Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · Isaiah Capitolo 50

Isa 50:1-11.

THE JUDGMENTS ON ISRAEL WERE PROVOKED BY THEIR CRIMES, YET THEY ARE NOT FINALLY CAST OFF BY GOD.

1. Where . . . mothers divorcement--Zion is "the mother"; the Jews are the children; and God the Husband and Father

(Isa 54:5; 62:5; Jer 3:14).

GESENIUS thinks that God means by the question to deny that He had given "a bill of divorcement" to her, as was often done on slight pretexts by a husband

(De 24:1),

or that He had "sold" His and her "children," as a poor parent sometimes did

(Ex 21:7; 2Ki 4:1; Ne 5:5)

under pressure of his "creditors"; that it was they who sold themselves through their own sins. MAURER explains, "Show the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom . . . ; produce the creditors to whom ye have been sold; so it will be seen that it was not from any caprice of Mine, but through your own fault, your mother has been put away, and you sold"

(Isa 52:3).

HORSLEY best explains (as the antithesis between "I" and "yourselves" shows, though LOWTH translates, "Ye are sold") I have never given your mother a regular bill of divorcement; I have merely "put her away" for a time, and can, therefore, by right as her husband still take her back on her submission; I have not made you, the children, over to any "creditor" to satisfy a debt; I therefore still have the right of a father over you, and can take you back on repentance, though as rebellious children you have sold yourselves to sin and its penalty

(1Ki 21:25).

bill . . . whom--rather, "the bill with which I have put her away" [MAURER].

2. I--Messiah.

no man--willing to believe in and obey Me

(Isa 52:1, 3).

The same Divine Person had "come" by His prophets in the Old Testament (appealing to them, but in vain,

Jer 7:25, 26),

who was about to come under the New Testament.

hand shortened--the Oriental emblem of weakness, as the long stretched-out hand is of power

(Isa 59:1).

Notwithstanding your sins, I can still "redeem" you from your bondage and dispersion.

dry up . . . sea--

(Ex 14:21).

The second exodus shall exceed, while it resembles in wonders, the first

(Isa 11:11, 15; 51:15).

make . . . rivers . . . wilderness--turn the prosperity of Israel's foes into adversity.

fish stinketh--the very judgment inflicted on their Egyptian enemies at the first exodus

(Ex 7:18, 21).

3. heavens . . . blackness--another of the judgments on Egypt to be repeated hereafter on the last enemy of God's people

(Ex 10:21).

sackcloth--

(Re 6:12).

4. Messiah, as "the servant of Jehovah"

(Isa 42:1),

declares that the office has been assigned to Him of encouraging the "weary" exiles of Israel by "words in season" suited to their case; and that, whatever suffering it is to cost Himself, He does not shrink from it

(Isa 50:5, 6),

for that He knows His cause will triumph at last

(Isa 50:7, 8).

learned--not in mere human learning, but in divinely taught modes of instruction and eloquence

(Isa 49:2; Ex 4:11; Mt 7:28, 29; 13:54).

speak a word in season--

(Pr 15:23; 25:11).

Literally, "to succor by words," namely, in their season of need, the "weary" dispersed ones of Israel

(De 28:65-67).

Also, the spiritual "weary"

(Isa 42:3; Mt 11:28).

wakeneth morning by morning, &c.--Compare "daily rising up early"

(Jer 7:25; Mr 1:35).

The image is drawn from a master wakening his pupils early for instruction.

wakeneth . . . ear--prepares me for receiving His divine instructions.

as the learned--as one taught by Him. He "learned obedience," experimentally, "by the things which He suffered"; thus gaining that practical learning which adapted Him for "speaking a word in season" to suffering men

(Heb 5:8).

5. opened . . . ear--(See on

Isa 42:20;

Isa 48:8);

that is, hath made me obediently attentive (but MAURER, "hath informed me of my duty"), as a servant to his master (compare

Ps 40:6-8, with Php 2:7; Isa 42:1; 49:3, 6; 52:13; 53:11; Mt 20:28; Lu 22:27).

not rebellious--but, on the contrary, most willing to do the Father's will in proclaiming and procuring salvation for man, at the cost of His own sufferings

(Heb 10:5-10).

6. smiters--with scourges and with the open hand

(Isa 52:14; Mr 14:65).

Literally fulfilled

(Mt 27:26; 26:27; Lu 18:33).

To "pluck the hair" is the highest insult that can be offered an Oriental

(2Sa 10:4; La 3:30).

"I gave" implies the voluntary nature of His sufferings; His example corresponds to His precept

(Mt 5:39).

spitting--To spit in another's presence is an insult in the East, much more on one; most of all in the face

(Job 30:10; Mt 27:30; Lu 18:32).

7. Sample of His not being "discouraged"

(Isa 42:4; 49:5).

set . . . face like . . . flint--set Myself resolutely, not to be daunted from My work of love by shame or suffering

(Eze 3:8, 9).

8.

(Isa 49:4).

The believer, by virtue of his oneness with Christ, uses the same language

(Ps 138:8; Ro 8:32-34).

But "justify" in His case, is God's judicial acceptance and vindication of Him on the ground of His own righteousness

(Lu 23:44-47; Ro 1:4; 1Ti 3:16,

with which compare

1Pe 3:18);

in their case, on the ground of His righteousness and meritorious death imputed to them

(Ro 5:19).

stand together--in judgment, to try the issue.

adversary--literally, "master of my cause," that is, who has real ground of accusation against me, so that he can demand judgment to be given in his favor (compare

Zec 3:1, &c. Re 12:10).

9. (Compare "deal," or "proper,"

Isa 52:13,

Margin;

Isa 53:10; Ps 118:6; Jer 23:5).

as a garment--

(Isa 51:6, 8; Ps 102:26).

A leading constituent of wealth in the East is change of raiment, which is always liable to the inroads of the moth; hence the frequency of the image in Scripture.

10. Messiah exhorts the godly after His example

(Isa 49:4, 5; 42:4)

when in circumstances of trial ("darkness,"

Isa 47:5),

to trust in the arm of Jehovah alone.

Who is, &c.--that is, Whosoever

(Jud 7:3).

obeyeth . . . servant--namely, Messiah. The godly "honor the Son, even as they honor the Father"

(Joh 5:23).

darkness--

(Mic 7:8, 9).

God never had a son who was not sometimes in the dark. For even Christ, His only Son, cried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

light--rather, "splendor"; bright sunshine; for the servant of God is never wholly without "light" [VITRINGA]. A godly man's way may be dark, but his end shall be peace and light. A wicked man's way may be bright, but his end shall be utter darkness

(Ps 112:4; 97:11; 37:24).

let him trust in the name of the Lord--as Messiah did

(Isa 50:8, 9).

11. In contrast to the godly

(Isa 50:10),

the wicked, in times of darkness, instead of trusting in God, trust in themselves (kindle a light for themselves to walk by)

(Ec 11:9).

The image is continued from

Isa 50:10,

"darkness"; human devices for salvation

(Pr 19:21; 16:9, 25)

are like the spark that goes out in an instant in darkness (compare

Job 18:6; 21:17, with Ps 18:28).

sparks--not a steady light, but blazing sparks extinguished in a moment.

walk--not a command, but implying that as surely as they would do so, they should lie down in sorrow

(Jer 3:25).

In exact proportion to mystic Babylon's previous "glorifying" of herself shall be her sorrow

(Mt 25:30; 8:12; Re 18:7).