PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2
George Rawlinson [1812-1902] · 439,033 words · 488 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 121
.y ers. 10-25.-A new song to Jelwvah. Cau~ht up _l~ his ecs~asy to a high place of VISlon, the prophet sees all the n~t•_on~ of mankmd d~nvrng bless111g from the ministry of Israel, and calls upon them to JO!Il m a song of praise. God's goodness in providing a Redeemer demands the thanksgiving of all the world. I. …
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fiu<l that there is an imperious temper in humanity, and that even parents sometimes "break" the spirit of their children. How many are discouraged and disheartened in life through a want or sympathy, through the coldness and hauteur of others I I. THEI\E ARE BRUISINGS OF 8Il'I, Christ will heal these. He never drives…
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Ver. 16.-Light and right. "I will make dnrkness light before them, and crooked things straight." These words are prophecy and history also; for Christ has fulfilled these words. T. DARK:!."ESS ILLUMINED. There was: 1. Darkness over the face of God. 2. Darlc- ness over the destiny of man. But Christ has revealed the Di…
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III. IlEOIPIENOY OF THE HIGHEST 0IFT. "I have put my Spirit upon him." God "gave not the Spirit by measure" unto him ( John iii. 34), because he had an immea- surable capacity of receiving it. God's ),ighest gifts to us depend, not on his willingness or ability to bestow, but on our readiness and capacity to receive. G…
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Vers. 5-8.-God and man: refu.~al,, retribution, resto1·ation. I. THE DIVINE coillln-i>. God deman,ls the glory which is his due (ver. 8). His claim is based on: 1. What he 1·s in himself. "I am the Lord (Jehovah); that is my Name." As the Eternal One, who only hath immortality, the Underived and Everlasting One, who i…
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time. IC we consider our finiteness and his infinity, our ignorance and his omniscience, we shall see that this must be so. If we consider how little we can understand of the great designs of the wisest of mankind when we have but a partial view of them, we shall ceafie to wonder at the mystery which attends the provid…
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1 er. 1.-The Lord:s Servant. Various suggestions have been made by way of explanation of this term. Some regard the Lord's servant as the Hebrew nation distinguished from the heathen; or as a new Israel opposed to the old; or as th~ righteous part of the Hebrew nation; or as the Israel which suffered for its religio…
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here is not used in its magisterial sense. It is the equivalent of "righteousness," or, moro precisely, of the" truth that makes for righteousness." 'fhat truth is conceiv~J. IIS having been for a time the special possession of Israel; but by Messiah it is to uti opened to the whole world. "Every man that doeth righteo…
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happiness, to cry, bruised and humbled before God, "Vanity of vanities all is vanity." 2. Sometimes God directs his providences to the humbling of men by'heavy sorrows a_nd cares. He lets t~eir ~asted strength bear the brunt of severe and subtle tompta- t10ns. He fi_nds the Joints m the armour, and sends there the a…
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reac~ing this end we can see a series of stages. 1. A preparatory work in the world. Lettmg men find out the value of righteousness by experiences of evil. 2. A stage of visible manifestation of the righteousness desired for the whole world, in the person of the righteous Servant of the Lord, the "Man Christ Jesus." 3.…
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Let m, in any vivid and impressive way, see God's working and providing in any one inst:i, , ,,, and we learn what he really is, and what he really does, in all instances, 'l'hert'lure is every man's life dotted over with special scenes of rescue and deliverance, when waJ·s were made for him altogether beyond his im…
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Ver. 21.-The honouring of God's Law. Cheyne translates, "It was Jehovah's plea.sure for his righteousness' aako to make the instruction great and glorious." The Revised Version gives this as a marginal reading. Only by a strainir,g of this passage can it be made to bear any relation to Christ's obedience and righteousn…
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XLill. (Dan. iii. 27) will be obvious to every reader. But the prophecy has, no doubt, a far wider Vere. 1-7.-A RENEWED PROMISE TO scope. ISRAEL OF PROTECTION AND DELIVERANCE. Ver. 3.-The Roly One of Israel (comp. Severe rebuke (eh. xiii. 18-25) is followed, ob. xii. 14, 20, with the comment). T…
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tloned whether reo.lly this ever formed e. (On the need of such escort; see Ezre. viii. portion of the Persio.n empire. But Iso.io.h 22, 31. On the actual furnishing of e.n hos probo.bly no very cliat.inct knowledge escort in one case by a Persian king, see of the geogro.phico.l position of Seba., or of Neh. ii. 7, 8.)…
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tive ages. (For R specimen of the contrast, who "came into the worl,! thnt he should eee • Aids to Faith,' Essay vi. pp. 275, 276.) bear witness of the truth" (John xviii. 372· Let them bring forth their witneaaes. Wit- These are the two witnesses by whom Gods nesses that the prophecies were really truth is mnintnin…
