Chapter 51

(Verse 1 through 3) Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For the LORD shall comfort Zion : He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden , and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

Again, we return to an address to Israel and Judah , or, at least, those among them that are following after righteousness and seek the LORD. The LORD calls them to take stock of their origin. “Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.” This may seem a strange manner of expressing our origin, or theirs. But both, cutting, or hewing, stones, and digging, materials from the ground, were things well known to the Israelites. If one looks at the rock from whence something was hewn all he will see is a pile of debris, stone chips, that are of little value. And even if he looks at the mother lode of stone, he will find it to be only a very common thing, with little value as it is. If material is taken from the earth to make something, all it leaves is a hole from which it was taken. So, if we soberly consider the “rock from whence ye are hewn” and “the hole of the pit whence ye are digged,” we will find both very unimportant. So it was with the Israelites. True enough, they boasted their lineage as being from Abraham and Sarah. But what were they. In Ezekiel 16:3, the LORD said unto Jerusalem ; “thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan ; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.” Here He says, “Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” Abraham had nothing when the LORD called him. In fact, the LORD called him when he was alone. Although when Abraham was called to leave Ur , his father, Terah, took him, his wife, and his nephew, Lot, and they all went to Haran , there is no record that any one of them except Abraham was called of God. The LORD called Abraham alone, blessed him, and increased him. All the wealth that Abraham accumulated was what the LORD gave him after He called him. He was no great man of himself. All His greatness is the result of the calling of the LORD. Since until the LORD called him, he was of no importance, Israel cannot boast of their origin, any more than can we. Any standing we have before God is only by His blessing according to His own grace and mercy. But just as the LORD called, blessed, and increased Abraham, so will He comfort Zion . Remember that at this point, Zion was greatly troubled, all the land around her had been laid waste, and she was soon to be carried away captive. But the promise of God is sure, “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” Although, surely, this promise includes the return of Judah from the Babylonian captivity, it also looks beyond that to the final restoration of Israel , as we can see from the continuation of this address.

(Verses 4 through 8) Hearken unto Me, My people; and give ear unto Me, O My nation: for a law shall proceed from Me, and I will make My judgment to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people; the Isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but My salvation shall be for ever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished. Hearken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but My righteousness shall be for ever, and My salvation from generation to generation.

This address is to Jerusalem , and to all Israel . The LORD calls them both “My people,” and “My nation,” indicating clearly that He is addressing the whole nation of Israel , for no other nation can claim to be “His nation.” He declares  “A law shall proceed from Me, and I will make My judgment to rest for a light of the people.” We are prone to think that when the judgment of the LORD rests upon someone he is under condemnation of God, but just the opposite can be, and in this case is, true. God’s judgment shall rest as a protection upon His people, upon “His nation.” And it will be a light of the people. “My righteousness is near; My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust.” His righteousness, or the day of its manifestation, is near. We must remember that what is near, according to God’s calendar, may not be what according to ours, we would call “near.” But it is sure to come. His salvation is gone forth. That is, it is already determined, and set in motion, so that it cannot be reversed, or turned back. His power shall judge the people, and even the isles, or the Gentile nations, shall wait upon Him, and trust in His power. This certainly looks forward, and embraces all time, even to the end. For He calls upon the people to look at both the heavens and the earth, for they all shall be taken away, and those who dwell therein shall die. But that will in no wise affect His salvation and His righteousness. “My salvation shall be for ever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished.” Then He calls upon all that know righteousness and have His law in their hearts. His message to them is, “Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but My righteousness shall be for ever, and My salvation from generation to generation.” They shall never fail.

(Verses 9 through 16) Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in ancient days, in the generations of old. Art Thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art Thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion ; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am He that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the LORD thy Maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of Mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, Thou art My people.

There are various ideas as to what is the meaning of the reference to Rahab. Certainly this Rahab is not the Rahab of Jericho, who hid Israel ’s spies, and sent them away safe. Some think that Rahab is another name for Egypt . And, since this reference is so closely followed by the reminder that the LORD did dry up the Red Sea, and make a dry path through it for Israel , this could well be the meaning of this reference. It may be that, since Satan is often represented as a dragon, the wounding of the dragon may refer to that same incident. For surely Satan was wounded as the LORD delivered His people from the bondage of the wicked pharaoh. On the basis of His having delivered His people from Egypt by the death of all the firstborn of Egypt , they can surely be called His ransomed. Therefore, as He delivered His ransomed from that bondage, so shall His redeemed return, and come with singing unto Zion . Not only so, but their joy will not be temporary, as was their joy in their return from Babylon . “Everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.” This unquestionably looks forward to the day of their final restoration, which is still future. None knows the timetable of the LORD. But there are many signs today that that day may be much sooner than most people think. So the LORD declares, “I, even I, am He that comforteth you: who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the LORD thy Maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?” We too should take a lesson from this. Since it is the LORD, Who comforts us, what reason do we have to be always in bondage to the fury of the oppressor? As the Apostle Paul asked, “If God be for us, who then can be against us?” He is greater than all. Therefore we should heed the warning of our Lord. “And I say unto you, My friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you Whom ye shall fear: fear Him, Which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him.” (Luke 12: 4-5) The LORD reminds us that a captive is always in a hurry to be freed, that he should not die in prison, and that he may find food. But all these things are of the world. He declares that He is the LORD of hosts, that He also divided the sea, an impossible feat, so far as man is concerned, but no trouble to Him. Not only has He put His words in our mouths, but He even covers us in the shadow of His hand. All this He does that He may establish the heavens and the earth, and comfort Zion with this declaration, “Thou art My people.”

(Verses 17 through 23) Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons she hath brought up. These two things are come upon thee; who shall be sorry for thee? Desolation, and destruction, and the famine and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee? Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God. Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of My fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

This is a call for Jerusalem to awake, and stand up. She has been made to drink the cup of the fury of the LORD, even to the dregs thereof. Of course, this is descriptive of her just before the LORD finally restores her. Her population is decimated so that there is none among all the sons she has brought up that can guide her, or hold her hand. But despite all the desolation and destruction that she has endured from both famine and sword, no one is sorry for her. Actually, this is almost her condition today. Almost the whole world is in league against her, and in the final days before that last great battle, that will be fully true. All her sons lie fainted, or dead, at the head of all streets, because “they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy GOD.” What a dismal picture! Yet the LORD who pleads the cause of His people, gives a promise of great comfort to her. That cup of trembling and of His fury which she has been made to drink, will be taken from her, and given to those who afflict her. They have been making her lie down so that they may walk over her. But that will be no more. This is the promise of the LORD; it cannot be broken or annulled.

(Verses 1 through 6) Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for from henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion . For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that My people is taken away for nought? They that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and My name continually every day is blasphemed. Therefore My people shall know My name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am He that doth speak: behold, it is I.

Zion is commanded to awake, put on her strength, and her beautiful garments. This is in honor of a momentous occasion. That occasion is that the time has come when the uncircumcised and the unclean shall be forever cut off, and shall no more come into her. This seems to even leap forward to the ushering in of the new heavens and the new earth wherein dwell righteousness. Nothing of evil shall ever enter therein. Compare this with Revelation 21:27. “And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” So in preparation for this great event Jerusalem , the captive daughter of Zion , is told to “loose thyself from the bands of thy neck. It was not unusual in that day for a collar, or band to be put around the neck of a captive to identify one as a servant. These are the bands that are to be removed, because, although they have sold themselves for nothing, they shall also be redeemed without money. The LORD now reminds us of two times of captivity of the Israelites that had already been endured, their sojourn in Egypt , and the Assyrian captivity. Then He says, “Now therefore, what have I here, that My people is taken away for nought? They that rule over them make them to howl; and My name continually every day is blasphemed.” This describes their condition just before He delivers them. In that day, when He works this great deliverance His people shall both know His name, and know that it is He, Who works this great salvation for them.

(Verses 7 through 12) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion , Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion . Break forth into Joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem : for the LORD hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem . The LORD hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her, be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.

This will be such a wonderful day that even the messenger who brings the good tidings, and. says unto Zion, “Thy GOD reigneth,” will be such a welcome sight that as he stands upon the mountain, even his feet shall be beautiful to those who behold him. In that day the watchmen of the city shall Lift up their voices in songs of praise to the LORD, because then shall they see “eye to eye.” That is, they shall see clearly, and there will be no disagreements about what they see. Even the waste places of Jerusalem are commanded to break forth in singing; for the LORD has comforted His people, and Jerusalem is redeemed. All nations of the world shall behold His wondrous power, and see His salvation. It is amazing just to what extent the world has today lost sight of the power of God. Many who claim to believe His word are constantly telling us, “You know this, or that, prophecy doesn’t mean literally what it says, because such a thing just cannot happen.” So far as happenings are concerned, that may be true. But, make no mistake. When the LORD says a thing will come to pass, THUS IT SHALL BE, whether you believe it or not. When these things are brought to pass, the salvation of the LORD will be seen by all nations, and by all the ends of the earth. Some try to tell us that this is not in reference to the literal city of Jerusalem , but to the gospel church, with which God has replaced Jerusalem and Israel . With all their claims of such, none has ever produced a single scripture to prove this theory. One of the most opportune times noted in scripture for the LORD to have established such an idea is in Acts 1:6-8. After 40 days, in which our Lord had spoken to His disciples the things pertaining to the kingdom of God , they asked Him this question: “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel ?” It would have been so easy to say to them, “Now let us completely set aside that idea. The gospel church has now replaced Israel ; so the kingdom of God is for it, and not for Israel .” But, what did He say? “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judaea, and in Samaria , and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” He left intact the principle that He will restore the kingdom to Israel , but at the time of the Father, not according to our timetable. He further declared that they should be His witnesses, not only in Jerusalem , but also in all the world. The first thing a witness has to learn is that his testimony is to truly represent that which has been said and done, not to try to change it to fit his own ideas. In short, there is a vast difference between witnessing, and interpreting. Verses 11 and 12 seem to primarily apply to the deliverance of Judah from the Babylonian captivity. They are to depart from the city of Babylon , without touching “the unclean thing.” For those who bear the vessels of the LORD must be clean. They will not have to flee in haste, but will be given ample time to go out in an orderly manner. For the LORD will be their protection.

