18. Lift up thine eyes round about. He arouses the Church to survey this magnificent work, as if it were actually before her eyes, and to behold the multitudes of men who shall flock into it from every quarter. Now, as this assemblage must have encouraged godly hearts during the dispersion, so they who were eye-witnesses must have been excited to gratitude. This shews clearly that this prediction was useful at both periods, not only while the event was still concealed by hope, but when it had been actually accomplished. Though he speaks to the whole Church at large, yet this discourse relates also to individuals, that all with one accord, and each person separately, may embrace these promises.

When he bids them “lift up their eyes,” he means that the reason why we are so much cast down is, that we do not examine the Lord’s work with due attention, but have a vail placed, as it were, before our eyes, to hinder us from seeing what lies at our feet. In consequence of this, we do not cherish any confidence, but in adversity are almost overwhelmed by despair. And if these things are said to the whole Church, let every man consider in his own heart how far he is chargeable with this vice, and let him forthwith arouse and awaken himself to behold the works of the Lord, that he may rely with all his heart on his promises.

All are gathered together. When he says that the elect of the Church are “gathered together,” he means that, in order to their becoming one body under Christ, and, as it were, “one fold under one shepherd,” (Joh 10:16,) they must be, if we may so express it, “gathered” into one bosom. Christ reckons and treats as his followers none but those who are joined in one body by unity of faith. Whoever then shall choose to be regarded as belonging to the number of the children of God, let him be a son of the Church; for all who are separated from it will be aliens from God.

Thou shalt be clothed as with an ornament. The Prophet shews what is the true ornament of the Church, namely, to have a great number of children, who are brought to her by faith and guided by the Spirit of God. This is true splendor; this is the glory of the Church, which must be filthy and ugly, ragged and dishevelled, if she have not these ornaments. Hence we see how well the Papists understand what is the true manner in which the Church ought to be adorned; for their whole attention is given to painted tables, to statues, to fine buildings, to gold, precious stones, and costly garments; that is, they give their whole attention to puppets, like children. But the true dignity of the Church is internal, so far as it consists of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and of progressive faith and piety. Hence it follows, that she is richly provided with her ornaments, when the people, joined together by faith, are gathered into her bosom, to worship God in a proper manner.

I live, saith Jehovah. (8) In order that this promise may be more certain, the Lord employs an oath, which is intended to warn us against distrust, and that, when we shall consider that her end is near, we may be certain that she shall be fully restored. And if this doctrine was ever necessary, it is especially necessary at the present time; for, wherever we tum our eyes, we meet with nothing but frightful desolation.

What then must we do, but, relying on this oath of God, struggle against despair, and not be terrified by our being inconsiderable in number, which makes us despised by the world, and not doubt that there are many of the elect, now wandering and scattered, whom God will at length assemble into his Church? And therefore we ought to encourage our hearts, and to lift up our eyes by faith, that we may extend our hope not only to a single age, but to the most distant period.

(8) חי-אני (chai ani) ‘I the Living One,’ is here, as in many other passages, the form of an oath, employed both by God and by men; and the meaning of it is: ‘as truly as I live, so certainly will I perform this or that, and this or that event shall happen.’ The particle כי (ki) here denotes the object of the oath, and is equivalent to ὅτι in Greek after the verbs εἶπον λέγω etc..” — Rosenmuller.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

THE PROMISED INCREASE OF THE CHURCH

Isa. 49:18-23. Lift up thine eyes round about, &c.

Two things are here promised, which were to be in part accomplished in the reviving of the Jewish church, after its return out of captivity, but more fully in the planting of the Christian Church, by the preaching of the Gospel of Christ; and we may take the comfort of these promises.

I. That the Church shall be replenished by the adding to it of great numbers. It was promised (Isa. 49:17) that her children should make haste; that promise is here enlarged upon, and is made very encouraging. It is promised

1. That multitudes shall flock to the Church from all parts (Isa. 49:18). They came to Jerusalem from all the adjacent countries, for that was then the centre of their unity; but, under the Gospel, it is by a spiritual accession to the mystical body of Christ in faith and love (Heb. 12:22-23). It is a matter of joy to the Church to see a multitude of converts to Christ.

