mh_parser/vol_split/23 - Isaiah/Chapter 62.xml

<div2 id="Is.lxiii" n="lxiii" next="Is.lxiv" prev="Is.lxii" progress="24.54%" title="Chapter LXII">
<h2 id="Is.lxiii-p0.1">I S A I A H.</h2>
<h3 id="Is.lxiii-p0.2">CHAP. LXII.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Is.lxiii-p1" shownumber="no">The business of prophets was both to preach and
pray. In this chapter, I. The prophet determines to apply closely
and constantly to this business, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.1" parsed="|Isa|62|1|0|0" passage="Isa 62:1">ver.
1</scripRef>. II. God appoints him and others of his prophets to
continue to do so, for the encouragement of his people during the
delays of their deliverance, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.6-Isa.62.7" parsed="|Isa|62|6|62|7" passage="Isa 62:6,7">ver. 6,
7</scripRef>. III. The promises are here repeated and ratified of
the great things God would do for his church, for the Jews after
their return out of captivity and for the Christian church when it
shall be set up in the world. 1. The church shall be made
honourable in the eyes of the world, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.2" parsed="|Isa|62|2|0|0" passage="Isa 62:2">ver. 2</scripRef>. 2. It shall appear to be very dear to
God, precious and honourable in his sight, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.3-Isa.62.5" parsed="|Isa|62|3|62|5" passage="Isa 62:3-5">ver. 3-5</scripRef>. 3. It shall enjoy great plenty,
<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.8-Isa.62.9" parsed="|Isa|62|8|62|9" passage="Isa 62:8,9">ver. 8, 9</scripRef>. 4. It shall be
released out of captivity and grow up again into a considerable
nation, particularly owned and favoured by heaven, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p1.6" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.10-Isa.62.12" parsed="|Isa|62|10|62|12" passage="Isa 62:10-12">ver. 10-12</scripRef>.</p>
<scripCom id="Is.lxiii-p1.7" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62" parsed="|Isa|62|0|0|0" passage="Isa 62" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Is.lxiii-p1.8" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.1-Isa.62.5" parsed="|Isa|62|1|62|5" passage="Isa 62:1-5" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Is.lxiii-p1.9">
<h4 id="Is.lxiii-p1.10">The Prosperity of the
Church. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p1.11">b. c.</span> 706.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Is.lxiii-p2" shownumber="no">1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and
for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness
thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp
<i>that</i> burneth.   2 And the Gentiles shall see thy
righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by
a new name, which the mouth of the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p2.1">Lord</span> shall name.   3 Thou shalt also be a
crown of glory in the hand of the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p2.2">Lord</span>, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
  4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy
land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called
Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p2.3">Lord</span> delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be
married.   5 For <i>as</i> a young man marrieth a virgin,
<i>so</i> shall thy sons marry thee: and <i>as</i> the bridegroom
rejoiceth over the bride, <i>so</i> shall thy God rejoice over
thee.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p3" shownumber="no">The prophet here tells us,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p4" shownumber="no">I. What he will do for the church. A
prophet, as he is a seer, so he is a spokesman. This prophet
resolves to perform that office faithfully, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.1" parsed="|Isa|62|1|0|0" passage="Isa 62:1"><i>v.</i> 1</scripRef>. He <i>will not hold his
peace;</i> he <i>will not rest;</i> he will mind his business, will
take pains, and never desire to take his ease; and herein he was a
type of Christ, who was indefatigable in executing the office of a
prophet and made it his meat and drink till he had finished his
work. Observe here, 1. What the prophet's resolution is: <i>He will
not hold his peace.</i> He will continue instant in preaching, will
not only faithfully deliver, but frequently repeat, the messages he
has <i>received from the Lord.</i> If people receive not the
precepts and promises at first, he will inculcate them and give
them line upon line. And he will continue instant in prayer; he
will never hold his peace at the throne of grace till he has
prevailed with God for the mercies promised; he will <i>give
himself to prayer and to the ministry of the word,</i> as Christ's
ministers must (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p4.2" osisRef="Bible:Acts.6.4" parsed="|Acts|6|4|0|0" passage="Ac 6:4">Acts vi. 4</scripRef>),
who must labour frequently in both and never be weary of this
well-doing. The business of ministers is to speak from God to his
people and to God for his people; and in neither of these must they
be silent. 2. What is the principle of this resolution—<i>for
Zion's sake, and for Jerusalem's,</i> not for the sake of any
private interest of his own, but for the church's sake, because he
has an affection and concern for Zion, and it lies near his heart.
