Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 3:10
Say ye to the righteous, that [it shall be] well [with him]: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
10. Say ye to the righteous ] R.V. “say ye of the righteous.” But with a slight change in the consonantal text we may read Happy is the righteous! for it is well [ with him ]. The Heb. would then present an exact parallel to the beginning of the next verse.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
10, 11. The exclamation at the end of Isa 3:9 leads to a statement of the universal law of divine retribution. The verses are thought by some to be interpolated, and even Dillmann admits that they fit but loosely into the context.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Say ye to the righteous – The meaning of this verse and the following is sufficiently plain, though expositors have given some variety of interpretation. They declare a great principle of the divine administration similar to what is stated in Isa 1:19-20. Lowth reads it, Pronounce ye a blessing on the just; verily good (shall be to him).
That it shall be well … – The word rendered well, means good. The sense evidently is, that in the divine administration it shall be well to be righteous. The Septuagint has rendered this in a remarkable manner, connecting it with the previous verse: Wo unto their soul, for they take evil counsel among themselves, saying, Let us bind the righteous, for he is troublesome unto us: therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
They shall eat … – That is, they shall receive the appropriate reward of their works, and that reward shall be happiness. As a farmer who sows his field and cultivates his farm, eats the fruit of his labor, so shall it be with the righteous. A similar expression is found in Pro 1:31 :
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be filled with their own devices.
Also Jer 6:19 : I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thought; compare Gal 6:8.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 3:10-11
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him
Retribution of the righteous and the wicked
In this passage the Sovereign of the universe proclaims to all the subjects of His moral government the great sanctions of His law.
Two powerful principles of action in our nature are addressed, namely, hope and fear. By the one we are allured to love and pursue that which is right; by the other, we are restrained from that which is wrong. The combined influence of both of these principles is, in most cases, necessary to the production and security of human virtue. God has established a natural and intimate connection between virtue and happiness, and between sin and misery, and in consequence of this connection, it must necessarily happen that it will be, on the whole, well with the righteous and ill with the wicked.
I. Let us inquire what confirmation this doctrine receives from what we know of the present constitution of things, and from what we find to be THE USUAL COURSE OF GODS MORAL GOVERNMENT OF THE WORLD, If we consult the structure and operations of our own souls, we shall find many striking intimations of this doctrine there. The Author of our nature has made us rational, free, moral, and accountable beings. For the direction and government of our conduct, He has implanted within us a principle, which we call conscience, which distinguishes actions as good or bad, and which always urges us to perform the one and to avoid the other. He has, moreover, enforced the authority of this principle, by annexing present pleasure to obedience to its dictates, and present pain to a violation of them. The passions of hope and fear ever attend on conscience; the one to encourage and reward faithful adherence to its commands; the other to restrain and punish a wilful transgression of them. Now, all this takes place in consequence of that moral constitution which God has given us, and of that intimate connection which He Himself has established between virtue and happiness and between sin and misery. So long, therefore, as the moral constitution of our nature continues the same, and so long as God continues to be the same infinitely wise, holy, and good Being, so long must it necessarily happen that, on the whole, it will be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked.
II. This doctrine receives additional confirmation from THE UNIVERSAL CONSENT OF MANKIND. In consequence of that moral nature which God has given us, by which we cannot but approve that which we know to be right, and condemn that which we know to be wrong, all men are agreed that vice (as far as they know it to be such) should be restrained and punished, and that virtue should be encouraged and rewarded. Hence, in all governments, laws are enacted against wickedness and for the protection and encouragement of the righteous.
III. A further confirmation of this doctrine is derived from what appear to be THE PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH GODS PRESENT MORAL GOVERNMENT OF THE WORLD IS CONDUCTED. We find that, in most cases, present good is connected by Him with virtuous dispositions and habits; and present evil, with sinful tempers and practices. And although this connection is not always so intimate and inseparable, as that punishment immediately follows transgression, and reward instantly attends obedience, yet the natural retributions or effects of virtue and vice are exhibited with sufficient frequency, to show us in what light God regards them. With certain vices, we find that God has connected terrible physical evils, as their proper consequences. Intemperance, in most instances, induces disease, excruciating pains and premature death. It impairs the mind, and is generally attended with the loss of property, and invariably with the loss of reputation. With some other of the vices of sensuality are connected the most loathsome and destructive maladies, in the endurance of which the victim suffers a dreadful retribution. And with regard to other vices, it not unfrequently happens that the events of providence are so ordered in reference to the perpetrators of them that the wicked man becomes miserable, notwithstanding all his worldly possessions and honours, and all that he has can give him neither joy not quietude. On the contrary, God has connected with temperance and industry, health, cheerfulness, and competency. To the godly there is the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come. This promise we see fulfilled, in part, in the general esteem and love in which the virtuous are held, and in the usual prosperity of their affairs. If they have not abundance, they have a competency; or, if they are abridged in that respect, they have friends and a contented mind. Besides, the events of providence are, in general, so ordered with regard to them, that they find all things working together for their good. Upon these principles does the course of Gods moral government of mankind appear now to be conducted. And from what is now known of the principles of His government, we may confidently infer that, during the whole of mans continuance in being, it will always be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. (J. Bartlett.)
Objections to Gods moral government
1. Good and evil are often so promiscuously distributed in the present life, that we cannot with certainty infer what are the principles upon which Gods government of mankind is conducted. The fraudulent and wicked are frequently prosperous and rich and flattered, while the righteous are often poor, neglected, oppressed, and despised. This is frequently the fact, and were the present the only state in which mankind were to exist, and were worldly riches and honours the only and the proper reward of virtue, and were they, in themselves, that real good which mankind fancy them to be, then, this fact alone would render this whole doctrine suspicious, and the arguments adduced in support of it inconclusive. But it must first be proved that the present is the only state in which mankind are to exist; a position, which few will pretend to sustain, and against which innumerable arguments array themselves, suggested by the structure and operations of our own minds; the desires and hopes which are ever springing up within us; by our capacity of knowledge, goodness, and happiness, which here are only imperfectly attained, and also by that very unequal distribution of good and evil, in the present life, which has been objected to.
2. It is objected that the miseries attending upon wickedness in this world are punishment enough for the vicious, and therefore they will be exempted from further suffering hereafter. It is true that, in the present life, there is much misery attending upon wickedness; but this furnishes not the least ground for the supposition that misery will ever cease to be connected with sin, as its natural and necessary consequence. On the contrary, it affords a very strong proof that this connection will ever exist, and that so long as men are wicked, so long will they be miserable. It is agreeable to the nature of things that it should be so. In the natural world, we find that fruit corresponds to the nature of the tree that bears it; the grain that is reaped to the seed that was sown.
3. It is inconsistent with the Divine mercy that the wicked should ever experience any more suffering than what they endure in this world. It savours not a little of presumption for creatures of such limited, weak, and erring minds as ours to undertake to decide, with regard to the various measures of the Divine government, what is and what is not consistent with Gods mercy. No one thinks to arraign the Divine government for connecting with sin, in the present life, distress of mind, disgrace, and suffering. And were our stay on earth prolonged to millions of years it would still be thought just and right, and entirely consistent with the mercy of God, that the same evils should attend the wicked, and the same good should attend the righteous. It is an error, common to many, that they look upon the evils which attend upon sin in this life, as a punishment vindictively appointed by God, to be endured by the transgressor, as a penalty for having violated His law, and that after he has endured it, he has paid the price of his transgression; the sin for which he has suffered is expiated and therefore he thinks it would be unjust that he should be subjected to any more suffering, although his disposition be not changed in the least. There is hardly a sentiment that can be named, more injurious in its influence than this, where it is fully entertained. This error proceeds from misapprehension of the design of God in connecting evil with sin. The miseries which are consequent upon sin are not appointed vindictively, as a punishment; but benevolently, as preventives of it. Our Maker has kindly placed at the entrance of every path of vice, pain, disgrace, and suffering, to deter us from entering therein; or if we have entered, to make us retrace our steps. Every onward step we take in a sinful course, these evils assail us. (J. Bartlett.)
