Commentary on Isaiah, Commentary on Isaiah · Chapter 1 · Verse 24 – Verse 25
Verſ. 24. Therefore ſaith the Lord the God of hosts, the mightie one of Iſrael, ah, I will*Or, comfort me, &c. eaſe me of mine aduerſaries, and auenge me on mine enemies.
THe word Adon, which is put in the firſt place, ſignifies properly Lord, and is to bee referred to the word that is oppoſite, to wit, Seruant. The name Iehouah, by which the eternall eſſence and Maieſtie of God is expreſſed, is added conſequently. After then that the Prophet Iſaiah had recited ſome particular ſinnes by the which he made it manifeſt to eueryevery one, that all things were corrupted amongſt this people, minding now to vſe ſome threatnings, and to ſet God his iudgement before them; hee not onelie adornes the Lord with the office, and power of a Iudge, but alſo hee admoniſheth them, that the children of Abraham are a peculiar people vntounto him; and in this ſenſe, the mightie one of Iſrael, is added: although there may be here a priuie and cloſe kind of deriding, wherewith hee galleth the Iewes; as if hee ſhould ſay, that they did fooliſhly bragge of the name of God, ſeeing they are ſuch wretched and wicked ſeruants: and that they truſt in his ſtrength in vaine: which ſtrength he is forthwith readie to diſplay againſt them. Hauing thus then begun to ſpeake, he addes, Ah, I wil comfort me. By which words he meanes that God will not bee appeaſed till firſt hee hath had his fill in chaſtiſing of them. He takes the word comfort, after the manner of men. For euen as wrath is nothing elſe but a deſire of reuenge: ſo reuenge it ſelfe alſo is a kind of contentment: for when any is reuenged, he is glad, and ſatisfied. Thus the Lord ſaith that hee will ſatisfie himſelfe in chaſtiſing his enemies, as if it were a kind of recompence.
It is true that this place is diuerſly expounded, and I meane not to trouble my ſelfe ſo farre as to examine all interpretations, neither will I ſtand to refute thoſe which ſute not with the text: it ſufficeth for this time, that wee hauehave the true ſenſe of the Prophet. He ſpeakes not here of the Chaldeans, or Aſſiryans, as many thinke; but of the Iewes; againſt whom he proclaimes open warre in the name of God, whoſe herauld he is: which threatning was very harſh and vnpleaſant vntounto their eares, in regard they thought themſelues ſo linked to God, that hee would bee an enemie to their enemies. But God contrariwiſe ſhewes that he is become their enemie, becauſe they hauehave prouoked him by their naughtines. And after this manner muſt we awaken the hypocrits, who continually fighting againſt God, notwithſtanding bluſh not ſtill to claime his protection for their ſafegard. Therefore let vsus not maruaile, if the Prophet doth ſharpely terme them the enemies of God, who hauing broken the couenant, were thus combined together to make warre againſt him.
And yet notwithſtanding, to the end hee may ſhew that God is as it were conſtrained and enforced to chaſtiſe his people, he threatens them, as it were, with a kind of inward ſorrowing. For as nothing is more agreeable to his nature, then to doe good: euen ſo as oft as his anger is ſtirred vp againſt vsus, and that hee handles vsus ſeuerely, it is certaine that our owne frowardnes hath conſtrained him ſo to doe,Note. becauſe we will not ſuffer him to beſtow his benefits vponupon vsus; but eſpecially he is inclined to deale thus louingly with his owne children: & albeit he ſeeth that his louing kindnes and gentlenes can nothing preuaile with them, yet is it in ſorrow of hart that hee ſtrikes them. But paraduenture ſome had rather expound the particle Hoi, as if God ſhould crie out as one being enflamed with wrath. For mine owne part I take it, that in this place there is a voyce of griefe and ſorrow: becauſe the Lord in thinking often vponupon his couenant, would willingly pardon his choſen people, were it not yt by their owne obſtinacie they did altogether reiect it. In the ſecond member, and auenge me of mine enemies, there is a figure very vſuall with the Hebrewes, who repeate in one and the ſame verſe many times one ſelfeſame thing: whence we alſo gather, that this ſentence hath this drift, namely, that God could not quite himſelfe, vntill he were reuenged vponupon this traiterous and diſloyall people.
Verſ. 25. Then I wil turne mine hand vponupon thee, and burne out thy droſſe, till it be pure, and take away al thy tinne.
THis is a moderation of the former threatning. For howſoeuer hee purſues that which he hath begun to ſpeake of touching his ſeueritie, notwithſtanding he addes therwithall, that the Church ſhall remaine ſafe ſtill in the midſt of all calamities, wherewith the people ſhould be ſmitten: neuertheleſſe his principall drift is to comfort the faithfull, to the end they ſhould not thinke the Church ſhould be brought to ruine, although God was conſtrained to deale more ſharpelie with it then he hath been wont to doe. For the holy Ghoſt alwaies prouides in the miniſtrie of the Prophets for the vpholding of the faith of Gods children (who continually tremble at his words) that they ſhould not bee diſcouraged, being humbled with feares and threatnings; becauſe ſo much the more as the wicked ouerflow the bankes, and ſcoffe at all threatnings, ſo much the more doe they which are touched with the true feare of God, tremble thereat.
Moreouer, the turning of the hand of God, generally ſignifies the witneſſe of his preſence: as if he ſhould ſay, I will lift vp mine hand: which he is wont to doe after two ſortes, either when he chaſtiſeth the wicked, or when he pulles the faithfull out of their miſeries. Seeing then it eaſily appeares by the circumſtance of the place, that God would aſſwage the ſharpenes of the correction by mingling ſome cōſolation; The turning of his hand, ought to be referred here to the reſtauration of the Church. For although he pronounceth in generall that they are all his enemies: yet now he moderates & reſtraines this ſpeech, in calling Ieruſalem or Zion by his own name.
When he addes, I will burne out thy droſſe; although he notes the fruit of the correction, to the end it ſhould not be grieuous and burthenſome to the faithfull beyond meaſure: notwithſtanding, wee gather from thence that the reſtauration of the Church,Gods outward corrections profit vsus nothing at all vnleſſe he teach vsus inwardly by his holy ſpirit. is a ſpeciall worke of God. He euermore lifts vp his hands to the end he may puniſh ſinne and bring thoſe that erre into the right way: but yet his roddes ſhould auaile little or nothing, if he himſelfe did not make them profitable, by touching their hearts inwardly. And becauſe hee here makes mention of a ſpeciall fauour which hee communicates to his choſen: from thence it followes that repentance is a true and peculiar worke of the holy Ghoſt: becauſe otherwiſe the ſinner would harden himſelfe more and more vnderunder the blowes, rather then profit thereby any thing at all. Further we are not to vnderſtand this cleane purging, in ſuch wiſe, yt there ſhould remaine no droſſe, as if God would wholly purge his Church in this world from all filthines: but this manner of ſpeech is rather to be referred to the common faſhion of mens actions, as if he ſhould ſay, The eſtate of the Church, ſhall be ſuch, that the beautie thereof ſhall ſhine like ſiluer. The true puritie then is ſignified by theſe words, becauſe the Iewes had too much pleaſed themſelues in their filthines before. Now this ſimilitude is very fit, for by it the Prophet ſhewes, that although the Church of God was then ſo ſtuffed with multitudes of corruptions: yet notwithſtanding there ſhould remaine a remnant which ſhould recouer their brightnes, after that the droſſe and corruption ſhould be conſumed. And thus he now ioynes both members together, becauſe hauing ſpoken in ver. 22. of their offences, hee ſaid, that their ſiluer was become droſſe.