Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 30:15
For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
15 17. The true policy contrasted with the false.
15 re-echoes the great ruling principle of Isaiah’s statesmanship: comp. ch. Isa 7:4; Isa 7:9, Isa 28:16. For saith read with R.V. said.
returning and rest quietness and in confidence ] The first expression describes the external policy, the second the attitude of mind, demanded by the occasion. On the one hand, averseness to war (Mic 2:8), renunciation of earthly help and a wise passivity in international affairs; on the other, calm reliance on Jehovah: in this last, the prophet says, they would have manifested the truest “strength” or courage.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For thus saith the Lord God – The design of this verse is to give a reason for the destruction that should come upon them. That reason was, that God had indicated to them the path of truth and safety, but they chose not to follow it, and refused to put confidence in him.
In returning – In returning to God; that is, if you are converted to him.
And rest – That is, by calmly reposing on God for assistance, and not seeking the alliance of Egypt (see Exo 14:13).
In quietness – In a collected, quiet state of mind.
In confidence – By putting simple trust in God.
Shall be your strength – You shall be safe; your enemies shall not be able to overcome and subdue you.
But ye would not – When Jerusalem was threatened by Sennacherib, Hezekiah did put this confidence in God, and reposed calmly and securely on his promises Isa 36:15, Isa 36:18, Isa 36:21; but it is not improbable that when the city was first threatened, and Hezekiah heard of the preparations made by the Assyrians, he had joined with the party in Jerusalem who proposed an alliance with Egypt, and that this was known to Sennacherib Isa 36:6. Probably, however, before the invasion had actually commenced he had seen the impropriety of this, either because the aid of Egypt could not be secured, or because Isaiah had warned him of this, and had been brought to put his trust entirely in Yahweh. Yet the offence had been committed of refusing to put implicit confidence in Yahweh, and of seeking the aid of Egypt, and for that the punishment is threatened in this chapter Isa 30:16-17.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 30:15
In returning and rest shall ye be saved
The vanity of earthly help in time of trial, and the profit of patient waiting
I.
THE INSUFFICIENCY OF ALL HUMAN DEPENDENCE. The records of the Jewish nation, which have come down to us, abundantly prove this truth.
1. These words were especially spoken to the Church of old time. We must gather therefore great instruction herefrom, in respect to the community of Gods people in all after time, and perhaps in our own days especially.
2. What is true in respect of the Church, considered as a community, is equally true in respect of all its members, if we consider them in their individual character. God teaches them separately, as He teaches the Church collectively, that upon Him they are to depend, and not upon human help. And in order that they may learn the lesson the more certainly, and that it may stay with them the more abidingly, God oftentimes brings them down into circumstances where human assistance can render them no avail.
II. THE NATURE AND THE PROFIT OF PATIENT WAITING. In this way it is that God gives the instruction which the hearts of His people want. He suffers them oftentimes to lean upon other helps, and to cast their dependence upon other agencies, than His appointed one. Then, when they have found that these have been but as a broken reed to trust to, they come back again to Him–their faith confirmed–a precious lesson learned in the time of their wandering, which henceforth they shall find in the establishment of their souls. Faith has indeed oftentimes its best exercise in the time of the heaviest trial It is made to bring forth its richest and rarest fruits. (S. Robins, M. A.)
National salvation
Let us ponder the four words which the prophet here uses to indicate in what direction their salvation lay, and upon what terms they might be sure of the Divine interposition and abiding protection.
1. Returning. Instead of going to Egypt for help, and impoverishing themselves by an alliance forbidden, senseless, and unprofitable, they might be assured of Gods forgiveness and favour by returning in brokeness of spirit to Him. The place of confession is the place of forgiveness.
2. Rest. The meaning is, or course, such a resting in God as would prove the genuineness of their return to Him. Vain was their reliance on the multitude of chariots and the strong body of cavalry to which they would point as a valuable addition to the fighting strength of Judah (Isa 31:3).
3. Quietness. How the very word rebukes the haste, excitement, and trepidation with which they had prepared for the siege of their city!
4. Confidence. (J. G. Mantle.)
In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength
The strength obtained from quietness and confidence
I. THE STATE OF MIND HERE NOTICED.
1. Consider quietness of mind. It means strength of purpose, combined with calm collectedness of thought as well as of word and act.
2. Consider confidence as another feature of true Christian character. Confidence is something more than a dead theory of belief; it is faith in exercise. And is there not something very sublime and beautiful in
confidence, as we see it linking the heart of man to the Creator and Redeemer of the world?
II. THE ADVANTAGES TO BE DERIVED FROM THE STATE OF MIND DESCRIBED.
1. The promise expressed in the words, shall be your strength, is very encouraging and full of meaning. It points to the Deity as the only source of strength.
2. The strength here spoken of is Divine, granted to us through the instrumentality of quietness and confidence
3. This strength, too, implies safety.
4. But the strength promised is conditional. (W. D. Horwood.)
The promise associated with quietness and confidence
I. THE FRAME OF MIND which God encouraged His people to have under all these circumstances–quietness and confidence.
1. Observe what the fault of Israel had been. God had said one thing, and Israel thought another. God had told them that He would be their refuge.
2. Their warrant for their confidence was the Word of God. Here is the distinction to be made between what is presumption, and what is faith.
3. Observe, next, the peculiar relation in which Israel stood to Jehovah, which made their unbelief so reprehensible. The Lord seems to bring this before their minds, as that which should cause the most stinging conviction in their hearts. Thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel.
II. THE PROMISE THAT IS HERE ANNEXED. God says, In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. Take, for instance, Hezekiahs history (2Ki 18:1-37). Again, remember the story of Israels deliverance, as recorded Exo 14:1-31. I might refer you to other passages, such as that beautiful narrative in Dan 3:1-30, where we are told of three believing men being cast into a burning fiery furnace. Look at their quietness and confidence, which was their strength. There is a direct promise upon this subject in Deu 32:1-52. The Lord shall judge (avenge, or come to the help of) His people, and repent Himself for His servants, when He seeth that their power is gone If you want a New Testament promise to the same effect, you have it in that word which was spoken by our Lord–Come unto Me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Do you say then, are we not to use means? There may be as much unbelief when men despise means, as there may be in their over-anxiety to use means. (W. H. Krause, M. A.)
The duty of conservatives in a time of theological conflict
1. It is our duty to recognise the inevitable margin of difference among those who substantially agree. It is only in the exact sciences that a formula has absolutely the same value for all men and for the same man at all times. But theology is not an exact science
2. It is the second duty of conservatives in a time of theological conflict to recognise the margin of error in all human views of truth. If the writers of the Bible were infallible, the readers of it are not. But have we not, it may be asked, the promise of the Paraclete to lead us into all the truth? Yes, and wonderfully has the promise been fulfilled. But here again two things should be observed.
(1) That promise was not given to any particular branch of the Church.
(2) It guarantees infallibility, to no one.
3. It is especially the duty of conservatives at the present moment in the history of the Church to discriminate between those who are seeking defend and those who are seeking to overthrow the fundamental principles of Christianity. Criticism must be met by criticism, scholarship by scholarship.
4. We should beware of testing the views in regard to the Bible, which are now more and more freely expressed, by what seem to be their tendencies.
(1) One of these is the tendency to unsettle the minds of simple and devout believers. They certainly have such a tendency, and it is much to be regretted. But the questions are here. We are not responsible for their presence. They are forced upon us.
(2) Another thing concerning which no little apprehension is entertained is that these discussions may tend to diminish the reverence which is felt for the Bible, and to weaken the faith of men in Christianity itself. The apprehension is natural. So Erasmus felt concerning what he called the noisy quarrel of religion that had broken out in his day, when (as he says) I wrote frequently and industriously to my friends, begging that they would admonish this man (Luther) to observe Christian meekness in his writings, and to do nothing to disturb the peace of the Church. The true conservative is always prone to apprehend the worst results from anything that disturbs the ancient order of ideas and practices. But how many times over has experience shown these fears to be groundless? In quietness and in confidence is our strength. Let us be honest. Let us not be afraid. If this counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, ye will not be able to overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to be fighting against God. (E. B. Coe, D. D.)