The righteous and the wicked, their reward and their woe
Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Plainly do we see this exemplified in the history of Gods once favoured people, the Jews.
I. THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS.
1. We must, before we contemplate their reward, inquire who are meant by the righteous. The Bible elsewhere tells us, There is none righteous, no, not one. All our powers and faculties are represented as disordered and depraved. After the Holy Spirit has convinced anyone of sin, humbled his heart, and won his affections to Christ, that man is accounted righteous–righteousness is imputed unto him also, as it was unto faithfulAbraham. And as a refiners fire will the Holy Spirit gradually purify all those powers and faculties of the now justified sinner that were once prostituted to the debasing service of the flesh, the world, and Satan.
2. And now we are prepared to notice his reward. We cannot, indeed, imagine that an infinitely glorious Creator can ever become obligated to reward a creatures faith and service: nevertheless, there is a reward of grace.
(1) It shall be well with him in life. Is he young? He shall, in the Spirit of adoption, and through a Saviours mediation, cry unto the eternal God, My Father, Thou art the guide of my youth. Is he engaged in the necessary cares and businesses of the world? He shall be kept in the hour of temptation. Is he small and of no reputation? Angels shall minister unto him. Is he poor? God hath chosen the poor of this world; riches of grace below, and riches of glory in reversion, far outweigh in excellence and value every earthly good whatever. Is he in sorrow, need, pain, sickness, or any other adversity? The high and lofty One will make for him all his bed in his sickness.
(2) It shall be well with him also in death. That which to nature is commonly terrible and affrighting, is to the regenerate man–if not always desirable, at least, often so, and never otherwise than safe and happy.
(3) It shall be well with him in eternity.
II. THE WOE OF THE WICKED.
I. And, as before we inquired, Who were meant by the righteous? so here we must ask, Whom are we to understand by the wicked? Although, in a general way, people allow themselves to be sinners, yet even whilst making this admission, there is evidently no consciousness of sin, no apprehension of its adequate desert, no sorrow for it, no hatred to it.
2. Their woe. Here the woe of the wicked is called their reward; and a reward it is: for while eternal life is bestowed as a gift through Jesus Christ, upon the righteous, the woe of the wicked is paid to them as wages earned.
(1) It shall be ill with the wicked in life. The wicked may, as the Scripture says, bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst; but the anger of the Lord and His jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this Book shall lie upon him. The life of the wicked is one woeful day, nor is there a period of it, however marked either by prosperous or adverse circumstances, wherein it is not ill with him.
(2) And can it be otherwise in death? I am not afraid to die, says many a careless man: I heartily wish you were so, is the mental answer of the pious minister. The stupid insensibility of the unhumbled, unawakened sinner, even death itself can scarcely appall. The same self-delusion prevails in the expiring moments as marked the days of life and vigour.
(3) It shall be ill with the wicked forever. (W. Mudge, M. A.)
Cheering words and solemn warnings
The Book of God speaks but little of upper and lower classes; it says but little concerning the various ranks into which civil and political institutions have divided the race of man; but from its first page to its last it is taken up with this grand division, the righteous and the wicked. The line of nature and the line of grace run on the same as ever; the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent contend with each other still. A crimson line runs between the righteous and the wicked, the line of atoning sacrifice; faith crosses that line, but nothing else can. There is a sharp line of division between the righteous and the wicked, as clear as that which divides death from life. There are no betweenites; no amphibious dwellers in grace and out of grace; no monstrous nondescripts, who are neither sinners nor saints.
I. THE WELL-BEING OF THE RIGHTEOUS.
1. Observe the fact mentioned. It shall be well with him; that is the whole of the declaration; but the very fewness of the words reveals a depth of meaning.
(1) We may gather from the fact that the text is without descriptive limits; that it is well with the righteous always. It shall be well with the righteous, especially, in futurity. Well, upon Divine authority.
(2) It is well, we may rest assured again, with our best selves. The text does not say it is always well with our bodies, but our bodies are not ourselves,–they are but the casket of our nobler natures.
(3) When I looked at the text, I thought,–Yes, and if God says it is well, He means it is well emphatically.
(4) It is so well with him that God wants him to know it. He would have His saints happy, and therefore He says to His prophets, Say ye to the righteous it shall be well with him. It is not wise sometimes to remind a man of his wealth, and rank, and prospects, for pride is so readily stirred up in us. But it is not dangerous to assure the Christian that it is well with him.
(5) It is no wonder that it is well with the believer when you consider that his greatest trouble is past. His greatest trouble was the guilt of sin.
(6) Then, your next greatest trouble is doomed–indwelling sin.
(7) With regard to the Christian, he knows that his best things are safe. As for his worst things, they only work his good.
(8) It must be well with the Christian, because God has put within him many graces, which help to make all things well. Has he difficulties? Faith laughs at them, and overcomes them. Has he trials? Love accepts them, seeing the Fathers band in them all. Has he sicknesses? Patience kisses the rod. Is he weary? Hope expects a rest to come. The sparkling graces which God has put within the mans soul qualify him to overcome in all conflicts, and to make this world subject to his power in every battle; I mean that he getteth good out of the worst ill, or throweth that ill aside by the majesty of the life that is in him,
(9) Then mark how the Christian has, beside what is put within him by the Holy Spirit, this to comfort him, namely, that day by day God the Holy Ghost visits him with fresh life and fresh power.
(10) Let me run over a few things which the Christian has, from each of which it may be inferred it must be well with him. He has a bank that never breaks, the glorious throne of grace; and he has only to apply on bended knee to get what he will. He has ever near him a most sweet companion, whose loving converse is so delightful that the roughest roads grow smooth, and the darkest nights glow with brightness. The believer has an arm to lean upon also, an arm that is never weary, never feeble, never ever withdrawn; so that if he hath to climb along a rugged way, the more rough the road the more heavily he leans, and the more graciously he is sustained. Moreover, he is favoured with a perpetual Comforter. It is well with the righteous when he comes to die. It is well with the righteous after death.
2. The ground upon which it is well with the righteous. They shall eat the fruit of their doings. That is the only terms upon which the old covenant can promise that it shall be well with us; but this is not the ground upon which you and I stand under the Gospel dispensation. Absolutely to eat the fruit of all our doings would be even to us, if judgment were brought to the line and righteousness to the plummet, a very dreadful thing. Yet there is a limited sense in which the righteous man will do this. I prefer, however, to remark that there is One whose doings for us are the grounds of our dependence, and, blessed be God, we shall eat the fruit of His doings. He, the Lord Jesus, stood for us, and you know what a harvest of joy He sowed for us in His life and death.
II. THE MISERY OF THE WICKED. Woe, etc. You have only to negative all that I have already said about the righteous. But why is it ill with the wicked? It must be ill with him; he is out of joint with all the world. The man has an enemy who is omnipotent, whose power cannot be resisted; an enemy who is all goodness, and yet this man opposes Him. How can it be well with the stubble that fighteth with the flame, or with the wax that striveth with the fire? An insect fighting with a giant, how should it overcome? And thou, poor nothingness, contending with the everlasting God, how can it be anything But ill with thee? It is ill with thee, sinner, because thy joys all hang upon a thread. It is ill with you, because when these joys are over you have no more to come. It shall be ill with the wicked, and let no present appearance lead you to doubt it. (C. H.Spurgeon.)
