Annotations Upon Isaiah, Chapter 56
CHAP. LVI.
VERSE 1. THƲS ſaith the Lord, keep ye Judgment and do Juſtice, &c.] That is, Do you all, Judges and others, that which is exactly juſt and right. The exhortation to repentance, begun in the former Chapter, Ver. 6, 7. is farther here preſſed: For my Salvation is near to come, and my righteouſneſs to be revealed; See the Notes, Chap. 46.13. and 51.51. It is the ſame in effect with that which the Baptiſt Preached, Math. 3.2. and Chriſt alſo, Mark 1.15. The Kingdom of God is at Hand; repent ye and believe the Goſpel.
Ver. 2. Bleſſed is the Man that doth this, &c.] That is, That keepeth Judgment and doth Juſtice, as was ſaid in the foregoing Verſe; See the Note, Pſal. 106.3. and the Son of Man that layeth hold on it; that is, that doth zealouſly and conſtantly keep cloſe to the doing of this; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it; that is, that is careful to worſhip God, as he hath appointed them: for the ſanctifying of the Sabbath, is here put for the exerciſing of all the Duties of Religion and Piety; and that haply the rather, becauſe this they might obſerve in their Captivity in Babylon, whereas many other parts of Gods Worſhip were only to be performed in the Temple at Jeruſalem; and keepeth his hand from doing any evil; to wit, to his Neighbour.
Ver. 3. Neither let the Son of the Stranger, that hath joined himſelf to the Lord, &c.] That is, Let not any Gentile, that by Faith in Chriſt hath joyned himſelf to my Church and People; Speak, ſaying, The Lord hath utterly ſeparated me from his People; to wit, becauſe I am as an Alien and a Stranger, and not of the Stock of the Jews; neither let the Eunuch ſay, Behold I am a dry Tree; that is, like a dry Tree, barren and without poſſibility of Iſſue. Becauſe by that Law, Deut. 23.1. &c. (for which ſee the Notes there) an Eunuch, and Proſelytes that came in from other Nations, and joyned themſelves to the Church of the Jews, were debarred from being admitted into full communion with the Common-wealth and Church of Iſrael, left therefore the Eunuchs, or Heathens ſhould think, that ſurely they ſhould not have any ſhare in the Priviledges here promiſed, but only thoſe that were born of Iſrael, and had not any ſuch Note of Infamy upon them; (and indeed we ſee how exceedingly even the believing Jews ſtumbled at the taking in of the Gentiles into the Church of Chriſt, Act. 10.45. and 11.2, 3.) therefore the Lord doth here aſſure them, that in the days of the Goſpel, of which he had ſpoken, there ſhould be no ſuch diſtinction betwixt Jew and Gentile, betwixt Perſon and Perſon, but that thoſe that ſeemed moſt vile and contemptible if they came into Chriſt, ſhould be admitted to the ſame Priviledges with the reſt of his People.
Ver. 4. For thus ſaith the Lord unto the Eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, &c.] See the Note above, ver 2. and chuſe the things that pleaſe me; that is, that upon Judgment rightly informed do ſincerely ſet themſelves to do thoſe things that I have commanded them, (for both Will-worſhips, and Hypocriſie are hereby excluded) and take hold of my Covenant; that is, that do imbrace the mercy tendered to them in my Covenant of Grace, and carefully obſerve to do thoſe things that by their Covenant with me they are bound to do, and ſo adorn their profeſſion of Chriſtianity with a holy Converſation.
Ver. 5. Even unto them will I give in my Houſe, and within my Walls, &c.] To wit, within the Walls of my Houſe, the Temple; or, within my Temple, and my City Jeruſalem. But however, both by the one and the other is meant the Church of Chriſt, whereof both the Temple and Jeruſalem were Types: For that which is intended, is, that unto thoſe Eunuchs, before mentioned, God would give in his Church here, and afterward in Heaven, a place and a Name, better than of Sons and Daughters; that is, of greater Honour and Dignity, than that which accrews to them that have Sons and Daughters, which is accounted a great Honour and Happineſs to Men (See the Note, Prov. 17.6.) and in whom their Name is continued when they are dead; namely, that of being Gods peculiar People, his adopted Children, a Name more glorious and more durable, even that which ſhall continue unto Eternity, as is expreſſed in the following Words, I will give them an everlaſting Name, that ſhall not be cut off; to wit, as the continuance of Mens Names in their Poſterity many times is.
