PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1
George Rawlinson [1812-1902] · 527,316 words · 579 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 421
reduced to poverty and need by the unscrupulousne!ll!.or the sinful will 11.ccede to their heritage of power, of wealth, of plea.sure, or-what Is better than these-of infltMJnct! of su~ncy, of thanliful11ess. God, the Most Upright One, smooths the path of tb~ just (ver. 7), makes it level, enables the righteous to purs…
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living In &ccordanoe with hie will, illustrating Ohrietian virtues in the daily trans- actions and in the common relationships of life, bearing the best witneRs to the power nnd the excellency of Divine truth, supplying a source of influence which ought to tell on a human heart and to mould human character; but this i…
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God will not only "ordain peAOe" in life and at death, bnt also load ue. along all the path of life, and receive us to hie presence and glory when our earthly counie ia run.--0. Ver. 19 (with ver. 14).-Oonttaafed ,".sszies. Taking ver. 19 &s it surely should be taken, in connection and in ~ntrast with ve'r. H, and u…
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God's crowning of his patience; whether of the embarrassed, of the sick, or of the defamed. It is to these that the words of the text are most applicable; for it is they who are to wait for a little while, "until the indignation be overpast," I.e. until the hour of deliverance is fully come, and the work.of redemption …
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fulfilment of t-his ass11rance, "The meek will he guide In judgment, and the meek will be teaoh his v.•ay." When the exiles went bl\ck to a Jerusalem that was without walls or defences, God k~pt them safe by helping them to act prudently, and to avoid giving offence to those around them. Looked at in this light, how fu…
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made In the Lord Jesus Christ. He is prophesied or as the Prince of Peace. He was the Teacher of peace. He is our Peace. He knew the peace passing understanding. His peace was the peace of God, for it also came from inward harmony, from aboveness, and from the intertwinings or righteousness and love. But it also was…
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Ver. B.-.Attitude mtimu of judgment. "In the way of thy judg~·ents, 0 Lord, have we waited for thee." The connections of-this chapter need some careful attention. The prophet, io the twelve preceding chapters, has given visions of the judgments t.hat were ready to fall on the nations surrouu.ding Israel--:-judg~ents in…
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appeared to have loosed his b&nd, and left the world to riot in its sdf-will. Those were great men indeed who coulrl rise above the clisa.Rters Rnd the helplessness e,f the times, llnd stay themselves on God, and hope in him, and wait for him. ' II. But that woe quite A MODEL GENERATION. Each a.ge, though expressin" i…
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Ver. 13.-FuU alkgia'fl.<XJ to Jehom,h. This may be regarded as etill a part of the ~ong which the exiles would sing when the way wM made plain for their return to their nwn beloved IRnd. The w11.y would not be plain until the great oppressing city of Babylon, and the gr811.t oppressing dynRSty of Nebuchadnezzar, bad…
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EXPOSITION. xxxiv. 5, 6; d-.i. 16). Mr. Cheyne suppo!1€s OHAPTER XXVII. the idea to have been taken from the Baby- Ver. 1.-THE 'fRIPLE JUDGMENT ON THl!I lonian mythology, and seems to think it POWERS OF DARKNESS. The crowning jadg- half material. But it is merely on e. par ment of all is now briefly described. "In t…
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there are etill "brillre and thorna" in it, and make peaoe wit.h him1 make peaoe-with him. them llNl still those belongin-g to it who The reiteration constitutes. l\ll :nppe11l of J,nve to •• make their pel\oe 'With Goo." The extreme earnestness nurl tentlornoss which prophet has oome baok f,•()m hie investigll- non…
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tion. In the day of the eaat wind, or of the Wednesday). He made all men, but ho nl\tione.l oatlls!rophe, when hia breath we.a "me.de" and "formed" Israel with excep- fierce and hl\rd age.inst his people, he tiona;l care, e.nd exceptional care lee.de on would "sigh" at the needful che.stisement. to exceptional love.…
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HOMILETICS. Yer. 1.-Spiritual wickedntss in high pla.ou powe1·les1 to resist God. As Isaiah was, sou1ehow or other, brought into conta.ct with the dualistic doctrine of the Zoro- astrians (eh. xlv. 5-7), it was important that he should bear witness to the im~- tency of the powers of evil when they matched themselves a…
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conUnunlly with a doctrine that" distils as the dew" (Deut. xxxii. 2), softens them with an influence that "drops as the rain." He gives "grace for grace;" leads on "from strength to strength ; " converts, upholds, confirms, sustains, each weak and wavering 1oul; cleanses, purifies, infuses light, and strength, and swe…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1~13.-" 1n that day." We have here a general picture of' the events wh'.ich prec&le the condition of the inauguration of a new erl\. , . , • . '" I. THE FIGHT WITH THli: MONSTER OR MONSTERS. We cannot enter into the subject of this symbolism, in reference to which, in the absence …