2. That such as are added to the Church shall not be a burthen and blemish to her, but her strength and ornament (Isa. 49:18). This promise is accomplished, and only then, when those who are added to the Church are serious, holy, and exemplary in their conversation.

3. That the country which was waste, desolate, and without inhabitant, shall be again peopled, nay, it shall be overpeopled (Isa. 49:19). What a reversal of the sentence previously and justly passed! (Isa. 5:9-13; Isa. 6:11). The kingdom of God among men, which had been impoverished and almost depopulated, partly by the corruptions of the Jewish church, and partly by the abominations of the Gentile world, was again peopled and enriched by the setting up of the Christian Church, and by its graces and glories.

4. That the new converts shall strangely increase and multiply (Isa. 49:20). Jerusalem, after she has lost abundance of children by the sword, famine, and captivity, shall have a new family growing up instead of them (Zec. 8:5). So the Church, after it has lost the Jews, cut off by their own infidelity, shall have abundance of children still, more than she had when the Jews belonged to her (Gal. 4:27). They shall be so numerous that

(1.) the children shall complain for want of room (cf. 2Ki. 6:1). Yet still more shall desire to be admitted, and the Church shall gladly admit them, and the inconvenient straitness of the place shall be no hindrance to either (Luk. 14:21-22).

(2.) The mother shall stand amazed at the increase of her family (Isa. 49:21). The Church may at times be few in number, and left desolate. Yet the desolations shall not be perpetual, nor will it be found hard for God to repair them, and out of stones to raise up children to Abraham. The increase of the Church is always due, not to the efforts of the Church, however well and wisely they may be put forth, but to the blessing of God (1Co. 3:7).

5. That this shall be done with the help of the Gentiles (Isa. 49:23). Observe,

(1.) How the Gentiles shall be called in.
(2.) The kindly service they shall render to the sons of Zion.

II. That the Church shall have a great and prevailing interest in the nations (Isa. 49:23).

1. Some of the princes of the nations shall become patrons and protectors to the Church. And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their queens thy nursing-mothers. [1517]

[1517] This promise was in part fulfilled to the Jews after their return out of captivity; divers of the kings of Persia were very tender of their interests, countenanced and encouraged them, as Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes; Esther the queen was a nursing-mother to the Jews that remained in their captivity, putting her life in her hand to snatch the child out of the flames. The Christian Church, after a long captivity, was happy in some such kings and queens as Constantine and his mother Helena, and afterwards Theodosius and others, who nursed the Church with all possible care and tenderness. Whenever the sceptre of government is put into the hands of religious princes, this promise is fulfilled.M. Henry.

2. Others of them, who stand only against the Churchs interests, will be forced to yield, and repent of their opposition. They shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet. And by all this it shall be made to appear

(1.) That God is the sovereign Lord of all, against whom there is no standing out or rising up.
(2.) That those who wait for Him, in dependence upon His promise and resignation to His will, shall not be made ashamed of their hope.Matthew Henry: Commentary, in loco.

I. The promised increase of the Church. 1. In number.

2. In honour.
3. In triumph.

II. The encouragement it affords us for missionary exertions.

1. God is able to effect this great thing.
2. He has engaged to effect it
3. The beginnings are already visible before our eyes.

APPLY.

1. Let our expectations of it be enlarged.
2. Let our prayers for it be poured forth.
3. Let our exertions be used.C. Simeon, M.A.

THE DUTY OF THE RULERS OF NATIONS IN REGARD TO THE CHURCH OF GOD

Isa. 49:23. Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers.

