURE. By the knowledge of the Lord may be meant that of which He is the revealer (2Ch. 30:22), or that of which He is the theme (2Pe. 2:20). God can only be revealed by Himself; and He has given us a threefold revelation of Himselfin nature, in providence, and in Holy Scripture. In the latter we have the record of the fullest revelation which He has vouchsafed, that given us in His Son. God is never truly known by man until He is known in Christ. The knowledge of the Lord and the gospel are terms of the same meaning.
II. ITS DESTINED DIFFUSION. The figure employed by the prophet brings before us impressively the universality of its diffusion. The imagination is called in to instruct our faith [985] The world-wide diffusion of the gospel is a matter
1. Of prophetic certainty. Nothing could be more plain than the prophetic declarations concerning this matter. But if any man asks when the promise will be fulfilled, only one answer can be given him (Act. 1:7).
2. Involving Divine agency. Utterly false is the notion that, after creating the universe, God withdrew from it, and left it to go on by its own momentum (Joh. 5:17); and utterly false is the notion that, after giving the gospel to the world, God has left it to make its own way therein. By Divine agency men are raised up to proclaim it (Eph. 4:11). While they are so engaged Christ Himself is with them (Mat. 28:20); and while they preach, the Holy Spirit strives in the hearts of men to prepare and dispose them to receive the glad tidings (1Th. 1:5). When, therefore, we look at the glorious promise of our text, we must not forget that God Himself is working for its accomplishment. This will save us from unbelief and despair concerning it.
3. Involving human instrumentality. Not that this is absolutely necessary. Without human husbandry God could have caused the earth to bring forth food for man and beast, and without human instrumentality He could have saved the world. But it has pleased Him to commit to us the Word of reconciliation. The consequent duty of preaching it must be taken in connection with, and regarded as the condition of, the promise; just as the promise that there shall be a harvest till the end of the world is conditioned by mans sowing the seed in the appointed season. The promise must not be used as an excuse for indolence, but as a stimulus to industry.
[985] The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. The expression is remarkable for its force. In looking over the face of the ocean, no differences are to be perceived: one part is not fuller than the other; one part is not covered, and another left dry; but all is one unbroken stream, filling and covering the whole. So shall it be with the Word of God among men. It shall not be known to some, and hidden from others. It shall not be fully declared in one place, and only partially set forth in another. Whatever knowledge it pleases Him to give at all, shall be given to all men equally and without distinction. Such is clearly the purpose of God in His own appointed time.W. H. Sulivan.
As the waters cover the sea. The idea of universality could scarcely have been better expressed than by this magnificent simile. You have looked forth on the illimitable expanse of waters with wonder and awe. Your imagination has followed the depths far beyond the lowest tide-line to the unfathomed valleys and caverns that form the ocean bed; and you have endeavoured to take fully into your mind the thought that the lowest depths and the most distant shores were filled and covered by the all-diffusive and all-searching element.Rawlinson.
III. ITS BLESSED EFFECT. The gospel is a harmonising power. It has a transforming efficacy equal to any that would be needed to bring about a literal fulfilment of Isa. 11:6-8. Where-ever it comes in its saving power, it new creates human hearts, and thus dries up the causes of hatred and discord at their fountain. For it is a principle, 1, of righteousness, and, 2, of love. Hence it brings peace. For all discord is due to injustice that is prompted by selfishness (Jas. 4:1). Where righteousness and love combine and rule, there must be peace and security; for the very desire to injure is taken away. The universal prevalence of the gospel necessarily means universal peace (H. E. I., 1126, 1127, 1129).
1. This suggests the answer to the questions, Why Christian nations make war against each other, and why even in Christian churches there are fierce contentions? The answer is, either that those nations or churches are Christian only in name, or that they have only very partially attained to the knowledge of the Lord. They are only in the infant-class in Christs great school; as they learn of Him, their rivalries and hatreds will pass away.
2. The gospel being so blessed in its effects, it is plain that it is the duty of all good men to extend the knowledge of it.John Rawlinson.
A remarkable declaration this, especially if the Hebrew prophets were, as some learned sceptics tell us, men of narrow mind, worshipping a merely local god, and hating all men not descended from Jacob. By the noble simile employed by Isaiah two ideas are suggested
1. Universality. Mankind is the area to be covered.
2. Ease. All the creeks, bays, channels, and broad highways of the vast ocean are filled in their appointed time. The mighty tide rises, sweeps onward, and the work is done. There was one great flood-tide of gospel-truth in the days of the apostles, and there is a greater still to come. Meanwhile, many difficulties attend the efforts of Gods people to extend the knowledge of His truth; but, in the worlds fulness, great ease will characterise the progress and triumphs of the gospel (Psa. 110:3; Heb. 8:11). This declaration suggests two great subjects:
I. THE HOPE OF THE WORLD. Shut the Bible, and our outlook on the world and its future is dark and sad. Open it, and let its light shine into our minds, and with the light will come encouragement and hope.
1. If it is true that the earth the sea, then God takes an interest in the affairs of the world, and takes an interest in them now. This mighty world is not left to drift into an unknown and perilous future without a steersman to guide it.
2. If God makes such abundant provision for the instruction of men in the knowledge of Himself, then He will be accessible to them when, by that knowledge, they are led to approach Him; and He is accessible to us.
3. Himself opening for men a way of access to Him, we may be sure that when they avail themselves of it He will deal with them in the way of mercy and love; and so He will deal with us. Who can doubt this who looks on the face of Christ, through whom God has given us the truest knowledge of Himself (2Co. 4:6)?
4. He means to be known to the world, and therefore His gracious offers extend to all, to us.
II. THE DUTY OF THE CHURCH. In view of this declaration,
1. Take enlarged views of your work. Think how much remains to be done. Even if you could suppose that your family, your street, your town, your country were filled with the blessed tide of the knowledge of the Lord, yet think of the earth, and all its myriad claims resting upon the servants of God.
2. Spare no efforts in promoting the cause of Christian missions. In advancing these, you are working in harmony with the great purposes of God, and for an object which is dear to Himthat object for which He has already given His Son! Will you withhold from it the money with which He has entrusted you, and for which you will have to give account at the last day?
3. There are many present difficulties in the prosecution of mission-work, but meanwhile take comfort from the large purposes of God. Have faith in God. His plans are vast, but His glorious promises are great as His counsels, and His resources as glorious as His promises. The process of filling the earth with the knowledge of the Lord may seem to us to be tedious, the obstacles may be many, the time may be long; if the work were left to us, it would be hopeless; but GOD will hasten it all in His time.William Manning.
It is here declared that there is yet to dawn upon the world an era of perfect light, and that that shall be also and therefore an era of perfect love. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, FOR the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
It is a mystery, but it is a fact, that knowledge is not necessarily a blessing. The devils believeand therefore knowyet remain devils still (Jas. 3:15). Many men of unholy life have been men of eminent knowledge (Rom. 1:21). But this is a moral monstrosity, a result of the unnatural condition into which we have been brought by sin; just as in certain forms of disease food becomes poison. Knowledge is one of those forces which naturally tend to elevate and sanctify (H. E. I., 3106); to know God truly is eternal life (Joh. 17:3); and the declaration is, that knowledge shall be world-wide, and that by it the world shall be morally revolutionised. Remembrance of two facts will give intelligence and strength to our faith in these glorious predictions.
1. As mans knowledge of God has grown, the human race has risen. Except in those abnormal cases already referred to, it may be declared that men cannot learn to know God and remain as they weree.g., wherever the knowledge of the unity of God is restored to man, idolatry becomes impossible; as soon as the knowledge of the spirituality of God really enters the mind, formalism in worship becomes an impossibility. So every truth concerning God, as soon as it is really known, becomes a correcting and converting force. The tendency of this knowledge, as of light, is to quicken and beautify. The way to grow in grace is to grow in the knowledge of Christ (2Pe. 3:18).
2. The knowledge of God is a thing that grows, and grows slowly, in the human soul. This is true of all knowledge [988] But in proportion as it grows, sanctification takes place in the individual life, reformation in the national life [991] It is the most radical and successful of all revolutionists. It is impossible for us to dream of the changes it will accomplish upon the earth. But this we know, that by it war and every form of violence shall be abolished (text; Isa. 2:4, &c.)
[988] The knowledge of God comes into the soul as a king is born into a country over which he is ultimately to rule; at the beginning it is but a babe; for a long time it is weak, and needs to be defended and nurtured; many years elapse before it rules; rarely in this life does it exercise full power and undisputed sway.
[991] Many evils continue to exist and flourish even in Christian lands, because their contrariety to the character of God has not yet been apprehended and felt. Many godly men were slave-holders and slave-dealers, because they did not fully know God. But now the knowledge of God has so grown among men, that it is no longer possible in a Christian land for a godly man to be a slave-holder. So with polygamy, which was once practised without scruple by some of the noblest and most devout men who ever lived. This practice has been killed, not by any express prohibition, but by growth among men of the knowledge of God. That knowledge is predestined still further to grow, and to kill many things more.
In this subject there is,
1. A complete justification of all missionary enterprises. They are not visionary schemes foredoomed to failure; they are intensely practical, and shall be triumphantly successful. The time may be far off, but it is advancing, when every man shall know God (). The effect of that knowledge will be the destruction of the desire to destroy or injure.
2. An argument for patience. In view of the wrongs that prevail upon the earth, many noble souls find it difficult to exercise it. Of finer taste, of clearer vision, of truer sympathy with God than is common amongst men, the wickedness that triumphs in the world fills them with continual agony. It drives them almost into atheism. They ask, Can God see these things, and not use His power to bring them to an end? If there were a God, would He not instantly smite the oppressors with destruction? Let them be patient. God does see; God does feel; God is hastening on the better day by the only means by which it can really be brought in. Another deluge would not cleanse the world from crime; if but eight souls were spared, sin would once more begin to prevail. The era of purity and peace can be ushered in only by the revelation of God to man, and thus it is advancing towards us; thus it is already begun; between Christian and heathen lands there is a real contrast; and ere long there shall be as great a contrast between Christian lands uplifted by a fuller knowledge of God and these lands as they now are. The millennium is not merely a prophetic dream, it shall be a glorious fact. Patience! (H. E. I., 1134, 1135, 11661168, 34213423; P. D., 2465, 2466).
3. An argument for hopeful Christian effort. We must not merely dream of the millennium, we must labour to hasten its dawn. Work is needful: Sunday-school work, &c. Every one who prays, Thy kingdom come, thereby, unless he means to mock God, pledges Himself to work to hasten its coming, and thus to be a fellow-labourer with God. There is need for individual effort, and for united effort. Such effort should always be hopeful. We are not attempting what is impossible; we are working in the line of Gods promises, and with God! Remembering that the sense of our own weakness will not unduly depress us. It does not require a giants strength to row with the tide; and a mightier force than that of ocean is bearing us on to a victory that shall fill earth with blessing and heaven with gladness.
THE ENSIGN OF THE NATIONS
Isa. 11:10. And in that day there shall be, &c.
I. In the two parts of this verse we have a twofold metaphorical representation of the Redeemer: one expressed, one implied.
1. An ensign of the people
= banner or standard, such as is set up as a rallying-point around which,
(1) the subjects of a king assemble to do him homage; and
(2) the soldiers of an army gather to receive the commands and exhortations of their general.
2. This second use of a standard leads to the second metaphorical representation of the Redeemer, that of a victorious general: His rest shall be glorious. We are thus directed to the final result of the uplifting of Christ as an ensign: the great campaign brought to a successful conclusion, the Victor in it rests gloriously, surrounded by the soldiers whom He has led on to triumph, and the people to whom He has given liberty and peace.
II. Consider how these predictions have been fulfilled.
1. By the preaching of the gospel Christ has been lifted up, and as the result men of all nations have sought unto Him, and will seek Him more and more.
2. Having done and suffered all that was necessary ultimately to secure the final victory, He has taken His place at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and rests there gloriously; the glory of His rest arising from the number of the subjects who do Him homage, and of the soldiers who delight to fight His battles, from the triumphs which He has already enabled them to achieve, and from the prosperity and peace of all His people.
We shall make a great mistake if we end by thus admiringly noting how this ancient prophecy has been, and is being, fulfilled in the history of the world. We are among the Gentiles of whom our text speaks: have we sought unto the glorious Person of whom it speaks? You desire to do so. Do so, then,
1. For right purposes; not merely that you may be delivered from suffering, but that you may be delivered from sin; not merely that you may ultimately gain admission to heaven, but that you may here and now render to Him the homage and the service to which He is entitled.
2. In a right spirit; not vainly dreaming that you have, or can win, any claim upon His regard, but recognising that you can appeal only to His mercy, and that without it you are lost; and making this appeal penitently and believingly. So coming to Him, He will be found of you. He will cause you to share in His rest, by causing you to share in His triumphs; inspired and upheld by Him, you shall trample under foot the world, the flesh, the devil, and the fear of death. Your whole being will be at rest; your understanding no longer harassed by perplexing doubts; your conscience stilled and gladdened by a righteous peace; your affections centred at last around Him who alone is worthy of their supreme love; and this threefold rest, so sweet and blessed now, shall be perfected and perpetuated in heaven.George Smith, D.D.
The prophet here foresees that the Saviours mission and work will so exalt Him in the eyes of the nations, that they will turn to Him as the one object and desire of their souls. (Compare Joh. 12:32.) The prediction declares that Christ would be a banner to attract men, that He would be the object of universal search, and that men in finding Him would attain to true rest and glory.
I. THE BANNER.
1. A banner is naturally lifted up; only thus can its purpose be accomplished (chap. Isa. 13:2; Isa. 18:3). Apt image this of Christ. Not merely in His death on Calvary. That exaltation was followed by His being lifted higher still by the preaching of the gospel, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Joh. 16:14), by the devout lives of all His true followers.
2. A banner has usually some emblem or device representative of some great cause, or expressive of some great truth. (Give instances.) So when Christ and Him crucified are uplifted clearly in the view of men, they see Gods hatred of sin, His love of man, and His provision for mans future happiness and glory.
II. THE OBJECT OF UNIVERSAL SEARCH. To it shall the Gentiles seek. Search for Christ characterises all races of men (Hag. 2:7) and all periods of time (Luk. 10:24). The search is often prosecuted in ignorance. Men know not for what and for whom their souls yearn; but it is Christ of whom unconsciously they are in quest; and it is towards Him, that by the else insatiable desires of their spiritual nature, they are being led.
III. THE FINDING OF TRUE REST. His rest shall be glorious.
1. The rest we find in Christ is connected with a vital change effected in the heart and life. He does not simply do something for us; He also does a work within us. Every intelligent seeker knows that there can be no rest until the evil that is lodged within us is resisted and cast out (H. E. I., 1324). It is as we enter into the spirit of Christ and share His life, that we enter into rest (Mat. 11:28-30).
2. Our new relations to God, entered into by faith in Christ Jesus, makes our rest very glorious. God is then known to us by the most precious and endearing names; He is our rock, our shield, &c. Each of these names represents to us some tender aspects of His love, some sweet ministry of His grace.
Are you in search of the highest peace, joy, holiness, rest? Here you may end your quest (1Co. 1:30; P. D., 481).William Manning.
THE RECONCILER OF MEN
Isa. 11:10-16. And in that day there shall be, &c.
Several eminent commentators are of opinion that this prophecy will not be fulfilled until the Jews are restored as a nation to their own land. Others believe that the prophet used (it may be unconsciously) transient geographical phrases as symbols of eternal truths. Without entering upon this controversy, which can be settled only by the actual unfolding and accomplishment of Gods plans as to the history of this world, let us think of the fundamental fact of the vision, that in it the Root of David was revealed to the prophet as the reconciler of men. His appearing in the world would be the setting up of a standard unto which all men, Gentiles (Isa. 11:10) and Jews (Isa. 11:11-12), would seek; and before the influence then exerted upon them by Him rivalries and enmities, even though they were as inveterate and malignant as those of Judah and Ephraim (Isa. 11:13), would disappear. No obstacles, even though they should be as immense as the geographical ones which are specified, would hinder their coming together and forming one united and triumphant people under His benignant sway. This is only saying what the prophet has said already (chap. Isa. 2:4; Isa. 9:7), that the kingdom of Christ would be a kingdom of peace. Consider
I. How marvellously and gloriously this prediction has been fulfilled. To appreciate this, we must recall the condition of the world at the time when the day of which our text speaks dawned upon it. Nations were everywhere divided from each other by jealousies and hatreds as virulent as those that divided Ephraim from Judah; there was peace only because they were restrained from active hostility by the strong hand of Roman power. Hatred of other nations was regarded, not as a crime, but as a duty [994] But Christ inaugurated the empire of universal brotherhood and love. Wars have not yet ceased even among nations professing Christianity, but they are no longer openly gloried in by those who wage them; they are apologised for as sad necessities. The apology is often insincere, but the fact that it is made at all is a marvellous tribute to the influence and authority of Christ. Wherever His true followers meet, national distinctions are forgotten, and they feel drawn to each other by a mightier and sweeter bond. As the centuries pass away, the love of Christ becomes more and more the uniting power of the world.
[994] Ancient morality was essentially national and exclusive. Its creed was that a man is born not for himself, but for his parents, his family, and the state. The state was surrounded by others with which, unless some treaty had been concluded, it was at war. To do as much good as possible to ones own state, and as much harm as possible to all other states, was therefore the whole duty of a man.Ecce Homo, p. 125, small edition. (The student will do well to read the whole chapter in which these sentences occur.)
II. How sadly imperfect the fulfilment of this prediction still is! The era of universal peace has not yet dawned. The world is still cursed by wars and rumours of wars. Millions of men are maintained in constant readiness for war. There are bitter contentions among the sections of the Christian Church, these tribes of the modern Israel. Class is divided from class. So-called Christian families are saddened by bitter feuds.
III. The blessedness of the era that shall yet dawn upon this world. The Christian often dreams of it; his dreams are sweet as those which hungry men have of banquets, and shipwrecked sailors drifting helplessly on rafts in the wide ocean have of their native village and of meeting with their loved ones there; and in their waking hours they, too, are apt to be saddened by the fear that their dreams too are as utterly incapable of realisation. But it is not so. They shall all be realised, for the authority of Christ shall yet be universal, real, absolute; and all the listening angels shall not be able to detect one sound of discord rising from the round world, for the whole world shall be full of the peace of Christ (P. D., 2465, 2466, 2676).
IV. Our duty in regard to this prediction. We are not merely to dream dreams of the blessedness of the era that shall yet be ushered in. We are to do something to hasten its dawning.
1. We are to pray for it with yearning hearts.
2. We are to do our utmost, in every possible way, to extend the knowledge of the gospel throughout the world. The gospel, not commerce, is the true civiliser and uniter of nations: commerce will prosper on the gospel triumphs. True, many converts are only nominally Christians, but in many cases that is the first step towards their becoming real Christians, i.e., men who will pray and labour for universal peace.
3. Minor and contributory duties.
(1.) The diffusion of knowledge that will tend to bring home to the understandings and hearts of men the hurtfulness of war, and of preparation for war.
(2.) The discouragement and overthrow of those statesmen, to whichever party they may belong, whose policy tends to foster national animosities.
(3.) The discouragement of all pursuits and things that tend to familiarise men with war and keep alive in them a passion for it, e.g., the volunteer movement; pictures, poems, and newspapers that glorify successful soldiers, as if in them the noblest ideal of manhood were realised.
(4.) Careful education of our children in Christ-like sentiments concerning foreign nations and war. By constant heedfulness of these duties, we shall do something to hasten the dawning of the era of universal peace and blessedness, and we shall not have lived in vain.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER TWELVE
F. PRAISE FOR IMMANUEL
TEXT: Isa. 12:1-6
1
And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me.
2
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for Jehovah, even Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation.
3
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
4
And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted.
5
Sing unto Jehovah; for he hath done excellent things; let this be known in all the earth.
6
Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.
QUERIES
a.
What is the day spoken of in Isa. 12:1; Isa. 12:4?
b.
How would they draw water out of the wells of salvation?
c.
Who is the inhabitant of Zion?
PARAPHRASE
On that day you of the remnant will say, Thanks be unto You, O Jehovah, for You were angry with me but now Your anger is turned away and You comfort me. See, you will say, God is my salvation and no one else. I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and of Him I sing. He is my salvation! With unbounded joy you, O remnant, will draw and drink from the Water of Life. In that day you will proclaim, Give thanks to Jehovah and call upon Him! Tell the whole world about His mighty works and glorify His name among all peoples. Sing in thanksgiving and praise of Jehovahs name for His works excel everything and sing His praises unto all the world. Cry aloud, you who are the true inhabitants of Zion, for the Great and Mighty and Holy One of Israel lives among you.
COMMENTS
Isa. 12:1-6 PRAISE IMMANUEL: This is one of the most beautiful peans of praise in all the Bible! In the day that Immanuel shall make His advent into the world of man and shall conquer mans enemies and shall set up His kingdom, the Church, Gods remnant (those who believe and are redeemed) will be able to give thanks and praise Jehovahs name for His grace. It will be by His grace that God will satisfy His wrath upon His Son and turn His wrath away from man. In the substitutionary death of the Messiah men will find comfort and strength and salvation. It will be a work of salvation totally initiated by God and not by man, Mans response will be to trust and enter into covenant relationship through the covenant terms revealed by God.
Water is a beautiful figure of salvation, especially for a people of a dry and arid land. (Cf. Isa. 41:17-18; Joh. 4:14). There is an interesting practice attendant to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jesus day in connection with Isa. 12:3. Each day of the feast the people would come with palm branches and limbs of willows to the temple. They held these branches over the great altar of burnt offering until they formed a sort of roof and the people marched around the altar. While the people were thus marching, one of the priests went, according to the ceremony, to the pool of Siloam and filled a golden pitcher with about two pints of water. As he returned through the Water Gate, the people chanted Isa. 12:3 . . . With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. The figure of water for Messianic salvation permeates the Old Testament (Cf. Isa. 35:7; Isa. 49:10; Isa. 55:1; Psa. 42:1; Psa. 36:9; Jer. 2:13; Jer. 17:13; Eze. 47:1-12; Zec. 13:1; Zec. 14:8; Joh. 4:7-26; Joh. 7:37-38).
When men enjoy the blessings of salvation they must make known the glories of their discovery. In Joh. 7:37-38 Jesus says, If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. Perhaps Jesus meant that those who drink from the wells of salvation will also become, as it were, springs of salvation to others. When men proclaim the Living Water and direct mens hearts to Him they have, by their preaching, become secondary sources of the Water of Life.
Notice carefully that the content of true praise and preaching of God is to praise and preach His doings. The church does not exist to give the opinions of men, or to teach that all religions are equally good, or to beg men to unite with her, or to psych them into joining her by emotionally-charged entertainments and mass-hypnotic salesmanship methods. Her one supreme task is to cause men to praise the name of God through the direction of their minds to the record of His doings! A part of that proclamation may be done through singing His praises.
The inhabitant of Zion is the member of the new covenant people. Zion is the church of Christ (Cf. Heb. 12:22). The Holy One of Israel dwells in His church which is His temple (Cf. Eph. 2:11-22). Isaiah will have a great deal more to say about the glory of Zion (chapters 60 through 66 especially), which is all future to Isaiahs day and cannot refer to anything but the Church.
QUIZ
1.
What are the wells of salvation?
2.
What is to be declared among the peoples?
3.
Where is Zion?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
XII.
(1) In that day thou shalt say . . .The prophet becomes the psalmist of that new Exodus, and the hymn that follows is based upon the type of that in Exodus 15, though with less of local and historical colouring. He has been taught that confession must be blended with thanksgivingthat those only can rightly estimate the comfort which God gives who have first felt His wrath. The fact that the prophet appears as a psalmist was a natural result of the training of the schools of the prophets, as described in 1Sa. 19:20, possibly also of his familiarity with the Temple service as a priest or Levite. The group of psalms ascribed to the sons of Korah presents so many parallelisms to the writings of Isaiah, and so obviously belongs to the same period, that we may reasonably think of him as having been associated with that goodly company. (See Introduction.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And in that day you will say,
I will give thanks to you, O Yahweh,
For although you were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away,
And you comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and will not be afraid,
For Yah Yahweh is my strength and my song,
And he is become my salvation.’
The hymn is first of all a song of thanksgiving that Yahweh’s anger has been turned away from them, even though they recognise that they have deserved it. Thus instead of visiting them in anger and judgment as they deserved He has visited them in comfort and strengthening. That indeed is why they, those who are left, are now in a position to sing the hymn. But note that the hymn is in the singular. Each one is able to echo the sentiments behind the words. It is an individual experience for them all.
It then goes on to declare that their whole confidence is in God. The God Who should have been the source of their punishment has instead been the source of their deliverance. It is to Him that they owe everything. And because of this they know that they can rest on Him in total confidence, and not be afraid. Indeed ‘Yah Yahweh’ has been, and is, their strength and their song, even in the midst of trial. But now He has also become their deliverance.
These last phrases come from Exo 15:2. Thus they are related to the Exodus deliverance, re-emphasising that Isaiah sees their future deliverance as being a new Exodus.
Yah Yahweh is a dual repetition of the Name Yahweh. Yah is the shortened form often found in names (compare also Hallel-u-Yah – ‘praise to Yahweh’), and is found in Exo 15:2. Thus here there is especial stress on the covenant relationship and on the uniqueness of their God, coming from hearts full of praise and worship.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Epilogue Isa 12:1-6 serves as the epilogue to the first major section in the book of Isaiah (1-12), with its literary genre being poetry. We find another song of praise in Isa 26:1 to Isa 27:13, which closes the next major section of Isaiah (Isa 13:1 to Isa 27:13). A third song, or poem, of praise is found in Isa 35:1-10, which serves as an epilogue for the next major section of Isaiah (Isa 28:1 to Isa 35:10). The narrative story of Hezekiah’s illness and prophetic recovery (Isa 36:1 to Isa 39:8) records the king’s song of praise near the closing of this section (Isa 38:9-20).
Such a structure with passages of Scripture ending in a song or poem is not unique to the book of Isaiah. The Pentateuch consists of a combination of four literary types, the author having used narrative material, poetry, law and genealogical lists woven together to produce the story of Israel’s establishment as a nation. We can clearly see that the book of Genesis is divided into ten major genealogies that take us from the creation of Adam to the birth of the nation of Israel. John Sailhamer makes an interesting comment on a pattern that can be seen in how these literary types are placed together throughout the Pentateuch. [32] He says that the author of the Pentateuch often ended his narrative material with poetry followed by an epilogue. For example, we find a brief poetic statement made by Adam (Gen 2:23) followed by a short epilogue (Gen 2:24) closing the story of the creation of Adam and Eve (Gen 2:4-22). He suggests that the story of the Fall (Gen 3:1-24) closes with a poetic discourse (Gen 3:14-19) followed by an epilogue (Gen 3:20-24). The story of Cain killing Abel (Gen 4:1-6) also ends with poetry (Gen 4:23-24) and closes with an epilogue (Gen 4:25-26). The genealogy of Noah (Gen 6:9 to Gen 9:29) ends with the poetic material which curses Canaan (Gen 9:25-27) followed by an epilogue (Gen 9:28-29). The genealogies of Adam (Gen 5:1 to Gen 6:8) and of the sons of Noah (Gen 10:1 to Gen 11:9) both end with God’s prophetic judgment and a closing remedy to judge mankind. The genealogy of Abraham (and Terah) (Gen 11:27 to Gen 25:11) ends with the story of Isaac taking Rebekah as his wife. At the closing of this story, she receives a prophetic blessing from her people (Gen 24:60) and this genealogy ends with an epilogue (Gen 25:7-11). The story of Joseph (chpts. 37-48) ends with a lengthy poetic prophecy by Jacob (chpt. 49) followed by a closing epilogue (chpt. 50).