The happiness of the righteous in all circumstances illustrated
I. WHO ARE THE RIGHTEOUS AND IN WHAT SENSE IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THEM.
1. In this mixed state, when men are neither perfectly good nor bad, the exact boundaries are not so easily fixed, especially when an application is made of these characters to particular persons, and we judge concerning ourselves, in which case prejudice and self-partiality often mislead men; and superstition, a very prevailing error among mankind, contributes to these errors by leading them to imagine that there is righteousness and religion in those things which have really nothing to do with it. In general the righteous is he in whose heart the morally good or pious, virtuous and pure affections rule, and whose practice is habitually conducted by their direction; the man who loves God above all things; not the person who is altogether free from any infirmities, which, strictly speaking, may be called sinful, and who never, through the whole course of his life, has by ignorance or surprise been drawn into those indeliberate actions, which upon a review he cannot justify. If this were the sense of righteousness, who could pretend to it?
2. In what sense it shall be well with him. The meaning certainly is not that he shall possess all external advantages in this world, whereby his condition shall be rendered more easy and prosperous than that of the wicked. That is contrary to fact and experience, as well as to many plain declarations of Scripture. The stable uniform desire of the good man, is, that God may lift on him the light of His countenance, or grant him His favour, which is better than life. Nor is it to be thought that Divine providence will always interpose to rescue the righteous from those calamities that come upon the world of the ungodly in which they live; it was not the intention of the prophet to assure them, that they should be preserved from the ruin of Jerusalem, and the common fall of Judah, which was to be expected because of their crying national sins, in which the righteous had no share; but that in all events they should be happy, even though they were involved in the common desolation, and perished with the multitude of sinners. We must, therefore, in order to understand fully how it shall be well with the righteous, enlarge our notion of the state of man; we must consider him in the whole of his being, his soul as well as his body and in every condition and period of his existence. It is thus we judge concerning our state within the compass of the present life, and its affairs. A man may be easy and prosperous in the main, when his principal interests are flourishing, although he meets with various disappointments in things which are of lesser moment. In like manner we may justly say, it is well with good men when their souls prosper; they enjoy inward peace and satisfaction, and their future happiness is secured, though they are liable to sufferings in this present time.
II. UPON WHAT EVIDENCE THE PROPHETS ASSERTION RESTS, or how it appears that there is a connection between righteousness and felicity.
1. Consider the state and constitution of human nature as in fact we find it, abstracting from any inquiry concerning the Author of it and His designs and conduct towards us. Scarcely is there any man not conscious, in some measure, of the satisfaction which arises from morally good dispositions; and that this is stronger and more intense than the enjoyments which any sensible object can yield appears from this consideration, that the latter are frequently sacrificed to the other. Who doth not know, on the other hand, the pains of a self-accusing heart?
2. Consider righteousness not merely as the glory of the human mind, and the naturally felicitating exercise and attainment of its powers, but further, as it is approved and recommended to mankind by the Deity, their rightful and supreme Ruler. We have the clearest evidence that He approves the good actions of men, and disapproves the bad; whence we infer that one part of His own character is moral rectitude, which is a perfection that necessarily appears to our minds amiable, and every way worthy of the most excellent nature; and since He is our natural Governor, by whose will we exist, are preserved, and all the circumstances of our condition are determined, here is a sufficient intimation of the rule, according to which He doth, and will always proceed, in His dispensations towards us, making us happy or unhappy. (J. Abernethy, M. A.)
All well with the righteous
I. WHO THESE RIGHTEOUS ARE.
1. A righteous man before God is made so by the imputation of Christs holy obedience, put to his account.
2. He has a righteous kingdom implanted and set up in his soul. A righteous man has proof of his being such.
3. He can feed upon nothing but Gods righteous provision. He cannot feed upon his own obedience, or upon the mere letter of the word, or upon his mere judgment. He must have precious faith to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man.
4. He loves righteous fruits–a holy walk in all godliness and fear.
II. THE VERY ENCOURAGING LANGUAGE SPOKEN RESPECTING THEM. It shall be well with them.
1. In providence.
2. In spiritual things. All thy temptations, all thy darkness, all thy perplexities, all thy disquietudes, all thy wanderings, God will overrule. There shall never be a night, but morning shall come; never a day of adversity, but a day of prosperity shall follow; never an emptying, but there shall be a filling; never a bringing down, but He will raise thee up again. (J. Warburton.)
The happiness of the righteous
I. WHO ARE THE RIGHTEOUS?
1. Negatively.
(1) Not the self-righteous, who have a high opinion of themselves. It cannot be well with them, for they deny the sacrifice of Christ by which sinners are constituted righteous.
(2) Not those who deny the necessity and importance of good works Rom 6:1-2).
2. Positively. This leads to a very affecting truth, namely, that all by sin are unrighteous. Observe–
(1) Every true believer is righteous according to the covenant of grace Rom 5:1; Rom 4:3; Rom 4:23-25; Rom 5:18-19).
(2) They have an inherent righteousness wrought in them by the Holy Spirit. They are born again–renewed in the spirit of their minds, and are new creatures in Christ Jesus.
(3) They declare by their conduct that they are righteous. They love mercy, do justly, etc. They have their fruit unto holiness, etc.
II. WHAT IS THEIR HAPPINESS? It shall be well with him.
1. Their present state of justification, etc., already described, proves this: they are free from guilt and condemnation. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, etc. This freedom gives hope and is the precursor of blessedness to come.
2. They have a good conscience (Heb 9:14; Heb 10:21-22; 2Co 1:12).
3. They enjoy all the pleasures of true religion, arising from the possession of Christian graces–the enjoyment of Christian privileges–and the performance of Christian duties.
4. It shall be well with them in all adverse circumstances.
5. In death, the period when the presence of God is most needed.
6. At the resurrection. They that have done good shall come forth to the resurrection of life.
7. At the judgment day (Mal 3:17).
8. For ever in heaven. They shall be with Christ. (Homilist.)
It is well with the righteous
I. IN EVERY PERIOD OF LIFE.
II. IN EVERY RELATION IN LIFE.
III. IN EVERY CONDITION OF LIFE.
IV. IN DEATH.
V. IN ETERNITY. (H. Woodcock.)
The end of Christian life
God hangs great weights on slender wires. Thus He has made Eternity to depend on Time, and our state in heaven or in hell to be decided by our character on earth. Our whole history, in like manner, often hangs upon a trifle; and that which moulds our character, upon an incident which we hardly notice. Hence even the least actions in themselves and in their connection with others, in leading to results, forming habits and moulding character, are of the highest importance to us, and demand our most thoughtful reflection.
I. THEIR CONNECTION WITH ONE ANOTHER. No action stands alone; each is a link in a chain stretching out to eternity. Take the case of an intemperate and unchaste man; his habits are neither without a cause preceding nor an effect to follow. It is quite possible that several generations backward, some ancestor of his, through some so-called trivial accident, some casual meeting, first gave way to drunkenness. Now look onwards a few steps; we will suppose ourselves in a hospital a generation or two hence: as we pass from ward to ward we come to a descendant of the man before us–a poor creature, more miserable than any we have seen dying of some miserable disease. The cause of his suffering is to be found in the intemperance and incontinency of those who have gone before him. Step by step it may be traced back to the trifle which led his forefather to his first night of revelling and drunkenness. Take an instance on the brighter side–the thought which first hit on the art of printing. This too arose from some so-called trivial accident. We do not know what preceded it; but we may be sure it did not come without some connection in its authors mind. Every great result strikes its roots deep into the past. But what has followed? has it stood alone, unconnected, the act of one isolated mind? is not the world rather full of its consequences, one of which, perhaps the most blessed, is that men of all kindreds and nations may now read in their own tongues the wonderful works of God? Both good and evil actions fructify, and reproduce themselves in various forms. Whither their roots shall extend, and when shoot up again, whither their seed may be carried, where it may fall, and what it shall produce, who can tell? Sometimes the least promising seed will produce the most abundant return of fruit. So that we may not pronounce upon the importance of an action, for we do not see its connection; neither may we think any action trivial, for it may, I had almost said it must, lead to consequences of importance throughout eternity.
