ISAIAH CHAPTER 54 The blessings and fulness of the gospel church, ISAIAH 54:1; the Gentiles becoming Christ's spouse; to whom his love is everlasting, ISAIAH 54:4. Her glories, ISAIAH 54:11,12. The gifts of the Holy Ghost, ISAIAH 54:13. Her sure preservation, ISAIAH 54:14. SING, O BARREN. The prophe... [ Continue Reading ]
ENLARGE THE PLACE OF THY TENT, that it may be capable of the Gentiles, which shall flock to thee in great numbers, and desire to associate themselves with thee. LET THEM, those to whom that work belongs, stretch forth. The meaning is, they must and shall be stretched out. LENGTHEN THY CORDS, AND STR... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT BREAK FORTH; thou shalt bring forth a multitude of children; for this word is commonly used of any great and extraordinary propagation of living creatures, whether beasts or men, GENESIS 30:30 EXODUS 1:12. ON THE RIGHT HAND AND ON THE LEFT; on every side, in all the parts of the world. TH... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT NOT BE ASHAMED for that barrenness and widowhood, which once was the matter of thy grief and shame, because now thou shalt be delivered from it, and God will own thee for his wife, and beget children of thee; as it is explained in the following words. THOU SHALT FORGET THE SHAME OF THY YO... [ Continue Reading ]
THY MAKER; he who made thee out of nothing, and therefore can easily fulfil all these promises, how unlikely soever they seem to be; and he who made thee a people, and, which is far more and better, his people, and therefore will not easily nor utterly forsake thee. IS THINE HUSBAND; he will own the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD HATH CALLED THEE, to return and come again to him. _As a woman forsaken_; when thou wast like a woman forsaken. Or, as a husband recalleth his wife. Forsaken by her husband, who hath given her a bill of divorce. GRIEVED IN SPIRIT, for the loss of her husband's flavour and society, and for t... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR A SMALL MOMENT; for the space of some few years, as seventy years in Babylon, and some such intervals, which may well be called a small moment in comparison of God's everlasting kindness mentioned in the next verse. FORSAKEN THEE; withdrawn my favour and help from thee, and left thee in thine en... [ Continue Reading ]
I HID MY FACE; I removed the means and pledges of my presence and kindness. WITH EVERLASTING KINDNESS; with kindness to thee and thy seed through all succeeding generations, here and unto all eternity.... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS AS THE WATERS OF NOAH UNTO ME; this covenant of grace and peace made with thee shall be as certain and perpetual as that which I made with Noah, that there should never be another flood of waters to drown the world; of which see GENESIS 9:11. WOULD NOT BE WROTH WITH THEE, to wit, so as I hav... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MOUNTAINS SHALL DEPART, AND THE HILLS BE REMOVED; which hath been verified in some mountains and hills, that by earthquakes, or otherwise, have been removed from their places. But these kind of absolute expressions are ofttimes comparatively understood, of which SEE POOLE ON "ISAIAH 51:6"; and s... [ Continue Reading ]
O THOU AFFLICTED, tossed with tempests, and not comforted; O thou my poor church, \ hast frequently been, and wilt again and again be, in a most afflicted and comfortless condition for a time, be not discouraged thereby. I WILL LAY THY STONES WITH FAIR COLOURS, AND LAY THY FOUNDATIONS WITH SAPPHIRES... [ Continue Reading ]
AGATES; one kind of which stones was transparent like glass, as Pliny writes in his Natural History, b. 37. ch. 10. But some render this word _crystal_, and the LXX., and some other of the ancients, translate it _jasper_. But the proper signification of the Hebrew names of precious stones is unknown... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL BE TAUGHT OF THE LORD; not only outwardly by his word, which was made known to all the Jews under the Old Testament, but inwardly by his Spirit, which is poured forth under the New Testament, both upon a far greater number of persons, and in a far higher measure, and with much more efficacy an... [ Continue Reading ]
IN RIGHTEOUSNESS; either, 1. As the means of thy establishment. This kingdom shall not be set up and settled by fraud or tyranny, as other kingdoms frequently are, but by justice. Or rather, 2. As the effect of the establishment. Thine affairs shall be managed with righteousness, which is the glor... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL SURELY GATHER TOGETHER; it is true, there will not want some that shall combine and make an attempt against thee. BUT NOT BY ME; as they do this without any such commission from me, as Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar had, ISAIAH 10:6,7 JER 25:9; so they shall not have my help in it, withou... [ Continue Reading ]
Both the smith that maketh all warlike instruments, and the soldier that useth them, are my creatures, and totally at my command, and therefore they cannot hurt you without my leave. _To destroy_; to destroy only whom and when I please.... [ Continue Reading ]
NO WEAPON THAT IS FORMED AGAINST THEE SHALL PROSPER; and as they cannot do any thing against thee without my leave, so I assure thee I will not suffer them to do it; and if any smith shall make any weapons to be employed against thee, he shall not succeed in it. AND EVERY TONGUE THAT SHALL RISE AGAI... [ Continue Reading ]