ISAIAH
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Isaiah 24:1-27:13 |
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| Section one: | Judgment | Isaiah Chapters 24 - 23 | ||
| Section two: | Mercy | Isaiah Chapters 25 - 27 | ||
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It is thoroughly characteristic of Isaiah, that the commencement of this prophecy, like Isa 19:1, places us at once in the very midst of the catastrophe, and condenses the contents of the subsequent picture of judgment into a few rapid, vigorous, vivid, and comprehensive clauses
Behold
The question, whether the prophet is speaking of a past or future
judgment, which is one of importance to the interpretation of
the whole, is answered by the fact that with Isaiah "hinneeh"
(behold) always refers to something future (Isa
3:1; 17:1;
19:1, etc.).
And it is only in his case, that we do meet with prophecies commencing so
immediately with hinneeh.
Those in Jeremiah, which approach this, the most nearly (viz., Jer
47:2; 49:35, cf., Isa 51:1, and Ezek 29:3) do indeed commence with hinneeh,
but not without being preceded by an introductory formula.
The opening "behold" corresponds to the confirmatory "for Jehovah has spoken" (vs 3), which is always employed by Isaiah at the close of statements with regard to the future.
As with ... so with
This does not mean in moral character, but in destiny.
It does not mean that the character of the priest would have any influence
on that of the people, or that because the one was corrupt the other would
be.
It means that
| all would be involved in the same calamity there would be no favored class that would escape |
The prophet, therefore, enumerates the various ranks of the people, and shows
that all classes would be involved in the impending calamity.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by
Biblesoft)
It is a judgment which embraces all, without distinction of rank
and condition; and it is a universal one, not merely throughout the
whole of the land of Israel, but in all the earth;
for as Arndt correctly observes, haa'aarets (OT:776)
signifies "the earth" in this passage, including the
ethical New Testament idea of
"the world" (cosmos).
From the NKJV
|
The world
"The world" (teebeel) is used here in verse 4 (always in the form
of a proper name, and without the article), as a parallel to "the earth" (hâ'âretz), with which it alternates throughout this cycle of prophecies. It is used
poetically to signify the globe, and that without limitation (even in
Isa 13:11); and therefore
"the earth" is also to be understood here in its most
comprehensive sense.
The earth is sunk in mourning, and has become like a faded plant, withered up with heat; the high ones of the people of the earth is used, as in Isa 42:5; 40:7, to signify humanity, i.e., man generally).
Languishes
'umªlaaluw (OT:535) - stands in half pause, which throws the
subjective notion that follows into greater prominence.
Is defiled
It is the punishment of the inhabitants of the earth, which the earth has to
share, because it has shared in the wickedness of those who live upon it:
chânaph (defiled) signifies
| to be degenerate, to have decided for what is evil (Isa 9:16), to be wicked |
| Psalm 106:38 And shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. (NKJV) |
| Numbers 35:33 Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. (NIV) |
| Jeremiah 3:9 Because Israel's immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. (NIV) |
defiled under its inhabitants
Because they have:
| Transgressed the Laws | Of God |
| Changed the Ordinance | Of God |
| Broken the Everlasting Covenant | With God |
The wicked conduct of men, which has caused the earth also to become defiled,
is described in three short, rapid, involuntarily excited sentences.
Understanding "the earth" as we do in a general sense, "the law" cannot signify
merely the positive law of Israel. The Gentile world had also a torâh or divine
teaching within, which contained an abundance of divine directions (toorooth).
They also had a law written in their hearts; and it was with the whole human race that God concluded a covenant in the person of Noah, at a time when the nations had none of them come into existence at all.
| Romans 2:12-16 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. (NKJV) |
Therefore the curse
With the expression
"therefore" the prophecy moves on from sin to
punishment, just as in
Isa 5:25, 'aalaah (OT:423) is the
curse of God denounced against the transgressors of His law
(Dan 9:11; compare Jer 23:10). The curse of God devours, for
it is fire, and that from within outwards.
| Daniel 9:11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. (NIV) |
| Jeremiah 23:10 The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies parched and the pastures in the desert are withered. (NIV) |
Our Covenant With God Through Noah.