Quietness and confidence
Quietness is just collectedness, repose, equanimity, freedom from excitement and boisterousness. Confidence is trust, reliance, upon God, producing, if not implying, a calm and steadfast courage.
I. Quietness and confidence are STRENGTH OF CHARACTER. They bespeak the existence of thought, reflection, judgment; they evidence self-control; they mark a nature that is not superficial; they show a superiority to influences which rouse the stormy passions of other men, and leave them the victims of blind impulse; and all this implies true strength of character.
II. Quietness and confidence are STRENGTH FOR WORK AND ACHIEVEMENT. The quiet, steady, hopeful man–other things being equal, and sometimes when they are very unequal–will prove, far away, the best workman. For one thing, such a man will lose no time in vain speculation, in daydreams about his work, in clearing away self-imposed hindrances, the result of his own hurry or forgetfulness or preoccupation. Calm and thoughtful, he will always settle to his employment at once, while another man will have to give himself time to acquire the proper mood for it. Confidence will also yield him resolution, and that will make him proof against interruption, which often defers the results of mens endeavours and chafes their temper as well. Nearly all the men who have won renown in the sphere of successful toil, whether secular or sacred, have been men of quiet energy, rather than men of powerful impulses; of steadfast reliance upon a Power above them, rather than of mere human enthusiasm. And in fact, such are the discouragements and trials that wait upon all kinds of labour, whether for ourselves or others–such the sameness, the dryness, the weariness, that only quiet confidence will enable a man to persevere. It was this that kept Moses at the head of the chosen tribes till they reached the borders of Canaan. It was this that carried St. Paul through his almost superhuman toils and exertions. It was this that sustained such men as Columbus and Newton, Washington and Wellington, and a host of others, in carrying out enterprises, differing, indeed, in their objects, but all encompassed with difficulties that would have driven weaker men to despair at their outset. And, if we would do any real work for God and our fellow men, we must seek more to possess the quietness and confidence of me text, than those more shining qualities which gain popular applause, but often leave no real impress upon a mans age and sphere.
III. Quietness and confidence are STRENGTH FOR ENDURANCE. Restlessness, impatience, distrust, do but aggravate trials, and intensify suffering. Like the struggles of a prisoner in his fetters–like the beating itself against the wires of the poor caged bird, they only serve to augment pain, and to bring on the dejection and weariness that follow fruitlessly expended energy. But to have a mind stayed on God is to take the most certain method to lighten every burden, to diminish the bitterness of every sorrow, to modify and transmute every curse into a blessing, and to make even the path of tribulation pleasant and attractive.
IV. Quietness and confidence are specially the STRENGTH OF SPIRITUAL ADVANCEMENT. All religious progress depends, primarily and efficiently, upon the grace of God. But the order of Gods working is such that this process may be very much helped or hindered by ourselves. The growth of plants and flowers depends materially upon the nature of the soil in which they are set, and upon their capacity for receiving the influences of air and sunshine, dew and shower. And it is much the same as to the growth of holy character; it is checked or advanced by our prevailing moral dispositions. Now, quietness and confidence imply a state of mind the most favourable to Divine operations. The subject may he viewed in another light. In the endeavour to live a holy life, we are all conscious of our exposure to hindrances, arising from our lapses and failures. We go on, it may be, somewhat well for a time; but a temptation overtakes us, unwatchfulness supervenes, and we fall, not into any great sin, but from the vantage ground that we thought ourselves to have reached. Now, what will be the effect of this upon a Christian person of excitable, impulsive, unsteady mind! Why, ceremony he will be discouraged and dismayed. But it will not be thus with the Christian who is marked by quietness and confidence. He will say, Rejoice not over me, O mine enemy; for though I fall, I shall rise again. (C. M. Merry.)
Rev. John Kebles motto
In Poets Corner, at Westminster Abbey, there is a medallion erected to the memory of John Keble, upon which is inscribed the prophetic utterance which was the motto of his simple, beautiful, well-ordered life: in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. (R. Hebbron.)
Faith and introspection
In quietness and confidence is our strength, but not in thinking of quietness and confidence, or grieving that we have so little of either, but in simply assuring ourselves of the ground that we have to believe that God is our Friend now and ever, and that He can be nothing else, and that the forgetfulness of this and nothing else has been our sin and our shame. (F. D. Maurice to his mother.)
The triumph of simple trust
I am to be like General Gordon in Khartoum during the last weeks of the long siege. He built himself a tower of observation, from the top of which he could command the whole country round. At dawn he slept; by day he looked to his defences, and administered justice, and cheered the spirit of his people; every night he mounted to his tower, and there, as one of his biographers says, alone with his God, a universal sentinel, he kept watch over the ramparts, and prayed for the help that never came. He could not work out the deliverance himself, but he had childlike confidence in God. And the Divine help did come–the martyrs crown, the everlasting rest, the good soldiers welcome from his Commander-in-chief. (A. Smellie, M. A.)
Settling down upon God
What can explain the confidence of Judson and many another noble missionary, working steadily on for years without any sign of visible success, but the settling down of the spirit upon God–an attitude which had, with them, become a habit of life? (J. G. Mantle.)
Working with Divine resources
I used to think I had to do it, says one of the most successful evangelists of the nineteenth century, and the result was great physical strain and exhaustion; but now I feel He has to do it through me: the responsibility His; the message His; the strength His. (J. G. Mantle.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
In returning, either from your present purpose of sending to Egypt, or unto God, as the LXX., and Syriac, and Arabic translators render it. Or,
in quietness; for the verb from which this word come is elsewhere used in that sense, as Psa 23:2; Jer 30 10; 46:27.
In quietness; in sitting still, and quieting your own minds. In confidence, to with, rightly placed upon me and my promises for your deliverance.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. returning and restturningback from your embassy to Egypt, and ceasing from warlikepreparations.
quietnessanswering to”wait for Him (God)” (Isa30:18).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel,…. This is still repeated, though displeasing to the carnal Jews, who, notwithstanding their ill behaviour to the Lord, condescends to give them the best advice, as follows:
in returning and rest shall ye be saved; or “may be saved” o; this is the right and the only way, namely, by “returning” from their evil ways, particularly their purpose of going to Egypt for help, and by returning to God by repentance and reformation, and to his worship and ordinances; and so the Targum,
“if ye return to my law;”
and by “resting” quietly at home, and reposing their trust in the Lord:
in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength; in a quiet submission to the will of God, and in quietly waiting upon him for the issue and event of things, abiding in their own houses, and not in a hurrying tumultuous manner, running here and there for help; and in a holy and humble confidence in the Lord, and in the power of his might, where they should find such strength and security, as Pharaoh king of Egypt could not give them:
and ye would not; would not be persuaded to keep at home, and from going down to Egypt; would not take the advice given, but pursue their own measures and methods of salvation. This is the literal sense of the words; and if they can be accommodated to spiritual and eternal salvation, it may be done in this way: repentance may be meant by “returning”, and faith by “rest”; or by “returning and rest” may be designed returning to rest, that is, to Christ, who is the only rest to weary souls: “quietness” may intend peace of conscience, arising from the blood and righteousness of Christ; and “confidence” faith, and an assurance of it, which make men strong Christians; though their strength does not barely lie in these graces, but in the object of them: now faith and repentance are blessings of the covenant of grace, gifts of God, and graces of the Spirit, which go together in the doctrine of salvation, and have a concern in it; though they are not meritorious procuring causes, nor conditions of it; yet in this way God brings his people to salvation, and they enter into, and are descriptive of, the character of such that are saved; there is so close a connection between these and salvation, that none are saved without them; and it may be observed, that this way of saving men through faith and repentance, and by going to Christ alone for rest, and by placing confidence in, and deriving all peace and comfort from him, is disagreeable to unregenerate men; which is a proof of the wretched depravity, and corruption, and perverseness of the will of man.