Ver. 6. Alſo the Sons of the Stranger that joyn themſelves to the Lord, &c.] See the Note above, ver. 3. to ſerve him, and to love the Name of the Lord, to be his Servants; to wit, as counting it an honour to ſerve him, becauſe of the great love they bare to him; every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my Covenant; See the Note above, ver. 4.
Ver. 7. Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain, &c.] That is, I will cauſe them to come in, and joyn themſelves to my Church; See the Note, Chap. 2.2. and make them joyful in my houſe of Prayer; to wit, my Church, of which the Temple was a Type. And the meaning is, that their Hearts ſhould be joyed by the conſideration of their happineſs in being admitted to be Gods People, and to all the Glorious priviledges, which thereby they ſhould enjoy, by the chearing of their troubled Conſciences, with the glad tydings of the Goſpel, which ſhould be there preached to them, and more particularly, by the ſweet refreſhing comforts they ſhould find in their Souls, both whilſt they were praying, and after they had prayed, and the gracious anſwers God ſhould return to their prayers; their burnt offerings and their Sacrifices ſhall be accepted upon mine Altar; that is, their Spiritual and Evangelical Sacrifices (Rom. 12.1. and Heb. 13.15.) ſhall be acceptable to God by Jeſus Chriſt, 1 Pet. 2.5. for mine Houſe; that is, my Church, ſhall be called the Houſe of Prayer, for all People; to wit, Gentiles, as well as Jews; yet becauſe the Church of Chriſt is called Gods Houſe in alluſion to its Type, the Temple, therefore our Saviour cites this place, as ſpoken of the Temple, Mark. 11.17.
Ver. 8. The Lord God which gathereth together the out-caſts of Iſrael, ſaith, &c.] To wit, out of Babylon, and other Countries, where they were ſcattered; See the Note Pſal. 147.2. yet will I gather others to him; that is, to Iſrael, beſides thoſe that are gathered to him; that is, that are already gathered to him out of Babylon. And it is meant of the Gentiles, whom after this would God bring in, and make them one Church and People with Iſrael; ſee Joh. 11.51, 52.
Ver. 9. All ye Beaſts of the Field, come to devour, &c.] Very many Learned Expoſitors hold this to be the beginning of a new Prophecy: But if we take it as a part of the foregoing Prophecy (as indeed, according to the diviſion of the Chapters in our Bibles, it ſeems to be joined with that) then we may conceive the connexion to be either, 1. That having cheared up the Godly with many precious Promiſes in the foregoing part of the Prophecy, here he turns himſelf to reprove the wicked party amongſt them; and that the rather, that hereby they might be put in mind, that the comfort of the foregoing promiſes belong'd not to them: Or, 2. That having made Gods People ſo many glorious Promiſes, he now ſhews them, that before they ſhould be fulfilled, very ſad havock ſhould be made in the Jewiſh State, by forreign Nations, that ſo the Godly might not be ſtumbled, when they ſaw ſuch ſad things, ſo contrary to what was now promiſed, to come upon them, but might only be ſtirred up by unfeigned Repentance to approve themſelves to God: And it may be alſo there might be an intention to give ſome light to that which he had ſaid of the out-caſts of Iſrael. As for the words themſelves, All ye Beaſts of the Field, come to devour, yea, all the Beaſts of the Forreſt; though they may be ununderſtood literally, as an invitation of all kinds of Beaſts of Prey, to come and devour the Carcaſes of Gods ſlaughtered People, intended to imply, that there ſhould be ſuch multitudes of them ſlain by their Enemies, that there ſhould be enough to ſatisfie all the Beaſts, both of Field and Forreſt, that would come in to devour: Yet I rather think, that by theſe ravenous Beaſts are figuratively meant thoſe barbarous cruel Nations, that ſhould deſtroy and devour Gods People; and that becauſe in the following Verſes, the blindneſs and neglect of the Shepherds is alledged, as a motive to encourage them to come in and devour Gods Flock. Many I know, and I think moſt probably, do underſtand this particularly of the Chaldeans, and the many Nations that joyned with them in their invaſion of Judea; but yet it may well be extended to all that were after this called in at ſeveral times to devour the Jews, the Aſſyrians, Babylonians, Grecians, Romans, &c.