Whatever becomes of his own house and family, he desires to <i>see
the good of Jerusalem</i> and resolves to seek it all the days of
his life, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p4.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.122.8 Bible:Ps.118.5" parsed="|Ps|122|8|0|0;|Ps|118|5|0|0" passage="Ps 122:8,Ps 118:5">Ps. cxxii. 8, 9;
cxviii. 5</scripRef>. It is God's Zion and his Jerusalem, and it is
<i>therefore</i> dear to him, because it is so to God and because
God's glory is interested in its prosperity. 3. How long he
resolves to continue this importunity—till the promise of the
church's righteousness and salvation, given in the foregoing
chapter, be accomplished. Isaiah will not himself live to see the
release of the captives out of Babylon, much less the bringing in
of the gospel, in which <i>grace reigns through righteousness unto
life</i> and salvation; yet he will <i>not hold his peace till</i>
these be accomplished, even the utmost of them, because his
prophecies will continue speaking of these things, and there shall
in every age be a remnant that shall continue to pray for them, as
successors to him, till the promises be performed, and so the
prayers answered that were grounded upon them. Then the church's
<i>righteousness</i> and <i>salvation</i> will <i>go forth as
brightness,</i> and <i>as a lamp that burns,</i> so plainly that it
will carry its own evidence along with it. It will bring honour and
comfort to the church, which will hereupon both look pleasant and
appear illustrious; and it will bring instruction and direction to
the world, a light not only to the eyes but to the feet, and to
<i>the paths</i> of those who before <i>sat in darkness and in the
shadow of death.</i></p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p5" shownumber="no">II. What God will do for the church. The
prophet can but pray and preach, but God will confirm the word and
answer the prayers. 1. The church shall be greatly admired. When
that righteousness which is her salvation, her praise, and her
glory, shall be <i>brought forth,</i> the <i>Gentiles shall see</i>
it. The tidings of it shall be carried to the Gentiles, and a
tender of it made to them; they may so see this righteousness as to
share in it if it be not their own fault. "Even kings shall see and
be in love with the <i>glory of thy righteousness</i>" (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.2" parsed="|Isa|62|2|0|0" passage="Isa 62:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>), shall overlook the
glory of their own courts and kingdoms, and look at, and look
after, the spiritual glory of the church as that which excels. 2.
She shall be truly admirable. Great names make men considerable in
the world, and great respect is paid them thereupon; now it is
agreed that <i>honor est in honorante—honour derives its value
from the dignity of him who confers it.</i> God is the fountain of
honour and from him the church's honour comes: "<i>Thou shalt be
called by a new name,</i> a pleasant name, such as thou wast never
called by before, no, not in the day of thy greatest prosperity,
and the reverse of that which thou wast called by in the day of thy
affliction; thou shalt have a new character, be advanced to a new
dignity, and those about thee shall have new thoughts of thee."
This seems to be alluded to in that promise (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:Rev.2.17" parsed="|Rev|2|17|0|0" passage="Re 2:17">Rev. ii. 17</scripRef>) of the <i>white stone and in the
stone a new name,</i> and that (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:Rev.3.12" parsed="|Rev|3|12|0|0" passage="Re 3:12">Rev.
iii. 12</scripRef>) of the <i>name of the city of my God</i> and my
<i>new name.</i> It is a name <i>which the mouth of the Lord shall
name,</i> who, we are sure, miscalls nothing, and who will oblige
others to call her by the name he has given her; for his judgment
is according to truth and all shall concur with it sooner or later.
Two names God shall give her:—(1.) He shall call her his crown
(<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.3" parsed="|Isa|62|3|0|0" passage="Isa 62:3"><i>v.</i> 3</scripRef>): <i>Thou
shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,</i> not on his
head (as adding any real honour or power to him, as crowns do to
those that are crowned with them), but in his hand. He is pleased
to account them, and show them forth, as a glory and beauty to him.