The Church is here foreseen and described in her abased conditiona captive, oppressed, in exile, diminished, feeble, afflicted, brought low. The prophet anticipates and predicts her restoration, increase, and glory; and he calls upon heaven and earth to rejoice in the event (Isa. 49:13). It is evident that the predicted blessedness comprehended a vast deal more than the restoration from the Babylonish captivity. The prophet speaks of the admission of the Gentiles into the Church of God; multitudes were thereby to be added to it (Isa. 49:6-7; Isa. 49:12; Isa. 49:18). Then we are informed in what manner and by what means the Lord will bring all this to pass (Isa. 49:22-23). The obvious meaning is, that the Lord would so overrule the hearts and ways of men, in the accomplishment of His gracious designs, as that, even where they were themselves not partakers of His mercy, He would dispose them to favour His cause; and whether with or against their consent, He would so work upon them as to make them instrumental in the deliverance of His Church and the promotion of His glory. Nor should this wonderful exertion of the Divine wisdom and power be confined to the lower classes; even kings and queens should deem it their highest honour to take part in so great a work.

The present truths which this prophecy brings before us are these:that all rulers of nations should now exert their power for the extension and welfare of the Church; that it would be for their happiness and honour were they so engaged; and that they cannot neglect this duty, or disregard this privilege, without incurring the most awful responsibility, and provoking God to mark them out as signally in the execution of His judgments, as they are elevated above others in rank and dignity.

I. The rulers of the nations are the servants of God (Pro. 8:15). According to the teaching of His Word, He, by various providential means, calls them and appoints them to their work; and holds them responsible for the manner in which they execute it. The mightiest potentates of old are, for these reasons, spoken of as His servants: Cyrus (Isa. 41:1-4; Isa. 44:24-28; Isa. 45:1-6); Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25:9; Jer. 43:10); Pharaoh (Exo. 9:13-16). So it is still.

II. As such, they are bound, above all things, to promote the honour of His name in the welfare of His church and people. All who are entrusted with the ruling authority are bound to promote the best interests of the people over whom they preside. But what are these? Not the extension of territory, the spread of conquest, the multiplicity of resources, the advancement of the arts and sciences, of wealth and honour, business and trade; these cannot be neglected without a gross violation of the trust with which rulers are invested; but a nations best interests are those that are distinctly religious. It is on the promotion of these that the true happiness of nations depends, and therefore it is to the furtherance of these that the attention and energy of their rulers be most constantly and carefully given.

III. A discharge or disregard of this obligation will always yield a sure test of their own state and the character of their government. By their fruits ye shall know them.

IV. Where this duty is intelligently recognised and reverently obeyed by rulers, certain things are certain to occur:

1. There will be on the part of the rulers deep humiliation before God, coupled with free and ingenuous confessions both of individual and national guilt. No man can ever heartily desire or attempt to promote the glory of God without perceiving how grievously he has hitherto neglected his bounden obligation; and how unworthy he is, either of the mercy which is requisite for his salvation, or of the honourable service to which he is called. This discovery and conviction will lay him low before God (Ezr. 9:5-7; Dan. 9:4-6).

2. There will be desire to seek the guidance and acknowledge the hand of God in everything. Whoever aims to serve God aright will never set about such a work in his own wisdom and strength. What a pattern for all princes and rulers is the prayer of Solomon! (1Ki. 3:5-15). In national adversity and prosperity alike, the superintending providence of God will be recognised (Job. 10:2; Psa. 118:23).

3. There will be on the part of the rulers a fixed determination to banish all wicked men from their presence, and to exclude them from their councils (Psalms 101; P. D. 2157).

4. There will be an anxiety to fill all the offices of the Church and State with men that fear the Lord, love the truth, and who will labour with heart and hand for the promotion of true godliness. When a man is brought under the influence of the principles now set forth, the question will be, not merely what shall I do immediately by mine own hand, but what am I able to accomplish through the agency of others? If he who ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God, they that bear office and authority under Him must be men actuated by the same motives, and aiming at the same object.

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.

1. How evident it is, that it is not to an easy office that any man is called when he is exalted to a throne, or entrusted with the affairs of a kingdom! (P. D. 2143.)
2. How disastrous is the influence, and how great is the guilt, of ungodly princes and rulers! (P. D. 21452147).
3. How earnestly should we pray for our rulers, that God may bless them and direct them in all His ways! (P. D. 2153).R. Shittler, in the Protestant Preacher, vol. iii. pp. 419438.

