The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 136

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 n.ccom plieh. hi,taricum. What the prophet desL"ri hrs in Ver. 14.-For your sake I have aent to e. few touches is the complete overthrow of :Babylon. For Israel's.sake God has nlready, Pharaoh's host in the Red f'ea, nncl the in his counsels, sent to Babylon the instru- entire extinction of that life which had ments of hie vengeance-Cyrus o.ncl bis just before shown itself as "lusty and soldiers-and by their instrumentality bas strong." Quenched o.s tow (comp. ci,. xiii. bronght down all their nobles; or rather, 3). The metaphor is not drawn from has brought them all do1D11 ( to be) fugitive, burning tow, which is not very readily ex- ( comp. eh. xv. 5); and the Chaldeans; or, tinguished, but from the wick of a lamp, even the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans are which a single breath puts out. not in Isaiah, as in Do.niel (ii. 2 ; iv. 7; Ver. 18.-Remember ye not the former v. 7), a special ole.ss of llaby lonians, bnt, things. The old deliverance will be ns as elsewhere commonly in Scripture, the nothing compared with the new. Israel Babylonians generally (see eh. xii. 19 ; must cast its eye forwards, not backwards. xlvii. 1). In the native inscriptions the Mr. Cheyne well compares Jcr. xxiii. 7, 8, term is especially applied to the inhabitants and nlso well notes that "the chief glories of the tract upon the sea-coast. Whose ory of the second manifestation are spiritual." is in the ships; rather, into their ships of Israel in the wilderness was a stitf-ncckecl wailing. The Chaldeans, flying from the and rebellious people, given to murmuring, Persian attack, betake themselves to their licentiousness, and idolatry. Israel, re- ships with cries of grief, the ships thereby turned from Babylon, will no more hanker becoming "ships of w1dling." The nautical after idols, but will have Go,l's Law "put character of the Babylonio.ns is strongly in their inward parts" (Jer. xx.."Cii. 3::1), and marked in the inscriptions, where "the will" show forth God's praise" (ver. 11 ). ships of Ur" are celebrated at e. very remote Ver. 19.-:Behold, I will do a new thir.g period, and the native kings, when hard (comp. eh. xiii. 9, with the comment). It is, pressed by the Assyrians, a.re constnntly of course, quite possible thnt the nornlty is reprernnted as going on ship-board, and not merely in the circumstances of the de! i,·cr- crossing the Persian Gulf to Susiana, or to nnce, but extends to all its results, among some of the islands (see 'Records of the which is the Messianic kingdom-verily," Pnst,' vol. i. pp. 40, 43, 73; vol. vii. p. 63 ; "new thing" (see Jer. xxxi. 2:,!). Now it vol. ix. p. 60). The abundant tmfflc and shall spring forth; rather, already it isepring- the numerous merchants of Babr Ion a.re ing up (comp. eh. xiii. 9). Things, Lowe1er, mentioned by Ezekiel (xvii. 4). 1.E,chylus, nre more advancecl (to the prophet's eye) moreover, notes that the Babyloni11ns of than when thdt pnsse.ge was written. Ernnts his day were "no.vigators of ships"(' Persm,' are shaping themsehes - the ddivernnce 11. 52-55). approaches. She.11 ye not know it 1 rather, Ver. 15.-The Creator of Israel. An will ye not give heed to it'/ Will not the unusual epithet; but comp. vers. I, 7. Your exiled people, whom Isaiah o.ddresses, turn King (see Judg. viii. 23; l Sam. viii. 7; xii. their thoughts this wny, an,! let the idef\ 12; und comp. eh. xxxiii. 22; xiv. 6). of delivi:rnnce take possession of thoir Ver. 16.-The Lord, which maketh e. WILY minds, instead of broo,ling on past and in the sea. The deliverance out of Egypt present sufferings (see eh. xl. 30; xii. 17; is glanced at, to prepare the way for tho xiii. 22)? God is about to mnke o. way in announcement of deliverance from the hund the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. As of Dabylon. Then "e. way was ma.de in the ho led his people out of their Egyptian sea" (Exod. xiv. 21-29), "aud n. path in bondage, fir,t t!Jrough lhn Red Seil, nud the mighty waters;" now it will be neces- then through a "howling wilderness" sary to make "a way in the wilderness" (Dcut. xxxii. 10), so now he will "mnko (ver. 19). 11 way " for them through n still moro deso- Ver. 17.-Whioh bringeth forth the late tract. We are nowhere ldstorica!lv ohariot and horse. Still the reference is told by what route the Israelites ultimately to the events of the Exodus, whereof Israel ruturned. If they went by 'l'aclmor n:id is reminded, since "the redemption out of D111uascus, they must h,wo trnvcrscd n Egypt wo.s o type nncl pled~e of th~ most nrid 11nd difficult desert. Even if tlioy deliverance to be looked for ontot B11bylon did not quit the Euphmtes till they rmche,l (Delitzseh). God then "brought out" nfter the latitude of Aleppo, still they must hcive Israel to attaok him, "cha.riot and horse, had some widu tro.ots of wilcl"rness to cros&. army :ma power;" but the result was their Ver. 20.