(Verses 13 through 15) Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men: so shall He sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

This is a text over which, perhaps, men shall always argue. There are some things therein that seem to speak of Cyrus, the King who shall free Judah from the Babylonian captivity, and others which must refer to our Lord Jesus, the Christ. Certain it is that Cyrus dealt very prudently with the LORD’S people, in that He released them from captivity. He also was exalted and praised, and was very high. We are told that “sprinkle,” in verse 15 should be read, “startle.” And indeed he startled many nations. They had never seen or heard of a king who set captives free. The usual practice was to try to gain more captives, instead of freeing those already held. Nevertheless it also describes the work of our Lord Jesus. And verse 14 far better describes Him than Cyrus. “As many were astonied at thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” Many have taken this to mean that Jesus was, physically a very ugly person. But His natural appearance is not what is under consideration here. This describes Him as He was presented to the Jews as their king, on the day of His crucifixion. Beginning while He was being held at the home of the high priest, and continuing, intermittently, throughout His appearance before both Pilate and Herod, He had been beaten, he had had a crown of thorns put, not gently, upon His head, He had been spit upon, and He had been scourged; and no effort had been made to dress His wounds or even to clean Him up. How could one expect either His visage or His form to appear at this time? Had nothing else been done to Him but the scourging, that would have been enough to bring on the picture given here. In the event some may not know what a scourging, as the Romans used it, amounted to, we give this short description. The scourge was a whip, made of many strands of leather or rawhide. To the ends of many of these strands were attached small pieces of metal or bone. And when this whip was used by a man practiced in the art of handling it, the flesh of the victim was often literally flayed from the bones. If we read all four accounts of the ordeal of Jesus, we find that He must have been scourged twice. So, even without the other beating which He suffered, surely “His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” I know of no other picture in all scripture that shows more clearly His wonderful love for us. It is beyond the ability of the human mind to understand.

(Verses 1 through 3) Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For He shall grow up before Him like a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Beyond question, this is a continuation of the subject in the last three verses of the preceding chapter, especially of verse 14. The two questions in verse 1 are, really, the same question, since only those to whom the arm, or power, of the LORD is revealed will believe this report. Nature does not prepare us to believe it. Nothing can, except the power of the LORD. And He must reveal that. The “He” in verse 2 is the same as the “Servant” introduced in Chapter 42, verse 1, and also in Chapter 52, verse 14. The “dry ground” of verse 2 is not just ground that has become dry enough that it needs a little water, but actually it is desert, where there is no water at all. So the picture is that of a tender plant, or one that must be nourished, and must have special care, and it comes forth in a place where none would ever expect it. Jesus was just such a plant, and He came forth in the most unexpected place. There were many in the time of His coming, who were expecting the Messiah. But they expected Him to come as an earthly king. But though He was of the royal lineage of David, He was born a poor child, for whom no place could be found, except a manger. This is surely as unexpected as that a root of some tender type of plant should sprout up in the desert. He was a tender plant. Without the protection of the Father Himself, He would surely have perished. But the Father’s care was with Him, just as one would protect a tender plant in a harsh environment. So He did grow up before Him. “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” As we remarked concerning verse 14 of the preceding chapter, many have claimed that this verse proves Jesus to have been a man with no natural beauty at all. However, as there, this refers to Him as He was when they would see Him, that is, when He should be officially presented to them. And this was about noon on the day of His trial before Pilate. At that time Pilate brought Him forth, and presented Him to the crowd with his famous speech, “Behold your king.” As we have already pointed out, at this time He was so beaten and wounded that He certainly had “no form nor comeliness, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” No doubt, my friend, had you and I been sitting or standing there, we would, in that moment, have seen nothing about Him that would have made us desire Him. Verse 3 tells exactly the reaction of all of us, had we been there at that moment, unless the LORD had there revealed to us His power. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” Several years ago some, perhaps, honest, but very foolish, person wrote a song that many thought was a wonderful song, It was entitled, “I’ll Be A Friend To Jesus.” In that song, the writer made mention of the fact that in the hall of Pilate Jesus stood without a friend. But in spite of this, this writer declared, in that song, that he, would have been His friend, had he only been there. Isaiah sets us straight on this matter. Certainly Jesus was despised and rejected of men. Even His own disciples, who had declared that they would not forsake Him, but would even die with Him, were not to be found. With the rejection that was so evident in that crowd, we too would have hid our faces from Him, just as Isaiah says. When we saw how much He was despised by all the people, we too would have “esteemed Him not.” That is, we would have wanted nothing to do with Him.

(Verses 4 through 9) Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet opened He not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so opened He not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.

The Christ has indeed borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. But we cared nothing for Him. We thought God had smitten Him. That is exactly what the Jewish leaders declared to the people. They said, “This man is a blasphemer. He claims he is the Son of God. There is nothing to him of any value; and therefore it is our duty to destroy him.” Thus were all, to whom the arm of the LORD was not revealed, pacified concerning the crucifixion, no matter how many miracles they had witnessed done by Him. But His afflictions and His wounds were all received on our behalf. It was for our transgressions. “He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” The chastisement necessary to give us peace with God was borne, not by us who deserved it, but by our Lord, Who voluntarily took it upon Himself, and bore it for us. The bruises from the beatings He received were our just deserts, as the penalty of our iniquities. But, for the love He had to us, He freely bore it all. And all those stripes laid upon Him by the man with the whip are for our healing, that is, to heal us from our sins. None can claim to have no sin, for “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and God hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.” The only hope we have is that our sins were laid upon Him, and He bore them and the penalty for them, for us. Just as a lamb when brought to the slaughter, and as a sheep that is being sheared is dumb, so He opened not His mouth when brought before the high priest, Pilate, and Herod. They asked Him many questions, and said many false things about Him, but He gave them no answers. “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation?” As a common criminal, He was taken away from the judgment hall, not to prison, but to be crucified. Under such conditions, who is there that will declare His “generation,” or His lineage? People will usually declare the genealogy of one who is considered great. But, of a common criminal? No. “He was cut off out of the land of the living.” So no lineage is to be declared. But, wait; “for the transgression of My people was He stricken.” Surely, this should make a difference. Since He was cut off for the transgressions of the people of God, His lineage must be declared. He is the Son of the living God. As He was crucified, He hung between two thieves, and there He died. Certainly this is making His grave with the wicked. Then when He had died, there came two rich men, Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus, who took His body and wound it in a linen cloth with about a hundred pounds of Myrrh and aloes, and buried it in Joseph’s own new tomb. Thus He made His grave with the rich. He was given this honor “because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.” Despite the accusations of the Jews that He was a blasphemer, an impostor, etc., there was no deceit in His mouth. And certainly He had done no violence.

(Verses 10 through 12) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Many will tell us today that the LORD is so gentle and loving to everyone that He will not bring any pain or sorrow upon anyone. That will in no wise harmonize with Isaiah’s statement: “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief.” Of course we all like to think of Him as a loving and gentle God, which He is. But we also find the scriptures to say, “Our God is a consuming fire.” In this statement by Isaiah, we can see, if we complete it, both our Father’s love and His steadfastness, and faithfulness to His own purposes. The Father did put Jesus to grief, and He did bruise Him, or rather, caused Him to be bruised; and in so doing made His soul an offering for sin, or the sacrifice for sin. All of this was according to the eternal covenant between the Father and the Son. When He was thus made the sacrifice for sin, Jesus looked beyond the sacrifice, and saw the final outcome of it all. He saw “His seed,” His people whom He saved from their sins, the children whom the Father had given Him. He prolonged His days by rising from the grave, and ascending to the Father, where even now He is seated at the right hand of the Father. And since He, by His sacrifice fulfilled the purpose of the Father, which was to “save His people from their sins,” the pleasure of the LORD prospered in His hand. It is undeniable that He saw “of the travail of His soul.” That is fully evidenced by the testimony of the four gospel writers. But since He knew that it would accomplish His purpose, He was satisfied therewith. “By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.” The religious world today will tell you that He did not know what He was doing. They will not say it in those words, but they will say that He was trying to save every person in the world, but untold thousands of them will not be saved, simply because He cannot get them to accept Him and His work. Certainly the God, Who knew how to create a world, and all its fullness, knows how to complete any work He starts. If it is His purpose to save every inhabitant of the world, surely that is just what He will do. However, He did not say that this Servant would justify every one of them. Instead His words are, “By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.” By this it seems obvious that He will justify every one whose iniquities He bore, and that He knows exactly who each one is. The LORD says that it is for this reason that He will divide, or give, Him a portion with the great. And that He has done. For to no other has He ever said, “Sit Thou on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.” “He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death.” The fact that He poured out His soul unto death, and still lives proves Him not only to be strong, but the strongest of the strong. It is therefore His right to divide the spoils. “And He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” To one who has read the accounts of the four evangelists, this certainly is in need of no further explanation. But one thing should be noted. That is, “He bare the sins of many.” Just as before, he omits the use of “all,” and uses “many.” He is the One, Who even now makes intercession for the transgressors, that is, for many of them.

