Chapter LXIII
r. c, who stands before Him continually; Messiah (Exodus 14. 19; 23. 20, 21; Proverbs 8. 30), language applicable to no creature (Exodus 32.34; 33.2,14; Nuniliers 20.16; Malachl 3.1). bare them—(Ch. 46. .3, 4; 40.11; Exodus
Ver. 1-19. Messiah coming as the Avenger, in answer to His Peoi'le's Prayers. Messiah, approaching .Jerusalem after having avenged His people on His and their enemies, Is represented under imagery taken from the destruction of "Edom," the type of tlie last and most bitter foes of God and His people (see ch. 34. 5, Ac). 1. Who—the question of the prophet in prophetic vision, dyed—scarlet witli blood {v. 2, 3; Revelation 19. 13). Hoirah — (A'o/ff, ch. .34. 6.) travelling—rather, stately; lit., Ihrowinff back the head [Gesbnius.J speak In rlghteous500
19. 4; Deuteronomy 32. 11, 12.) 10. vexed—grieved (Psalm
78. 40; 95.10; Acts 7. 51 ; Ephesians 4. 30; Hebrews 8. 10,
17). he fought—rather, "He it was that fought," viz., tha angel of His presence [HoiiSLEY] (Lamentations 2. 5). 11 remembered-Notwithstanding their perversity. He forgot not iris covenant of old, therefoi-e He did not wholly forsake them (Leviticus 26. 40-42, 44, 45; Psalm 106. 45, 46);
The Church professes her Faith, ISAIAH LXIV.
. and rrayeth to God.
earnest down—on Mount Sinai, mountains flowed— Repeated from v. 1; they pray God to do llie very same things for Israel now as in former ages. Gesexiu.s, instead of "flowed" liere, and "flow" in v. 1, translates from a different J/t'6j-cif root, " quake . . . quaked;" but "fire"
thp Jews make this their plea with God, that He should not now forsake tliem. saying—God is represented, in human language, mentally speaking of Himself and His former acts of love to Israel, as His ground for pitying them notwithstanding their rebellion, sea— Red Sea. 8l>epher«l—Jloses ; or if the Hebrew be read plural, shcp-
meltJi and causes to flow, rather tlian to quake (v. 2). 4. perceived by the ear—Paul (1 Corinthians 2. 9) has for lliis, "nor have entered into tlie heart of man;" the virtual sense, sanctioned by his inspixed authority; men might hear with the outward ear, but they could only by the Spirit "perceive" with the "heart" the spiritual signiticancy of God's acts, both those in relation to Israel, primarily referred to here, and those relating to the gospel
henls, Moses, Aaron, and the other leaders (so Psalm 77.
20). put . . . Spirit . . . within i\lva.—Hebrew, in the inward parl.i of liim, i. e., Moses; or It refers to the flock, "in the midst of his people" (Numbers 11.17, 2.5; Neliemiah
9. 20 ; Haggal 2. 5). 13. The ri(/M liand of Moses was but the instrument; the arm of God was the real mover .(Exodus 15. 6; 14.21). dividing the water—(Nehemiah 9.
secondiirily, which Paul refers to. O God . . . wliat he
11 ; Psalm 78. 13.) 13. deep lit., the tossing and roaring sea. wilderness—Rather, the open plain fHORSLEY], wliereiu
. . . prepared—Rather, " nor hath e.ye seen a god beside thee who doeth such things," &o. They refer to God's past marvellous acts in behalf of Israel as a plea for His now interposing for His people; but tlie Spirit, as Paul by inspiration shows, contemplated further God's revelation in the gospel, which abounds in marvellous paradoxes never before heard of by carnal ear, not to be understood by mere human sagacity, and when foretold by the prophets not fully perceived or credited; and even after the manifestation of Christ not to be understood save through the inward teaching of tlie Holy Ghost. These are partly past and present, and partly future, therefore Paul substitutes "prepared" for "doeth," tliough his context shows he includes all three. For "waiteth" he has "love Him;" gmWy waiting on Him must flow from love, and not mere fear. 5. meetest i. e.. Thou makest peace, or
tiiere is no obstacle to cause a horse in its course the danger of stumbling. 14. As a beast . . . rest— image from a herd led "down" from the hills to a fertile and well-watered "valley" (Psalm 23.2); so God's Spirit "caused Israel to rest" in the promised land alter tlieir weary wanderings, to make . . . name— (So v. Vl; 2 Samuel 7. 2:J). 15. Here begins a fervent appeal to God to pity Israel now on the ground of His former benefits, habitation of. . . holiness— (Ch. 57.15; Deuteronomy