o “servaremini”, Piscator, Gataker.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Into such small sherds, a heap thus scattered hither and thither, would the kingdom of Judah be broken up, in consequence of its ungodly thirst for self-liberation. “For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, Through turning and rest ye would be helped; your strength would show itself in quietness and confidence; but ye would not. And ye said, No, but we will fly upon horses; therefore ye shall flee: and, We will ride upon racehorses; therefore your pursuers will race. A thousand, ye will flee from the threatening of one, from the threatening of five, until ye are reduced to a remnant, like a pine upon the top of the mountain, and like a banner upon the hill.” The conditions upon which their salvation depended, and by complying with which they would attain to it, were shubhah , turning from their self-chosen way, and nachath , rest from self-confident work of their own (from nuach , like rachath , ventilabrum , from ruach , and shachath , fovea , from shuach ). Their strength (i.e., what they would be able to do in opposition to the imperial power) would show itself ( hayah , arise, come to the light, as in Isa 29:2), in hashqet , laying aside their busy care and stormy eagerness, and bitchah , trust, which cleaves to Jehovah and, renouncing all self-help, leaves Him to act alone. This was the leading and fundamental principle of the prophet’s politics even in the time of Ahaz (Isa 7:4). But from the very first they would not act upon it; nor would they now that the alliance with Egypt had become an irreversible fact. To fly upon horses, and ride away upon racehorses ( kal, like , celer )
(Note: We regard the Sanscrit kal , to drive or hunt, the Greek ( ) , and the Semitic qal , as all having the same root: cf., Vurtius, Grundzge der griech. Etymol. i. 116.))
had been and still was their proud and carnal ambition, which Jehovah would answer by fulfilling upon them the curses of the thorah (Lev 26:8, Lev 26:36; Deu 28:25; Deu 32:30). One, or at the most five, of the enemy would be able with their snorting to put to flight a whole thousand of the men of Judah. The verb nus (Isa 30:16), which rhymes with sus , is used first of all in its primary sense of “flying” (related to nuts , cf., Exo 14:27), and then in its more usual sense of “fleeing.” (Luzzatto, after Abulwald : vogliamo far sui cavalli gloriosa comparsa , from nus , or rather nasas , hence nanos , from which comes nes , excellere .) , the fut. niphal, signifies to be light, i.e., swift; whereas , the fut. kal, had become a common expression for light in the sense of despised or lightly esteemed. The horses and chariots are Judah’s own (Isa 2:7; Mic 5:9), though possibly with the additional allusion to the Egyptian cavalry, of world-wide renown, which they had called to their help. In Isa 30:17 the subject of the first clause is also that of the second, and consequently we have not (compare the asyndeta in Isa 17:6). The insertion of r e bhabhah (ten thousand) after c hamisshah (five), which Lowth, Gesenius, and others propose, is quite unnecessary. The play upon the words symbolizes the divine law of retribution ( talio ), which would be carried out with regard to them. The nation, which had hitherto resembled a thick forest, would become like a lofty pine ( torne , according to the talmudic turntha , Pinus pinea ), standing solitary upon the top of a mountain, and like a flagstaff planted upon a hill – a miserable remnant in the broad land so fearfully devastated by war. For followed by a preterite (equivalent to the fut. exactum), compare Isa 6:11 and Gen 24:19.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
15. For thus saith the Lord. Here he describes one kind of contempt of God; for when warnings are addressed to hypocrites in general terms, they commonly produce little effect. In addition to the general doctrine, therefore, the prophets specify particular instances, which they specially accommodate to the conduct of those with whom they have to do, so as always to aim at a definite object. They might have wrangled and urged, “Why do you accuse us of so great impiety, as if we rejected the word of the Lord?” He therefore brings forward this class, in order to strike their consciences and cut short their idle sophistry. “Was it not the word of the Lord, In hope and silence shall be your strength? why did you not rely on God? why did you raise a commotion?” Thus the Prophet holds them to be convicted, so that they cannot cavil without the grossest impudence, or, if they do so, will derive no advantage.
The Holy One of Israel. He makes use of this appellation, in order to reproach them the more for their ingratitude, that they may know how great protection they would have found in God: for God wished to be their protector and guardian. When they had forsaken him, their distrust carried them away to solicit the aid of the Egyptians, which was very great and intolerable wickedness. This title contains a bitter complaint, that they shut out God from entering, when he drew near to them.
In rest and quietness shall you be safe. Some render שובה ( shūbāh) “repentance.” Others render it “rest,” (295) and I am more disposed to adopt that rendering; for I think that the Prophet intended frequently to impress upon the people, that the Lord demands more from them than to rely fully upon him. Nor is the repetition of the statement by two words superfluous; for he expressly intended to bring together the words “rest and quietness,” in order to reprove the people the more sharply for their distrust and unbelief.
This verse consists of two clauses, a command and a promise. He enjoins the people to be of a quiet disposition, and next promises that their salvation shall be certain. The people do not believe this promise, and consequently they do not obey the command; for how would they render obedience to God, whom they do not believe, and on whose promises they do not rely? We need not wonder, therefore, that they do not enjoy peace and repose; for these cannot exist without faith, and faith cannot exist without the promises, and as soon as the promises have been embraced, souls that were restless and uneasy are made calm. Thus, unbelief alone produces that uneasiness; and therefore the Prophet justly reproves it, and shews that it is the source of the whole evil.
Though our condition be not entirely the same with that of the Jews, yet God commands us to wait for his assistance with quiet dispositions, not to murmur, or be troubled or perplexed, or to distrust his promises. This doctrine must belong equally to all believers; for the whole object of Satan’s contrivances is to distress them, and to cast them down from their condition. In like manner had Moses long before addressed them,
“
You shall be silent, and the Lord will fight for you.” (Exo 14:14.)
Not that he wished them to sleep or to be idle, but he enjoined them to have this peace in their hearts. If we have it, we shall feel that it yields us sufficient protection; and if not, we shall be punished for our levity and rashness.
(295) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CHRISTIAN QUIETNESS. [1123]
[1123] See also STRENGTH IN QUIETNESS, Isa. 30:7.
Isa. 30:15. In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
The principle of our text is, that strength, safety, success, happiness, is the fruit of self-control and of reliance upon God.
I. It requires little observation to perceive that this is so in outward things (Ecc. 2:11). Look out upon life, and see who, in the long run, are the most successful. Is it the stirring and excitable, those who are most conspicuous in its busy competitions? No: it is for the most part the tranquil and retiring; those who make no display, and have the least reliance upon their own powers. The surest gains and the most certain advancement usually attend those who go on quietly and steadily, without grasping at what is beyond their reach, or wasting their energies in unnecessary exertion. The godly who, when they cannot engage on fair terms in the rivalry of the world, keep aloof from it, preserving peace with men, and exercising faith in God, are provided for, and not unfrequently even raised to conspicuous prosperity. In quietness and confidence in Gods providential care is their strength.
II. Still more important is the application of this sacred principle to what goes on in the Christians soul. We can further the great work of our sanctification only by acting upon it. Excitement and self-dependence can do nothing. The work which has been begun by Divine mercy must be carried out by Divine agency. We are to take heed not to throw any obstacles in the way by our rashness or despondency. If under a feeling of the importance of the work we have to do, we set about doing it in any way of our own, we only invite disappointment, and peril the object we have in view. Only in a dutiful and patient waiting upon God can we obtain a blessing. Not all the will-worship which was ever contrived by human ingenuity can bring us nearer heaven.
III. These words should be our guide in every difficulty and emergency of the spiritual life. They bid us give place to no anxiety or alarm. Those who act upon them cannot be fanatics, nor will they despair. They will not seek what God sees fit to deny, nor even to attain to what is excellent by equivocal means. No real strength is to be got by ferment and agitation. We may not do evil that good may come; we may not distrust Gods power and willingness to help us; we may not seek help from Egypt.