[32] John H. Sailhamer, Genesis, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 2, eds. Frank E. Gaebelien, J. D. Douglas, Dick Polcyn (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1976-1992), in Zondervan Reference Software, v. 2.8 [CD-ROM] (Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corp., 1989-2001), comments in “Introduction: 4. Purpose: a. Compositional Analysis of the Pentateuch.”
Sailhamer goes on to say that the story of the Exodus (Exodus 1-14) is followed by poetry (Exodus 15). At the end of Israel’s forty-year wilderness journey, the author places the poetic prophecies of Balaam (Numbers 23-24). Finally, the five books of the Pentateuch end with the song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32-33) followed by a closing epilogue (Deuteronomy 34).
Sailhamer also notes a common pattern in the lengthy poetic prophecies of Jacob (Genesis 49), Balaam (Numbers 23-24) and Moses (Deuteronomy 32-33). All three of these men call together an audience and proclaim what will take place in the future of the history of the nation of Israel. All three prophecies use a common Hebrew phrase “in the days to come” which is found in only one other place in the Pentateuch, giving us a clue as to the fact that this material is structured in a common pattern. The fact that all three of these poetic passages give us a prophecy of the coming Messiah reveals that they all have a common eschatological theme. As we look back as the other brief poetic material, we find another Messianic prophecy (Gen 3:15). It appears as if the narrative material sets the course for the eschatological message found within the poetic material. In other words, the actions of mankind found in the narratives have divine consequences in the future history of mankind and particularly in the nation of Israel. This pattern could be explained as a customary way of writing narrative material during the time of the author, with the understanding that this was also the way that God inspired Moses to record this material for us.
This pattern is found outside of the Pentateuch. We see how the book of Joshua closes with a non-poetic, but prophetic speech, by Joshua followed by an epilogue. We also see how the life of David closes with a poetic farewell speech in 2Sa 22:1 to 2Sa 23:7.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Prophecies Against Israel Isa 1:2 to Isa 12:6 contains a collection of prophecies against the nation of Israel. The phrase, “for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still,” is repeated five times within this passage of Scripture (Isa 5:25; Isa 9:12; Isa 9:17; Isa 9:21; Isa 10:4).
Also found within this first major section of Isaiah are three prophecies of the Messiah’s birth. These prophecies reflect three characteristics of the Messiah. He will be born of a virgin as the Son of God dwelling with mankind (Isa 7:14-15). He will rule over Israel in the Davidic lineage (Isa 9:6-7). He will come from the seed of David and be anointed as was David (Isa 11:1-5).
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Prophecy of the Messianic Kingdom Isa 11:1-6 gives a prophecy of the future Messianic kingdom. The Messiah will come from the seed of David; He will be anointed as David; and He will rule in righteousness as did David (Isa 11:1-5). All creation will be restored to its original order under this kingdom (Isa 11:6-9). He will restore the nation of Israel and rule over all nations (Isa 11:10-16). Israel will then praise the Lord for His wonderful salvation (Isa 12:1-6).
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Israel’s Song of Its Redemption.
v. 1. And In that day, v. 2. Behold, God Is my Salvation, v. 3. Therefore with Joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation, v. 4. And In that day, v. 5. Sing unto the Lord, for He hath done excellent things, v. 6. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
Isa 12:1-6
THE SONG OF THANKSGIVING OF THE UNITED CHURCH. On each of her deliverances the Church is hound to praise God. In some parts of the Church it is customary on every such occasion to sing a “Te Deum.” The ordinary Israelite hymn of praise appears to have been the hundred and thirty-sixth psalm (1Ch 16:34, 1Ch 16:41; 2Ch 5:13; 2Ch 7:3; Ezr 3:11; Jer 33:11; 1 Macc. 4:24); but on extraordinary occasions special thanksgivings were sung (Exo 15:1-21; 1Sa 7:1-17 :18-29, etc.). Isaiah is now inspired to give a pattern song, suitable for the Church to sing when she is reunited, enlarged, and restored to favor.
Isa 12:1
In that day. In the day of deliverance and restoration. Though thou wast angry; literally, because thou wast angry. Kay understands an actual hank-fullness for the severe discipline, which had checked them, and not allowed them to glide on smoothly to ruin. But perhaps the idiom is rather that of the passage, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Mat 11:25), where it is only the last clause that expresses the true object of the thanksgiving. Comfortedst; rather, hast comforted, since the effect continued.
Isa 12:2
God is my salvation (comp. Psa 27:1; Psa 38:22, etc.). The employment of the abstract “salvation” for the concrete “Savior” is extremely common. The Lord Jehovah; literally, Jah Jehovaha combination which occurs only here and in Isa 26:4, where it is again used as an encouragement to perfect confidence and trust. Is my strength salvation. This is quoted from the song of Moses (Exo 15:2), which the prophet has throughout in his thoughts.
Isa 12:3
With joy shall ye draw water. The prophet interrupts the song to give a comforting promise. The “salvation” granted to the Church shall be as an inexhaustible well, from which all comers may draw continually. Compare our Lord’s promise to the woman of Samaria in Joh 4:14.
Isa 12:4
Declare his doings among the people; literally, among the peoples (comp. Psa 9:11; Psa 77:12; Psa 107:22; Psa 118:17). It is always regarded as one of man’s chief duties to testify of God’s goodness to others. Here Israel is called upon to publish God’s mercies and great deeds to the Gentiles. His name is exalted. God is in his Name, and his Name expresses his nature. As there is nothing so exalted in all the universe as God, so there is no name so exalted as his Name. Hence his Name is protected by an express commandment.
Isa 12:5
Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things. This is another quotation, very slightly modified, from the song of Moses, in which these words were part of the refrain (Exo 15:1, Exo 15:21). This is known; rather, let this be known; i.e. publish itnoise it abroad.
Isa 12:6
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; i.e. raise a “cry” that may be heard far and widea cry that shall be a “shout” of rejoicing. The wool translated “inhabitant” is feminine, and designates the entire community or Church that dwells on the holy hill. For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. The crowning glory of the Church is the presence of her Lord in the midst of her a presence continuous (“I am with you always”), efficacious (Joh 15:4-6), yet invisible (1Pe 1:8). The Church is ever to proclaim this presence and rejoice in it.
HOMILETICS
Isa 12:1-6
Christian thanksgiving – its principal characteristics.
There is so much allusion in this thanksgiving song to the “song of Moses,” that Isaiah cannot but be supposed to intend some comparison between the two. The occasion, however, of their utterance is so different, and their scale and method of construction so far apart, that it is difficult to draw out in detail any comparison between the two that would not appear forced and unnatural. Moses’ song is a burst of gratitude for a particular temporal mercy; the Church’s thanksgiving is a constant outpour of thanks and praise for continuous spiritual benefits. The song may, therefore, better be considered in itself, as a model to be borne in mind, and in its main points followed, by the Church in all ages. We may regard separately
(1) its form;
(2) its matter;
(3) its tone and spirit.
I. THE FORM APPROPRIATE FOR THANKSGIVING. The form employed by Isaiah is poetical. His song consists of two stanzasone of six, the other of seven lines. The lines are of nearly equal length, varying, however, between three and four feet. The predominant foot is the iambic; but there is an admixture of anapaests and trochees. The details of the form are unimportant, and not readily transferable from poetry so peculiar as the Hebrew to the poetry of modern times and countries. What is mainly important is the simple fact of the thanksgiving being a poem. It does not, of course, bind the Church to express thanksgiving in no other way, but it is a strong argument for the predominant use of poetry for such expression. And the instinct of the Church, has been in accordance. From the first she has made the Psalms of David her especial “book of praise.” She has found in other parts of Scripture a number of canticles framed upon the same Hebrew model, and has adopted them into her services. She has accepted from one of her noblest saints the glorious poem of the “Te Deum.” She has found one hymn of praise, worthy of frequent use, in the Apocrypha. And further, she has been prolific herself of hundreds and thousands of sacred songs, written in a score of languages, and in more varieties of meter than can be counted, with which her members delight to praise God in the congregation.
II. THE MATTER APPROPRIATE FOR THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving is for blessings or benefits received; and the main matter for thanksgiving must always be a mention, more or less full, of the particular blessings or benefits for which the thankfulness is felt. Moses in his “song” dwells at some length on the passage of the Red Sea by Israel, and the destruction of Pharaoh’s host which followed (Exo 15:1, Exo 15:4-10, Exo 15:12). The Church, according to Isaiah, commemorates her deliverance from the wrath of God (verse 1), her possession of salvation (verse 2), and the presence of the Holy One of Israel in her midst (verse 6). In her deliverance are included all the spiritual benefits of the past, in her salvation all the joys and blessings of the future; in the presence of the Holy One is her continual actual delight and happinessa delight and happiness that words are feeble to paint. What is most remarkable in Isaiah’s representation is the absence of all reference to temporal blessings. The spiritual benefits absorb all the thought and attention of the Church’s members, and are alone celebrated in their song of rejoicing.
III. THE TONE AND SPIRIT REFER FOR THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving may be formal, cold, and perfunctory, or it may be heartfelt, warm, and full of earnestness. Isaiah’s thanksgiving song is a model of hearty, zealous, earnest praise. It expresses
(1) gratitude for past favors;
(2) joy in present salvation;
(3) confidence and trust in God’s protecting care for the future;
(4) anxiety to make known his mercies and cause his Name to be praised more widely;
(5) admiration of his works;
(6) adoration of his majesty.
The abruptness that characterizes it is a sign of vehemence; the repeated calls upon others to join in indicate a strong craving for sympathy. Altogether the tone resembles that of some of the later psalms, which were, perhaps, written about the same period (see Psa 113:1-9; Psa 117:1-2; Psa 134:1-3; Psa 149:1-9).
HOMILIES BY E. JOHNSON
Isa 12:1-6
A hymn of praise.
Some critics say that the language and the tone of thought are so different here from that of Isaiah, that the hymn cannot be from his pen. The theory seems probable enough that a copyist or reader, who beheld with joy a fulfillment of the words in Isa 11:15, Isa 11:16, on the deliverance from the Babylonian exile, supplemented the oracle with these jubilant words.”
I. THE FULL HEART SEEKS RELIEF IN RELIGIOUS SONG. If burdened with the sense of guilt, it must have its litany of grief and deprecation. Pain in the mind, the sense of lonely suffering, readily translates itself into the image of the anger of God. As Madame de Stael justly remarks, “When we suffer, we easily persuade ourselves that we are guilty, and violent griefs carry trouble even into the conscience.” And when the suffering ceases, it seems as if a cloud had passed from the sky, and the anger of God were allayed. He who had been the Judge now appears as the Savior; the heart that had been trembling as the bruised reed is now strong as if the feet were based on eternal rock. Awhile dejected in the extreme, “writing bitter things against itself,” presently it is filled with boasting and triumph in the sense of possessing God, nay, of being possessed by God. There is a long gamut of religious feeling; in critical moments the heart may run through every tone in the scale. In the simple life of feeling the religious spirit expatiates. The habit of flower, of bird, of child, opening to the sun, singing in the spring-time, is the reflection of that of the soul. We do not suffer our memories of a long and dreary winter to mar our enjoyment of the genial breath, the odors, sights, and sounds of spring-time. Nor should the sense of the long struggles, doubly wintry seasons of the hiding of God’s face from the soul, linger in those moments when the Sun of righteousness returns with healing in his wings, and salvation is for the present a fact, no longer a hope.
II. THE FITNESS AND BEAUTY OF THANKSGIVING. To withhold thanks from an earthly benefactor, whose hand has extracted us from a state of peril or need, is to show a deformed soul. To seal the fount of joyous religious expression, is the way to have presently nothing to express. For if expression follows naturally on feeling, so the cultivation of religious expression tends to form and to enrich the feeling itself. Nothing artificial is recommended; but it is well to recognize that sentiment, no less than thought, remains poorer than it need be without training and tillage. This psalm probably belongs to the period to which the last section of the psalter belongs; they are songs of deliverance, songs of return from exile, as those which immediately precede them refer to the dispersion. If the latter soothe us by the profound insight into suffering and sympathy with the soul in its seeming loneliness and exile from God, no less, maybe, the psalms of the return educate us in hope, reminding us that we are on our way to God, that our spiritual exile draws to its close, and “every winter yields to spring.”J.
HOMILIES BY W.M. STATHAM
Isa 12:3
A religion of blessedness.
“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Religion is not only safety, it is blessednessthe very highest blessedness. We are not to be ever in fear and trembling about “our state,” but to remember that “perfect love casteth out fear.” A really religious man finds that he cannot do without the gospel as satisfying his entire being. He is not religious because he “ought to be,” or must be, to be saved; he is religious because also it is truest joy.
I. WATER MUST BE DRAWN. Certainly. The wells of truth are deep and clear, but we must come hither in one sense to draw. It is quite true that the woman of Samaria at Jacob’s well said to the Savior, “Give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw,” and that Jesus told her the water he should give her should be in her “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” But at the same time, we must remember that Jesus spake a parable about “the treasure hid in a field.” The ideas are both true. For the Christian there is a hidden blessedness, but it needs discovering by the Word and the Spirit of God. Every quiet meditation, every prayerful perusal of the sacred page,this is a drawing of water out of the wells of salvation.
II. WATER WILL BE JOYFULLY DRAWN. Not “must be,” but “will be.” You cannot command “pleasure;” you can “duty.” You can make the child or the man read Scripture, but only life within will lead them to draw water “with joy.” The art-student loves to wander in the foreign galleries and to gaze upon the highest ideals of art. We listen to music so differently when we love and delight in it. And a quickened soul loves religion for its own sake.
III. WATER MUST BE DISTRIBUTED WHEN DRAWN. We can “give” the cup as well as drink of the cup. It is the water that is so precious, not the wooden cup or the golden chalice that contains it. It is not new “theories” and “views” and “opinions” that are precious, but the Word of the living God, which is the pure water of life, and of which whoso drink shall live; for the written Word all leads to the living WordJesus Christ, the Savior of men.
IV. THE MANY WELLS ARE FED BY ONE FOUNTAIN. History or prophecy; Gospel or Epistle; precept or promise; the record of Paradise lost, in Genesis; or the story of Paradise regained, in the Apocalypse;all these are filled from the same Divine fountain. It is the Spirit that testifies of Christ; for “the testimony of Jesus” is the theme of history and “the spirit of prophecy.” Many wells! Yes; but “all my springs are in thee.”W.M.S.
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
Isa 12:1
Reconciliation with God.
These words may have
I. A NATIONAL FULFILMENT. The Jews might have taken these words into their lips after the discomfiture of Sennacherib, or, with fuller meaning later on, after the return from captivity and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 6:15, Neh 6:16). Other nations, after retributive sufferings and signal deliverances or restorations, may appropriately use this reverent language.
II. THE FULFILMENT IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF MANY AN INDIVIDUAL LIFE.
1. There is spiritual declension. A man has been living professedly in the service of God, but his devotion has been dying down, his obedience has been growing lax, his usefulness has been diminishing and may have come down to nothing.
2. Then comes Divine correction. God speaks to him in chastening love; he sends the affliction that is intended to awaken him from his half-heartedness in the service and cause of Christ.
3. Then comes conviction and amendment on his part; a return to the higher and worthier life he lived before.
4. And then the chastisement is removed. (Psa 103:8, Psa 103:9.) God’s anger is visibly, sensibly, consciously “turned away;” the heavenly Father “comforts” him with his loving favor; and there follows:
5. The grateful and joyous song of praise.
III. THEIR FULFILMENT IN THE EXPERIENCE OF EVERY GOOD MAN. In the case of every one who enters into the full heritage of those Messianic blessings which are the subject of prophecy in this chapter, there will be found:
1. A sense of Divine displeasure; reason enough for saying, “O Lord, thou art angry with me.” The word “anger’ in its honorable sense is certainly referable to the Divine mind. We are not to identify the faulty irritation of which we are too often conscious with the “anger” which is here and elsewhere applied to the Supreme. That feeling, at once holy and painful, which a faithful father feels towards his son when he has done something which is shamefully wrong, is the feeling, deepened, refined, ennobled by divinity, which the heavenly Father and righteous Ruler feels toward us when we sin against him and against his holy Law. We may call it by that name which is most significant or appropriate to our own thought, but, however it may be denoted, it becomes us to recognize the fact, to be affected and to be afflicted by the fact, that God, the holy and loving One, feels towards those who have willfully broken his laws or who deliberately reject his overtures of mercy, a serious Divine displeasure. He is pained, grieved, angry. He blames us, he condemns us, he holds us to be deserving of retribution.
2. The removal of God‘s wrath. Two things are needed for this:
(1) repentance and
(2) faith (see Act 20:21);
the turning of the heart, and therefore of the life, from selfishness and sin; and the cordial acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Propitiation for our sin and the Sovereign of our soul. Without these we have no right to look for the turning away of God’s anger; with these we may be perfectly assured of it.
3. An abiding sense of the Divine favor. “Thou comfortedst me.” God’s “comfort” is not always simultaneous with the exercise of his mercy; there may be an interval of no short duration between the act of Divine forgiveness and that blessed sense of reconciliation which we call “assurance of salvation” (Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2, Psa 32:7, Psa 32:11). Let no one despond because he does not find himself possessed of inward peace and sacred joy as soon as his heart turns to God and to his salvation. Let such a one continue to ask, to seek, to trust, to hope, and in due time the light will shine into the soul. It does not always come as the lightning-flashone moment the blackness of darkness and the next a dazzling lightbut often as comes the returning day; first a few streaks of morning, then the darkness turning into gray, then the deepening light as the hours advance, at length the full brilliancy of noon.
4. A life of songful gratitude. “At that day,” and through all remaining days, until the night of death shall usher in the endless morning of immortality, the comforted heart will say, “O Lord, I will praise thee.”C.
Isa 12:2
The greatness of God’s goodness.
We have in these words the very exuberance of holy feeling. They refer us to
I. THE SUPREME ACT OF GOD‘S GOODNESS. “God is my Salvation.” He has been wonderfully gracious to us in bestowalin the gifts of our being, of our spiritual nature with its varied capacities, of our physical nature with all its organs of activity and enjoyment, of our human relationships, of a rich and beautiful dwelling-place, etc. But his greatest kindness is felt by us to be in deliverance, in that which is called “salvation.” Here, again, there is an ascent in the scale of Divine goodness; for higher than salvation from trouble, from sickness, from death, from personal captivity or political servitude, stands salvation from sin; and in the Messianic era this spiritual deliverance reaches its highest point; for it includes not only the negative side of rescue from present evil, but also the positive side of enrichment with corresponding good. It embraces:
1. Redemption from sinits penalty and its power (its thraldom and its defilement).
2. Restoration to Godto his favor and to his likeness.
3. The hope of a higher and endless life in another world.
II. THE CONTINUANCE OF HIS GREATEST GIFT IN IMPARTING SPIRITUAL STRENGTH.
He “forsakes not the work of his own hands.” Having redeemed us from the power and condemnation of sin, and lifted us up into the state of sonship and heirship, he sustains us in our new and blessed life. “The Lord Jehovah is our Strength.” He imparts the needful strength for maintenance in our course by
(1) the privileges of the gospel;
(2) the discipline of his holy providence;
(3) the direct influences of his own Spirit.
III. THE RESPONSE OF OUR HEARTS TO THE DIVINE LOVE.
1. The gratitude which finds utterance in sacred song. “The Lord is my Song” (see Psa 119:54). The Christian man should carry in his heart such a sense of God’s redeeming love that he should be always ready to break forth into praise; his life should be a song of gratitude for the salvation of the Lord.
2. The confidence which excludes anxiety. “I will trust, and not be afraid.”
(1) Many are the occasions of human fear and anxietythe honorable maintenance of the family; the preservation of our personal integrity, both moral and spiritual; the faithful discharge of duty in the post we have undertaken to fill; the adorning of our Christian profession; our passage through the gateway of death, etc.
(2) We are wholly insufficient of ourselves to meet these, and to triumph over them (2Co 3:5).
(3) But, confiding in God, we may go forth without anxiety, assured of his Divine help (Psa 27:1; Psa 56:11-13; Psa 118:6-8; Heb 13:5, Heb 13:6).C.
Isa 12:3
The joy of Christ’s salvation.
These words of prophecy must have been peculiarly precious to those who first heard them. They sound very musical to us, but they must seem more melodious still to the Oriental ear. We know that water is an invaluable thing, but it is only they who have lived or traveled in tropical countries that appreciate all that is meant by burning drought or by refreshing streams. And as words gather sweetness and excellency to the ear as they become associated with that which we most prize, so we may be sure that the words “water” and “wells” had a most inviting sound to the people of Palestine, and that this passage had (as we should say) a “golden ring” in the hearing of the Jews. It may bring before us the joy which springs from the salvation of Jesus Christ in the several stages of our experience.
I. PROFOUND AND MOST BLESSED PEACE. It is said that the most exquisite sensation that mortal man enjoys is experienced in the sudden cessation of excruciating pain. Similarly we may truly say that the most profound satisfaction of the soul is felt in a blessed consciousness of the removal of Divine condemnation; in other words, in a sense of forgiven sin. The “peace of God” not only “passeth understanding,” but it is a truer and a deeper calm than any other which is born of outward circumstance or human favor. This frequently passes into
II. THE JOY WHICH RISES INTO HOLY RAPTURE. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God and not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1, Rom 5:11). The sense of God’s fatherly love, the conviction that sin, condemnation, death, hellall the really evil and harmful thingsare left behind forever, and that before us is an ever-ascending path of wisdom, righteousness, and joy, will awaken in the soul a rapturous delight compared with which the excitements and delectations of earth are very poor affairs.
III. THE JOYOUS ACTIVITIES OF THE SOUL THROUGHOUT ALL ITS CHRISTIAN COURSE. With joy we “draw water.” In the activities that are distinctively Christian we find a positive delighta source of satisfaction which does not injure, but ennoble; which does not pall and fade, but abide and deepen. In the course of our Christian experience we have:
1. The joy of praise; of pouring forth our trust and gratitude in strains of sacred song, “singing and making melody in the heart.”
2. The joy of fellowship; holding glad communion with the heavenly Father, with the Divine Friend of our spirits; holding reverent and rejoicing intercourse with him both in social worship and in the hour of solitude; having, also, happy and heart-gladdening “fellowship one with another.”
3. The joy of hope; the eager anticipation of a blessedness and glory which will follow the strife and suffering of this present time. Learn
(1) the folly of refusing this heritage of joy;
(2) the serious and mischievous mistake of giving a joyless impression of Christian service.C.
Isa 12:4-6
Exultation and activity.
There is a jubilant strain throughout these verses; not, however, without a sense of some sacred duty to be performed. We learn
I. THAT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST MAY WELL SPEAK IN THE ACCENTS OF EXULTATION. The terms of the prophecy do not seem to be satisfied with anything less than Messianic blessings; they fit perfectly the estate to which Christ has called us; they belong to that “kingdom of heaven” of which the Son of man had so much to say (see Mat 13:1-58.). The Church may exult in that:
1. God has done such great things for her, in
(1) the large and long preparation, through many ages, for her redemption;
(2) the supreme act of Divine revelation in the person of his Son;
(3) the wonderful sacrifice of himself he made on its behalf (2Co 8:9);
(4) the lofty privileges to which he has summoned itholy service, affectionate sonship, eager-hearted heirship.
2. God himself, the mighty and victorious One, is dwelling in the midst of it. “Great is the Holy One.” If the family is proud of its honored father, the army of its invincible captain, the nation of its illustrious sovereign, how much more shall the Church exult in its almighty and victorious Lord! He is great in all the elements of greatnessin external majesty, in intrinsic excellency, in overcoming energy, in transcendent beauty, in the everlasting character of his kingdom.
II. THAT EXULTATION DOES WELL TO PASS SOON INTO HOLY AND BENEFICENT ACTIVITY. Blending with these accents of triumph, and harmonizing with them, is the voice of exhortation,’ the summons to useful activity “Praise the Lord;” “Call upon his Name;” “Declare his doings;” “Be this known [let this be known] in all the earth.” Jehovah s greatness could only be known among the nations by the united and continuous testimony of the people of God. The glories of his grace, as they shine in the face of Jesus Christ, are to be beheld by all peoples; but they must be reflected from the lives and published by the lips of his faithful servants. It is the privilege and the duty of the Church to carry the knowledge of his Name and truth to the utmost ends of the earth. It is well to rejoice, “to sing for joy,” to indulge in pious exultation; it is better to act in such a way that neighboring nations (cities, districts, streets, homes) shall draw from the wells of this great salvation the waters of eternal life; better, both because
(1) we communicate blessing thereby, and because
(2) we gain increase of spiritual worth by so doing.C.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK
Isa 12:2
Holy joy in God.
In each national history there is some one surpassingly great event. A Thermopylae for Greece; a Leipsic for Germany; a Moscow for Russia; a Waterloo for England. The Jews had one great event, supreme in its influence on their national life. By his relation to that event God would even be known. “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” All other deliverances, accomplished afterwards, were treated but as reminders of this. All songs of thanksgiving, sung over subsequent redemptions, were modeled after the “song of Moses,” of which the chorus was sung by tens of thousands, led by the timbrels and dances of the women, on the further shores of the sea. And there was much in that event which fitted it to hold such a place in the thoughts of generations. It was the deliverance which, once and forever, assured the world of the fact that Godthe One, living, and true Godwas the God of the Jewish race. One can hardly imagine the excitement and the triumph of that time. The mightiest nation of that day roused itself, in a paroxysm of furious revenge, to pursue and to destroy what it regarded as a crowd of fleeing slaves. What hope could there be for such a multitude, when the king himself, a host of armed warriors, prancing horses, mighty chariots, pressed on after them; when the pathless waters of a great sea waved and rolled before them, and the mountains hemmed them in on the further side? If we were reading common human history, such a story could only have ended somewhat in this way: “And the frightened crowds of fugitives were pressed on and on into the pitiless waters, or were ruthlessly cut down and slain by the advancing hosts.” But we are reading a page out of sacred history. There are the words, “Stand still, and see the salvation of God;” and, behold, those waters are arrested in their flowing; they roll back in swelling heaps; the ocean bed lies bare; and those “slaves” step steadily across the strangest pathway ever made for mortal feet to tread. Pharaoh’s chariots and horsemen dash boldly forward into the way that was not made for them. The Red Sea was bright with the banners, and flashed with the shields of warriors; and thendragging wheels, softening sands, hurrying waves, and the pride of Egypt is broken: “Pharaoh’s chariots and horsemen hath he cast into the sea.” God was magnified that day, magnified in deliverance, and magnified in judgment. He was that day the Salvation of his people, and they stood upon the shores of that flood, uniting in one triumphant shout, and saying, “Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously.” The verses preceding the text allude to this scene. The spiritual blessings of Messiah’s reign are described under the figure of this passage of the sea. From all spiritual scatterings and bondages and captivities, Messiah shall bring his people. The text is part of a song to be sung by the spiritually ransomeda song formed, partly, upon the model of that older song of Moses. We gather from it that a spirit of humble and trustful joy in God is the proper spirit for redeemed souls to cherish.
