Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; [yet] saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.
10, 11. Although wearied by these idolatries they have persisted in them with an infatuation which has blinded them to their desperate situation, and rendered them indifferent to the fear of Jehovah.
in the greatness of thy way ] i.e. “through thy much wandering,” thy multifarious religious observances.
There is no hope ] Lit. “ desperatum est ”; cf. Jer 2:25; Jer 18:12 (with a somewhat different shade of meaning).
thou didst find the life of thine hand ] A very obscure and variously explained phrase. R.V. a quickening (i.e. renewal) of thy strength is perhaps the most feasible interpretation, but the peculiar expression is hardly accounted for, unless it be a current proverb.
thou wast not grieved ] lit. sick, weak and faint. Comp. Jer 5:3, “Thou hast smitten them and they did not become sick,” i.e. did not feel weak.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way – That is, in the length of thy journeys in order to procure foreign aid. Thou hast traveled to distant nations for this purpose, and in doing it, hast become weary without securing the object in view.
Yet saidst thou not, There is no hope – Thou didst not say it is to be despaired of ( no’ash), or it is vain. Though repulsed in one place, you applied to another; though weary, you did not give it up. Instead of returning to God and seeking his aid, you still sought human alliances, and supposed you would find assistance from the help of people. This is a striking illustration of the conduct of people in seeking happiness away from God. They wander from object to object; they become weary in the pursuit, yet they do not abandon it; they still cling to hope though often repulsed – and though the world gives them no permanent comfort – though wealth, ambition, gaiety, and vice all fail in imparting the happiness which they sought, yet they do not give it up in despair. They still feel that it is to be found in some other way than by the disagreeable necessity of returning to God, and they wander from object to object, and from land to land, and become exhausted in the pursuit, and still are not ready to say, there is no hope, we give it up in despair, and we will now seek happiness in God.
Thou hast found the life of thine hand – Margin, Living. Lowth, Thou hast found the support of thy life by thy labor. Noyes, Thou yet findest life in thy hand. Much diversity of opinion has prevailed in regard to the interpretation of this passage. Vitringa interprets the whole passage of their devotion to idols, and supposes that this means that they had borne all the expense and difficulty and toil attending it because it gratified their hearts, and because they found a pleasure in it which sustained them. Calvin supposes that it is to be understood ironically. Why didst thou not repent and turn to me? Why didst thou not see and acknowledge thy madness? It was because thou didst find thy life in thy hand. All things prospered and succeeded according to thy desire, and conferred happiness. The Septuagint renders it, Because in full strength ( enischuousa) thou hast done this; therefore thou shouldst not supplicate me. Jerome explains it to mean, because they have done the things referred to in the previous verses, therefore they had not supplicated the Lord, trusting more in their own virtues than in God. The Syriac renders it, The guilt of thy hand has contracted rust for thee, therefore thou hast not offered supplication. The Chaldee renders it, Thou hast amassed wealth, therefore thou didst not repent. Kimchi explains it to mean, Thou hast found something which is as pleasant to thee as the food is which is the life of man. The phrase life of thy hand occurs nowhere else.
The hand is the instrument by which we execute our purposes; and by the life of the hand here, there seems to be meant that which will give full and continued employment. They had found in these things that which effectually prevented them from repenting and returning to God. They had relied on their own plans rather than on God; they had sought the aid of foreign powers; they had obtained that which kept them from absolute despair, and from feeling their need of the assistance of God. Or, if it refers to their idol-worship, as Vitringa supposes, then it means that, not withstanding all the trouble, toil, and expense which they had experienced, they had found so much to gratify them that they continued to serve them, and were unwilling to return to God.
