The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 362

(Lev. :r.vi. 29). The Jews, while priding Cast out; or, lwrn.elesa (&,r,,.(-your, LXX.). themselves on their observance of the day, That thou hide not thyself from thine own clid not ree.lly observe it in this particular. flesh. Tbeir ''flesh" were not merely their And e:r.aot all your la.bours; i.e. "require of near kindred, but their countrymen generally your servants and subordinates all the (see Neh. v. 5). services that they have to render on other Ver. 8.-Then. When thou hast to.ken this days." De.ye of religious observance, even advice to heart, and adopted it, and made it under the Law, were always intended to be the rule of thy conduct. Upon such e. days of kindly forbearance towurds the poor, change in thee, all good things shall follow. of the remission of burdens, or even of the Thou sh,dt have no more to complain of actual giving of relief. unanswered prayers or covenant promises Ver. 4.-Ye fast for strife and debate. left in abeyance (see the comment on vers. Delitzsch explains," When fastirig, they are 2 and 3). Shall thy light break forth; i.e. doubly irritable e.nd ill tempered; and this thy glorious time shall begin (comp eh. Ix. leads to quarrelling e.nd strife, even to 1). Thine health-rather, thine healing; the striking with angry fists." This is quite e. "healing of thy brnise," or thy recovery possible exple.ne.tion. Or there may have from the low estate to which thy sins have been two pe.rties, one for, the other against, brought thee down-shall spring forth fasting; e.nd those who practised fasting speedily; i.e. shall soon manifest itself; and may have done it, as some preached Christ, the result will be twofold : (1) thy own "of envy and strife" (Phil. i. 15)-to pro- righteousness will go before thee--will be, voke the opposite side. Ye shall not fast e.s e.s it were, thy vanguard; and (2) The glory ye do this day, to make your voice to be of the Lord; i.e. the glory which he will heard on high; i.e. "ye must not fast as ye confer upon thee, will follow thee np, and do at present, if ye would have your voices be, as it were, thy rearguard (comp. eh. heord in heuven." God will not hear the Iii. 12). prayer of which such o. fa.at is the uccom- Ver. 9.-If thou take away from the po.niment. midst of thee the yoke (comp. ver. 6). The Yer. 5.-Is it suoh a fo.st that I have putting forth of the linger. The pointing of ohosen, eto.? Do you suppose that such can the finger at any one in scorn. And speak- be the fast commanrled by me in the Le.w- ing vo.nity; rather, speaking evil, or plotting e. fast which is expressly called "e. day for ev ii, age.inst others, e. man to e.fflict his soul"? Is afflicting Ver. 10.-lf thou draw out thy soul to the one's soul Eimply bowing down one's head hungry; i.e. not merely giving him bread, e.s e. bulrush, o.nd me.king one's couch on but giving him sympathy and compassion 11e.okcloth o.nd ashes 1 Surely "it is much with it. Then shall thy light rise in more than this. (On the employment of obscurity (comp. Ps. cxii. 4, '' Unto tbe "sackcloth and ashes" in fasting, see Esth. godly there riseth up light in the dark- iv. 3; Do.n. ix. 3; Jonah iii. 6.) ness;" and see a.hove, ver. 8 ). Ver. 6.-Is not this the fast that I have Ver. 11.-The Lord shall guide thee 0011- ohosen 1 This passe.ge, as Dr. Kay observes, tinually; i.e. "direct thee in all thy paths- "stands like e. homily for the Day of teach thee the way the.t thou shouldst walk Atonement." Such homilies ore found in in." In drought. In time of spiritual de- the uninspired Jewish writings (' Tae.nith,' pression and weariness. Make fat thy ii. 1; 'Neda.rim be.bli,' p. 10, a, etc.), and bones; i.e. austain thy strength. Thou shalt are conceived very much in the same spirit. be like a watered garden (comp. Jer. x:r.xi. The Jews call the true fast "the fasting of 12). the bee.rt." To loose the b!Lnds of wioked- Ver. 12.-They that shall be of thee shall neu. To set free those whom wicked persons build the old waste places. Thy descend- have wrongfully imprisoned or entangled. ants shall restore all that has fallen into To undo the heavy burdens; literally, lo decay in Israel, whether it be cities or untie the thongs of the yoke. The liberation oualom~. They shall restore " breaches" of of e. me.n's slaves, or of Jews captive among every kind, and bring be.ck the old patb1 the heathen (N eh. v. 8), ia probably in- for thee to walk in. 'fhe restoration of the tended. To let the oppressed (literally, the ruined cities of Judah may be glanced at, broised) go tree. Remission of debts e.nd bnt is for from exhausting the writer'a res-toration of pledgea (N eh. x. 31 : Ezek. meaning (comp. eh. lxi. 4). :r.viii. 7) are, perhapa, the acts pointed at. Vere. 13, 14.-A STRICT OBSERVANOE OF Ver. 7.-Is it not to deal thy bread to the THE SABBATH ENJOINED. While the fe.stiug hungry1 In the early Christie.n Church of the day only required to be spiritualized, almsgiving was connected with fasting by the sabbath observance needed both lau, (Dreasel's 'Pe.tr. A post.,' p. 493). It was a.Iso accepted ns a moral ~iom the.t "fe.at- spiritualizing and increased strictneas. illlf aad ll1ma we111 tae wiDga of prayer," From 2 Caron, x:r.1vi. 21 we leam Uiat Ui.e 3i4 'i'HE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [en. tvm.1-14-.