The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 224

'\\'ere "kin~" The prophecy is, however, is sufficient for his faithful onos. They to be regarded 88 having its main fulfilment are content with tl.le sustenance whioh he in the ooming to Christ of BO many kings awards them, and neither "hunger" nor and princes, einoe his RScension into heaven " thirst." Neither shall the heat nor sun (oomp. ver. 23). And the Roly One of Israel, smite them; mtl1er, fl<lither sltall the glowing and he shall ohoose thee; rather, the Holy sand nor the sun smite them (see oh. xxxv. One of Israel, that IU1th chosen thee. Kings 7). To those who walk at noonday will rise from their thrones, nnd prostrate over the "glowing saud" of the desert, themselves before Messiah, convinced that the heat which "smites them" seems to Jehovah is faithful in the performance of come e.s much from below as from above, his promises, and has chosen the Son of the white ground reflecting the sun's rays Mary to be the Redeemer so long announced with a force almost equal to that wherewith as about to appear on earth. the rays themselves beot down upon them Yer. 8.-ln an a.cce;,table time; literally, from the sky. The Lord's faithful ones, in in a time of good pleasure ; i.e. the time their passage through the wilderness of life, fixed by my good pleasure from the creation shall be free from these fearful trials. "The of the world. Heard thee . . . helped thee. sun shall not smite them by day, neither '.l'he Father "hei.nd" and "helped" the the moon by night" (Pa. cxxi. 6). Xe that only begnttf>n Son through the whole period hath meroy on them; or, that hath com- of his earthly ministry (Luke ii. 40, 52; passion on them-that sympathizes with their John iii. 2; viii. 28; :i.:ii. 28; :i.:iv. 10, etc.). sufferings, and pities them in their trials I will give thee for a Covenant of the people (comp. vers. 18 and 15). Shall lead them ( comp. eh. :Klii. 6, and the comment, ad we.). (comp. Pa. xxiii. 2; eh. xl. 11). The To establish the earth; rather, as in ver. 6, Oriental shepherd for the most pa.rt goes to raue up the earth, to lift it out of its before his flock. o:isting condition of meanness e.nd degra- Ver. 11.-I will make all my mountains a dation. To cause to inherit the desolate way. No obstacles shall prevent the return heritages; i.e. to ce.nse the desolate heritages of the wanderers. Mountains shall be as of the earth-the places devoid of true roads, and as highways lifted up. religion-to be possessed, e.nd e.s it were Ver. 12.--These sha.11 come from far. The "inhr-riterl," by those who would introduce nations shall flow in from all sides to the into them the true knowledge of God. .As Redeemer's kingdom (eh. ii. 2; xi, 10; lx. Israel inl,erited Canaan (Dent. iii. 28; Josh. 1-5, etc.). They shall come from the i. 6), so would Christian nations inherit north and from the west; literally,from the many "desolate heritages," where ignorance north and from the sea, which generally aud sin prevailed, with the result that light means "the west," but which, in one enu- would penetrate into the dark regions, and, meration of the points of the compass (Pa. ultimately, all de.sh see the salvation of cvii. 3), is certainly "the south." '.l'hey God. shall also come from the land of Sinim, by Ver. 9.-That thou maye&t say to the which most recent interpreters understand pru~uer&, Go forth. "The prisoners" here China. But it is highly improbable that are not the captives in Babylon, but the an ethnic name which was not known to the scrvauts of sin thronghout the world. Christ (}reeks till the time of Ptolemy (A.D. 120) would say to them, "Go forth.'' He would should have reached Palestine by n.o. 700. eummon them by his messengers to repent And if " the sea" means " the south" in and be converted, and quit the service of the preceding clause, the Sinim may be sin., and " go forth " from the kingdom of tl,ose of Phamicia (Geu. x. 17), who were darkness, and "show themselves" as lights among the furthest inhabitants of Asia of the world (Matt. v. 14; Phil ii. 15), towards the west. In any case, the reference walking "e.s children of the light" (Eph. v. is, not to the dispersed Jews, but lo the 8). It is a narrow exegesis which confines remote Gentiles, who would pass from all ~he prophet's forecast to the mere return of quarters into the kingdom of the Redeemer, the exiles to Palestine, and their re-settle- Vere. 13-26.-ZION COMFORTED IN HER mcn t on their ancestral estates. They sha.11 DEBPONDENOY, While the future is thus Leed in the ways, etc. The returning •· prisoners" are now represented as a flock glorious, botb for the "Servant of the Lord " of sheep (comp. eh. xL 11), whom the good and for his people Israel, the present is Shepherd will "lead" e.ud "guide " by gloom and misery. Zion-not here the city, ways in which they will find sufficient but the people of God-desponds nnd saye, pasture, which sl,all not fail them even "Jehovah has forsaken me, and my Lord when they pass over bare "hill-tups" (see Jobu i.:. 11-16; xxi. 15--17). bath forgotten me" (vcr. 14). '.l'his burst Ver. 10.-They shall not hUDger nor of grief, though arising from weakness of thir■t (cf. John iv. 14; vi 85). God's grace faith, is forgiven by the compassion of God. OH, XLIX. 1-26.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 233