Therefore thou wast not grieved – Lowth, Thou hast not utterly fainted. The word used here ( chalah) means to be polished; then to be worn down in strength; to be weak or exhausted Jdg 16:7; then to be sick, diseased, made weak. Here it means, that either by the aid Which they had obtained by foreign alliances, or by the gratification experienced in the service of idols, they had found so much to uphold them that they had not been in utter despair. And the passage may teach the general truth, that not withstanding all the trials and disappointments of life, still sinners find so much comfort in the ways of sin, that they are not utterly overwhelmed in despair. They still find the life of their hand in them. If a plan fails, they repeat it, or they try another. In the pursuits of ambition, of wealth, and of fashion, notwithstanding all the expense, and irksomeness, and disappointment, they find a kind of pleasure which sustains them, and enough success to keep them from returning to God. It is this imperfect pleasure and success which the world gives amidst all its disappointments, and this hope of less diminished joys and more ample success. in schemes of gain, and pleasure, and ambition, that sustains the votaries of this world in their career, and keeps them from seeking the pure and unmingled pleasures of religion. When the world becomes all gloom, and disappointment, and care, then there is felt the necessity of a better portion, and the mind is turned to God. Or when, as is more common, the mind becomes convinced that all the joys which the world can give – allowing the utmost limit to what is said by its friends of its powers – are poor and trifling compared with the joys which flow from the eternal friendship of God, then the blessings of salvation are sought with a full heart; and then man comes and consecrates the fullness of his energies and his immortal vigor to the service of the God that made him.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 57:10
Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way
The weariness of sin
The text is a striking representation of the sinners conduct in fruitless efforts to obtain happiness anywhere but from heaven.
He wanders from object to object, he becomes weary in his pursuit, yet he will not abandon it.
I. HE PURSUES A WEARISOME COURSE. Nothing is so wearisome as fruitless efforts for happiness.
1. The sensual course for happiness is a wearisome one. The voluptuary and the debauchee very soon show exhaustion.
2. The secular course for happiness is a wearisome one. He who seeks happiness in the pursuit of gain will soon find it wearisome.
3. The intellectual course for happiness is a wearisome one. He who looks for true happiness in study and research will soon find it a weariness.
4. The superstitious course is a wearisome one. Millions are sinking into religious superstition–pilgrimages, penances, prayers, and devotional routine. What millions are found wearied in this path!
II. THOUGH THE COURSE IS WEARISOME HE PERSEVERES. Yet saidst thou not, There is no hope. Although Israel was wearied in seeking foreign help, still it continued; so with the sinner. To persevere in these wearisome methods for happiness is very foolish.
1. Because they will never become easier than they are. On the contrary, he who pursues these methods of happiness will become more and more weary on his way.
2. Because there is a pleasant way to true happiness. What is that? The loving surrender of your nature to God. The religious way to happiness is pleasant, because–
(1) It is worthy of your nature.
(2) Agreeable to your conscience.
(3) Promising to your hope.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace. How suited is the invitation of Christ to the wearied millions of earth who are seeking for happiness in wrong directions: Come unto Me, all ye, etc. (Homilist.)
Mans weary way
I. THE WAY WHICH IS HERE SUGGESTED TO US. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way. The way which the Israelites took was their own way as distinguished from Gods way. The way in which a man is walking, and by which he is seeking for salvation, until he has found peace through Christ, is more or less directly his own way.
II. THIS WAY, WHICH IS MANS OWN WAY, IS SPOKEN OF AS A GREAT WAY. Thou art weaned in the greatness of thy way. Looking at salvation as It Is in Itself, at the deliverance which is desired, a great deliverance is necessary; looking to the efforts which man will make to effect and attain this deliverance, great efforts are evidently necessary, and great efforts are frequently made. Micah speaks of a man giving thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oil, yea, giving the life of his firstborn for the sin of his soul, if perchance he may save that soul. And it is perfectly marvellous to see the efforts which men have made, and arc making, in false religions, to secure that which they desire, namely, their souls salvation.
III. THIS WAY OF MANS OWN SEEKING IS A WEARY WAY. What disappointments the Israelites met with! So with a man seeking, salvation in his own way as distinct from Gods way. Just in proportion as a man is in earnest, just in proportion to the depth of his convictions of sin and righteousness, just in proportion to the sense which he has of the holiness of God, and the realities of eternity, will be the mans dissatisfaction with his own efforts and his own acts of self-denial.
IV. Although this is a weary way, and an unsatisfying way, yet IT HAS IN IT SOME PROMISES OF SUCCOUR AND SOME POWER OF SATISFACTION, WHICH PREVENTS THE MAN FROM WHOLLY DESPAIRING. The man finds life to his hand. There is enough in what he is doing, there is enough in what he is finding, to prevent him from wholly despairing. These persons are not prepared to say there is no hope; they are not prepared to despair of salvation in the manner in which they are seeking it; they are not wholly cast down. Therefore thou wast not grieved, not wholly disheartened. They go on persevering and pressing forward, hoping that a brighter day will come. Contrast with this way of man Gods way. The way of salvation sought and followed by the Jews resembles very much the way of salvation which the natural heart of man follows when he pursues and seeks that salvation; but now, what is, the way which God would have us to walk in, as contrasted with this way of mans own devising? That which marks Gods way, and distinguishes it especially from mans way, is this–that mans way is a way of fear and dread, while Gods way is a way of love. But how,you will say, are we to pass from this state, which is mans natural state of seeking for salvation, to that state which is described as Gods method of seeking and conferring salvation? The prophet tells us (verses 18, 19). (E. Bayley, M. A.)