II. THE EFFECT OF OUR ACTIONS ON OURSELVES AND ON OTHERS.
1. On ourselves. Every step we take not only brings us forward, but leaves a footprint behind. Every thought, word, action, all we suffer and all we do, not only has its own importance, and leads us forward in the march of life, but also leaves its impression, its foot print upon us, and tends to form, confirm, or change our character. There is a memorable instance in point, illustrating both the weakness of yielding and the nobleness of holding fast to ones convictions, in the visit of Henry III of France to Bernard de Palissy in the dungeons of the Bastille. The King desired to give the celebrated potter his liberty, asking as, the price of his pardon the easy condition of giving up his Protestant faith; My worthy friend, said the monarch, you have now been forty-five years in the service of my mother and myself; we have suffered you to retain your religion amidst fire and slaughter; I am now so pressed by the Guises and my people, that I find myself compelled to deliver you into the hands of your enemies, and tomorrow you will be burnt unless you are converted. The old man bowed, touched by the goodness of the King, humbled by his weakness, but inflexible in the faith of his fathers. Sire, he answered, I am ready to give up the remainder of my life for the honour of God; you have told me several times that you pity me, and now in my turn I pity you, who have used the words I am compelled; it was not spoken like a king, Sire, and they are words which neither you, nor the Guises, nor the people shall ever make me utter: Sire, I can die. By continually yielding, the monarch had become a slave; by continually acting up to his convictions, the potter had become more than a king. He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city.
2. Look next at the effect of our actions upon others. Not only our children, friends, servants, but all we have any intercourse with, are more or less affected by us. Everyone knows the force of example, the impulse we have to imitate. Everyone musk have noticed the contagion, as it were, of opinion, which from house to house influences a whole circle of acquaintanceship. How often have you felt the devotion or the carelessness of the person kneeling by your side in church! How frequently must you have noticed the way in which you catch the habits and manners of those you live with; the way in which you too are watched, and observed, and copied by others. So that, if you did nothing directly to influence others, the effect of your indirect influence is yet incalculable. But you have direct influence also to exercise and give account of. Everyone does act directly upon others. Everyone does hinder or encourage, lead into sin, sin with, or lead away from sin, and walk godly with, others. And where is this to stop? You ruin or, under God, save others. This goes on; their influence ruins or saves others, and so on and on forever. Solemn, indeed, are the words of our Saviour on this subject. (Luk 17:1-2.) On the other hand, it is equally encouraging to know that no virtuous effort is ever lost. It has been said that every pulsation made in the air by the feeblest human effort produces a change in the whole atmosphere; so that the air is one vast library, on whose pages are forever written all that man has ever said or woman uttered. Is it not equally true, that the feeblest effort made for God has an influence on some heart, and that on others onwards and onwards throughout all generations? that, as the air is one vast library of whatever has moved it from eternity, so the hearts and consciences of men are a vast register of every effort made, every word spoken, every influence exerted upon them for God and for His Christ from the beginning to the end of time; a register to be read out on the last great day. (F. Morse, M. A.)
An old mans hallelujah
When Dr. Adam Clarke was an old man he wrote: I have enjoyed the spring of life; I have enjoyed the toils of its summer; I have culled the fruits of its autumn; I am now passing through the rigours of its winter, and I am neither forsaken of God nor abandoned by man. I see at no great distance the dawn of a new day, the first of a spring which shall be eternal. It is advancing to meet me! I run to embrace it! Welcome, eternal spring! Hallelujah!
A Christian gardeners hope
An old gardener said, I trust I cannot be wrong in believing that year by year, as I grow older, I draw nearer to a garden of perfect beauty and eternal rest,–a garden more glorious than that which Adam lost, the Eden and the paradise of God. (Gates of Imagery.)
Heaven, the outcome of godly living
When John Bunyan was once asked about heaven, and the glories of heaven, he answered: If you want to know more about it, you must live a godly life, and go and see for yourselves. (D. J. S. Hunt.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. Say ye to the righteous] letsaddik, the lamed is added here by one MS. and the Chaldee. The righteous is the person,
1. Who fears God.
2. Departs from evil.
3. Walks according to the testimony of God.
4. And expects and prepares for a glorious immortality.
“Pronounce ye.” – The reading of this verse is very dubious. The Septuagint for imru read neasor, or both, imru neasor, and ki lo tob lanu. , . Perhaps, for imru, the true reading may be ashsheru, “bless you;” or imru ashrey, “say ye, blessed is.” The Vulgate and an ancient MS. read in the singular number, yochel, comedat, “he shall eat.”
“It shall be well with him:” – ki tob, “that good.” Say nothing to such but good. He is a good man, he does nothing but good, and has a good God to deal with, from whom he expects nothing but goodness. It shall be well with such in all circumstances of life.
1. In prosperity.
2. In adversity.
3. In sickness.
4. In health.
5. In death.
6. In judgment. And,
7. Through eternity.
In every case, occurrence, and circumstance, he shall eat the fruit of his doings – he shall derive benefit from being a righteous man, and walking in a righteous way.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Say ye: God hath said it, and doth now by me say it; and you, O ye priests and Levites, say it in your sermons to the people.
They shall eat the fruit of their doings; let not them fear, for God will be their safeguard and portion in the common calamity.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. The faithlessness of many isno proof that all are faithless. Though nothing but croakingof frogs is heard on the surface of the pool, we are not to inferthere are no fish beneath [BENGEL].(See Isa 1:19; Isa 1:20).
fruit of doings (Pr1:31) in a good sense (Gal 6:8;Rev 22:14). Not salvation byworks, but by fruit-bearing faith (Isa 45:24;Jer 23:6). GESENIUSand WEISS translate,Declare as to the righteous that, &c. MAURER,”Say that the righteous is blessed.“
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Say ye to the righteous, that [it shall be] well [with him],…. The Lord always has some righteous ones, in the worst of times, whom he can and does distinguish, single out, and take care of; and it is his will that they should be comforted by his prophets and ministers, who seem to be the persons to whom these words are directed, lest they should be distressed with what is said unto, and what they see is coming upon, the world, or upon a nation in general: and it will be, and is well with such, when calamities are on a nation, in a time of famine, war, or pestilence, under any affliction whatever at death, and at judgment, and to all eternity; the Lord has the highest regard for them; Christ’s righteousness, by which they are denominated righteous, secures them from wrath, and entitles them to glory; they are blessed now, and will be happy hereafter. So the Targum,
“say ye to the righteous, ye are blessed,”
pronounce them such as they are: some render it, “say to the righteous, that he do good” i; exhort him, excite and encourage him, to it; such who have believed in Christ for righteousness ought to be careful to maintain good works: others, “say to the righteous”, own him, speak well of him, “for it is good”; or say to him, “that he is good” k, a happy man. The Septuagint and Arabic versions, very foreign from the text, and sense of it, render the words, “saying, let us bind the just man, for he is unprofitable to us”; as if they were the words of the wicked Jews, respecting Christ, the just One, so called sarcastically by them: and the reason of the righteous man’s happiness follows:
for they shall eat the fruit of their doings: both of what Christ has done for them, as their Head and representative, by whose righteousness they are justified; and of what they have done themselves, under the influence of his Spirit and grace; which being done from a principle of grace, are rewarded with a reward of grace, and not of debt; such enjoy a peace of conscience now, which is the work and effect of righteousness, and shall receive the reward of the inheritance, which is not of the law, but by promise, and of faith, and so by grace.