THE RESULT OF WAITING UPON GOD

Isa. 49:23. They shall not be ashamed that wait for Me.

For the godless of every kind, for hypocrites in particular, the future is full of dread. Millions shall be put to shame, and given over to everlasting contempt. But not so shall it be with one of those who wait upon God.
I. WAITING UPON GOD. This signifies,

1. A patient expectation of the fulfilment of His word, whether it be a prophecy or a promise.
2. A regular attention to the means of grace (see vol. i. pp. 179, 332, and pp. 3849 of this volume).

II. THE RESULT OF WAITING UPON GOD. Not disappointment and humiliation, but prayers answered and hopes fulfilled. Those shall not be ashamed:

1. The penitent who feels the bitterness of trangressions, and laments it with a broken and contrite heart, and waits upon God, seeking for pardon and righteousness through the atoning sacrifice of Christ.
2. The Christian who is relying upon the providential help of a covenant-keeping God.
3. The believer who is waiting for the accomplishment of Gods grace in himself, in the sanctification of his heart.
4. The Christian waiting for the coming of Christ, and the crown of righteousness which shall then be given to all who love His appearing.Thomas Blackley, A.M.: Practical Sermons, vol. ii. pp. 182199.

THE DIVINE SLOWNESS

Isa. 49:23. Wait.

This word is the one word which the Divine wisdom often seems to utter in rebuke of human impatience. In holy Scripture men are often counselled to wait; to wait upon God, to wait for God: language which supposes delay and the need of patience. Man is eager, hurried, impatienteverywhere so, but God is never in haste. The Divine proceedings are sloweverywhere slow. This is a great fact; a fact full of light, such as should contribute to guide us safely through many a season of darkness.
I. We see it in the realms of nature and providence.

1. The history of the earth is illustrative of it. Concerning the process by which the heavens became peopled with the brilliancies we now see there, we know nothing, &c. But we have some knowledge of the changes through which this earth had to pass before it became a fitting habitation for man. In the solitude of those far-off ages progressive change gave existence to progressive lifethe lives of plants and of animals, &c. During those long eras the Eternal was here alone. Of beings conscious of His being, none would seem to have been with Him. Man is to come; but for him there is to be long waiting, &c. And He would have men regard the operation of His hands, so that they also may know how to wait. There is something divine in being able so to do.

2. There is something in the movement of the seasons tending to remind us of this great law. The changes of day and night, how slow, how gradual, how imperceptible! How gentle is the coming of the light! How silently and slowly does it give place to darkness! These might have come with suddenness, as if from a hurried hand; but they do not, &c.

3. There is something in the history of all life adapted to convey the same lesson. Life, whether in plants or animals, is everywhere a growth; and all growth is silent, gradual, so gradual as not to be perceived. All this is rooted in mystery. Individual life in man, in the sense of education or development, is in harmony with all that has gone before it. But the truth we are illustrating is seen conspicuously in the history of national life. If the education of an individual be so slow, what marvel if the education of a people should be very slow? (H. E. I. 3420.)

II. So far we see, from facts in nature and providence, it behoves us to guard against impatience in judging the ways of God, and to know how to wait. Religion, revealed religion, includes much in harmony with those facts. It is, moreover, in these phases of religion that we find some of the aspects of it which are often especially perplexing to Christians.

1. We see a fact of this nature in the long interval which was to pass between the promise of a Saviour and His advent. Sin enters the world, &c. Four thousand years pass, and the Promised One does not come. Now in the history of the earth, in the slowness of the changes through which it was to pass before it came to be what it was to be, we see enough to prevent our being greatly surprised by such a fact. What was to be gained by this delay, we can know only in part.