The Covenant Established
| Genesis 9:8-9 (8) Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, (9) Behold, I establish My covenant or pledge with you and with your descendants after you. (AMP) |
The Token of the Covenant
| Genesis 9:11-15 (11) I will establish My covenant or pledge with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood; neither shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth and make it corrupt. (12) And God said, This is the token of the covenant (solemn pledge) which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: (13) I set My bow [rainbow] in the cloud, and it shall be a token or sign of a covenant or solemn pledge between Me and the earth. (14) And it shall be that when I bring clouds over the earth and the bow [rainbow] is seen in the clouds, (15) I will [earnestly] remember My covenant or solemn pledge which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy and make all flesh corrupt. (AMP) |
The Covenant Itself
| Genesis 9:3-7 (3) Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green vegetables and plants, I give you everything. (4) But you shall not eat flesh with the life of it, which is its blood. (5) And surely for your lifeblood I will require an accounting; from every beast I will require it; and from man, from every man [who spills another's lifeblood] I will require a reckoning. (6) Whoever sheds man's blood; shall man shed his blood; for in the image of God He made man. (7) And you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply on it. |
And as far as I know, this covenant is still in force.
Paul the Learner.
From the NKJV
|
City of confusion
Keil & Delitzsch offer:
The world with its pleasure is judged.
The world's city is also judged, in which
both the world's power and the world's pleasure were concentrated.
The central city of the world as estranged from God; and it is here
designated according to its end, which end will be tohu (confusion),
even as its nature was confusion.
Its true nature was the breaking up of the harmony of all divine order; and so
its end will be the breaking up of its own standing, and a hurling back, as it
were, into the chaos of its primeval beginning.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
Barnes says:
That Jerusalem is here intended there can be no doubt.
The name 'city of confusion' is probably given to it by
anticipation of what it would be; that is, as it appeared in
prophetic vision to Isaiah. He gave to it a name that would describe its
state when these calamities should have come upon it.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
According to JFB:
The city of confusion - what apostate Jerusalem and the world - city,
spiritual Babylon, apostate Christendom, would be: by
anticipation it is called so.
Babel means confusion: the apostate Church, which is spiritual
Babylon, is therefore rightly called "The city of confusion,"
or "emptiness," as the Hebrew, tohu, means.
| Of the literal Babylon, | saith, the Lord "shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness:" |
| Of the spiritual Babylon, | the city of the world, the Lord (Jer 4:23) pronounces the doom, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form (confusion or emptiness) and void." |
(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
It is God that brings all these calamities upon the
earth.
The Lord that made the earth, and made it fruitful and beautiful,
for the service and comfort of man, now makes it empty and waste,
for its Creator is and will be its Judge>
He has an incontestable right to pass sentence upon it and an irresistible power
to execute that sentence.
It is the Lord that has spoken this word, and he will do the work.
It is his curse that has devoured the earth, the general curse which sin
brought upon the ground for man's sake (Gen 3:17), and all the particular
curses which families and countries bring upon themselves by their
enormous wickedness. See the power of God's curse, how it makes all
empty and lays all waste; those whom he curses are cursed indeed.
| Genesis 3:17-19 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
|
From the NKJV
|
They shall lift up their voice
There is now a church, there refined by the judgment, and rejoicing in its
apostolic calling to the whole world. The ground and subject of the rejoicing is "the
majesty of Jehovah," i.e., the fact that Jehovah had shown Himself so majestic
in judgment and mercy (Isa 12:5-6), and was now so manifest in His glory (Isa.
2:11, 17).
From the sea
Therefore rejoicing was heard "from the sea" (the
Mediterranean).