The life of thine hand
The life of thine hand may mean, a revival of thy vigour. (A. B.Davidson, D. D.)
Yet saidst thou not, There is no hope
Hope, yet no hope: no hope, yet hope
(with Jer 18:12, And they said, There is no hope, etc.):–The subtlety of the human heart exerts itself to the utmost to prevent that heart from trusting in the Saviour, and while evil is always cunning, it shows itself to be supremely so in its efforts to guard the Cross against the approaches of sinners. By the Cross, as the Saviour said, the thoughts of many hearts are revealed. There are two phases in spiritual life which well illustrate the deceitfulness of the heart. The first is that described in my first text, in which the man, though wearied in his many attempts, is not and cannot be convinced of the hopelessness of self-salvation. When you shall have hunted the man out of this, you will then meet with a new difficulty, which is described in the second text. Finding there is no hope in himself, the man draws the unwarrantable conclusion that there is no hope for him in God. It is self-righteousness in both cases. In the one case it is the soul content with self-righteousness, in the second place it is man sullenly preferring to perish rather than receive the righteousness of Christ.
I. We have to speak of A HOPE WHICH IS NO HOPE. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope, etc. This well pictures the pursuit of men after satisfaction in earthly things. They are content because they have found the life of their hand. Living from hand to mouth is enough for them; that they are still alive, that they possess present comforts and present enjoyments, this contents the many. As for the future, they say, Let it take care of itself. They have no foresight for their eternal state; the present hour absorbs them.
1. The text applies very eminently to, those who are seeking salvation by ceremonies.
2. A great mass of people, even though they reject priestcraft, make themselves priests, and rely upon their good works. The way of salvation by works, if it were possible, would be a very wearisome way. How many good works would carry a man to heaven, would be a question which it were very hard to answer.
3. Many are looking for salvation to another form of self-deception, namely the way of repentance and reformation.
II. We shall now turn to the second text. And they said, There is no hope, etc. Here we have No HOPE–AND YET HOPE. When the sinner has at last been driven by stress of weather from the roadstead of his own confidence, then he flies to the dreary harbour of despair. Despair is the mother of all sorts of evil. When a man sates,. There is no hope of heaven for me; then he throws the reins upon the neck of his lusts, and goes on from bad to worse. There is hope for you in Him whom God has provided to be the Saviour of such as you are. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. Yet saidst thou not, There is no hope – “Thou hast said, There is hope”] In one of the MSS. at Koningsberg, collated by Lilienthal, the words lo amarta, are left in the text unpointed, as suspected; and in the margin the corrector has written vattomari. Now if we compare Jer 2:25 and Jer 18:12, we shall find that the subject is in both places quite the same with this of Isaiah; and the sentiment expressed, that of a desperate resolution to continue at all hazards in their idolatrous practices; the very thing that in all reason we might expect here. Probably, therefore, the latter is the true reading in this place. – L.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; thou hast not eased or relieved, but only tired thyself with all thy tedious journeys and laborious endeavours.
Yet saidst thou not, There is no hope; and yet thou wast so stupid under all thy discouragements and disappointments, that thou didst not perceive that thy labour was lost, and that thy case was not mended, but made worse and desperate by these practices.
Thou hast found the life of thine hand; thou hast found (i.e. thou falsely imaginest that thou hast found, or shalt assuredly find by these courses) the life (i.e. the strength and rigour) of thine hand, that thine hand is strengthened by these practices; or, life by thine hand, i.e. by these endeavours and applications of thyself to others for help. Or, thou hast sometimes found success in these ways.