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amplee-the diecomfitme of Babylon (vere. ■hall not rise; rather, they lie down ... 14, 15), and the recovery o.nd restoro.tion they do not rise (so Cheyne and Delitzsch). of Jamel (vers. 16-21), both of which he 'l'he fatnre hRs here, ae so often, thf' force of II present, the present being tl,c pr!I!Rens is about to …
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phots have been full of imperfections-have priesthood, who were carried into captivity often sinned against me. Much more hast with the rest of the people (2 Kings xxv. thou, my people generally, committed 18), and deprived of thflir functions, ns a grievous offences. Thou must therefore part of the punishment due to I…
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true religion, the only safeguards for the continuance among men of law, order, 01• morality. 2. The Christian Church is at one on all these points with the Jewish Church and bears the same testimony for God, only with additions to it. Christianity teache; thRt within the Uuity of the Divine Substance there is a Tri…
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Vers. 16-21.-Three deliverances. In the past, Israel had had one great and unparalleled deliverance, that, namely- I. Fno::.r THE POWER OF EGYPT. With a" mighty hand and a st, etched-out arm" God had saved them from the miserable fate of being bond servants, b ,nnd to task- work, and compelled to labour under the lash…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-7.-TM love of Jehovah to Israel. "But now.n The word itself hints yearn- ing affection. There has been a conflict between Divine love and Divine wrath, and the former has gained the victory. In fact, the wrath of Jehovah was but grieved affection. Its force is now for the time s…
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Vers. 8-13.-Tlze great controversy. The challenge of cb. xli. is renewed, and Jehovah's claims are contrasted with those of the false gods. I. ASSEMBLING OF THE NATIONS. Israel is first brought forth by the ministers of justice. The people were once blind and deaf, but now are in possession of their faculties. And the…
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II. Tm: MINDFUL MERCY OF JEHOVAH. He promises to blot out their sins; and this simp!y f?r his own sa_ke. God Cl\Il swear by none mightier; he can appeal to no principle that 1s higher than himself. He must be true first and above all to his nature· nud next to that covenant which is the expression of his nature' and…
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courses of the stare. 3. HiB redemption of owr Boul. "I have redeemed thee." God might well claim to be Israel's Redeemer, for he bad mercifolly nnd mightily interposed on its behalf. But with how much greater reason may he claim to be our Redeemer! How much greater is that "great salvation" by which he "saves his peo…
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Vers. 8-7.-Tlui goodness of God to man. The abounding grace of God to the children of men is brought out very strikingly here. It is seen in- • I. THE HIGH PURPOSE FOR WHICH HE CREATES us. "I have created him for my glory." There is no end so lofty in itself and so elevating in its influence for which God could hav…
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and Jew, to cultivated and uncuHivated, to those who esteem themselves to be righteom and to those who know themselves to be sinners, we have to testify "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesu~ Christ." III. THE EXPERIENCE WHICH JUSTIFIES THEIR EVIDENCE. They have experienced that which amply warrants t…
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Those who are in close personal relations with ue we call by their Christian names; we even give them a new pet name; and they love that name, because it is a sign to them of the close connection in which they stand to us. God tried to keep this sense of personal relation ever before the people of Israel, and so to …
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life-preserver on, and the little fellow was ,inst joining with his mother in singing a. hymn of trust and confidence. And when rescue came, and the pasgcngers were safely on another vessel, those same sweet voices were again heard, this time in a rinc,ing 0 strain of praise for their deliverance. III. GoD KEEPS THE…
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the prodigals home, and to make the prodigals sons again. It ls the "grace of God that bringetb salvation." We may have laid bold of the truth that Christ/or us is the Gift of grace. It may be that we need to gain firm hold of that other and answering truth, that the Holy Ghost in w is the Provision of grace. We wan…
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scheme to rescue us in Christ. We cannot be satisfied with Christ's salvation unless it is perfectly plain that in his work "justice and mercy have met to;;;ether, righteous- ness and peace have kissed each other," And if the redemption do not take such a shape 88 shall display a "love Divine, all love excelling," then…
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Ver. 25.-Forgiveness for God's own sake. "For mine own sake." Human action is seldom taken on the persuasion of only one motive. We can hardly ask-What w11s your motive? We should ask-What were your motives 1 One, indeed, may seem to be bigger than the rest, and to have decidtd the course of conduct; but we are very…