i “quod bene agat”, Vatablus. k “Dicite justum, quod bonus beatusque est”, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prophet’s meaning is evident enough. But inasmuch as it is the curse of sin to distort the knowledge of what is most obvious and self-evident, and even to take it entirely away, the prophet dwells still longer upon the fact that all sinning is self-destruction and self-murder, placing this general truth against its opposite in a palillogical Johannic way, and calling out to his contemporaries in Isa 3:10, Isa 3:11: “Say of the righteous, that it is well with him; for they will enjoy the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! it is ill; for what his hands have wrought will be done to him.” We cannot adopt the rendering “Praise the righteous,” proposed by Vitringa and other modern commentators; for although amar is sometimes construed with the accusative of the object (Psa 40:11; Psa 145:6, Psa 145:11), it never means to praise, but to declare (even in Psa 40:11). We have here what was noticed from Gen 1:4 onwards – namely, the obvious antiptsis or antiphonsis in the verbs (cf., Isa 22:9; Exo 2:2), (1Ki 5:17), and (like , Joh 9:9): dicite justum quod bonus = dicite justum esse bonum (Ewald, 336, b). The object of sight, knowledge, or speech, is first of all mentioned in the most general manner; then follows the qualification, or more precise definition. , and in Isa 3:11 ( without the pause), might both of them be the third pers. pret. of the verbs, employed in a neuter sense: the former signifying, it is well, viz., with him (as in Deu 5:30; Jer 22:15-16); the latter, it is bad (as in Psa 106:32). But it is evident from Jer 44:17 that and may be used in the sense of ( ) , and that the two expressions are here thought of in this way, so that there is no to be supplied in either case. The form of the first favours this; and in the second the accentuation fluctuates between tiphchah munach , and the former with m erka , the latter tiphchah. At the same time, the latter mode of accentuation, which is favourable to the personal rendering of , is supported by editions of some worth, such as Brescia 1494, Pesaro 1516, Venice 1515, 1521, and is justly preferred by Luzzatto and Br. The summary assertions, The righteous is well, the wicked ill, are both sustained by their eventual fate, in the light of which the previous misfortune of the righteous appears as good fortune, and the previous good fortune of the wicked as misfortune. With an allusion to this great difference in their eventual fate, the word “say,” which belongs to both clauses, summons to an acknowledgment of the good fortune of the one and the misfortune of the other. O that Judah and Jerusalem would acknowledge their to their own salvation before it was too late! For the state of the poor nation was already miserable enough, and very near to destruction.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
10. Say, it shall be well with the righteous Before quoting the opinions of others, I shall point out the true meaning As punishments so severe commonly present to pious minds an exceedingly sharp temptation, and especially since hardly any public calamities occur which do not involve good men along with the bad; so the Prophet — at least, in my opinion — reminds them of the providence of God, which never confounds anything, but even, when there is apparent confusion, never ceases to distinguish between good and bad men.
But there are various ways in which this passage is explained; for some render it, “Say to the righteous man, because he is good, therefore he shall eat the fruit of his hands.” From that interpretation this meaning is obtained: “I wish and command the godly to be of good cheer; for with whatever severity I may punish the crimes of the nation, still it shall be well with the godly.” But a more suitable meaning is this: Say; that is, hold it to be a settled point; for in Scripture to say often means to think, and to be convinced; as David writes, I said, I will take heed to thy ways, (Psa 39:1,) and in a thousand instances of the same kind; so that he does not bid them tell the righteous man, but he bids every man be fully convinced, that happy will be the condition of the righteous man, though he may only appear to be unhappy.
Besides, I consider טוב, ( tob,) to mean a happy and prosperous condition; as in the former verse he employed the word רעה, ( ragnah) with which טוב is now contrasted; and thus I do not think that רעה, ( ragnah,) means wickedness, but a miserable condition. Now since it literally runs, Say to the righteous man, כי טוב : (ki tob,) that it shall be well either the particle כי, ( ki,) has an affirmative sense, as in many other passages, or it appears to be superfluous, though the probability is, that it is intended for confirmation. Surely it shall be well with the righteous man; that is, let every ground of doubt be removed, and let us be fully convinced, that the condition of the righteous man will be most excellent and prosperous. It is difficult to believe this, and therefore it is added, he shall eat the fruit of his doings; that is, he shall not be defrauded of the reward of his good conduct. Others consider to say as meaning to exhort, and render the two words, כי טוב ( ki tob,) that he will do well; but I reject it as a forced interpretation.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CHEERING WORDS AND SOLEMN WARNINGS
Isa. 3:10-11. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat of the fruit of their own doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him; for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Into these two orders, the righteous and the wicked, the Bible is accustomed to divide the whole population of the globe.A crimson line runs between the righteous and the wicked, the line of atoning sacrifice: faith crosses that line, but nothing else can. There can be no righteousness where there is no faith.This distinction is so sharp and definite, that no man can dwell in a borderland between the two conditions. A clear line of demarcation exists between life and death, and such a division is fixed by God between the righteous and the wicked. There are no monstrous nondescripts, who are neither sinners nor saints. This text ought, therefore, to lead to great searching of heart.
I. The well-being of the righteous.
1. It is a great fact that it is well with the righteous. It is well with him always: in prosperity, which is a time of peril; in persecution, which is hard to bear; in childhood, manhood, and old age; in time, and throughout eternity.
2. We are assured of this fact on Divine authority. Reason might assure us of it, but it is better to have it under the hand and seal of omniscience. If thou canst not see it, let Gods word stand thee instead of sight.
3. It is the will of God that His people should know this great fact. He would have his saints happy, and therefore He says to His prophets, Say ye, &c.
4. With Gods people it is emphatically well. When GOD says it is well with a man, it must be well indeed.
5. There are many obvious reasons why it is well with the righteous.
(1.) His greatest trouble is past. His greatest trouble was the guilt of sin.
(2.) His next greatest trouble is doomed. The dominion of sin over him shall speedily come to an end.
(3.) His best things are safe. His treasures are in heaven.
(4.) His worst things work only for his good.
(5.) He is well fed, for he feeds upon Christ; well clad, for he wears the imputed righteousness of Christ; well housed, for he dwells in God who has been the dwelling-place of His people in all generations; well married, for his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to Christ; well provided for, for the Lord is his Shepherd.
(6.) God has put within him many graces, that help to make things well; faith, which laughs at difficulties; love, which accepts them; patience, which endures them; hope, which expects a rest to come.
(7.) Day by day, God the Holy Ghost visits him with fresh life and power.
(8.) He has a bank that never breaksthe glorious throne of grace; and he has only to apply on bended knee to get what he will.
(9.) He has ever near him a most sweet Companion, whose loving converse is so delightful that the roughest roads grow smooth, and the darkest nights glow with brightness.
(10.) He has an arm to lean upon that is never weary, never feeble, never withdrawn.
(11.) He is favoured with a perpetual Comforter, who pours wine and oil into every wound, and brings to his remembrance the things which Christ has spoken. It is well with the righteous in life, well when he comes to die, and well after death.
6. The blessedness of the righteous rests upon a solid ground. The text says, they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Those are the only terms upon which the old covenant can promise that it shall be well with us; but this is not the ground upon which you and I stand under the gospel dispensation. Absolutely to eat the fruit of our doings would be even to us, if judgment were brought to the line and righteousness to the plummet, a very dreadful thing. Yet there is a limited sense in which the righteous man will do this. I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat, &c., is good gospel language; and when the Master shall say, Inasmuch as ye did this unto one of the least of these my people, ye did it unto me, the reward will not be of debt, but still it will be a reward, and the righteous will eat the fruit of his doings. I prefer, however, to remark, that there is One whose doings for us is the ground of our dependence, and we shall eat of the fruit of His doings.
II. The misery of the wicked. To expound the woe pronounced against him, you have only to negative all that I have already said about the righteous. It is ill with the wicked; always ill with him; we know this on Divine authority; it is emphatically ill with him; and it shall be ill with him for ever [547] But why is it ill with the wicked?
1. He is out of joint with all the world. Ordinary creatures are obedient to God, but he has set himself in opposition to the whole current of creation.
2. He has an enemy who is omnipotent.
3. His joys all hang on a thread. Let lifes thread be cut, and where are his merriments?
4. After these joys are over, he has no more to come.
5. Of all the comforts and hopes of the righteous, he is utterly destitute.C. H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. xiii. 1324.
