ISAIAH CHAPTER 43 Promises to protect and enlarge the church, ISAIAH
43:1. God appealeth to them as witnesses of his power and knowledge,
ISAIAH 43:8. He foretelleth them the destruction of Babylon, and a new
deliverance of his people, ISAIAH 43:14; whose sins, ISAIAH 43:22,
against God's mercies, r... [ Continue Reading ]
Though I will chastise thee for thy sins, yet I will not suffer thine
enemies utterly to destroy thee: compare JEREMIAH 30:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
I GAVE EGYPT FOR THY RANSOM: this was fulfilled either,
1. When God smote the Egyptians, both first-born and others, in Egypt,
and drowned Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for the safety and
benefit of his people; or,
2. When the king of Assyria, either Sennacherib, as many think, or
rather Es... [ Continue Reading ]
SINCE THOU WAST PRECIOUS IN MY SIGHT, THOU HAST BEEN HONOURABLE, AND I
HAVE LOVED THEE: so the sense is, From that time that I chose time for
my precious and peculiar treasure and people, I have had a great
esteem and affection for thee. But the words may well be, and by some
are, rendered thus, _Si... [ Continue Reading ]
Although the Jews shall for their sins be carried captives out of
their own land northward and eastward into Babylon and the adjacent
countries, and others of them shall flee southward and westward, and
shall there pine away in their iniquities, as I threatened; yet their
posterity I will bring back... [ Continue Reading ]
GIVE UP; thou who hast so long had and held my people in bondage,
resign them to me, and permit them to return to their own land. He
speaks either to the countries themselves by a prosopopoeia, or to the
inhabitants of them. Bring my sons; do not only permit, but assist and
further, their return.... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN EVERY ONE THAT IS CALLED BY MY NAME: THEY ARE CALLED BY MY NAME;
I own them for my people and children; and therefore what kindness or
cruelty you exercise to them I take it as done to myself. So it is an
argument to move those people to let their captives go; or it is an
argument to confirm th... [ Continue Reading ]
The sense is either,
1. Bring out of captivity my people who were blind and deaf, but now
have their eyes and cars opened by my grace. So this verse relates to
the foregoing passages. Or rather,
2. O ye idolatrous Gentiles, produce and bring forth your false gods,
which have eyes, but see not; and... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THE PEOPLE BE ASSEMBLED, to plead the cause of their idols with
me. WHO AMONG THEM CAN DECLARE THIS? this wonderful work of mine in
bringing my people out of captivity, which I have already foretold,
and shall further declare; and that so exactly, that I shall name the
person by whom this work s... [ Continue Reading ]
YE ARE MY WITNESSES; they can produce no witnesses for themselves, but
you my people are able to witness for me, that I have given you many
plain demonstrations of my certain foreknowledge of future events, by
my predictions and promises delivered to you from time to time. MY
SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHO... [ Continue Reading ]
That can and doth save his worshippers: whereby he implies that the
false gods were not only weak, and unable to save their people, but
also were the destroyers of their people, as being the great cause of
their ruin.... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE DECLARED, AND HAVE SAVED; I first foretold your deliverance,
and then effected it. I HAVE SHOWED; I foretold it. This branch he
repeated, because this is the principal argument used here, and ISA
41, to determine this controversy between God and idols. WHEN THERE
WAS NO STRANGE GOD AMONG YOU;... [ Continue Reading ]
BEFORE THE DAY WAS; before all time; or, which is all one, from all
eternity: or, _since the day was_; since the beginning of time and
things, in all ages since the creation of the world. I AM HE; I am
God, and I have proved myself to be so. THERE IS NONE, none of those
which are called gods, _that... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE SENT TO BABYLON; I have sent Cyrus, and the Medes and Persians
with him, to war against Babylon, to this very end and purpose, that
he might deliver you out of captivity, and restore you to your land
according to promise. HAVE BROUGHT DOWN from that height of power and
glory to which they wer... [ Continue Reading ]