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EXPOSITION. OHAPTER XLIV. blessed Lord took up the comparison, and Vere. 1-5.-A P110PHEOY 0ll' IsRAEJ!s has me.de it familiar to all mou throughout 8PIRIT"l'AL RECOVEIIY AND REGENERATION. the whole Christian world (see John iii. 5; iv. 10, 11, 13-15; vii. 37-39). We may This section is closely connected with eh. no…
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)11,(ter (oomp. oh. xl. 18-25; xii. 4-7, 21- ~ohu, describes th<1 primitive ohRos iu Gen. 29). 1. 2 (O?mp. c~. xxiv. 10; xxxiv. 11; xl. 17, Yer. 6.-The Lord the King of Israel. 23; xh. 29; hx. 4). Their deleotable things Therefore entitled to Ismel's e.llegi11,noe shall no_t ~roftt. "_Their delectable thiugs" (comp…
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the figure of a. me.n, e.nd impressed on it in their knowledge, God gave them up oo something of the beauty of a. ma.n, so that it e. re.probate (or, undistinguishing) mincl" ma.y seem worthy of remaining in the place (Rom. i. 28; comp. eh. xxix. 10). He he.th where it is sot up, whether temple or private shut; or, One…
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and the folly of the idol-worshippen. For Ver. 24.-Thua nith the Lord, This ls thou nrt my servant. Therefore bound to n~t a new proJJhecy entirely unconneoted worship roe, and not the idols (comp. eh. mth the preceding, as Dolitzsoh supposes, xii. 8; vers. 1, 2). I have formed thee (so but a declaration to which th…
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of prophetical revelation, that so minute a contrary to the evidence. Out of fourteen mo.tter o.e the nomo of 11 mo.n should have Achmmeniau kings, two only bore the name; been o.nnounced in prophecy more than a a.nd they bore it a.a their one a.nd only century before hie birth. '.l'here ie, however, persona.I appellat…
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or vegetable, can exist without wat.er. No spiritual life can exist without grace. Without moisture, neither can the embryo be formed, nor will the seed germinate. Without grace there is no commencement of spiritual life. Water is needed for the sustentation of both plants and animals. Grace is needed for the susten…
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idolatry." There are those who make riches the object of their worship-who allow the idol of gold to como between their souls and God, having more regard for the possession of wee.Ith than for God's approval, and a greater desire to be rich on earth than to be saints in heaven. What abject and grovelling folly is this!…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. VeJ'II. 1-5.-The o.tfspring of lsi·ael. Judgments are coming upon the world. And the sacred seed shall be scattered abroad through all nations. There shall be deliver- ance of Israel from all those calamities and much more; the heathen nations shall be brcn·gbt into the light of Jehovah. …
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threshold, They will join in one confession, It will be recorded that this and that man was born a.new in Zion (Ps. lxxxvii.). Each Jew will be as it were the centre of a little synagogue; ten men will seize his skirts and say, "We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you" (Zech. viii. 23). The frequent…
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eeems gone-the power to hold up the act before the mind and judge it. A thoughtless religion, an uninquiring compliance with tradition and custom, is often enjoined upon us; but only thoughtful religion will endure. God is Mind; and if we fail to offer him the best of our mind, we sink down into some such miserable …
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Vere. 3-5.-7Vie indispensable blessing. We may well speak of water in the natural realm and of its antitype in the spiritual as- I. THE INDISPENSABLE BLESSING. There may be abundance of earth, and it may be of the most valuable quality; there may be the utmost diligence in the field, and the latest agricultural scienc…
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Ver. 20.-The vanity of irreligion. In a few vigorous touches the prophet sketches the utter vanity and the condemnation of idolatry. The idolatrous man: 1. Is relying on that which will miserably disappoint Lim; what he takes for food turns out to be nothing better than "ashes." 2. ls misled into the most grievous erro…
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excellency of holy service, of the claims of Divine benefaction; when they are 90 far off the true track that the voices of heavenly wisrlom no longer reach their ear ;-they are ·helpless, they are lost. 'l'he deceived aod del,1ded pilgrim" cannot deliver his soul." III. A LIFE OF PRAC'l'IOAL FALSITY. "ls there nut a…
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Vers. 2-5.-Revival promised in the power of the Spirit. 'l'hc history of the Church reminds us of the tides that rise and fall upon our shores-ebb and flow, ebb aud flow. ~ornetimes the waters rise with an unusual strength, and flood all the land around but soon they fall back into the old limits and quiet movements…
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Ver. 6.-God's lcingdom entered one by one. Reference is probably intended to the coming of Gentiles, as proselytes, into the Israelite communion ; and the point suggested is that they will come in "one by one," because the acceptance of the Jewish faith must be a matter of individual and personal decision. God asks for…