I. REASONS FOR MAINTAINING A SPIRIT OF HOLY JOY IN GOD. Too often the somber sides of Christian experience are dwelt on, and young people take needlessly dark notions of the pious life. The model of the Christliness is not the calm sister of mercy, but the self-denying mother, the gentle, thoughtful, active elder sister, the strong man, whose bright face and cheery words and sinless laugh can kindle the gladness of those around him. The Bible is full of song. Its face can, indeed, settle into the severest gravity, into the sternness of righteous indignation, into a tenderness of sympathy; but the face of the Bible can also break into smiles. Ripples cross ripples, and waves leap over waves, on the surface of its sea; it can waken our faculty of song, it can fill our life with its joy in God. It is well, however, for us to distinguish between “happiness” and “joy.” It would be true to say that religion does not promise happiness, it promises joy. It would even be true to say, that religion does not promise happiness because it promises joy. “Joy” is so much deeper, so much more satisfying and blessed, that he who has it will never ask for happiness. Observe the distinction in the meaning of the words. “Happiness” is pleasure in something that may “hap,” or “happen;” pleasure in things outside usin circumstances, in excitements-and so it cannot be abiding and unchanging. All days cannot be sunny. All lives cannot be painless and sorrowless. All circumstances cannot please. He who wants happiness has to depend on the variable conditions of a sin-stricken and, therefore, sorrow-filled earth. Mere happiness too often proves only “as the crackling of thorns under a pot.” But “joy” means “leaping out,” pleasure that gushes forth from a fountain within us, in streams ever refreshing the desert circumstances around us, and making them “blossom as a rose.” Pleasure that beams out its holy rays, as from a central sun of bliss dwelling in our heart, and gilding everything about us, making the very light brighter, the clouds to scatter, or to be flushed with crimson glories, and turning even the night to day. The Christian man has no security of mere happiness. He must share the common mingled heritage of sunshine and shadow, health and sickness, friendship and loss, pleasures and disappointments, success and failure. But he may be secure of joy. “He that believeth on me,” said the Lord Jesus, “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” And close by our text we read, “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” The one great reason for joy is stated to be that “God is become our Salvation.” We joy in God
(1) as the unchanging One;
(2) as the almighty One;
(3) as the all-loving One;
(4) as the redeeming One.
It is, we have seen, a memory of deliverances which calls forth into expression the trustful joy of our text. And what have we to say of gifts bestowed, sicknesses healed, broken hearts comforted, bondages of evil broken up? We keep the word “salvation” too exclusively for the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God; we want it to include all the multiplied and ever-repeated deliverances and rescuings and recoverings of God. Matthew Henry says, “God is my Salvation; not my Savior only, by whom I am saved, but my ‘Salvation,’ in whom I am safe. He shall have the glory of all the salvations which have been wrought in me, and from him only will I expect all the future salvations I may need.” The salvation of God’s ancient people was not the deliverance from Egypt only, but that together with a thousand other deliverances scattered over their history. And so we joy in God because he saves us from all our bondages. He saves us from pride, from inward lusts, from outward evils. He saves us from greed, and covetousness, and clinging to the world, and envyings, and backbitings, and unforgivings, and failing charity. Souls can never sing that have such fetters on them; but he proclaims “liberty to the captive, and opening of the prison to them that are bound.”
II. THE HALLOWING INFLUENCE WHICH A SPIRIT OF HOLY JOY IN GOD WOULD EXERT ON OURSELVES, AND ON THOSE AROUND US. In ordinary life the men of sanguine, hopeful temperament are usually the successful men. Despondent, doubting men accomplish but little. The invigorating of hope makes men mightier than their difficulties. It is the same in Christian life. Doubt and fear hinder. Hope cheers. Joy puts song into work. Ought a Christian to live in a minor key? Songs pitched thus will never cheer himself, or any one about him. Joyful Christians are a joy to themselves, and to all around them. The homes are brightened by them; the children learn to watch their faces, and to listen for their words; our Churches rejoice in the sunny-souled members. Everybody is glad in the man whose very presence seems to say, “Sing unto the Lord a new song.” Such Christians let us all seek to be.
“Ye pilgrims on the road
To Zion’s city, sing;
Sing on, rejoicing every day
In Christ th’ eternal King.”
R.T.
Isa 12:2
Faith and fear.
“I will trust, and not be afraid,” in this expression reminds us
(1) of our liability to fear, and
(2) of the power of faith to overcome fear.
I. OUR LIABILITY TO FEAR.
1. As dependent creatures.
2. Because of the great mysteries of existence that are around usmysteries of God; of self; of sin; of providence; of judgment; of the future.
3. In view of the possibility of our own failure from goodness.
II. THE POWER OF FAITH TO OVERCOME FEAR. Trust can
(1) keep hold of the promises;
(2) see satisfying visions or God himself.
He who is “for us is more than all they that can be against us.” “This faiththis simple believing trust in Godwill keep the soul in quietness in view of all the mysteries, and of all the dark possibilities of life and death. When reason is at fault, when wisdom gropes for the way and falls into the ditch, when strength trembles and sinks into feebleness, faith keeps the heart in quietness and confidence. Whence has it this power? Because it rests on Divine declarations, deeper and wider than natural laws; on Divine promises, surer than the hills; on Divine power, stronger than gravitation and the sweep of ten thousand worlds; nay, on a Divine Person, in whom all faithfulness, power, and love forever dwell” (Dr. A. Raleigh).R.T.
Isa 12:3
The wells of salvation
A very expressive image in a hot country. Wells are treated in contrast with cisterns, which only store the drainage of the ground. Wells are fed from springs and storehouses treasured in the heart of the earth. Inside Carisbrooke Castle is a deep well, which ensured constant supply for the garrison, however closely the castle might be besieged. Salvation is like a well; forth from it ever comes “living water.” It is not like a man-made cistern, which only holds a limited quantity, and is apt to fail in the supreme hour of need. There may be a reference to the custom associated with one of the great feasts. On the last day of the Feast of Tabernaclessome say on each daythe Jews used to bring water in a golden pitcher from the fountain of Siloam, and pour it, mingled with wine, on the sacrifice on the altar, with great rejoicing. Illustrating the joy of finding fresh and living water in hot countries, “it is said that while the French engineers were boring for water in the African desert, the Arabs looked on in silent wonder, until they saw the precious stream actually gushing forth, and then their joy knew no bounds; and sweet and precious as the cooling waters are now to the weary laboring child of the desert, so precious were they to the people to whom the words of the prophet were originally addressed; and the promise to them of an indefinite supply of that element would be highly appreciated by them, and well calculated to inspire their gratitude and joy.” The idea of the text may be thus given: Out of the wells of salvation in God, who is the Fountain of all good to his people, you shall draw water with joy. Matthew Henry suggests three good topics for meditation.
1. God’s promises, revealed, ratified, and given out to us in his ordinances, are wells of salvation; wells of the Savior (so some read it), for in them the Savior and salvation are made known to us and made over to us.
2. It is our duty by faith to draw water out of these wells, to take to ourselves the benefit and comfort that are treasured up for us in them, as those that acknowledge all our fresh springs to be there, and all our fresh streams to be thence (Psa 87:7).
3. Water is to be drawn out of the wells of salvation with a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction. It is the will of God that we should rejoice before him, and rejoice in him (Deu 26:11); be joyful in his house of prayer (Isa 56:7), and keep his feasts with gladness (Act 2:46).” Like well-water, salvation is
I. EVER FRESH. And so ever pleasant.
II. EVER ABUNDANT. Fullness for whosoever will. Compare cisterns, or wadys of deserts. Salvation is a perennial fount, a “perpetual tide; it flows for you, for me, for all.”
III. EVER FREE. Nobody can seal up this fountain.
IV. EVER HEALTH–GIVING. Restoring, requickening. It is healing for the sick, strength for the disabled, life for those “dead in trespasses and sins.” What can surpass in power to bring us joy our sense of the fitness and the fullness of the “great,” the “common” salvation?R.T.
Isa 12:4
God’s new name the old one glorified.
“Call upon his Name,” which is, in Messiah, “Jehovah Jesus,” “Immanuel Jesus,” or “God with us saving us from our sins.” To call upon God’s Name is to publicly give him the glory that is his duo.
I. THE OLD NAME IS GOD THE PROVIDER. The God who meets and supplies all ordinary human wants. “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” The God or whom Jacob could say, “He fed me all my life long.” The God “in whose hand our breath is, and whose are all our ways.” “Who giveth to each his meat in due season.” “Who crowneth us with loving-kindnesses and tender mercies: who satisfieth our mouth with good things.”
II. THE NEW NAME IS GOD THE SAVIOR. Who “redeemeth our life from destruction.” Who “delivers from going down to the pit.” Who “gave himself a Ransom for us.” Who brought “deliverance for the captives, and opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Who is “able to save unto the uttermost.” Who is “exalted a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance unto Israel, and remission of sins.”
III. THE NEW NAME ONLY TELLS OF GOD PROVIDING FOR MAN‘S SOREST NEED AND SADDEST CONDITION. He is not just in trouble; he is in sin. Stained with it, bruised with it, degraded by it, in peril through it, made helpless by it. The man in sin cannot save himself; no fellow-mart can save him. The Hero from Bozrah, who speaks in righteousness, alone is “mighty to save” (Isa 63:1).R.T.
Isa 12:5
God honored through his mercies.
“Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things.” A comprehensive term, summing up all that God had done for his people through the long ages, The Hebrew indicates an echo from Exo 15:1, “He hath triumphed gloriously.” Reviewing God’s wondrous workings, we may regard them from three points of view.
I. THEY ARE THINGS WHICH WE OUGHT TO ADMIRE.
II. THEY ARE THINGS WHICH WE OUGHT TO STUDY.
III. THEY ARE THINGS WHICH WE OUGHT TO FEEL. Because of their graciousness to us as frail, and their mercifulness to us as sinners. The great glory of God is his mercy. Christ is the embodiment of mercy. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works towards the sons of men!” Thy mercy “endureth forever.”R.T.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Isa 12:1-6. In that day thou shalt say Isaiah concludes this most noble prophesy, with a eucharistic doxology from the mouth of those who would share in the blessings of the great redemption before specified. This doxology is twofold; in the first part, the faithful in their own name and person, praise God, and bless him for the benefits of Salvation and consolation through Christ conferred upon them; Isa 12:1-2. In the second part, they mutually exhort and encourage themselves and others to praise and celebrate their God and redeemer; Isa 12:3-6. Instead of strength in Isa 12:2. Vitringa reads praise. The third verse is thought to refer to Exo 15:27 and the meaning of it is, “That the believers, who already had obtained part in the salvation of Christ Jesus, should be most desirous of true and salutary wisdom; should seek for it most diligently, for their greater illumination, progress and confirmation in faith and hope; and should largely satisfy this their holy desire, their spiritual thirst, from the pure wells or fountains of the word of grace and salvation, opened to them by wise and faithful teachers, to their exceeding joy, pleasure, and consolation: from these wells should the doctrine of Salvation flow, they should drink of it fully, and at length, the vail being removed, should understand the secrets of the law and the prophets, which hitherto had been hidden from them.” See the song of Moses upon the deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh and the Egyptians; the songs of Zechariah and Mary, Luke 1. 1Pe 1:3-4. Rev 15:3 and Vitringa.
REFLECTIONS.1st, As Israel, escaped from the Red Sea, when they beheld the floating corpses of the Egyptians, sung praises for their deliverance; with greater joy shall God’s faithful people adore the power and grace of their exalted Lord.
1. For the blessed change that has passed. Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me; not that we must impute to God our infirmities, as that anger, such as dwells in our bosom, knows a place in his: we speak after the manner of men; God’s anger is his righteous purpose to punish sin. We have by our sins deserved punishment; but when God turns us to himself, we feel a blessed alteration, and, no longer terrified as before, rejoice in the comfort of his salvation. Note; (1.) Every true believer will own how often and how justly he has by his sins provoked God’s wrath and indignation against him. (2.) The deeper views we have of our own guilt, the more enlarged will our hearts be with love, and our lips with praise, when we experience a sense of his returning favour. (3.) The pardon and reconciliation of the sinner’s soul to God, is only through the blood and infinite merit of the Redeemer.
2. They will triumph in the strength engaged for them, Behold, with wonder and love I record it, God is my salvation; Jesus hath given himself for me, able to save to the uttermost; and on him alone I depend, renouncing every other hope: I will trust with quietness and confidence, and not be afraid; though temptation and affliction war against me; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength, and my song; which, while I pay as the grateful tribute for his mercies, increases my own consolations; he also is become my salvation; I can wish for nothing more; he is all my salvation, and all my desire. Note; (1.) They who have God for their strength, need not dread who are their foes. (2.) Confidence in Christ’s power and love will keep the mind easy amidst every storm. (3.) If God be our salvation, he deserves to be our song; yea, every faithful soul would, if it were possible, think eternity too short to speak his praise.
3. From what God hath done, we are encouraged to expect what he will continue to do; therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation, or the Saviour: in Christ are the living waters, all fulness dwells in him for his believing people’s use; they have free access to him at all times; and it is both their duty and delight, by faith to draw continual supplies of grace from him, in the exercise of prayer, meditation, the word, and sacraments. Surely blessed are the people who are in such a case!
2nd, They who have learned God’s praise, and know the blessedness of the employment, will be solicitous to stir up others to join in the grateful service. In that day of the soul’s conversion, and especially in the great day when the Redeemer’s glory shall appear in his universal dominion, shall ye say, praise the Lord, call upon his name, in every act of religious worship due to the exalted Jesus; declare his doings among the people, seek to diffuse the knowledge of his grace, the fulness of his atonement, the power of his Spirit, the glory of the purchased possession; make mention that his name is exalted above all principalities and powers, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come; and let him be thus exalted in every heart, by every tongue. Sing unto the Lord loud songs of praise, making melody in the heart to him; for he hath done excellent things; he hath offered himself a perfect sacrifice in our stead, vanquished sin, death, and hell for us, led our captivity captive, opened heaven’s gates, and prepared thrones for his faithful people in glory everlasting: this is known in all the earth, by the gospel word preached among all nations. Cry out and shout, with the voice of triumphant exultation, thou inhabitant of Zion, the church of the faithful redeemed; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee; there he delights to take up his abode, and there must reign till every foe is subdued, and every faithful soul brought home. The expected end shall come, and in his eternal kingdom he will make the fullest displays of his excellent greatness to his glorified saints, and be the object of their everlasting praise. Amen and Amen!
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
3. ISRAELS SONG OF PRAISE FOR THE WRATH AND GRACE OF HIS GOD
Isa 12:1-6
1And in that day thou shalt say,
O Lord, I will praise thee:
1Though thou was angry with me, 2thine anger is turned away,
And thou comfortedst me.
2Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and not be afraid:
For the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song;
He also is become my salvation.
3Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4And in that day shall ye say,
Praise the Lord,
3Call upon his name,
Declare his doings among the people,
Make mention that his name is exalted.
5Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things:
This is known in all the earth.
6Cry out and shout, thou 4inhabitant of Zion:
For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
On Isa 12:1. . I do not think that this period can be construed paratactically; for then it must read .Isaiah never uses . This word is probably an allusion to 1Ki 8:46, where Solomon in his prayer of dedication says: If they sin against thee, and thou be angry with them, . Comp. Psa 60:3.
On Isa 12:2. is very frequent both in Isa. (Isa 25:9; Isa 26:1; Isa 33:2; Isa 49:6; Isa 51:6; Isa 51:8; Isa 56:1, etc.), and in the Psalms (Psa 62:2; Psa 88:2; Psa 89:27, etc. It occurs three times in our chapter, Isa 12:2, bis, and Isa 12:3. and form a paronomasia. recalls Psa 27:1 ( ). The entire second clause of Isa 12:2 is borrowed from the triumphal song of Moses, of which we were reminded before by Isa 11:1. Comp. Psa 118:14. Only it may be noticed that in our passage, as if to excel the original (Delitzsch), the two divine names stand in the form of a climax ascendens. is an abbreviation of peculiar to poetry. It occurs first Exo 15:2; Exo 17:16. Beside the text, it occurs Isa 26:4, as here joined with and Isa 38:11, where is put double. Beside these instances the word is found only in the Psalms and in Son 8:6. abbreviated instead of would not be Hebrew. The suffix in applies also to ; both appear thereby as one notion. Comp. Ewald, 339 b.
On Isa 12:3. Isa 22:13; Isa 35:10; Isa 51:3; Isa 51:11; Isa 61:1. Isa 41:18.
On Isa 12:4. The words to occur word for word, Psa 105:1; 1Ch 16:8. . Comp. Psa 148:13 : which words appear to have arisen from a combination of our passage and Isa 2:11; Isa 2:17.
On Isa 12:5. , too, is an expression borrowed from the poetry of the Pss. where alone it occurs sometimes with sometimes as here with the accus.; Psa 47:7; Psa 68:5; Psa 68:33. is an expression of Isaiah; comp. Isa 9:17.Kthibh , Kri . The Pual participle is found only in the plural with suffixes, meaning: acquaintance, amicus (Ps. 55:14; 88:9, 19; 31:12; Job 19:14; 2Ki 10:11). As our chapter evinces so much borrowing from the language of the Psalms, I prefer Kthibh. In respect, to sense, there is no difference. is a verb easily supplied after . The feminine may refer to or be construed neuter, and so more generally. The latter is perhaps the better.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. The Prophet concludes his grand prophecy against Assyria with a short doxology. It has two subdivisions, both of which begin with the words: and thou shalt (Isa 12:4 : ye shall) say in that day. Both are joined by a brief prophetic middle term (Isa 12:3). The first comprises six, the second seven members. In the first part Israel speaks in the singular (corresponding to thou wilt say), I will thank the Lord, etc. (Isa 12:1). After this expression of a proper sentiment, and, as it were, in response to the hope expressed in Isa 12:2, the promise of Isa 12:3 is given. After this interpretation comes the second summons, expressed in the plural. Corresponding to this Israel speaks in the plural, manifesting not merely its subjective disposition, but summoning to a general participation in it. Hence follow only imperatives, seven members, in elevated strain. And this little passage, so full of sentiment and art, according to Ewald, cannot be Isaiahs genuine writing! Fortunately he is quite alone in the opinion.
2. And in that daymy salvation.
Isa 12:1-2. In that day points to the futurewhen all that has been foretold shall have been fulfilled (comp. Isa 11:10-11). Then shall Israel say I will praise thee ( ) that is an original expression of Davids, and thereafter of frequent occurrence in the Psalms; 2Sa 22:50; Psa 18:50; 30:13; Psa 35:18; 43:4; 52:11, etc. But the first thing for which Israel is to return thanks is that the Lord was angry with himthat He has punished him.[See on the construction Text. and Gram. J. A. Alexander remarks here: The apparent incongruity of thanking God because He was angry is removed by considering that the subject of the thanksgiving is the whole complex idea expressed in the remainder of the verse, of which Gods being angry is only one element. It was not simply because God was angry that the people praise Him, but because He was angry and His anger ceased. The same mode of expression is used by Paul in Greek, when he says (Rom 5:17): But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have from the heart obeyed, etc. The particle but seems to be necessary to rendering our text into English.Tr.] The holy anger of God is but a manifestation of His love, and he is as much to be thanked for His anger as for His love.
When, too, the turning of this wrath takes place, Israel may pray for the lasting continuance of favor and grace. That the Masorets also construed as we do (vid Text. and Gram.) appears from the Athnach.
3. Therefore ye shallof salvation.
Isa 12:3. These words appear to be a response to the expression of believing trust that we find in Isa 12:2. That is, richly and endlessly ye shall partake of salvation. At the Feast of the Tabernacles water was drawn from the fountain of Siloam for a drink-offering. From the priest that so brought it with solemnity into the temple, another took it, and, while doing so, used the words of our text. Comp. in a Bib. Dict. art. Feast of Tabernacles. [This ceremony originated at a period long after Isaiahs time.Tr.]
4. And in that daymidst of thee.
Isa 12:4-6. The second stage of the song. Ye shall draw leads the Prophet to proceed in the plural number. Excepting the change of number the words are the same as Isa 12:1. Thus, too, the verbs of the following two verses are in the plural. Notice, at the same time, that they are imperatives. From this it is seen that Israel no longer makes a subjective confession like Isa 12:1, but demands a participation in his faith: Jehovah shall be proclaimed to all the world.
The last ver. (6) is distinguished from the foregoing by the verbs being no longer in the plural, but the returned of Israel are addressed in the singular. This, too, doubtless, is no accident. In Isa 12:4-5 the word goes out to the wide world: all nations must be taught; the majestic deeds of Jehovah must be made known to the whole earth. It seems to me that the Prophet would wish not to conclude with this look into the measureless expanse, but would rather fix his eyes, to conclude, on the beloved form of the inhabitant [fem. Germ. Brgerin] of Zion (the expression only here in Isaiah).
All honor and all salvation of Zion rest in this, that it has the Lord in the midst of it as its living and personal shield and fountain of life.
Footnotes:
[1]That.
[2]let thine anger, etc.
[3]Or, Proclaim his name.
[4]Heb. inhabitress.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Isa 7:1. Hierosolyma oppugnatur, etc. Jerusalem is assaulted but not conquered. The church is pressed but not oppressed.Foerster.
2. On Isa 7:2. Quando ecclesia, etc. When the Church is assaulted and Christ crucified over again in His elect, Rezin and Pekah, Herod and Pilate are wont to form alliance and enter into friendly relations. There are, so to speak, the foxes of Samson, joined indeed by the tails, but their heads are disconnected.Foerster.He that believes flees not (Isa 28:16). The righteous is bold as a lion (Pro 28:1). Hypocrites and those that trust in works (work-saints) have neither reason nor faith. Therefore they cannot by any means quiet their heart. In prosperity they are, indeed, overweening, but in adversity they fall away (Jer 17:9). Cramer.
3. On Isa 7:9. (If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.) Insignis sententia, etc. A striking sentiment that may be adapted generally to all temptation, because all earnest endeavor after anything, as you know, beguiles us in temptation. But only faith in the word of promise makes us abide and makes sure whatever we would execute. He warns Ahaz, therefore, as if he said: I now promise you by the word, it shall be that those two kings shall not hurt you. Believe this word! For if you do not, whatever you afterwards devise will deceive you: because all confidence is vain which is not supported by the word of God.Luther.
4. On Isa 7:10-12. Wicked Ahaz pretends to great sanctity in abstaining from asking a sign through fear of God. Thus hypocrites are most conscientious where there is no need for it: on the other hand, when they ought to be humble, they are the most insolent. But where God commands to be bold, one must be bold. For to be obedient to the word is not tempting God. That is rather tempting God when one proposes something without having the word for it. It is, indeed, the greatest virtue to rest only in the word, and desire nothing more. But where God would add something more than the word, then it must not be thought a virtue to reject it as superfluous. We must therefore exercise such a faith in the word of God that we will not despise the helps that are given in addition to it as aids to faith. For example the Lord offers us in the gospel all that is necessary to salvation. Why then Baptism and the Lords Supper? Are they to be treated as superfluous? By no means. For if one believes the word he will at the same time exhibit an entire obedience toward God. We ought therefore to learn to join the sign with the word, for no man has the power to sever the two.
But do you ask: is it permitted to ask God for a sign? We have an example of this in Gideon. Answer: Although Gideon was not told of God to ask a sign, yet he did it by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, and not according to his own fancy. We must not therefore abuse his example, and must be content with the sign that is offered by the Lord. But there are extraordinary signs or miracles, like that of the text, and ordinary ones like Baptism and the Lords Supper. Yet both have the same object and use. For as Gideon was strengthened by that miraculous event, so, too, are we strengthened by Baptism and the Lords Supper, although no miracle appears before our eyes. Heim and Hoffmann after Luther. Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, also asked the Lord to show him the right wife for Isaac by means of a sign of His own choosing, (Gen 24:14).
It ought to be said that this asking a sign (opening the Bible at a venture, or any other book) does not suit Christian perfection (Heb 6:1). A Christian ought to be inwardly sensible of the divine will. He ought to content himself with the guarantees that God Himself offers. Only one must have open eyes and ears for them. This thing of demanding a sign, if it is not directly an effect of superstition (Mat 12:39; Mat 16:4; 1Co 1:22), is certainly childish, and, because it easily leads to superstitious abuses, it is dangerous.
5. On Isa 7:13. Non caret, etc. That the Prophet calls God his God is not without a peculiar emphasis. In Zec 2:12 it is said, that whoever touches the servants of God touches the pupil of Gods eye. Whoever opposes teacher and preacher will have to deal with God in heaven or with the Lord who has put them into office.Foerster.
6. On Isa 7:14. The name Immanuel is one of the most beautiful and richest in contents of all the Holy Scripture. God with us comprises Gods entire plan of salvation with sinful humanity. In a narrower sense it means God-man (Mat 1:23), and points to the personal union of divinity and humanity, in the double nature of the Son of God become man. Jesus Christ was a God-with-us, however, in this, that for about 33 years He dwelt among us sinners (Joh 1:11; Joh 1:14). In a deeper and wider sense still He was such by the Immanuels work of the atonement (2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:3). He will also be such to every one that believes on Him by the work of regeneration and sanctification and the daily renewal of His holy and divine communion of the Spirit (Joh 17:23; Joh 17:26; Joh 14:19-21; Joh 14:23). He is such now by His high-priestly and royal administration and government for His whole Church (Mat 28:20; Heb 7:25). He will be snch in the present time of the Church in a still more glorious fashion (Joh 10:16). The entire and complete meaning of the name Immanuel, however, will only come to light in the new earth, and in the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21:3; Rev 21:23; Rev 22:5).Wilh. Fried. Roos.