Therefore thou wast not grieved; therefore thou didst not repent of thy sin and folly herein, but didst persist and applaud thyself in such courses.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. greatness of . . . waythelength of thy journey in seeking strange gods, or else foreignaid (Jer 2:23; Jer 2:24).Notwithstanding thy deriving no good from these long journeys (so,”send . . . far off,” Isa57:9), thou dost not still give up hope (Jer 2:25;Jer 18:12).
hast found . . . life of . .. handfor “thou still findest life (that is, vigor)enough in thy hand” to make new idols [MAURER],or to seek new alliance (“hand” being then taken forstrength in general).
grievedrather,”therefore thou art not weak” [MAURER];inasmuch as having “life in thy hand,” thou art stillstrong in hope.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way,…. Or, “in the multiplicity of thy ways” u: which were so many, as were enough to make her weary; the steps which were taken to obtain so much power over kings and kingdoms, which was gradually got with great pains and artifice, and to amass such vast treasures, and to enlarge her interest, and spread her religion in the world; the multitude of stratagems devised, and vast number of men employed, and embassies made to carry her point everywhere. Jarchi’s note is,
“to fulfil thy desires, and to enlarge thy substance:”
yet saidst thou not, there is no hope; as men in a good cause are apt to do, upon every difficulty that arises; but here, in this case, though the cause was very bad, yet when schemes did not take, or not so soon as wished for and expected, new difficulties arose, and opposition made; yet no cost nor pains were spared to gain the point in view, and establish a kingdom and hierarchy; which at last succeeded: this expresses the resolution, constancy, and pertinency of the bishops of Rome in their ambitious views and claims of power, who would not give out, nor despair of arriving at what they aimed at; and which, through great fatigue and labour, they attained unto:
thou hast found the life of thine hand; that which was sought for and laboured after; sovereignty over all bishops and churches; power over kings and kingdoms; and an universal empire over consciences, as well as over churches and nations; and also immense treasure and riches to support the pope, cardinals, priests, c. and perhaps giving life to the image of the beast that it should speak, and cause those that would not worship it to be killed, may be included, Re 13:15. The Targum is,
“thou hast multiplied (or as other copies) thou hast found great riches.”
Jarchi’s note is,
“the necessity of thine hands, thou hast found prosperity in thy works:”
therefore thou wast not grieved; at the toil and labour used, pains taken, and weariness contracted; the issue was an over recompence for all the trouble and difficulty that attended it: or, “therefore thou wast not sick” w; of the undertaking; did not despond in mind, or languish without hope of succeeding, finding ground was gained; and at last things went according to wishes; and then it caused no grief to reflect upon the fatigue and trouble that had been endured; and also grieved not at the idolatry introduced, nor repented of it; see Re 9:20, So the Targum interprets it of impenitence.
u “in multitudine viae tuae”, Pagninus, Montanus. w “non aegrotasti”, Pagninus, Montanus, “non aegrotas”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
10. Thou art wearied. He means that men undertake superfluous and useless labors, when they do not follow God. They vex themselves in vain, as has been already said; for nothing that is attempted in opposition to God can ever be successful. Besides, he wittily ridicules the wicked practices of those who choose rather to waste themselves by incessant toil than to advance calmly wherever God calls them.
And hast not said, There is no hope; that is, “Although thou seest that thy labors are fruitless, yet thou obstinately perseverest and pursuest thy designs; whereas even fools, when they are unsuccessful, commonly repent.” Men must therefore be obstinate and desperate, when an unhappy and unsuccessful issue of their schemes does not sometimes lead them to ask themselves, What are you doing? Jeremiah glances at this obstinacy, hut in different words; for he says that the Jews were so foolhardy as to say,
“
We are undone, yet we will follow our own thoughts. This has been determined by us, and our opinion cannot be changed.” (Jer 18:12)
But here he censures that stupidity which bewildered them so much that they could not acknowledge their folly and repent, and turn again to the right road.
Thou hast found the life of thine hand. “Life” is here supposed by some to mean “food; “as if the Prophet had said, “Thy labor was as delightful to thee as if thou wert gaining food for thyself by thy hand.” (111) Others take “the life of the hand” to mean delight, or the highest pleasure; and both interpretations amount to the same thing.