(Verses 1 through 6) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

In Galatians 4:22-31, the Apostle Paul uses verse 1 of this chapter to teach that God has many more children than just those who are natural descendants of Abraham, and that those serving under the promise of God in the gospel dispensation are free, while those who try to serve under the law are even now in bondage. However, here the primary lesson is that although Judah and Israel have been sent into captivity like a woman sent away by her husband, in the end they will be made to rejoice. Even this desolate woman, cast off by her husband, will know the joy of having many children. In the final restoration of Israel , they will be made to recognize the Christ as Lord, and be thus joined together with, not only those faithful to God under the law, but also all to whom the Son has revealed Himself. For in that day all the redeemed will recognize the Christ as the King of all. In that day, the tent of Israel shall be greatly enlarged. In that day she shall be spreading out on all sides, “on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.” Zechariah tells us that in that day all the nations, or Gentiles, that are left will come up to Jerusalem every year to worship the King, (Who is none other than Christ Jesus, our Lord,) and to keep the feast of tabernacles. Then Jerusalem shall never again be put to shame, and the shame of her widowhood, the shame of having been so long left desolate, will no more be remembered. “For thy Maker is thy Husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the Whole earth shall He be called.” There is no doubt that God created the heaven and the earth. He therefore is, and always has been the God of the whole earth. But principally, He has been called, “the Lord GOD of Israel.” In that day it shall no more be thus. But He will be called “the God of the whole earth.” For all men shall know that He is God. In that day the LORD will call Jerusalem forth, and her joy will be as that of a wife who has been forsaken, and left desolate for a while, but is now brought back to a loving husband. God has promised this, and it cannot fail.

(Verses 7 through 10) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

We must remember that the LORD is not restricted by time as we are. He declares that He has forsaken Jerusalem for only a “small moment,” but His mercy to her will be great. He has had only a little wrath against her, and that only for a moment; but His mercy and kindness to her will be both great and everlasting. He declares that just as surely as He will never again bring “the waters of Noah” over the earth so will He never be angry with Jerusalem nor rebuke her. “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.” In Revelation 16:20, He tells us that after the great earthquake, “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” So, no doubt, the mountains shall depart. But that will not bring an end to the LORD’S kindness to Jerusalem .

(Verses 11 through 14) O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and far from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Thus the LORD comforts Jerusalem . She has for many centuries been “afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted.” But in that day He will comfort Zion with an everlasting comfort. The description of the ornamentation of Zion is very reminiscent of that given of the holy city, New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21, and, probably, they refer to the same time and city, which will be in the time of the new heaven and the new earth in which righteousness will dwell. Certainly, in that day, all her children shall be taught of the LORD. Their peace and righteousness shall be such as has never been known on this earth. And their joy shall be eternal.

(Verses 15 through 17) Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work, and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD.

This message is concerning the interim from Isaiah’s day until the day of which the LORD has just spoken. In all this time, there will be those that will gather themselves together against Jerusalem . But their gathering is not of the LORD. It is of themselves and their master, Satan. And since it is not of the LORD, it shall surely fall. This does not mean that they shall not do any damage, but that they shall not have the final victory over Jerusalem . The LORD declares that He has created all, from the one who makes the weapon to the one who uses it to destroy. And since He has, no weapon made can prosper against those whom He protects. Neither can any tongue bring a charge against one of His that will stand when He brings it to judgment. This is the heritage of His servants. Since it is their heritage, and is of the LORD, it cannot fail. For even their righteousness is of Him, and not of themselves. Therefore it will endure forever.

(Verses 1 through 5) Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified thee.

Since the LORD has made such wonderful promises to Jerusalem , or to Israel , He calls to some among them. Some will try to tell us that He is calling all of them; but the facts of the case will not support that theory. This is addressed to only those who are thirsty. Just as Matthew 11:28-30 is addressed only to those who are weary and heavy laden, this is addressed to only those that are thirsty. They are called to come to the waters; and whether or not they have money makes no difference. For this water, wine, and milk, are all free to those who are thirsty. There is no price even quoted to them. That has already been paid. We might take a brief look at the three items mentioned in this verse as being for those who are commanded to come, Universally, water is the great refresher for those who are thirsty, wine was considered as the means of lifting the spirit of one who was sad, and, of course, though a liquid, milk has always been considered, until very recently, as nature’s most perfect food. There is no doubt that the thirst mentioned here is the thirst for righteousness. So those who are thirsty are invited to come to the waters that the LORD provides, (which we are told in John 7:37-39 is the Spirit). This water will also refresh even those who are ready to die from thirst. In addition to this water we are to “buy wine and milk without money and without price. From Him we obtain without a price that which will cheer our hearts and that which will give us strength. He provides all that we need. And He provided all that Israel needed. So He asks the question, “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? We seem to have exactly the same problem that faced Israel . We spend our money, and wear ourselves down by our labor for things of this world, only to find that when that is done there is no satisfaction in that for which we have labored so hard. In the end, we have spent all our money, broken ourselves down by our labor, and are fully as dissatisfied as we were in the beginning. What have we accomplished? Instead of doing such, why do we not do as He says? “Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” I realize that this was addressed to Israel . But the same LORD, Who is the God of Israel, is also the God of the whole earth. Therefore will not His promise be the same to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness? Verses 4 and 5 are often considered as applicable to our Lord Jesus. And, no doubt, He was given “for a witness for the people, a leader and commander to the people.” Thus verse 4 surely can apply to Him. Yet, with the circumstances of this address being what they are, it seems that its first application is to David himself, since he was made a king and commander of Israel, and a witness of the promise of the LORD that of the lineage of David He would raise up a King and Savior in a later day. This is, of course fulfilled in the Christ. He not only took all the sins of His people upon Him, and, by His sacrifice, put them away forever. But He will in the last days reign over restored Israel . When He does restore Israel , He shall glorify Jerusalem , and nations that have not known, or given recognition to, Israel shall run to Jerusalem because of the LORD God, the Holy One of Israel.

(Verses 6 and 7) Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

Certainly, since the LORD has, at the beginning of this chapter, called upon those who are thirsty to come to the waters, and to Him, this would be the opportune time to call upon the LORD. For He says, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.” And, doubtless, those to whom He speaks this message are those who thirst, as in verse 1. Surely He is near them at this time. So now is the time to call upon Him. This thirst is surely a desire for Him, and without it, there would be a great difficulty in calling upon Him. For all those who forsake their wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts, and come to Him there is mercy and pardon. He declares that this is even to the wicked and the unrighteous. There is no need to argue about whether or not they can do this. He has said, “Let them do it.” And He has promised that those who do shall receive mercy and pardon. So far as we are concerned, that should end the controversy.

(Verses 8 through 11) For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Here is the greatest reason in the world why we should never argue over what the LORD meant by something He has said. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” This leaves us with only one option; take what He says to mean just what it says, and not as something for us to interpret, and change to fit our ideas. There can be no room for doubt that He, having all wisdom and knowledge, knows exactly how to say what He intends to say. And if He did not, How could we possibly know, since our thoughts are so far below His? There are several things involved in His declaration, “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater.” The first thing we want to consider is that when He sends forth the rain and the snow, they do, without fail, water the earth. They do not return to the heavens without doing what they were commissioned to do. The next point for consideration is that when the snow is sent forth is not the season for the plants of the earth to grow. Yet, if we did not receive the rain and snow in that season, there would be no moisture in the spring, when the earth does put forth and bud. The rain and the snow are just as necessary in the winter as is the rain in the spring. This is also true of the word of God as it is sent forth. It may go forth in a very cold season; and because of that we see no result from it. But be patient. When the spring season comes, it will accomplish its work. Then just as the rain and snow cause the earth to bring forth and bud that it may produce seed for the sower and bread for the eater, naturally, so does also the word of God go forth and produce sustenance for those who look to Him. And just as the rain and snow do not return to the heavens without accomplishing the purpose for which they are sent, so the word of God never fails. It will accomplish the purpose of the LORD, and in His time. Perhaps, His purpose of making this declaration is to encourage Israel to patience concerning the promise He sets forth in verses 12 and 13.