Isa 8:7. On Isa 8:5 sqq. Like boastful swimmers despise small and quiet waters, and on the other hand, for the better display of their skill, boast of the great sea and master it, but often are lost in it,thus, too, did the hypocrites that despised the small kingdom of Judah, and bragged much and great things of the power and splendor of the kingdom of Israel and of the Syrians; such hypocrites are still to be found now-a-dayssuch that bear in their eye the admiranda Romae, the splendor, riches, power, ceremonies and pomp of the Romish church, and thereupon set their bushel by the bigger-heap. It is but the devils temptation over again: I will give all this to thee.Cramer.Fons Siloa, etc. The fountain of Siloam, near the temple, daily reminded the Jews that Christ was coming.Calvin on Joh 9:7.
8. On Isa 8:10. When the great Superlatives sit in their council chambers and have determined everything, how it ought to be, and especially how they will extinguish the gospel, then God sends the angel Gabriel to them, who must look through the window and say: nothing will come of it.Luther.Christ, who is our Immanuel, is with us by His becoming man, for us by His office of Mediator, in us by the work of His sanctification, by us by His personal, gracious presence.Cramer.
9. On Isa 8:14-15. Christ alone is set by God to be a stone by which we are raised up. That He is, however, an occasion of offence to many is because of their purpose, petulance and contempt (1Pe 2:8). Therefore we ought to fear lest we take offence at Him. For whoever falls on this stone will shatter to pieces (Mat 21:44). Cramer.
10. On Isa 8:16 sqq. He warns His disciples against heathenish superstition, and exhorts them to show respect themselves always to law and testimony. They must not think that God must answer them by visions and signs, therefore He refers them to the written word, that they may not become altogether too spiritual, like those now-a-days who cry: spirit! spirit! Christ says, Luke 16 : They have Moses and the prophets, and again Joh 5:39 : Search the Scriptures. So Paul says, 2Ti 3:16 : The Scripture is profitable for doctrine. So says Peter, 2Pe 1:9 : We have a sure word of prophecy. It is the word that changes hearts and moves them. But revelations puff people up and make them insolent. Heim and Hoffmann after Luther.
Chap. 911. On Isa 9:1 sqq. (2). Postrema pars, etc. The latter part of chap. 8 was (legal and threatening) so, on the other hand, the first and best part of chap. 9 is , (evangelical and comforting). Thus must ever law and gospel, preaching wrath and grace, words of reproof and words of comfort, a voice of alarm and a voice of peace follow one another in the church. Foerster.
12. On Isa 9:1 (2). Both in the Old Testament and New Testament Christ is often called light. Thus Isaiah calls Him a light to the gentiles, Isa 42:6; Isa 49:6. The same Prophet says: Arise, shine (make thyself light), for thy light is come, Isa 60:1. And again Isa 9:19 : The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light. In the New Testament it is principally John that makes use of this expression: The life was the light of men, Joh 1:4, and the light shined in the darkness, Joh 9:5. John was not that light, but bore testimony to the light, Joh 9:8. That was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, Joh 9:9. And further: And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, Joh 3:19. I am the light of the world, (Joh 8:12; Joh 9:5; comp. Joh 12:35).
13. On Isa 9:1 (2). The people that sit in darkness may be understood to comprise three grades. First, the inhabitants of Zebulon and Naphtali are called so (Isaiah 8:23), for the Prophets gaze is fixed first on that region lying in the extreme end of Palestine, which was neighbor to the heathen and mixed with them, and on this account was held in low esteem by the dwellers in Judah. The night that spreads over Israel in general is darkest there. But all Israel partakes of this night, therefore all Israel, too, may be understood, as among the people sitting in darkness. Finally, no one can deny that this night extends over the borders of Israel to the whole human race. For far as men dwell extends the night which Christ, as light of the world, came to dispel, Luk 1:76 sqq.
14. On Isa 9:5 (6). Many lay stress on the notion child, inasmuch as they see in that the reason for the reign of peace spoken of afterwards. It is not said a man, a king, a giant is given to us. But this is erroneous. For the child does not remain a child. He becomes a man: and the six names that are ascribed to Him and also the things predicted of His kingdom apply to Him, not as a child, but as a man. That His birth as a child is made prominent, has its reason in this, that thereby His relation to human kind should be designated as an organic one. He does not enter into humanity as a man, i.e. as one whose origin was outside of it, but He was born from it, and especially from the race of David. He is Son of man and Son of David. He is a natural offshoot, but also the crowning bloom of both. Precisely because He was to be conceived, carried and born of a human mother, and indeed of a virgin, this prophecy belongs here as the completion and definition of the two prophetic pictures Isa 7:10 sqq.; Isa 8:1 sqq.He came down from heaven for the sake of us men, and for our bliss (1Ti 1:15; Luk 2:7). For our advantage: for He undertook not for the seed of angels, but for the seed of Abraham (Heb 2:16). Not sold to us by God out of great love, but given (Rom 5:15; Joh 3:16). Therefore every one ought to make an application of the word to us to himself, and to learn to say: this child was given to me, conceived for me, born to me.Cramer.Cur oportuit, etc. Why did it become the Redeemer of human kind to be not merely man nor merely God, but God and man conjoined or ? Anselm replies briefly, indeed, but pithily: Deum qui posset, hominem, qui deberet. Foerster.
15. On Isa 9:5 (6). You must not suppose here that He is to be named and called according to His person, as one usually calls another by his name; but these are names that one must preach, praise and celebrate on account of His act, works and office. Luther.
16. On Isa 9:6. Verba pauca, etc. A few words, but to be esteemed great, not for their number but for their weight. Augustine. Admirabilis in, etc. Wonderful in birth, counsellor in what He preaches, God in working, strong in suffering, father of the world to come in resurrection, Prince of peace in bliss perpetual. Bernard of Clairvaux. In reference to a child is born, and a son is given, Joh. Cocceius remarks in his Heb. Lex. s. v. : respectu, etc., in respect to His human nature He is said to be born, and in respect to His divine nature and eternal generation not indeed born, but given, as, Joh 3:16, it reads God gave His only begotten Son.
In the application of this language all depends on the words is born to us, is given to us. The angels are, in this matter, far from being as blessed as we are. They do not say: To us a Saviour is born this day, but; to you. As long as we do not regard Christ as ours, so long we shall have little joy in Him. But when we know Him as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, as a gift that our heavenly Father designed for us, we will appropriate Him to ourselves in humble faith, and take possession of all His redeeming effects that He has acquired. For giving and taking go together. The Son is given to us; we must in faith receive Him. J. J. Rambach, Betracht. ber das Ev. Esaj., Halle, 1724.
On Isa 9:6 (7). The government is on His shoulders. It is further shown how Christ differs in this respect from worldly kings. They remove from themselves the burden of government and lay it on the shoulders of the privy counsellors. But He does not lay His dominion as a burden on any other; He needs no prime minister and vicegerent to help Him bear the burden of administration, but He bears all by the word of His power as He to whom all things are given of the Father. Therefore He says to the house of Jacob (Isa 46:3 sq.): Hearken unto me ye who were laid on my shoulders from your mothers womb. I will carry you to old age. I will do it, I will lift, and carry and deliver,on the contrary the heathen must bear and lift up their idols, (Isa 46:1; Isa 46:7).Rambach. In the first place we must keep in mind His first name: He is called Wonderful. This name affects all the following. All is wonderful that belongs to this king: wonderfully does He counsel and comfort; wonderfully He helps to acquire and conquer, and all this in suffering and want of strength. (Luther, Jen. germ. Tom. III. Fol. 184 b.). He uses weakness as a means of subduing all things to Himself. A wretched reed, a crown of thorns and an infamous cross, are the weapons of this almighty God, by means of which He achieves such great things. In the second place, He was a hero and conqueror in that just by death, He robbed him of his might who had the power of death, i.e., the devil (Heb 2:14); in that He, like Samson, buried His enemies with Himself, yea, became poison to death itself, and a plague to hell (Hos 13:14) and more gloriously resumed His life so freely laid down, which none of the greatest heroes can emulate.Rambach.
17. On Isa 9:18 (19) sqq. True friendship can never exist among the wicked. For every one loves only himself. Therefore they are enemies one of another; and they are in any case friends to each other, only as long as it concerns making war on a third party.
Isaiah 10-18. On Isa 10:4. (Comp. the same expression in chap. 10). Gods quiver is well filled. If one arrow does not attain His object, He takes another, and so on, until the rights of God, and justice have conquered.
19. On Isa 10:5-7. God works through men in a threefold way. First, we all live, move and have our being in Him, in that all activity is an outflow of His power. Then, He uses the services of the wicked so that they mutually destroy each other, or He chastises His people by their hand. Of this sort the Prophet speaks here. In the third place, by governing His people by the Spirit of sanctification: and this takes place only in the elect.Heim and Hoffmann.
20. On Isa 10:5 sqq. Ad hunc, etc. Such places are to be turned to uses of comfort. Although the objects of temptation vary and enemies differ, yet the effects are the same, and the same spirit works in the pious. We are therefore to learn not to regard the power of the enemy nor our own weakness, but to look steadily and simply into the word, that will assuredly establish our minds that they despair not, but expect help of God. For God will not subdue our enemies, either spiritual or corporal, by might and power, but by weakness, as says the text: my strength is made perfect in weakness. (2Co 12:9).Luther.
21. On Isa 10:15. Efficacia agendi penes Deum est, homines ministerium tantum praebent. Quare nunc sibilo suo se illos evocaturum minabatur (cap. Isa 5:26; Isa 7:18); nunc instar sagenae sibi fore ad irretiendos, nunc mallei instar ad feriendos Israelitas. Sed praecipue tum declaravit, quod non sit otiosus in illis, dum Sennacherib securim vocat, quae ad secandum manu sua et destinata fuit et impacta. Non male alicubi Augustinus ita definit, quod ipsi peccant, eorum esse; quod peccando hoc vel illud agant, ex virtute Dei esse, tenebras prout visum est dividentis (De praedest Sanctt.).Calvin Inst. II. 4, 4.
22. On Isa 10:20-27. In time of need one ought to look back to the earlier great deliverances of the children of God, as to the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, or later, from the hand of the Midianites. Israel shall again grow out of the yoke.Diedrich.
Isaiah 11-23. On Isa 11:4. The staff of His mouth. Evidence that the kingdom of Christ will not be like an earthly kingdom, but consist in the power of the word and of the sacraments; not in leathern, golden or silver girdles, but in girdles of righteousness and faith.Cramer.
24. On Isa 11:10 sqq. If the Prophet honors the heathen in saying that they will come to Christ before Israel, he may be the more readily believed, when Isa 11:11 sqq., he gives the assurance that the return out of the first, the Egyptian exile, shall be succeeded by a return out of the second, the Assyrian exile, (taking this word in the wider sense of Isaiah). It is manifest that the return that took place under Zerubbabel and Ezra was only an imperfect beginning of that promised return. For according to our passage this second return can only take place after the Messiah has appeared. Farthermore, all Israelites that belong to the remnant of Israel, in whatever land they may dwell, shall take part in it. It will be, therefore, a universal, not a partial return. If now the Prophet paints this return too with the colors of the present (Isa 11:13 sqq.), still that is no reason for questioning the reality of the matter. Israel will certainly not disappear, but arise to view in the church of the new covenant. But if the nation is to be known among the nations as a whole, though no more as a hostile contrast, but in fraternal harmony, why then shall not the land, too, assume a like position among the lands? But the nation can neither assume its place among nations, nor the land its place among lands, if they are not both united: the people Israel in the land of their fathers.
25. On Isaiah 11 We may here recall briefly the older, so-called spiritual interpretation. Isa 11:1-5 were understood of Christs prophetic office that He exercised in the days of His flesh, then of the overthrow of the Roman Empire and of Antichrist, who was taken to be the Pope. But the most thorough-going of those old expositors must acknowledge, at Isa 11:4, that the Antichrist is not yet enough overthrown, and must be yet more overthrown. If such is the state of the case, then this interpretation is certainly false, for Isa 11:4 describes not a gradual judgment, but one accomplished at once. There have been many Antichrists, and among the Popes too, but the genuine Antichrist described 2 Thessalonians 2, is yet to be expected, and also the fulfillment of Isa 11:4 of our chapter. Thereby is proved at the same time that the peaceful state of things in the brute world and the return of the Jews to their native land are still things of the future, for they must happen in that period when the Antichristian world, and its head shall be judged by Christ. But then, too, the dwelling together of tame and wild beasts is not the entrance of the heathen into the church, to which they were heretofore hostile, and the return of the Jews is not the conversion of a small part of Israel that took place at Pentecost and after. The miracles and signs too, contained in Isa 11:15-16 did not take place then. We see just here how one must do violence to the word if he will not take it as it stands. But if we take it as we have done, then the whole chapter belongs to the doctrine of hope (Hoffnungslehre) of the Scripture, and constitutes an important member of it. The Lord procures right and room for His church. He overthrows the world-kingdom, together with Antichrist. He makes of the remnant of Israel a congregation of believers filled with the Spirit, to whom He is near in an unusual way, and from it causes His knowledge to go out into all the world. He creates peace in the restless creatures, and shows us here in advance what more glorious things we may look for in the new earth. He presents to the world a church which, united in itself, unmolested by neighbors, stands under Gods mighty protection. All these facts are parts of a chain of hope that must be valuable and dear to our hearts. The light of this future illumines the obscurity of the present; the comfort of that day makes the heart fresh. Weber, der Prophet Jesaja, 1875.
Chap. 1226. On Isa 12:4 sq. These will not be the works of the New Testament: sacrificing and slaying, and make pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to the Holy Sepulchre, but praising God and giving thanks, preaching and hearing, believing with the heart and confessing with the mouth. For to praise our God is good; such praise is pleasant and lovely (Psa 147:1). Cramer.
27. On Chap. 12 With these words conclude the prophetic discourses on Immanuel. Through what obscurity of history have we not had to go, until we came to the bright light of the kingdom of Christ! How Israel and the nations had to pass through the fire of judgment before the sun arises in Israel and the entire gentile world is illumined! It is the, same way that every Christian has to travel. In and through the fire we become blessed. Much must be burnt up in us, before we press to the full knowledge of God and of His Son, before we become entirely one with Him, entirely glad and joyful in Him. Israel was brought up and is still brought up for glory, and we too. O that our end too were such a psalm of praise as this psalm! Weber, Der Pr. Jes. 1875.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
DISCOURSE: 879
THE BELIEVERS SONG
Isa 12:1-2. In that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold. God is my salvation: I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
GLORIOUS prospects are open to our poor benighted world. The time is coming, and we trust it is not far distant, when all the kingdoms of the world, whether of Jews or Gentiles, shall become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. The Root of Jesse, the Lord Jesus Christ, does already stand as an ensign to the Gentiles; and though but few, comparatively, have flocked to his standard yet, he shall gather to him all nations ere long, and his rest shall be glorious [Note: Isa 11:10.]. His ancient people, too, shall return to him, and experience at his hands mercies similar to those with which they were favoured in the day that they came forth put of the land of Egypt [Note: Isa 11:11-16.]. For them all, and especially for the latter, is this song prepared; and it shall be sung by them with most exalted joy. But we need not wait till that day: for every redeemed soul is authorized to adopt it, as expressing his own feelings in the contemplation of the blessings vouchsafed unto him.
To assist you in the attainment of this heavenly frame, I will shew,
I.
That praise is the proper employment of the whole intelligent creation
[When God first called forth the universe into existence, he made every thing for the glory of his own great name: and to this hour the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy-work. Whilst these inferior works unconsciously proclaim his praise, his intelligent creatures more especially engage in this delightful work; and, so far as they are restored to their original state, account it their highest happiness to glorify their God [Note: Psa 145:10.]. Conceive of our first parents in Paradise: how, may we suppose, were their minds occupied, whilst they retained their primeval innocency? No doubt they contemplated, with incessant admiration, the perfections of Him to whom they owed their existence, and the obligations conferred upon them above all the rest of the creation, the angels alone excepted. Now, what reason is there why our employment should not accord with theirs? Be it granted, that we have cares and labours, to which they, in their state of innocence, were strangers: after their fall, they were no strangers either to the one or to the other: yet we cannot doubt out that they endeavoured to blend these holy feelings with their daily occupations; and, instead of complaining of religion as a task, they found in the exercise of it their richest solace and support. In this, all the most eminent saints have resembled them. David, especially, was in the habit of praising God, as it were, all the day long, and of putting forth all the powers of his soul in that holy exercise [Note: Psa 35:28; Psa 103:1-2.]. Doubtless it is necessary for us to pour out also our supplications before the Most High: yea, we should pray without ceasing: but yet should we also in every thing give thanks; for this also is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us [Note: 1Th 5:17-18.]. The perfections of God are still the same as ever, and our obligations to him are the same; or rather, they are infinitely increased; inasmuch as the gift of his only dear Son to die for us, is, in comparison of all other gifts, as the radiance of the sun when compared with the twinkling of a star. I say not then too much, when I affirm, that praise is comely for the upright [Note: Psa 33:1.]; and that it is no less our happiness than our duty to abound in it, every day, and all the day long. In truth, this is the felicity of heaven: for all the hosts, whether of saints or angels, are engaged continually in this one employment of singing praises unto God: the one, for for all the wonders of redeeming love; and the other, for the blessed experience which they have of it in their own souls [Note: Rev 5:8-13.].]
That you may enter upon this blessed work without delay, I proceed to shew,
II.
What abundant occasion for it there is to the redeemed soul The mercies vouchsafed to every true convert are here set forth,
1.
In a way of simple acknowledgment
[With every soul of man has God been angry, seeing that there is not one of all the human race that has not violated his holy laws But, when we seek for mercy at his hands in his Sons name, he turns away from us his anger, and sheds abroad in our hearts a sense of his love
Say now, whether one so comforted has not reason to bless and adore his God? See the soul when trembling through dread of his displeasure: see it when first the light of Gods reconciled countenance is lifted up upon it: see it when the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, is sent forth to dwell in it as his temple, and to manifest unto it all the riches of redeeming graceHas such an one no ground for praise and joy? Verily, if he should hold his peace, the very stones would cry out against him.]
2.
In a way of exultation and triumph
[Behold, God is my salvation! says the believing soul. How wonderful a truth! Methinks, if it were not uttered by the voice of inspiration, one would be almost ready to call it blasphemy. What! Is God, even the Most High God, our salvation? Yes; and not our Saviour only, but salvation itself; inasmuch as He dwells in us, and abides in us, and works all our works in us. Hence the believing soul further adds, The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. This is blessing not future, but present; not hoped for, but actually possessed. The Lord God, Almighty himself has undertaken for us. Yes, our Saviour is no other than the Deity incarnate, God with us, God manifest in the flesh, and purchasing the Church with his own blood. Every thing that was necessary for our reconciliation with God, He wrought for us on the cross: and every thing that is necessary to make us meet for our inheritance He works in us, by his Holy Spirit: so that, whilst he is our strength, he is also our song from day to day.
I ask then, Is here no cause to praise our God? The wonder is, that any person, thus favoured, can find time for any other employment, or have any inclination to utter a word which has not a direct reference to these mercies.]
In our text, we further see,
III.
What is that frame of mind with which our praise should ever be accompanied
Many will be the trials of a Christian, notwithstanding all that he is privileged to enjoy
[Still will he have many conflicts with his in-dwelling corruptions; and be constrained, at times, to cry, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me? Satan, too, that meat and subtle adversary of God and man, will doubtless assault him with all manner of temptations; insomuch, that, if God were not to uphold him, he could never stand Nor will he find light difficulties even from his fellow-creatures, who will exert themselves to the uttermost, both by fraud and violence, to obstruct his way ]
But, in the midst of all, his heart will be stayed upon the Lord
[I will trust, and not be afraid, is the continued language of his soul. He knows in whom he has believed; and that his God is able to keep that which he has committed to him; yea, and pledged also, to save to the uttermost all that come to him in his Sons name. Hence he says, The Lord is my strength and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid [Note: Psa 27:1.]? If God be for me, who can be against me? Thus is his heart fixed, trusting in the Lord; and he goes forth to his daily conflicts assured of victory, yea, assured that he shall be more than conqueror through him that loved him.]
And now let me,
1.
Take up a lamentation over those who have never yet seen this day
[How many of us are there who are not even sensible that God is angry with them, or that, consequently, have never cried to him in earnest to turn away his displeasure? Let each consult the records of his own heart, and say whether this be not his unhappy condition? Yes, verily, there are many amongst us, it is to be feared, who have never, in their whole lives, shed one tear for their sins, nor ever uttered one cry to God for the remission of them. And what must I say to you? I have no wish to lay upon you more guilt than you have contracted: but you all are sinners before God, and as sinners, are obnoxious to his wrath. You all therefore need to repent of your sins, and to implore mercy at the hands of your offended God, in the name and through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ: and if you have not done this in sincerity and truth, you are at this moment under condemnation, and the wrath of God abideth on you [Note: Joh 3:18; Joh 3:36.]. As to the consolations of Gods Spirit, you are as much strangers to them as if no such blessings ever were vouchsafed to mortal man. Were you to hear one speaking of the manifestations of Gods presence to his soul, and of a sense of Gods love shed abroad in his heart, you would account it all enthusiasm and delusion. Say, then, whether you be not in a most deplorable condition? For, if Gods anger be not turned away from you here, do you suppose it shall be in the eternal world? No, indeed: you will there have to endure his frowns to all eternity, and to drink of the cup of his indignation for ever and ever. The Lord avert from every one of you this fearful doom! But remember, that till your experience accord in good measure with that described in my text, you have not any scriptural hope of happiness in the realms of bliss. It is in vain to think that you shall spend eternity in songs of praise, when you have never had your hearts tuned to them in this present life.]
2.
Offer my congratulations to those with whom this day has commenced
[Though, as far as respects Gods ancient people and the world at large, this day is yet distant, to the real Christian it is already come; as many of you, I trust, can attest. And what terms can I find sufficient to express the congratulations due to you? Carnal friends will congratulate you on the acquisition of wealth and honour: but if crowns and kingdoms had been given you, I should account them of no value in comparison of the blessings which you enjoy. Pardon of sin, peace with God, the consolations of his Spirit, and the prospect of his glorywhat on earth can be added to you? The things of this world, in comparison of all this, are but as the small dust upon the balance. I ask not, whether you possess any earthly comfort: if God be yours, what can you want? If God be your strength, your song, and your salvation, truly you have heaven already begun in your souls. Know, then, your blessedness, and estimate it aright: and not only say, O Lord, I will praise thee, but do it: do it with your whole hearts; do it with your whole souls; and do it, not only with your lips, but in your lives; by giving up yourselves to His service, and by walking before him in righteousness and holiness, without ceasing, and without reserve.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
CONTENTS
A gospel song of the triumphs of Christ, and the church’s triumphs in him: suited for all ages, for the whole of Christ’s body, in one collected mass, and for each individual.
Isa 12:1
Reader! do not forget, that the day uniformly spoken of is the gospel day; the day of Jesus, and his salvation. And therefore, in every heart made blessed in that day by regeneration, a view of past sin, deserving God’s just anger, and a conscious sense of redemption by the Lord Jesus, puts a new song in the mouth, and holy joy in the heart. Such was the joy of Zaccheas, when Jesus declared to him, This day is salvation come to this house! Luk 19:9 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The Burden of Assyria
Isa 10:5 to Isa 12:6
Anew section begins at Isa 10:5 , and goes to Isa 12:6 . The section deals with Assyria, and might be called in some sense “The Burden of Assyria.” It is most difficult to understand. All annotators have been more or less perplexed by it. The translators have put in words with which to help themselves over literal difficulties. Sometimes Assyria seems to be speaking as the prophet himself, and sometimes the prophet seems to be speaking as if Assyria were uttering judgments upon wrong. All we can do is to endeavour to find some central line upon which can be strung all the wise and abiding words which history has proved to be just and useful.
In studying the history of Assyria as given in this section we shall see at least some principles of the divine government. Assyria itself is dead and gone; for us the vision in its literal detail is useless; it has taken its place in antique, grey history; but it is of infinite importance that we should trace the common line of providence, the abiding quantity of history, the thing that never changes, and thus feel that we are still under a government strong in righteousness and gracious in discipline. The thing always to be sought after is the abiding unit; the unit without which calculation is impossible: that we may discover with gracious certainty in a narrative so graphic and vivid as that which is given in the text. Let us say that God speaks by the mouth of the prophet, saying:
“O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation” ( Isa 10:5 ).
The meaning might be this: “I will choose a staff with which I will chastise my people: I have fixed my choice upon Assyria; I will so use that proud nation that my people shall begin to fear that for their sin they shall be heavily dealt with: I will choose Assyria as an instrument of vengeance.” We must not omit the reflection that this was a terrible thing for Assyria. What man likes to be an instrument through which righteousness will punish some other man? Who would willingly accept a calling and election so severe? The man himself may have nothing to avenge upon the one to whom he is sent as a judgment, and yet he is doing things without being able to explain them; as we have already seen, he is setting up hostilities which he can only partially defend and hardly at all explain:
“I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets” ( Isa 10:6 ).
Thus nations are sent to do work they do not like. What are the nations but instruments in the hands of him who made them? So we are puzzled and perplexed by many an imperial policy; we do not like it, and yet still it proceeds to work out all its mysterious issues now severe, now beneficent. We are in tumult and darkness and perplexity, thick and that cannot be disentangled; and how seldom we realise the fact that all this may be a divine movement, a clouding of the divine presence, and an outworking of divine and eternal purposes.
“Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so” ( Isa 10:7 ).
Assyria does not know what he is going to do; he is quick at giving an explanation of his own action, but it does not occur to him that he is instrument, servant, mere errand-bearer to the King of glory. “He meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so,” that is to say, it never occurs to him that he is an instrument of providence, that he has been selected in order that he might manifest divine judgments. We cannot tell what we are doing. Assyria said that it was in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few; he was simply a warrior; it did not enter into his conception that he was anything more than a conqueror, a proud destroyer, one before whose advent all nations quailed. Thus the Lord useth the pride of man. For a moment he gratifies human vanity; for a little while he allows man to proceed upon certain conceptions, that in the long run he may work out his own judgment, and illustrate and vindicate his own providence. If the action were within a definite time, then moral criticism might fall upon its enouncement; but the Lord speaks in circular periods, in complete lapses of time; all the ages lie in their nakedness before him when he declares judgment or blessing: his action, therefore, is not to be interrupted at some inferior point of punctuation, but is to be allowed to roll itself out in all its fulness, and when the unfoldment is complete the judgment may be pronounced. How many men there are just in the position of Assyria at this particular time! They lift up their hand, and nations tremble; they inflict a studied discourtesy, and all the land wonders why it should have been, and begins to predict unrest, unsettlement, war, and great ruin. The particular man, seeing all this as the issue of his policy or his neglect, inflames himself with pride, burns with vanity, lifts himself up as if he would touch the stars, feels in all his blood the tingle of sovereignty. Poor fool! he does not know that he is like a saw which God has taken up to sever a piece of wood. The Lord knows what a man is; he knows all that is in man, and he uses him for the education of man, he employs one nation for the deliverance of another. The scheme of providence is a tessellated scheme, full of little pieces, marvellously related to one another, and no one can lay his hand upon a single point and say, This is all. There is no single point in divine providence; all history is consolidated; all the action of time means the grand significance that it issues in. We are to beware of temporary definitions and temporary conclusions. Any conclusion to which we can now come is open to the modification of to-morrow. Only God can conclude; only Christ can say, “It is finished!”