[547] Many sinners who seem so jocund in our eyes have not such merry lives as you think. A book may be fairly bound and gilded, yet have but sad stories writ within it. Sinners will not tell us all the secret rebukes that conscience gives them. If you will judge of Herod by the jollity of his feast, you may think he wanted no joy; but at another time we see that Johns ghost walked in his conscience. And so doth the Word haunt many, who appear to us to lay nothing to heart. In the midst of their laughter, their heart is sad: you see the lightning in their face, but hear not the thunder that rumbles in their conscience.Gurnall, 16171679.
Suppose a man were in prison, committed for some great offence, and condemned to die under the displeasure of his prince or state, and his servant should come to him, saying, Sir, be of good comfort; your wife is well at home; you have very sweet children, an excellent crop of corn; your neighbours love you dearly; your sheep and cattle thrive, and all your houses are in good repair. Would he not answer that servant, What is all this, so long as I am condemned to die? Thus is it with every wicked man. He is under the displeasure of the great God, a condemned man, and God is angry with him every day; and if his heart were open to be sensible of it, he would say, You tell me of my friends, and goods, and name, and trade; but what is all this, so long as I am a condemned person, and God is angry with me every day I rise?Bridge, 16001670.
Who would think, now, that sees how quietly the multitude of the ungodly live, that they must very shortly lie roaring in everlasting flames? They lie down, and rise, and sleep as quietly; they eat and drink as quietly; they go about their work as cheerfully; they talk as pleasantly, as if nothing ailed them, or as if they were as far out of danger as an obedient believer. Like a man that hath the falling sickness, you would little think, while he is labouring as strongly and talking as heartily as another man, how he will presently fall down, lie gasping and foaming, and beating his breast in torment! so it is with these men. They are as free from the fears of hell as others, as free from any vexing sorrows, not so much as troubled with any cares of the state of their souls, nor with any sad and serious thoughts of what shall become of them in another world; yea, and for the most part, they have less doubts and disquiet of mind, than those who shall be saved. Oh, happy men, if they could be always thus; and if this peace would prove a lasting peace! But, alas, there is the misery! it will not. They are now in their own element, as the fish in the water; but little knows that silly creature when he is most fearlessly and delightfully swallowing down the bait, how suddenly he shall be snatched out, and lie dead upon the bank; and as little think these careless sinners what a change is near. The sheep or ox is driven quietly to the slaughter, because he knows not whither he goes; if he knew it were to his death, you could not drive him so easily. How contented is the swine when the butchers knife is shaving his throat, little thinking that it is to prepare for his death! Why, it is even so with these sensual, careless men; they fear the mischief least, when it is nearest to them, because they see it not!Baxter, 16151691.
THE GREAT LAW OF RECOMPENSE
Isa. 3:10-11. Say ye to the righteous, &c.
This is the testimony of conscience; conscience testifies that that which is here predicted ought to take placethat the condition and circumstances of men ought to be conformed to their character. This is the testimony of reason: in its clearest, calmest, strongest hours, it endorses this testimony of the conscience. This is the declaration of Almighty God: He here promises that He will do that which conscience and reason agree that He ought to do. Thus we have here a conclusive concurrence of testimony, and the truths announced in our text should be recorded in our memory as absolutely certain.
These declarations remind us of two things.
I. That we are living now in a season of probation. These messages are much needed, because we are surrounded by much that is perplexing. Here and now fidelity to conscience often entails much loss, sorrow, and suffering. Many of the wicked are prosperous and triumphant. Iniquity pays. Moreover, the sufferings of the righteous and the successes of the wicked are often lifelong. This contrast between what ought to be and what is, has been a source of moral disquietude in all ages (Psalms 73, &c). Yet it is absolutely necessary. Without this moral obscurity there could not have been any moral probation. There is no temptation in prussic acid, because its deadly qualities are indisputable, and because they operate instantaneously. If all sins had their penalties as clearly and closely tied to them, vice would be impossible. And so would virtue! Obedience to the Divine will would then be, not an act of choice, but the result of an irresistible moral compulsion, and it would have in it no morally educational influence, and nothing to render it acceptable to God. Not by chance, then, not by mistake, not as the result of a harsh and unloving decree, but as the result of ordinances of the highest wisdom and grace, we are now living in a season of moral probation. But,
II. We are hastening on to a season of rectifications and rewards. Conscience and reason attest that there ought to be such a season, and the Scriptures assure us that there shall be (Ecc. 12:14; Rom. 2:6-10, &c.)
The great facts of which our text reminds us,
1. Should give calmness and steadiness to our faith. We should not be greatly moved either by the distresses of the righteous or the triumphs of the wicked. These are most transient. The longest life is really a most inconsiderable episode in our being. This is but the beginning of our voyage; what matters it whether we clear out of port in a storm or amid bright sunshine? What will happen to us on mid-ocean is the only thing worthy of our concern.
2. They should govern us in the decisions we have continually to make in life, between courses that are right, but involve present suffering, and those which are pleasant, but wrong. The sick man who refuses to undergo the present pain which will assure him of future health, and prefers the transient ease which will presently give place to intolerable agony, is insane. Let us not imitate him in his folly. But if the rewards of every mans hands shall be given him, how shall any man be saved? This is precisely the difficulty which the Gospel was designed to meet. It is precisely because no man can be saved on his own merits that Christ came into the world, and died for every man, and now offers redemption to every man. This offer is made to YOU. For Christs sake, the sins of the righteous shall be forgiven them; and for His sake likewise, they shall be rewarded according to their works (Mat. 10:42; Mat. 16:27; Heb. 6:10, &c.) Between the doctrine of justification by faith and the doctrine of good works there is the most perfect harmony.
THE CURSE OF A WEAK GOVERNMENT
Isa. 3:12. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.
Children, women, are not to be taken literally. In interpreting the second of these figures, we must remember the status of women in ancient times in the East.
I. A weak government is a curse.
1. By such a government the affairs of a nation are mismanaged, its resources squandered, and its great possibilities unrealised.
2. A weak government always becomes in the end an oppressive government. By it the national burdens are caused to press most heavily on those least able to bear them.
3. Under such a government, privileged classes and monopolies multiply and grow strong, to the hurt of the nation at large.
4. Worst of all, and as the source of countless evils, government itself comes to be despised, and the national respect for law destroyed. In short, under a weak government a nation makes rapid progress towards anarchy.
II. The curse of a weak government is not long in overtaking a nation that gives itself up to luxury and loses its regard for moral considerations.
1. It is only by such a nation that such a government would be tolerated.
2. By such a nation such a government is likely to be for a time most popular (Jer. 5:31).
The cures for political evils are not political but moral. Political remedies will but modify the symptoms. Political evils are really due to moral causes, and can only be removed by moral reformations. Hence, while good men will never neglect their political duties (no good man will neglect any duty), they will be especially in earnest to uplift the nation morally, and therefore will do their utmost to strengthen those agencies which have this for their aimthe church, the school, and those societies which exist for the diffusion of the Scriptures and of religious liberty Wherever the Bible becomes the book of the people, oppression by children becomes impossible, and the government of women is set aside.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
10, 11. These verses express general truths. Their meaning is deep. All that is possible to think or feel from the two simple propositions, “It is well to be righteous,” “It is ill to be wicked,” cannot exceed what they mean. The reason for these truths here may be this: The word “Sodom” brought to the prophet the thought of Abraham and Lot; this thought suggested resemblance and contrast: resemblance pushed forward the bad men of the plains; contrast, the good man Lot; then both suggest the awards due to each. As the rule by which God governs and awards, the principle here expressed is true for all in the earth, the righteous and the wicked, but emphatically now true of the Jews to whom the prophet at once returns.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 3:10. For they shall eat the fruit of their doings The certain consequence of righteousness is, by the divine determination, happiness either in this world or the next; as the contrary is the certain consequence of wickedness, Isa 3:11. This is an admirable sentence to support the souls of the pious, amidst all the troubles of this life; God will not forsake those who truly love and serve him. This reason teaches us, the experience of all times confirms, and it is the constant and comfortable doctrine of the word of God. The event must and will be happy to the good man.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 862
FINAL STATE OF MAN
Isa 3:10-11. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked; it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
THE Ministers of the Gospel are stewards of the mysteries of God, whose office it is rightly to divide the word of truth, and to give every one his portion in due season. They are to take forth the precious from the vile, and to be as Gods mouth to all, declaring their true character, and their proper doom. Their commission is sealed in the words before us, and the very message they are to deliver as Gods ambassadors, is recorded for their direction to the end of time. In complying with the duty here enjoined, we shall,
I.