(Verses 12 and 13) For ye shall go out with Joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Thus He declares that Judah shall be released from the captivity into which they must go. When they are thus delivered it will be a time of great rejoicing and peace. Even nature itself will sing and be glad for them. It will be as the trees themselves “clapping their hands,” and the mountains and hills singing. This seems to look even beyond the deliverance from the Babylonian captivity to the final re-gathering of Israel . In that day the land of Israel , which contains much arid space, will be changed, and become forests and fertile fields. “And it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Chapter 56

(Verses 1 through 2) Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it: that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

Now the LORD gives instruction to Israel . The first two things He mentions are very much the same as Solomon’s “conclusion of the whole matter” in Ecclesiastes 12:13.Here the wording is, “Keep ye judgment, and do justice,” while there it is “Fear God, and keep His commandments.” The meaning is very similar. The reason He called upon them to do this is, “For My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.” Then He pronounces a blessing upon “the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it” There is a blessing even to us today, if we do this. For the object of the blessing is both “the man that doeth this,” and “the son of man,” or the descendant of man, that is, the future generation of man, that lays hold upon it. “son of man” has no reference here to our Lord Jesus, Who was called ‘the Son of man,” but simply to the descendants of man, or, as the expression is sometimes used, “the children of men.” The one who “layeth hold on” this is also the one who “keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” Most of the people claiming to be Christians today will say that Sunday is the Sabbath, and that this change was made when our Lord arose from the grave on the first day of the week, which, of course, is Sunday. This is incorrect. There is no commandment of our Lord, and none by His apostles to authorize such an idea. While it is true that in Acts 20:7 we are told, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow.” Possibly, they may have made it a practice to meet at Troas on the first day of the week; or they may have met on that day because Paul was planning to leave on the next day. This is altogether unclear. But it is very clear that in all of Paul’s travels, He preached in the synagogues on the Sabbath day. The actual change from the Sabbath day to the first day of the week, Sunday, as the day of rest and worship of the Christians was the result of an edict issued by the Roman emperor, Constantine. In spite of his public declaration of seeing the great sign of the cross in the heavens, with the subscript, “IN HOC SIGNO VINCIS,” he was never baptized until shortly before his death, and all his life he worshipped Apollo the sun god, for whom Sunday was named. He ordered the change of the “Christian Sabbath” to Sunday in honor of the sun god, Apollo. Our Lord arose on the first day of the week, and, for that reason, there is certainly nothing wrong with celebrating His resurrection on that day. Nevertheless, there is no scriptural authority for leaving off the true Sabbath. Even in my childhood days, our people usually observed both Saturday and Sunday as days that should be specially dedicated to God, and most of our churches, although in rural areas they usually had church services only one weekend each month because of the scarcity of ministers, met on both Saturday and Sunday  Many will claim that we are not under the law, and therefore it makes no difference which day we observe as the Sabbath. While it is true that we are not under the ceremonial law of God, because our Lord Jesus has fulfilled that, we are still under the moral law of God. Therefore we should consider that, “If it doesn’t matter to us which day we consider the Sabbath, why should we not take the one He has chosen?” Not only should we be careful to not pollute the Sabbath, but to keep our hand from doing any evil.

(Verses 3 through 8) Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from His people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep My Sabbaths, and choose the things that please Me, and take hold of My covenant; even to them will I give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than of sons and daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to be His servants, every one that keepeth My Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to Him, beside those that are gathered unto Him.

Not only the fleshly descendants of Abraham, but even strangers, who join themselves to the LORD to serve Him, shall not regret leaving their own people to join in His service. They that love the name of the LORD, keep His Sabbath unpolluted, and take hold of His covenant, shall be brought to His holy mountain, made joyful in His house, and their offerings and sacrifices shall be accepted upon His altar. Even the eunuchs, although there is no possibility that their family line shall continue, shall be given in the house of the LORD a name better than of sons and daughters. He says, “I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” Certainly this was all spoken to Israel , and in language that applies more readily to them than to us. But the promise is to all that are brought to love and serve the LORD. For His “house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” This is, probably, the scripture to which our LORD referred, when He drove the buyers, sellers, and moneychangers, out of the temple. (Matthew 21:13) “And said unto them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called the house of prayer;” but ye have made it a den of thieves.’” Verse 8 seems to be a prophecy of our Lord Jesus. He declared that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel , and it was from the Jews that He chose all of His apostles. Until after His crucifixion, there is no record that any beside Jews followed Him. These were gathered unto Him. But the LORD promises that these will not be all that shall be gathered to Him. They were, for the greater part, “the outcasts of Israel ,” which the LORD did gather. For Jesus said, “No man can come unto Me, except the Father Which hath  sent Me draw him.”  So it still is today. But the LORD has said, “Yet will I gather others to Him beside those that are gathered unto Him.” That gathering is still continuing.

(Verses 9 through 12) All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts of the forest. His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

This is a description of the carelessness and unconcern of the leaders of Israel , and the call of the LORD to all the hostile nations round about to come to devour them. Those who should have been watching over Israel had become so lazy and indifferent that they expected things to always continue as they were at the present. All they were interested in was having what they considered as a “good time.” Sadly, we are brought to the conclusion that this is also an apt description of us today. Those who have been set up as watchmen, will, if anything is said about any coming judgment, reply, “Don’t you know that, that has nothing to do with us today? We are not any longer under the law. God is so loving and merciful that He will not bring such things upon us.” That is nothing but unadulterated ignorance. They neither know nor care about what is coming tomorrow. They are only interested in what they have in their hand now. And I greatly fear that the LORD has already issued His call to “the beasts of the field” to “come to devour.” I know that, according to nature, I do not have much more time here. And it may be possible that I will be called away before the destruction comes; but it is surely on its way.

(Verses 1 and 2) The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

I may not mention this every time I am called to hold a funeral for one whose life has given evidence that he, or she, loved the LORD, but I surely think of it. Far too often we hear the cry, “He (or she) was such a wonderful person, Why should he (or she) be thus cut off?” this is especially true if the one who died was young. These two verses give me all the answer I need for the matter. You and I know, if we have given any attention to the word of the LORD, or even to life itself, that at best, this life is full of troubles and suffering. And at worst, we prefer not to think of it. So how do we know what suffering would have been ahead for that one who has been taken away. If, indeed, he is one that “shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in His uprightness,” how can we possibly question the mercy of our LORD in taking them to Himself? If I belong to Him, the sooner I go, the better it will be for me. That was the Apostle Paul’s outlook on the matter. And I feel that it is also mine.

(Verses 3 through 8) But draw hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore. Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks? Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these? Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than Me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.

Having declared the happiness of the righteous that are taken away from the evil to come, the LORD addresses the idolaters of Israel . These are never considered the true children of Israel , but only as the wicked that dwell among them. Idolatry is always counted as spiritual adultery. Therefore those who engage in it are addressed as, “Ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.” They, evidently tried to ridicule those who stood for the true worship of the LORD, making all kinds of faces at them, as will evil children in mocking someone. So the LORD says to them, “Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out your tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood?” It is always true that those who engage in such practices are far less honorable than those they thus mock. Then the LORD describes the activities of these idolaters. They arouse their passions with their idols under every green tree. They even slay the children in the valleys. This is, no doubt, a reference to the pagan worship of Molech, to whom they burned alive their children. Today everyone will declare that as a shameful practice, not worthy of the human race. And such it was. It was their offering to Molech, whom they called their god. Today, a slight change has been made in the manner of offering. They just kill the children before they are born, thus offering them to their god, Pleasure. Those idolaters committed their idolatry among the smooth stones of the stream. They would choose a stone from the bed of the stream, set it up, build an altar to it, and offer both drink offerings and burnt offerings to it. They would build altars and offer sacrifices on the high mountains, and even in their cities and villages behind closed doors. In short, wherever they were they found some way to carry on their idolatry. The LORD asks one question, “Should I receive comfort in these?” Surely we know the answer to this. No! He will not “receive comfort,” or be satisfied, with this. He will surely send punishment upon them.

(Verses 9 through 12) And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell. Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved. And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and not remembered Me, nor laid it to thy heart? Have not I held My peace even of old, and thou fearest Me not?” I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.

From the conclusion of verse 9, surely we would have to say that Israel had sunken about as low as is possible. She debased herself even unto hell. She had put forth so much effort in her idolatry that she was worn out. Yet she never even considered laying it aside. She had found “the life of thine hand,” the life she wanted. Then the LORD asks her of whom she was so afraid that she forgot Him, and did not seriously consider what her real status was. He reminds her that He has held His peace for a long time, and yet she has not feared Him. It seems that in this case the word, “feared,” should be read, “respected.” Although He has long been silent, He will now declare her righteousness, or lack thereof, and her works. Her works are such that they will be of no profit to her. There is nothing to stand between her and the punishment He has determined for her.

(Verses 13 through 19) When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain; and shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of My people. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, Whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend forever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before Me, and the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid Me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

The LORD’S first address in verse 13 is to the same idolaters He has rebuked from verse 3. When they get in trouble, let them cry to their companions for help. This signifies clearly that He will not help them. Then He turns to those who put their trust in Him, and declares that they shall possess the land, and inherit His holy mountain. They also are the ones who shall call for the way to be prepared, and for the stumblingblock to be taken out of the way of His people. He declares that He, “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, dwells in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit,” for the purpose of reviving the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite. He tells us that He will not be angry, and will not contend forever (with man). For if He did, humanity would be completely destroyed. It is only for the iniquity, which covers man that He is angry, and sends chastisement, in spite of which man goes rebelliously on “in the way of his heart.” As long as man is not changed, or healed from his sinful condition, chastisement will not turn him away from his iniquity. So He declares, I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to his mourners. Surely, His healing of man is embodied in His sending His only begotten Son to redeem us from our sins. For no other plan was ever devised. Indeed through that wonderful act, He restored comforts to his (man’s) mourners. “I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.” Certainly “the fruit of the lips” is praise to our GOD. And this He creates. He lays it upon our hearts, and we only speak forth that which He has given us. So to those to whom He has given this “fruit of the lips,” He also declares Peace; and this is to them that are far off, and to them that are near. And the LORD has promised to heal all of these.

(Verses 20 and 21) But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God to the wicked.

Although the LORD has promised that He will heal those who are of a contrite and humble heart, the wicked are not so. Instead they are like the sea in a storm. It cannot rest, but is churning up mire and dirt. So are the wicked. They are never content to rest, but are constantly stirring up trouble of one sort, or another. And God says, “There is no peace to the wicked.”