Assyria, then, begins to exult; he says:
“For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?” ( Isa 9:8-9 ).
I have done all these things, and all that is yet to be done is part and parcel of the same triumph:
“As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?” ( Isa 9:10-11 ).
This is intoxication; this is the wilderness of military vanity. The king of Assyria sees all things falling into his hands: he says, Calno shall be no more than Carchemish was; and Hamath shall be as Arpad, and Samaria as Damascus: as I have killed many, I will kill more; as I have subdued hitherto all along the line, so I will continue my work of subjugation until the whole series fall at my feet. Thus providence is unknown and misinterpreted; thus do men get hold of the wrong end of things, and talk idiotically. Assyria does not pause, and say, Why is this? is there more blood to be shed? are there more people to be trampled upon? This is hard work: I would the gods would save me from this execution. Then Assyria would have been a child of heaven. But who ever takes the events of life as chastening, instructing, and disciplining the mind? Who receives his wages in order that he may do good with the money? who accepts his rewards in order that he may encourage and deepen his gratitude? Let us pray for a right conception of providence. If we are sent on cruel errands, let us go about them diligently, but with a subtle reluctance that will import into our hardest judicial tones some gospel of God Assyria misunderstood providence, which we are doing every day; we are taking our influence, and magnifying it so as to feed our vanity, instead of accepting it as a trust, and asking God to be merciful to us even in the bestowment of power.
Now another section opens, a wholly distinct view looms upon the vision:
“Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man” ( Isa 10:12-13 ).
I will choke him in his boasts. While his throat is inflamed with his own vanity I will lay my hand upon his, and murder him in the sight of heaven. Providence is a large term. It is not a government of fits and starts and spasms that are unrelated to one another; it is righteous, solemn, tranquil, yea, tranquil though the detail, the immediate phenomena may be associated with tumult and riot and wantonness; within the whole action there is a zone of calm. We are not to misunderstand the clouds, though they be laden with snow. Where are they but in God’s hand? Beyond them the moon shines nightly without a flutter, and the sun holds his court all day without dread of the interruption of his sovereignty. All that may be within the eye-line is full of darkness, and tumult, and trouble; we are filled with distress because of what we see, but then we only see that which is as a handful of a very small space. All the tranquillities of the universe are undisturbed by the little thunder that roars and vibrates in the lower atmospheres. So is it with the purpose of God. Assyria shall be used to an end; he shall accomplish that end; but for his pride he shall be punished. All self-idolatry is punishment; all presumption comes to a bad end. Assyria said, “By the strength of my hand I have done it,” and God shall prove that it was otherwise, that his poor little fist did nothing in the matter but as it was directed by the palm of omnipotence. Assyria said, “I am prudent,” and God will turn his prudence to shame and confusion, for the whole scheme was not planned by his military wit; it was all laid out by him whose artillery is the starry heavens, and whose resources are his own infinity.
Then Assyria makes a figure. The metaphor is to be found in the following verse ( Isa 10:14 )
“And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.”
So Assyria represents himself as a gigantic fowler who had gone out and captured all the feathered tribes, and not one of them rebelled against his well-laid schemes. The image is graphic; the vanity of Assyria has made him for a moment poetical. How otherwise could the pagan mind think? When a man has both hands full, what else can he say but that he is rich? If all his schemes prosper, how other can he lay down on his own couch at night than as a prudent man? When not a line of his policy has failed, is he not at liberty to say, None moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped; I seemed to fasten all the birds like the eye of a basilisk; they all gave themselves up to me: behold, how great I am, and how my wonder eclipses the sun? The pagan mind must talk so, because it has no worthy centre; it does not calculate by the right standard or regulate by the one meridian; it can see no farther than itself: itself is its universe. Only when right conceptions of a religious kind enter the mind does the mind look round for deepest causes, and wonder, and pray, and say, Would God I could find out the reality of this case! things come too easily to me: surely God must be using me for some purpose I cannot understand; why do these eagles fall into my hand? how large they are and strong, with wings that were made to darken the sun; why do I capture them so easily? why does my business prosper more than my neighbour’s? he complains, and I proceed, adding store to store; other men devise plans, and they come to nothing; my policy always blossoms and fructifies, and comes back upon me a hundredfold: how is this? surely God is using me to an end, and I cannot tell what it is. O God, make me humble, calm, watchful; I do not wholly like this; I would there were more resistance to me; the very facility of my progress through a land of rock and mountain and darkness makes me feel that I am being impelled or lured, rather than walking by my voluntary motion and determination. This would be sacred talk, speech of salt; a sacrifice of the tongue acceptable unto God.
Then the Lord reasons thus:
“Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood” ( Isa 10:15 ).
How satiric is God! Can sarcasm whet a keener edge than this? O Assyria, thou art but an iron axe with a wooden handle, and God has been using thee for smiting trees: thou art but a sharp-toothed saw, which God himself has sharpened in order that he might cut with it a piece of timber: do not shake thyself against them that lift thee up; and, staff, forget not that thou art only wooden after all. So we are abased; yea, those who stand near the altar and speak the eloquence of God are told by a thousand angels that like themselves they are “but ministers”: they have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of men.
And still further, God reduces the pride of those that lift themselves up against him “The rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them” ( Isa 10:19 ). Even what is left is just sufficient to provoke contempt. A completer desolation would have been more a blessing, but to have two or three trees left out of a whole forest seems to add to the bitterness of the loss. The trees are a little number, and children please themselves by counting the number on their fingers; and the man whose trees they count was once the possessor of unmeasured forests: “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Riches take to themselves wings, and flee away. The wicked have been in great power, and they have departed without telling whither they have gone; they have not left even the rustle of a wing behind them to indicate the direction of their flight. We have much now; upstairs and downstairs, all full; to-morrow every chamber will be emptied, and yet not a door will have been opened by human hand. Seal up your treasures; take wax, and plenty of it; melt it down, stamp it with your crest frailest sign of vanity and to-morrow will find you empty-handed, and you will open your mouth in wonder, and ask who did it; and the secret-keeping air, the confidant of God, will not allow even a little bird to tell you whither the property has gone. Use it well! Blessed is the true and faithful servant who toils and prays!
Then a word of hope. When could the Lord conclude a speech without some tone, gospel-like in its cheerfulness and tenderness and gentleness?
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God” ( Isa 10:20-21 ).
Where have we found that expression before “the mighty God”? We found it only a chapter back, and in the sixth verse of the ninth chapter “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God” the same word in the Hebrew: what if it be the same God in reality, and that God be Christ? There shall be a remnant, and God can use that remnant as he can use seed for planting, for sowing, for purposes of raising a new generation, planting a new forest, holy unto himself.
This is the providence, then, under which we live. Facts prove it. We are under law and criticism of a moral kind: our conduct is examined, our motives are inquired into and pronounced upon by the just One; every morning is as a white throne set in the heavens; every noonday is as an eye of fire watching the ways of men; every night is a pavilion of rest, or an image of despair. The axe of heaven is lifted up against all the thick trees that suppose themselves to be independent of God. All moral loveliness is cherished as the pearl greater in value than all others. This is the economy under which we live! We are not left without law, judgment, supervision, criticism; every one of us must give an account of himself to God. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing.” If for a few years we grow towards strength, we soon turn the growing point, and go down into old age and weakness, that we may know ourselves to be but men. Life is a great triumph up to middle age, because the man may be always well; he may grow in strength and in prosperity, and he may represent himself as a successful fowler; but after that grey hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth it not, and presently men may say as he passes by, He stoops a little more; his memory will begin to be a little blurred and clouded, and though he can keep good reckoning, yet he must trust to paper more than he ever trusted before. If we plant vineyards and forests, and subdue wildernesses by generous culture, we die whilst we gaze on our success, and are buried under the very flowers which have rewarded our toil. This is the economy under which the nations have ever lived, and under which every little life works out its little day. If we do wrong a spectre touches us in the darkness, and makes us cold with fear. What is it? It is the right hand of God; it is the feeling of righteousness; it is the sign of justice. If we do right, all heaven broadens its glory over our heads, and fills the path we walk with flowers of light. This is the economy under which we live: let us not be fools, but wise, understanding all these claims and demands, owning their righteousness, and responding to their appeals. And the end? so near, always so near. We shall see all the meaning of sword and pestilence and grim famine, of cloud and storm and angry thunder, of love, and mercy, and hope, and gospel sacred with the blood of sacrifice. By-and-by, yet a little while, no cloud is eternal; it is but vapour after all, and the wind will cleanse it away. When the vision is declared we shall know that Righteousness is the security of the universe, hell the necessity of unrepented sin, and heaven is the God-built, eternal home of men who touched the atoning Saviour with the reverent, grateful hand of faith. History is in a great tumult: nation clashes against nation in the shock of war; man eats the flesh of the arm of man, and grows the hungrier for his feast of blood; the poor are little counted of, the weak go to the wall; banners red as blood are being figured all over with lines of fire, with the motto, “Might is right.” O Lord, how long? In reply to this question we are entitled to go back upon all the record of history, and trace the line of providence through the whole a line now terrible as righteousness, now gracious as the love of Christ. The Lord reigneth!
Prayer
Almighty God, we thank thee for the promise of all bright days; we rejoice that there is coming a time when cloud and storm will be done away, and peace and loveliness and glory shall crown all things: this is the end of thy government, this is the meaning of thy love. We accept it as such, and cheer ourselves meanwhile with this bright and glowing hope. Thou wilt come and rectify all things; thou wilt set up the standard of the sanctuary everywhere; righteousness shall be the base and rock on which things are built, and at the top of the pillar there shall be lily work, so that strength and beauty shall be in the house of the Lord. All things hurtful thou wilt subdue; all violent forces thou wilt control; all iniquity and unrighteousness thou wilt put down, and the Sabbath of the Lord shall dawn upon a reconciled and purified earth. This is our hope; this is the poetry that sings to us; this is the prophecy that makes us glad. Lord, how long? say thy saints in their groaning. Lord, how long? do they say again when the burden presses upon their failing strength. Yet thou knowest all things; the ages are in thy keeping and under thy direction; all time is God’s instrument, and he will use it for the advancement of all causes true and pure and righteous. Enable us to control our impatience, to subdue all impious eagerness, and to wait in sweet contentment and solid assurance, knowing that the Lord will come at his own time, and set up his kingdom, and rule over all, and we shall know his coming as the earth knows the summer. The years are all thine, and thou dost mete them out one by one; to no man dost thou give five years, to another two; thou givest to each man one year, one day, one breath; and herein dost thou teach us the uncertainty of life and its necessary brevity, and suggest to us the coming and final judgment of all things. May we redeem the time; may we make the most of it; may we turn every day into a Sabbath, and every Sabbath may we sanctify with redoubled sacrifice: thus our life shall grow into a song, thus even the night-time shall be vocal with praise, and thus shall we magnify thy name, and return unto thee manifold, because of the seed thou hast sown in good ground. Thou knowest the want of every heart, the pain of every life, the shadow which darkens every path, and the cold wind which chills all the pulses that beat within us; we will, therefore, leave ourselves in thine hand. We can tell thee nothing; thou dost search us and try us, and see if there be any wicked way in us, that thou mayest not destroy us, but lead us in the way everlasting. Thy will be done. Receive us into thine own hands; direct us by thine own Spirit; fill us with wisdom and understanding, and endow us with a sagacious mind. May ours be the highest Christian courage, fearing nothing, hoping all things, seeing no danger, dreading no foe, but constantly moving onward, with the dignity of conviction, and with the patience of those to whom is entrusted an immortal hope. Lord, bless the land. God save the Queen: establish her throne in righteousness, and may its canopy be as a banner of love. The Lord bless all the nations of the earth, for all the nations should be one empire, ruled by the Son of God. Blessed Jesus, thou art the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world; for that world, therefore, do we pray, that every acre of it may be sown with gospel seed, that every handful of its soil may be consecrated by the touch of honest men, and that the whole world may be like a returned prodigal, received with joy and thankfulness into the family of the stars. Pity us in all our littleness; pardon us wherein our sin grows upon us like a rising mountain, and send comfort by thy Cross, Messiah, Emmanuel, Son of God! Amen.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Wells of Salvation
Isa 12
It is time we had a hymn in this prophecy of Isaiah, for the reading has been like a succession of thunderstorms and earthquakes. Now and then there has been a bright line, and once indeed the very name Immanuel appeared; but taking the preceding eleven chapters as a whole, we seem to remember little but rain and storm and sword and battle, and shaking of things strong and mighty. It is curious how the song always comes in at the right time in this revelation of God. Some say Isaiah did not write this song. It is of no consequence to us who wrote it: here it is, and it is in the right place, and it expresses the right thought, and there is probably more evidence for the authorship of Isaiah than for the authorship of any other man. Some have said it is not like his style: but what is his style? What is the style of the sky? Is it for two days alike? Who could write the history of the sky simply as it appears to the vision of man? The accounts would seem to contradict one another, for the sky passes through panoramic changes innumerable, infinite, and all beautiful where they are not grand. So with the style of this great statesman Isaiah. He handles things with the infinite ease of conscious power; he is as strong in his music as he is in his prophecy.
Let us look at this little song; let us sit down awhile as in a green pasture, and hear the sweet music: the purling brook cannot be far away; the sky is clothed with summer, and the day is quiet with the very spirit of peace. Let us see whether we would not like to covet the song, and steal it honestly, and appropriate it, as if we ourselves were the authors of it, for there is no song worth singing that every man does not feel he might have written, and would if he could. To some is given a great gift of words, but that gift is useless unless it express what is in every heart, and then as soon as we hear what the man has said, we leap forward as if in gratulation and blessing, because he has said exactly what was lying dumbly and glowingly within us. Every true song is the work of everybody. Is this song true? The prophecy has declared that “the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry-shod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt” ( Isa 11:15-16 ). We need example days, pattern times, to which we can refer with the familiarity of intelligence and thankfulness. The Gulf of Suez shall be divided like the Red Sea; the seven mouths that enclose and intersect the delta of the Nile shall be smitten; and the second exodus like as it was shall be accomplished amid signs and wonders: a highway shall be raised-what in modern cities is called a causeway, a side pavement. Eastern kings made such a way for their armies, and the remnant of the people of God are to march in triumph along the great plains of Mesopotamia, and the exiles are to return from Assyria, and no sooner do they get home again than they sing this carol “O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me” ( Isa 12:1 ). Only men with such an experience can sing. It is next to impossible to sing in modern days. Singing is rapture when it is religious; it is inspiration, it is madness, it would be called sensational now. That word “sensational” will kill the Church. Observe if that be not a true prophecy. We have only to call a service “sensational” to set persons immediately against it, though they never took the pains to inquire into the etymology or real meaning of the word. This hymn of praise was very sensationally sung. When men escape from the hand of the oppressor, and have a song handed to them, they are not likely to pule over it, or to stifle it in their throats. We can imagine the utterances of thunder, of joy ecstatic, of joy almost beyond expression.
Let us look carefully into the structure of the song. First of all we notice that there is reason under the music “Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.” Does music stoop down to accept the service of reason? It always does so in the Scriptures. There are no songs detached from reason in all the inspired volume. From the earliest times down to the period to which we have now come we find that the song accounts for itself by a substantial and historical reason. It is as if a blossom should account for itself, saying to those who look upon it, You seem pleased with my appearance, you point out my many beauties, you call me delicate, lovely, fragrant; but do you know that I could not be here at all but for a thing probably you never saw, and never may see a poor black-looking little root that is hidden in the earth? Who ever praised my root? Not an observer has ever asked me if I had one, but I tell you that though I am the singing voice, and the thing of beauty, and the little flag held out waving in the air as part of a grand expression of Nature, having reference to the Spirit above it and behind it, yet I could not be where I am, or what I am, but for the root deep down in the earth. It is even so with this song-blossom and this thing of beauty in melodious form; it seems to say, You hear me, you like me, you are pleased with my rhythm; you comment upon me from a critical point of view, and say how happy are the symbols, how easy the action, how perfect the accents, how made for music! Ah, did you but know all, you would understand that I could not be where I am, or what I am, if there had not been a root in history, a long process of discipline, deprivation, sorrow, heartache: but now it is over, and the time of the singing of birds has come. So it must be in the sanctuary. There is hardly any singing in any sanctuary except by the few. Where is the great song that makes men sing that makes the dumb speak? We must not look for that song in printed music, but in historical recollection, in personal thankfulness; and out of all this root-work will come blossoming and beauty, ineffable in loveliness, indescribable in perfectness.
“Thou wast angry with me.” Then there was no music; the clouds quenched the song. Who can sing when the snow is falling coldly and heavily, or when the east wind is blowing cruelly, or when there is a sense of compunction in the heart, when the conscience is out of gear, and when it will not let any part of our life have rest from its ripping criticism?
“Thine anger is turned away.” Now who can help singing in the bright sunshine? Summer makes the song. Even children seem to know this. They do not cower in fear when the sun shines. True, he is a great shining glory in the heavens, but there is not a little child on all the earth that does not seem to know him, and to be able to take sweet and tender liberties with him. Who ever saw a little child running away from the sun? The little one seems to run right into his very arms; and would plunge into that great sea of glory. It is an attractive power; it is a benediction in light; it is a fatherly presence in symbol of glory. So, when the people felt that sin was gone, they also felt that the time for singing was come. Nothing chokes the song so surely as consciousness of sin: it says to a man, You have no right to sing; you are trying to sing God’s pure praise through a throat black as night, hot with the very fire of hell: do not add to your blasphemy by singing under such circumstances!
“Behold, God is my salvation” ( Isa 12:2 ). Jerome translates this, “Behold, God is my Jesus.” The word “salvation” is too narrowly defined in many instances. People suppose that it means a kind of spiritual selfishness which, being expressed in more words, would run in some such fashion as this: Thank God I am safe, whatever may become of anybody else! Any man who can say that, or mean that, or be in any way under such a delusion, simply knows nothing whatever about the spirit of the gospel. “Salvation” is one of the largest terms in human speech. Emancipation does not mean You are now no longer under obligation to serve your old tyrant or your old master. That is but a negative aspect of emancipation. The true meaning is You are invested with all the responsibilities of organised liberty; you have conferred upon you an opportunity of developing your whole manhood; you may now show the very best aspect of your character, and, unless you do it, slavery were for you better than freedom. It is so with the fullest meaning of this word salvation. Saved people are generous people, beneficent, charitable, anxious about others; nay, the only explanation of their anxiety about others is that they themselves are conscious of having been saved not saved from fear only, but saved into life, liberty, and conscious possibility of doing great and small things. Jerome was right in going back to the Old Testament with the key of the New. In fact, we are entitled to begin at Genesis after we have perused the whole gospel story with the profoundest interest, and have received its spirit into our heart. The gospels explain the Pentateuch. There are arithmetics which are awful in their initial hardness. They are all questions. A book of arithmetic is a most audacious interrogator. But at the end of the book, in some cases, there is a key. What different reading! There is not a question in the whole key unless it be at the beginning of an answer, and who, having read the answer, does not feel how easy to have worked out the sum after all if one had only taken pains enough at the beginning? At the same time there is a strong disposition just to appropriate what the key says, and then, perhaps, to appear before the spectacled master as if we had never heard of such a thing as a key. That would be illegitimate in arithmetic. There have been young arithmeticians who have been guilty of that meanness. But we are called to look at the key in open day; we are referred to the key; we are invited and challenged to peruse it, and then to go back with the key in our hand to work out all the mystery of the lock. This is what Jerome did; so he did not hesitate to take out the word “salvation” in the second verse and put in the word “Jesus,” and say with unction and thankfulness, “Behold, God is my Jesus:” his name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.
“I will trust, and not be afraid.” Then the confidence was complete. The expression is perhaps awkward from one point of view; that is, from the pedantic point of view. “I will trust” the sentence might have ended there “and not be afraid.” Is not that merely a repetition? From a grammatical point of view it may be simply tautology, but from a spiritual point of view there is not one word too much. Fear is very subtle. There is an immediate fear that glares into a man’s eyes and makes a coward of him; over that fear he may get the mastery; but there is a far-away fear, more a shadow than a substance, an unaccountable feeling of timidity, apprehension. It is not enough to have obtained one great victory over fear, or to have established one strong point of trust; both these are most desirable things in the Christian life, and necessary indeed to its solidity and progress; but the work must be completed. It is not enough to have a great cloud that was immediately overhead cleared away; we must also have the horizon cleansed of all images of dread and suggestions of storm. Who does not know all this in his innermost soul? Taking the whole Christian view, the Christian feels strong, but when he comes to minute confession, to exhaustive fearless analysis, he says, About some two or three things I am not so confident as I should like to be about business, about my family, about my social responsibilities, about the constancy of my love; I sometimes think I see the tempter looking at me at midnight; nobody else can see him but myself, and yet sometimes right across the darkness I have seen him as clearly as I ever saw an image in the light: these things I will not talk about. All this must be cleansed away. “I will trust, and not be afraid”: I will have this joy positively and negatively; I will have a strong rock at the very centre of things, and a sense that every gate that leads to the castle is strongly guarded, and is in fact impassable by any foe. “Perfect love casteth out fear.” Lord, increase our love!
Now comes a mysterious combination of words “The Lord JEHOVAH.” The very type is suggestive, the word “Lord” being printed in small capitals and the word “Jehovah” in large capitals. This is an almost unparalleled combination of terms; certainly it is wholly exceptional. Would not the word “Lord” have done, or the word “Jehovah”? Why this miracle in language? This is a novelty in any style. Here criticism is, as in many other places in Holy Scripture and in the divinest literature, simply helpless a chatterer instead of a teacher; an instrument of deprivation, not a word of spiritual increase and mental enlargement. Joy creates its own language. On the whole perhaps joy is a poor grammarian. Some men are the victims of grammar, as other men are the victims of propriety; they have never known enthusiasm, they have never had a feeling that they could not express in a word or two; they regard the rapture of others as extravagance or exaggeration. It would be extravagance to them, as it would be a most extravagant thing for a sparrow to attempt to fly with an eagle. Who made any one man the standard and measure of extravagance? Let every man speak for himself. I have seen some instrument of locomotion made of two wheels, and the second or following wheel has not been so large as the first; it would be intolerable impertinence for the little wheel to be calling the other extravagant and aggressive.
Here we come to a sweet word “the wells of salvation” ( Isa 12:3 ). How is it that the word “well,” signifying a spring of water, is always associated with a music of its own? Who can listen to the plash of water falling down the hillside, and not try to make every drop into a syllable and the whole into a gospel of nature, singing God’s praise, and telling of far-away fountains? One of the most recent and most qualified critics has put the matter clearly, in saying that in the later ritual of the Feast of Tabernacles the priests went in solemn procession to the pool of Siloam, filled a golden vase with water, carried it to the Temple, and poured it out on the western side of the altar of burnt-offering, while the people observing this priestly action chanted the great Hallel or hymn of praise which we have in the Psalms, beginning with cxiii. and ending at cxviii. The action was symbolical; it was also historical: it touched memory at a thousand quick and responsive points, and elicited a hymn not mechanical in its structure only, but in its very mechanism an embodied spirituality. “Wells of salvation”: can we improve the expression by making the word “wells” singular instead of plural? May we not say, Christ is the well of salvation? Yet there are words in the singular number which can never be other than plural; they are only grammatically limited; as to all spiritual suggestiveness they are too broad even for plural forms of expression, for they seem to overflow great spaces, and to occupy infinite tracks and continents of memory and thankfulness and hope. Jesus Christ did not disdain to compare himself to a well. On the last day the great day of the feast beholding innumerable thirsty men, from all quarters of the land, he said, “If any man thirst” Lord, how great was that word! Thou didst know that all men have a thirst in the heart which all the rivers in the world can never quench “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.” This was the voice of the well, the gospel of the fountain, the anthem of the springhead. Jesus said on another occasion, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him,” and he, without questioning or grudging or difficulty, would have given thee living water, spring water, cool as snow, clear as crystal, pure as the love of God. Have we drunk of this well? The river of God is full of water. Are we perishing of thirst? Christians are enabled to bear this testimony, and they ought to bear it, that they have gone from well to well, from spring to spring, and have always had to go back again with weary iteration, journey upon journey, for the thirst returned by the very process of quenching it; but when they came to Jesus, and entered into his spirit and purpose, and became as it were partakers of his nature, all their aspirations were satisfied, all their highest appetences were appeased.
Now reason is given for another song, or for the continuance of the same “Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things” ( Isa 12:5 ). The song is not called for without a reason being assigned. Is it true that God hath done excellent things say for ourselves? Do not search ancient history for the excellent things done by God, but search your own little life; and if in that life no excellent things have been wrought, say so, and be dumb so’ far as this sacrifice of religious praise is concerned. You have a right to be silent. If your life has had no sunshine, no blessing, no help, no sympathy, you have a right to say in the sanctuary, I will not sing, and thus to chide God by your silence. But be sure you can say it. “Life” is a large term; it covers all the days of your breathing, from earliest infancy up till the present moment: it will certainly be a phenomenon without a parallel if any man can say that the sunshine never fell upon his life, that what good he has he has by his own strength and wit, and that he owes nothing to supernatural or superhuman power. Still, if a man can say that, and prove it, he has a right to instruct others by his very silence.
“Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion” ( Isa 12:6 ). But how extremely opposed to the spirit of propriety! Here is a call for enthusiasm, rapture, and what would generally be denominated madness. Still, the words are here, and they are perfectly clear as to their meaning and purpose, and a reason is given for the cry and for the shout; that reason is “for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” “Thou inhabitant of Zion.” The Hebrew is feminine: the appeal is to a woman’s heart Cry out and shout, thou daughter of Zion! Without the womanly element the Church is without charm, and without the divinest passion. The woman must lead us, in song, in music, in praise, and by the contagion of her enthusiasm must warm others into responsive and co-operative zeal. Men have become frenzied by earthly deliverances, and rightly so, and brought into paroxysms of thankfulness and joy: why not so in their religious natures? It is recorded by Plutarch that when the Romans delivered a certain people from the tyranny of the Macedonians and the Spartans, the cry of the delivered men was so great that it dissipated the very air, and birds flying across that plane of the hemisphere fell down amazed. Have we ever rent the air with our cries and shouts of delight and thankfulness? Our Christianity may have been formal, and our atheism may have been the atheism of respectability. Respectability can never be earnest. It is limited by a smaller word. If Sydney Smith said the Church is dying of dignity, we may apply the rebuke to ourselves, and ask if we are not falling into torpor through the opiate of respectability. Are we called to silence? Who can describe the feeling of those who were imprisoned during the Indian Mutiny? Is there not a page in the history of that rebellion which makes every human heart thrill with excitement? We remember how the Europeans were shut up, being beleaguered and invested, and within a hand-breadth of extinction; and we remember hearing of the deliverers’ approach, and of those who were suffering catching the strains of music; they heard the pibroch and the slogan, and their hearts came again, and every soldier was a hero and every woman a saint; and as the deliverers came on, could you have said to those who had been shut up in terror and darkness, Now restrain yourselves; avoid everything sensational, and maintain a decorous and proper attitude in all things what answer would they have returned to your inane and unseasonable address? We must pass through a certain class of circumstances before we can understand the feelings of those who express gratitude for deliverance. The singing of the Church should be loud, joyous, and sweet; all instruments should accompany it: now the clash of bells, now the blare of trumpets, now the lilt of lutes, and now the throb of drums; strong men, gentle women, merry children should unite their voices in one glad burst of religious joy. Thank God for music. That will unite the Church when theology will divide it. There is no disputable argument in music. The vanity of opinion is not touched by music. The demon of heresy is left without a chance in music. Pedantic criticism is ignored. The heart has it all its own way. All is harmony. All is praise. All is love. If ever preaching be displaced or superseded, may it be by music!