Describe the characters that are to be addressed
There are but two classes of men in the world; the righteous and the wicked.
[However diversified mens states may be in some particulars, they all must be ranked under the one or the other of these heads. In distinguishing them, therefore, we must include in the first class, not merely the more eminent saints, but the least and meanest of Gods people; seeing that there are in Gods household babes, and young men, as well as fathers [Note: 1Jn 2:13.]. And in the second class we must comprehend all those persons, who, however admired by an undiscerning world, are reputed wicked in the sight of God.
I may say then, they are righteous who have been renewed in the spirit of their mind, and are following after universal holiness; and they, on the other hand, are wicked, who are still in a carnal unregenerate state, and render only a formal and partial obedience to the divine law.
But that I may put this in the clearest possible light, I will say, They are righteous, who make religion the great business of life, and prosecute it upon the principles of the Gospel; and all others without exception must be numbered amongst the wicked. Of course, I must not be understood to say that worldly business is to be neglected. On the contrary, it must be attended to with all diligence: but it must be followed in subserviency to the concerns of the soul. It must occupy, not the first, but the second place in our esteem. The heart must be Gods, and Gods alone [Note: Pro 23:26.].
Now to these distinct classes does God send a separate message; and therefore it is of great importance that we should ascertain to which we belong. Let us then, before we proceed to the consideration of Gods message, inquire seriously to which of these classes we belong?
Can we truly appeal to God, that, in the estimation of our minds and in the habit of our lives, the salvation of our soul is regarded as the one thing needful? If our conscience bear witness to the truth of this, then I must proceed yet further to ask, whether we prosecute the concerns of the soul upon the principles of the Gospel? The Pharisees of old engaged with great ardour in religious duties: but they were not righteous in Gods sight, because they sought by their religious observances to establish a righteousness of their own instead of submitting to the righteousness which God had provided for them [Note: Rom 9:31-32; Rom 10:2-4.]. So it is with the Papists, who observe with great strictness many religious rites, in the hope of recommending themselves thereby to the Divine favour. But the religion of the Gospel is altogether different from this. It requires us to seek for acceptance solely through our Lord Jesus Christ, and to cleave unto him as all our salvation, and all our desire. Say, then, Brethren, whether as before God this is your experience from day to day? Say whether ye are washing daily in the fountain of his blood, and clothing yourselves with his unspotted righteousness, and, from a sense of his redeeming love, endeavouring in all things to fulfil his holy will? ]
This, if carefully inquired into, will give a clear line of demarcation for us all: and we entreat all to arrange themselves, as it were, before God in that particular class to which conscience tells them they belong; and to attend with solemn awe, while we,
II.
Deliver Gods message to each of them
God commands his ministers to warn the wicked [Note: Eze 33:7.], but to comfort his people [Note: Isa 40:1.]. In obedience to him we will address,
1.
The righteous
[That I may not break any bruised reed, or make sad the heart of any one that is truly upright, let me say, that in the first stages of the Christian course we must judge rather by our desires than by our actual attainments: not because our attainments should be less the objects of scrutiny than our desires, but because in reference to our desires we have a complete consciousness; whilst the defectiveness of our attainments makes us doubtful of our real integrity.
Taking this into consideration, I am aware that some, on account of the smallness of their attainments, may be saying, I fear it will go ill with me at last. But God says, It shall be well with you: and, in despite of all your fears (if only you press forward in the ways of righteousness) it shall be well with you, in life, in death, and to all eternity. We cannot promise you affluence, or exemption from pain and trouble; but we can promise, in the name of God, that your trials, whatever they be, shall work for good [Note: Rom 8:28.]; that your latter end shall be peace [Note: Psa 37:7.]; and that you shall have a crown of righteousness and glory at the instant of your departure from the body [Note: 2Ti 4:8.].
These are the things which you labour to attain: and you shall surely eat the fruit of your doings. Dismiss then your unbelieving fears: for this is the word of your faithful God, whom neither the subtlety of Satan can deceive, nor his power be able to withstand.]
2.
The wicked
[Glad should we be, if we could say, It shall be well with you. But if we should dare to deliver such a message, the falsehood of it must immediately appear [Note: Put it into language, and how horrible will it sound.] Against you, God sends us to denounce woe: Woe to the wicked! it shall be ill with him. You, under the influence of presumption, may be saying, I hope, notwithstanding what is spoken in the Bible, that it will fare well with me at last. But, if there be any truth in God, it must be ill with you. Even in the midst of all your boasted enjoyments we defy you to say, that you have any solid peace [Note: Isa 57:20-21.]: and in your dying hour, if you are not insensible as beasts, you will be full of regret and terror [Note: Ecc 5:17.] and, after death, you will lie down in everlasting burnings [Note: Rev 21:8.]
Nor is this unjust, since you reap only what you sowed You chose the world as your portion; and you have nothing beyond it: you would have none of God [Note: Psa 81:11.]; and you have none of him: you said to him, Depart [Note: Job 21:14; Job 22:17.]; and he says to you, Depart [Note: Mat 25:41.]. In your banishment from God and heaven, the reward of your own hands is given to you.
Painful it is to deliver such a message; but we must deliver it at the peril of our souls [Note: Eze 33:8.]: and whether it be credited by you, or not, it shall be confirmed and ratified in heaven [Note: Mat 18:18.].]
We cannot conclude without recommending to your notice,
1.
The equity of the future judgment
[The decision of the Judge will be grounded entirely on our works. No man that was righteous in this world, shall perish; nor shall any man that persisted in his wickedness, be saved. The reward indeed that will be given to the righteous, will be the gift of grace for Christs sake: whereas that which will be given to the wicked, will be the just wages of their iniquity [Note: Rom 6:23.]. Still however, the quality of every persons works will determine his state; and the happiness or misery of each will be proportioned to his improvement or abuse of the talents committed to him. You all know, if you see one man industrious, sober, frugal, and another idle, dissipated, extravagant, what must in process of time be the difference between them. Each of them is laying up for himself a treasure which in due season he must reap: nor are you at all surprised when you see the one enjoying the fruits of his industry, and the other reaping the bitter fruits of his folly. Such will assuredly be the issue of our conduct in reference to religion. Let every person therefore remember, that he is daily and hourly treasuring up for himself that which shall be delivered to him again at the day of judgment [Note: Gal 6:7-8.]: and that, if he perish for ever, he will have none to blame for it but himself.]
2.
The importance of preparing for our great account
[If the declarations in the text proceeded from man, they might well be disregarded. But they are the words of God; and are as truly spoken to us by him, as if they were now uttered by an audible voice from heaven. Should we not then take warning? Should not the wicked inquire how they may become righteous; and the righteous increase their diligence to hold on in Gods holy ways? Would to God this effect might now be produced! how gladly should we set Christ before you as an all-sufficient Saviour! and how joyfully should we proclaim the promises of God, both to sincere penitents [Note: Isa 55:7.], and to humble believers [Note: Job 17:9.]! Let all stir themselves up without delay, and prepare in earnest to meet their God.]
3.