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of their wir.lt~1it1ess; for t}icy ·who sin' are contciou8 of their einfuluess, though they n:ra blicdeJ by !heir h:i8t;' ,'Wicke<liJ:es~ and ignorance ere therefore closely connected, hut the CohnccLion is of such a. nature that ignorance proceeds from the ~inful di~- posltiuri of. the mind" (Oalviri). Oh" to be wise …
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sword" (Rev. xix. 15), The various miseries, visitations, calamities, which come to us e.s the sad consequences of sin are God's sword-pain, sickneBB, separation, bereave- ment, fa.mine, war, death, etc. ; sore and sharp and strong are these. 2. The thoroughness qf hui judgments. It is not only that the blows he sen…
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dark days, in our heavier sorrows, we unburden our hearts to him, realize the fulnesa of his compassion, make our earnest, confident appeal for his sympathy and succour. IV. IN UPHOLDING POWER. In such a world BB this with all its allurements and its dangers, with such a nature as is ours with all its frailty, there i…
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rich and abundant fruit; it needs constant and careful tending i iUI \vood I~ tlscless fLI any other purpose than carrying the sap that flo•ws through it; and It is expo8ed to peril from ch1u_,ging atmo~phl·res and outward foes. To this last point of comtia1·lsb11 these verses direct us. l•or the others such passage…
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l!"ntloti of the figure used in this verse, He says," l think I can convey the meaning of this passnge so that every one may understand it, by what has taken place within tny own family. One of my little children had committed a fault, for which I thought it my duty to chastise him. I called him to me, explained to him…
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God preserved the world's truth in the one Abrahamic family ; and when that fl\mily grew into a nation, he made it, in a very solemn way, the depositary of the world'11 truth, and set it in a central land, where it might be but slightly influenced by the notions of surrounding nations. "What advantage then hath the J…
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Divine dealiog~ be judgment or chaatisement ma.y depend on three tbioge: (1) the ~int from wbioh they are viewed; (2) the moral condition of those who suffer; and (3) the relations of God being regarded as go-vemmental or as paternal. II. THE PURPOSE OF JUDGMENT APPREHENDED AB OIIASTISEMENT. (Ver. 9.) Appre- hended as…
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Ver. 13.-Restm·atiom prove Divine/ot-givenw. This is the answering truth to. that dwdt on above, in the homily on ver.. '9; God in his dealings with man never stops· with sentiment. We know that he forgives us, beoause with the forgiveness he grants us restoration to bis favour. Israel had grievonsly offended Jehovah b…
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The "drnnkards of Ephraim," or of the \be wholeBBle burning of cities and villages, .~n tribes, were at once intoxicated with the wanton destruction of trees end crops, the wine (Amos iv, 1 ; vi. 6) and with pride alnnghter of Lhousands in ba.ttles and sieges, (Amos vi. .13). As the external nepect of the subsequent…
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before tbe fote.l siege of Saro11.ria began, literally, Orientals (e.g. the Perefane) ere His a00888ion must have been nearly con- often given to such indulgence. Have erred temporaneous with that expedition of Shal- through wine; rather, reel taitl, v,ine. Are nmneser against Hoehea, when he " sbut him out of the w…
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little, there o. little. The objectors profees The yoke of Babylon was probably quite aa to find in the prophet's teaching nothing difficult to endure as that of Assyria; and grand, nothing brot1d-no enunciation of y,e find that, in the space of eighteen years, gret1t letlding principles; but o. perpetual 1t produce<…
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the two met11pbors are joined together. It whelm Egypt, wliieh is a "lllfuge or llee,'1 ah&ll not oome to us. Somo means will be false nnd uutrustwnrthy (see the comment found-what, they do not say, oith~ for on ver. 15). The hiding-plaoe, Mr. Oheyne di'l"erLing the flood, or for stemming it. For adds, " of fnlsehoo…
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work on God's part-o. lltrange aot. But it not cast abroad the fltohes t The Hebrew wns their strange conduct which caused word translated" .6.tches"-i.e. "vetches"- God's strange notion. They had beoome, is qetsach, which is generally allowed to ne it were, Philistines. represent the Nigella saliM, a sort of ranun-…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 1,8.-The drunkards of Ephraim. While Scripture, from first to last, upholds the moderate use of wine as cheering and "making glad the heart of man," it is dis- tinct and severe in its denunciations of drunkenness and unrestrained revelry. The son who was "stubborn anrl rebellious, a glutton and a dr…
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Bod 11 7wima /acie objection of undue self-assertion most decidedly lies against him. Ho cnn only meet this objection by disclaiming all personal merit, and declaring himself a mere mouthpiece of One infinitely above him, whose doctrine ho le commissioned to spread. The objectors will then have to question either the f…