2. So when the Saviour did come, the manner of His coming was not such as the thoughts of man would have anticipated. The kingdom of God was to come without observation (Luk. 17:20). It was to begin with small beginnings. Its Founder was to be to many as a root out of a dry ground, as one without form and comeliness, &c. But these facts are in harmony with the Divine conduct as known elsewhere. It is not the manner of the Almighty to cause great things to become great at once. Our Lord revealed Himself even to His disciples gradually, slowly, imperfectly. If the Church, which is to fill the world, had its beginning in the hut of a fisherman, or in the upper room in Jerusalem, this is only in accordance with the Divine law of things. The great forces of nature all move thus, without noise, without haste, so secretly that we never know their beginnings, and so slowly that we can never see their motion, though we know that they are moving.

3. Nor is it without mystery to many minds that the history of revealed religion since the advent should have been such as it has been. No truth the world had ever possessed had been proof against corruption. Out of all the evolutions of error, out of all the devices of evil, He will educe lessons for the future which shall cause His universe to be upon the whole the wiser and the better for all that has happened. But for this we must wait. Often we see good come out of evil. In the end we shall see that all things have been regulated towards such an issue. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

4. If we descend from the general life of the Church to the spiritual history of the individual believer, we may find much there to remind us that the experience of the Church at large and of the Christian, taken separately, are regulated by the same intelligence. In our tendency towards haste we naturally wish to see the world converted soon, very soon. So when we enter on the Christian life, we covet that it should be matured speedily. But it does not so mature. We unlearn the evil slowly; we learn the good still more slowly, &c. All this is very humiliating and very painful. But, as the good in the Church is to be tasked and strengthened by being exposed to the evil in the world, so the better principles and tendencies in the Christian are to become more rooted and powerful by means of this personal conflict. Here, as everywhere, we are schooled to wait (H. E. I. 25082530).

5. So it is with the events which make up the story of a life. The meaning of some of these we may see at once; we feel that we need the sort of discipline they bring with them; we pray with the devoutest ancient, Show me wherefore Thou contendest with me; and the wherefore is not allowed to remain a secret Pauls thorn in the flesh was an experience of this nature, painful in many ways, but declared to be salutary for his inner and higher life. But in most instances of this kind, we have to wait, it may be to wait long, before we see the Divine purpose in the things which befall us. With regard to much in our history, we are expected to wait for the revelations of the world to come. It need scarcely be said that the waiting intended is not mere passiveness; it is to be as those who wait for the bridegroom, not in sleep, but with loins girt about and lamps burning. (See pp. 3849).Robert Vaughan, D.D., Pulpit Analyst, vol. iii. pp. 115.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

(18) Lift up thine eyes.The daughter of Zion is called on to gaze on the returning exiles. They shall be her gems and her girdle as the bride of her new espousals. A distant parallel is found in the story of the mother of the Gracchi pointing to her children as more precious jewels than those of her wealthy rival.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

DISCOURSE: 953
PROMISED INCREASE OF THE CHURCH

Isa 49:18-23. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, Thou shall surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants; and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shaft have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to we that I may dwell. Then shalt thou my in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders: and kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their queens thy nursing-mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

TO consider past events, and especially those recorded in the Holy Scriptures, is obviously the duty of every man; since from them we learn the true character of God, and know what we are to expect at his hands. Nor are present things to occupy a small portion of our regard: for, though we cannot judge of them with certainty, or declare what their ultimate issue will be, we behold them stamped with a visible impression of Divine wisdom and goodness: the very chastisements of heaven, if viewed aright, convey to us the idea of parental love. But we have a further duty, which is, to look into futurity, and to read in the page of prophecy the events that are yet future. We are not indeed to expect that we ourselves shall be enabled to prophesy, or to obtain such an insight into futurity as to discover the times and the seasons which God has reserved in his own hands: but there are certain great events which shall assuredly come to pass, and which it is our privilege to look forward to, as the pious Jews waited for the coming of their Lord, and looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Indeed it is for this end that the prophecies are given us; namely, that having expected the completion of them, we should acknowledge God in the events whereby they are completed.
In the passage before us, there is a prophecy relating to the future state of the Church: in discoursing upon which we shall notice,

I.