The use and benefit of divine ordinances
[In the world, we may pass days and years, and never once hear the sentiment, That it shall go ill with the wicked. On the contrary, we shall hear ten thousand assertions that encourage a directly opposite opinion. And, if a friendly monitor attempt to undeceive us, he is accounted rude, harsh, fanatical. But in the house of God we may venture to speak with plainness, and to declare the determinations of heaven. God sends us for this very purpose, that we may draw aside the veil of futurity, and open to your view the things that shall be hereafter. We are to shew you the righteous shining forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, and the wicked lifting up their eyes with unavailing wishes in the torments of hell. Let the ordinances then be reverenced with humble gratitude, and improved with unwearied assiduity [Note: If this were the subject of an Assize Sermon, this third remark might be to this effect; The use and benefit of human judicatories; which are intended to distribute justice, as far as possible, in this world, as God himself will distribute it in the world to come.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
How sweet and precious doth the former of these verses come in, after the preceding relation! And how bitter and alarming the latter! Reader, depend upon it, such will be the striking distinction in that day which shall come, and which shall burn as an oven, Mal 4:1-2 . Both in public and private visitations, the people of God are secure. It must be well with the justified soul in Christ. So Paul hath said under the Holy Ghost, and so the Lord’s people know. Rom 8:33-34 ; Mal 3:17-18 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 3:10 Say ye to the righteous, that [it shall be] well [with him]: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Ver. 10. Say ye to the righteous. ] Tell them so from me, saith God, for their comfort and encouragement. Zuinglius when he had preached terror to the wicked was wont to add, Probe vir, hoc nihil ad te. All this concerneth not thee, O thou godly man. When the dogs in a house are beaten, the children will be apt to fright and cry; so when the wicked are threatened, good men are apt to be troubled. Say therefore to such, and let them know assuredly,
That it shall be well with him.
For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the righteous = a righteous one.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Say ye: Isa 26:20, Isa 26:21, Ecc 8:12, Jer 15:11, Eze 9:4, Eze 18:9-19, Zep 2:3, Mal 3:18, Rom 2:5-11
they shall eat: Psa 18:23, Psa 18:24, Psa 128:1, Psa 128:2, Gal 6:7, Gal 6:8, Heb 6:10
Reciprocal: Gen 4:5 – wroth Gen 4:7 – If thou doest well Gen 7:1 – thee Gen 18:25 – that the Exo 1:20 – God Deu 5:29 – that it might Deu 6:3 – and observe Deu 6:18 – shalt do Deu 6:24 – for our good Deu 11:27 – General Deu 12:25 – that it Deu 28:1 – If thou shalt Jdg 20:34 – knew not 1Sa 12:14 – If ye will 2Sa 22:25 – recompensed 1Ki 8:32 – condemning 2Ki 22:18 – thus shall ye 2Ch 6:23 – justifying Ezr 8:22 – The hand Job 8:6 – make Psa 1:3 – whatsoever Psa 19:11 – keeping Psa 58:11 – a reward for Psa 140:13 – Surely Pro 1:31 – General Pro 2:22 – the wicked Pro 10:16 – labour Pro 12:14 – and Pro 13:21 – righteous Ecc 2:26 – wisdom Isa 1:19 – General Isa 40:1 – comfort Jer 17:10 – fruit Jer 21:14 – according Jer 22:15 – then Jer 23:17 – Ye Jer 42:6 – that it Eze 14:20 – by Eze 18:20 – righteousness Dan 6:22 – forasmuch Hos 4:9 – reward them Mic 7:13 – for Zec 6:15 – And this Mat 5:12 – for great Mat 10:41 – a righteous man’s Mat 16:27 – and then Luk 19:19 – Be Rom 2:6 – General Rom 6:13 – unrighteousness Rom 6:21 – What 2Co 5:10 – receive Gal 6:5 – General Eph 5:11 – unfruitful Eph 6:3 – General 1Ti 4:8 – having Rev 2:23 – and I will Rev 22:12 – and my
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
WORKING FOR GOD: THE END OF CHRISTIAN LIFE
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Isa 3:10-11
Including under the term in the text of our doings not only our external acts, but our will, our faith, our voluntary thoughts, desires, purposes, and intentions:
Let us observe
I. Their connection with one another.
We have a tendency to look on each action by itself, as if it stood isolated and alone. We must do so in some cases, because we cannot see the connection in which each action stands with others; but the connection exists whether we see it or not. We cannot see all that comes before, nor all that will follow after, every action of ourselves or others. But God sees every step that led to it, and will follow after it; for no action stands alone; each is a link in a chain stretching out to eternity.
Both good and evil actions fructify, and hence our Saviour compares them to seed sown in the ground. They grow and reproduce themselves in various forms. Whither their roots shall extend, and when shoot up again, whither their seed may be carried, where it may fall, and what it shall produce, who can tell? Sometimes the least promising seed will produce the most abundant return of fruit. So that we may not pronounce upon the importance of an action, for we do not see its connection; neither may we think any action trivial, for it mayI had almost said it mustlead to consequences of importance throughout eternity.
This brings us to consider
II. The effect of our actions on ourselves and on others.
(1) On ourselves.
Every step we take not only brings us forward, but leaves a footprint behind. Every thought, word, action, all we suffer and all we do, not only has its own importance, and leads us forward in the march of life, but also leaves its impression, its footprint upon us, and tends to form, confirm, or change our character. For character is not perfected all at once; it unfolds like a bud, leaf by leaf; and that unfolding is hindered or forwarded, marred or brought to perfection, in dependence upon the sun, rain, warmth, cold, protection, or injury, and a thousand other external circumstances, each of which has its own effect, and leaves its own mark.
(2) Look next at the effect of our actions upon others. Every action of our lives, we have seen, affects our own character, and our character affects all about us. Not only our children, friends, servants, but all we have any intercourse with, are more or less affected by us. Every one knows the force of example, the impulse we have to imitate. Every one must have noticed the contagion, as it were, of opinion, which from house to house influences a whole circle of acquaintanceship. How often have you felt the devotion or the carelessness of the person kneeling by your side in church! How frequently must you have noticed the way in which you catch the habits and manners of those you live with; the way in which you too are watched, and observed, and copied by others. So that, if you did nothing directly to influence others, the effect of your indirect influence is yet incalculable.
Canon Morse.
Illustration
The righteous are encouraged by the assurance that the judgments of God shall not be indiscriminate. The object of address seems to be not the prophets or ministers of God, but the people at large or men indefinitely. Whatever becomes of the unrighteous nation, let the righteous man know that he shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners: the Judge of all the earth will not slay the righteous with the wicked (Gen 18:25); no, assure him, in Gods name, that it shall be well with him. The property of the trouble shall be altered to him, and he shall be hidden in the day of the Lords anger.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Isa 3:10-11. Say ye to the righteous O ye priests and Levites, in your sermons and exhortations to the people; that it shall be well with him Even when it is ill with the wicked, and with the nation in general; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings God will be their safeguard and portion in the common calamity; therefore let them not fear, but let them commit themselves, and their all, to his protection, and resign themselves up to his disposal. They shall either be hid in the day of the Lords anger, or shall have divine supports and comforts, which shall abound in proportion as trials and troubles abound. This is an admirable sentence to support the souls of the pious, amidst all the calamities of this life. God will not forsake those who truly love and serve him. This, reason teaches us; this, the experience of all times confirms; and it is the constant and comfortable doctrine of the word of God. The event must and will be happy to the good man. Wo unto the wicked, &c. These heavy judgments are designed against them, and shall certainly find them out, though here they be mixed with the righteous. As happiness, either in this world or the next, is, by the divine determination, the certain consequence of righteousness, so the contrary is the certain consequence of wickedness.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3:10 {i} Say ye to the righteous, that [it shall be] well [with him]: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
(i) You that are godly be assured that God will defend you in the midst of these troubles.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The faithful minority, however, would not simply get lost in the judgment of the unfaithful majority, but the Lord would remember them and send them good. Sin does bring its own wages (Rom 6:23). Here the long-term blessing of the righteous contrasts with the short-term blasting of the unrighteous. There were these two groups among God’s chosen people then as there are now. The faithful frequently suffer along with the unfaithful, but their ultimate ends are very different (cf. Rev 2:10-11).