Ver. 13.-7Vie weariness of self-service. "Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels." Babylon was trusting self, trying to find its own way out of calamities; and it was proving what weary, hopeless work that always is. .Astrology was the final resource of the despairing Babylonians. I. THE WEAHINESB OF VARIETY, A vain senrching for some new device. A restless dissatisfaction with everything. II. 'l'HE WEARINESS OF MULTIPLICITY. Bewildered with the many helpers, who yet were all vain helpers. Multitude is suggested by the different terms, "astrologers, star-gazers, monthly prognosticators." Illustrate by the weariness of Athens, in her multiplicity of idols and altars. Ill. THE WEARINESS OF REPEATED FAILURES. Nothing is more depressing than to fail again and again. Yet precisely this is the ever-repeated consequence of self-trust and self-help. Blessed is it when weariness does not pa.~s into despair, but leads to the abandonment of self-reliances, that full trust may be placed in God.-R. T.
EXPOSITION. to his people, pnrtly in the way of com- CHAPTER XLVm. plaint, partly or combined promise e.nd The present e-hapter, whioh terminates oxhortation. 'l.'lie nddrcs:; is divided into the second section of Isaiah's lrLtor pro- three portions, each commencing with a phecies, consists of a long address by God call on Israel to pay attention : Vel'll. 1- 214 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISA.IAB:. [orr. xtvw. 1-22.
11, " Hear ye this," eto. ; vere. 12-15, are mentioned in oh. x. 20, but trustinu to " Hearken unto me," eto. ; vere. 16-22, the facts that they were " Israel," nnd tluit "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this," eto. God wes " the God of Israel," e.ud thero- Vere. 1-11.-THE FIRST ADDRESS con- foro bound to proteot them. God reminds them that, if he is "the God of Israel " he sists me.inly of expostulation and complaint. is also " the Lord of hosts "-e. teri:., ne Israel has not ea.lied on God "in truth and Dr. Kay notes, especially conneoted with righteousness" (ver. 1). They have had the holiness of God. " nooks of iron" and "brows of brass" (ver. Ver. 3. - I have deole.red the former 4). God has giveu them prophecies of things ..~rom the b~ginning (comp. eh. xii. 26_; xhn. 9, 10; :xhv. 7, 8, etc.). "Former different kinds (vers. 3-7); yet they have thmgs" a.re here contrasted with the "new neither "heard " nor "J..,iown; " they have things" of ver. 6. Two cycles of prophecy " dealt treacherously " and been " trans- seem to be intended-one of comparatively gressors from the womb" (ver. 8). God ancient date, the other quite fresh-both might justly have "cut them off" for their eqne.lly showing forth the power of God and his iufinite superiority to the idols. It rebellion, but he has " deforred his ouger," is difficult to determine wl:nt the two cycles and" refrained" himself-not, however, for of prophecy a.re. Delitzsch suggests thnt "the Israel's sake, but for his own honour. former thiugs are the events experienced Ver. 1.--Jaeob ... Israel (comp. eh. xl. by the people from the very earliest times 27; :di. 8, 14; xliii. 1, 22; xliv. 1, etc.). down to the times of Cyrus," while "the "Jacob" is the natural and secular de.sigua- new things embrace the redemption of tion; "Israel" is a spiritual or covenant Israel from Babylon, the glorification of name (Cheyne). Both terms being appro- the people in the midst of a world of notions priate to the ten tribes no less than to the converted to the God of Israel, and the two, and the present address being intended creation of a new heaven iind a new earth." especially for the Jewish captives, e. farther Dr. Ke.y thinks that the " former things" desig11ation is appended-which are oome are those mentioned in the prophecies con forth out of the waters of J'udah ( comp. cerning Babylon generally, the "new thinga Ps lx,iii. 26, "Ye that a.re of the fountain thoso about to be announced in eh. xlix.- of Israel," marginal rendering). Which lvi. I did them suddenly; rather, sud- swear by the Name of the Lord. Swearing denly I wrought. "by the Name of the Lord" is an evidence Ver. 4.-I knew that thou a.rt obstinate; of true religion, to a certain extent (Deut. literally, hard, or stiff-the adjective used in vi. 13; x. 20). It indicates that there has the phrase translated in our version "stilf- been, at any rate, no open apostasy. Still, necked." The idea is still more forcibly it does not necessarily prove more than this, expressed in the following clause-thy and, in the present case, it scarcely showed neck is e.u iron sinew; or rather, a band anything beyond mer'" outward formal con- of iron, as stiff' as if it were me.de of the formity. The bulk of the captives "swore hardest met.al. And thy brow brass. The by tl,e Name of Jehovah, and made men- exact simile here used ,loes not occur else- tion of the God of Israel" (comp. Josh. where in Scripture. It s,,ems to be the i; xiii. 7), but did so not in truth, nor in origin of our expressions," brazen,"" brazen- r:ghteo11B11ess; i.e. "without their state of faced," " to brazen e. thing out." The fore- mmd or mode of action correspondiug to head may be hardened for a good or for 11, their confession, so as to prom that it was bad purpose ; in obstinacy or in e. deter- sincerely and seriously meant" (Delitzsch). n, ination to resist evil (comp. oh. i. 7 u.u,l The condition of the majority of the exiles Ezek. iii. 8 with Jer. v. 3; Ezek. iii. 7; was that expressed in the words, "This Zech. vii. 12). Here the l1e.r<lening is evil, people honoureth me with their lips, but marking defiance and self-will. in their hearts a.re fa.r from me " (Matt. Ver. 5.-1 have even from the beginning xv. 8). declared it ( comp. ver. 3). The declaration Ver. 2.-For they call themselves of the here made is that God rendered his pro- holy city. It is an indication of their real phecies more than ordinarily marvellous on want of truth and righteousness, that tJ1ey account of Israel's obstinacy, not punishing lay such stress upon what is so entirely out- them for it, hut seeking grnciously iind warJ aud formal, as the fact of their belong- lovingly to overcome it by adding to the ing lo" the holy city," Jerusalem. Compare wdght of the evi<lenco to whirh he would the boo.st of the Jews in our Lord's time, fain have had it yield. He.d his prophecies "We be Abraham's seed" (John viii. 33). been lees astonishing, had they in e. less Stay theD1Belves upon the God of Israel. degree tre.nseenrled ordinary human experi- Not resting upon him in real faith and true ence, Israel might concei vubly have ascribed hWllble dependence, as those Israelites who them and the u.ccomplishment of them to on. XLvtlI. 1-22.] THE BOOK Ob' THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 215