Turning in that direction, it
had the islands and coast lands of the European West in front, and at
its back the lands of the Asiatic East, which are called 'urim,
the lands of
light, i.e., of the sun-rising.
His "name" is His nature as
revealed and made "nameable" in judgment and mercy.
From the isles and coasts of the Mediterranean where they would have
escaped, and where they would find a refuge. No doubt many of
the inhabitants adjacent to the sea, when they found the land invaded,
would betake themselves to the neighboring islands, and find safety there
until the danger should be overpast.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
Glorify ye the Lord
The prophet calls upon the people to join in the praise of Yahweh
wherever they are scattered.
In the previous verse he describes the scattered few who were left in the land,
or who had escaped to the adjacent islands in the sea, as celebrating the
praises of God where they were.
Now he calls on all to join in this wherever they were scattered.
The Remnant
Here is mercy remembered in the midst of wrath. In Judah and Jerusalem, and the neighboring countries, when they are overrun by the enemy, Sennacherib or Nebuchadnezzar, there shall be a remnant preserved from the general ruin, and it shall be a devout and pious remnant.
| I. | v. 13 | The small number of this remnant
|
| II. | v. 14 | The great devotion of this remnant | ||||||||||
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| III. | v. 15 | The holy zeal of this remnant
|
(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
Psalm 66:12-20
| You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.
I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you — vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble. I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (NIV) |
From the NKJV
|
We have heard songs
Songs to God come in together to Palestine from distant lands, as a grand
chorus.
When God begins to execute His judgments on the apostate world, the
faithful remnant who survive amidst the persecutions glorify the God of
Israel in anticipation of His approaching intervention for them.
Compare Luke 21:28, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up
and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near."
Adam Clarke suggests verse 16 is speaking of total destruction:
The prophet speaks in the person of the inhabitants of the land
still remaining there, who should be pursued by divine vengeance,
and suffer repeated distresses from the inroads and depredations of their
powerful enemies. Agreeably to what he said before in a general
denunciation of these calamities: Isaiah 6:13 "Though there be a tenth part
remaining in it; even this shall undergo a repeated destruction."
(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by
Biblesoft)
The prophet all at once becomes aware of the sufferings which will have first
of all to be overcome, and which he cannot look upon without sharing
the suffering himself.
The expression "Then I
said" stands here in the same apocalyptic connection as in Rev
7:14, for example.
| Revelations 7:14 I replied, Sir, you know. And he said to me, these are they who have come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. [Gen 49:11; Dan 12:1.] (AMP) |
But I said
He said it at that time in a state of ecstasy; so that when he committed to
writing what he had seen, the saying was a thing of the past.
The final
salvation follows a final judgment;
and looking back upon the latter, he bursts
out into the exclamation of pain: râzii-lii, consumption, passing away,
to me
(see Isa 10:16; 17:4), i.e., I must perish (râzi).
Fear and the pit
The exclamation, "Fear and the pit," etc. (which Jeremiah applies in Jer 48:43-44, to the destruction of Moab
by the Chaldeans "Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you"), is not an invocation, but simply a deeply agitated utterance
of what is inevitable.
They who should flee as soon as the horrible news arrived would not escape destruction, but would become victims to one form if not to another (the same thought which we find expressed twice in Amos 5:19, and still more fully in Isa 9:1-4, as well as in a more dreadfully exalted tone).
| Amos 5:19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! (NKJV) |
Windows from on high are open
The idea that the
judgment is a direct act of Jehovah stands in the foreground and governs the
whole.
For this reason it is described as a repetition of the flood (for the
opened windows or trap-doors of the firmament, which let the great bodies of water above them come down from on high upon the earth, point back to Gen 7:11
and 8:2, cf., Ps 78:23); and this indirectly implies its universality.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
The earth is violently broken
It is also described as an earthquake.
"The foundations of the earth" are the
internal supports upon which the visible crust of the earth rests.
