Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Isaiah
Book: Isaiah
Chapter: 59
Overview:
Reproofs of
Sin and wickedness.
(1-8) Confession of
Sin, and
Lamentation for the consequences.
(9-15) Promises of
deliverance.
(16-21)
1-8 If our prayers are not answered, and the
Salvation we wait
for is not wrought for us, it is not because
God is weary of
hearing
Prayer, but because we are weary of praying. See here
Sin in true colours, exceedingly sinful; and see
Sin in its
consequences, exceedingly hurtful, separating from
God, and
So
separating us, not only from all good, but to all evil. Yet
Numbers feed, to their own
Destruction,
On infidel and wicked
systems. Nor can their skill or craft, in devising schemes, as
the
Spider weaves its web, deliver or save them.
No schemes of
self-wrought
Salvation shall avail those who despise the
Redeemer's robe of
Righteousness. Every
Man who is destitute of
the
Spirit of
Christ, runs swiftly to evil of some sort; but
those regardless of Divine
Truth and
Justice, are strangers to
peace.
9-15 If we shut our eyes against the
Light of Divine
Truth, it
is just with
God to hide from our eyes the things that belong to
our peace. The sins of those who profess themselves
God's
people, are worse than the sins of others. And the sins of a
nation bring public judgments, when not restrained
By public
Justice. Men may murmur under calamities, but nothing will truly
profit while they reject
Christ and his
Gospel.
16-21 This
Passage is connected with the following chapters. It
is generally thought to describe the coming of the
Messiah, as
the Avenger and Deliverer of his
Church. There was none to
intercede with
God to turn away his wrath; none to interpose for
the support of
Justice and
Truth. Yet He engaged his own
strength and
Righteousness for his people.
God will make his
Justice upon the enemies of his
Church and people plainly
appear. When the enemy threatens to
Bear down all without
control, then the
Spirit of the
Lord shall stop him,
Put him to
flight. He that has delivered, will still deliver. A far more
glorious
Salvation is promised to be wrought out
By the
Messiah
in the
Fulness of time, which all the prophets had in view. The
Son of God shall come to us to be our
Redeemer; the
Spirit of
God shall come to be our Sanctifier: thus the
Comforter shall
abide with the
Church for ever, Joh 14:16. The
Word of
Christ
will always continue in the mouths of the
Faithful; and whatever
is pretended to be the mind of the
Spirit, must be tried
By the
Scriptures. We must lament the progress of infidelity and
impiety. But the cause of the
Redeemer shall gain a complete
victory even
On Earth, and the believer will be more than
conqueror when the
Lord receives him to his
Glory in
Heaven.