The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 64

e.nd the spokesrne.n of the faith and hope and WR:,\ h1 the restoration of a nation, or the passionate yenrning of e.n exiled nation, the revelation· of himself in Obrist, or the final desrende.ntl! of men living, when he wrote, establishment of his kingdom, the "way" in the profound peace of a renewed pros- must he first "prepared" for him. 'l'be hearts of the disobedient must be turned to perity" (Stanley, quoted by Mr. Cbeyue, the wisdom of tho just. In the wildemeH; • Prophecies of Is11ie.h,' vol. ii. p. 213). The either, "the wil,lerness of this world" (Kay), primary idea which occurs to him is thnt of or "the wilderness separating Bahylonio. '· comfort." Ho will "comfort his peoplo" from Palestine" (Delitzsoh), in o. po.rt of in their affliction, so for as in him lies; and wbiol, John tho Ba.ptist e.fterwards prea.ohed. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. The " way be will do this by preaching (1) the recovery of the Lord" is "the way of holiness" (eh. of Israel from sin by faith a.nd we.Hing upon xuv. 8). There is one only mode of '' pre- God; nnd (2) their rcoovery from the bondage pnring" it-the modo o.dopted by John to Babylon, which was the oonsequence of Baptist (Matt. iii. 2-12), the mode pointed sin. In the present chapter it is the former out by the angel who onnonuced him (Lulrn i. I 7), the mode insisted on in the Collect topic especially which he urges. for the Third Sunday in Advent. The voice Yer. 1.--Comfort ye, oomfort ye my people. enjoins on the prophets of the captive nation The key-note is struck a.t once. With tbnt to prepare the hearts of the people for the iteration which is his favourite mode of em- coming manifestation of God. phasizing what is important (see the com- Ver. 4.-Every valley she.ll he eulted, etc.; ment on eh. u:xviii. II), the prophet declares rather, let every valley be ezalte,l, The that lie nnd bis brethren have a direct mis- prophets are to see that the poor and lowly sion from God to ~ corn fort " Israel. Note are raised up; the proud and self-righteous the encouragement contained in the expres- depressed; the crooked and dishonest induced 1 sious, '' my people," and "y()fJ,f' God." Israel to change their ways for those of simplicity is not cast off, even when most deeply and integrity; the rude, rough, o.ud harsh afflicted. rendered courteous and mild. "In general, Ver. 2.-Speak ye oomfortably to J'eru- the meaning is that Israel is to [be made] s!Llem; literally, ,peak ye to the heart of take cnre that the God who is coming to Jeru,alem. Address her inmost feelings, her deliver it shall find it in such an inward very spirit and soul. Xer warfare is aooom- and outward state as befits his ... purpose" plished . . . is pardoned . . , he.th reoeived, (Delitzsch, 'Comment. on Isaiah,' vol. ii. p. These perfects cnn only be viewed as "per- 142). fects of prophetic certainty." According to Ver. 5.-And the glory of the Lord shall every theory of the authorship of eh. t l - be revealed. Then, when the preparation is lxvi .. they were written before the close of the complete, there shall he a revelation of the Captivity, when Israel's warfare was not yet glory ond might of Jehovah. 'fhe n,1ture of accomplished, her iniquity not yet fully par- the revelation is for the present shrouded in doned. Isaiah, however, seea a.II as already darkneBI!; hut it fa a revelation which is not accomplished in the Divine counsels, and so oonfiried to Israel. All fieah shall see it announces it to the people. Israel's warfare, together. It shall draw to it the attention her long term of hord sen·ice (comp. Joh of the human race at large. While the vii. l ), will assuredly come to an end; she restoration of Israel to Palestine is the pri- will thoroughly turn to God, and then her mary fulfilment of the prophecy, that restora- iniquity will be pardoned, she will he con- tion clearly does not exhaust its mcaniug, sidered to Lave suffered enough. Double, which points on to the restoration of nll "It wae the ordinary rule under the Law mankind to God's favour in Christ by the the.t 'for all manner of trespass' a man con- l1r,~d.vf<a of his advent in the flesh, which demned by the judges should pay double" has drawn, or will dra.w, tho, eyes of "all (Kay; comp. Exod. xxi.i.. 9). Heathen legis- fiesh." For the mouth of the Lord hath lators adopt.ad the same rule for certain spoken it. A repetition of the emphatic offences (.A.rist., 'Eth. Nie.,' iii. 5, § 8). It cll\use wherewith Isaiah hnd terminated the is not here intended to assert that the law third section of his first prophecy (eh. i. 20). of Divine judgmcnt is to exact double; but It occurs og1\in in eh. !viii. 14. No other only to assure Israel that, having been amply writer uses tho expression. puni,hed, she need fear no further ven- Ver. 6.-The voice said, Cry; ro.ther, a geance (comp. eh. lx.i. 7). voice of one that sayeth, Cry. It is a sooond Ver. 3.-The voice of him that orieth; voice, distinot from that of ver. 3, that now rather, the,f!oice of one that crieth. A voice reaches the prophet's ear-11, voice reapondctl sounds in the prophet's car, crying to re- to by another. The speakers seem to he pentance. For God to cornll down Oil earthi angels, who contrast the perrshablo nature for bis glory to be revealed in any signo. of man with the enduringuesa and unchang• cu. XL, 1-31.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 07