The way in
which the earth in its quaking first breaks, then bursts, and then falls, is
painted for the ear by the three reflective forms in v. 19, which keep each stage in the process of the catastrophe vividly
before the mind.
The threefold play upon the words would be tame, if the words themselves
formed an anti-climax.
The earth first of all
| receives rents; then gaping wide, it bursts asunder; and finally sways to and fro once more, and falls. It is no longer possible for it to keep upright. Its wickedness presses it down like a burden, so that it now reels for the last time like a drunken man, until it falls never to rise again. |
From the NKJV
|
But if the old earth passes away in this manner out of the system of the universe, the punishment of God must fall at the same time both upon the princes of heaven and upon the princes of earth (the prophet does not arrange what belongs to the end of all things in a "chronological" manner).
The host of exalted ones
There have been various interpretations of this expression.
| Jerome | understands it of the host of heaven And thinks it refers to the fact that in the day of judgment God will judge not only earthly things but celestial, and especially the sun and moon and stars, as having 'been the objects of idolatrous worship (see Deut 4:19; Dan 8:10; 11:13). Compare Ps 18:17; Jer 25:30, where the words 'on high' are used to denote heaven. |
| Aben Ezra | supposes that by the phrase is meant angels, who preside over the governors and kings of the earth, in accordance with the ancient opinion that each kingdom was under the tutelage of guardian angels. |
| Rosenmuller | says that the beings thus referred to were evil spirits or demons to whom the kingdoms of the world were subject. |
| Grotius | suggests that the reference is to the images of the sun, moon, and stars, which were erected in high places, and worshipped by the Assyrians. |
| Keil & Delitzsch | offer the following: the host on high
will refer to the angels of the nations and kingdoms; and the
prophecy here presupposes what is affirmed in Deut 32:8 (LXX),
and sustained in the book of Daniel, when it speaks of a sar of Persia, Javan,
and even the people of Israel. In accordance with this exposition, there is a
rabbinical saying, to the effect that "God never destroys a nation without
having first of all destroyed its prince," i.e., the angel who, by whatever
means he first obtained possession of the nation, whether by the will of God or
against His will, has exerted an ungodly influence upon it.
Just as, according to the scriptural view, both good and evil angels attach themselves to particular men, and an elevated state of mind may sometimes afford a glimpse of this encircling company and this conflict of spirits; so do angels contend for the rule over nations and kingdoms, either to guide them in the way of God or to lead them astray from God; and therefore the judgment upon the nations which the prophet here foretells will be a judgment upon angels also. The kingdom of spirits has its own history running parallel to the destinies of men. |
| Barnes | thinks that the reference is probably to those who occupied places of power and trust in the ecclesiastical arrangement of Judea, the high priest and priests, who exercised a vast dominion over the nation, and who, in many respects, were regarded as elevated even over the kings and princes of the land. The comparison of rulers with the sun, moon, and stars, is common in the Scriptures; and this comparison was supposed especially to befit ecclesiastical rulers, who were regarded as in a particular manner the lights of the nation. |
| PRAISE TO GOD |
The Fourfold Melodious Echo
Ch. 25:1-27:6
| First Echo | (25:1-8) | Salvation of the Nations after the Fall of the Imperial City |
| Second Echo | (25:9-12) | The Humiliation of Moab |
| Third Echo | (26:1-21) | Israel Brought Back, or Raised from the Dead |
| Fourth Echo | (27:2-6) | The Fruit-Bearing Vineyard under the Protection of Jehovah |
From the NKJV
|
The First Echo:
Salvation of the Nations after the Fall of the Imperial City
25:1-8
There is not merely reflected glory, but reflected sound as well.
The melodious
echoes commence with Isa 25:1. The prophet, transported to the end of the
days, commemorates what he has seen in psalms and songs. These psalms and songs
not only repeat what has already been predicted; but, sinking into it, and
drawing out of it, they partly expand it themselves, and partly prepare the way
for its further extension.
