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The Judgment upon the Earth.
The four ers, 24 to 27 inclusive, form one continuous poetical prophecy, remarkable both for form and for content. It is a great chorus in four movements, describing the end of the world, the revelation of Jehovah, the establishment of the Church of Christ, and the glorious growth of the communion of saints. This chorus embraces every form and style of poetry, from the most elevated heavenly hymn to the most simple and appealing folk-song. "This entire finale is a great hallelujah to chapters 13 to 23, its contents hymnic, its form musical, and this to such a degree that, as in 25:6, the prophecy is like text and score together. Only Isaiah is such an incomparable master of language. " (Delitzsch. )
The Destruction of Tile Surface of the Earth
v. 1. Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, depopulating it, taking away its inhabitants, and maketh it waste, by a final devastation, and turneth it upside down, changing its form and appearance, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof, thereby making it desolate.
v. 2. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest, all sharing the same calamities alike; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, the creditor, so with the giver of usury to him, the debtor. They are alike in the midst of this great catastrophe; no favored class shall escape.
v. 3. The land shall be utterly emptied, made altogether desolate, and utterly spoiled, consumed by plundering; for the Lord hath spoken this word, and according to His word things would come to pass.
v. 4. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, like a flower that is stepped upon and wilted, the world languisheth and fadeth away; the haughty people of the earth, the most prominent persons, do languish, in utter despair.
v. 5. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, affected with the blood-guiltiness of its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant, that is, men disregarded the revelation of God in the works of creation, ignored the admonitions of Conscience, set aside the agreement made at the time of Noah: all mankind has returned to the baseness of the time before the Flood.
v. 6. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, with the fire of the divine wrath, and they that dwell therein are desolate, compelled to do the most bitter penance; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left, namely, the small remnant of those who are true to Jehovah.
v. 7. The new wine mourneth, the grape-juice as extracted from the fruit becoming vapid, the vine languisheth, because there is none to cultivate it, all the merry-hearted do sigh.
v. 8. The mirth of tabrets, or tambourines, used to accompany merry songs, ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp, or zither, ceaseth.
v. 9. They shall not drink wine with a song, as in the days of peace and prosperity; strong drink, date-wine or a brandy-like liquor, shall be bitter to them that drink it. All the former incentives to joy are removed, and utter desolation prevails. The world with her lust is judged and therefore also the leading city of the world, in which this lust was concentrated.
v. 10. The city of confusion is broken down, there is nothing but ruin and desolation; every house is shut up that no man may come in, the entrance being choked up by ruins; everything is chaos.
v. 11. There is a crying for wine in the streets, lamentation on account of the destruction of vineyards out in the fields; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
v. 12. In the city is left desolation, only chaos and ruin to be found there, and the gate is smitten with destruction, battered down. Cf Mat_24:6-8; Mar_13:7-8; Luk_21:9-11.