View Isaiah 65 in the note window.
The calling of the Gentiles: the Jews for their incredulity,
idolatry, and hypocrisy, rejected, ver. 1 - 7.
A remnant shall be saved, ver. 8 - 10.
Judgments on the wicked, and blessings on the Godly, ver. 11 - 16.
The flourishing and peaceable state of the New Jerusalem, ver. 17 - 26.
1: I am, &c. - This in the primary sense of this text, is a prophecy
of the conversion of the Gentiles, upon the rejection of the Jews;
for their contempt and crucifying of Christ, cannot be doubted by any,
who will not arrogate to themselves a greater ability to interpret the
prophesies of the Old Testament, than St. Paul had, who,(Ro 10:20), expressly so interprets it, and applies it, which shews
the vanity of the Jews in their other interpretations of it.
Sought - The word signifies properly a diligent enquiry in things
relating to God. Asked not - That in times past made no enquiry after
me; l am now found by them that formerly sought me not.
I said - I invited whole nations by the preaching of my gospel to
behold me, and that with importunity, doubling my words upon them,
and this I did unto a nation not called by my name, with whom I was
not in covenant.
2: I have spread - Applied to the Jews, (Ro 10:21).
I have stretched out my hands, I have used all means to reduce them,
I have stretched out the hands of a passionate orator to persuade
them, of a liberal benefactor to load them with my benefits; this I
have done continually in the whole course of my providence with them.
3: To my face - With the utmost impudence, not taking notice of God's
omnipresence, and omniscience. In gardens, &c. - Directly contrary to the
divine rule.
4: Remain - They remained among the graves, there consulting
with devils, who were thought to delight in such places; or to practice
necromancy, all which were forbidden, (De 18:11,Isa 8:19).
Monuments - Some interpret it of idol temples, some of caves and dens, in
which the Heathens used to worship their idols.
Broth of abominable things - Of such flesh as was to the Jews unclean
by the law.
5: Holier - Thus they esteemed themselves holier than others,
though all their holiness lay in rituals, and those too, such as God
never commanded. Of these God saith, These are a smoak in my nostrils,
a fire that burneth all the day; that is, a continual provocation to me:
as smoak is an offence to our noses.
6: Behold - They may think I take no notice of these things; but I
will as certainly remember them, as princes or great men that record
things in writing which they would not forget.
7: Together - Yea, and when I reckon with them, I will punish them,
not only for their personal sins, but for the sins of their parents,
which they have made their own, by imitation. Their former - I will not
only punish the late sins that they have committed, but the former sins
of this kind, which those that went before did commit, and they have
continued in.
8: Thus, &c. - These word's may be conceived as a gracious answer
from God to the prophet, pleading God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel. To this God replies, that he intended no such severity.
His threatening should be made good upon the generality of this people.
Blessing - But yet, as in a vineyard, which is generally unfruitful, there
may be some vine that brings forth fruit, and has the hopes of new
wine in the cluster, and as to such, the gardener bids his servant
destroy it not, for there is in them what speaks God's blessing.
So - So (saith God) will I do for my servants sake, that I may not
destroy them all, for the sake of my servants, Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.
9: Judah - God farther promises to bring out of Judah, an inheritor
of his mountains which refers to the Jews return out of the captivity
of Babylon to Jerusalem, to worship God in his temple, upon mount
Zion. Mine elect - My chosen ones. The term signifies such as are
dignified with some special favour. The whole nation of the Jews are
called a chosen people.
10: A fold - Sharon was a place of great fruitfulness for
pastures. It was become like a wilderness, God here promises that it
should again be a place for the flocks.
11: Forget - To forget God's holy mountains, signifies not to
regard the true worship of God. God calls Zion his holy mountain.
That troop - The idols of the ten tribes, and of the Assyrians,
were a troop, where as the God of Israel was one God.
By preparing a table, here seems to be meant, the feasts they made
upon their sacrifices in imitation of what the true God had commanded
his people. Furnish - God had appointed drink offerings for his
honour, but the people had paid their homage to idols. Number - The
multitude of their idols.
12: To the sword - A great number of you shall perish by the sword;
or possibly the term number may refer to all in the next phrase, so
that none of them should escape. God saith he will number them, tell
them out one by one to the sword. Bow down - As you have bowed down
to idols. I called - By my prophets, you did not answer by doing the
things which I enjoined. Chuse - You sinned deliberately chusing sinful
courses, the things which I hated.
15: A curse - They shall use your names as examples, of the eminent
wrath of God upon sinners. Another name - He will not suffer his own
people to be called by a name by which idolaters are known.
16: God of truth - Because they shall see what God promised is
fulfilled. Are hid - That is, they are at an end.
17: I create - I am about wholly to change the state not only of
my people, but to bring a new face upon the world, which shall abide
until a new heavens and earth appear, in which shall dwell nothing but
righteousness. Not be remembered - That state of things shall be so
glorious, that the former state of my people shall not be remembered.
18: You - The church, as well under the gospel, as under the law.
20: An infant - Those that were now children, shall die at a great
age. But - Yet none of these things shall be of any advantage to wicked
men, but if any of them shall live to be an hundred years old, yet they
shall die accursed.
23: With them - Is blessed with them.
24: Before they call - God promised, (Isa 58:9), to answer them,
when they called: here he promises to answer the words, as soon as
they should be formed in their hearts before they could get them out of
their lips. While - Yea, while they were speaking.
25: The wolf, &c. - God here promises to take off the fierceness of
the spirits of his peoples enemies, so that they shall live quietly and
peaceably together. And dust - God promises a time of tranquility to
his church under the metaphor of serpents eating the dust, their proper
meat, (Ge 3:14), instead of flying upon men: it signifies such a time,
when wicked men shall no more eat up the people of God.