The first echo is Isa 25:1-8. The prophet, whom we already know as a psalmist from ch. 12, now acts as choral leader of the church of the future, and praises Jehovah for having destroyed the mighty imperial city, and proved Himself a defense and shield against its tyranny towards His oppressed church.
The introductory clause is to be understood as in Ps 118:28: Jehovah (voc.), my God art Thou.
"You have
wrought wonders:" this is taken from Ex 15:11 - "Who is like
You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"
The wonders which are now actually wrought are "counsels
from afar" (meerâchook), counsels already adopted afar off, i.e., long before, thoughts of
God belonging to the olden time. It is the manifold "counsel" of the Holy One of Israel that
displays its wonders in the events of time.
What He has executed is the realization of His faithfulness, and the reality of His promises.
The imperial city is destroyed. Jehovah, as the first clause, has removed it away from the nature of a
city into the condition of a heap of stones. The sentence has its object within
itself, and merely gives prominence to the change that has been effected.
The
fall of the imperial kingdom is followed by the conversion of the heathen; the
songs proceed from the mouths of the remotest nations.
Verse 3 runs parallel with Rev 15:3-4. Nations hitherto rude and passionate now submit to Jehovah with decorous reverence, and those that were previously oppressive with humble fear.
| Revelations 15:3-4 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested." (NKJV) |
dal (OT:1800) and 'ebªyown (OT:34) are names well known from the Psalms, as applying to the church when oppressed. To this church, in the distress which she had endured (low (OT:3807 a ) batsar (OT:6862), Jehovah had proved Himself
| a strong castle (mâ'ooz), a shelter from storm and a shade from heat |
and this strong castle was Jehovah Himself.
As Jehovah can suddenly subdue the heat of the sun in dryness (tzâyoon, abstract for concrete), and it must give way when He brings up a shady thicket, namely of clouds, so did He suddenly subdue the thundering (shâ'on) of the hordes that stormed against His people; and the song of triumph (zâmiir) of the tyrants, which passed over the world like a scorching heat, was soon "brought low" ('ânâh, in its neuter radical signification "to bend," related to kaana` (OT:3665)).
From the NKJV
|
This mountain
"This mountain" is Zion, the seat of God's
presence, and the place of His church's worship.
The feast is therefore a
spiritual one.
The figure is taken, as in Ps 22:27, from the sacrificial
meals connected with the shelâmim (the peace-offerings).
| Psalm 22:27-28 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. (NIV) |
Feast of wines
Shemârim mezukkâkim are
wines which have been left to stand upon their lees after the first fermentation
is over, which have thus thoroughly fermented, and have been kept a long time (from
shâmar, to keep, spec. to allow to ferment), and which are then filtered
before drinking, hence
| wine both strong and clear |
Full of marrow
Memuchâyiim - to grease or make fat
The meaning is
therefore "mixed with marrow," made marrowy.
The thing symbolized in
this way is the full enjoyment of blessedness in the perfected kingdom of God.
The heathen are not only humbled so that they submit to Jehovah, but they also
| take part in the blessedness of His church, |
| and are abundantly satisfied with the good things of His house, |
| and made to drink of pleasure as from a river. |
The ring of the verse is inimitably pictorial.
It is like joyful music to
the heavenly feast.
The more flexible form is intentionally chosen in the place
of mªmuchiym.
It is as if we heard stringed instruments played with the most
rapid movement of the bow.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
From the NKJV
|
Although the feast is one earth, it is on an earth which has been transformed into heaven; for the party wall between God and the world has fallen down: death is no more, and all tears are for ever wiped away.
What Jehovah bestows is followed by
what He puts away.
The "veil" and "covering" are not symbols of mourning and affliction, but of spiritual blindness, like the "veil" upon the
heart of Israel mentioned in 2 Cor 3:15 (Even to this day when Moses is
read, a veil covers their hearts.)