IV. These words should be our guide in view of the changes and excitements of our times. Because of them many are filled with unreasonable fears. But are we to lose our patience and steadfastness because irreligious speculators and worldly religionists are in an uproar? No; let them follow their own course; let us act upon the principle of our text. Truth is safe; the Church is founded upon a rock; nothing can harm it, but our attempting to defend it with carnal weapons. Our weapons are the Word of God and prayer. In the use even of them, we must take heed what spirit we are of, that we use them not in a worldly or angry spirit. Let God do His own work. Let us not venture to step beyond ours. It is not our work to keep the world in order. With the eye of our faith fixed upon Him who with unerring wisdom and omnipotent might controls all the changes and developments of human affairs, let us quietly pursue the duties which He has assigned us, and we shall be safe, and strong, and blessed.J. G. Dowling, M.A.: Sermons, pp. 5575.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
THE VANITY OF EARTHLY HELP IN TIME OF TRIAL, AND THE PROFIT OF PATIENT WAITING
Isa. 30:15-16. For thus saith the Lord God, &c.
The history of the Jews a striking proof of human depravity. That people at once the most favoured by God, and the most obstinate in rebellion against God. Ever hankering after some new idol, and falling into some new sin. Burden of the prophets was to reprove their pride and hardness. Isaiah no exception. In this chapter there is a solemn warning, the last remonstrance previous to Sennacherib and his army coming upon them.
First, the insufficiency of all human dependence. Chronic failing of the Jews was dependence on the arm of flesh. In national difficulties they went to Egypt for horses, or turned to Assyria for help, thinking that these would insure defence. But these devices always failed. God, from the first, placed His people in such circumstances that they could not fail to see that it was not human might which delivered them. Illustrate this by the Exodus, Gideon, David, and Goliath. In all this instruction for us, God is jealous of His honour. He brings to nought the works of the wise who ignore Him, and crowns with success the efforts of the weak and foolish who trust Him.
These words were especially addressed to the Ancient Church, and consequently their teaching is for Gods people now. We are too apt to be discouraged when earthly powers are arrayed against us, and to be elated when they are for us, in both cases placing our chief dependence on them. To do this is to lose sight of the true dignity and glory of the Church of God. The Church is the Spouse of Christ; she is gifted and dowried by Him; and does not depend for success upon the State, or any form of human help. The first preachers of Christianity were poor and unlearned men, owing all their success to the power of the Holy Ghost. We must rely upon the same force.
God teaches this lesson of dependence on Himself, not only to the Church as a whole, but to individual members. Hence He sends personal affliction, domestic trials; brings men into circumstances where human aid is of no avail. They can do nothing for themselves; nothing can be done for them. Trust in God is their only resource.
This leads to the second thought, the profit of patient waiting on the Lord. Their strength is to sit still. In returning and rest shall ye be saved. In returning from endeavours to obtain help from earthly sources. God suffers us to lean on the aid of man that we may realise its futility. Faith finds its best exercise in trial; it is also strengthened and confirmed by affliction. In such conditions, too, faith produces its richest and rarest fruit. Faith must evidence itself by works. Days of sorrow and chambers of sickness bear witness to the heroism of the believer. There are no heroes like those who suffer calmly and in secret. Many such will at the last be exalted higher than even martyrs and confessors.
The secret of patient waiting is trust in Gods promises. Our waiting must be on the Lord. Such waiting disciplines and chastens us. Evil tempers are subdued. Attachment to the world is destroyed. Gods Word becomes our daily bread; His presence as the breath of our life; and gradually the character is perfected, and made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.Rev. S. Robins, M.A., Dale: Miscellaneous Sermons, p. 415.
DIVINE SALVATION REJECTED
Isa. 30:15-17. For thus saith the Lord God, &c.
The subject treated is the proposition to seek help from Egypt against the Assyrians. Here is the divine remonstrance. It illustrates the Gospel, its treatment, and the retribution that will follow.
I. THE GRACIOUS ASSURANCE.
In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. God was the defender of His people. Their strength was to trust in Him. It is so still. He is the only Saviour. A divine salvation is
1. Needed. As much as when Sennacherib spread his hosts before Jerusalem; as much as when the children of Israel in the wilderness needed the manna, without which they must have perished, &c.; for man is sinful; and because sinful helpless.
2. Proclaimed (Isa. 45:22; Act. 13:38-39). God pitied the world, and sent His Son. Jesus died. His death satisfied for sin. Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost. And willing. In the ministry of the gospel He invites every sinner to come to Him.
3. Conditioned. Returnrest. There must be a complete change from sin; from wrong confidence to simple faith. Many examples in the Old Testament show that believing reliance on God was a surer way to deliverance than the power of man. Apostolic preaching points to faith as the link of connection between the sinner and the Saviour. The salvation is by faith, that it may be free.
II. THE FOOLISH DETERMINATION.
Isa. 30:16. They had no faith. They looked to human helpers. It is the tendency of man. And thus the gospel is set aside.
1. By negligence. Because of prevailing unbelief spiritual blessings are undervalued. Sin is loved. There is little moral earnestness. Acceptance of the Gospel is postponed as if it were some disagreeable duty.
2. By contempt. The horses on which they said they would ride point to Egypt as their strength. It was contempt of Gods help. Thus their fathers had turned to the golden calf. Thus some turn to money, some to earthly pleasures, some to the Church, some to the priest for salvation. Anywhere rather than to the Saviour Himself.
3. By self-confidence. Ceremonies of religion are performed; prayers offered; obedience rendered; alms given with a view to propitiate the divine favour and obtain salvation as a debt. It rejects the truth of the Bible. It proceeds from ungodliness, pride, and unbelief.
III. THE DREADFUL CONSEQUENCE.
Isa. 30:17. All your confidence will break down. You will be utterly ruined. It will be as when a great power collapses. So shall it be with sinners (Psalms 52; Jer. 17:5-6). So with sinners who reject the Gospel. There will be
1. Complete failure. You will be left in your original helplessness; at the mercy of the enemy; at the mercy of your sins.
2. Signal punishment. For the criminality is most aggravated. You have insulted God by flinging back His offered hand. Mark the means by which punishment will come. By the very things you have trusted. Mark the manner in which punishment will come. It will be utter ruin. Mark the end your punishment will serve. It will be a beacon to warn others against your fate. Instead of trusting in any other help, fly to Jesus. Believe in Him. He gives the weary rest. You shall be saved, now and for ever.J. Rawlinson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
2. SALVATION
TEXT: Isa. 30:15-33
15
For thus said the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
16
But ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17
One thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.
18
And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you for Jehovah is a God of justice; blessed are all they that wait for him.
19
For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt weep no more; he will surely be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear, he will answer thee.
20
And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be hidden any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers;
21
and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
22
And ye shall defile the overlaying of thy graven images of silver, and the plating of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as an unclean thing; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.
23
And he will give the rain for thy seed, wherewith thou shalt sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
24
The oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat savory provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and the fork.
25
And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
26
Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27
Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire;
28
and his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction: and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples.
29
Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.
30
And Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast, and tempest, and hailstones.
31
For through the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be dismayed; with his rod will he smite him.
32
And every stroke of the appointed staff, which Jehovah shall lay upon him, shall be with the sound of tabrets and harps; and in battles with the brandishing of his arm will he fight with them.
33
For a Topheth is prepared of old; yea, for the king it is made ready; he hath made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.
QUERIES
a.
How will they be saved by rest? Isa. 30:15
b.
When would they cast away their molten images of gold?
c.
What does Assyria (Isa. 30:31) have to do with this context?
