The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 160

"·ith tre.nson for preaching the hopelessness neither. He simply states what hla own of offering resistanoe to N ebuche.dnezzar attitude will be under the coming oolamity (Jer. xx. 1; xi.vi. 8-11). Those who op- (ver. 8). He will "wait for the Lord and pnsed nn A~syrian alliance were probably now taxed with treason. To all them to look to him'' (ver. 17), and oonsidor himself whom; mther, everything which. Translate and his children as doing a work for God in the entire C'lause thus: GaU ye not 0011.sjliracy being " signs" (ver. 18)-signs to whioh the e1'e.-yihing ,oh.ich. this poop~ shall ca./l oon• rest of Israel may look, and from which spiracy. Neither fear ye their fear. They they may derive suffloient hope nnd oon- feared man (oh. vii. 2). Isaiah and his dis- oiples a.re oommRnded to fear no one but fidenco to oorry them through the dark time God. which is approo.ching. Ver. 13.-Sa.noti.fy the Lord of hosts. God Ver. 17.-I will wait upon the Lord; was sanctified by bdng believed in (Nnmb. rather, I will wait for the Lord; i.e. "nwnit xx. 12). They who feared Rezin and Pekah, the time of his relenting" (see eh. xxx. 18; despite of God's assurances that their design !xiv. 4, eto.). That hideth his faoe from should fa.ii, did not believe in him, and so the house of .Taoob (compare the thrents in did not " sanctify " him. Dent. mi. 17; xxxii. 20). The light of Ver. 14.-Xe shall be for a Sa.notuary God's countenance is to the spiritunl what (comp. Ezek. :ri. 16, "Yet will I be to them that of the sun is to the material world. as a little Sanctuary"). A sanctuary is "a All life, health, joy, happiness, proceed from refuge" (Ps. xo. 1; :i::ci. 9), and something it. This light was now to be withdrawn more. It is a holy refuge, a place which is for a time on account of the people's sins. n refuge because of its holiness. Its material But Isaiah would "wait" for its reappear- counterpart in the Mosaic system is, not ance. '' the city of refuge," bnt the altar (I Kings Ver. 18.-I and the ohildren . . . are for i. 50 ; ii. 28). Both the houses of Israel ; i.e. signs. Isaiah's children seem to have been " the two reigning honses of Samaria and "for signs," especially in respect of their J udrea.," both of which were Israelite. Both names. Sbear-Jashub meant "A remnant the "houses" wonld ultimately forsake shall return" (eh. x. 21), and thus held Jehovah, and find in him a "Snare" and a out two hopes ; one that a remnant of Israel '' Rock of offence." wonJd return to God and become his true Ver. 15.-Ma.ny among them (so the servants, another that a remnant would '\'ulgate, Ewnld, Delitzsch, and Knobel). return from the captivity that had been But most c,thers translate, " Many shall prophesied (eh. v. 13). Maher-shalal-hash- stumble thereon," i.e. on the stone and the baz-" Plunder speeds, spoil hastens'' -was rock (Rosc-nmfiller, Gesenins, Vance Smith, a "sign" of a different kind. Primarily, his Kay, Cheyne). Fall, a.nd be broken. The name referred to the spoiling of Damascus e:fl'ect of stumbling against a stone (Matt. and Samaria (vers. 3, 4); but it may further u.i. 44 ; Luke xx. 18). Be snared, and be have indicated a time of general disturbance, taken. The effect of being caught in a gin plunder, and ravage. It is not quite clear (Ps. ix. 15, 16). in what respects Isaiah was a" sign." Per- Ver. 16.-Bind up the testimony, etc. haps he, too, in his name, which meant The words are still those of Jehovah, ad- "(Our) salvation is Jehovah "-certainly dressed to his servant Isaiah. God com- also in his symbolical acts (eh. xx. 3), and mands that the prophecy shall be written in possibly in the firmness of his faith, which a roll, wh.ieh is then to be carefully tied with never wavered. From the Lord of hosts; a striug and sealed, for future nee. Seal litemlly, from by the Lord of hosts-an ex- the Law; rather, the instruction-the advice pression like the French de chez. God had giren in vem. 12-15 (comp. Dan. xii 4). supernaturally appointed the sign in one cas.i (vers. 1-4), but in the other two had Vers. 17, 18.-lsA.IAH DEFINES ma OWN merely brought them about by the secret ATl'ITVDE AND TH.AT OF RIB CHILDREN. It working of his providence. But the prc,phet u; questioned whether something has not treats all three as coming equally from him. fallen out between vers. 16 and 17. The Which dwelleth in llount Zion. Here, again, is encouragement. God has not quitted transition is exceedingly abrupt, undoubt- Zion. The Shechinah still rests between edly; but perhaps not more abrupt than the cherubim in the holy of holies. While elsewhere in Isaiah and the prophets con- this is so, God is still with his people temporary with him. The Divine" instruc- (Immanuel). tion •· comes to an end in ver. 16; and Isaiah Vers. 19-22.-IBAIAB BEOOMJIIENDS LOOK• ruight have been expected to comment on !NG TO GOD AND TBB REVEALED WORD BATHED it, or enforce itB te.ching ; but he does 1'JlU TO NBOBOltANoY. 41TL'IO'l'ION "11.1, ctt. vm. 1-22.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 149