The penee halloot (surface of the covering) is
the upper side of the veil, the side turned towards you, by which Jehovah takes
hold of the veil to lift it up.
The veil that is spread
The second halloot stands for halaaT, and is written in this
form, according to Isaiah's peculiar style,
merely for the sake of the sound - a play on words.
The only difference between the two nouns is this:
| halloot | covering | the leading idea is that of the completeness of the covering |
| masseecâh | veil | the leading idea is that of the its thickness |
| Totally covered - nothing outside of the covering Totally hidden - nothing visible through the covering |
Swallow up
death
The removing of the veil, as well as of death, is called bila`
(OT:1104).
Swallowing up is used elsewhere as equivalent to making a thing
disappear, by taking it into one's self; but here, as in many other instances,
t he notion of receiving into one's self is dropped, and nothing remains but the
idea of taking away, unless, indeed, abolishing of death may perhaps be regarded
as taking it back into what hell shows to be the eternal principle of wrath out
of which God called it forth.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
God will abolish death, so that there shall be no trace left of its former sway.
Paul gives a free rendering of this passage in 1 Cor 15:54
| 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV) |
The Syriac combines
both ideas, that of the Targum and that of Paul.
But the abolition of death is
not in itself the perfection of blessedness.
There are sufferings that force out
a sigh, even after death has come as deliverance. But all these sufferings,
whose ultimate ground is sin, Jehovah sweeps away.
All tears
There is something very
significant in the use of the expression dimª`aah (OT:1832) (a tear), which the
Apocalypse renders pa'n (NT:3956) da'kruon (NT:1144) (Rev 21:4).
Wherever there
is a tear on any face whatever, Jehovah wipes it away; and if Jehovah wipes
away, this must be done most thoroughly:
| He removes the cause along with the outward
symptom, the sin as well as the tear. |
It is self-evident that this applies to
the church triumphant. The world has been judged, and what was salvable has been
saved. There is therefore no more shame for the people of God.
Over the whole
earth there is no further place to be found for this; Jehovah has taken it away.
The earth is therefore a holy dwelling-place for blessed men.
The New Jerusalem
is Jehovah's throne, but the whole earth is Jehovah's glorious kingdom.
The
prophet is here looking from just the same point of view as Paul in 1 Cor 15:28,
and John in the last page of the Apocalypse.
| Revelations 7:17 For the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to the springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (AMP) |
| Revelations 21:4 God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away. (AMP) |
| 1 Corinthians 15:54 And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory. (AMP) |
From the NKJV
|
The Second Echo:
The Humiliation of Moab
25:9-12
After this prophetic section, which follows the
first melodious echo like an
interpolated recitative, the song of praise begins again; but it is soon
deflected into the tone of prophecy.
The shame of the people of God, mentioned
in verse. 8, recalls to mind the special enemies of the church in its immediate
neighborhood, who could not tyrannize over it indeed, like the empire of the
world, but who nevertheless scoffed at it and persecuted it.
The representative
and emblem of these foes are the proud and boasting Moab.
All such attempts as that of Knobel to turn this into history are but so much
lost trouble.
Moab is a mystic name. It is the prediction of the humiliation of
Moab in this spiritual sense, for which the second echo opens the way by
celebrating Jehovah's appearing.
Jehovah is now in His manifested presence the
conqueror of death, the drier of tears, the savior of the honor of His
oppressed church.
It will be said
The undefined but self-evident subject to v'âmar
("they say") is the church of the last days.
"Behold:" hinneeh and zeh (behold, this) belong to
one another, as in Isa 21:9.
The waiting may be understood as implying a
retrospective glance at all the remote past, even as far back as Jacob's saying,
"I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah" (Gen 49:18).
This is the Lord
This is Yahweh. It is Yahweh that has brought this deliverance. None
but he could do it.
