God's rebukes, spoken through His prophet, may seem no more than reproaches addressed to people who forget God again and again. But in fact, things are not so simple. Rebuke is certainly present in the prophet's words, but they also contain...
God's rebukes, spoken through His prophet, may seem no more than reproaches addressed to people who forget God again and again. But in fact, things are not so simple. Rebuke is certainly present in the prophet's words, but they also contain a reminder—a reminder that God, His providence, and His world are absolute reality. Everything else, if real at all, is only relatively so. God reproaches His people not even for apostasy as such; during the exile, much had already been said and thought about apostasy. There had been repentance and confidence that now, when the people's life had changed, when the community could not imagine itself without the synagogue, the Torah, and gatherings for prayer, nothing of the sort would happen again.
But now it turns out that God's voice has sounded again, and once again He is not trusted. Not that they distrust Him entirely, but they still have doubts: will He really succeed? The undertaking is far too vast, and no reasonable grounds for hoping that it can be accomplished are visible... Then God reminds His people what reality is, how the world is ordered, and that reality is not at all what they, human beings, take it to be.
God reminds His people that apostasy is not a departure from one religious tradition or another, but a departure from reality—from the reality of God's providence, God's world, and God's life. Such a departure can occur at any time, at any moment. No religious tradition, however profound and wonderful; no religious thoughts and feelings, however deep and pure; not even any former repentance for sins committed, however sincere it may have been at the time—nothing will protect a person from apostasy unless he begins to live God's life, the life of God's great world, the Kingdom of God (for this great world of God is His Kingdom). And this is possible only if we are able to live in God's presence and if that presence, rather than anything else in the world, determines our life. Then we can see the world's reality, the side of it that faces its Creator, rather than the reverse side on which we found ourselves after the Fall.
This passage from the reverse side of the world into the Kingdom is not connected with any outward activity, religious or otherwise. It is not a matter of doing something, but simply of being—being before God, in His immediate presence. Then it becomes clear that what one inhabits has existed from eternity, that one has entered the place where God's providence acts directly. Here everything is possible except evil and apostasy, which are incompatible with dwelling in this world of God. This is what God reminds His people of through His prophet—not the past with its sins, nor the future, but what is central and eternal.
46 The ruin of Babylon and her idols, Isa 46:1-2.
God's love and faithfulness to the Jews. Isa 46:3-4.
Idols not to be compared with God, Isa 46:5-8.
for power, knowledge, and sure salvation, Isa 46:9-13.
46:1 Bel - The chief idol of the Babylonians, called by profane historians Jupiter Belus. Boweth - As the Babylonians used to bow down to him to worship, so now he bows down to the victorious Persians.Nebo - Another of the famous idols, which used to deliver oracles.Their idols - Were taken and broken, and the materials of them, gold, silver, and brass, were carried upon beasts into Persia.Your carriages - O ye Persians, to whom he turns his speech.
46:2 They - The Babylonians. Together - The Babylonians and their idols together, neither could help the other. Deliver - The Babylonians could not deliver their idols.
46:3 Carried - Whom I have nourished, ever since you were a people, and came out of Egypt; and that as tenderly, as parents bring up their own children.
46:7 Remove - He can stir neither hand nor foot to help his people.
46:8 Bring it - Think of this again and again, ye who have been guilty of this foolish sin.
46:10 Declaring - Foretelling from the beginning of the world, future events which should happen in succeeding ages, even to the end of the world.
46:11 A bird - Cyrus, called a bird for his swiftness, and ravenous for his fierceness, and victoriousness over his enemies.
46:13 I bring - Tho' you are unrighteous, I will shew myself a righteous and faithful God, making good my promise of delivering you out of Babylon after seventy years. It - My work of saving you from the Babylonish captivity. Will place - I will bring my people to Zion, and save them from all their enemies. My glory - In whom I will once again glory as my people.
47 God's judgments upon Babylon and Chaldea, for their cruelty towards God's people, Isa 47:1-6.
Their pride and other sins, Isa 47:7-10.
Their enchantments shall not deliver them, Isa 47:11-15.
47:1 Down - From thy throne. Virgin - So, called, because she was tender and delicate. No throne - For thee. The empire is taken from thee, and translated to the Persians. Called - Be so.
47:2 Millstones - Thou shalt be brought to the basest slavery, which grinding at the mill was esteemed. For this work was not performed by horses, as now it is, but by the labour of slaves and captives.Grind - Grind bread - corn into meal for thy master's use. Uncover - Take off the ornaments wherewith such women as were of good quality, used to cover and dress their heads. These are predictions of what they should be forced to do or suffer. Thigh - Gird up thy garments close and short about thee, that thou mayest be fit for travelling on foot, and for passing over those rivers, through which thou wilt be constrained to wade, in the way to the land of thy captivity.
47:3 Uncovered - Either for want of raiment to cover it; or rather, by thine enemies in way of scorn and contumely. As a man - With moderation and gentleness, as those men who have not quite put off humanity use to do.
47:5 Silent - Thro' grief and shame, as mourners use to do.The lady - The chief and glory of all kingdoms.
47:6 Polluted - I cast them away as an unclean thing. Into thine hand - To punish them. No mercy - Thou hast exceeded the bounds of thy commission. The ancient - Who besides their common calamity were afflicted with the miseries of old age, and therefore did require both pity and reverence.
47:7 These things - Thy cruel usages of my people, and the heavy judgments which thou hadst reason to expect for them. Nor remember - Thou didst not consider what might and was likely to befal thee afterward.
47:8 I am - Independent, and self - sufficient. None - Which is not either subject to me, or far inferior to me in power and glory.Shall not sit - I shall never want either a king or people to defend me.
47:9 Perfection - In the highest degree.
47:10 Trusted - Confidently expecting to preserve thyself by these and other wicked arts. None seeth - My counsels are so deeply laid.Perverted - Hath misled thee into the way of perdition.None seeth - Which is repeated, to denote their intolerable self - confidence.
47:11 Therefore - This agrees with the history. Babylon being surprized by Cyrus, when they were in deep security.
47:12 Stand - Persist in these practices. Laboured - From the beginning of thy kingdom. For the Chaldeans in all ages were famous for the practice of these arts.
47:13 Wearied - Thou hast spent thy time and strength in going from one to another, and all to no purpose.
47:15 Thus - Such comfortless and helpless creatures.They - Merchants who came from several countries to trade with Babylon.And the verse may be thus rendered; Thus (vain and unprofitable) shall they (thy sorcerers) with whom thou hast laboured be unto thee: (So here is only a transposition of words, than which nothing ismore usual in scripture. Then follows another matter:) also thy merchants, or they with whom thou hast traded from thy youth, shall wander every one to his own quarter.