PARAPHRASE
This is what the Holy One of Israel, the One from whom you wish to hear no more, says: In turning again unto Me in humility you will find salvation; in calm trust in Me you will find powerbut you refuse to do so. You actually said, No, we will find our safety in fleeing to Egypt upon fast horses. Our salvation will be in our swiftness. Yes, if it is swiftness you wish to see, you shall see it, but it will be the swiftness of your enemies coming upon you. If it is fleeing you wish to see, you shall see that also. Indeed one thousand of you shall flee at the threat of just a very few of your enemies. There will be so few of you left after the fleeing before your enemies, those few will be like the solitary mast pole of a shipstanding all by itself. So, because of your attitude, the Lord will wait to show mercy to you until He has first completed His work of judgment. The Lord is a Lord of justice, and therefore He must uphold His exalted name in judgment before He can be gracious. All who wait with endurance upon the Lord to fulfill His purposes will find blessedness. Indeed, you who wait upon the Lord will dwell in Zion, even in the Holy City, where My presence is. There shall be an end to your weeping. The Lord will be gracious to you when He hears your cry to Him. As soon as He hears your cry of repentance and turning to Him, He will answer you. Although the Lord is going to give you a diet of adversity and affliction for awhile, the time will soon come when your God-sent teachers will no longer have to hide from threats to their lives. You will once again be able to see and hear true teachers from God calling you back to the true way where God wants you to walk. They will keep you from erring in walking on the wrong way. And in that day you will despise your expensive and precious idols as repulsive things and cast them away, saying, Good riddance, away with you! Then God will make you prosperous. He will bless you with rain at planting time and make what you plant produce abundantly and bring forth broad pastures for your flocks. Your livestock will eat the best kind of feed. In that day, when God defeats your enemies, He will give you refreshment like cool, clear streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. In that day, when the Lord treats the illness of His people and heals them, the glory of God and the abundance of His blessings upon His people will be so magnificent it will be like a sevenfold intensification of the shining of the sun and moon. Behold, the Lord, who before removed Himself because of the sins of His people, will come in the day of their repentance, aflame with wrath, lips filled with fury, consuming His enemies by His word. His wrath will pour out upon them and sweep them away like a flood which drowns; they will be destroyed like chaff from a sieve; they will be led by their errors to their doom as a horse is led by its bridle. But the Lords people will have a festive song to sing like the songs of their holy feast days. The same kind of gladness of heart exhibited when worshippers go up to the mountain of the Lord playing on their flutes and other instruments will be the gladness that the Lords people will have at that time. The Covenant-God will cause the majesty of His voice to be heard in the deliverance of His people. He will exhibit the power of His arm to save His people and destroy His enemies. His destruction will be terrible and complete. By the power of the word of God His enemies, the Assyrians, will cease to exist. Every stroke with which the Lord smites His mighty rod of punishment, the Lords people will rejoice at their deliverance with music and song. In wars of heavenly power God will shake down His enemies to destruction. For ages and ages a cremating of His enemies has been prepared by the Lord. Jehovah has prepared a massive funeral pyre for the ruler of His enemies. Like brimstone which set on fire Sodom and Gomorrah, the breath of the Lord will consume His enemies.
COMMENTS
Isa. 30:15-22 REPENTANCE: It is interesting to note how often Isaiah uses the phrase, the Holy One of Israel, to henceforth refer to God. It is undoubtedly deliberate on the prophets part to rebuke and bring to repentance those who earlier (Isa. 30:10-11) insisted they did not want to hear any more of the Holy One of Israel. The most used Hebrew word for repentance in nahkam but in Isa. 30:15 the word describing the action involved in repentance, beshoovah or, in turning, is used. The word nahkath which means bring down, or humble is also used but translated rest. Isaiah is really saying that the salvation of this proud and rebelling people is to be found in returning to the Lord in humility and penitence. It is going to take drastic action on their part. Isaiah uses the words sheket, quietness, and batahk, trust, confidence, to inform his people where strength is to be found. The clamness which comes from trust in the Lord is the strength they will need to save their nation from its present corruption and inevitable disintegration and defeat. Judahs rulers are presently in a state of turmoil, indecision, conflict and strife about going to Egypt or not going to Egypt for help against Assyria. Proud and haughty, self-sufficient and carnal-minded, they refuse to trust in the Lords way because His way demands trial, testing and discipline (cf. Heb. 3:7-19). Christian discipleship is difficult. Jesus always taught those who would follow Him to count the cost. Few enter because the way is strait. The majority of people in Isaiahs day deliberately chose to reject Godthey would not turn and humble themselves (cf. Jer. 6:16-19; Eze. 2:1-7; Eze. 3:6-11).
Quite the contrary to humbling themselves and turning to the Lord, the majority of people are confident in their preparations to flee from the Assyrians on swift horses. People then put their trust in horses (cf. Gen. 50:9; Exo. 14:6 ff; Exo. 15:1; 2Ch. 12:3; Jer. 46:4; 2Ki. 18:24; Deu. 17:16) like people today put their trust in military weapons. Isaiah predicts they will see some swift horses, but they will be the swift horses of the Assyrians who pursue them. Isaiahs people will also do some fleeing! Their enemies will be so terrible and awesome it will only take a few of them to put hundreds of Jews to rout. There will be so few people left when the Assyrians come, what remains will be so alone they will look like a lonely signal fire in the nightlike a solitary flag pole on a hill. This probably refers to the days of Hezekiah when the Assyrians had overrun and devastated all of Palestine except the city of Jerusalem and they had laid siege to that!
Isaiah continues to tell his audience what their relationship to the Holy One of Israel ought to berepentance. Jehovah is going to wait awhile before He has mercy upon His people. Jehovahs waiting period will involve an exhibition of His justice in judging the enemies of His people, the bread of adversity and water of affliction for His people, the crying of His people unto Him, their paying heed to their teachers and casting away of their idols. This waiting period of Jehovah is His program to work repentance in His people. His people must be prepared to receive His mercy. In their rebellious, ungodly attitude they do not even desire His mercy. They must see His judgment upon themselves and their enemies, cry to Him, listen to His teachers and purge themselves of false gods. Then they are ready to want and appreciate His mercy. Isa. 30:21 seems to indicate that the attitude of the people of Isaiahs day toward their teachers was one of malice and hate. The prophets often were obliged to hide lest the people kill them for declaring the word of God. There must be a complete change of attitude toward who God is and what He says through His teachers, before they are ready for Gods great blessings.
This section probably refers initially to the captivities of Israel by the Assyrians and Judah by the Babylonians and the restoration under Ezra and Zerubbabel. It is true the Jews learned their lesson about idolatry in the captivity. They never again worshipped images. However, in Jesus day the Pharisees had made an idol of their traditions. It is our opinion that the ultimate fulfillment of this passage and the verses that follow is found in the Messiah and His kingdom, the church.
Isa. 30:23-26 RESTORATION: These verses are figurative hyperbole to describe the great way in which God will prosper His people upon their repentance and turning back to Him. It does not seem to be intended to be understood literally. There are things which, so far as history knows, have never happened literallyand should they happen literally they would bring an end to life on our planet, i.e., the moon becoming as the light of the sun and the suns light increasing sevenfold! It is even doubtful that animals ever ate as well as they are described to eat in Isa. 30:24. It is also a matter of record that Palestine has never known literally a time when there were brooks and streams upon every lofty mountain and every high hill! It is apparent that Isaiah is talking in times coloring of the great spiritual blessings that are to come as a result of the repentance of Gods covenant people when God binds up the hurt of his people, and heals up the stroke of their wound. It is the binding up and healing that is to come through the Messiah (cf. Isa. 53:4-6). It is through the Messiah Gods people are to prosper (cf. Isa. 53:10-12).
Isa. 30:27-33 REJOICING: After repentance and restoration comes rejoicing. The Lords people are portrayed as rejoicing when they see the all-powerful deliverance given to them by Him. He is coming from His place, burning with His anger and He will destroy His enemies with the word of His mouth. If God can bring the universe into existence by His word, He can destroy His enemies by the word of His mouth. His defeat of His enemies is inevitable and all consuming. Their defeat will be complete. Jehovah is going to bring this judgment upon the goyim (Gentiles, nations). The nations are brought to Him to be judged as beasts compelled by a halter or bridle are led to sacrifice. God will bring His enemies to judgment even against their will to be brought. When this great victory of God occurs it will result in a great deliverance for His people and this will cause His people to sing and rejoice at their redemption. Gods people do not rejoice in a malicious attitude at the destruction of othersthey are praising God for His glory and faithfulness. Their deliverance will be like a great feast!