The plan of redeeming mercy comes from him, and to him is to be traced all
the benefits which it confers on man.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
| Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace or unmerited favor and supplication. And they shall look [earnestly] upon Me Whom they have pierced. (AMP) |
| John 19:36-37 For these things took place, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (verified, carried out), Not one of His bones shall be broken. And again another Scripture says, They shall look on Him Whom they have pierced. (AMP) |
| Revelations 1:5-7 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. (AMP) |
From the NKJV
|
In the land of promise there is rejoicing, but on the other side of the Jordan
there is fear of ruin.
Two contrasted pictures are placed here side by side.
| Upon Zion Jehovah descends in mercy |
The Jordan is the same as the "great gulf" in the parable of the rich man. |
Upon the highlands of Moab He descends in His wrath. |
Jehovah brings down His hand upon Zion, not only to shelter, but also to avenge.
| Israel, that has been despised, He now makes glorious For contemptuous Moab He prepares a shameful end. |
In the place where it now is, "in its own place," (its own land) Moab is threshed down, stamped or trodden down, as straw is trodden down into a dung-pit to turn it into manure. Since madmeenâh (refuse), by itself, means the dunghill, and not the tank of dung water
A man cannot swim in a manure pond; but Moab attempts it, though without
success, for Jehovah presses down the pride of Moab in spite of its artifices
like the Arabic urbe, irbe, cleverness, wit, sharpness), i.e., the skilful and
cunning movement of its hands.
Hitzig renders it "machinations," i.e., twisting and turnings,
which Moab makes with its arms, for the purpose of keeping itself up in the
water.
What verse 11 affirms in figure, verse 12 illustrates without any figure.
As the text stands, we are evidently to
understand by it the strong and lofty walls of the cities of Moab in general.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
The Blessings of the Gospel
Here we find:
| I | (v. 9) | The welcome which the church shall give to
these promised blessings
|
| II | (v. 10-12) | A prospect of further blessings for the
securing and perpetuating of these
|
There is no fortress impregnable to Omnipotence, no fort so high but the arm of the Lord can overtop it and bring it down. This destruction of Moab is typical of
Christ's victory over death (spoken of verse 8)
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His spoiling principalities and powers in his cross
(Colossians 2:15),
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His pulling down Satan's strong-holds by the preaching of
his gospel (2 Corinthians 10:4)
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His reigning till all his enemies be made his footstool
(Psalm 110:1)
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| LESSON 11 FROM THE AMPLIFIED VERSION |
Isaiah 24:1 - 25:12 - from the Amplified Version
24:1 BEHOLD, THE Lord will make the land and the earth empty and
make it waste and turn it upside down (twist the face of it) and scatter abroad
its inhabitants.
(2) And it shall be--as [what happens] with the people, so with the priest; as
with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as
with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as
with the creditor, so with the debtor.
(3) The land and the earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly pillaged; for
the Lord has said this.
(4) The land and the earth mourn and wither, the world languishes and withers, the
high ones of the people [and the heavens with the earth] languish.
(5) The land and the earth also are defiled by their inhabitants, because they
have transgressed the laws, disregarded the statutes, and broken the everlasting
covenant. [Gen 9:1-17; Deut 29:20.]
(6) Therefore a curse devours the land and the earth, and they who dwell in it
suffer the punishment of their guilt. Therefore the inhabitants of the land and
the earth are scorched and parched [under the curse of God's wrath], and few
people are left. [Rom 1:20.]
(7) The new wine mourns, the vine languishes; all the merrymakers sigh.
(8) The mirth of the timbrels is stilled; the noise of those who rejoice ends, the
joy of the lyre is stopped.
(9) No more will they drink wine with a song; strong drink will be bitter to those
who drink it.
(10) The wasted city of emptiness and confusion is broken down; every house is
shut up so that no one may enter.
(11) There is crying in the streets for wine; all joy is darkened, the mirth of
the land is banished and gone into captivity.