YOUR HOLY ONE; THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, as he frequently styleth
himself, who sanctify and glorify myself in this and such other
glorious works, with respect to you, or for your benefit.... [ Continue Reading ]
Who as he formerly made a pathway for his people through the Red Sea,
so he will in no less wonderful manner remove all impediments or
difficulties out of the way of his people, when they return from
Babylon.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH BRINGETH FORTH THE CHARIOT AND HORSE, THE ARMY AND THE POWER; or
rather, _Who brought forth the chariots_, &c., i.e. Pharaoh, and his
chariots, and homes, and army; as may be gathered from the next verse,
where the things here mentioned are called _former things, and things
of old_. _They shal... [ Continue Reading ]
But although your former deliverance out of Egypt was in itself a most
glorious work, which you ought always to remember and consider; yet
this other work of your deliverance out of Babylon by Cyrus, and those
blessings which shall follow upon it, and particularly that
inestimable mercy of sending t... [ Continue Reading ]
A NEW THING; such a work as was never yet done in the world, even the
redemption of the world by the Messiah. NOW; shortly, although it was
not to be done till after some hundreds of years. For so the Scripture
oft speaketh of things at a great distance of time as if they were now
at hand, as HAGGAI... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BEAST OF THE FIELD SHALL HONOUR ME; shall have cause, if they had
abilities, to honour and praise me for their share in this mercy.
Possibly _the beast of the field_ may mystically signify the Gentiles,
whom the Jews reputed as beasts, and who were as destitute of all
saving knowledge as the bea... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS PEOPLE; my people, as he now called them, ISAIAH 43:20:
consisting in part of the Jews, but especially of the Gentiles; HAVE I
FORMED FOR MYSELF; THEY SHALL SHOW FORTH MY PRAISE; I have created as
it were out of nothing, I have called them into my church, that I
might have glory and praise from... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT; or, _for_, as this conjunction is oft used. So this may be added
as a reason why God called the Gentiles to be his people, because the
Jews forsook him. THOU HAST NOT CALLED UPON ME; thou hast grossly
neglected or very slightly performed the duties of my worship. THOU
HAST BEEN WEARY OF ME; tho... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU HAST NOT BROUGHT ME THE SMALL CATTLE OF THY BURNT OFFERINGS;
either,
1. Because thou didst not offer thy sacrifices to me, but to idols. Or
rather,
2. Because what thou didst offer was not done to me, not for my sake,
not from a principle of love and obedience to me, not to please and
honour m... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU HAST BOUGHT ME NO SWEET CANE; or, calamus, as this word is
rendered, EXODUS 30:23, which was used in the making of that precious
ointment, EXODUS 30:34, and as a perfume, or for the incense, EXODUS
30:7: see JEREMIAH 6:20. The meaning of this clause seems to be this,
Thou hast been niggardly in... [ Continue Reading ]
I, EVEN I; I whom thou hast thus despised, and wearied, and provoked
to destroy thee. THAT BLOTTETH OUT THY TRANSGRESSIONS OUT OF MY BOOK,
in which they were all written, and to be lead unto thee and charged
upon thee another day. See JEREMIAH 17:1 REVELATION 20:12. Sins are
oft compared to debts, M... [ Continue Reading ]
PUT ME IN REMEMBRANCE: I remember nothing by which thou hast deserved
my favour and the pardon of thy sins; if thou knowest any such thing,
bring it to my mind, I allow thee free liberty to plead with me, as it
follows; and if thou hast right on thy side, I will justify thee. It
is an ironical speec... [ Continue Reading ]
THY FIRST FATHER; either,
1. Adam, from whom the guilt and filth of sin is propagated to thee;
or rather,
2. Abraham, who might well be called the _first father_ of the
Israelites, because they all descended from him, had all their right
and title to God's ordinances and promises, and other special... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE PROFANED; as they have made themselves profane, so I have dealt
with them as such, without any regard to the sacredness and dignity of
their functions. I have exposed them to contempt and destruction. THE
PRINCES OF THE SANCTUARY; the highest and best of your priests, whose
persons were most... [ Continue Reading ]