The promised increase of the Church

In the verse preceding our text, the substance of the promise is contained [Note: In Bishop Lowths Translation it stands thus: They that destroyed thee shall become thy builders; and they that have laid thee waste, shall become thine offspring.]: and in our text itself, its accomplishment is represented as actually begun.

In two respects is the Church to be increased;

1.

In number

[To enter fully into the spirit of this prophecy, we should call to mind the state of Israel in Palestine. The land of Canaan was but a small tract of country, when compared with the numbers that were to inhabit it; so that some of the tribes, particularly Dan, and Ephraim, and Manasseh, complained of the smallness of their lot [Note: Jos 17:14-18; Jos 19:47.]. But, after the desolations occasioned by the Assyrians and Chaldeans, the population was so reduced, that they were quite insufficient to inhabit the cities, or to cultivate the ground [Note: 2Ki 24:14.]. Imagine now the people all on a sudden restored to their country, and multiplied far beyond all former precedent; what surprise would be excited, and what universal clamour for want of room! Such is the change which is here predicted in relation to the Church: the numbers that shall be added to it will surpass all human expectation, so that space shall not even be found for them [Note: Zec 10:10.]. In every country, in every city, in every village, yea in every congregation also, shall converts spring up as the piles of grass in the earth [Note: Psa 72:16.], and shall say in the ears of the Church, The place is too strait for me: give place for me that I may dwell. The Church herself shall be filled with utter amazement at the multitudes that flock to her; and shall say in her heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone: these, where had they been?

Incredible as this may appear, the prophet not only foretells it, but speaks of it as at that moment taking place before his eyes; and of God himself, as swearing that the whole multitude shall become brighter ornaments to the Church, than the richest jewels to a bride [Note: ver. 18.].]

2.

In honour

[It is not the poor only that shall devote themselves to God in that day, but the rich also. Hitherto not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble have been called [Note: 1Co 1:26.]: but then it shall not be so: for all the great and mighty of the earth shall bring their sons in their arms, and their daughters (in litters) upon their shoulders; and kings shall be the nursing-fathers of the Church, and queens her nursing-mothers. As for the enemies of the Church, they shall all be prostrate before her, and lick up the very dust of her feet: and God shall be as manifestly revealed among them as ever he was in the days of old [Note: ver. 23.].

Is it asked, How shall this great change be effected? We answer, God will lift up his hand to the Gentiles, and set up his standard to the people: he will cause the standard of the cross to be erected in every place, and by the influence of his Spirit will reveal his Son in the hearts of men; making them willing in the day of his power, and rendering his Gospel the power of God to the salvation of their souls.

Perhaps in this passage there is a more immediate and explicit declaration of the way in which Gods ancient people the Jews shall be converted to the faith. We have reason from St. Paul to think, that an extraordinary conversion of the Gentiles shall precede the restoration of the Jews [Note: Rom 11:25-26.]: and here, it should seem, that God will make the efforts of those Gentiles instrumental to the conversion of his once-favoured people: I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters on their shoulders. Surely this thought should animate us to diffuse as far as possible the knowledge of salvation through the heathen world, that, the Gentiles being made partakers of this grace, the Jews may be provoked to jealousy to seek it for themselves [Note: Rom 11:11-14.].]

Let us now contemplate,

II.

The encouragement it affords us for Missionary exertions

Is such a glorious prospect held forth to us, and shall we be indifferent about it, or entertain a doubt of its being realized in due season? No: we will expect it rather, and by anticipation rejoice in it: for,

1.