Prayer
Almighty God, enable us so to read the story of the past as to know somewhat of thy government, and amend our own ways before thee. Thou hast thyself been writing the story of the earth, and within and without it is written all over with mourning, lamentation, and woe. It is a scroll we would not willingly open but for the writing of God which is in it, which tells of hope and peace and rest, which reveals an eternal gospel righteous, loving, infinite. For thine own gospel we search the Book: the human story we would not read; it is full of evil and mockery, sin and shame, wrongdoing and selfish penitence: our prayers have related to ourselves, and have sought rather to improve our position than to vindicate eternal righteousness. Now that we come to the story do thou come with us, that we may read it aright, find out all the music that is in it, all the wisdom with which it is laden, and all the hope with which it is inspired. Thus shall we read to our souls’ profiting, and when we rise from the perusal of the page we shall feel that we ought to pray some nobler prayer, burn with some guiltier shame, and seek with truest penitence to be forgiven all our sin. Where is the place of prayer but at the Cross of Christ? That is the sacred altar, that is the place where man never truly prayed in vain; the answer was given whilst the prayer was being breathed: may we now realise that in the very act of asking for pardon through the blood of the Lamb, the precious blood, we may be forgiven. Say, Son, thy sins which are many are all forgiven thee! Amen.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
XXVII
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IN ISAIAH
The relation between the New Testament Christ and prophecy is that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. To him give all the prophets witness. All the scriptures, the law, the prophets, and the psalms, testify of him. And we are fools, and slow of heart to credit adequate testimony when we distrust any part of the inspired evidence.
Of the ancient prophets Isaiah was perhaps the most notable witness of the coming Messiah. An orderly combination of his many messianic utterances amounts to more than a mere sketch, indeed, rather to a series of almost life-sized portraits. As a striking background for these successive portraits the prophet discloses the world’s need of a Saviour, and across this horrible background of gloom the prophet sketches in startling strokes of light the image of a coming Redeemer.
In Isa 2:2-4 we have the first picture of him in Isaiah, that of the effect of his work, rather than of the Messiah himself. This is the establishment of the mountain of the Lord’s house on the top of the mountains, the coming of the nations to it and the resultant millennial glory.
In Isa 4:2-6 is another gleam from the messianic age in which the person of the Messiah comes more into view in the figure of a branch of Jehovah, beautiful and glorious. In sketching the effects of his work here the prophet adds a few strokes of millennial glory as a consummation of his ministry.
In Isa 7:14 he delineates him as a little child born of a virgin, whose coming is the light of the world. He is outlined on the canvas in lowest humanity and highest divinity, “God with us.” In this incarnation he is the seed of the woman and not of the man.
The prophet sees him as a child upon whom the government shall rest and whose name is “Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6 ). This passage shows the divinity of Christ and the universal peace he is to bring to the world. In these names we have the divine wisdom, the divine power, the divine fatherhood, and the divine peace.
In Isa 11:1-9 the prophet sees the Messiah as a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, i.e., of lowly origin, but possessing the Holy Spirit without measure who equips him for his work, and his administration wrought with skill and justice, the result of which is the introduction of universal and perfect peace. Here the child is presented as a teacher. And such a teacher! On him rests the seven spirits of God. The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. He judges not according to appearances and reproves not according to rumors. With righteousness he judges the poor and reproves with equality in behalf of the meek. His words smite a guilty world like thunderbolts and his very breath slays iniquity. Righteousness and faithfulness are his girdle. He uplifts an infallible standard of morals.
In Isa 40:3-8 appears John the Baptist, whom Isaiah saw as a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way for the coming King.
In Isa 11:2 ; Isa 42:1 ; Isa 61:1-3 the prophet saw the Messiah as a worker in the power of the Spirit, in whom he was anointed at his baptism. This was the beginning of his ministry which was wrought through the power of the Holy Spirit. At no time in his ministry did our Lord claim that he wrought except in the power of the Holy Spirit who was given to him without measure.
In Isa 35:1-10 the Messiah is described as a miracle worker. In his presence the desert blossoms as a rose and springs burst out of dry ground. The banks of the Jordan rejoice. The lame man leaps like a hart, the dumb sing and the blind behold visions. The New Testament abounds in illustrations of fulfilment. These signs Christ presented to John the Baptist as his messianic credentials (Mat 11:1-4 ).
The passage (Isa 42:1-4 ) gives us a flashlight on the character of the Messiah. In the New Testament it is expressly applied to Christ whom the prophet sees as the meek and lowly Saviour, dealing gently with the blacksliding child of his grace. In Isa 22:22 we have him presented as bearing the key of the house of David, with full power to open and shut. This refers to his authority over all things in heaven and upon earth. By this authority he gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter one for the Jews and the other for the Gentiles who used one on the day of Pentecost and the other at the house of Cornelius, declaring in each case the terms of entrance into the kingdom of God. This authority of the Messiah is referred to again in Revelation:
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying. Fear not: I am the first and the last, and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Rev 7:17
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphis write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and none shall shut, and shutteth and none openeth. Rev 3:7
In Isa 32:1-8 we have a great messianic passage portraying the work of Christ as a king ruling in righteousness, in whom men find a hiding place from the wind and the tempest. He is a stream in a dry place and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
In Isa 28:14-18 the Messiah is presented to w as a foundation stone in a threefold idea:
1. A tried foundation stone. This is the work of the master mason and indicates the preparation of the atone for its particular function.
2. An elect or precious foundation stone. This indicates that the stone was selected and appointed. It was not self-appointed but divinely appointed and is therefore safe.
3. A cornerstone, or sure foundation stone. Here it is a foundation of salvation, as presented in Mat 16:18 . It is Christ the Rock, and not Peter. See Paul’s foundation in 1 Corinthians:
According to the grace of God which was given unto me; as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1Co 3:10-11 .
In Isa 49:1-6 he is presented as a polished shaft, kept close in the quiver. The idea is that he is a mighty sword. In Revelation, Christ is presented to John as having a sharp, twoedged sword proceeding out of his mouth.
In Isa 50:2 ; Isa 52:9 f.; Isa 59:16-21 ; Isa 62:11 we have the idea of the salvation of Jehovah. The idea is that salvation originated with God and that man in his impotency could neither devise the plan of salvation nor aid in securing it. These passages are expressions of the pity with which God looks down on a lost world. The redemption, or salvation, here means both temporal and spiritual salvation salvation from enemies and salvation from sin.
In Isa 9:1 f. we have him presented as a great light to the people of Zebulun and Naphtali. In Isa 49:6 we have him presented as a light to the Gentiles and salvation to the end of the earth: “Yea, he saith, It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
In Isa 8:14-15 Isaiah presents him as a stone of stumbling: “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble thereon, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.”
The prophet’s vision of his maltreatment and rejection are found in Isa 50:4-9 ; Isa 52:13-53:12 . In this we have the vision of him giving his “back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.” We see a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. His visage is so marred it startled all nations. He is a vicarious sacrifice. The chastisement of the peace of others is on him. The iniquity of others is put on him. It pleases the Father to bruise him until he has poured out his soul unto death as an offering for sin.
The teaching of Isaiah on the election of the Jews is his teaching concerning the “holy remnant,” a favorite expression of the prophet. See Isa 1:9 ; Isa 10:20-22 ; Isa 11:11 ; Isa 11:16 ; Isa 37:4 ; Isa 37:31-32 ; Isa 46:3 . This coincides with Paul’s teaching in Romans 9-11.
In Isa 32:15 we find Isaiah’s teaching on the pouring out of the Holy Spirit: “Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest,” and in Isa 44:3 : “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.”
In Isa 11:10 he is said to be the ensign of the nations: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting place shall be glorious.”
Isa 19:18-25 ; Isa 54:1-3 ; Isa 60:1-22 teach the enlargement of the church. The great invitation and promise are found in Isa 55 .
The Messiah in judgments is found in Isa 63:1-6 . Here we behold an avenger. He comes up out of Edom with dyed garments from Bozra. All his raiment is stained with the blood of his enemies whom he has trampled in his vengeance as grapes are crushed in the winevat and the restoration of the Jews is set forth in Isa 11:11-12 ; Isa 60:9-15 ; Isa 66:20 . Under the prophet’s graphic pencil or glowing brush we behold the establishment and growth of his kingdom unlike all other kingdoms, a kingdom within men, a kingdom whose principles are justice, righteousness, and equity and whose graces are faith, hope, love, and joy, an undying and ever-growing kingdom. Its prevalence is like the rising waters of Noah’s flood; “And the waters prevailed and increased mightily upon the earth. And the water prevailed mightily, mightily upon the earth; and all the high mountains, that are under the whole heavens, were covered.”
So this kingdom grows under the brush of the prophetic limner until its shores are illimitable. War ceases. Gannenta rolled in the blood of battle become fuel for fire. Conflagration is quenched. Famine outlawed. Pestilence banished. None are left to molest or make afraid. Peace flows like a river. The wolf dwells with the lamb. The leopard lies down with the kid. The calf and the young lion walk forth together and a little child is leading them. The cow and the bear feed in one pasture and their young ones are bedfellows. The sucking child safely plays over the hole of the asp, and weaned children put their hands in the adder’s den. In all the holy realms none hurt nor destroy, because the earth is as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the fathomless ocean is full of water. Rapturous vision! Sublime and ineffable consummation! Was it only a dream?
In many passages the prophet turns in the gleams from the millennial age, but one of the clearest and best on the millennium, which is in line with the preceding paragraph, Isa 11:6-9 : “And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together: and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.”
The prophet’s vision of the destruction of death is given in Isa 25:8 : “He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it,” and in Isa 26:19 : “Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.”
The clearest outlines of the prophet’s vision of “Paradise Regained” are to be found in Isa 25:8 , and in two passages in chapter Isa 66 : Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees, as one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hands of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants ; and he will have indignation against his enemies. Isa 66:10-14
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah. Isa 66:22-23
QUESTIONS
1. What is the relation between the New Testament Christ and prophecy?
2. What can you say of Isaiah as a witness of the Messiah?
3. What can you say of Isaiah’s pictures of the Messiah and their background?
4. Following in the order of Christ’s manifestation, what is the first picture of him in Isaiah?
5. What is the second messianic glimpse in Isaiah?
6. What is Isaiah’s picture of the incarnation?
7. What is Isaiah’s picture of the divine child?
8. What is Isaiah’s vision of his descent, his relation to the Holy Spirit, his administration of justice, and the results of his reign?
9. What is Isaiah’s vision of the Messiah’s herald?
10. What is the prophet’s vision of his anointing?
11. What is the prophet’s vision of him as a miracle worker?
12. What is the prophet’s vision of the character of the Messiah?
13. What is the prophet’s vision of him as the key bearer?
14. What is the prophet’s vision of him as a king and a hiding place?
15. What is the prophet’s vision of the Messiah as a foundation stone?
16. What is the prophet’s vision of him as a polished shaft?
17. In what passages do we find the idea of the salvation of Jehovah, and what the significance of the idea?
18. What is Isaiah’s vision of the Messiah as a light?
19. Where does Isaiah present him as a stone of stumbling?
20. What is the prophet’s vision of his maltreatment and rejection?
21. What is the teaching of Isaiah on the election of the Jews?
22. Where do we find Isaiah’s teaching on the pouring out of the Holy Spirit?
23. Where is he said to be the ensign of the nations?
24. What passages teach the enlargement of the church?
25. Where is the great invitation and promise?
26. Where is the Messiah in judgment?
27. What passages show the restoration of the Jews?
28. What is the prophet’s vision of the Messiah’s kingdom?
29. What is the prophet’s vision of the millennium?
30. What is the prophet’s vision of the destruction of death?
31. What is the prophet’s vision of “Paradise Regained?”
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
XIII
THE BOOK OF ISAIAH PART 5
Isa 10:5-12:6
The general theme of this section is the abasement of the Assyrians and the exaltation of Israel, and the main divisions are:
1. The Assyrian exalted and then abased (Isa 10:5-27 )
2. Judah humbled and then exalted (Isa 10:28-12:6 ).
There are five distinct paragraphs in the first division:
1. The Assyrian was the rod of Jehovah, though he did not so thinker purpose it, and threatened Jerusalem because of his successes (Isa 10:5-11 ).
2. His abasement decreed because he took the glory to himself and became exalted (Isa 10:12-14 ).
3. Jehovah’s right to abase Assyria is the right of the hewer over the ax and the sawyer over the saw, therefore the punishment will be complete (Isa 10:15-19 ).
4. The remnant will be encouraged when they see Jehovah’s destruction of their enemies (Isa 10:20-23 ).
5. Jehovah’s exhortation to his people not to fear the Assyrians, for he meant good to them by this correction, but now he was about ready to stretch forth his hand to destroy their enemies, just as he had saved his people in their past history from their enemies (Isa 10:24-27 ).
There are five distinct items also in the second division:
1. A vivid description of the invading Assyrian, indicating his course and progress through the land and his threat against Jerusalem (Isa 10:28-32 ).
2. A prophecy of the destruction of the proud Assyrians by Jehovah himself (Isa 10:33-34 ).
3. A shoot out of the stock of Jesse becomes the Deliverer, the Prince of Peace (Isa 11:1-10 ).
4. The return of Jehovah’s people from all lands (Isa 11:11-16 ).
5. The song of the redeemed (Isa 12 ).
The last three items are messianic and need very careful and extended consideration which we now take up. An appropriate text with which to introduce this great messianic prophecy is a passage from Acts:
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said. It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. Act 13:46 f.
The single point in this passage to which attention is called, is the fact that Paul calls a prophecy, that the gospel should go to the Gentiles, a command; that what is prophesied by the Spirit of God becomes a command resting upon the children of God. He says, “We turn to the Gentiles, for so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles.” Now if a prophecy of the giving of the gospel to the Gentiles is a command upon God’s people, then a prophecy of the ultimate conversion of the Jews becomes also a command resting upon his people.
Now let us look at Isa 11:1 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” In the book of Job it is said: “There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again; that through the vapor of water it will sprout and it will bring forth and bear.” We have seen that illustrated hundreds of times when from the stumps of trees that have been cut down shoots will spring up and make new trees. This means that the royal line of David, who was the son of Jesse, had fallen under great misfortune and under the curses of God for their sin, and that the house of David was brought very low. It was, as if it were a tree cut down. Now, when it seemed to be utterly gone, there should come out from the stump of that Davidic tree a tender branch, and that branch should become a fruit-bearing tree that would be more remarkable than the original tree itself. Jesse’s home was Bethlehem, and in the New Testament times the family of David had gotten so low that Mary and Joseph, who both belonged to it, were able to present as offerings only a pair of turtle doves, indicating their great poverty. Joseph was a carpenter and a very poor man. Now, when they came to Bethlehem and Christ was born, that, according to a multitude of scriptures which I will not take time to cite, was the springing up of the sprout from the stump of the tree of Jesse.
Isa 11:2 says: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” This was fulfilled at his baptism, when coming up out of the water he prayed, and the Spirit of God descended upon him in the form of a dove. This was his anointing, and John says that on that day he received the Spirit of God without measure. All people upon whom the Spirit of God had descended before that time had received it in a limited degree, a measured degree) but the fulness of the Spirit’s power by the anointing rested upon the Lord Jesus Christ, so that it might be called the “spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” He himself in Nazareth, where he had been brought up, read a passage from this same prophecy of Isaiah, where the spirit of the Lord was promised to rest upon him, and declared that on that day that prophecy was fulfilled in their midst; that he stood before them as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah, and that the Spirit of the Lord had anointed him to preach the gospel to the poor, to give sight to the blind, to give deliverance to the imprisoned, those that were in bondage, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, that is, the jubilee year, the fiftieth sabbatical year, that antitype of the Old Testament which prefigured the millennial day, when the trumpet should be blown throughout the ends of the earth, announcing that all bondage was ended, that all prison doors were open, that all the burdens and ails that flesh was heir to were to be removed. He announced that through his induement of the Spirit he came to preach that. Consequently the next verses say that this Spirit of induement shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall slay the wicked.
The life of our Lord as set forth in the Four Gospels illustrates all that is here foretold. Never before in the history of the world had there come one whose initiative perception of the realities of things was so vast; who was never misled by an apparent state of affairs, but who looked through all seeming and all masks to the very heart of things, so that he never made a mistake. He read the heart of every man that came and propounded a question to him. He understood the motive that was back of the question, and in making his reply to these inquiries he never for one moment used a flattering term, but he laid bare the secrets of the innermost heart, and all he said was in righteousness. When cases came before him in which the great were oppressing the small, in which the rich were grinding the poor, in which the hypocrite was taking advantage of the simple, in all these cases he reproved as the oracle of God. He swept away the subterfuges under which men disguised their real nature, and unveiled the iniquity of their purposes, and no earthly position and honor, no gathering of the multitude upon one side of the question, ever deterred him from speaking the plainest and simplest truth without fear, without favor, and without partiality. The earth had never been so reproved with equity for the meek. The lowly ones found in him their everlasting friend, a tower of strength, and the exalted ones found in him their mightiest enemy, when their exaltation was based not upon merit and not upon truth, but upon a fictitious or adventitious circumstance.
The prophecy goes on now to tell the ultimate results:
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall go to the pasture; their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like an ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
Now, here is a fulfilment that has not yet come the prevalence of the knowledge of God over the whole earth and such an acceptance of the teaching of Jesus Christ as shall put an end to the strifes and bitterness of time; in the imagery here put forth, as if a cow and a bear should go out to the pasture together; as if a lion’s nature should be so changed that he should eat grass like an ox; as if a leopard and a kid should lie down together, the kid without a fear, and the leopard without the lust of the kid’s blood; that a baby, perfectly helpless, a little child, sucking child, should put out his hand upon a venomous reptile, and a child a little older, a weaned child, should thrust his hand into the den of a basilisk, or cockatrice, as it is here called.
Now, these figures indicate to us what is called the millennial times, the thousand years in which wars will cease and differences between peoples will be settled by arbitration, and according to another prophecy in this book, that Jesus Christ shall be the Arbiter between the nations, that is, that there will come a time when the principles presented in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and not the principles adopted at the Hague Conference, shall be the basis of the settlement of differences between nations. It is a long way to that time now but it will come.
It is the logical and inexorable result of the world’s full acceptance of the teaching of Jesus Christ. The hope of every Christian is turned to that time, and no matter how sinister, for the time being, may be the portents on the political sky, nor how gloomy the forebodings of the pessimistic mind, yet the true Christian is heart fired by faith and is essentially an optimist. He sees the good times coming. He does not believe that this world is going to destruction. He does not believe that God has vacated the throne of government, or allowed to slip from his hand the reins of government) but that on high, above all mutations of time and clouds and fogs and dusts of earth’s battle, in a serenity that is never clouded, he looks down calmly upon what seems to be the ceaseless perturbations of time, knowing that in his own way, retaining his control of every spring of activity, of every source of power and of the ultimate forces of nature and morals, he is bringing things to pass in a way that is perfectly irresistible. Every word of God ever spoken in the past, that was to be fulfilled up to the present time, has been fulfilled literally, and we shall see the fulfilment of this prophecy in due time.
The second part of the chapter, whose connections with Rom 11 would be apparent is as follows:
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the peoples, to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
This is a distinct prophecy, connecting the gathering together of dispersed Israel in some way with that period of millennial peace and glory. It is to be in connection with that prevalence of the knowledge of the Lord that will fill the whole earth; not the first gathering, as when he led Israel out of Egypt; not the first gathering from Babylon, as when by the command of Cyrus the captives were ordered to return to their own land; not the first time, from Elam or Cush, whose kings issued decrees, that is, the decree of Cyrus, the decree of Darius Hystaspes, the decree of Artaxerxes, and the second decree of Artaxerxes, all bearing upon the return of the Jews to their native land. That was the first time. Now he says it shall come to pass in that day, that is yet ahead of us, that “A second time I will gather the dispersed of Israel from all the lands of the earth,” mentioning Cush, or Ethiopia, Egypt, Persia, and Assyria. This gathering will certainly come.
He says, “And he will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart.” Ephraim, that is, the Ten Tribes, always envied Judah, and that envy had to do with the partition of the kingdom and the calamities that came upon the divided nation. Now when this gathering takes place the Ten Tribes shall this time be without envy against Judah, and “Judah shall not vex Ephraim. And they . . . shall fly upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west . . . and the children of Ammon shall obey them.” That is to say, the Gentiles shall become nursing mothers and fathers to the Jewish people, and this gathering of the Jewish people shall be brought about through the action of the Gentile nations. That is yet to be fulfilled.
Whether the initiation of the movement shall take place by England, or Germany, or the United States, we do not know, but the Word of God, which has never failed, will yet bring about a change of the sentiment of Gentiles toward the Jewish people. The reproach of being a Jew will be taken away. For a long time the name of a Jew has been a stench in the nostrils of other nations. The Romans hated him. The Greeks hated him. The Russians hate him today. The Germans hated him. The English kings ground him to powder. From all parts of the world the hand of the oppressor has been stretched forth to smite the Jew. Now it is the prophecy of God that through the intervention of Gentile nations these despised Jewish people shall be gathered together.
Two thousand years have passed away since they cut off their Messiah and he cut them off, but Paul says, “Hath he cast them off forever? God forbid.” When they fell in betrayal of their Messiah did they fall forever? He affirms positively that they did not. They fell, but it was in the purposes of God only to allow the opening of a door of salvation to the Gentiles. Three years and a half after the crucifixion of Christ the gospel that had for the past seven years been preached exclusively to Jews took a different direction, and from that time on we have no historical account of any great number of Jews being converted. Multitudes of them were converted from the time of Christ’s baptism to the time of Saul’s persecution three thousand in one day, five thousand another day, great multitudes at other times, so that we may reasonably conclude that at least a hundred thousand Jews were converted in the seven years lasting from the beginning of the public ministry of Christ, at his baptism, when he was received and anointed, to the persecution under Saul of Tarsus, which turned the attention of the church to the Gentile world, and from that time on the thousands of converts have come from the Gentiles. The kingdom of God had been taken from the Jews and given to the Gentiles. Now, says the apostle Paul, Is that permanent? When they stumbled that way did they fall finally? He says, “No”; that stumbling was not final, because the gifts and callings of God are without any change of mind, and he has not utterly cast off his people, but he has permitted their fall to bring about the salvation of the Gentiles, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
But the Jews will be cut off as long as the great period of evangelization lasts among the Gentiles; just that long Jerusalem shall be trodden under foot of the Gentiles. The Jew shall not occupy his holy land, nor his ancient city, but there will be a full measure ultimately, when because of sin on the part of the Gentiles the glorious opportunities that are enjoyed today will be taken away; when we have allowed our hearts to wax cold and our faith to become dim, and have turned away from that induement of power which comes by the Holy Spirit, and trust to money, and trust to personal influence, and trust to human eloquence; when we have shut our eyes to the shining of the galaxy of perfect stars that are blazing in the darkness. Then the fulness of the Gentiles will have come.
Another result is here described: “And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea.” The tongue of the Egyptian sea is the Red Sea which projects away up into Egypt, and when, in the olden time the captives were brought out of Egypt, with the wind God divided the tongue of that sea, and they passed over dry shod. Now, something similar to that will occur in the later times: “And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it into seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.”
When these Jews were approaching their Holy Land in the olden time, the Jordan was swelling in its flood, with full banks, and by the voice of God the river was cut in twain, and the people passed over it. Now, by miracles as astounding as the Red Sea and the passage of the river Jordan, shall the difficulties and obstacles in the way of the gathering of the Jewish people be removed in the later time. “And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” The King of Persia gave an order when the Jews were allowed to return, that men should be sent to prepare a way for them to go, and all of the officers of the Persian government along the entire line of the passageway to the Holy Land were commanded, by money and every kindness, to facilitate the passage of these people back to their ancient home. Now, in the time spoken of here, from every land of dispersion there shall be a highway, an easy traveling path, for the returning Jewish remnant. It is this conversion of the Jews that shall usher in the millennial times.
Zechariah’s testimony to this event is clear and that shall be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Zechariah: “I will pour upon the house of David) and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son.” Their mourning in that time shall be greater than their mourning when King Josiah died in the battle of Megiddon. There the independent monarchy of the Jews died a royal death. After that time the three descendants of Josiah were mere dependents upon Babylon. Consequently the mourning of the Jews when Josiah died was the greatest mourning in their history. Jeremiah wrote an elegy on him. Now, says this prophecy of Zechariah, They shall ultimately be so convicted of their sins by the outpouring of the spirit of God upon their hearts that they shall see the Messiah whom they have pierced, and the mourning that they will experience will be greater than the mourning in which they indulged when King Josiah died. The prophecy then goes on to state that in that day there shall be opened up for the house of Israel and the seed of David a fountain for sin and uncleanness. That is the prophecy upon which Cowper wrote the hymn that lingers on the lips of all congregations which praise God: There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins, And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains.
Now this prophecy declares that that fountain in that day shall be opened for the Jews. Gentile sinners already for two thousand years have been plunging into its cleansing stream, but Israel standeth afar off, a people under ban, an outcast, stricken and forlorn people, the contempt of the nations of the earth. But the full tide of millennial glory can never come until these Jews be converted.
