The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 399

V•. t.-'l'he poor ... the 11.eedy. The A feast of fat thinp. It follows from m,my "poor and needy" ,ne espeoie.lly the afflicted passages of Holy Soripture that there is eainta, whom the ungudly of the e11rth h1we something in the final beatitude of me.n eo long injured e.nd oppressed. God is ever which is best reprcsen ted to us in our e. " Strength" e.nd " Refuge " to suoh (comp. present condition by the image of a" fcnet" eh. xiv. 80; xxix. 19; e.nd see also Ps. lxxii. -something very different, no doubt, from 12-14). A Refuge from the storm (comp. the festive joy of which our 'foutonio an- eh. iv. 6; e.nd the Psalm~ passim). A Shadow cestors hoped to partake in the halls of from the heat. The idea is a little enlarged Odin, but yet figured to us most fitly nnd in eh. xxxii. 2. Its germ is, perhaps, to be appropri11tely by terms ordino.rily used to found in Ps. cxxi. 5, 6. No writer accumu- describe eitrthly feasting. Our Lol'd tells lates striking images with snob force and of a "marriage supper," to which he will beauty e.s Iee.ie.h. Primarily, the entire invite his friends (Matt. xxii. 2-12); and imagery he.s reference to what God will have the scene of the "marriage supper of the done for hie people when the final cun- Lamb," according to St. John in the Reve- eumme.tion e.rriv_es. Secondarily, a precious lation (xix. 7-9), is heaven. There man, enoouragemen t 1s held out to all who A.l'e it woul,i seem, will partake of a so.crifioial undergoing thcil' earthly trial e.nd probation, feast with his glorified Lord (Matt. xxvi. who e.re taught where to look for e. sure 29)-will eat the" heavenly manna," w.hich refuge in time of trouble. is "o.ngels' food'' (Ps. lxxviii. 25), and drink Ver. 5.-Thou she.It bring down. The a spiritual drink which may be called Othe past foreshadows the future. What Goel fruit of the vine," deriving from this "eat~ had done in " bringing down" the enemies ing" and "drinking" life end joy and of his saints, he would do again o.nd again. strength. It has been already observed, in He could e.s easily bring to nought the the Commentary upon Exodus (p. 581), that clamorous uprising of heathen nations the ea.1Jrificial meal on Sinni, whereto the (Btr&ngers) against hie people, e.e temper the seventy elders were admitted (Exod. xxiv. sun's heat by the interposition of a thick 9-11), prefigured this heavenly feasting, aloud. The bre.nch; rather, the song (comp. and throws a certain light upon it. All eh. xxiv. 16; Job xxrv. 10; Ps. xcv. 2; gross and carnal ideae must, of conrse, be cJ:i.x. 51). The exultant chant of triumph subtracted from the conception of the which the ungodly are sure to raise e.s they heavenly-festivity: bnt it seems to he true deem their victory over the people of God to say that our author, and also. St. John complete, will be st.opped in mid-career, and and onr Lord himself, imply that in the "brought low," or reduced to silence, by the world to come there will be a fe68t, at which crushing overthrow predicted in eh. x.xiv. Goel will be the Host, o.nd o.ll men, priests Vere. 6-8.-The blessings of the final and laity alike, his guests, and receive from et.ate are now touched upon, as a specie.I him the choicest and most exquisite gifts- subject for thanksgiving. They are not gifts which will make them supremely enumerated; but a certain number are set happy (see Mr. Cheyne's note on the passage, forth, e.s specimens from which we may form p. 148). A feast of wines on the lees. Wine a oonception of the genere.l condition of the which remained on its lees, and W68 not "saved." These are: (I) a heavenly feast, poured off them into another vessel, was in which they will all participate (ver. 6); considered to be of especial strength (see (2) a removal of the " veil," or " covering," Jer. xlviii. 11). Its defect wu a want of which is in this life over all things, causing clearness. The wine of the heo.venly ban- men to have an indistinct vision, and an quet is to be at once strong and perfectly erroneous estimate of their value : (8) the clear or " well refined." ' abolition of death, which will no longer Ver. 7.-Re will destroy . . . the faoe of hang over them 68 a thing to be feared ; the oovering. According to eome, the and (4) the cessation of tears, or the entire " covering cast over all people" is death, freedom of the eaved from all sorrow. and the second clo.use of the verse is o. mere V ter. 6.-In thill mountain; i.e. the heavenly repetition of the first. But, though the Zion-the "mountain of the Lord's house" heo.ds of crimi1:1als were covered wh~n they (eh. ii 2; comp. eh. x.xiv. 23). Unto all were led to execution (Ebth. vii. 8), yet people; rather, unto all peoplea. There is death itself is never elsewhere called a uo restric.:tion of salvation to any particular "covering." May not the prophet have in race or nation-" Jew, Greek, barbarian, view that "veil " or " covering" of miscon- Scythia.n., bond, free" (Col. iii. 11), are ception and prejudice, whereof St. Paul equally invited, and some of each come in speaks as lying '' on the hearts of the Jewish (comp. Dan. vii. 14; Matt. viii. 11; Rev. v. nation," and preventing them from discern- l:!; vii. 9). The Church of the redeemed ing the true sense of Scripture (2 Oor. iii. contains men and women of all "nations, 15)? Certainly one of. the great curses of and kindrede, and peoples, and tongu011." humanity while here is its inability to 188 os:. :u.v. 1-12,] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. «11