When he took them to be his people it was that they might be
<i>unto him for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory</i>
(<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.5" osisRef="Bible:Jer.13.11" parsed="|Jer|13|11|0|0" passage="Jer 13:11">Jer. xiii. 11</scripRef>): "Thou
shalt be a <i>crown of glory</i> and a <i>royal diadem,</i> through
the hand, the good hand, of thy God upon thee; he shall make thee
so, for he shall be <i>to thee a crown of glory,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.6" osisRef="Bible:Isa.28.5" parsed="|Isa|28|5|0|0" passage="Isa 28:5"><i>ch.</i> xxviii. 5</scripRef>. Thou shalt be
so <i>in his hand,</i> that is, under his protection; he that shall
put glory upon thee shall <i>create a defence upon all that
glory,</i> so that the flowers of thy crown shall never wither nor
shall its jewels be lost." (2.) He shall call her his spouse,
<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.7" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.4-Isa.62.5" parsed="|Isa|62|4|62|5" passage="Isa 62:4,5"><i>v.</i> 4, 5</scripRef>. This is a
yet greater honour, especially considering what a forlorn condition
she had been in. [1.] Her case had been very melancholy. She was
called <i>forsaken</i> and her land <i>desolate</i> during the
captivity, like a woman reproachfully divorced or left a
disconsolate widow. Such as the state of religion in the world
before the preaching of the gospel—it was in a manner forsaken and
desolate, a thing that no man looked after nor had any real concern
for. [2.] It should now be very pleasant, for God would return in
mercy to her. Instead of those two names of reproach, she shall be
called by two honourable names. <i>First,</i> She shall be called
<i>Hephzi-bah,</i> which signifies, <i>My delight is in her;</i> it
was the name of Hezekiah's queen, Manasseh's mother (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.8" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.21.1" parsed="|2Kgs|21|1|0|0" passage="2Ki 21:1">2 Kings xxi. 1</scripRef>), a proper name for a
wife, who ought to be her husband's delight, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.9" osisRef="Bible:Prov.5.19" parsed="|Prov|5|19|0|0" passage="Pr 5:19">Prov. v. 19</scripRef>. And here it is the church's Maker
that is her husband: <i>The Lord delights in thee.</i> God by his
grace has wrought that in his church which makes her his delight,
she being refined, and reformed, and brought home to him; and then
by his providence he does that for her which makes it appear that
she is his delight and that he delights to do her good.
<i>Secondly,</i> She shall be called <i>Beulah,</i> which signifies
<i>married,</i> whereas she had been desolate, a condition opposed
to that of the <i>married wife,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.10" osisRef="Bible:Isa.54.1" parsed="|Isa|54|1|0|0" passage="Isa 54:1"><i>ch.</i> liv. 1</scripRef>. "<i>Thy land shall be
married,</i> that is, it shall become fruitful again, and be
replenished." Though she has long been barren, she shall again be
peopled, shall again be made to keep house and to be a joyful
mother of children, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.11" osisRef="Bible:Ps.113.9" parsed="|Ps|113|9|0|0" passage="Ps 113:9">Ps. cxiii.
9</scripRef>. <i>She shall be married,</i> for, 1. Her sons shall
heartily espouse the land of their nativity and its interests,
which they had for a long time neglected, as despairing ever to
have any comfortable enjoyment of it: <i>Thy sons shall marry
thee,</i> that is, they shall live with thee and take delight in
thee. When they were in Babylon, they seemed to have espoused that
land, for they were appointed to settle, and to seek the peace of
it, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.12" osisRef="Bible:Jer.29.5-Jer.29.7" parsed="|Jer|29|5|29|7" passage="Jer 29:5-7">Jer. xxix. 5-7</scripRef>. But
now they shall again marry their own land, <i>as a young man
marries a virgin</i> that he takes great delight in, is extremely
fond of, and is likely to have many children by. It bodes well to a
land when its own natives and inhabitants are pleased with it,
prefer it before other lands, when its princes marry their country
and resolve to take their lot with it. 2. <i>Her God</i> (which is
much better) shall <i>betroth her to himself in righteousness,</i>
<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.13" osisRef="Bible:Hos.2.19-Hos.2.20" parsed="|Hos|2|19|2|20" passage="Ho 2:19,20">Hosea ii. 19, 20</scripRef>. He will
take pleasure in his church: <i>As the bridegroom rejoices over the
bride,</i> is pleased with his relation to her and her affection to
him, <i>so shall thy God rejoice over thee:</i> he shall rest in
his love to thee (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.14" osisRef="Bible:Zeph.3.17" parsed="|Zeph|3|17|0|0" passage="Zep 3:17">Zeph. iii.