I cited that passage in Act 13 , which said that when God prophesied that Jews should become a light to the Gentiles, that operated as a commandment upon his church to preach the gospel to the Gentiles; so now when God prophesies the future salvation of the Jewish people, and that operates as a commandment upon us to turn our attention to the salvation of the Jews, knowing that that is the last barrier between us and that glorious time when the leopard and the kid shall lie down together, when the cow and the bear shall go off together to the same pasture, when the lion shall eat straw like an ox, when the helpless babe will need no protection though coming in contact with the most ravenous wild beast or the most venomous serpent, because the power to hurt is taken away from all of God’s holy mountain, and the old paradise time has come back, when Adam and Eve without fear mingled with the beasts, and they even passed in review before them. The lion did not crouch at his coming, the tiger did not glare upon him with malignancy, but the fear of man was on all of the brute creation. Sin came and destroyed the majesty of man and brought about a war between the man and all the beasts of the field, and brought a curse upon the earth, so that it produces thorns and briers. Now, in the millennial times the disabilities which attach to present life, the misfortunes which come, the wars whose thunders today shake the Orient and whose echoes frighten the Occident, shall cease. God speed that day, when hatred shall lie down to ashes, when envies and jealousies and strifes have come to an end; when this world, this errant globe, that through sin swung out of its orbit of allegiance to God, and wandered rebelliously and darkly into space, shall feel the centripetal attraction of the sun of righteousness, and by the attracting power of the Son of God shall be brought back to its place among the realms of the universe and chaos is ended, and order and harmony restored.
The prophet goes right on from chapter II into the song of the redeemed, which is a perfect little gem of literature and reminds us of the song of Miriam and Moses on the banks of deliverance from the Egyptians, or the great song of deliverance from the apostate church as we have it in Revelation. Here they sing of Jehovah’s goodness and his comfort, his salvation and his strength, his excellence and his greatness. They are now drawing water out of the wells of salvation and rejoicing in their triumphs over their oppressors. That will be a glorious, good day for God’s people when the Jews accept the Messiah and add their joyous hallelujahs to the chorus of the redeemed. Then will they make glad the city of God in publishing the good tidings to earth’s remotest bounds. Ye pilgrims on the road To Zion’s city, sing: Sing on, rejoicing every day In Christ th’ eternal King.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the general theme of this section?
2. What is the main divisions of this section?
3. What are the several items of the first division, Isa 10:5-27 ?
4. What are the several items of the second division, Isa 10:28-12:6 ?
5. What would be an appropriate text with which to introduce this great messianic prophecy?
6. What is the single point of the application of this passage to the matter in hand?
7. Explain the “rod out of the stem of Jesse” and its application.
8. Explain the verse Isa 2 : when fulfilled, what the proof and what the results?
9. How are all these things here foretold illustrated in the life of our Lord?
10. What is the ultimate results as here foretold?
11. What can you say of the fulfilment as to the final results?
12. What is indicated by this prophecy, how to be realized, and what its bearing on the Christian’s outlook?
13. What is the prophecy of the second item of the chapter and with what other scripture is it connected?
14. When is this to be realized and what gathering is this to be?
15. How is all this to be brought about, i.e., by whom and what to be one of the glorious results?
16. How long now since the Jews were cut off, how, when, and why and what hope does Paul hold out to the Jews?
17. How long are the Jews to be cut off and what will indicate the approach of the end of the Gentile dispensation?
18. What is another result and what its meaning?
19. What is Zechariah’s testimony to this event?
20. What is our relation to this great future event?
21. What is the nature and contents of Isa 12 ?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Isa 12:1 And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
Ver. 1. And in that day, ] sc., When there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse. as Isa 11:1 Blessed be God for a Christ. Psa 96:1-13 Rev 6:11
Thou shalt say.
I will praise thee.
Thine anger is turned away.
And thou comfortedst me,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isaiah Chapter 12
The song for “that day” concludes this section of our prophet, and is divided into two parts: the first of which (vv. 1-3) is Israel’s praise for what God has been and is to itself; the second (vv.4-6) is the call to one another to spread His praise in all the earth, though Zion be still the centre where God dwells. Yet the defiling hand of neology has not spared the entire chapter, which it declares an expletive, added by another writer to the already complete series foregoing, and not even in the tone, style, or phraseology of Isaiah. Now it is plain to any spiritual mind how sensible the loss would be if this most worthy conclusion of praise were lopped off. Everyone ought to see that the change to such a song involves a tone and style and phrase quite different from the grave addresses and denunciations and the solemn predictions which have preceded, but is the simple and suited sequel of Isa 11 .
“And in that day thou shalt say, I will praise thee, O Jehovah. Though thou hast been angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. Behold, God [is] my salvation: I will trust and not be afraid; for Jah Jehovah [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation. And ye shall draw water with joy from the fountains of salvation.”*
* This verse 3 is no interruption of the song, but a connected and beautifully harmonious part of it, and transitional to what follows.
“And in that day ye shall say, Give ye thanks to Jehovah; call upon his name; declare his doings among the peoples; make mention that his name is exalted. Sing psalms of Jehovah, for he hath done splendid things; this is [or, be it] known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, O inhabitress of Zion; for great in the midst of thee [is] the Holy One of Israel” (vv. 1-6).
Certainly it is not a temporal deliverance only, however astonishing and complete, but there are rich blessings for the soul also. Best of all, the Holy One of Israel dwells in their midst. This, however, in no way takes it from Israel, nor compels us to interpret it of the Gentiles, however surely we now profit even more deeply during the gospel by the grace of God still more profoundly known in Christ. But it is plain that as a whole the language strictly belongs to a body once forsaken by God, and long the object of divine displeasure. This is not true of the church, but is precisely applicable to the ancient people of God, in the day when Messiah shall be manifested to them, and they shall say with heart and mouth, Blessed He that cometh in the name of Jehovah.
We have the amplest ground, material, and pattern for our praise, as the church of God, in the New Testament. And it differs essentially from Israel’s, who do not speak of the Father and the Son, and know not what it is to draw near into the holiest through the rent veil, any more than it will be theirs to suffer with Christ; whereas we walk by faith, and wait for Him by virtue of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. This cannot be conceived to be their experience, who have Christ reigning over the earth, freed from the tempter and blessed with boundless favours here below.
It is sad to read the words of Bishop Lowth, a man of refined taste rather than of Biblical lore, that “this hymn seems, by its whole tenor, and by many expressions in it, much better calculated for the Christian church than for the Jewish, in any circumstances, at any time that can be assigned.” The fact is that every word quite suits Jews when delivered and under the Messiah’s reign, and that not a sentence is in harmony with the church of God. There is no God and Father of Christ before us; there is no Christ in heaven made known by the Holy Spirit’s power in the saints; there is no consciousness of union in one body. His more intelligent father, W. Lowth, talked of “the triumphant state of the church”; but this will be in heavenly glory. Whereas it is earth only that is contemplated here.
The inhabitress of Zion has indeed the foremost place, and is called to cry aloud and shout, for great is the Holy One of Israel that dwells in its midst; but the Jews, blessed themselves to overflowing, are called, and will answer to the call, and declare Jehovah’s deeds among the peoples, and announce that His name is exalted. In all the earth is known what sublime things He has done. Mercy so rich causes greed and jealousy, pride and vanity, to vanish.
We may observe that the usual notion of “Jah” as an abbreviated form of “Jehovah” can hardly consist with its usage here (v. 2) along with “Jehovah.” See also Isa 26:4 , where the same association occurs. As “Jehovah” is used for the name of God in relation with His people (Exo 6 ), His name of moral government in general (Gen 2 . and throughout the Old Testament, with or without the name of Elohim), so “Jah” appears to express His intrinsic being. There is therefore great force in combining it with His name of relationship; while its own propriety remains where it stands alone, as in Exo 15:2 , Exo 17:16 ; Psa 118:14 . Jah then is God in His absolute being, the Self-existent; Jehovah in His relative and continuous character, the God of ages especially in connection with the sons of Israel, Who fulfils at length the promises He made to the fathers as God Almighty. So in Exo 15:2 , “Jah is my strength and song”; and in Exo 17:16 , “The hand is on the throne of Jah” as the oath that “Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” So in Psa 68:4 , “His name is Jah”; and in v. 18 we find “the dwelling of Jah Elohim” for “the rebellious.” “The Most High,” as in Isa 14:14 , and often from Gen 14:18 , etc., abundantly in the Psalms, and also in the so-called Chaldee of Daniel, is His title to be displayed in the future kingdom, when all rivals vanish into their nothingness.
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 12:1-6
1Then you will say on that day,
I will give thanks to You, O LORD;
For although You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away,
And You comfort me.
2Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the LORD GOD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
3Therefore you will joyously draw water
From the springs of salvation.
4And in that day you will say,
Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name.
Make known His deeds among the peoples;
Make them remember that His name is exalted.
5Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things;
Let this be known throughout the earth.
6Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 12:1 you will say The VERB (BDB 55, KB 65, Qal PERFECT) denotes a settled attitude of an individual Israelite (SINGULAR). It is much like the song of victory found in Exo 15:1-17. This is also a song of praise for YHWH’s deliverance . One person speaks on behalf of the covenant community.
This brief poem was placed here because it connects to the return from exile mentioned in Isa 11:11-16. It also has a relation to the theological goal of the nations knowing and coming to YHWH (cf. Isa 2:2-4; Isa 11:10; Isa 12:4-6).
on that day This is an idiom for YHWH’s action within history, either temporally or eschatologically. There is a time of reckoning coming. For some, a time of joy and victory, for others a time of judgment and rejection! Covenant disobedience affects time and eternity!
Because this phrase appears in both v.1 and Isa 12:4 it is possible that this chapter is two hymns of praise (cf. JB).
I will give thanks This VERB (BDB 392, KB 389 II, Hiphil IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense) basically means to throw or to cast. However, especially in the Psalms, in the Hiphil stem it denotes to confess or to praise. It is found in Isaiah in Isa 12:1; Isa 12:4; Isa 25:1; Isa 38:18-19.
O LORD See Special Topic: Names for Deity .
although You were angry with me This reflects YHWH’s reaction to His covenant love being violated repeatedly (cf. Isa 40:1-2; Isa 54:8; and many others). God’s wrath is difficult for many Bible readers to understand. For me a comparison of Deu 5:9 with Isa 5:10 and Isa 7:9 helps. God’s anger is best understood as parental discipline (cf. Heb 12:5-13).
Your anger is turned away This VERB (BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal JUSSIVE) is often translated repent, when used of humans. In a sense YHWH repents (i.e., changed His mind and actions) toward His covenant people (i.e., Hos 11:8-9). In the OT it is often specifically connected to their repentance. However, in the NT (and new covenant, Jer 31:31-34; Eze 36:22-38) it is motivated by His grace and mercy, apart from fallen humanity’s ability to perform/conform/reform!
And You comfort me This VERB (BDB 636, KB 688, Piel IMPERFECT) means comfort, or console (cf. Isa 22:4; Isa 40:1; Isa 51:3; Isa 51:12; Isa 51:19; Isa 61:2; Isa 66:13). After judgment comes comfort; after discipline fellowship is restored! There is hope for rebels and sinners in the unchanging merciful character of YHWH (cf. Mal 3:6).
Isa 12:2 God is my salvation There is no VERB in this line of poetry, which intensifies the phrase.
For the term salvation (BDB 447) see Special Topic: Salvation (OT Term) .
I will trust This VERB (BDB 105, KB 120, Qal IMPERFECT) denotes that which is firm (i.e., reliable) or to fall prostrate before. This VERB expresses a confident reliance on God (cf. Isa 26:3-4; Psa 78:22).
and not be afraid This VERB (BDB 808, KB 922, Qal IMPERFECT) is the opposite of trust (cf. Deu 28:66; Isa 44:8; Isa 44:11). Because they trust YHWH, there is no reason to fear His wrath, but rely on His covenant love and promises (cf. 1Jn 4:17-18)!
the LORD GOD This is two related titles for Deity.
1. , BDB 219 contraction of YHWH (cf. Exo 17:16; Psa 118:14; Isa 26:4; Isa 38:11)
2. , BDB 217 (YHWH)
For a full discussion of the theories connected to the covenant name of God from the VERB to be, see Special Topic: Names for Deity .
my strength and song Like Isa 12:2 a, there is no VERB with these two NOUNS, which are pointed by the Masoretic scholars.
1. strength, BDB 738, describes the Servant in Isa 49:5 and Israel’s praise in Psa 81:1
2. song, BDB 274 I; these same two NOUNS are found in Moses’ song of victory in Exo 15:2, also in Psa 118:14
The meaning of the second NOUN, is uncertain (BDB 275 II).
1. song, NASB, NKJV, NJB, Peshitta (BDB 274 I, KB 274 I)
2. might, NRSV, TEV, JPSOA (KB 274 II)
3. LXX has my glory and my praise
4. REB has my refuge and defense
5. the same form () as here appears in Gen 43:11, where it is translated the best products of the land
It is surprising that line 1 seems to affirm something that line 4 sees as progressive. Hebrew poetry is ambiguous. See Special Topic: Hebrew Poetry .
Isa 12:3 The VERB has two metaphors.
1. God’s gift of life-giving water, so important to those who depend on agriculture and livestock. Good water was seen as a blessing from God (cf. Deuteronomy 27-29).
2. Salvation/deliverance is described as an abundant source of God’s gift (cf. Isa 48:18; Psa 36:9; Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13).
you The SINGULAR of Isa 12:1-2 changes to the PLURAL of collective joy (cf. Isa 12:4-6).
Isa 12:4-6 These verses list the things God’s joyful, grateful people (cf. Isa 12:6 b) should do and why (Isa 12:5 b; 6b)
1. give thanks, BDB 392, KB 389, Hiphil IMPERATIVE, cf. Isa 12:1 (i.e., worship setting)
2. call on His name, BDB 894, KB 1128, Qal IMPERATIVE (i.e., worship setting)
3. make known His deeds among the peoples, BDB 393, KB 390, HIphil IMPERATIVE
4. make them remember that His name is exalted, BDB 269, KB 269, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
5. praise the Lord in song, BDB 274 I, KB 273, Piel IMPERATIVE (i.e., worship setting)
6. let this be known through the earth, Kethiv (it is written) BDB 393, KB 390, Pual PARTICIPLE; Qere (it is read) BDB 393, KB 390, Hophal PARTICIPLE (Owens, Analytical Key has Hiphil PARTICIPLE)
7. cry aloud, BDB 843, KB 1007, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Isa 54:1
8. shout for joy, BDB 943, KB 1247, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Isa 54:1
Again notice the missionary mandate (cf. Isa 2:2-4; Isa 51:4-5).
Isa 12:4 call on His name This phrase implies participation in a worship setting (cf. Gen 4:26; Gen 12:8; Gen 21:33; Gen 26:25; Exo 34:5-7; Rom 10:9-13). The name would represent His person, His character! By calling on Him we acknowledge our need for Him and our desire to be like Him and pleasing to Him. This phrase denotes a desire for fellowship (cf. Isa 43:1; Isa 45:3-4)!
The NIDOTTE, vol. 4, p. 150, has a good list related to YHWH’s name.
1. it can be praised, Joe 2:26
2. it can be loved, Psa 5:11
3. it can be declared, Psa 22:22
4. it can be feared, Mal 4:2
5. it can be waited on, Psa 52:9
6. it can be proclaimed, Isa 12:4
7. it can be walked on, Mic 4:5
8. it can be blasphemed, Isa 52:5
9. it can be polluted, Jer 34:6
10. it can be profaned, Eze 36:21-23
God’s people can reflect Him positively or negatively, but we do reflect Him (cf. Mat 5:13-16)!
Isa 12:5 Let this be known throughout the earth YHWH’s goal is that all humans made in His image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26-27); created with fellowship with Himself (cf. Gen 3:8) return to an intimate, daily faith relationship with their Creator! This is the goal of revelation (cf. Isa 2:2-4; Isa 25:6-9; Isa 42:6-12; Isa 45:22-23; Isa 49:5-6; Isa 51:4-5; Isa 56:6-8; Isa 60:1-3; Isa 66:23; Psa 22:27; Ps. 66:24; Psa 86:8-10; Mic 4:1-4; Mal 1:11; Joh 3:16; Joh 4:42; 1Ti 2:4; Tit 2:11; 2Pe 3:9; 1Jn 2:1; 1Jn 4:14).
Isa 12:6 This verse is set in the Temple in Jerusalem. The space between the wings of the two Cherubim over the Ark of the Covenant was seen as YHWH’s footstool, the place where heaven and earth met. This description parallels the child’s name, Immanuel, which means God is with us. There is no greater blessing than the presence of YHWH and a personal relationship with Him!
the Holy One of Israel See notes at Isa 1:11; Isa 1:24.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Chapter 12
And in that day ( Isa 12:1 ).
This day of the Lord when He returns and establishes His kingdom.
thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me ( Isa 12:1 ).
This is, of course, the declaration of Israel who had been dispersed in the anger of the Lord. And now as they are returning, they’re returning to God, they shall look upon Him whom they have pierced and they shall weep over Him as one weeps over their only son that is lost and all. And this beautiful recognition by the nation Israel that Jesus is indeed the true Messiah. And so they will praise the Lord and they will say, “You were angry with us, but now Your anger is turned away and now You are our comfort.”
Behold, God is my salvation ( Isa 12:2 );
That’s the name Joshua or Jesus. The acknowledgment of Jesus. They’re acknowledging that, “God is my salvation.” Jehoshua, the name of Jesus.
I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he is become my salvation ( Isa 12:2 ).
And the word “Jehovah is salvation” is the name Jesus. So it speaks here very clearly of the recognition of Jesus as the Savior, even as we are told, “Behold, He comes with the clouds; every eye shall see Him” ( Rev 1:7 ). They also which pierced Him shall mourn and all. The recognition that Jesus, Jehovah, is their salvation, is become my salvation; Jehovah Shua.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation ( Isa 12:3 ).
Jesus stood and cried saying to them, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink” ( Joh 7:37 ). But they refused to come. And so in Revelation the last chapter, Jesus said, “Let him that is athirst come, and drink of the water of life freely” ( Rev 22:17 ). In that day they will accept the offer and they will draw with joy the water out of the wells of salvation.
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD ( Isa 12:4 ),
Now that seems to bug a lot of people because it seems to be an indication the person’s getting sort of turned on, and some people object to people getting turned on to the Lord. I have a friend who was a pastor here in Santa Ana and he pastored the Northside Church of Christ. He started coming to some Bible studies that we were holding here in Costa Mesa and he really got turned on to the Lord. And because we were always going around, all the kids in the Bible study and all, were always going around just rejoicing in the Lord saying, “Oh, praise the Lord!” And as he began to see the work of God and as God began to work in a vital way in his life, he started saying, “Oh, praise the Lord!” Well, he finally was called before his church board, and one of the orders that the church board gave to him was don’t use the phrase “Praise the Lord” anymore. It’s undignified. And he was forbidden by his church board. Well, he didn’t last long, because when you see God working so much, it’s just awfully hard not to say, “Praise the Lord!” when you really see the work of God being accomplished.
There is a magazine, religious magazine that is filled with satire and sarcasm. It’s called the Wittenberg Door published down in San Diego area, El Cajon. And these guys are always panning some segment in the body of Christ, and I understand that the latest pan is against the Charismatics. And in one of the descriptions of them, it refers to them as these people are always going around saying, “Praise the Lord!” Trying to sort of put down the exuberance, the joy, the excitement that we experience when we see God really working. Oh, praise the Lord! In that day they’re going to say it, and so I don’t see any problem of saying it today. When you really…
They’re excited because God is working. They’re excited because they are taking now the wells of salvation. They’re excited because they have discovered that Jesus is the Messiah. Well, I’ve discovered that He’s the Messiah, so I should have the privilege of going ahead and saying it now. Praise the Lord for the glorious salvation that we have through Jesus Christ.
call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he has done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee ( Isa 12:4-6 ).
And so this is the glorious acclamation and praise and all that comes when Jesus returns and sets Himself up as the King over the earth. And that whole recognition now as the Lord reigns finally over the earth. As His kingdom has now come and soon His will is to be done here on earth, even as it is in heaven. And we’re going to enter in to this glorious new age. Oh, who can’t say Praise the Lord to that? When we see the world as God wants it to be. When we dwell together in love. When we dwell together in peace. When we dwell together in just this full openness of love one to another. It’s going to be glorious! “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Isa 12:1-6
Isa 12:1-5
This chapter is composed of a beautiful song of thanksgiving. The closing verses of the previous chapter had made what is probably a symbolical mention of the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage by their passage over the Red Sea by the hand of God. Of course there was a song of thanksgiving, the Song of Moses and of Miriam (Exo 15:1-27). This song seems to have been prompted by that previous deliverance; for in some ways this song resembles the first. Certainly the deliverance celebrated in this chapter is just as important as that first one and even more comprehensive, because this is the great deliverance from sin that comes to God’s people under the New Covenant, as certified by the words,”in that day,” standing at the head of the chapter.
Commentators have expressed widely different opinions on who the singers are who will sing this wonderful song. Archer believed that, “(This is) the song of Millennial believers (to be) realized at the end of human history. Peake thought, “They are the redeemed of Israel. Jamieson titled this chapter, “Thanksgiving hymn of the Restored and Converted Jews. Rawlinson called it, “The Song of Thanksgiving of the United Church. Our conviction is that Homer Hailey’s analysis of this is correct. He wrote:
“The opening phrase, in that day, identifies what follows with the redemption of the remnant…This is the blessing of the redeemed; sin has been forgiven … Jehovah is recognized and praised as the source of salvation.
Whenever any Biblical passage indicates that God’s people are forgiven, as is clearly the case here, it is invariably an indication that the era of the New Covenant is being spoken of, since “forgiveness” is the unique blessing of that New Covenant (Jer 31:31-35). Under the Old Covenant, sins were remembered over and over again year by year, not absolutely forgiven until the Cross of Jesus Christ.
In addition, the observation of Lowth on this is undeniably true: “This hymn by its whole tenor, and by many expressions in it, seems to be much better calculated for the use of the Christian church, than for the Jewish in any circumstances, either then or at any time that can be assigned. The Jews themselves seem to have applied it to the times of Messiah.
Isa 12:1-6
“And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away from me, and thou comfortest me. Behold God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for Jehovah, even Jehovah is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation. Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto Jehovah; for he hath done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth. Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.”
In 1924 and for some time previously, critical commentators arrogantly rejected this song as having any right to be in Isaiah at all. Typical of what critics were saying at that time is this blunt, unsupported assertion by Peake, “This is a late appendix.” However, by 1937, such assertions had lost their appeal to most scholars. Dummelow, for example, wrote, “Some scholars doubt its Isaianic authorship and date it after the return from the exile. What a difference! In 1924 the radical critics were proclaiming their denials as the gospel truth; but in Dummelow’s period such denials were relegated to a far lesser status, being merely what “some scholars” alleged.
However, the advance beyond those radical denials so characteristic of the first half of this century is illustrated by this quotation from Payne:
“The prophet seeks to reassure the inhabitants of Zion and instill into his fellow citizens his own confident faith in the Holy One of Israel. With this phrase, so characteristic of Isaiah, the section is brought to an end.
Marvelous! Payne writing only recently did not even mention the former position of critics, but completely ignored them as he should have done. We truly believe that, as time passes, discerning commentators will more and more stop wasting their time by repeating, and discussing the allegations of unbelievers. A great many faithful and discerning scholars today are doing that very thing. Homer Hailey should be added to this list already.
The last three verses here carry repeated instructions to God’s people of all ages: (1) give thanks to Jehovah; (2) call upon his name; (3) declare his doings among the people; (4) make mention that his name is exalted; (5) sing unto Jehovah; (6) God hath done excellent things; let this be known in all the earth; (7) Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.
All of this adds up to an elaboration of the Biblical injunction, “Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so” (Psa 107:2).
The Messianic import of the chapter is further indicated by the expression, “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” On the great day (the last day) of the feast of tabernacles, there was a ceremony connected with drawing water from the Pool of Siloam in a golden pitcher and pouring it upon the sacrifices that day with great rejoicing. Obviously the text in the hymn does not apply to anything ordained in the Law of Moses. And what is said here “can hardly be understood of any benefits provided by the Mosaic dispensation. Our Saviour applied Isaiah’s words here to himself and to the effusion of the Holy Spirit” (Joh 7:37 ff).
This brings us to the conclusion of the first great division of Isaiah’s prophecy; and in these brief chapters there has emerged the great majority of the themes that Isaiah will discuss throughout the book, “line upon line, here a little and there a little” as noted in the introduction. Such things as the apostasy of Israel, their rejection as the chosen people, the ruin and captivity of Israel, the return of a remnant, God’s judgments upon wicked nations, the salvation of an obedient remnant, the accomplishment of that redemption by the hand of Immanuel (the Messiah), the coming of the Messiah through the Davidic line, the virgin birth of Messiah, the Messiah’s character, his endowment, his ability, the nature of God’s kingdom, the calling of the Gentiles and their reception into God’s fellowship and kingdom along with a remnant of the Jews, etc. etc.
(The End of Division I)
Isa 12:1-6 PRAISE IMMANUEL: This is one of the most beautiful peans of praise in all the Bible! In the day that Immanuel shall make His advent into the world of man and shall conquer mans enemies and shall set up His kingdom, the Church, Gods remnant (those who believe and are redeemed) will be able to give thanks and praise Jehovahs name for His grace. It will be by His grace that God will satisfy His wrath upon His Son and turn His wrath away from man. In the substitutionary death of the Messiah men will find comfort and strength and salvation. It will be a work of salvation totally initiated by God and not by man, Mans response will be to trust and enter into covenant relationship through the covenant terms revealed by God.
Water is a beautiful figure of salvation, especially for a people of a dry and arid land. (Cf. Isa 41:17-18; Joh 4:14). There is an interesting practice attendant to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jesus day in connection with Isa 12:3. Each day of the feast the people would come with palm branches and limbs of willows to the temple. They held these branches over the great altar of burnt offering until they formed a sort of roof and the people marched around the altar. While the people were thus marching, one of the priests went, according to the ceremony, to the pool of Siloam and filled a golden pitcher with about two pints of water. As he returned through the Water Gate, the people chanted Isa 12:3 . . . With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. The figure of water for Messianic salvation permeates the Old Testament (Cf. Isa 35:7; Isa 49:10; Isa 55:1; Psa 42:1; Psa 36:9; Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13; Eze 47:1-12; Zec 13:1; Zec 14:8; Joh 4:7-26; Joh 7:37-38).
When men enjoy the blessings of salvation they must make known the glories of their discovery. In Joh 7:37-38 Jesus says, If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. Perhaps Jesus meant that those who drink from the wells of salvation will also become, as it were, springs of salvation to others. When men proclaim the Living Water and direct mens hearts to Him they have, by their preaching, become secondary sources of the Water of Life.
Notice carefully that the content of true praise and preaching of God is to praise and preach His doings. The church does not exist to give the opinions of men, or to teach that all religions are equally good, or to beg men to unite with her, or to psych them into joining her by emotionally-charged entertainments and mass-hypnotic salesmanship methods. Her one supreme task is to cause men to praise the name of God through the direction of their minds to the record of His doings! A part of that proclamation may be done through singing His praises.
