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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Isaiah 45:14 - 45:25
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The Glorification of Israel an Appeal to the World
v. 14. Thus saith the Lord, in foretelling the overthrow of the Gentiles everywhere, The labor of Egypt, that which the Egyptians had gained by their labor, and merchandise of Ethiopia, what the Ethiopians gathered by their commercial activities, and of the Sabeans, men of stature, the inhabitants of Meroe in Upper Egypt being known far and wide on account of their great size, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine, freely submitting themselves; they shall come after thee, in chains they shall come over, as though bound hand and foot, and they shall fall down unto thee, acknowledging Israel as their superior, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee, and there is none else, there is no (other true) God. Israel is here declared to be the nation of the one true God.
v. 15. Verily, thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior, that is, the God of Israel, whom even the heathen must acknowledge as the only God, keeps Himself hidden, His essence is above and beyond human reason. Cf Rom_11:33; 1 Corinthians 2.
v. 16. They shall be ashamed and also confounded, all of them, the Lord Himself says concerning the makers and worshipers of idols; they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols, heaped with shame and disgrace on account of the foolishness of their actions. Note that throughout this section the heaping of synonymous expressions emphasizes the point which the Lord wishes to make.
v. 17. But Israel, as typifying and representing the Church of God, shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation, namely, in the spiritual Israel, the kingdom of the Messiah, by the redemption of Christ; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end, be shielded forever from the disgrace which will strike the unbelievers. This assurance is now further substantiated.
v. 18. For thus saith the Lord, that created the heavens; God Himself, that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it; He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited, or, with the emphasis of the original tongue: "For thus saith Jehovah, the Creator of the heavens—He is God! The Former of the earth and its Maker—He has prepared it! Not empty He created it, for inhabiting He prepared it. " I am the Lord, and there is none else. The work of creation is a mighty and convincing proof for the deity of Jehovah. But the same holds true of the Word of His revelation.
v. 19. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth, as the diviners, the necromancers, and the oracle-mongers of the heathen were wont to do; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain, on the basis of an empty promise. I, the Lord, speak righteousness, proclaiming the salvation assured by the covenant between Him and Israel; I declare things that are right, unmixed with hypocrisy and wickedness. The Word of God reveals Him with regard to both His essence and His attributes; in it and by it we have free access to the redemption made by Christ Jesus. Therefore the Lord's challenge to the heathen goes forth once more, bidding them appear before the tribunal of justice:
v. 20. Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, in an organized body, for a formal hearing, ye that are escaped of the nations, the campaigns of Cyrus being regarded as brought to a close in this connection, and the mass of remaining heathen being addressed. They have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image and pray unto a god that cannot save, they are lacking in understanding, as may be seen from the fact that they carried away their idols in their hasty flight, appealing to gods that could not help them.
v. 21. Tell ye and bring them near, show proofs; yea, let them take counsel together, to consider whether they have any evidence to offer which would equal the testimony of Jehovah for His own divinity: Who hath declared this from ancient time? namely, the prophecy of Israel's elevation above the heathen. Who hath told it from that time? even from the time of the patriarchs, Gen_12:18; Gen_22:17. Have not I, the Lord? And there is no (true) God else beside Me, He has brought abundant proofs for His deity; a just God, faithful to His covenant, and a Savior, the only one in whom all men have salvation; there is none beside Me. On the basis of this clear proof, therefore, the invitation goes forth:
v. 22. Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, the turning to the Lord in true repentance being followed by the imparting of salvation, or, more exactly, as His call produces repentance, it also works faith, thereby granting salvation full and free, and His call goes out to all men: For I am God, and there is none else, a declaration which is repeated time and again in order to convince the idolaters, to cause them to accept the true God.
v. 23. I have sworn by Myself, the most solemn formula which can be used, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness and shall not return, since it expresses His covenant faithfulness, That unto Me every knee shall bow, in acknowledging His sovereignty, every tongue shall swear, most solemnly affirming the conviction of the heart. Cf Php_2:10-11.
v. 24. Surely, shall one say, namely, such as turn to the Lord in true repentance and faith, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength, the salvation of the covenant, the Messianic redemption, the strength of the Holy Spirit. Even to Him shall men come, and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed, that is, those who refuse to accept Him in faith will be obliged to acknowledge him as their Judge; those who will not believe shall be damned.
v. 25. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel, the spiritual seed, believers from all nations of the earth, be justified, possess the salvation assured by the covenant, and shall glory, giving praise and honor to God for His grace and mercy.