Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Isaiah · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV.
O Lord thou art my God, and I will exalt thee: Jerom taking this and four verses Vers. 1. Hieronym.more together saith, that here the Prophet speaks in the person of the Nations, that should under the Gospel embrace the faith of Christ, when the Jews rejected it, and he both praiseth God, v. 1. for fullfilling his word touching the Gentiles in calling them, and prophesies of Jerusalem overthrow for the Jews infidelity and malice against Christ, and that it should never be built again, ver. 2. and for the Gentiles conversion, whom he cals the strong people and the terrible nations, that should praise God for his grace towards them, ver. 3. Who were so called because by their great strength they subdued all that opposed them, especially the Assyrians and Babylonians: ver. 4. he also praiseth God for his protecting Christ in his poor Christians from the fury of persecutors. For Christ is set forth as poor, Zech. 9. and riding upon an Asse, and the poor received the Gospel. Thus he, but he saith, that the Jews expound this city of Rome, which shall be in the end destroyed, and then the Jews called the poor, who are now subject to many miseries, shall be relieved. But of the destruction of Jerusalem never to be built again, as here threatned, he is so confident, that he derides such as expect a restauration of the Jews to their own Land again, and their enjoying a flourishing estate. Calvin takes this Calv.as spoken by the Prophet, who considering the judgements of God before spoken of against the wicked, and the comforts of the faithfull, could not but break out into this affectionate thanksgiving, and praising of God and his truth. For he looked at these things though not to come till many years after, as certain, and so was affected greatly with them, as any true Prophet of God, (forsomuch as he is fuller of faith then the common sort) must needs be. And by the city turned into ruinous heaps, he understands the cities of the Nations before threatned, the singular being put for the plurall, as is common amongst the Hebrews. And by the poor sheltered from storms, such as should fear God in generall, to whom God hath alwaies been a protection in time of danger: Lyra having expounded, chap. 24. of the last judgement. When the Lyra.world shall be destroied, understands this of perpetuall praises, that shall therefore be given to God by his Saints triumphing over all their enemies in heaven. Wherefore by the city turned into ruinous heaps, he will have the world meant, which shall never be built again. But because his foundation faileth, as was before shewed, it must not be so understood, and for that which followeth, v. 6. of a feast that should be made upon this mountain of fat things, being also by himself expounded of the Lords Supper: but this I suppose, no man will say shall be kept any more in heaven, and vers. 20. it is said, that Moab shall be troden under foot, which can by no means be applied to that time, yet he impugneth that of Jerom taking the city for Jerusalem, because, saith he, the city here spoken of shall never be built again, but Jerusalem was built again long ago, after the destruction by the Romans, and whereas it is said not to be built in the same place, he saith, but contrary to all others, that it standeth upon the same foundation, only all places pertaining to it of old are not within the compasse of the new buildings. But receive this and deny the prophecy of Christ to be true. Thy habitation shall be left desolate, Mat. 23.&c. For the city here to be understood, it appears to be meant of Jerusalem, because that was the city in particular threatned, Chap. 24, 10. as the context from vers. 5. to the 10. plainly sheweth. And here being a thanksgiving for things related there, it doth not agree to expound this of any other city but that, whereas this saying it shall not be built again for ever, seemeth to make against it, the like was already said before of Tyre, Chap. 23. 17. compared with Ezek 26 14. from which an answer to this also may fetcht. Moreover the Word foreign here used doth not alwaies signifie to the worlds end, but a very long time, the end whereof is not known. And this I say the rather, because when upon the Jews conversion their sin shall be taken away, most probably the effect hereof desolation of their city shall have an end also, and they shall return and build it again most splendidly. And the same which is called the city is also set forth by the name of the palace of strangers. Now Adam Sasbont.by strangers are sometime understood the Heathen of all other Nations besides Judea, and such as had not the same rites with them, and sometime the wicked of any Nation, as Psal. 18. Strange children have lyed unto me, and Psal. 58. They have been estranged from their mothers womb: and in this sense the Jews estranged from God by sin and malice against Christ, are set forth here, their city and the palace of strangers being all one and the same. And that by the city turned into ruinous heaps, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans is meant, appears further, ver. 3. where he speaks of the city or cities of the Vers. 3.Nations glorifying and fearing God after this. And what else can be meant hereby but the rejection of the Jews turned to the planting in of the Gentiles, as Rom. 11. because they embraced the faith, when the Jews refused, according to that Act. 28. 28. The salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will hear it?
Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a refuge from the storm, and shadow from Vers. 4.the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is against the wall: Hereby he sheweth that at the same time that he destroied Jerusalem, he shewed speciall favour to such poor Christians as were there, as indeed he did, calling them to Pella, before the Romans besieged the city, by which means they were out of that danger which was as a tempest being so violent in those parts, that unlesse a man were under shelter at the coming thereof, he could not escape in safety, and likewise the heat was extream. But when they were thus under shelter, the Romans meant by the terrible ones, overthrew the wals of the city.
Thou shalt bring down the work of strangers, as the heat in a day place, &c. here Vers. 5.the Prophet goeth on in his allegory taken from a storm and heat, from which Christians shall be sheltered. As the heat by the shadow of a cloud coming between, is abated, and made nothing grievous, so he meaneth that the heat of that war made by the Romans should be to Christians, Gods protection coming as a cloud over them, they should not be hurt thereby. And to shew the greatnesse of the heat he cals it heat in a dry place, for in such a place the heat of the Sun is most annoying, and he varies the phrase of terrible ones, calling them strangers, to shew that they who should overthrow the city of the wicked Jews, called strangers for their wickednesse, were also a wicked nation, and strangers from the Covenant of promise, as the Gentiles are called, Eph. 2. 12. For that which is added, the branch of the terrible one shall be brought low: here again be speaks of the strong Nations imploied against the Jews for their sins, as those that after this work done to which God in his providence had appointed them should also be judged, as the Assyrians, and Caldees, and Romans also, who though they flourished long after Jerusalem was destroied, yet within four hundred years after they were over-run by the Goths and Vandals, and brought very low, continuing so many years.
And upon this mountain shall the Lord make a feast of fat things to all people, &c. Vers. 6.By this feast is meant that Mat. 22. to which the great King inviteth, that is, to beleeve in Jesus Christ, and so to be fed with his promises of pardon of sin, and life everlasting, of which there is joy, as at a most sumptuous feast, where fat meats and wines chearing the spirits are most abundantly. For so it is there said, My fatlings are killed, and all things ready, and Psal. 22. 16. it is said, The meck shall eat and be satisfied. To this effect also Calvin and Musculus &c. Jerom Calvin. Musculus. Hieron.referring it also to the time of the Gospel saith, that all these fat things are the priviledges of the Jews, as being Gods peculiar people now turned over to the Gentiles. Before he fed one Nation only with this milk and honey, but now all Nations imbracing the Gospel. And this feast is said to be made upon this mountain, because in Canaan, the Metropolis whereof was Jerusalem and Mount Zion, the Gospel was first preached, and there men of all Nations under heaven, began first to hear it, Act. 2.
And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering, &c. Jerom praecipitavit Vers. 7.faciem vinculi colligati super omnes populos, & telam quam orditus est super universas nationes: Understanding the band of sinne whereby they were bound, and consequently of death before Christs sufferings, whereby sin was expiated, and death turned into life, because by death the faithfull are now let into life, in regard of which blessed change tears are wiped from their eyes, which before they had cause to shed, as he addeth, ver. 8. as being most miserable, and in an ignominious and reproachfull estate, being counted uncircumcised Vers. 8.and heathen, but now this disgrace ceasing, as in the next words, and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth. But the word foreign doth not signifie a band but a covering, and the word is doubled to shew the thicknesse of this covering. Calvin saith, that some understand hereby the calamities Calvin.of Christs Churches in all places, covering them or overwhelming them, so that the glory thereof could not appear, but he and Musculus both Muscul.do rather prefer another understanding, viz. the covering of ignorance. But forsomuch as the word rendred shall take away, signifyeth to swallow up, and in varying the word, he saith, the rebuke of his people, it is not so genuine hereby to understand their ignorance as their outward misery, causing tears, which he saith should be wiped away. Wherefore I resolve, that the deliverance of the Church in the time of Constantine, after persecutions of long continuance, is here prophesied of. They were all that time covered as it were with sackcloth, as the two witnesses in the Revelation, and did sow in tears, and had it objected to them, that their God was poor, and unable to help them, because they his servants were in such want and misery. But he saith, this covering should be swallowed up by riches and glory coming to them in stead thereof, as Mordecai had his sackcloth taken off, and royall apparell put on, and then they should reap in joy, and their misery as a sign of those that served not the true God should no more be objected to them. After they had suffered for a time he here to their comfort promiseth them deliverance, and this joy begun here shall be everlasting in heaven, for which John speaking of that Rev. 7. 17. hath the same words. And herein and in permitting his to encounter with many afflictions first the Lord dealeth with his servants, as Cyrus did sometime with his souldiers, he caused them to labour hard one day in cutting down wood Xenophon.and other works, and the next day made them a great feast, then he asked them whether of these two daies they had rather have, they all with one consent said, This: then he, Ye must then manfully fight against your enemies till you have overcome them, and then ye shall feast with their spoils. Some following the version of Ierom understand Antichrist, saith Sasbont, Haimo the devil, Carthusian the effect of originall sin, Th. Aquin. death, Judei the successe of the Gentiles: others of them their craft and subtlety covering over their evil intent against the Jews.