Isa. 30:30 indicates that the main purpose of judgment and deliverance is to cause Gods voice to be heard and His power to be exhibited. The initial focus of this judgment and deliverance will be upon Assyria. God will defeat the Assyrians in a stupendous, miraculous way when they surround Jerusalem in the day of Hezekiah (cf. Isaiah 36-39). But it seems to refer to a much greater and more complete victory of the Lord over the nations and Assyria is its beginning.
The word battles in Isa. 30:32 is tenoophah which means more precisely, shaking. God is going to shake all the nations. All kingdoms of men oppose Gods kingdom. He is going to shake them all down and establish a kingdom that cannot be shaken (cf. Heb. 12:25-29). God is going to thoroughly destroy His enemies. He is going to bury them. Topheth was located in the valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem and was the place where unbelieving Israelites offered up their sons and daughters to Moloch. Here, too, the refuse of the city was deposited and burned; the fires burned continually. Thus the place came to take on the name Gehenna, i.e., the valley of Hinnom, and was a symbol of the place of eternal destruction.
The point of all this is found in the key words we have used in each section: Repentance, Restoration, Rejoicing. The Hebrew people had decided to find deliverance from their enemies (Assyria) in human governments and earthly programs (Egypt). Isaiah declares that the true people of God find their deliverance in turning to Him, because God is going to completely destroy all the nations, beginning with Assyria. Daniel symbolizes this so clearly in the vision of the great image (Daniel 2) and the vision of the four beasts (Daniel 7). The ultimate fulfillment of all this is accomplished in that great victory of God at Calvary, the Empty Tomb and Pentecost when God defeated mans greatest enemy, Satan, and established His kingdom on earth, the church.
QUIZ
1.
Why does Isaiah begin by mentioning the Holy One of Israel?
2.
Name the four things associated with their salvation?
3.
How had the people decided to save themselves?
4.
Why was Jehovah determined to wait?
5.
Why are Isa. 30:23-26 probably not literal?
6.
What is the point of all this section?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(15) In returning and rest . . .The words describe a process of conversion, but the nature of that conversion is determined by the context. In this case it was the turning from the trust in man, with all its restless excitement, to a trust in God, full of calmness and of peace.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15-17. The same Holy One continues. On condition alone of your turning back from Egypt and resting in my commands and counsels, can you be saved.
In returning shall ye be saved This means change of mind from relying on Egypt and a “returning” to their duty to God.
In quietness Resting in calm trust on Jehovah alone Herein is your strength ye said, No Utter rejection of Jehovah’s proposition. They aspired for the glory of conquest after the manner of other nations. To the horses of Egypt, then, Go ye, was the reply; their swift steeds ye may have; not as the pursuers, but as the pursued as the routed and overwhelmed, shall ye have them. One thousand of you shall flee from before the threatening attitude of even one, and your whole fleeing army shall scatter wide before even five of the enemy; so that because of the fewness of the number left they may be compared to a solitary beacon or tree on the top of a mountain.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Trust in Jehovah Rewarded; Overthrow of the Lord’s Enemies
v. 15. For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest, v. 16. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses, v. 17. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee, v. 18. And therefore will the Lord wait, v. 19. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, v. 20. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, v. 21. and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, v. 22. Ye shall defile also, v. 23. Then, v. 24. The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground, v. 25. And there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every high hill, v. 26. Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, v. 27. Behold, the name of the Lord, v. 28. and His breath, as an overflowing stream, v. 29. Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept, v. 30. And the Lord shall cause His glorious voice, v. 31. For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod, v. 32. And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, v. 33. For Tophet is ordained of old,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Isa 30:15-18. For thus saith the Lord The second sentence contains a judicial reproof and denunciation, wherein the punishment to be inflicted upon the disobedient and badly advised, is distinctly compared with the crime; for the Almighty, wonderful in all his ways, generally puts carnal men to shame by those very things wherein they place their confidence. Their crime here again is twice proposed; namely, their pertinacious struggle against the counsel suggested to them by the prophets of God, and their contempt of that counsel, Isa 30:15-16. Its consequence; first, the disappointment of their hope, and the destruction of their evil consultations, Isa 30:17. And then the slowness of God, and his desire to be gracious before he exerts his judgments, Isa 30:18. The meaning of the whole period is this, that if the Ephraimites and Jews, in the uncertain state of their affairs, would abstain from all care and endeavours to defend themselves by foreign aid, and would commit themselves to the care and providence of God with a settled mind, in faith and hope, they should then be safe, and avoid the calamities which threatened them: which salutary counsel the prophet shews that they obstinately despised, and would despise; that, on the contrary, they were determined to seek for deliverance from the yoke of the Assyrians or Chaldees in the help of the Egyptians, who were remarkable for their swift and fine horses, Isa 30:16 on which account they should meet with the calamities decreed for them; so that, seized with panic fear, when they came to the point, they should turn their backs upon their enemies, and fly with that swiftness with which they had thought to make their enemies fly; insomuch, that very few of them should escape the common destruction:middle of Isa 30:16-17. And although God had determined not to deny his grace and help to them in affliction, when reduced to the last extremity, and after they had experienced the vanity of their own counsels, yet would he bestow that mercy slowly, with delay; because the enormity of their offence required a severity of punishment agreeable to the laws of justice. However, he would not fail the hope of those who believed on him; on the contrary, all they that should wait for him should be blessed. The word shubah, rendered returning, in the 15th verse, is rendered, and, as it seems, very properly, by Vitringa, conversion, or change of council. Instead of your strength, he reads, your victory; and in the 18th verse he reads the first clause, And therefore the Lord will delay to be gracious, &c. See the first verse of the next chapter.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
3. THE PRESUMPTUOUS AND THE WELL-FOUNDED CONFIDENCE
Isa 30:15-18
15For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel;
In returning and rest shall ye be saved:
In quietness and in confidence shall he your strength:
And ye would not.
16But ye said, No; for we will 11flee upon horses;
Therefore shall ye flee:
And, We will ride upon the swift;
Therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one;
At the rebuke of five shall ye flee:
Till ye be left as a 12 13beacon upon the top of a mountain,
And as an ensign on an hill.
18And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you,
And therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you:
For the Lord is a God of judgment:
Blessed are all they that wait for him.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. That the way of deliverance pursued by Israel was wrong, appears not only from its roots (Isa 30:9-11) and from its fruit (Isa 30:12-14), but also from setting over against it that which is declared by Jehovah to be alone salutary: Returning and rest in Him; quiet, patient trust in Him who only is strong and makes strong. But Israel declined to take this latter way (Isa 30:15). According to their notion, only Egypts horses could help them. But these horses are to serve only for precipitate flight. Runners, too, there shall be, but at the disposal of the pursuers of fleeing Israel (Isa 30:16). A great number of Israelites will flee from a petty band of enemies, and Israels whole might will be reduced to but a small remnant, that might be compared with a single pine or a solitary banner on a mountain-height (Isa 30:17). And the final consequence will be that the Lord, as He is a God who exercises justice, must delay His help, which eventually will not be withheld. Then will it appear that only they are, to be pronounced happy who hope on the Lord (Isa 30:18). [I understand the purport of Isa 30:18 differently. See exegetical and critical remarks on it.D. M.]