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Vers. 24-2S.-Tlie analogy of Divine to human methods of ~orking. Isaiah's com- parison in this chapter rests wholly upon the assumption of an analogy between God's dealings and man's, when the latter are such as are consonant with reason, Reason, the highest gift of God to man, he assumes to be au adumbration of som…
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then upon Jerusalem ( eh. viii, 6; cf. Micah i. 6). Drunkenness is named," not as the root of the national evil, but rather as its flower. The appalling thing is that when all is on the point of collapsing, those responsible for the state should be given up to careless self-indulgence" (Cheyne). Samaria is described…
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_ I. THE PRIF.'!TS AND PROPHETS OF THE Tnrm. They are seen reeling and staggering !n ~he midst of,_ or_ as they come from, their most sacred functions. It is a etrong and 1?d(gnant descr1pt1on of dmnke11ness in general (cf. Prov, xx. 1). What more humi- liating than the spectacle I To have "put an enemy in one's mouth …
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contempt of religion nnd of God, But•• be not deceived; God ie not mocked." "It hns been commonly found," says Calvin, "in almost every age, that the common people, though they are distinguished by unrrRtmined fierceness and violence, do not proceed to such II pitch of wretchedness as nobles and courtiers, or other cra…
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V ers. 23-29.-Proverbial lore. The ploughman's activity and the thresher's are set before the pccple as a parable of Israel's tribulations. At least, this is one of the views of the passage. I. '.l'nE PURPOSE OF AFFIJCTION. It is from God, and the end ever kept in view is the good of the soul and its productiveness…
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• Ver. 16.-0hrist the Corner-stone. "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tried Stone, a precious Comer-stone, a sure Foundation." This stone we all know to be Christ, concerning whom all the prophets did testify. It is historically true that the Stone was laid in Zion, and what we have to treat of is the …
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thresh our lives. And when the chl\ft' ie separated from the wheat, then the oom mu~t be bruised nn<i broken. It is not the outwardly peaceful, comfortable life that hae in it the elements of ministry. The Saviour was a Man of sorrows, and ncq_uaintcd with grief. He is brought near to us 8ll being not of the seed of an…
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their faculties were unclouded, would perceive truth, and have spiritual insight, and gain the guidance which Heaven grants to them that seek it, are so weakened in mental power, or so bereft of spirHual strength, that they grope in darkness when they might walk in the light of the Lord. V. INFLUENCE 18 F0Rli'El'rED D…
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'll·as the promise of the old covenant (Numb. vl. 26; xxv. 12). .Beat was the offer of tbe great Teacher (Matt xi. 28, 29). Rest of heart In the favour and lovo·of God was the high and elevated hope held out for all who would learn. and be obedieht; aa.d this is still the desire aud the dcsigu of God in all his teac…
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call good "evil," and evil ·, goc,d;" they even "glory in their shame," so hl!.ve they lied unto thcrnsel ve~. Ill.. 'l'HAT SINFUL MF.N ACT AB IF TRF.Y COULD RELY ON SUCCOUR WHICH 18 WORTH- LESS. They stretch themselves on a bed which is too short for their stature; they wrnp themselves with clothin~ which will not…
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We learn that thefaithfa,l have no need to/ear. "He that believeth eba\l not make hRste." (1) No need to be alarmed for his own safety; for God, who is his Refuge, will hide him in the pavilion of his power. (2) No need to take hurried or questioMblo certainly not forbidden or unworthy, steps for the deliverance of …
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elevation, or a rnging of folly or of violence. Our peril lies in yielding to the unnatural or the unnecessary. 1. The unnatural. Every man is in duty bound to develop all hie faculties up lo the limit of their capacity. But every man is in 11uty bound also ll?t to develop some to the neglect of others; and not to exci…
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Ver. 7. -The moral deteri'oration of self-t'.ndulgent habits. "They err in vision, they stumble in judgment." Isaiah treats wine and strong drink in much the same way as we do now. To him it was the prominent instance, and so it could be ma<le the type, of self-indulgence, which has many forms and many expressior:.s…
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gcnciee of life. 2. Ver. 9 may refer to the incapacity of the leaders and religious teachers of the Jews; then ver. 10 <lescribes their puerile methods of instrudion. 3. Ver. 9 may refor to the incapacity of the people for high attainment in spiritual know- ledge; then ver. 10 describes the elementary methods of ins…
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clrunkllrde mocking Isniah over their cnps. "Does ho not know what respectable persons he is del\ling with, not like children who need leading-strings, but ·educated priests a11.d prophets? 1'hey have caught up from Isaiah one of his favourite words (probably), and rapeat it with a sneer. He is alwaye interfering wi…