17</scripRef>); <i>he shall take pleasure</i> in thee (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.15" osisRef="Bible:Ps.147.11" parsed="|Ps|147|11|0|0" passage="Ps 147:11">Ps. cxlvii. 11</scripRef>), and shall
<i>delight to do thee good with his whole heart and his whole
soul,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p5.16" osisRef="Bible:Jer.32.41" parsed="|Jer|32|41|0|0" passage="Jer 32:41">Jer. xxxii. 41</scripRef>.
This is very applicable to the love Christ has for his church and
the complacency he takes in it, which appears so brightly in
Solomon's Song, and which will be complete in heaven.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Is.lxiii-p5.17" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.6-Isa.62.9" parsed="|Isa|62|6|62|9" passage="Isa 62:6-9" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Is.lxiii-p5.18">
<h4 id="Is.lxiii-p5.19">The Prosperity of the
Church. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p5.20">b. c.</span> 706.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Is.lxiii-p6" shownumber="no">6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O
Jerusalem, <i>which</i> shall never hold their peace day nor night:
ye that make mention of the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p6.1">Lord</span>,
keep not silence,   7 And give him no rest, till he establish,
and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.   8 The
<span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p6.2">Lord</span> hath sworn by his right hand,
and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn
<i>to be</i> meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger
shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:  
9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p6.3">Lord</span>; and they that have brought it
together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p7" shownumber="no">Two things are here promised to
Jerusalem:—</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p8" shownumber="no">I. Plenty of the means of grace—abundance
of good preaching and good praying (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p8.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.6-Isa.62.7" parsed="|Isa|62|6|62|7" passage="Isa 62:6,7"><i>v.</i> 6, 7</scripRef>), and this shows the method
God takes when he designs mercy for a people; he first brings them
to their duty and pours out a spirit of prayer upon them, and then
brings salvation to them. Provision is made,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p9" shownumber="no">1. That ministers may do their duty as
watchmen. It is here spoken of as a token for good, as a step
towards further mercy and an earnest of it, that, in order to what
he designed for them, he would set <i>watchmen on their walls who
should never hold their peace.</i> Note, (1.) Ministers are
watchmen on the church's walls, for it is as a city besieged, whose
concern it is to have sentinels on the walls, to take notice and
give notice of the motions of the enemy. It is necessary that, as
watchmen, they be wakeful, and faithful, and willing to endure
hardness. (2.) They are concerned to stand upon their guard day and
night; they must never be off their watch as long as those for
whose souls they watch are not out of danger. (3.) They must never
hold their peace; they must take all opportunities to give warning
to sinners, in season, out of season, and must never betray the
cause of Christ by a treacherous or cowardly silence. They must
never hold their peace at the throne of grace; they must <i>pray,
and not faint,</i> as Moses lifted up his hands and kept them
steady, till Israel had obtained the victory over Amalek, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p9.1" osisRef="Bible:Exod.17.10 Bible:Exod.17.12" parsed="|Exod|17|10|0|0;|Exod|17|12|0|0" passage="Ex 17:10,12">Exod. xvii. 10, 12</scripRef>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p10" shownumber="no">2. That people may do their duty. As those
that make mention of the Lord, let not them keep silence neither,
let not them think it enough that their watchmen pray for them, but
let them pray for themselves; all will be little enough to meet the
approaching mercy with due solemnity. Note, (1.) It is the
character of God's professing people that they make mention of the
Lord, and continue to do so even in bad times, when the land is
termed <i>forsaken</i> and <i>desolate.</i> They are <i>the Lord's
remembrancers</i> (so the margin reads it); they remember the Lord
themselves and put one another in mind of him. (2.) God's
professing people must be a praying people, must be public-spirited
in prayer, must wrestle with God in prayer, and continue to do so:
"<i>Keep not silence;</i> never grow remiss in the duty nor weary
of it." <i>Give him no rest</i>—alluding to an importunate beggar,
to the widow that with her continual coming wearied the judge into
a compliance. God said to <i>Moses, Let me alone</i> (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p10.1" osisRef="Bible:Exod.32.10" parsed="|Exod|32|10|0|0" passage="Ex 32:10">Exod. xxxii. 10</scripRef>), and Jacob to
Christ, <i>I will not let thee go except thou bless me,</i>
<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p10.2" osisRef="Bible:Gen.32.26" parsed="|Gen|32|26|0|0" passage="Ge 32:26">Gen. xxxii. 26</scripRef>. (3.) God is
so far from being displeased with our pressing importunity, as men
commonly are, that he invites and encourages it; he bids us to cry
after him; he is not like those disciples who discouraged a
petitioner, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p10.3" osisRef="Bible:Matt.15.23" parsed="|Matt|15|23|0|0" passage="Mt 15:23">Matt. xv. 23</scripRef>.