Chapter 58

(Verses 1 and 2) Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

This is the LORD’S commission to Isaiah. At this point, his work is to declare, in a loud voice, to the house of Jacob their sins and transgressions. They daily seek after the LORD, but are so blinded by their sins and iniquities that they cannot find Him. They “take great delight in,” or make a great show of, approaching to God. That is, they are sticklers for making their offerings, and following all the outward ritual of their service, “as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God.” But their problem is that they HAVE FORSAKEN their God, and HAVE NOT DONE righteousness.

(Verses 3 through 7) Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and Thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and Thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast as I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Here the LORD uses only one of the practices of Israel to show the reality of all. They were commanded to fast at certain times as part of their service to God. They had added many more fasts, than those required by law. And they wondered why, since they were even volunteering to fast so much, that the LORD did not reward their fasts by making everything easy for them. Yet on their fasting days they went about their own pleasures, and carried on their business as usual, except for the little part of the time in which they would go to a public place, spread sackcloth and ashes on the ground, and sit on this to show the people they were fasting, the very thing against which Jesus warned the people. Those who fasted in this manner gained the attention of the people. But they were not recognized of God. He said they were fasting for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness. But this would not cause their voice to be heard on high. That is, it would not cause Him to hear them. That is not the fast He has chosen. All that is, is a matter of show. With their sorrowful face, their bowed down head, and their sackcloth and ashes, they could fool men; but they could not fool the LORD. Then He describes to them what constitutes an acceptable fast. First it is to “loose the bands of wickedness,” that is, to lay aside all thoughts and actions of wickedness, to remove all the heavy burdens one has placed upon another, let those he has oppressed go free, and break the yoke of servitude he has put upon another. Having done this, there is still more to be done. It can hardly be said any more clearly than in verse 7. “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” This is the fast that is acceptable to the LORD.

(Verses 8 through 12) Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD will answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of the paths to dwell in.

Those of Israel , who keep the acceptable fast to the LORD, as He has just described it to them, will receive the fulfilling of this promise. The LORD will cause them to shine forth as the morning, their health shall be greatly enhanced, their righteousness shall precede them, and the glory of the LORD will be their protection. Then, when they call upon the LORD, He will answer. When they cry He will be present with them. He reminds them again of what He has just told them is acceptable to Him as a fast, and declares that if they will do this, their light will drive away obscurity, and their darkest times shall be as the noonday. Not only so, but He will Himself guide them, refresh them in times of drought, and make them to be as a watered garden and like a spring that does not dry up even in a drought. Notice that He does not promise that these same ones to whom He now speaks will build the old waste places. But “they that shall be of thee,” that is, their descendants shall do this. Thus shall they raise up the foundations of many generations, and be called “The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”

(Verses 13 and 14) If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Now the LORD instructs Israel how to observe the Sabbath, and promises that if they will do this, He will cause them “to ride upon the high places of the earth.” That is, they shall be placed in the positions of greatest authority. He will feed them with the heritage of their father Jacob. This cannot fail, because the LORD has spoken it. And His word does not, and cannot, fail. Many will try to tell us that observance of the Sabbath has nothing to do with the Gentile Christians. But before there were Jews and Gentiles, the LORD did something for the Sabbath that was, and is, unique. There is no record that it was ever done for any other day. (Genesis 2:2-3) “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” Should not we render special honor to Him on that day?

Chapter 59

We sometimes are told that God wants to save every person in the world, but He cannot do it, because some men just will not let Him. That may have been the idea that some among Israel had in Isaiah’s day. Or it may be that they had given up on Him, because He had not delivered them, and had even declared more destruction to come upon them, they thought He had lost, at least, some of His power. But their attention is called to the fact that this is not the case. He still has the same power that He has had from the beginning, and He can just as easily as ever hear their cries. That which is blocking their access to Him is their own sins, so that instead of His being unable to hear them, He WILL NOT hear them. Their hands and fingers were defiled with blood and all manner of iniquity. They were liars and mischief makers, with no desire for justice or truth. Their trust was in vanity and falsehood. This has already been well documented in Chapter 58. Their efforts are as useless as if they were trying to produce cockatrice’s eggs and weave spiders webs. Sometimes in the marginal notes in some Bibles the word “cockatrice” is shown as “scorpion,” and in others, “adder.” Both are poisonous, so it would make us little difference which meaning is given. What is really under consideration is their lies and evil deeds. Those who eat these eggs will die, and if one is allowed to hatch, it will bring forth a viper. The spider’s webs of lies that they weave will not serve as worthwhile garments. “Neither shall they cover themselves with their works.” They have nothing under which they can hide, because their hands are full wickedness and violence. They are always running to do evil, and to shed innocent blood. Since all they think of is iniquity, their path is full of waste and destruction. They know nothing of the way of peace, and have no judgment, or justice, in anything they do. The paths they have made are all crooked. And those who walk in their paths will never know peace.

(Verses 9 through 15) Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble in the noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying aga inst the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment.

At this point Isaiah breaks forth in a confession of the sins of Israel . And, indeed, it is a description of all humanity. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is, actually, very little to be said in explanation of this. It describes us as we are by nature. We have nothing good about which to boast; but on the contrary, we are evil throughout; and if left in this condition, we have no hope. In verse 11, as he says, “We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves,” it seems that the mourning is not our mourning over our sins, but mourning because we do not get what we want. If we should look for judgment, we will not find it, because there is none. It has all been removed. If we look for deliverance, we will again be disappointed, for it too is very far away. All of this is because of our iniquities. Our transgressions and our lying against the LORD are the sole cause of our condition. And that condition is indeed horrible. There is neither judgment nor justice, and truth has been cast down in the street. In this condition equity cannot enter into the city. And if one tries to depart from evil, he only makes himself an easy victim of the violence around him. “And the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment.” This was the condition of man when our Lord Jesus came into the world.

(Verses 16 through 19) “And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon His head; and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompence to His enemies; to the islands He will repay recompence. So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

This is a somewhat mixed prophecy. I do not mean that it is a confused prophecy. But it is one about which we can very easily become confused, just as were the Jews when it began to be fulfilled. It combines our Lord Jesus’ work of both His first and second comings. Verse 16 is clearly a prophecy of His first coming. In fact, down to the semi colon in verse 17 is concerning His first advent. When He came to make the sacrifice that perfected forever them that are sanctified, there was none among men that would, or could, help. There was not even one who would intercede for Him when He was brought before the high priest, before Pilate, or before Herod. “Therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him.” He did the work alone. Even His Own disciples forsook Him, and fled at His arrest. Although both Peter and John went to the home of the high priest, neither of them attempted to speak up for Him. And, in fact, Peter denied three times that he even knew Him. Lest we judge Peter too harshly, let us consider that we would have done no better, had we been there, unless the Lord had given us a special measure of grace for the occasion. For that great work “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon His head.” At this point the prophecy looks forward to the day of the vengeance of the LORD. Jesus did, Himself, prove this by His selection of His reading when He was in the synagogue at Nazareth . (Luke 4:17-21) “And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the LORD.’ And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.’” The quotation He read was from Isaiah 61:1-2. And it will be noticed that, in that reading, Jesus stopped just before “and the day of vengeance of our God,” just as we have here broken the sentence just before “and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.” At that time He had come for the salvation of His people, and not for vengeance against His enemies. Therefore He did not claim that the latter part of that quotation was that day fulfilled in their ears. Neither can we say that at that time “He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.” This He will fulfill; but the time for it has not yet come. That will take place when. As the Apostle Paul says, “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (II Thessalonians 1:7-8) In that day, He will repay them in full, as the prophet says in verse 18. When He does this, His name will be feared throughout the world. And if an enemy should try to rise up against the LORD’S people, His Spirit will set up a standard, or banner, against him. So no enemy shall be able to stand against His people.

(Verses 20 and 21) And the Redeemer shall come to Zion , and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for Me, this is My covenant with them, saith the LORD; My Spirit is upon Thee, and My words which I have put in Thy mouth, shall not depart out of Thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of Thy seed, nor out of the mouth of Thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Verse 20 is a prophecy of the coming of our Lord Jesus, as the Apostle Paul bears witness in Romans 11:26. And verse 21 seems to be an address of the Father to the Son, declaring Him to be His spokesman forever. The first two verses of the Hebrew letter witness this same thing. “GOD, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto our fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.” Even the Father Himself declared the same thing when He spoke from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him.”

(Verses 1 through 6) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.

Although spoken in present tense, verse 1 looks forward to the restoration of Israel in the last days. At that time her light will have come, for the glory of the LORD will shine upon her. Some try to tell us that this was fulfilled when our Lord Jesus came into the world. But that claim can not be sustained by scripture. As can readily be seen by this entire chapter, what is here prophesied for Israel is a time of great glory, in which she shall be exalted by the hand of the LORD, and her enemies shall be made to acknowledge that the LORD is with her. At the coming of our Lord Jesus, instead of darkness covering the earth, and the LORD arising upon Israel , and showing His glory upon her, she was left in the darkness of unbelief, while He called forth a people from among the Gentiles. So, obviously, this prophecy concerns the time of the grafting in again of the branches broken off from the olive tree, as Paul sets it forth in Romans 11:15-32. In spite of what the “Replacement Theologists” say, there is a day of glory ahead for Israel . Without repeating all that Isaiah has said here, let us just say that the remnant of Israel shall be gathered from all the places where they have been scattered, and the Gentiles from all the world shall come to Jerusalem to worship the King, Who is none other than Our Lord Jesus. See Zechariah 14. All the nations shall come. And their sole purpose will be to worship the Lord and King.

