@Isa 64:1-12. TRANSITION FROM COMPLAINT TO PRAYER.
1. rend . . . heavens--bursting forth to execute vengeance, suddenly
descending on Thy people's foe (@Ps 18:9 144:5 Hab 3:5,6).
flow down--(@Jud 5:5 Mic 1:4).
2. Oh, that Thy wrath would consume Thy foes as the fire. Rather, "as the fire burneth the dry brushwood" [GESENIUS].
3. When--Supply from @Isa 64:2, "As when."
terrible things--(@Ps 65:5).
we looked not for--far exceeding the expectation of any of our nation;
unparalleled before (@Ex 34:10 Ps 68:8).
camest down--on Mount Sinai.
mountains flowed--Repeated from @Isa 64:1; they pray
God to do the very same things for Israel now as in former
ages. GESENIUS, instead of "flowed" here, and
"flow" in @Isa 64:1, translates from a different
Hebrew root, "quake . . . quaked"; but "fire"
melts and causes to flow, rather than to quake
(@Isa 64:2).
4. perceived by the ear--Paul (@1Co 2:9) has for this, "nor have
entered into the heart of man"; the virtual sense, sanctioned by his
inspired authority; men might hear with the outward ear, but they could
only by the Spirit "perceive" with the "heart" the spiritual
significancy of God's acts, both those in relation to Israel, primarily
referred to here, and those relating to the Gospel secondarily, which
Paul refers to.
O God . . . what he . . . prepared--rather, "nor hath eye seen
a god beside thee who doeth such things." They refer to God's
past marvellous acts in behalf of Israel as a plea for His now
interposing for His people; but the Spirit, as Paul by inspiration
shows, contemplated further God's revelation in the Gospel, which
abounds in marvellous paradoxes never before heard of by carnal ear, not
to be understood by mere human sagacity, and when foretold by the
prophets not fully perceived or credited; and even after the
manifestation of Christ not to be understood save through the inward
teaching of the Holy Ghost. These are partly past and present, and
partly future; therefore Paul substitutes "prepared" for "doeth," though
his context shows he includes all three. For "waiteth" he has "love
Him"; godly waiting on Him must flow from love, and not mere fear.
5. meetest--that is, Thou makest peace, or enterest into covenant
with him (see on Isa 47:3).
rejoiceth and worketh--that is, who with joyful willingness worketh
[GESENIUS] (@Ac 10:35 Joh 7:17).
those--Thou meetest "those," in apposition to "him" who represents a
class whose characteristics "those that," &c., more fully describes.
remember thee in thy ways--(@Isa 26:8).
sinned--literally, "tripped," carrying on the figure in "ways."
in those is continuance--a plea to deprecate the continuance of
God's wrath; it is not in Thy wrath that there is continuance
(@Isa 54:7,8 Ps 30:5 103:9), but in Thy ways ("those"), namely, of
covenant mercy to Thy people (@Mic 7:18-20 Mal 3:6); on the strength
of the everlasting continuance of His covenant they infer by faith, "we
shall be saved." God "remembered" for them His covenant (@Ps 106:45),
though they often "remembered not" Him (@Ps 78:42).
CASTELLIO
translates, "we have sinned for long in them ('thy ways'), and could we
then be saved?" But they hardly would use such a plea when their very
object was to be saved.
6. unclean thing--legally unclean, as a leper. True of Israel,
everywhere now cut off by unbelief and by God's judgments from the
congregation of the saints.
righteousness--plural, "uncleanness" extended to
every particular act of theirs, even to their prayers and praises. True
of the best doings of the unregenerate (@Php 3:6-8 Tit 1:15 Heb 11:6).
filthy rags--literally, a "menstruous rag"
(@Le 15:33 20:18 La 1:17).
fade . . . leaf--(@Ps 90:5,6).
7. stirreth--rouseth himself from spiritual drowsiness.
take hold--(@Isa 27:5).
8. father--(@Isa 63:16).
clay . . . potter--(@Isa 29:16 45:9). Unable to mould themselves
aright, they beg the sovereign will of God to mould them unto salvation,
even as He made them at the first, and is their "Father."
9. (@Ps 74:1,2).
we are . . . thy people--(@Jer 14:9,21).
10. holy cities--No city but Jerusalem is called "the holy city" (@Isa 48:2 52:1); the plural, therefore, refers to the upper and the lower parts of the same city Jerusalem [VITRINGA]; or all Judea was holy to God, so its cities were deemed "holy" [MAURER]. But the parallelism favors VITRINGA. Zion and Jerusalem (the one city) answering to "holy cities."
11. house--the temple.
beautiful--includes the idea of glorious (@Mr 13:1 Ac 3:2).
burned--(@Ps 74:7 La 2:7 2Ch 36:19). Its destruction under
Nebuchadnezzar prefigured that under Titus.
pleasant things--Hebrew, "objects of desire"; our homes,
our city, and all its dear associations.
12. for these things--Wilt Thou, notwithstanding these calamities of Thy people, still refuse Thy aid (@Isa 42:14)?