But there is somewhat greater difficulty in the question, “Does he speak sincerely or ironically?” If the words be taken in the literal sense, the meaning will be, “Thou didst not grieve, because fortune appeared to favor thee for a time.” When unbelievers succeed to their wish, they encourage themselves the more in their unbelief, and, as the common saying is, “Men are blinded by prosperity.” But especially this happens when men have forsaken God, and abide by their own ways and schemes; for then they fearlessly despise God. But they may also be viewed as ironical, “How comes it that thou dost not retrace thy steps and repent? Why dost thou not acknowledge thy folly? Is it because thou hast life in thy hand, and because everything goes prosperously with thee? (112)
I prefer the latter interpretation, though I do not reject the former. It is plain enough from history that the Jews had no good reason for being proud of their prosperity or success; for the treaty into which they entered, first with the Egyptians, next with the Assyrians, and lastly with the Babylonians, was destructive and fatal to them; and they found by experience how rash they had been in calling allies to their aid; so that the Prophet justly taunts them with having found “the life of their hand.” Thus he heightens his description of the foolishness of this people, who willingly rush forward to their own destruction, and obstinately bring down ruin on themselves, when they ought, at least, like fools, to have gained wisdom by the misery which they had experienced.
(111) “ Comme si tu eusses gaigne ta vie en travaillant de tes mains.” “As if thou hadst gained thy life by labouring with thy hands.”
(112) “Dathius thus translates the Hebrew text, ‘Thou hast found thy life, therefore thou dost not feel thy disease,’ and adds in a note, ‘The phrase, (thy life,) is used ironically by the Prophet to denote idols, which brought destruction instead of life to the people. He calls them the life of the hand for this reason, that they employed all their industry in making them.’ The simplest meaning appears to me to be, to take ‘the life of the hand’ as denoting either their strength or the supports of life procured by the hand; so that the meaning is, Still thou thinkest that by these thy labors thou wilt procure strength and assistance.” Rosenmuller.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE SOULS WEARINESS IN ITS SINFUL WAY
Isa. 57:10. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way, &c.
There is a littleness and there is a greatness in mens sins. Some people are mean, timid in wickedness, would indulge passions more freely if they dared. But there is a force and boldness about the sins of others; they disregard public opinion, rush impetuously along broad roads, &c. Whilst we condemn, we also mourn, because such strength and manhood are wasted in the greatness of their way.
The text refers to a period of great iniquity in Jewish history during Manassehs reign. The light of Divine truth had not utterly faded away, so the nation was full of unrest and misery, and yet would not retrace its steps, and make its peace with God. Pathetic is this picture of the misery of sin.
I. THE SOULS WEARINESS IN IT SINFUL WAY.
Various are the causes of weariness.
1. The attempt of the creature to be independent of the Creator. A sinful life is an attempt to do without God. But our noblest instincts impel us to lean upon the power and love of God. Dependence is stamped upon every faculty and fibre of our nature. Who then can wonder that men grow weary when they strive to live an independent, self-sufficient life? The creature can no more do without the Creator, than streamlet without fountain, or branch without tree.
2. A sense of the unworthiness of a sinful life. No one can be really happy without some degree of self-respect. Other persons can laud a man to the skies, but it spoils all if in his heart he despises his own motives and conduct. Self-contempt is a source of keenest misery. There are moments of clear insight, when many a Christless man sees the utter disproportion between the life which he leads, and the nature God has given himbetween what he is and what he was meant to be, and might be. When he thus begins to despise himself he is wearied.
3. The efforts of an outraged nature to avenge itself. It is impossible for a man to ill-treat himself without his very nature protesting against the injury. There are forces of pain which start into activity as soon as the evil is done. The body avenges its own wrongsso also the soul. Give it error when it needs truth; husks of worldly pleasure when it hungers for bread of life, and a cry of discontent and pain will break forth from the injured soul. So the path of sin is a tiresome road, and men often grow wearied.
II. THE SOULS PERSISTENCE IN ITS SINFUL WAY.
Weary but persistent. Many things impel men to pursue the road even when faint.
1. The marvellous vitality of hope. Hope is like a hardy plant, which may be trampled under foot, but presently springs up into fresh life and beauty. Men are often baffled, deceived, achieve grand results, led on by living energy of hope. Yet all great things draw greatly astray when wrongly directed. So hope impels men to persist in folly and sin. Disappointed, wearied, they still persevere.–
2. Dislike to confess failure. It seems a degradation to many a man to admit that he has made a mistake. Pride often leads the sinner to persist in his way. Weary at heart, yearning for a nobler life, still it is hard work for him to humble himself, to go back, to say, I have sinned.