-The bee.at of the field shall destmotion, The7 she.ll lie down . , . the7 honour me. The e.nim11.l creation Bh11U 140 THE BOOK OF 'l'HE PROPHET ISAIAH. [oa. x.r.m. 1-28, ---------------------------------- participnte in the benefits of the "new a sort of offering, nnd withholding U as thing" introduced by the restoration of withholding sacrifice. But it is possible Isrnel, o.nd in their dumb way shall show that the prophet is not addressing captive their gratitude. The dragons and the owla. Israel only, hut carrying his thoughts baok TI,e receut mention of the dcrnrt causes to the period preceding the Captivity, when nnimals of the desert (eh. xiii. 21, 22) to be there was a general neglect of God's eel'vice, taken as Exa.mples. (On thA animals in- and for I\ time the temple was given up tended. SC'e the comment on eh. xxxiv. 13.) to idol-worship (2 Kings xxi. 3-7; xxiii. If even the beasts of the desert honoured 4-14). The glance back o.t earlier times God, much more would the r"st of the is apparent in vers. 27, 28. I have not 1mimnl creation (comp. eh. xi. 6-S). oansed thee to serve with an offering, etc. ; Ver. 21.-This people have I formed for rather, I put no heavy service on thee in mysel.J (see abo-,-e, ver. 7, and comp. Prov. respect of meat offering, neither made I thee ni. 4). Tlley shall show forth my praise; to toil in respect of incenae; i.e. "my positive i.e. their restoration to their own land shall requirements have been· light-surely thou cause th,'m to glorify me both with songs of shouldst have complied with 1hem." Meat prai,c (t,,r the fulfilment, see Ezro. iii. 9-11; offerings were to accompany every sacrifice, Keh. xii. 27; and the post-Captivity psalms), but were a small burthen. Inceuse was not and also by a life in accordance with my required from any private person. laws. Ver. 24.-Thou ha.at bought me no sweet Y ers. 22-28.-A REPROACH .ADDRESSED TO cane with money. "Sweet cane" is men- CA l'TIYE ISRAEL FOB ITS PAST OMISSIONS AND tioned in the Law only in connection with the "holy anointing oil" (Exod. Sn:s. The thonght of Israel in the future, xxx. 23). But the present passage raises redeemed, restored, and "telling out God's a suspicion that it was practically used in praise" ('l"er. 21), raises naturally the con- the burnt offerings of privo.tA persons (eeo trr.stccl thought of Israel in the present and the next clause). That it was anciently the past, disobedient, full of shortcomings used in Babylonia in sacrifice, appears from the Deluge To.blets ('Transactions of Society ('l"crs. 22-24), too often guilty of overt acts of Bihl. Arcbmol.,' vol. iii. p. 559, 1. 48). of sin ( vers. 24-28). While reproaching But thou ha.et made me to serve with thy hie veople, o.nd reminding them that the sins. "The sins of Israel,'' as Delitzsch exile is the well-merited punishment of observes, "pressed upon Jehovah, as a. their past offences (vers. 27, 28), God still burthen does upon o. servant." Thie is e. part of the f1inclamental idea running promises them pardon if they will appeal throngh the third pnrt of Isaiah, closely to his covenant of mercy (vere. 25, 26). connected with the mediatorial office of the Ver. 22.-B:it thou hast not oa.lled upon "Scrvnnt of the Lord," who" bare the sin me. The Jews had never been greatly of many" (eh. !iii. 12), and on whom "the given to prayer. They were a. "practical" Lord laid the iniquity of us 1tll" (eh. !iii. people, active, energetic, hard-working, 6). Israel, both during the Captivity and busily employed in handicrafts, commerce, before, had accumulated a hco.vy load of or ao-riculture. David and Daniel, who sin, not merely by negligence, but by overt pray~d three times a dny (Pa. l_v. 17; Dan. acts of guilt (see eh. i. 4, 15, 21-23, etc.). vi. 10), were probably except10ns to the Ver. 25.-I, even I, am he that blotteth general rule. At any rate, it appears here out thy tmnegressions (comp. Pa. Ii. 1, 9). that in the exile the nation had neglected The idea is based on that of sins being prayer. No doubt ther~ was a no~leue _of "noted in a book" (Pa. lvi. 8; Rev. xx. 12). "faithful men," who did as Da.mel did. For mine own sake ; i.e. purely from the love But with the mass it was otherwise. Hard that I bare thee. toil ot"cupied their time. Despair made d~ll Yer. 26.-Put me in remembra.nce. Either, tl,eir hearts. They looked for no allevia- ironically," Remind me of thy good deeds; tion of their Jot, and lived on in a sort of plead thy cause with me on th1tt ground; apathy. But thou hast been weary of me; show the merits that justify thee;" or else ratlier, for thou hast wearied of me. Thou seriously, "Remind me of my promises; hast left off prayiug, because thou wast plead them before me; declare them, that weary of my servioe. by my free grace I ma.y justify thee." The Ver. 23.-Thou he.at not brought me the latter is tho more probable interpretation. small cattle of thy burnt offerings. If this Ver. 27.-Thy first father ho.th sinned; reproach is regarded as addressed to captive rather, thy first father Binned; that is," Thou Israel, who could not ofler sacrifices, we hast no merits of thy own. Even thy first must explain it by the analogy of the father, Ahro.hnm, sinned (Gen. xii. 13, 18; expression, " the calves of yolll' lips " (Hos. xviL 17; xx. 2); o.nd thy teaoher1 have xi.Y. 2). All prayer may be regarded ea tra111gre11od. Thy very priests and pro- oH. XLm. 1-28.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 141