2(i. 15; 2 Chronicles 30.27; Psalm 33.11; 80.14). zeal . . . strength—evinced formerly for thy people, sounding of. . . bowels— thine emotions of compassion (ch. 10.11; Jeremiah 31. 20; 4.S. 30; Hosea 11. 8). 16. thou . . . Father —of Israel, by right not merely of creation, but also of electing adoption (ch. 64.8; Deuteronomy 32.6; 1 Chron-
icles 29. 10). though Abraliam . . . Israel—It had been the besetting temptation of the Jews to rest on the mere privilege of their descent from faithful Abraham and Jacob (Matthew 3.9; John 8.39; 4.12); now at last tliey renounce this, to trust in God alone as their Father, notwithstanding all appearances to the contrary. Even though Abraham our earthly father, on whom we have prided ourselves, disown us. Thou wilt not (ch. 49.15; Psalm 27. 10). Isaac Is not mentioned, because not all his posterity was admitted to the covenant, whereas all Jacob's was; Abraham is specified, because he was tlie
enterest into covenant with him {Note, ch. 47.3). rejoiceth and worlcetli— i. e., who with joyful willingness worketh [GESENIU.S] (Acts 10.35; John 7.17). those— r/iOM meetest "those," (fee, in apposition to "him" who represents a class whose characteristics "those that," &c., more fully describes, remember thee in tliy ways— (Cli. 26. 8. sinned Ut., tripped, carrying on the figure in "ways." in titose Is continuance—a plea to deprecate tlie eontinttance of Qod's wrath ; it is not in tliy wrath that there is continuance (ch. 54.7, 8; Psalm 30.5; 103.9), but in thy ways ("those"), viz., of covenant-mei'cy to tliy people (Micah 7. 18-20; Malachi 3. 6); on the strength of the everlasting continuance of His covenant they infer by faith, "we shall be saved." God "remembered" for them" His covenant (Psalm 106. 45), though they olten " rememljered not" Him (Psalm 78. 42). Castellio translates, "we have sinned for long in them ('thy ways'), and could we then be saved?" But they hardly would use such a ple.a when, their very ol)j(-ct was to be saved. 6. unclean thing legally unclean, as a leper. True of Israel, everywhere now cut off by unbelief and by God's judgments from the congregation of the saints. rigMeonsness—plural, "uncleanness" extended to every particular act of theirs, even to tlieir prayers and praises. True of the best doings of the unregenerate (Philippians 3.(5-8; Titus 1. 15; Hebrews
first father of the Jewish race, everlasting—an argument why He sliould help them, viz., because of His everlasting immutability. 17. made us to err i. e., suffer us to err and to be hardened In our heart. They do not mean to deny their own blameworthiness, but confess that througli their own fault God gave them over to a reprobate mind (ch. 6.9, 10; Psalm 119.10; Romans 1.28). Return—{Numbers 10. 36; Psalm 90.13.) 18. people of . . . holiness-Israel dedicated as holy unto God (ch. G2. 12; Deuteronomy 7.6). possessed— viz., the Holy Land, or thy "sanctuary," taken from the following clause, which
Is parallel to this (cf. ch. 64. 10, 11; Psalm 74. 6-8). thy— an argument why God should help them; their cause is His cunse. 19. tliine . . . never—Rather, "'We are thine from of old; thou Ijarest not rule over them." [Barnes.] Ikjwth tran-skUes, "We for long have been as those over whom thou ha-st not ruled, who are not called by tliy name;" " for long" thus stands in contrast to " but a little while" (v. 18). Uut the analogy of v. 18 makes it likely that the first clause in this verse refers to the Jews, and the second to their foes, as English Version and Bakxes translate it. The Jews' foes are aliens who have unjustly Intruded Into the Lord's heritage.
11.6). ftlthy rags lit., a rnenstruous rag (Leviticus 1.5.33;
20. 18; Lamentations 1. 17). fade . . . leaf—(Psalm 90. 5, 6.) 7. stirretli rouseth himself from spiritual drowsiness, take liold—(Ch. 27.5.) 8. Fatlier—(Cli. 63.16.) clay . . . potter—(Ch. 29. 16; 45.9.) Unable to mould themselves aright, they beg the sovereign will of God to mould them unto salvation, even as He made them at the first, and is their "Father." 9. (Psalm 74.1, 2.) we are . . . thy people—(Jeremiah 14.9,21.) 10. holy citics—No city but Jerusalem is called "the holy city" (ch. 48.2; 52.1); the plural, therefore, refers to the upper and the lower parts of