Commentary on Isaiah, Commentary on Isaiah · Chapter 40 · Verse 5 – Verse 7
Verſ. 5. The yles ſaw it, and did feare, and the ends of the earth were abaſhed, drew neere, and came.
6. EueryEvery man helped his neighbour, and ſaid to his brother; Be ſtrong.
HE ſhewes now that the world was too vnthankfull, who hauing ſeene the workes of God, did ſtill perſeuere in that blindneſſe wherewith it was poſſeſſed before. In the beginning of the Chapter, hee ſhewed that the victorie was his, if they would but lend their eares to heare his plea: now he addes, that the Gentiles knew his power well enough, and yet for all that, continued obstinate and rebellious. In which reſpect, they were left without excuſe. Why ſo? Becauſe the Lord manifeſted himſelfe ſo apparantly, that they could not chuſe but ſee him, vnleſſe they would wittingly ſhut their eyes, leſt they ſhould behold him.
That he might therefore take from the nations furtheſt off, all pretext of ignorance, he ſaith, they were abaſhed at the ſight of his works; and yet they fell to their old bias againe, and forthwith wrapped themſelues in many ſuperſtitious vanities and errors. The ſumme is, that they not onelyonly beheld▪ but were alſo conuinced, in that this knowledge abaſhed them. But ſome may obiect, Obiect. that the benefits which God did to Abraham, could not bee made knowne to all, in ſuch wiſe that forraigne nations ſhould be fully acquainted with it. I anſwer, Anſ. that howſoeuer he mentions none but Abraham here, yet vnderunder him hee meant to call to mind other examples of his goodneſſe, which their forefathers had taſted of ſince, that from both, they might conceiue hope of deliuerance. Abraham was not onelyonly deliuered out of Caldea, but God drew alſo all his poſteritie out from the bondage of Egypt: Exod. 13.16. and put them into poſſeſſion of the land of Canaan. He ſaith then that the Iles felt his power, when hee deliuered and preſerued his people, that they might know the true God: for his power plainly appeared in ſo many miracles.
Laſtly, he ſignifies, that the Iles ſhould bee aſtoniſhed at Gods inuincible power, when he ſhould afterwards deliuer his people. And whileſt the wicked ſhall heare tell of it, they will not ceaſe ſtill to bee perplexed, becauſe they therein feele that God is their enemie.
Drew neere.] By this, ſome vnderſtand, that the vnbeleeuers tooke a narrow view of Gods works. For we vſe to draw neere when we would be more certainly informed of any new thing: others referre it to the King of Sodome, who met Abraham: Gen. 14.17. but theſe things, as I thinke, ſauor not, neither come they neere the marke. The words of the text will be eaſilie vnderſtood, if we ioine this latter member to the verſe following, thus;Verſ. 6. They drew neere and came: eueryevery man helped his neighbour: and ſo the ſenſe will be; Although the Iles ſaw and knew my vvorkes, ſo as they ſtood abaſhed, yet they aſſembled by heapes to make conſpiracies. But to what end? Euen to harten on one another to make new gods, and to confirme themſelues more and more in their blindneſſe.
Hee amplifies the crime then, when hee ſaith, that eueryevery one helped his neighbour. Now truly, hee that ſhall looke neere home,The fountaine from whence all ſuperſtitions flow. and ſhall diligently obſerue mens dealings, hee ſhall perceiue that the ſpring from whence all ſuperſtitions flow, is, that with one conſent they agree to quench the light which ſhines vponupon them from heauen.
Now albeit the Lord heere complaines of idolaters,God complaines of the Gentiles to admoniſh the Iewes. yet he doth it to the end the Iewes might bee farre from corrupting themſelues with ſo foule a ſinne, but might rather keepe themſelues cloſe vntounto God, and to a ſincere confidence in his promiſes. He ſets the ingratitude of the Gentiles then before them, that they might learne to ſhun their ſteps, and to continue rooted in the reuerence of Gods Maieſtie. We here ſee now as in a glaſſe, how great the peruerſitie of men is, who profit nothing at all by beholding the workes of God, but become the more dull and ſenſleſſe thereby; for they had rather winke with their eies, and to ſhut them at high noone, then to behold God, who repreſents himſelfe before them. Beſides this blindneſſe, there is a raging furie which prouokes them to riſe vp againſt God himſelfe, and to be ſo mad,Idolaters not onelyonly blind, but furious and frantike. as to offer him the combat, rather then not to maintaine their ſuperſtitions: ſo that this vice ſtands not ſo much in the worſhipping of idols, as in going a madding after them. The Prophet ſets forth this phrenſie when he ſaith, play the men; be valiant, or ſtrong: for he expreſſeth their miſchieuous conſpiracie, in that they prouoked, nay, ſet one another on fire to commit idolatry, and to reiect the feare of the true God, which they might conceiue in their mindes, by the ſundry teſtimonies of his power.
Verſ. 7. So the workeman comforted the founder; and hee that ſmote with the hammer, him that ſmote by courſe, ſaying; It is readie for the ſoddering; and hee fastened it with nailes, that it ſhould not be remoued.
THis verſe is diuerſly expounded, for it is ſomewhat obſcure: neither doe the Iewes themſelues agree in the expoſition of the words. I know not the reaſon why the word Charaſh ſhould here be taken for a Carpenter or Ioiner; for it ſignifies any workeman working vponupon ſtonie matter. Some tranſlate the word Machalik, (which ſignifies him that ſmites) in the accuſatiue: but I had rather put it in the nominatiue. They alſo turne the word Paam, an anuell; others, a little hammer: but becauſe it ſignifies ſometimes to ſmite by courſe, I hauehave thought this expoſition moſt fitting to the text. For the Prophets meaning is, that the founders ſmiting one after another, incouraged each other; becauſe they then are earneſt in their buſines, and ſweat at the worke, ſo as one drawes on his fellow, and haſtens him thereunto, to the end that which they hauehave begunne, may ſoone be finiſhed. In a word, he ſets forth the obſtinacie & headſtrongnes of idolaters, who combine themſelues together in one to reſiſt God.
It appeares as well by this place, as by all hiſtories, that this vice hath not reigned in one age only; yea, would to God we had not too wofull experience of it among our ſelues. Wee ſee how men prouoke one another by mutuall perſwaſions to vphold Idolatrie and ſuperſtitions: the more the truth ſhines forth clearely, the more obſtinatly recoile they back, as if they had plotted with an high hand to make warre vponupon God. For ſince pure religion was reſtored, Idols, Pilgrimages, Maſſes, vnlawfull vowes,Idolaters can prouoke one another to the vpholding of their ſuperſtitions, Pilgrimages, Maſſes, vnlawful vows, prayers for the dead. hauehave multiplied, and hauehave bin ſet vp in deſpite of it: and more Maſſe-prieſts, then euer before. There was ſome meaſure kept vnderunder the firſt ignorance: but the Idolaters runne now like helliſh furies caried away with the fire thereof, and leaue no corner of their wits vnſearched, in deuiſing how to erect ſuperſtitions and Idols, which are now like to breake their necks. To be ſhort, they band and fortifie themſelues to withſtand the Lord of hoſts. If any would lay the fault vponupon his companion, he ſhall gaine nothing by it: for the euill is ſpread ſo farre into eueryevery one in particular, that they can no way be excuſed. All are giuen to lies, and wittinglie ſeeke to be deceiued: and then truſting in their multitude, they extoll themſelues and their ſide aboue God himſelfe: one whets on another to ſerue and worſhip Idols, which they louelove with ſuch heate, that all the world is now almoſt ſet on fire with it.