(Verses 7 through 12) All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on Mine altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to the windows? Surely the isles shall wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in My wrath I smote thee, but in My favor have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

This is a continuation of the LORD’S promise to Israel that He will gather her dispersed from all the world, that He will even enlist the Gentiles to bring them home, and He will cause even the kings of the Gentile nations to serve her. Further, if any nation or kingdom shall refuse to serve her, that nation or kingdom shall be utterly destroyed. Even though He did in His wrath smite her, He will at this time show her such mercy that all of her chastisement shall be forgotten. And His favor and glory shall be upon her.

(Verses 13 through 18) The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou  shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thine officers peace, and thine extractors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

Not only will the LORD, in that day, cause the descendants of all those who formerly hated Israel to come, and bow down at their feet, and to declare Jerusalem to be “The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel,” but also Jerusalem shall be fed by the Gentiles, and shall know that the LORD is both their Savior and their Redeemer. He then declares that He will upgrade all the materials used in building, so that it will be a most wonderful city Also even her officers shall be peace, and her taskmasters righteousness. Never again will she be troubled by violence in her land, or waste and destruction within her borders. She shall be so safe that she will call her walls, “Salvation,” and her gates, “Praise.”

(Verses 19 through 22) The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.

Although this is, no doubt, said concerning the glory of Israel in the day of her restoration, it bears some similarity to the description given of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:5. The glory of the lord shall be so bright that they will have no need of either sun or moon. Neither will there be any more sorrow or mourning. They shall never again be carried away into captivity, but will inherit the land forever. They will be the branch planted by the LORD, the work of His hands. And this is all to be done that God may be glorified. There shall be no more little, or weak, ones among them. Even those accounted small will be as a thousand, or as a strong nation. When the time for this arrives, the LORD will hasten it. That is it will be done suddenly.

(Verses 1 through 3) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because He hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.

As will, under careful study, become apparent, this prophecy embraces the coming of our Lord Jesus to be the Savior of sinners, and His later work of re-gathering Israel , and bringing judgment upon the world. By His breaking this at the point at which He did when reading it in the synagogue at Nazareth , Jesus showed that His coming at that time was for the purpose of fulfilling only a part of it, leaving the remainder for later. See Luke 4:16-21. While He was here at that time, His purpose was to “preach good tidings unto the meek, to heal the brokenhearted,” those who “waited for the consolation of Israel ,” as did Simeon, (Luke 2:25 ,) to proclaim liberty to the captives and those shut up in the prison of sin, and to proclaim “the acceptable year of the LORD.” This He declared to the people at Nazareth as being on that day fulfilled in their ears. That is, they had heard of it; and now they had seen it. He had come for that purpose. However, the remainder of this text will be fulfilled later. This is, no doubt, why He told His disciples that they were blessed by having seen the works He had done, and having heard the things He had taught. For He said, “Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” So many of the prophecies mingle the things of His first advent with those of His second to such an extent that if we did not have the gospel records to clarify them, we would be fully as confused as were the scribes and Pharisees. When the Lord Jesus descends upon the mount of Olives, and fights the great battle for Jerusalem , it will be the day of the vengeance of our God. He will comfort them that mourn. Read the prophecy of Zechariah, Chapter 14, to find what a mournful condition Jerusalem will be in when He comes. His coming will change their mourning to joy. He will give them “beauty for ashes, the oil of Joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.

(Verses 4 through 6) And they shall build again the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

The LORD continues His promise to Israel concerning His blessings to them in the time of their restoration. All the desolation that will have resulted from the centuries of destruction and neglect will be brushed aside, and the waste places will be rebuilt. Instead of having to be the servants of strangers, the strangers will be their servants, their shepherds, their plowmen, and their vinedressers. And they themselves will be named “The Priests of the LORD.” And men shall call them “The Ministers of our GOD.” All the glory that other nations have had, and have flaunted over Israel will be given to Israel . The Gentile nations will look up to them, instead of scorning them.

(Verses 7 through 9) For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed that the LORD hath blessed.

In that day for all the shame they have borne they shall receive double glory, and for their confusion they shall receive joy in the portion that is given them. In their land they shall receive a double portion of all good things, and their joy shall be everlasting. The LORD declares that the reason for this is that He loves judgment, and hates robbery. He will not accept robbery for burnt offering. He will direct their work in truth, and make an everlasting covenant with them. Both the Gentiles and the people of Israel shall acknowledge their offspring as the seed, which the LORD has blessed.

(Verses 10 and 11) I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

This seems to be Jerusalem ’s song of praise to the LORD in the day that He brings this to pass. Her soul shall rejoice and be joyful in the LORD, because He has clothed her with salvation and righteousness just as a bridegroom or a bride might be dressed in the very finest clothing, including ornaments and jewelry. In that day the LORD will cause righteousness and praise to come forth spontaneously, just as the earth brings forth the buds of spring, and a garden causes those things sown in it to spring forth. And this will be manifested before all nations.

(Verses 1 through 4) For Zion ’s sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem ’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

The LORD declares that for the sake of Zion , Jerusalem , He will neither be quiet nor rest, until her righteousness and salvation have been brought to pass just as He has promised. They will then shine forth as brightness and as a lamp that burns. When that is done, the Gentiles and all their kings shall see the righteousness and glory of His holy city, and it shall be as a crown and a royal diadem in His hand. No longer will it be called forsaken, or desolate. Instead Jerusalem shall be called “Hephzibah,” and the land of Judah shall be called “Beulah.” It seems that “Hephzibah” means “My delight is in her,” and “Beulah” means “Married.” So the LORD says, “For the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.” With our present day society being what it is, we may have lost sight of a very important principal of the social structure of that day. A woman of marriageable age that was not married, and especially one, who had been forsaken by her husband was looked upon as being in disgrace, probably, because unless some man did marry her, there were almost no careers open to her, except prostitution. So to be forsaken was a terrible thing for a woman. And for centuries Jerusalem had been forsaken. In the day of her restoration that will no more be the case. The LORD will delight in her, and she shall be again married to Him.

(Verses 5 through 9) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, and give Him no rest till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The LORD hath sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for which thou hast labored: but they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of My holiness.

The LORD will rejoice over Jerusalem just as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride. He has set watchmen upon the walls, who will not be quiet, but will continually call upon the LORD to bring to pass that which He has promised. And all that mention the LORD are to pray for the same, and give Him no rest until He has fulfilled that which He has promised, which is to make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. He now takes an oath by His own right hand and the arm of His strength, that the enemies of Jerusalem shall no more eat up her corn nor drink up her wine. These two things were considered as staple food among the people of that day. Her own people will have this privilege, that they may praise the LORD, and that they may drink their wine in the courts of the holiness of their God.

(Verses 10 through 12) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The Redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

When the time comes for the re-gathering of Israel , the command of the LORD is, “Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people..” In an earlier chapter the LORD declared that there would be a highway for His redeemed to return to Jerusalem . Here the command goes forth that this highway be built up, all the stones be gathered out of it , that it may be a smooth way, and that a standard, or banner, be lifted up for the people that they might be gathered to it. And the people are commanded to go through the gates. That is, they are not to stop outside the city, but enter in, because the LORD has made a proclamation that reaches the end of the world, or to all lands, saying to the daughter of Zion, the dispersed of Israel, “Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.” Some want to apply this to the coming of our Lord Jesus, as He came to die for our sins. However, the wording of it much better fits His coming in the deliverance of Israel from all her enemies, and the restoration of her to Jerusalem . Then they shall be called, “The holy people, The Redeemed of the LORD.” They shall also be called, “Sought out, A city not forsaken.” The LORD will have sought them out from all the places where they have been concealed, and they will be forsaken no more.

(Verses 1 through 6) Who is this that cometh up from Edom , with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments like him that treadeth the winevat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me: for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment. For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine own arm brought salvation unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me. And I will tread down the people in Mine anger, and make them drunk in My fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

This is unquestionably a description of our Lord Jesus; but not as He came to die for our sins. This is His picture as He comes forth in victory over Satan and the wicked in the day of His anger, when He shall mete out judgment upon them. The blood on His garments is not His blood, shed on the cross for our sins, but the blood of His enemies, splattered upon Him in the day of battle. Of course, it is true that when He died on the cross, there was none with Him of the people. But neither will there be when He arises in His fury against all His enemies. In II Thessalonians 1:7-8, the Apostle Paul says, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Revelation 14:19-20 says, “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by a space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” Here our Lord declares that He has trodden the winepress alone. Sometimes we hear someone trying to tell us that Jesus was treading the winepress of the wrath of God when He was on the cross. This is a direct reversal of the entire picture. The whole metaphor is taken from the grape harvest. The grapes were gathered, and  put in the winepress. Then those who trod the winepress would get into the winevat barefooted, and tread the grapes until all the juice had been mashed out of them. It was always a joyful time for those treading the winepress. The grapes were the ones that received damage from the treading. For the treaders it was always a very festive occasion. So it could not well be an illustration of the crucifixion of our Lord, unless He were likened unto the grape, instead of the one treading the press. But it is a perfect illustration of His treading down His enemies in their final destruction. At that time is the year of His redeemed. And the day of vengeance is in His heart. By treading down His enemies He brings His salvation to completion. Through it all His fury will uphold Him, and in His anger He will bring the strength of all His enemies down to the earth.