(12) In the city is left desolation, and its gate is battered and destroyed.
(13) For so shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the
shaking and beating of an olive tree, or as the gleaning when the vintage is
done [and only a small amount of the fruit remains].
(14) [But] these [who have escaped and remain] lift up their voices, they shout;
for the majesty of the Lord they cry aloud from the [Mediterranean] Sea.
(15) Wherefore glorify the Lord in the east [whether in the region of daybreak's
lights and fires, or in the west]; [glorify] the name of the Lord, the God of
Israel in the isles and coasts of the [Mediterranean] Sea.
(16) From the uttermost parts of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the
Righteous one [and to the people of Israel]! But I say, emaciated I pine away, I
pine away. Woe is me! The treacherous dealers deal treacherously! Yes, the
treacherous dealers deal very treacherously.
(17) Terror and pit [of destruction] and snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the
earth!
(18) And he who flees at the noise of the terror will fall into the pit; and he
who comes up out of the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of the
heavens are opened [as in the deluge], and the foundations of the earth tremble
and shake. See Page 4 Gen. 9:11 Never again. Possibly a figure of speech?
(19) The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, and the earth is
shaken violently.
(20) The earth shall stagger like a drunken man and shall sway to and fro like a
hammock; its transgression shall lie heavily upon it, and it shall fall and not
rise again.
(21) And in that day the Lord will visit and punish the host of the high ones on
high [the host of heaven in heaven, celestial beings] and the kings of the earth
on the earth. [1 Cor 15:25; Eph 3:10; 6:12.]
(22) And they will be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in a pit or
dungeon; they will be shut up in prison, and after many days they will be
visited, inspected, and punished or pardoned. [Zech 9:11,12; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude
6.]
(23) Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, when [they compare
their ineffectual fire to the light of] the Lord of hosts, Who will reign on
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders will show forth His glory.
25:1 O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You
have done wonderful things, even purposes planned of old [and fulfilled] in
faithfulness and truth.
(2) For You have made a city a heap, a fortified city a ruin, a palace of aliens
without a city [is no more a city]; it will never be rebuilt.
(3) Therefore [many] a strong people will glorify You, [many] a city of terrible
and ruthless nations will [reverently] fear You.
(4) For You have been a stronghold for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in his
distress, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the
ruthless ones is like a rainstorm against a wall.
(5) As the heat in a dry land [is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so] You will
bring down the noise of aliens [exultant over their enemies]; and as the heat is
brought low by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless ones is
brought low.
(6) And on this Mount [Zion] shall the Lord of hosts make for all peoples a feast
of rich things [symbolic of His coronation festival inaugurating the reign of
the Lord on earth, in the wake of a background of gloom, judgment, and terror],
a feast of wines on the lees--of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees
well refined.
(7) And He will destroy on this mountain the covering of the face that is cast
over the heads of all peoples [in mourning], and the veil [of profound
wretchedness] that is woven and spread over all nations.
(8) He will swallow up death [in victory; He will abolish death forever]. And the
Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the reproach of His people He
will take away from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it. [1 Cor
15:26,54; 2 Tim 1:10.]
(9) It shall be said in that day, Behold our God upon Whom we have waited and
hoped, that He might save us! This is the Lord, we have waited for Him; we will
be glad and rejoice in His salvation.
(10) For the hand of the Lord shall rest on this Mount [Zion], and Moab shall be
threshed and trodden down in his place as straw is trodden down in the [filthy]
water of a [primitive] cesspit.
(11) And though [Moab] stretches forth his hands in the midst of [the filthy
water] as a swimmer stretches out his hands to swim, the Lord will bring down
[Moab's] pride in spite of the skillfulness of his hands and together with the
spoils of his hands.
(12) And the high fortifications of your walls [the Lord] will bring down, lay
low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
(End of Lesson 11)
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Second Covenant |
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