God is able to effect this great thing

[Were this promised event to be produced by human efforts only, we might well doubt whether it should ever be accomplished. But God has taken the matter into his own hand; and has said I will do it; I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles. And, if GOD will work, who shall let it? It is worthy of remark, that St. Paul himself grounds his assured expectation of these events on this very consideration of Gods almighty power. Speaking of the Jews being again grafted into their own olive-tree, he says, They, if they abide not in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again [Note: Rom 11:23.]. In the very chapter before us also, God mentions his all-powerful interposition as an effectual antidote to all the unbelieving fears of his people. The Church, doubting almost the possibility of the promised events, asks, Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? Can it be hoped, that they who are in bondage to such powerful adversaries, and have even sold themselves, as it were, by their iniquities, should ever be redeemed? Yes; thus saith the Lord; Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away; and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children [Note: ver. 24, 25.]. Let us expect it then at the hands of God, knowing that what he has promised, he is able also to perform. Let difficulties, how great soever they may appear in themselves, be as nothing in our eyes, because that Omnipotence is engaged to surmount them all; and nothing can be too hard for the Lord.]

2.

God has moreover actually engaged to effect it

[Survey the promise in our text, confirmed by a most solemn oath, and therefore confirmed by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have the stronger consolation. Compare with it many other passages of Holy Writ, which speak decidedly to the same effect [Note: Isa 54:1-3; Isa 61:4-6; Isa 66:18-20.] Shall all these fail of their accomplishment? Surely God is not a man that he should lie, or a son of man that he should repent. As to the times and the seasons, he has reserved them in his own power: but the ultimate accomplishment of them, if we may so speak, he has put out of his own power; because He cannot deny himself; and he has himself assured us, in reference to this very thing, that his gifts and calling are without repentance [Note: Rom 11:29.].]

3.

The beginnings of it are already visible before our eyes

[What the prophet says by anticipation, we may almost speak literally: Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. Since the apostolic ago, there has been no period like the present [Note: June 5, 1814, three days after the tidings of peace with France had arrived.]; all nations making peace in the spirit of peace; and societies of every kind combining, not in this land only, but in foreign lands also, to translate the Scriptures into all languages, and to impart them to every nation under heaven. Is not this the finger of God? and is not Gods display of his own almighty operation a motive and a call to us to work together with him? Doubtless, if ever there was a time that we were particularly encouraged to engage in missionary exertions, it is now: The sound is already gone forth in the tops of the mulberry-trees; and therefore this is the time for us to bestir ourselves: God is already gone out before us [Note: 2Sa 5:24.]; and he will be with us in all that we put our hands unto.]

We conclude with pointing out our duty in reference to this great event;
1.

Let our expectations of it be enlarged

[St. Paul represents the whole creation as waiting and longing for this blessed period [Note: Rom 8:19-22.]: and shall not we, we, who already have the first-fruits of the Spirit [Note: Rom 8:23.]; shall not we be expecting this glorious harvest? Shall we not look forward with holy joy to that time when all the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ [Note: Rev 11:15.]? O glorious day! The Lord hasten it in his time! ]

2.

Let our prayers for it be poured forth

[We cannot contemplate the universal reign of peace, and love, and holiness, without feeling an ardent desire that it might immediately commence, or without crying unto God, How long, O Lord, wilt thou not have mercy on the world, against which thou hast had indignation almost six thousand years [Note: Zec 1:12 and Rev 6:10.]? Indeed God has particularly commanded that we should pray to him on this subject, and not give him rest, till he arise and answer our petitions [Note: Isa 62:1-7.] We are not to imagine, that because the period is fixed in the Divine counsels, it is therefore in vain for us to pray: for God has invariably connected the accomplishment of his promises with the prayers of his people; and however absolute his promises may be, he will yet be inquired of, to do the things which he has promised [Note: Eze 36:36-37.].]

3.