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1Lnd wicked pride can scoff even at God's Word and God's prophet. Down low indeed that mon must have fallen who once knew the "glory of the Lord," and waited for the Lord's will, and now, in bis rioting, can jeer at sacred things. Impress that those who neglect tho culture of piety put from them all gracious influences…
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Ver. 20.-Man's fll'laMJ,ity to order his own life. This verse is very p~ssibly a popular proverb, which suggested a condition of painful uneasiness. Matthew Henry gives, briefly a.nd suggestively, its meaning as used here by Isaiah, and as applicable to us : " Those that do not build upon Christ as their Foundation,…
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EXPOSITION. e.nd then let the enemy march in and com• CHAPTER XXIX. mence the siege. Ver. 2.-Yet will I distress Ariel; rather, Vere. 1--4.-A WARNING TO JERUSALEM. and then will I distresg Ariel. The sense Expostulation is followed by threats. The runs on from the preceding verse. There prophet is aware that e.ll h…
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that pa.sseth away. "Chaff,'' in Scriptllfe, dreams of plunder vanish, and would is always a metaphor for weakness (comp. bitterly feel the disappointment. That eh. v. 24 ; xvii. 13 ; :u:xiii. 11 ; xli. 15 ; fight against llonnt Zion. To attack Jeru- and see also Ps. i. 4; mv. 5; Job :u:i. 18; salem was to :fight agai…
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knowledge, while at the same time striving glosses, whioh have crept from the margin if by ony tnellns he moy arouse some from into the text (Eichhorn, Koppe, Cheyne). If their condition of dull opothy. so, they a.re probably mistaken glosses, the , allusion being, not to particular classes, but· 1 Ver. 9.-Btay you…
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Hebrew 'ohv is used both of the neoro- trust(oomp. ver. 8). Aa a dream oh night mnncers (Lev. xix. 31; xx. 6, eto.) and of vision. " The baseless fabrio of a vision," the ghosts which they professed to raise when it has once pa.seed by, 11 leaves not Q (1 Sam. xxviii. 7, S; 2 Kings xx. 6, etc.). wmck behind." The en…
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knowledge, while o.t the eame time etriving glosses, which have crept from the margin if by any meo.ne he mo.y aronee some from into the text (Eichhorn, Koppa, Cheyne). If their condition of <lull a.po.thy. so, they a.re probably mistaken glosses, the . allusion being, not to particular classes, but • i Ver. 9.-Sta…
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groves. And brokt'n in pieooe the brazen eer- Underhand r,roceedings are at Rll times r,c,nt." because the people burnt incense to it suspicious, "l\len love darkness ratl1er thon (2 King11 xviii. 4). But her religion was " light, because their deeds 111·e evil." The very mf'Te lip-service, which God detested-it fact o…
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■engfirs. No particular "book" is intended thing of nought; ro.ther, and depifl-, th~ -,epher being without the article, bnt the jWJt [of their right] by empty chargea. '' Turn- words of any ,wrHing put forth with Divfoe ing aside the just" means turning them nuthority. Tbe eyes of the blind shall see from their rig…
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groves. and broken in pieoee the bmzen eer, Underhand tiroceedings are at all tlmea )'<'nt." because the people burnt inoenae to it suspicious, "l\len love darkness rather th1m (2 King11 X'l'iii. 4). But her religion wa.s " light, because their deeds a,·e evil." The very 1'711'Te lip-eervioe, which God deteeted-it fact…
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■onglira. No particulo.r "book " is intended thing of nought; rather, and depri11,, tht -,epher being without tho article, but the jiut [of their right] by empty charge6. "Turn- words of any ,writing put forth with Div:ine ing aside the just" means turning them nuthority, The eyes of the blind aha.II see frmn their …
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tife. The sufferings of the inbabit&nts of J crusalem during the siege were no doubt in llOme measure, punishments. 1. For·the national sin of unfaithfulness, 2. For 'the particular sins of the sufferers. But this is not a full account of the matter, Jerusalem suffered 111s0- II. BECAUSE SHE NEEDED CDASTISEMENT .A~TJ>…
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of reo.ding the heart and of perceiving when worship is rendered to him lrincerely e.nd when feignedly, or the.the does not care which kind of homage he receives, whether adoration ie offered to him really or formally. In the one case he must be considered ae a Being of very limited power and capacity; in the other, as…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS, Vers.1-12.-0oncerning .tfriel. L VrcrsscrUDES OF ARIEL. The name is symbolic perhaps 1;ignifying "God's lion." lt was the city where David dwelt. The prophet bids the city enter upon the new year, and run the round of the feasts. The distress will come, and the city, true to her name, w…
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nEALlTY OF nELI<lION. To "drsw men" is II Scripture phrase full of expressiveness for true worship. To draw near to God is to assume our holiest mood of feeling; it; is to humble one's self in the presence of the Highest and Holiest. The distance between ourselves and the Supreme is not to be oV'ercome by an effort of …
861 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.