Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Isaiah
Book: Isaiah
Chapter: 51
Overview:
Exhortations to trust the
Messiah.
(1-3) The power of
God, and
the weakness of
Man.
(4-8) Christ defends his people.
(9-16)
Their
Afflictions and deliverances.
(17-23)
1-3 It is good for those privileged
By the new
Birth, to
consider that they were shapen in
Sin. This should cause low
thoughts of ourselves, and high thoughts of Divine
Grace. It is
the greatest comfort to be made serviceable to the
Glory of
God.
The more
Holiness men have, and the more good they do, the more
gladness they have. Let us seriously reflect upon our guilt. To
do
So will tend to keep the
Heart humble, and the
Conscience
awake and tender. They make
Christ more precious to the soul,
and give strength to our attempts and prayers for others.
4-8 The
Gospel of
Christ shall be preached and published. How
shall we escape if we neglect it? There is
No Salvation without
Righteousness. The soul shall, as to this world, vanish like
smoke, and the body be thrown
By like a worn-out garment. But
those whose happiness is in
Christ's
Righteousness and
Salvation, will have the comfort of it when time and days shall
be
No more. Clouds darken the
Sun, but do not stop its course.
The believer will enjoy his portion, while revilers of
Christ
are in
Darkness
9-16 The people whom
Christ has redeemed with his
Blood, as
Well as
By his power, will obtain joyful deliverance from every
enemy. He that designs such joy for us at last, will he not work
such deliverance in the mean time, as our cases require? In this
world of changes, it is a short step from joy to sorrow, but in
that world, sorrow shall never come in view. They prayed for the
display of
God's power; he answers them with consolations of his
Grace. Did we dread to
Sin against
God, we should not fear the
frowns of men. Happy is the
Man that fears
God always. And
Christ's
Church shall enjoy security
By the power and
Providence
of the Almighty.
17-23 God calls upon his people to mind the things that belong
to their
Everlasting peace.
Jerusalem had provoked
God, and was
made to taste the
Bitter fruits. Those who should have been her
comforters, were their own tormentors. They have
No patience
By
which to keep possession of their own souls, nor any confidence
in
God's promise,
By which to keep possession of its comfort.
Thou art drunken, not as formerly, with the intoxicating
Cup of
Babylon's idolatries, but with the
Cup of affliction. Know,
then, the cause of
God's people may for a time seem as lost, but
God will protect it,
By convincing the
Conscience, or
confounding the projects, of those that strive against it. The
oppressors required souls to be subjected to them, that every
Man should believe and
Worship as they would have them. But all
they could gain
By violence was, that people were brought to
outward hypocritical conformity, for consciences cannot be
forced.