The inhabitant of Zion is the member of the new covenant people. Zion is the church of Christ (Cf. Heb 12:22). The Holy One of Israel dwells in His church which is His temple (Cf. Eph 2:11-22). Isaiah will have a great deal more to say about the glory of Zion (chapters 60 through 66 especially), which is all future to Isaiahs day and cannot refer to anything but the Church.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Here we have the songs of the people concerning the deliverances wrought by the victories of Jehovah. The first celebrates the personal blessings of the day described, while the second sets forth the gracious results to the peoples of the world issuing from the restoration of the people of God.
These great and glorious prophecies are not yet fulfilled, but they are as certain of fulfillment as every word of God is sure.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
a Song of Thanksgiving
Isa 11:10-16; Isa 12:1-6
The prophets vision extends. He has seen the effect of redemption, as it emanates from Jesus Christ, upon the whole physical creation; now he beholds also the ingathering of all Israel. The ancient enmity between Ephraim and Judah would pass away. As Paul puts it afterward, All Israel shall be saved, Rom 11:25-26. As they were brought out of Egypt, so shall they be brought from all the countries of the world, where they have dwelt during these Christian centuries. The return of the Jews under Ezra included those of one tribe only, and cannot fulfill the great dreams of all the prophets as here of Isaiah. The following chapter is the counterpart of Exo 15:1-27. When their enemies are overwhelmed in the great battle of Armageddon, the ransomed hosts of Israel shall break forth in this anthem.
The Isa 12:3 was chanted by the priests on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Joh 7:37-38. The little possessive pronoun my is the bucket with which we draw water from the depths of God. Our pilgrimage way is lined by these wells of saving help.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
EXPOSITORY NOTES ON
THE PROPHET ISAIAH
By
Harry A. Ironside, Litt.D.
Copyright @ 1952
edited for 3BSB by Baptist Bible Believer in the spirit of the Colportage ministry of a century ago
ISAIAH CHAPTERS ELEVEN AND TWELVE
WHEN GOD’S ANOINTED TAKES OVER
THERE is a very close connection with that which now comes before us and that which we have seen in the last chapter. After the Assyrian is destroyed and Israel will have been delivered from all her enemies, we have the peaceful reign of Him who is the Rod out of Jesse’s stem, the Branch of the Lord who is to bring all things into subjection to GOD and rule with the iron rod of inflexible righteousness.
Of Him we read:
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins” (verses 1-5).
Here we have the One who is presented in the Book of the Revelation as having the seven spirits of GOD: that is, the Holy Spirit in the sevenfold plenitude of His power. Coming by virgin birth through David’s line He is the Branch out of the root of Jesse, the father of David. Upon Him rests “the Spirit of the Lord,”
– one; the Spirit of wisdom,
– two; and of understanding,
– three; the Spirit of counsel,
– four; and of might,
– five; the Spirit of knowledge,
– six; and of the fear of the Lord,
– seven; The fear of the Lord is the spirit of reverence.
We are told in John that the Father giveth not the Spirit by measure to His beloved Son (3:34). From the moment of His birth the Lord JESUS was under the controlling power of the Holy Spirit, for as Man on earth, He chose not to act in His own omnipotence but as the Servant of the Godhead.
After His baptism in the Jordan, the Spirit was seen descending upon Him as a dove. This was the anointing of which the Apostle Peter spoke, in preparation for His gracious public ministry. Never for one moment was He out of harmony with the Spirit. It was this that made it possible for Him to grow in wisdom as He grew in stature, and in favor with GOD and man. Confessedly, this mystery is great: that the Eternal Wisdom should have so limited Himself as Man in all perfection that He grew in wisdom and knowledge from childhood to physical maturity as under the tutelage of the Father, who by the Spirit revealed His will to JESUS from day to day, so that He could say, “I speak not mine own words but the words of Him that sent Me.”
And as to the works He wrought, He attributed them all to the Spirit of GOD who dwelt in Him in all His fullness. Scripture guards carefully the truth of the perfect Manhood of our Lord, as also that of His true Deity. We see Him here as the Servant of the Lord speaking and acting according to the Father’s will. So His judgment was inerrant and His understanding perfect.
When in GOD’s due time He takes over the reins of the government of this world, all will be equally right and just at last. David’s prophetic words will be fulfilled when there shall be “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God” (2Sa 23:3). Earth’s long centuries of selfish misrule will have come to an end, and Israel and the nations will enjoy the blessings of Messiah’s gracious and faithful sway; then all wickedness will be dealt with in unsparing judgment and the meek of the earth will be protected and enter into undisturbed blessedness.
In that day the curse will be lifted from the lower creation and the very nature of the beasts of the earth will be changed.
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (verses 6-9).
Those who attempt to spiritualize all these expressions must needs take the beasts here to represent violent and savage men whose hearts will be changed by regeneration. But the prophet gives no hint of such an application of his words. He very definitely speaks of that which GOD will do for the animal kingdom in the day when the curse will be lifted. There is no hint that the prophet was speaking allegorically or that his language is to be interpreted other than in strict literality
It seems evident that when the Second Man, the Last Adam, is set over this lower universe, that
ideal conditions will prevail on earth, such as characterized the world before sin came in to mar GOD’s fair creation with its sad entail of violence and rapine on the part of the beasts of the earth and the evil effects upon the bodies of men and women, resulting in sickness and death. All this will be undone in the day when CHRIST shall come as the Restorer of all things spoken by the prophets, and “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
While the millennium is not to be confounded with the new heavens and the new earth, it will nevertheless be a period of wonderful blessing for all who shall dwell in the world when in the administration of the fullness of the seasons, GOD shall head up all things in CHRIST.
“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim” (verses 10-13).
It is when JESUS returns in glory and as the Root of Jesse fulfills the promises made to David that all these things shall come to pass. Then Jacob’s prophecy, as given in Gen 49:10, will have its glorious fulfillment, “Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.”
In that day we are told GOD will not only magnify Him in the eyes of Israel, but also unto Him shall the Gentiles seek.
His own earthly people, scattered for so long among the nations, will be gathered back to their own land. Many have thought that the promises of their restoration were fulfilled long ago when a remnant returned in the days of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. But here we are informed definitely, “The Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people”; and we learn that they will return – not limply from Babylon as before – but from all the lands where they have been dispersed throughout the long centuries of their sorrow and suffering. Israel and Judah, no longer divided, will be drawn to the Lord Himself – the Ensign to be set up in that day – and shall flow together to the land of their fathers, no longer as rival nations but as one people in glad subjection to their King and their GOD.
The closing verses of the chapter give further details as to the manner of their return, assisted by the nations that were once their enemies.
“But they shall lay upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the
remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt” (verses 14-16).
Certain geographical and geological changes are indicated here which no doubt will be effected at the time when the feet of our Lord shall stand again upon the Mount of Olives, and there shall be a great earthquake with far-reaching results, as foretold in Zechariah 14.
The twelfth chapter gives us the song of joy and triumph which will rise exultantly from the hearts of the redeemed of the Lord as in the days when the people sang of old on the shore of the Red Sea after all their enemies had been destroyed.
“And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I w1ll trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee” (verses 1-6).
It is a blessed and precious experience when the heart is fixed upon the Lord Himself and when the soul realizes the gladness of reconciliation to the One against whom it had sinned, so as to be able to say, “Though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me.”
It means much to know GOD as the One through whom deliverance has been wrought and who is Himself “salvation.” This is the end of all worry and anxiety. And so we hear the remnant saying, “I will trust, and not be afraid.” Faith is the antidote to fear. As we learn to look to GOD in confidence all anxiety disappears, for we know that He who saved us will stand between us and every foe. He does not leave His people to fight their battles in their own power, but He is the Strength of all who rest upon His Word.
From the wells of salvation, so long spurned by the self-righteous Jew, seeking to save himself by his own efforts, the returned remnant draw the water of life as they call upon His name and bear witness before all the world to the salvation He has wrought.
The psalm, for it is a psalm, ends with a call to praise and adore the GOD of Israel, who will dwell in the midst of His redeemed people in that day of His manifested glory. Even now those who come to Him in faith can make this song their own as they know the reality of His saving grace.
~ end of chapter 11, 12 ~
http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/
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Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
Isa 12:2
Naturally any creature must be liable to fear. The finite nature, however exalted, must always feel itself transcended and surrounded by the infinite unknown. And we are manifestly far more liable to the inroads of fear than those creatures who are in their first and proper position-who have never fallen.
I. The great mysteries of existence have a tendency to produce fear. (1) Has not every thoughtful mind bowed and almost trembled before the great mystery into which so many others may be resolved-the existence of evil, sin, misery, in the universe, under the government of an infinitely powerful and infinitely benevolent Being? (2) There is great mystery also about the plan of Divine providence in this world. Where is your relief? Will you seek to vanquish nature and providence by thought? Will you enter into the penetralia of their mysteries, and look into the very fountain and cause of all their operations? They will drop the darkness around you, and the light of your understanding will but glimmer like a feeble taper amid the mists of a starless night. Will you be wiser and trust? Ah, that is relief at last! “I will trust, and not be afraid.” To God there is no mystery, no miscalculation, no loss. He is reaping perpetual harvest, gathering the wheat into His garner, linking on the sorrowful present to the glad future.
II. There are certain possibilities, the thought of which has a tendency to darken the spirit with fear. (1) We all look forward, we all struggle on to the future with more or less of expectation or desire. But our fears go with our hopes, our apprehensions keep close company with our anticipations. In proportion as men have suffered, they feel that there is a possibility of suffering being continued or renewed in coming days. Through the fear, not of death alone, but of a multitude of other things, some are “all their life subject to bondage.” Now, what is the remedy? “I will trust, and not be afraid.” Faith leans upon the Lord. He knows our walking through this great wilderness.
III. There is yet one dread possibility, the contemplation of which is more appalling than the very worst of earthly calamities-the possibility of spiritual failure, ending in a final exclusion from the presence of God and the joys of the blessed. Here, again, as in the other instances, there is but one way of grappling with and overcoming this great fear. There it stands-a dread possibility, which cannot be ended by skill, nor conquered by strength; which can only be surmounted and vanquished by the principle of a self-renouncing faith,-“I will trust, and not be afraid.”
A. Raleigh, The Way to the City, p. 364.
Isa 12:3
I. Consider what we have to understand by the wells of salvation. We shall not strain the prophet’s meaning here, if we take salvation almost in the fully developed New Testament sense, as including negatively the deliverance from all evil, both evil of sin and evil of sorrow, and positively the endowment with all good, good both of holiness and happiness, which God can bestow or men receive. Then if so, God Himself is, in the deepest truth, the Well of Salvation. The figure of the text does not point to a well so much as to a spring. It is a source, not a reservoir. All the springs from which salvation, in any measure and in any form, flow to the thirsty lips of men are in God Himself. For men, Jesus Christ is as the river which flows from the closed and land-locked sea of the infinite, Divine nature. He is for us the only source, the inexhaustible source, the perennial source. “They drank of that Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
II. Consider what is the way of drawing from the wells of salvation. Christ has taught us what “drawing” is. To the Samaritan woman He said, “Thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.” So, then, drawing is asking. To the crowds in the Temple courts He said, “Let him come unto Me, and drink.” So, then, drawing is coming. To the listeners by the Sea of Galilee He said, “He that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” So coming, asking, drawing, are all explained by believing. Simple faith draws all God’s goodness into the soul.
III. Consider the joy of the water-drawers. The well is the meeting-place in these hot lands, where the solitary shepherds from the pastures and the maidens from the black camel’s-hair tents meet in the cool evening, and ringing laughter and cheery talk go round. So jubilant is the heart of the man whose soul is filled and feasted with the God of his salvation, and the salvation of his God.
A. Maclaren, The Secret of Power, p. 212 (see also Christian World Pulpit, vol. viii., p. 408).
References: Isa 12:3.-Contemporary Pulpit, vol. iii., p. 188; H. Allen, Penny Pulpit, No. 1676; J. M. Neale, Sermons on Passages from the Prophets, vol. i., p. 23; A. Maclaren, Old Testament Outlines, p. 176.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
CHAPTER
12 Israels Salvation Hymn
1. When Israel will sing (Isa 12:1) 2. What Israel will sing (Isa 12:2-3) 3. To whom Israel will sing (Isa 12:4-5) 4. The Holy One in the midst (Isa 12:6)It is Israels future song of praise for salvation. Read in this light what a wonderful meaning this little chapter has. The song will be sung by the delivered and blessed remnant in that day. In what day? When the Lord arises to judge; when He is manifested in His glory; when He brings back the captivity of His people.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
And in that: Isa 2:11, Isa 11:10, Isa 11:11, Isa 11:16, Isa 14:3, Isa 26:1, Isa 27:1-3, Isa 27:12, Isa 27:13, Isa 35:10, Zec 14:9, Zec 14:20
O Lord: Isa 25:1, Isa 25:9, Isa 49:13, Isa 60:18, Isa 60:19, Psa 34:1-22, Psa 67:1-4, Psa 69:34-36, Psa 72:15-19, Psa 149:6-9, Rom 11:15, Rev 15:3, Rev 15:4, Rev 19:1-7
though: Isa 10:4, Isa 10:25, Isa 40:1, Isa 40:2, Isa 51:3, Isa 54:8, Isa 57:15-18, Isa 66:13, Deu 30:1-3, Psa 30:5, Psa 85:1-3, Jer 31:18-20, Eze 39:24-29, Hos 6:1, Hos 11:8, Hos 14:4-9
Reciprocal: Exo 15:1 – Then Num 21:17 – sang Deu 16:14 – General Jdg 5:1 – Sang Deborah 2Sa 22:1 – in 2Sa 22:50 – I will sing Ezr 10:14 – the fierce Neh 8:10 – the joy Est 9:22 – the days Job 11:16 – as waters Job 14:13 – until Psa 9:1 – praise Psa 18:1 – in the day Psa 20:5 – rejoice Psa 40:3 – praise Psa 53:6 – Jacob Psa 56:12 – I will Psa 60:10 – Wilt Psa 85:3 – taken Psa 86:12 – praise Psa 90:15 – Make Psa 126:5 – that sow Son 2:11 – General Son 5:6 – but my Isa 9:3 – they joy Isa 12:4 – in that day Isa 24:14 – General Isa 27:4 – Fury Isa 30:29 – Ye shall Isa 38:9 – writing Isa 48:20 – with a voice Isa 54:9 – General Isa 57:18 – restore Isa 60:10 – in my wrath Isa 61:3 – beauty Isa 65:16 – because Jer 23:6 – Judah Jer 30:19 – out Jer 31:12 – Therefore Jer 33:11 – the voice of them Dan 2:23 – thank Zec 1:16 – I am Zec 8:11 – General Zec 8:19 – joy Mat 1:21 – for Mat 5:4 – General Luk 1:64 – and he Luk 6:21 – ye shall laugh Luk 21:28 – look Joh 16:20 – your Act 16:34 – and rejoiced Rom 7:25 – thank God Rom 11:12 – their 2Co 1:4 – comforteth 2Co 7:6 – that comforteth Heb 13:15 – the sacrifice
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 12:1-2. And, &c. Isaiah concludes this most noble prophecy with a doxology from the mouth of those who should share in the blessings of the great redemption before specified. This doxology is two-fold: in the first part, the redeemed, in their own names and persons, praise God for the benefits of salvation and consolation through Christ, conferred upon them. In the second part they mutually exhort and encourage themselves and others, to praise and celebrate their God and Redeemer. Dodd. In that day When this great work of the reduction of Israel, and the conversion of the Gentiles, promised in the foregoing chapter, is fulfilled: when the kingdom of the Messiah is set up in the world, in despite of all opposition from earth and hell; thou shalt say Thou church of God, composed of Jews and Gentiles, united in one body, shalt say, as one man, with one mind and one mouth; and every particular member of the community shall say; that is, shall have cause to say, and a heart to say, O Lord, I will praise thee I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; so Bishop Lowth. For though thou hast been angry with me Namely, while I was in my unenlightened and unconverted state of heathenish ignorance, or of Jewish unbelief; my state of sin and guilt, of depravity and alienation from thee; thine anger is turned away In consequence of my conversion to thee by true repentance, unfeigned faith, and new obedience; and thou comfortedst me By evident tokens of thy presence, communications of thy grace, and prospects of thy glory. Behold, God is my salvation The author, giver, and source of my salvation; which, in all its branches and degrees, hath been effected, not by the power of man, but by the mercy and grace of God. He, therefore, shall have the glory of the salvation that has already been wrought for me, and from him only will I expect the salvation which I further need. And for this, I will trust In his power, love, and faithfulness; and not be afraid Lest he should deceive my confidence or disappoint my expectations; lest he should be either unable or unwilling to save me in time to come, as he has saved me in time past. For, not a dead idol, or a mere creature, whether made by man or God. but the Lord Jehovah Hebrew, Jah Jehovah, (the former word being a contraction of the latter, and both signifying his self-existence, his eternity, and unchangeableness,) is my strength and my song He, who is the living and true God, and who has all possible perfections in and of himself; he, who is both infinite and everlasting, hath undertaken my cause, and gives me both support in weakness and comfort in trouble; he enables me both to withstand my enemies and to rejoice and glory in him, being, as I know by experience, already become my salvation.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 12:2. JEHOVAH is my strength. Lowth reads, Lord, as in the English; but in the Hebrew book, Sepher Ikkarim, we read, The scriptures call the Messiah JAH or JAOH, our righteousness; indicating that he will be the mediatorial Lord, by whom we shall obtain justification, from the name; which is indeed the name of the NAME, or the essential name of God. By the Name this author means JEHOVAH, which the Jews in their exile do not pronounce, but substitute in reading the name Adonai or Lord.
Isa 12:3. The wells of salvation. These are understood spiritually of the wells or fountains of the holy scriptures, and all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. We must draw the water, using the means in order to drink. The figure alludes to the Hebrew custom at the feast of tabernacles, when the virgin train, dressed in white, drew water from the pool in Siloam with a golden pitcher, and sung psalms all the way to the temple, and then poured the water on the sacrifices. 1Ki 18:33.
Isa 12:4. Declare his doings among the people. It appears by this that the conversion of the Jews is closely connected with the conversion of the heathen world; who will rejoice at the signal strokes of grace by which they have been brought over to the faith of Christ. The joy shall be as Paul says, like life from the dead, a joy which shall gladden the whole world.
Isa 12:6. Shout, thou inhabitant of Zion. That is, mount Zion, which is above, and the mother of its all; or rather, the christian church.
REFLECTIONS.
The renovated glory of the church calls for a song of loudest strains of harp and voice; a song of praise unutterably glorious, for the restoration of Zion to splendour far superior to that from which she fell. But oh how shall we, comparatively cold and indifferent spectators of Israels glory, adequately enter into the sentiments, and anticipate the bliss of the Hebrew church? Let us imagine that we see this nation converted from infidelity and crime, emancipated from the sentence of exile, and exulting under the wings of the Messiah, whom their fathers crucified. Let us imagine that we see the Lord betrothed to them in righteousness, and feasting them with the best wine, and redoubling his favours because of their long affliction. If the joy of a captive be great on his liberation; and the poor, on receiving their lands in the jubilee, filled the nation with the sound of trumpets and songs; what must it be when Israels cup shall overflow with all temporal and spiritual bliss?
A sanctified recollection of Gods anger for rejecting the humble Messiah, and a grateful sense of his restoring grace, equally contribute to heighten the joy, just as the darkness of the night seems to augment the lustre of the opening day. Thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. Angels, look ye down from heaven, and study his grace and justice. Gentiles, behold from afar, and learn his righteousness. JAH JEHOVAH is my strength and my song: he is become my salvation. As all things were against me in my revolt, so now heaven and earth conspire to bless me on my return. Therefore as I provoked the Lord by unbelief, so now I will trust and not be afraid. And as I have long drank the bitter waters of exile and wickedness, so I will now draw water with joy from the wells of life, which his Spirit shall open in the sanctuary. Praise the Lord, ye gentiles, and exalt his name together, for he has done excellent things. Shout, children of Zion, for the Lord is greater now in the displays of his love in the midst of thee, than he was in the desert, and in his ancient sanctuary.
This beautiful and sublime song is highly applicable to the christian in the day of his conversion. The Lord has turned away his anger because of sin; he has turned his captivity, and brought him nigh by the blood of the cross. The Lord hath blotted out his sin, and is become his salvation. And as the Jews with a golden pitcher drew water on the feast of tabernacles, so the Messiah, whose name that pool bore, shall open wells of pardon, peace and joy in the believing soul. He then sings a new song, yea his heart sings to the Lord. He invites all around him to praise him, because of his love, his faithfulness and truth.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isaiah 12. Songs of Thanksgiving.This is a late appendix to the preceding. It is imitative throughout and copies late passages. Isa 11:16 compares Israels return from the Dispersion with the deliverance of the Hebrews at the Exodus. As a song of praise (Exodus 15) celebrates the destruction of the Egyptians at the Red Sea, so two brief songs (Isa 12:1-3, Isa 12:4-6) are inserted here, which have close points of contact with Exodus 15 and some Pss., especially Psalms 105, also with parts of Isaiah 24-27. The speaker in the first song is apparently the redeemed Israel. He utters thanksgiving for the passing of Yahwehs anger into comfort (Isa 40:1 f.), expresses his trust in Him as his salvation. The joy with which they draw water from the wells of deliverance (Isa 12:3) is conveyed in a metaphor far more expressive, where water is so scarce, than among ourselves. The second psalm is an exultant celebration among the nations of the wonderful achievements He has wrought for Israel.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
12:1 And in that day thou {a} shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thy anger is turned away, and thou didst comfort me.
(a) He shows how the Church will praise God, when they are delivered from their captivity.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Isaiah prophesied that on the day Messiah reigned, the remnant who survived the harvesting of Israel would praise Yahweh for ending His discipline of them, and for comforting them. Previously in Isaiah’s prophecy "that day" was one to be dreaded (cf. Isa 2:20; Isa 3:18; Isa 4:1; Isa 7:18; Isa 7:20-21; Isa 7:23), but now it is one to be hoped for. This is the eschatological "day of the Lord" so often referred to by the prophets, that will include judgment (in the Tribulation) and blessing (in the Millennium).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
9
BOOK 3
PROPHECIES FROM THE ACCESSION OF HEZEKIAH TO THE DEATH OF SARGON
727-705 B.C.
THE prophecies with which we have been engaged (chapters 2-10:4) fall either before or during the great Assyrian invasion of Syria, undertaken in 734-732 by Tiglath-pileser II, at the invitation of King Ahaz. Nobody has any doubt about that. But when we ask what prophecies of Isaiah come next in chronological order, we raise a storm of answers. We are no longer on the sure ground we have been enjoying.
Under the canonical arrangement the next prophecy is “The Woe upon the Assyrian”. {Isa 10:5-34} In the course of this the Assyrian is made to boast of having overthrown “Samaria” (Isa 10:9-11) “Is not Samaria as Damascus? Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?” If “Samaria” mean the capital city of Northern Israel-and the name is never used in these parts of Scripture for anything else-and if the prophet be quoting a boast which the Assyrian was actually in a position to make, and not merely imagining a boast, which he would be likely to make some years afterwards (an entirely improbable view, though held by one great scholar), then an event is here described as past and over which did not happen during Tiglath-pilesers campaign, nor indeed till twelve years after it. Tiglath-pileser did not require to besiege Samaria in the campaign of 734-32. The king, Pekah, was slain by a conspiracy of his own subjects; and Hoshea, the ringleader, who succeeded, willingly purchased the stability of a usurped throne by homage and tribute to the king of kings. So Tiglath-pileser went home again, satisfied to have punished Israel by carrying away with him the population of Galilee. During his reign there was no further appearance of the Assyrians in Palestine, but at his death in 727 Hoshea, after the fashion of Assyrian vassals when the throne of Nineveh changed occupants, attempted to throw off the yoke of the new king, Salmanassar IV Along with the Phoenician and Philistine cities, Hoshea negotiated an alliance with So, or Seve, the Ethiopian, a usurper who had just succeeded in establishing his supremacy over the land of the Pharaohs. In a year Salmanassar marched south upon the rebels. He took Hoshea prisoner on the borders of his territory (725), but, not content, as his predecessor had been, with the submission of the king, “he came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.” {2Ki 17:5} He did not live to see the end of the siege, and Samaria was taken in 722 by Sargon, his successor. Sargon overthrew the kingdom and uprooted the people. The northern tribes were carried away into a captivity, from which as tribes they never returned.
It was evidently this complete overthrow of Samaria by Sargon in 722-721, which Isaiah had behind him when he wrote Isa 10:9-11. We must, therefore, date the prophecy after 721, when nothing was left as a bulwark between Judah and the Assyrian. We do so with reluctance. There is much Isa 10:5-34 which suits the circumstances of Tiglath-pilesers invasion. There are phrases and catch-words coinciding with those in chapter 7-9:7; and the whole oration is simply a more elaborate expression of that defiance of Assyria, which inspires such of the previous prophecies as Isa 8:9-10. Besides, with the exception of Samaria, all the names in the Assyrians boastful catalogue-Carchemish, Calno, Arpad, Hamath, and Damascus-might as justly have been vaunted by the lips of Tiglath-pileser as by those of Sargon. But in spite of these things, which seem to vindicate the close relation of Isa 10:5-34 to the prophecies which precede it in the canon, the mention of Samaria as being already destroyed justifies us in divorcing it from them. While they remain dated from before 732, we place it subsequent to 722.
Was Isaiah, then, silent these ten years? Is there no prophecy lying farther on in his book that treats of Samaria as still standing? Besides an address to the fallen Damascus in Isa 17:1-11, which we shall take later with the rest of Isaiahs oracles on foreign states, there is one large prophecy, chapter 28, which opens with a description of the magnates of Samaria lolling in drunken security on their vine-crowned hill, but Gods storms are ready to break. Samaria has not yet fallen, but is threatened and shall fall soon. The first part of chapter 28, can only refer to the year in which Salmanassar advanced upon Samaria-726 or 725. There is nothing in the rest of it to corroborate this date; but the fact, that there are several turns of thought and speech very similar to turns of thought and speech in Isa 10:5-34, makes us the bolder to take away chapter 28 from its present connection with 29-32, and place it just before Isa 10:5-34.
Here then is our next group of prophecies, all dating from the first seven years of the reign of Hezekiah: 28, a warning addressed to the politicians of Jerusalem from the impending fate of those of Samaria (date 725); Isa 10:5-34, a woe upon the Assyrian (date about 720), describing his boasts and his progress in conquest till his sudden crash by the walls of Jerusalem; 11, of date uncertain, for it reflects no historical circumstance, but standing in such artistic contrast to 10 that the two must be treated together; and 12, a hymn of salvation, which forms a fitting conclusion to 11. With these we shall take the few fragments of the book of Isaiah which belong to the fifteen years 720-705, and are as straws to show how Judah all that time was drifting down to alliance with Egypt-20, Isa 21:1-10; Isa 38:1-22; Isa 39:1-8. This will bring us to 705, and the beginning of a new series of prophecies, the richest of Isaiahs life, and the subject of our third book.