2. Isa 30:15-18. For thus saithwait for him. [. .) is certainly not quickening, vivificatio, but returning. For the question here relates to what Israel was bound to do. And is that very significant leading term in the prophecy of Isaiah, and especially in that of Jeremiah, which we have already (Isa 1:27) taken notice of, and have particularly remarked in the name (comp. on Isa 7:3). from , to rest (comp. Isa 30:30, et saepe), as , Isa 30:24, from , marks, as it were, the point where the ends. For Israel has to return to the Lord and then rest in the Lord (comp. Syria resteth on Ephraim, Isa 7:2). This meaning seems to me more appropriate than that of rest from ones own self-confiding endeavor (Del.). [Delitzsch appears to me to set forth the exact idea intended by . It is hard to assume an ellipsis of the words in the Lord after rest.But the supplement proposed by Delitzsch is naturally suggested by the context.D. M.] includes the idea of abstaining from making ones self outwardly busy, as well as that of inward composure. Isaiah called (Isa 7:4) to Ahaz, who was seeking safety in external military and political measures. (. .) forms a fine counterpart to : the true repose rests on the confidence which casts every concern on the Lord (comp. Isa 32:17, where also and stand together. In this union of self-restraint and of yielding ones self to the Lord would consist Israels strength (, Isa 3:25; Isa 11:2; Isa 28:6; Isa 30:15; Isa 33:13; Isa 36:5; in the second part only the plural 63:15, occurs). But alas! Israel refuses to make this self-surrender to the Lord (Isa 30:9). The people say rather: (Isa 30:16). The Vulgate translates: ad equos fugiemus, as in Isa 10:3. But it is apparent that the rhyme between and is designed; and for the sake of the rhyme a modification of the meaning of is allowable. The following wordswe will ride upon the swiftmake clear the thought which the Prophet desired to express by . I therefore take , as many modern interpreters do, in the sense of celeriter ferri, festinare (comp. ,, in German fliehen and fliegen [in English to flee and to fly). If the clause signified on horses will we flee (Drechsler), then it must be said in opposition: therefore shall ye flee on foot. We should then expect a word which would indicate slow flight. But in using this language the Israelites were thinking of meeting the enemy on swift horses. The appropriate antithetic statement which the Prophet makes is: no, horses will serve you only for flight. Parallel to we will hasten upon horses is the clause . Only here is , celer, (comp. Isa 5:26; Isa 18:2; Isa 19:1) used of the swift horse. The Israelites were warned in the Law against the horses of Egypt (Deu 17:16; comp. 1Ki 10:25; 1Ki 10:28), and our Prophet utters soon after (Isa 31:1; Isa 31:3) in plain words the same blame which we find here. [Beside the play of words in , and , that in and should not be overlooked.D. M.] Isa 30:17 depicts the disgraceful haste and senselessness of their flight in terms that evidently allude to passages in the Law (comp. Lev 26:17; and especially Deu 32:30). [Lowth supposes that after there stood originally , which has dropped out of the text. But the connection with the following words would be disturbed by this proposed emendation: at the rebuke of five shall ye flee till ye be left, etc.Henderson properly quotes the censure of Kocher on such intermeddling with the sacred text: Quin tandem aliquando suae sibi viae certum vatem ire sinentes nostros errores corrigimus?D.M.] This wasting, destructive flight will last till there remains of Israel only a small remnant. The smallness of this remnant is set forth by the Prophet under a double image. He compares it first with a single pine (=44:14, originally the pine, then the mast made out of it, Isa 33:23; Eze 27:5), on a high mountain, which is all that remains of a thick wood; and then with a solitary signal-pole (Num 21:8 sq.; Isa 5:26; Isa 11:10; Isa 11:12, el saepe) set up on a bare height (Isa 13:2). The choice of this second image was perhaps determined by the resemblance in sound between and Isa 30:18 describes the second and last effect of the in Isa 30:15. The first was destruction and dispersion, the second is the delay in Gods showing favor [?] with to wait for something, Psa 106:13; Job 3:21; Isa 8:17; Isa 64:3. The sense of delaying lies in this word in 2Ki 7:9; 2Ki 9:3. This sense, too, is not foreign to the passage, Job 32:4. The parallelism indicates that the words must have an analogous sense. I understand here with Rashi (comp. Gesen.Thes. p. 1274) in the sense of , he is high, i. e., gone away upwards, because he dwells on high. He takes a high, i.e., retired, distant position in relation to pitying you (comp. , Psa 10:5). It must be admitted that we should expect instead of . The matter is still dubious. Perhaps we should read or (with Houbigant, Lowth, Ewald, Cheyne, and some Codices). That God delays in granting deliverance, is according to His justice. He must punish you. Divine justice requires this. If He should only show mercy, this would not be good for the sinner himself (Isa 26:10). It is therefore on the ground of the declarations Exo 34:6-7; Num 14:18 said of him [rather the Lord Himself says]: I will not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished (Jer 30:11; Jer 46:28). Yet from this correction in measure, which satisfies justice and love, there is a deliverance to the enjoyment of the full light of salvation for those who wait on the Lord in faith. This thought forms the transition to the second part of the chapter, which is of a consolatory character. The last clause of Isa 30:18 recalls to mind the closing words of the second Psalm. [Must we then give up using the hallowed phrase: The Lord waiteth to be gracious as an encouragement to come to Him, and in deference to just criticism regard these words as rather a threatening that the Lord will delay to show favor? Though one or two instances of the rare use of in the sense of delaying may be adduced, yet the word more naturally marks a tending or inclining to the object of waiting. Here we have followed by , which forces us to give the word a sense the very opposite of deferring or delaying. Dr. Naegelsbach confesses the unsatisfactoriness of the explanation which must be given to the following parallel clause, if the first clause of the verse is to be understood of Jehovah delaying to be gracious. But, it may be asked, how is at the beginning of the verse to be explained, if it does not contain a threatening? I connect therefore with the miserable condition of Israel described in the preceding verse. This misery awakens the divine compassion. Therefore the Lord repents Himself for His servants when He seeth that their power is gone, Deu 32:36. He seeks opportunity to relieve the distressed because He delighteth in mercy. And He is exalted above the heavens, not to be remote, not to withdraw Himself and to withhold aid, but that His beloved may be delivered, Psa 108:5-6. Need I add that it is in accordance with Scripture to represent the Lord as displaying His righteousness when He fulfils His promise to show mercy, and is faithful in keeping His gracious covenant? See how in the next, the 19th, verse the Prophet illustrates what he means by the Lord waiting that He may be gracious to Israel, when He declares He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry.D. M.]
Footnotes:
[11]hasten.
[12]Or, a tree bereft of branches: Or, a mast.
[13]a pine.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Now the Lord raiseth up instruments to punish his children from their own pursuits, and, like Jonah’s gourd, maketh a worm to come forth from the root of it! The Lord had assured his people, that if they would rest upon his power, he would protect them. But they thought a banded army of men would be better, and, therefore, as they valued Egypt’s strength more than heaven’s security, they should find, to their cost, that that strength should profit them nothing.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
Ver. 15. The Holy One of Israel. ] A style much in the mouths of God’s prophets in those times. But what great arrogance is it in the Pope to take unto him the title of his Holiness!
In returning and rest shall ye be saved. Isaiah
‘QUIETNESS AND CONFIDENCE’
Isa 30:15 ISRAEL always felt the difficulty of sustaining itself on the height of dependence on the unseen, spiritual power of God, and was ever oscillating between alliances with the Northern and Southern powers, linking itself with Assyria against Egypt, or with Egypt against Assyria. The effect was that whichever was victorious it suffered; it was the battleground for both, it was the prize of each in turn. The prophet’s warnings were political wisdom as truly as religious.
Here Judah is exhorted to forsake the entangling dependence on Egypt, and to trust wholly to God. They had gone away from Him in their fears. They must come back by their faith. To them the great lesson was trust in God. Through them to us the same lesson is read. The principle is far wider than this one case. It is the one rule of life for us all.
The two clauses of the text convey substantially the same idea. They are in inverted parallelism. ‘Returning and rest’ correspond to ‘quietness and confidence,’ so as that ‘rest’ answers to ‘quietness’ and ‘returning’ to ‘confidence.’ In the former clause we have the action towards God and then its consequence. In the latter we have the consequence and then the action.
I. The returning.
To ‘return’ is just to trust.
The parallel helps us here-’returning’ is parallel with ‘confidence.’ This confidence is to be exercised especially in relation to one’s own path in life and the outward trials and difficulties which we meet, but its sphere extends far beyond these. It is a disposition of mind which covers all things. The attitude of trust, the sense of dependence, the assurance of God’s help and love are in all life the secrets of peace and power.
Am I sinful? then trust. Am I bewildered and ignorant? then trust. Am I anxious and harassed? then trust.