Ver. 10. His watchmen are blind, &c.] That is, Iſraels Rulers, both Civil and Eccleſiaſtical (the two Eyes of a Church or State) her Prieſts, and pretended Prophets and Teachers eſpecially, are blind Seers, ſuch as could not foreſee approaching Evils and Judgments, that they might forewarn the People of them, being ignorant and ſottiſh, as the following words explain it; they are all ignorant; that is, all of them, in a manner, are ignorant, as to the Law of God and their own Duty; they know not how to teach and govern the People; ſuch as the Scribes and Phariſees were in our Saviours time; blind leaders of the blind; they are all dumb Dogs, they cannot bark; to wit, by oppoſing the Evil of the Times, reproving Evil doers, and forewarning them of the Judgments they were like to bring upon themſelves, and that becauſe they were ignorant, given to the Vices they ſhould have reproved in others, nor willing by doing their duty, to expoſe themſelves to the diſpleaſure of Men, eſpecially the great ones of the Times; in all which there is an alluſian to Houſe-Dogs, or Shepherds Dogs, that are by barking to drive away Thieves and Wolves, and waken thoſe that ſhould help to drive them away; ſleeping, lying down, loving to ſlumber; that is, delighting in ſloth and ſluggiſhneſs, and giving up themſelves thereto. The word indeed which we Tranſlate ſleeping, is by ſome rendered, as it is in the Margin, dreaming, or talking in their ſleep, with reference, as I conceive, to the vain things they vented, when they did at any time undertake to teach the People, even their own Dreams, and not any thing which God had given them in charge: However, upon theſe men we muſt know the blame is particularly laid, not becauſe the People were not alſo extreamly wicked, but becauſe the neglect of their Duty was a main cauſe of the wickedneſs of the People.
Ver. 11. Yea, they are greedy Dogs, which can never have enough, &c.] This may be added as another of their Sins, to wit, their inſatiable Covetouſneſs; or elſe as a reaſon of that which was ſaid before of them; namely, That they were blinded with Covetouſneſs; and they are Shepherds that cannot underſtand; that is, they know not how to order their Flocks aright; ſee the foregoing Note, they all look to their own way; that is, ſay ſome, they all give up themſelves to do, every Man of them, what they liſt; or rather, they are all for themſelves, minding only their own affairs and profit, every one for his gain from his Quarter; that is, every one from the place of his abode, even all the City over, from one end to the other.
Ver. 12. Come ye, ſay they, I will fetch Wine, and we will fill our ſelves with ſtrong Drink, &c.] This is another Sin, wherewith their Watch-men before mentioned are here charged; to wit, Their Rioting and Drunkenneſs. And they are brought in here, enticing to, and encouraging one another in this Sin, and perhaps the People: too, to imply their obſtinacy and ſecurity herein; Come ye, ſay they, I will fetch Wine, &c. as if they had ſaid, Let Men ſay what they will, and come what will of it, we will thus take our Pleaſure: And ſo likewiſe in the following words, and to morrow ſhall be as this day, and much more abundant; which do clearly hold forth a bold and deſperate reſolution of running on in this their exceſs day after day; though they may alſo imply a ſcornful contempt of the threatnings of Gods Prophets; as if they had ſaid, Come, let us drink ſtoutly, and fear nothing; if it be well with us to day, it ſhall be as well with us to morrow, and, it may be, better.