After this the thanksgiving of the faithfull is set forth, and then it is said, In this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be troden down, &c. Vers. 10.That the Church should have good cause to rejoyce, here are two things promised. 1. Gods continuall presence and protection in his mountain, by which his Church is meant, he would not be to her as a lighting, which soon vanisheth away, but continuing. 2. For her enemies set forth by Moab, they shall be troden under foot as chaff upon the dunghill, a thing in those parts so base that they made no more account of it, but to cast it out and to tread it under foot as dung, Vulg. Lat. Ʋt plaustro, an instrument to cut withall, but then it must come from foreign, but Vatablus and others derive it from foreign signifying dung, the word is Madmenah. He seems herein to allude to that which David did to them, 2 Sam. 8. 2. But Madmena, saith Calvin, is the name of a city, Jer. 16. 4. and haply by treading them under as chaff in Madmenah, he meant in one of their most fruitfull cities: thus he, but looking into Jeremy, I finde no such name, but only foreign dung, and looking back to Isa. 10. 31. there Madmenah is mentioned, as a city in the tribe of Benjamin, and not in Moab. Leaving this therefore I rest in the former, nothing else by this simile meant, but the greatest abasement of Moab that might be, and because Moab was a continuall enemy to the Jews, who were Gods peculiar people, the abject condition in which all the enemies of the Church should be, when God had once set it up in all places amongst the Gentiles.
And he shall spread forth his hands as one that swimmeth in the midst of them, &c. Here by another similitude, saith Calvin, he sheweth how the Lord should do Vers. 11. Calvin.all that hath been before said for the comfort of his people, and the confusion of their enemies, viz. not coming with the noise of arms and men to fight, but without all noise, as one swimming pierceth the waters, and passeth through them, so the Lord by the power of his Spirit passeth through all difficulties, there being no resistance in any, that can hinder his effecting of this great work. Ad. Sasbont referring it to Moab saith, he shall be as one swimming Sasbont.stretching out his hands and feet, as a man overcome, and in the water strugling to save himself from drowning. Lyra also expounds it thus, rendring it, Lyra.stretching out his hands under him, and to make this sense good, he saith, he speaks according to our Proverb, when one brings another most under, he saith, I will make thee lie like a frog, and thus is a man swimming. Vatablus Vatabl.refers this to Christ stretching out his hands upon the crosse whereby he overcame and brought under the devil, that had the power of death, set forth by Moab, and all the enemies of his Church. And this doth most arride me, because a man stretching out his hands to swim in the water, is labouring for life, and may seem most unfit and unable by so doing to prevail over his enemies. In like manner Christ having his hands stretched out upon the crosse, when he suffered death, might seem no way able by this his suffering to subdue his enemies, yet he did, Heb. 2. 15. and Col. 2. 15. and this is further confirmed by the words following, and shall abase his glory with the laying in wait of his hands: Our New Translation referring it to Moab, with the spoils of their hands, some with the holes of his hands: The Vulg. Lat. Cum allisione manuum ejus, Vatablus, arms or cubits of his hands, so spoken because herewith a man swimmeth, that allegory being still insisted in. The word foreign indeed signifyeth cubiti or insidiae, but because Christs overcoming the devil was after the manner of those that do struere insidias, that is, unawares, I preferre this. For certainly the devill never thought that by suffering death Christ should overcome him, otherwise he could not have moved Judas to betray him, and so he got his overthrow as an enemy his by an ambush unexpectedly. For spoils, or collisions: I finde no such signification of the word, but Cataracts it signifieth also, or multitudes, both unapt to expound it by here; of Moabs stretching out his hands to swimme it cannot be meant, because Moab was before said to be troden under foot by him, and the same who trod under foot stretched out his hands to swim, and not Moab, who was now past doing so, and can it be thought that Moab should abase his own glory, as it is here said, that this he should do: And these words in the midst thereof, Heb. hath it, and not under him, evince, that he who swimmeth is not Moab but the Lord.
And the fortresse of thy high wals, he shall bring down, &c. This is added, because Vers. 12.the Moabites trusted to the strength of their wals, as impregnable by any power, for which cause he useth not one but three words, he shall bring down, destroy, and cast to the ground, and not resting here, he addeth, to the dust, meaning that no memorial there of should be left. And this concerns all the Note. wicked, if they shall think their strength and works to be invincible, and hereupon carry themselves proudly as Moab did, Chap. 16. 6. they must know, that there is no strength against the Lord, but when he will shall be brought down and become as the dust.