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I. GoD ABSORBS IN HIMSELF ALL THE IDEAS WHICR IDOLA'n\Y SEEKS TO EMBODY, Poetically conceived, the fo:ures of Baal or Jupiter are only representations of certain powers---of life, warmth, rule, wisdom, etc., which are living, unseen beinga. Our God says there are no ~uch beings. Every one of these powers is in himsel…
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And there is another figure-that of" casting our sins into the depths of the sea." Take a jewel, and when upon mid-ocean, drop it over the ship's side into the waters. It is gone. None can descend into thoHe depths and bring it back again. So God, as it were, binds up the book, the" handwriting of ordinances that was a…
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Ver. 28.-God's rights in the in,lividual. God made us, gave us breath and being. We are his, and for his UBe. He can call any man into any sphere he pleases. It ought to be true of him that he saith to one "Come," and he cometh; to another "Go," and he goeth. Every man's true attitude is figured in the attitude of t…
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EXPOSI'l'ION. shnwed the atrength of euch gates (' Trans- CHAPTER XLV. actions of the Society of Bibi. Archreol.,' Vere. 1-7.-Gon's WILL CONCERNING vol. vii. pp. 83-88). Ver. 2.-I will . . . make the rrooked HIM ANNOUNCED TO CYRUS. This direct ple.oea straight; rather, I will make the address of God to a heathen ki…
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m11.y he "11. light to lighten the Gentiles ; " The ne.i:ua of the words, "I am tho Lord, but it is not maintn.ined solely, or even and there is none else. I Jo,1n the lir,ht, and mainlv. for this end. Its welfare is an end create darkness," is such as natu'mlly to in itself, and ...-ould be sought by God apart sugg…
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that the appointment of Cyrus is from him Ver. 13.-1 have raised him up. "Him" (vcr. 13). can only be referred to qyrus, t?e one Ver. 9.-Woe unto him that etriveth with individual roentionecl prev1011.Iy m the hie Maker I Let the potsherd strive, etc.; chapter (vers. 1-5). The expression," raised rather, woe unto /,im…
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ohandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabllll8.Il1; late, Thua Baith the Lord that created the i.e. " the laborious Egyptians, and the heavens-he is God-that formed the earth traffic-loving Ethiopians and Sabmans." and made it ; he established it ; he created Their buildings and their husbandry alike it n-0t a chaos, but …
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into the Messianio period, and indeed Vf!l. 22.-Look unto me; rather, turn noo.rly to its olose (see especio.lly eh. xxxiv.). unto me (as in Ps. xxv. 16; lxix. 1G; lxnvi. Ea.oh one of them constitutes a call to the l 6); i.e. "Be converted-turn unto the Lord nations, and is followed by a conversion r_onr God." It is im…
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an omnipotent and absolutely good Ruler. The difficulty is greater with regard to moral than physical evil, but it is considerable even with respect to the latter. I. :,HYSIOAL -~-vi:,. "The whole creat_ion groane~h a?d travaileth in pain together until now (Rom. vm. 22). The sum of ammal suffermg 1s so enormous tha…
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eucb speculations are not altogether innocent (' Analogy,' part i. eh. ii.); but they are, perhaps, not greatly to be blamed, unless where they lead on to positive dissatis- faction, to complaints, and to murmurings. I. MURMURING IB FOOLISH. Since: I. It is vain, idie; it can produce no change. God will not alter his …
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. 1-8.-C'yrus the anointed of Jehovah. I. THE REASON OF THE DIVINE FAVOUR TO Cvaus. Cyrus is the only king out of Israel who bears the title of Jeh~vah's ~no\ntcd. He is solemnly set apart as an instrument to perform an important public scrnce m the cause of Jehovah. It does not nec…
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catechize and call to account Jehovah. "Are ye children of God? Then is it well with you; and to murmur against me is as if ye should renounce your sonship." II. THE ABSURDITY OF MUilMURING. To criticize the Creator is to a,sume a know- ledge we have not got. We should be creators ourselves before we could say whether…
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II. CALL TO SALVATION. In him who is real and true, alone can men find deliver- Ruce from temporal Rnd spiritual ills. Not Israel alone, but mankind, is destined to look to him as the Universal Saviour. Jehovah swears by himself-the strongest form of assurance-" when the accompanying revelation is specially grand, o…
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Shame at error, and triumphant, boastful gladness in the new-fonnd truth, shall go together. Such II communion of spirits in God and with one another is the object of faith, of aspiration now, and shall be a glorious realization hereafter.-J. Ver. 5.-God in our past life. "I girded thee, though thou bast not k.nown"me…
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Yf anxious_ ~uls &11 ou:5. en~ not only beauti!~l ethics, exquisite parables; but we ~nt Dmne au~hor1~!: I Wt~; be thou clean I W.? are at rest when we can aay wtth the centurion, Truly this was the Son of God. We feel how guilty we are. We admit no man, no priest, into the picture-gallery of the soul. \Vo decline …
865 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.