3. Ignorance of Gods character. Some think they are beyond Divine mercythat God is altogether such an one as themselvesimpatient and unforgiving toward those who have wronged Him. Weary souls would sometimes eagerly return to Him, and seek His grace, if they only saw into the depths of His heart and knew the truth.
CONCLUSION.There is a Divine purpose in pain and weariness. God makes the sinners way difficult, so that he may be led to forsake it. When we cry, There is no hope, then there is hope through Christ, who was once wearied in the greatness of His way.F. W. Mays, M.A.: The Homiletic Magazine, vol. vii. p. 145.
Isa. 57:11-12. I. Hypocrisy. Fearless, false, inconsiderate, presumptuous. II. Its exposure. Certain, full. Its righteousness, nought; its works, wicked; its hopes, vain.
Isa. 57:12. I. Mens righteousness. II. Its exposure. III. Its worthlessness.
Isa. 57:13-16. I. The insufficiency of human confidences. II. The all-sufficiency of God.
Isa. 57:13. I. False confidences. Cannot save. Will be swept away. End in destruction and misery. II. True confidence. Fixed in God. Enjoys present blessings. Inherits future happiness.
Isa. 57:14. I. The stumbling-blocks. Inconsistencies. Errors. Divisions. False professors. II. Their removal. Necessary. Imperative. Personal.Dr. Lyth.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(10) Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way . . .Better, with the length of thy journeyi.e., with the long embassies to Assyria, and to Babylon, as for the time the residence of its kings. For there is no hope, read, there is no result, or profit. Judah would not acknowledge that the negotiations were fruitless.
Thou hast found the life of thine hand . . .The words arc a literal rendering, and convey the meaning, Thou didst renew the strength of thine handi.e., Judah found a fancied increase of power in the alliance she was seeking, and therefore did not repent of her ignominious diplomacy.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 57:10. Thou hast found the life of thine hand, &c. That is to say, “Thou hast found thy delight in that troublesome superstition; wherefore, though thou mayest labour grievously, yet thou sustainest all the trouble of it, because this superstition satisfies thy desire.” Kimchi has it, The life of thy strength, for the hand is in man the instrument of labour, which is employed in superstition. See Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
This, it should seem, is a representation of such awful characters as were before described, disappointed in the pursuit of their pleasures, pausing over their dreadful state, and yet, though confessing all to be vanity and vexation of spirit, still going on from bad to worse, until life is over, and they lie down in sorrow. So the Lord elsewhere describes them; and so the world daily finds them; Isa 50:11 . Elihu hath drawn the most finished picture of such men, Job 35:9-10 : he represents them as crying out, and exclaiming continually under the vexation of a disappointed soul; but none of them cry out upon the Lord for deliverance. They are wearied in the greatness of their strength; but still they weary themselves for very vanity. Reader! mark from such characters what a dreadful blindness and captivity that must be, where sin forgeth such irons! But if the Lord removes the stumbling-block of a natural state, out of the way of his people (and none but the Lord can do it) the chain is then broken, and the poor deluded prisoner is free. Oh! Lord! in mercy look upon thine that are yet in the prison-house! Luk 4:18-19 ; Joh 8:36 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 57:10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; [yet] saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.
Ver. 10. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way. ] Great pains thou hast taken to small purpose, and yet thou thinkest and hopest, but groundlessly, that
Thou hast found the life of thy hand.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
found . . . hand = found [by the length of thy journeys] a hand to mouth life.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
The prophet has been giving a very terrible description of the sin of the nation. We need not read it all, but at last he says this:
Isa 57:10. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way;
Thou art wearied out with thine own way. Thou hast been so zealous in thy rebellion against God that thou hast actually fatigued thyself in the pursuit of evil. That is a true description of those who have worn themselves out in the ways of sin.
Isa 57:10. Yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.
Though they had hunted for pleasure, and had not found it, and had brought themselves into great distress, yet they would not give up the hope of, after all, succeeding in their rebellion. Oh, how obstinately are men set upon seeking satisfaction where it never can be found, namely, in the pursuit of sin! These people were still alive, and they were content to be so; but they were not grieved although God had sorely chasteness them.
Isa 57:11. And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me,
Me, thy Maker, thy Friend, to whom thou must own thy very soul, unless that soul shall go down into the pit, Thou hast not remembered me,
Isa 57:11. Nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?
When God is very long suffering, and lets men alone in their sin; then, often, they quite forget him, and have no fear of him.