He bids us make pressing applications at the throne of grace, and
<i>give him no rest,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p10.4" osisRef="Bible:Luke.11.5 Bible:Luke.11.8" parsed="|Luke|11|5|0|0;|Luke|11|8|0|0" passage="Lu 11:5,8">Luke xi. 5,
8</scripRef>. He suffers himself not only to be reasoned with, but
to be wrestled with. (4.) The public welfare or prosperity of God's
Jerusalem is that which we should be most importunate for at the
throne of grace; we should pray for the good of the church. [1.]
That it may be safe, that he would <i>establish</i> it, that the
interests of the church may be firm, may be settled for the present
and secured to posterity. [2.] That it may be great, may be <i>a
praise in the earth,</i> that it may be praised, and God may be
praised for it. When gospel truths are cleared and vindicated, when
gospel ordinances are duly administered in their purity and power,
when the church becomes eminent for holiness and love, then
Jerusalem is a praise in the earth, then it is in reputation. (5.)
We must persevere in our prayers for mercy to the church till the
mercy come; we must do as the prophet's servant did, go yet seven
times, till the promising cloud appear, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p10.5" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.18.44" parsed="|1Kgs|18|44|0|0" passage="1Ki 18:44">1 Kings xviii. 44</scripRef>. (6.) It is a good sign
that God is coming towards a people in ways of mercy when he pours
out a spirit of prayer upon them and stirs them up to be fervent
and constant in their intercessions.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p11" shownumber="no">II. Plenty of all other good things,
<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p11.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.8" parsed="|Isa|62|8|0|0" passage="Isa 62:8"><i>v.</i> 8</scripRef>. This follows
upon the former; when the people praise God, when <i>all the people
praise him, then shall the earth yield her increase</i> (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p11.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.67.5-Ps.67.6" parsed="|Ps|67|5|67|6" passage="Ps 67:5,6">Ps. lxvii. 5, 6</scripRef>), and outward
prosperity, crowning its piety, shall help to make Jerusalem a
praise in the earth. Observe,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p12" shownumber="no">1. The great distress they had been in, and
the losses they had sustained. Their corn had been meat for their
enemies, which they hoped would be meat for themselves and their
families. Here was a double grievance, that they themselves wanted
that which was necessary to the support of life and were in danger
of perishing for want of it, and that their enemies were
strengthened by it, had their camp victualled with it, and so were
the better able to do them a mischief. God is said to give their
corn to their enemies, because he not only permitted it, but
ordered it, to be the just punishment both of their abuse of plenty
and of their symbolizing with strangers, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p12.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.1.7" parsed="|Isa|1|7|0|0" passage="Isa 1:7"><i>ch.</i> i. 7</scripRef>. The wine which they had
laboured for, and which in their affliction they needed for the
relief of those among them that were of a heavy heart, strangers
drank it, to gratify their lusts with; this sore judgment was
threatened for their sins, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p12.2" osisRef="Bible:Lev.26.16 Bible:Deut.28.33" parsed="|Lev|26|16|0|0;|Deut|28|33|0|0" passage="Le 26:16,De 28:33">Lev. xxvi. 16; Deut. xxviii. 33</scripRef>. See
how uncertain our creature-comforts are, and how much it is our
wisdom to labour for that meat which we can never be robbed of.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p13" shownumber="no">2. The great fulness and satisfaction they
should now be restored to (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p13.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.9" parsed="|Isa|62|9|0|0" passage="Isa 62:9"><i>v.</i>
9</scripRef>): <i>Those that have gathered it shall eat it, and
praise the Lord.</i> See here, (1.) God's mercy in giving plenty,
and peace to enjoy it,—that the earth yields her increase, that
there are hands to be employed in gathering it in, and that they
are not taken off by plague and sickness, or otherwise employed in
war,—that strangers and enemies do not come and gather it for
themselves, or take it from us when we have gathered it,—that we
eat the labour of our hands and the bread is not eaten out of our
mouths,—and especially that we have opportunity and a heart to
honour God with it, and that his courts are open to us and we are
not restrained from attending on him in them. (2.) Our duty in the