Let our exertions be used

[God works by means: and it is by a blessing upon our efforts that he will accomplish his own gracious purposes. In this view, the answer which he gives to the petitions of his Church on this subject is very remarkable. The Church, in terms the most appropriate that can be imagined, entreats him to arise and execute this great work: Awake, awake, O arm of the Lord! awake as in the ancient days, in the generations of old! &c. &c. [Note: Isa 51:9-10.] And what is his reply! Does he content himself with renewing his promises to fulfil their desire in due season? No: he says, Awake, awake! stand up, O Jerusalem [Note: Isa 51:17.]! and again, Awake, awake! put on thy strength, O Zion! shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem! loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion [Note: Isa 52:1-2.]! And so far is our entire dependence upon him from being a reason for listless inactivity, that it is the strongest reason for putting forth our utmost exertions: we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God who worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure [Note: Php 2:12-13.]. Let all of us then awake for the occasion, and inquire, What we can do for the advancement of the Gospel, either at home or abroad! How can we aid the different Societies that are established for these ends? Let us consider our time and our talents, our wealth and our influence, yea, our bodies and our souls, as consecrated to the Lord, and as to be disposed of by him in such a way as shall be most subservient to his glory. Then, if we live not to see the Temple of our God erected, we shall at least have the comfort of having provided materials for it: and at all events we shall secure to ourselves a rich reward; for God himself in our text assures us, that they shall not be ashamed that wait for him.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

Isa 49:18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, [and] come to thee. [As] I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them [on thee], as a bride [doeth].

Ver. 18. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold. ] As those use to do which look upon ought with wonder and delight.

Thou shalt surely clothe thee with them, as with an ornament. ] The good sons of Zion are a great honour to their mother, as the two Scipios were to Cornelia; and as that elect lady’s children were to her. 2Jn 1:2 A godly man is a gallant man, but the wicked are botches and blots to a Church.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

bride. First occurrence in this connection.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Lift up: Isa 60:4, Gen 13:14, Mat 13:41, Mat 13:42, Rev 22:15

all these: Isa 49:12, Isa 49:22, Isa 43:5, Isa 43:6, Isa 54:1-3, Isa 60:5-11, Isa 66:12, Isa 66:13, Isa 66:20, Jer 31:8, Gal 3:28, Gal 3:29

As I live: Isa 54:9, Gen 22:16, Heb 6:13-18

thou shalt: Isa 61:10, Pro 17:6

as a bride: Jer 2:32, Rev 21:2

doeth: Bp. Lowth adds from the LXX, “her jewels.

Reciprocal: Num 14:21 – as truly 1Ki 17:1 – As the Lord God Isa 54:3 – and thy Isa 62:5 – shall thy sons Jer 3:17 – and all the nations Jer 43:12 – putteth Eze 16:61 – I will Eze 17:23 – under Eze 33:11 – As I live Zep 2:9 – as I Mat 24:31 – gather Joh 11:52 – gather Rom 14:11 – As

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Isa 49:18. Lift up thine eyes round about And behold numbers flocking unto thee from all quarters. All these shall gather themselves unto thee, &c. Namely, the Gentiles. Thy church, O Zion, shall not only be restored and established, but vastly enlarged and adorned by an accession of converts from various nations; and come unto thee To receive instruction from thee, and to be incorporated with thee into one and the same church. Thou shalt clothe thee with them, &c. Instead of being a disgrace, or a snare and occasion of sin to thee, (as the Gentiles formerly were, when they mixed themselves with the Jews,) they shall be an honour and ornament, in respect of those excellent gifts and graces wherewith they shall enrich and adorn thy community. The addition of such numbers to the church shall complete her clothing, and make her appear comely and considerable. And bind them on thee as a bride doth The LXX. read, , Thou shalt put them on thee as a bride her attire; supplying, as Bishop Lowth thinks, a word that appears to be wanting to complete the sense. Zion clothes herself with her children as a bride clothes herself with what? with some other thing, certainly; namely, her ornaments, jewels, or rich dress.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

49:18 Lift up thy eyes around, and behold: all these gather themselves together, [and] come to thee. [As] I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely {z} clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them [on thee], as a bride [doeth].

(z) He shows what are the ornaments of the Church: to have many children, who are assembled by the word of God, and governed by his Spirit.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Zion was to look around her. Her builder-sons would gather around her. They would be to her as jewels are to a bride, her prized glory and adornment. The Lord swore on His life that this would be so. Only a relatively few Israelites responded to Cyrus’ edict and returned to rebuild Jerusalem. The majority decided to stay in Babylon. Thus this prediction must be looking into the future.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)