(Verses 7 through 9) I will mention the lovingkindness of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel , which He hath bestowed on them according to His mercies, and according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. For He said, surely they are My people, children that will not lie: so He was their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His Presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

There seems to be a great temptation for some to try to apply this scripture to our Lord Jesus as He in mercy and pity did redeem His people. But, as will become clearer as we continue in this chapter, this is a reference to the LORD, as He redeemed Israel from the Egyptian bondage, bestowed great mercy upon them as He led, and even carried, them through the wilderness to the land of Canaan . He even suffered all their rebellion and their murmuring against Him, as well as their idolatry. In His love and pity He redeemed them. All these things were in the days of old; not something that was yet to be done.

(Verses 10 through 14) But they rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit: therefore He was turned to be their enemy, and He fought against them. Then He remembered the days of old, Moses and, his people, saying, Where is He that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He that put His Holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with His glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make Himself an everlasting name? That led them through the deep, as a horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst Thou lead Thy people, to make Thyself a glorious name.

This is just a simple account of the LORD’S dealing with Israel during the wilderness journey. They rebelled against Him despite all the wonderful things He had done for them. So He told Moses that He was going to destroy them, and make a great people of Moses and his descendants. But Moses begged Him to reconsider, and show mercy to them, not for their sakes, but because, if He did destroy them, the people round about would hear of it, and think that He, the LORD, was not able to finish what He had started. His power would be questioned instead of being glorified. So the LORD continued to show mercy unto them, and He led them through the wilderness in spite of their faithlessness and disobedience, to make for Himself a glorious name.

(Verses 15 through 19) Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of Thy holiness and of Thy glory: where is Thy zeal and Thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of Thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? Doubtless Thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: Thou, O LORD art our Father, our Redeemer; Thy name is from everlasting. O LORD, why hast Thou made us to err from Thy ways, and hardened our heart from Thy fear? Return for Thy servants’ sake, the tribes of Thine inheritance. The people of Thy holiness have possessed it but for a little while: our adversaries have trodden down Thy sanctuary. We are Thine: Thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by Thy name.

This is the beginning of a prayer. It may be considered as a prayer of Isaiah on behalf of Israel , or a prayer of Israel herself. In this portion of it, the petitioner seems to be overwhelmed by what is perceived to be the LORD’S lack of mercy for Israel . After all His longsuffering with them throughout the wilderness journey, has He laid aside His mercy and compassion for them? Although they may have sinned so that both Abraham and Israel (Jacob) would disavow them, God is still their Father and their Redeemer. And His name is from everlasting. They cannot understand why the LORD has left them to turn from His ways, and let their hearts lose their fear of Him. So they pray for Him to “return for Thy servants’ sake, the tribes of Thine inheritance.” Remember that the LORD declared in Deuteronomy 32:9, “For the LORD’S portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.” Since Israel then is His inheritance, they pray that He will return to them. They have only had possession of His land but a little while, and the enemies have trodden down His sanctuary. Verse 19 is not to be considered as meaning that the LORD is not the God of the whole earth, but that Israel is the only nation He has ever chosen as His peculiar people. Other nations have not been called by His name.

(Verses 1 through 5) Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence, as when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Thy presence! When Thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, Thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at Thy Presence. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways: behold, Thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

This is a continuation of the prayer begun in verse 15 of the preceding chapter. They are praying that just as He did in days of old in the wilderness, the LORD will visibly come down to deliver them. They mention some of the miracles that took place when He made such appearances at that time. Verse 4 contains a statement which the Apostle Paul quotes in I Corinthians 2:9. His words are slightly different from those of Isaiah; but the meaning is the same. “But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things God hath prepared for them that love Him.’” Also the apostle added, “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” This revelation had not been made in Isaiah’s day. God does indeed meet, or show friendliness to, those who rejoice and work righteousness, and remember His ways. The petitioner calls attention to the fact that the LORD is angry. But He is not angry without cause, “for we have sinned.” Yet in those things which He has prepared for them that wait for Him is continuance, and through them we shall be saved.

(Verses 6 through 8) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee: for Thou hast hid Thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; we all are the work of Thy hand.

Surely the LORD has prepared many wonderful things for them that wait for Him. But the present trouble is that we have all sinned. All our righteousnesses are only filthy rags. Not only are they filthy, and we would be ashamed to wear them in public, to say nothing of presenting them before the LORD; but they are rags that will not cover our nakedness. So we have nothing of our own in which to hope. Therefore we all fade away, and our iniquities take us away as a wind. Because of our sins we are consumed before the LORD. So the only thing left for us is that we must cry for mercy. So the plea to the LORD can only be, “But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand.” Since He has created us and we are the work of His hand, surely, for the sake of His own work, He will have mercy upon us.

(Verses 9 through 12) Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, we beseech Thee, we are all Thy people. Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. Wilt Thou refrain Thyself for these things, O LORD? Wilt Thou hold Thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

One thing needs to be observed here. That is that in verse 8, when the petitioner said, “But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father,” and here in verse 9 he says, “we are all Thy people,” the meaning is that He is our Father, and we are His people, primarily by reason of His having made us; and not that we are serving Him. We have already established that we have sinned, and have no righteousness that we can plead. But now, because we are His workmanship, the work of His hand, we pray that He will lighten His anger, and forget our iniquities. This was the prayer of Israel . They reminded the LORD that all His holy cities, particularly Zion and Jerusalem are a desolate wilderness, and even their holy and beautiful house, (the temple,) where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. With all this desolation upon them, will He continue to hold Himself in check, be quiet, and let their afflictions continue on ? Their prayer is that He will not; but will come to their aid.

(Verses 1 through 7) I am sought of them that asked not for Me; I am found of them that sought Me not: I said, Behold Me, behold Me, unto a nation that was not called by My name. I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; a people that provoketh Me to anger continually to My face; that sacrificeth in gardens, burning incense on altars of brick; which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in My nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense on the mountains, and blasphemed Me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

The first two verses of this are usually considered as applicable to the cutting off of the Jews from the gospel, and its being sent to the Gentiles. Even the Apostle Paul referred to it in His dissertation upon this subject in his letter to the Romans. However it also is applicable to the condition of Israel at the time this prophecy was given to Isaiah. And that is the context in which we shall consider it in this commentary. In the present application of this, the LORD is saying that these who had not heretofore sought Him are now seeking Him. Those who have not sought Him are now finding Him. It is ever the case that many refuse to follow the LORD until hardships and severe trials come upon them. Then they want the LORD to do something about it. When they have lost everything they have, they begin to realize that they need the LORD. Thus it was with Israel . They went on so deeply in their sins that, as they said in Chapter 63, verse 16, Abraham was ignorant of them, and Israel would not acknowledge them. Yet they wanted to claim God as their Father now, in the hope that He would deliver them. He has said, “Behold Me, behold Me,” to a people that had so far turned away from Him that they were not to be called by His name. But when they saw the terrible desolation facing them, they wanted Him to deliver them.  In the application in which the Apostle Paul used this, the Gentiles are the ones who had not sought Him, but have now found Him. And though they have not been called by His name, He now calls upon them to behold Him, as indeed they do. In verse 2, He declares that He has spread out His hands all the day to “a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts.” In both applications this is still Israel . He then sets forth to describe the works of this people. They are continually provoking Him to anger. As we hear the expression so much today, they are getting “in His face” with their iniquities. Instead of going to His altar, where He has commanded them to offer their sacrifices, they are sacrificing in gardens; and building altars of brick, and offering incense thereon, a double violation. First, on the altar of incense in the temple is the place they are to offer incense, according to His law. And, second, they are not to make altars of man made products, such as bricks. They stay among the graves, even living in the tombs themselves, and they eat swine’s flesh. This may refer only to making a meal of swine’s flesh, but, more likely, it refers to the practice of using swine's flesh for sacrifice, since sometimes part of the sacrifice was to be eaten by those making the sacrifice. This would be a special insult to the LORD, because the swine is an unclean animal, and cannot legally be used as sacrifice. He does not even mention what else they have in their vessels, other than that it is broth of abominable things. To add to their sin, they tell others not to come near them, to defile them, because they are holier than others. This, in itself, is a terrible sin. The LORD says, “These are a smoke in My nose, a fire that burneth all day.” Certainly none should misunderstand this statement. We all know how disagreeable a smoke is to the nose. And this was a constant irritation. So He declares that this is written before Him. That is it is recorded; and He will not keep silence, but will repay them. Not only the sins of this generation, but also the iniquities of their fathers, who have burned incense on the mountains and blasphemed the LORD upon the hills, are added together, and He will “measure their former work into their bosom.”

(Verses 8 through 10) Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for My servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains: and Mine elect shall inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, for My people that have sought Me

Despite all the sins of Israel , the LORD declares that He will not destroy all of Israel , but “will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains: and Mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.” No doubt this “inheritor of My mountain” is our Lord Jesus, the Christ, although the application of this is to His being the King in Israel as Zechariah shows it in his prophecy. Although all of God’s people, even the Gentile believers in our Lord Jesus, are elect, the reference here is to the remnant that shall be brought back to Jerusalem in the restoration. Then shall Sharon “be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, for My people that have sought Me.” Notice for whom this will be thus. It will be “for My people that have sought Me.”

(Verses 11 through 16) But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget My holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear, but did evil before Mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, My servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, My servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto My chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call His servants by another name: that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from Mine eyes.