enjoyment of this mercy. We must gather what God gives, with care
and industry; we must eat it freely and cheerfully, not bury the
gifts of God's bounty, but make use of them. We must, when we have
eaten and are full, <i>bless the Lord,</i> and give him thanks for
his bounty to us; and we must serve him with our abundance, use it
in works of piety and charity, eat it and <i>drink it in the courts
of his holiness,</i> where the altar, the priest, and the poor must
all have their share. The greatest comfort that a good man has in
his meat and drink is that it furnishes him with a meat-offering
and a drink-offering for the Lord his God (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p13.2" osisRef="Bible:Joel.2.14" parsed="|Joel|2|14|0|0" passage="Joe 2:14">Joel ii. 14</scripRef>); the greatest comfort that he
has in an estate is that it gives him an opportunity of honouring
God and doing good. This wine is to be <i>drunk in the courts of
God's holiness,</i> and therefore moderately and with sobriety, as
before the Lord.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p14" shownumber="no">3. The solemn ratification of this promise:
<i>The Lord has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his
strength,</i> that he will do this for his people. God confirms it
by an oath, that his people, who trust in him and his word, may
have <i>strong consolation,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p14.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.6.17-Heb.6.18" parsed="|Heb|6|17|6|18" passage="Heb 6:17,18">Heb. vi. 17, 18</scripRef>. And, since he can swear
by no greater, he swears by himself, sometimes by his being (<i>As
I live,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p14.2" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.33.11" parsed="|Ezek|33|11|0|0" passage="Eze 33:11">Ezek. xxxiii.
11</scripRef>), sometimes by his holiness (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p14.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.89.35" parsed="|Ps|89|35|0|0" passage="Ps 89:35">Ps. lxxxix. 35</scripRef>), here by his power, his right
hand (which was lifted up in swearing, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p14.4" osisRef="Bible:Deut.32.40" parsed="|Deut|32|40|0|0" passage="De 32:40">Deut. xxxii. 40</scripRef>), and his arm of power; for
it is a great satisfaction to those who build their hopes on God's
promise to be sure that <i>what he has promised he is able to
perform,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p14.5" osisRef="Bible:Rom.4.21" parsed="|Rom|4|21|0|0" passage="Ro 4:21">Rom. iv. 21</scripRef>. To
assure us of this he has sworn by his strength, pawning the
reputation of his omnipotence upon it; if he do not do it, let it
be said, <i>It was because he could not,</i> which the Egyptians
shall never say (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p14.6" osisRef="Bible:Num.14.16" parsed="|Num|14|16|0|0" passage="Nu 14:16">Num. xiv.
16</scripRef>) nor any other. It is the comfort of God's people
that his power is engaged for them, his right hand, where the
Mediator sits.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Is.lxiii-p14.7" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.10-Isa.62.12" parsed="|Isa|62|10|62|12" passage="Isa 62:10-12" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Is.lxiii-p14.8">
<h4 id="Is.lxiii-p14.9">The Advent of the Messiah. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p14.10">b. c.</span> 706.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Is.lxiii-p15" shownumber="no">10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye
the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the
stones; lift up a standard for the people.   11 Behold, the
<span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p15.1">Lord</span> hath proclaimed unto the end of
the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation
cometh; behold, his reward <i>is</i> with him, and his work before
him.   12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The
redeemed of the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.lxiii-p15.2">Lord</span>: and thou shalt
be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.lxiii-p16" shownumber="no">This, as many like passages before, refers
to the deliverance of the Jews out of Babylon, and, under the type
and figure of that, to the great redemption wrought out by Jesus
Christ, and the proclaiming of gospel grace and liberty through
him. 1. Way shall be made for this salvation; all difficulties
shall be removed, and whatever might obstruct it shall be taken out
of the way, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p16.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.10" parsed="|Isa|62|10|0|0" passage="Isa 62:10"><i>v.</i> 10</scripRef>.