Isa 57:12. I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.
If God once takes the self-righteous mans righteousness, and explains what it really is, he will soon reveal to its owner that it is a mere delusion and sham, that will not profit him at all.
Isa 57:13. When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee;
When sickness, and depression of spirit, and death itself, shall come to you, and you begin to dread what is to follow, and cry to those who comforted you in your time of health, what will they be able to do for you?
Isa 57:13. But the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;
All confidence in men shall be blown away as chaff is driven by the wind; but faith in God wins the day.
Isa 57:14-15. And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
That is a wonderful verse. You notice that the prelude to it explains the greatness and the holiness of God; and then, like an eagle swooping out of the sky even down to the earth, we find God coming from his high and lofty place to dwell with humble and contrite hearts. Not with the proud,not with you who think yourselves good and excellent, does God dwell; but with men who feel their sin, and own it; with men who feel their unworthiness, and confess it. I will read this verse again to impress it upon your memory: Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isa 57:16. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
See the tender meaning of Gods message in this verse. He has been encouraging the guilty one, and making him feel the enormity of his ounces; and then he says, I will not do that any more, lest I should crush him. He is too weak to bear any more punishment or reproof; therefore I will not any longer afflict him, but I will turn to him in mercy, for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
Isa 57:17. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.
Here God shows that his chastening does not always produce a good result; for, sometimes, when men are tried on account of sin, they grow worse and worse: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. What does God say of such a great sinner as that?
Isa 57:18. I have seen his ways,
I have seen that he goes from bad to worse when I afflict him. Now I will try another plan. I have seen his ways,
Isa 57:18-19. And will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
It is heart-melting to see the tenderness of God. I will not further smite him, lest his spirit should fail before me. I will not continue to strikt him, because I can see that he only goes farther away from me the more I chastise him. I will deal with him in abounding love: I will heal him. I believe that there is many a sinner who runs away from God thinking that the Lord is his enemy; and as God pursues him, he does not dare look back. He thinks that it is the step of the Avenger that he hears, so he flies faster and farther away from God; but when he does venture to look back, and ends that it is a loving Fathers face that is gazing upon him, oh! how he regrets his folly in running from him! Then he throws himself into the arms of the God of love, and wonders however he could have been the enemy of this his greatest Friend. May such a happy turn as that happen to some whom I am now addressing!
Isa 57:20-21. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
They may have the semblance of peace, or a false peace, but nothing which is worthy of being called peace.
This exposition consisted of readings from Isa 57:10-21; and Isa 58:1-11.
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
wearied: Isa 47:13, Jer 2:36, Jer 9:5, Eze 24:12, Hab 2:13
There is: 2Ch 28:22, 2Ch 28:23, Jer 2:25, Jer 44:17, Jer 44:18, Rom 7:9
life: or, living
therefore: Jer 3:3, Jer 5:3
Reciprocal: Gen 19:11 – that they Isa 26:12 – ordain Isa 57:13 – let Jer 18:12 – There Mic 7:18 – he retaineth Act 27:20 – all
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 57:10. Thou art wearied with the greatness of thy way Thou hast not eased, or relieved, but only tired thyself with all thy tedious journeys and laborious endeavours. Yet sayest thou not, There is no hope And yet thou didst not perceive that thy labour was lost, and that thy case was not mended, but made more desperate by these practices. Thou hast found the life of thy hand Thou hast sometimes found success in these ways; or, thou falsely supposest that thy hand is strengthened thereby. Therefore thou wast not grieved Therefore thou didst not repent of thy sin and folly herein, but didst persist and applaud thyself in such courses.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
57:10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; [yet] saidst thou not, {l} There is no hope: thou {m} hast found the life of thy hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.
(l) Although you saw all your labours to be in vain, yet would you never acknowledge your fault and leave off.
(m) He derides their unprofitable diligence, who thought to have made all sure, and yet were deceived.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
These trips to obtain political security through idolatry wore the envoys out. Rather than ensuring that security did not come in that way, however, they persevered in their wickedness in spite of their weariness.
"As with any addiction, the memory of former gratification drives one on, even when the gratification grows steadily less and less. To admit that the quest is hopeless would be to drive one back into the arms of God, whose invitation to surrender all control and live in trust one has already rejected." [Note: Oswalt, The Book . . . 40-66, p. 481.]