Although the LORD has promised wonderful blessings to His people who have sought Him,. His message to many in Israel is not so comforting. He says that they are the ones who forsake Him and forget His holy mountain. They prepare a table for “that troop,” and furnish the drink offering for “that number.” It is evident that “that troop” to which He refers are all the idol gods to whom they sacrifice in their gardens, and “that number” are the many idols to whom they offer drink offerings. Since they do these things, He numbers, or appoints, them to the sword and the slaughter. They refused to answer when He called, and refused to listen when He spoke, but committed evil works before His eyes, and chose the very things He hated. Since they have done these things, they will not be able to eat and drink with His servants. And while His servants are rejoicing and singing for joy, these shall be covered with shame, sorrow, and vexation of spirit. Even the name of these wicked shall be left as a curse unto His “chosen.” The chosen, mentioned here, are apparently chosen for one particular work, to slay these wicked ones. He will even call His servants by another name. Apparently, men shall no more swear by “the Lord GOD of Israel” but by “the God of truth.” This change will be made because “the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from Mine eyes.” They are put away forever.

(Verses 17 through 20) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

The LORD promises that for His people He will create new heavens and a new earth, and “the former,” or the ones that now are, will be forgotten, and never brought to mind again. The Apostle Peter also bears witness to this, After declaring that the heavens and the earth, which now are, shall be burned up he says, “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (II Peter 3:13) However this promise to Israel seems to refer more to His making the heavens and earth new by restoration, than to the new heavens and new earth mentioned by the Apostle. Although there are some similarities, there also appear to be some differences. Here the LORD promises that in that new earth His people will be glad and rejoice forever. And He will “create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. There will be no more weeping or sorrow. Everyone shall fulfill all his days. If one should die at the age of one hundred years, he would still be considered a child. This is not said to indicate that there will be any death there, but rather to show that there will be no cutting off of life. If there is to be no weeping, surely there will be no dying; for death has always been one of the greatest causes of weeping among humanity. The expression, “But a sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed,” does not mean that there will be sinners there, but simply that long life does not set a sinner free from the curse of sin.

(Verses 21 through 25) And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the LORD.

Chapter 66

(Verses 1 through 4) Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest? For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

The LORD turns again to the condition in which Israel is now found. First, He declares His own greatness, to show them that there is really nothing He needs from them. Since He is so great that heaven is His throne, and earth His footstool, they cannot build a house sufficient for Him, and neither can they provide a suitable place for Him to rest. When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem , he did not claim to be building a house in which the LORD was to dwell, but a house unto the name of the LORD. In his prayer to God at that time he said, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built?” In the first place, all the things used in building such a house are only things He has already made. Had He needed a house, He could easily have built it. The principal message in this is that all the big ideas of man concerning what he will do for the LORD are completely vain. We can do nothing for Him. So if we think He owes us anything because of our service to Him, we are totally misled. But He has told us what person He will “look to,” or receive. “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” Our Lord Jesus also said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When we really feel our poverty before God, we can draw comfort from this. Both the Old and the New Testaments agree on this witness. Those accepted of God are they who have been brought down from their lofty opinions of themselves, and made to realize that the LORD alone is great; and we are nothing. And that surely will cause us to tremble at His word. But at the time of this address, there are few among Israel that fit into this classification. Most of them are so exalted in their own minds that even the sacrifices they offer are not acceptable. “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man.” The LORD had ordered oxen to be sacrificed to Him; but the haughtiness of those making the offerings was so great that their sacrificing an ox was no more acceptable than would be their murdering a man, which is forbidden of God. A dog is an unclean animal, and cannot be used as a sacrifice to the LORD. Yet those who in the exaltation of their minds offer a lamb, which is regularly accepted as a sacrificial animal, might as well offer a dog, so far as their being accepted is concerned. Oblations of wine were ordered of the LORD. But as they in their thoughts of their own greatness offered such, they were no more accepted than if they had offered swine’s blood, which was strictly forbidden. Also if they in this same manner burned incense, they may as well have offered it to an idol. Thus we can see that the spirit in which we try to serve the LORD means more than the act we perform. He looks on the heart, instead of the act. These, although they have offered their sacrifices, have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations. Of course, an abomination is that which is not, and cannot be, acceptable to God. Yet those are the things in which they delight. It is no wonder their sacrifices are not acceptable to Him. And certainly this should be a lesson to us. So the LORD will choose their delusions, and bring upon them the very things of which they are afraid. Their iniquities have continued over such a long time that He will not be turned away from His purpose, because they have refused to answer when He has called them, and have refused to listen when He has spoken. They have, actually, done evil before His eyes, or as we so often hear it today, “in His face,” and have chosen the things that He hated.

(Verses 5 through 9) Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at His word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for My name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to His enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? Saith thy God.

Having declared His disapproval of most of the Israelites, the LORD now addresses those whom He has said are acceptable to Him, those who tremble at His word. They have been hated and cast out by their brethren. But they are not forsaken of the LORD. Those who cast them out, claimed that they were doing it that the LORD might be glorified. But they will find that when the LORD appears, it will be to their shame, and to the joy of those they have cast out. The LORD speaks forth from His temple, declaring that He will repay His enemies. Verses 7 through 9 may seem a little confusing. But they are designed to show that the LORD does not have to work according to the normal course of nature. He can cause the children of Zion to be brought forth without the pains usual to normal birth. And He can cause even a whole nation to come forth in one day. Verse 9, in particular, shows that nothing can hinder Him in bringing to pass all that He has promised. None can stand in His way. It will be done just as He has promised. Israel shall be restored.

(Verses 10 through 14) Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: that ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem . And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward His servants, and His indignation toward His enemies.

Here the LORD calls upon all that love Jerusalem , and have been in mourning for her to rejoice with her. Then He gives us a picture of a mother and her baby, showing that in that day the “children of Jerusalem ” shall be nursed, carried, and comforted by Jerusalem even as a child is by his mother. The peace He will give to her will be as a river. That is, peace shall completely overflow her. And the glory of the Gentiles will come to her like a flowing stream. Although this was spoken to Israel concerning the day of her restoration, we can also be fully assured that when all of God’s children from all ages are gathered into the New Jerusalem shown to John, our joy will be fully as great. The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 4:26 , “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” So in Jerusalem we shall be comforted. When the things the LORD has just told us come to pass, it will be a time of great rejoicing for those who tremble at His word. For then they will see how that He makes His power known to His servants, and His indignation to His enemies.

(Verses 15 through 18) For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens, behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD. For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come, and see My glory.

Here there appears to be a change in the direction and scope of this prophecy. Instead of being primarily concerned with Israel we come to His dealings with “all flesh.” Verses 15 and 16 seem to be addressing the same subject as II Thessalonians 1:7-8. This great work will be done with flames of fire, and will embrace all flesh, or rather the wicked of all flesh. “And the slain of the LORD shall be many.” He then tells us what sort of people they are who shall be slain. “They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse shall be consumed together saith the LORD.” In Chapter 65, verses 3 through 5, He has already spoken of these wicked ones. In their gardens is where they like to offer their sacrifices, and no wonder. For they are of things that are abominations to the LORD. They are always sanctifying and purifying themselves, so that they can tell others to stay away from them, as they declare their own holiness. They foolishly hide behind one tree in the midst of their garden, not realizing that when one is hidden behind one tree, he is open to view on three sides. And so far as the LORD is concerned, He is able to see him from any direction. While thus “hidden” they eat, or sacrifice, the abominable things mentioned. But they shall be consumed by those flames of fire mentioned in verse 15. For the LORD knows their thoughts in spite of their trying to hide. The LORD knows all their works and their thoughts. In the latter part of verse 18, he turns to a different subject. “It shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see My glory.” The punctuation of this sentence, as it is printed in our Bibles, seems to make this a continuation of the preceding verses. But we have to remember that in the Hebrew, just as in many ancient languages, there was no punctuation at all. And it is obvious that there is a complete break between the thought of this clause and that of the preceding verses. In fact, in this statement, the LORD drops back, chronologically, and speaks of something that He will do before the time of those earlier mentioned things. As we follow through what He continues to say, we shall see that this has to do with the time of the calling of His people from among the Gentiles. He will call upon all nations and tongues, and gather them that they may also see His glory. This great work began when Our LORD Jesus appeared on the scene, and will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

(Verses 19 through 21) And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem , saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. And I will also take of them for priests and Levites, saith the LORD.

This appears to be a description of the spreading of the gospel throughout the whole world, and its effect in calling forth those among all nations and tongues that the Spirit has called. Since all of God’s children, whether from the Israelites or the Gentiles are brethren, “they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations.” And those thus brought are as acceptable to the LORD as are the priests and Levites of Israel.

(Verses 22 through 24) For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I shall make, shall remain before Me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Obviously this is the LORD’S declaration that both the happiness of His redeemed, and the punishment of the wicked shall be eternal. Just as the new heavens and the new earth He has promised to make will remain before Him forever, so also shall His people, not only those of the Jews, but also from all flesh. For they shall continuously come before Him to worship Him, “from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another.” Verse 24 answers a question that is often asked. And the answer may not be what we want it to be. The question is, “Will the righteous in glory be aware of the suffering of the wicked in hell?” In Mark 9:43-48, our Lord says, “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Obviously this is the same place as that of which Isaiah writes in this verse. And the righteous shall go forth, and look upon this scene. And this scene shall be hated by all flesh. We can draw comfort from the fact that if we are among the righteous that shall look upon that scene, we will at that time be perfect, and as such we can rejoice that the enemies of God have thus been overcome, even though in our present condition that would not be possible.