The gates of Babylon shall be thrown open, that they may with
freedom go through them; the way from Babylon to the land of Israel
shall be prepared; causeways shall be made and cast up through wet
and miry places, and the stones gathered out from places rough and
rocky; in the convenient places appointed for their rendezvous
standards shall be set up for their direction and encouragement,
that they may embody for their greater safety. Thus John Baptist
was sent to <i>prepare the way of the Lord,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p16.2" osisRef="Bible:Matt.3.3" parsed="|Matt|3|3|0|0" passage="Mt 3:3">Matt. iii. 3</scripRef>. And, before Christ by his graces
and comforts comes to any for salvation, preparation is made for
him by repentance, which is called the <i>preparation of the gospel
of peace,</i> <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p16.3" osisRef="Bible:Eph.6.15" parsed="|Eph|6|15|0|0" passage="Eph 6:15">Eph. vi. 15</scripRef>.
Here the way is levelled by it, there the feet are shod with it,
which comes all to one, for both are in order to a journey. 2.
Notice shall be given of this salvation, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p16.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.11-Isa.62.12" parsed="|Isa|62|11|62|12" passage="Isa 62:11,12"><i>v.</i> 11, 12</scripRef>. It shall be proclaimed
to the captives that they are set at liberty and may go if they
please; it shall be proclaimed to their neighbours, to all about
them, <i>to the end of the world,</i> that God has pleaded Zion's
just, injured, and despised cause. Let is be said to Zion, for her
comfort, <i>Behold, thy salvation comes</i> (that is, thy Saviour,
who brings salvation); he will bring such a work, such a reward, in
this salvation, as shall be admired by all, a reward of comfort and
peace with him; but a work of humiliation and reformation before
him, to prepare his people for that recompence of their sufferings;
and then, with reference to each, it follows, they shall be called,
<i>The holy people,</i> and the <i>redeemed of the Lord. The work
before him,</i> which shall be wrought in them and upon them, shall
denominate them a holy people, cured of their inclination to
idolatry and consecrated to God only; and the <i>reward with
him,</i> the deliverance wrought for them, shall denominate them
the <i>redeemed of the Lord,</i> so redeemed as none but God could
redeem them, and redeemed to be his, their bonds loosed, that they
might be his servants. Jerusalem shall then be called, <i>Sought
out, a city not forsaken.</i> She had been forsaken for many years;
there were neither traders nor worshippers that enquired the way to
Jerusalem as formerly, when it was frequented by both. But now God
will again make her considerable. She shall be sought out, visited,
resorted to, and court made to her, as much as ever. When Jerusalem
is called a <i>holy city,</i> then it is called <i>sought out;</i>
for holiness puts an honour and beauty upon any place or person,
which draws respect, and makes them to be admired, beloved, and
enquired after. But this being proclaimed to the end of the world
must have a reference to the gospel of Christ, which was to be
preached to every creature; and it intimates, (1.) The glory of
Christ. It is published immediately to the church, but is thence
echoed to every nation: <i>Behold, thy salvation cometh.</i> Christ
is not only the Saviour, but the salvation itself; for the
happiness of believers is not only from him, but in him, <scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p16.5" osisRef="Bible:Isa.12.2" parsed="|Isa|12|2|0|0" passage="Isa 12:2"><i>ch.</i> xii. 2</scripRef>. His salvation
consists both in the work and in the reward which he brings with
him; for those that are his shall neither be idle nor lose their
labour. (2.) The beauty of the church. Christians shall be called
<i>saints</i> (<scripRef id="Is.lxiii-p16.6" osisRef="Bible:1Cor.1.2" parsed="|1Cor|1|2|0|0" passage="1Co 1:2">1 Cor. i. 2</scripRef>),
<i>the holy people,</i> for they are chosen and called <i>to
salvation through sanctification.</i> They shall be called <i>the
redeemed of the Lord;</i> to him they owe their liberty, and
therefore to him they owe their service, and they shall not be
ashamed to own both. None are to be <i>called the redeemed of the
Lord</i> but those that are the <i>holy people;</i> the people of
God's purchase are a holy nation. And they shall be called,
<i>Sought out.</i> God shall seek them out, and find them, wherever
they are dispersed, eclipsed, or lost in a crowd; men shall seek
them out, that they may join themselves to them, and not forsake
them. It is good to associate with <i>the holy people,</i> that we
may learn their ways, and with <i>the redeemed of the Lord,</i>
that we may share in the blessings of the redemption.</p>
</div></div2>