Note the thought, that we come back to God by simple confidence, not by preparing ourselves, not by our expiation, but only by trusting in Him.
Of course the temptations to the opposite attitude are many and great.
Note, too, that every want of confidence is a departure from God. We go away from Him not only by open sin, not only by denial of Him, but by forgetfulness, by want of faith.
The ground of this confidence is laid in our knowledge of Him, especially in our knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The exercise of this confidence is treated as voluntary. Every man is responsible for his faith.
The elements of this confidence are, as regards ourselves, our sense of want in all its various aspects; and, as regards Him, our assurance of His love, of His nearness to help.
II. Confiding nearness to God brings quiet rest.
1. See how confidence in God stills and quiets the soul.
The very exercise of communion with Him brings peace and rest, inasmuch as all things are then possessed which we can desire. There is a still fruition which nothing can equal and nothing destroy.
Trust in God brings rest from our own evil consciences.
It brings rest from our own plans and purposes.
Trust gives insight into the meaning of all this else unintelligible world.
It brings the calming and subduing of desires, which in their eagerness torture, in their fruition trouble, and in their disappointment madden.
It brings the gathering in of ourselves from all the disturbing diffusion of ourselves through earthly trifles.
2. Notice what this rest is not.
It does not mean the absence of causes of disturbance.
It does not mean the abnegation of forethought.
It does not mean an indolent passiveness.
3. Notice the duty of being thus quiet and resting.
How much we fail in this respect.
We have faith, but there seems some obstruction which stops it from flowing refreshingly through our lives.
We are bound to seek for its increased continuity and power in our hearts and lives.
III. Confidence and rest in God bring safety and strength.
No harm comes to us when we trust, because then God is with us, and works for us, and cares for us. So all departments of life are bound together by the one law. Trust is the condition of being ‘saved.’
And not only so, but also trust is strength. God works for us; yes, but better than that, God works in us and fits us to work.
What powers we might be in the world! Trust should make us strong. To have confidence in God should bring us power to which all other power is as nothing. He who can feel that his foot is on the rock, how firm he should stand!
Best gives strength. The rest of faith doubles our forces. To be freed from anxious care makes a man much more likely to act vigorously and to judge wisely.
Stillness of soul, born of communion with God, makes us strong.
Stillness of soul, born of deliverance from our fears, makes us strong.
Here then is a golden chain-or shall we rather say a live wire?- whereof one end is bound to the Throne and the other encircles our poor hearts. Trust, so shall we be at rest and safe. Being at rest and safe, we shall be strong. If we link ourselves with God by faith, God will flash into us His mysterious energy, and His strength will be made perfect in our weakness.
confidence = trust: i.e. trust [in Jehovah]. Hebrew. batah, as in Isa 30:12. App-69.
strength = real power. Hebrew. geburah. Not the same word as in verses: Isa 30:2, Isa 30:3, but the same as in Isa 28:6.
the Holy One: Isa 30:11, Jer 23:36
in returning: Isa 30:7, Isa 7:4, Isa 26:3, Isa 26:4, Isa 32:17, 1Ch 5:20, 2Ch 16:8, 2Ch 32:8, Psa 125:1, Psa 125:2, Jer 3:22, Jer 3:23, Hos 14:1-3
and ye: Psa 80:11-13, Jer 44:16, Jer 44:17, Mat 22:3, Mat 23:37, Luk 13:34, Joh 5:40, Heb 12:25
Reciprocal: Exo 14:13 – Fear ye not Exo 14:14 – hold Jos 24:19 – holy Jdg 7:21 – stood 1Sa 27:1 – there is nothing 2Ki 19:22 – the Holy One 2Ch 20:17 – stand ye still Psa 37:7 – wait Psa 80:7 – we shall Psa 118:9 – than to put Psa 131:2 – quieted Isa 1:4 – the Holy Isa 20:6 – whither Isa 28:12 – This Isa 30:12 – Because Isa 50:11 – all ye Jer 39:4 – when Jer 50:6 – have forgotten Lam 3:26 – quietly 2Co 5:6 – we are always
STRENGTH IN QUIETNESS
In quietnees and in confidence shall be your strength.
Isa 30:15
Our weakness sometimes brings to light Gods strength. St. Paul said of himself, When I am weak, then am I strong; and of the Old Testament saints, that they out of weakness were made strong. There is, therefore, such a thing as strength in weakness. The text traces it to two principles, quietness and confidence. In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
I. Quietness.(1) There is the quietness of outward circumstances, when we are withdrawn from all the activities of life, and have not strength for any of them; when we have no power for anything, and are obliged to be still. There is a kind, soft, gentle voice that can speak to the heart when we are withdrawn from the bustle of life. This is what David prayed for when he said, Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
(2) There is quietness of heart. Quietness in this clause appears to correspond to rest in the preceding one. It is not activity, but repose. There are times when the mind is so pulled down by the body that it cannot make even a religious effort. All it can do is to rest, and quietly lean on the loving arm of the Lord; to rest and be thankful.
II. Confidence.But we cannot rest unless we have something to rest upon. So there can be no quietness unless there is confidence. By confidence is meant not a faith in a system, but a trust in a Person.
(1) Confidence in His love. When we think on what He has done, and how God loved the world, we may be quite sure that He has loved us; sure also that He Who has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, will love us unto the end, and will keep us as the apple of His eye.
(2) Confidence in His plans. He has His own plans for us all. He knows exactly what we want, and what is really best for each of us, and He never makes a mistake in planning for our good.
(3) Confidence in the fullness and completeness of your reconciliation. This lies at the bottom of all trust, and what a noble foundation it is for it! Look at the blood of atonement, the life of the Son of God. Look at the love that prompted it, the sacrifice made in it, and the promises of free forgiveness founded upon it.
Canon Hoare.
Isa 30:15-17. In returning From your present purpose of sending to Egypt; or, as the LXX., the Syriac, and Arabic understand it, in returning to God; shall ye be saved Preserved from the power of your enemies. In quietness and confidence In a calm and quiet submission to the divine will, and a confidence placed on his mercy, power, and faithfulness; shall be your strength Your support under your troubles, and your ability to withstand your invaders. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; on the swift We will have swift horses from Egypt, that, in case of danger, we may escape from our enemies. It is probable many of the richer sort intended to flee, and perhaps did actually flee into Egypt, having sent their treasures thither before them. Therefore shall ye flee Your sin shall be your punishment: you will flee, and you shall flee. One thousand at the rebuke of one You shall be so dispirited and enervated by your fears, that, instead of one of you chasing a thousand, as God promised you should do, if you were obedient, a thousand of you shall be chased by one of your enemies. At the rebuke, or assault, of five Of a comparatively small number; shall ye flee All of you, however numerous; till ye be left, &c. Till ye be generally destroyed, and but a few of you left. The meaning of the whole period is, that if the Jews, in the uncertain state of their affairs, would abstain from all endeavours to defend themselves by foreign aid, and would commit themselves to the care and providence of God, with settled minds, in faith and hope, they should then be safe, and avoid the calamities which threatened them. But this they would not do; they were determined to seek for preservation or deliverance from the yoke of the Assyrians in the help of the Egyptians, and therefore it is foretold they should meet with the calamities here mentioned; and should be seized with such a panic fear that, when they came to the point, they should turn their backs on their enemies, and flee with that swiftness wherewith they had thought to make their enemies flee, insomuch that very few of them should escape the common destruction.
30:15 For thus saith the {n} Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
(n) Often by his prophets he put you in remembrance of this, that you should only depend on him.
The second, more specific reason for Judah’s coming judgment (cf. Isa 30:9), was her refusal to listen to a particular message from the sovereign Lord her God, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah had called the people to repent and rest in the Lord for their salvation. He had promised that their quiet trust in Him would prove to be their strength (cf. Isa 7:4; Isa 7:10-12; Isa 28:12). He had commanded "not alliance but reliance." [Note: G. A. Smith, The Book of Isaiah , 1:128.] Yet the people refused to obey.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)