Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Isaiah
Book: Isaiah
Chapter: 33
Overview:
God's judgments against the enemies of his
Church.
(1-14) The
happiness of his people.
(15-24)
1-14 Here we have the proud and false
Destroyer justly reckoned
with for all his fraud and violence. The righteous
God often
pays sinners in their own
Coin. Those who
By Faith humbly wait
for
God, shall find him gracious to them; as the
Day,
So let the
strength be. If
God leaves us to ourselves any morning, we are
undone; we must every morning commit ourselves to him, and go
forth in his strength to do the work of the
Day. When
God
arises, his enemies are scattered. True
Wisdom and knowledge
lead to strength of
Salvation, which renders us stedfast in the
ways of
God; and true
Piety is the only treasure which can never
be plundered or spent. The distress
Jerusalem was brought into,
is described.
God's time to appear for his people, is, when all
other helpers fail. Let all who hear what
God has done,
acknowledge that he can do every thing. Sinners in Zion will
have much to answer for, above other sinners. And those that
rebel against the commands of the
Word, cannot take its comforts
in time of need. His wrath will burn those everlastingly who
make themselves
Fuel for it. It is a
Fire that shall never be
quenched, nor ever go out of itself; it is the wrath of an
ever-living
God preying
On the
Conscience of a never-dying soul.
15-24 The true believer
Watches against all occasions of
Sin.
The Divine power will keep him safe, and his
Faith in that power
will keep him easy. He shall want nothing needful for him. Every
blessing of
Salvation is freely bestowed
On all that ask with
humble, believing
Prayer; and the believer is safe in time and
for ever. Those that walk uprightly shall not only have
Bread
given, and their water sure, but they shall,
By Faith, see the
King of
Kings in his beauty, the beauty of
Holiness. The
remembrance of the terror they were in, shall add to the
pleasure of their deliverance. It is desirable to be quiet in
our own houses, but much more
So to be quiet in
God's
House; and
in every
Age Christ will have a seed to serve him.
Jerusalem had
No large
River running
By it, but the presence and power of
God
make up all wants. We have all in
God, all we need, or can
desire.
By Faith we take
Christ for our
Prince and
Saviour; he
reigns over his redeemed people. All that refuse to have Him to
reign over them, make shipwreck of their souls. Sickness is
taken away in
Mercy, when the
Fruit of it is the taking away of
Sin. If iniquity be taken away, we have little reason to
complain of outward affliction. This last verse leads our
thoughts, not only to the most glorious state of the
Gospel
Church On Earth, but to
Heaven, where
No sickness or trouble can
enter. He that blotteth out our transgressions, will heal our
souls.