isaiah 48:18 commentary

But how is this righteousness like the waves of the sea? We are too commonly inclined to regard it merely as the expression of the wish of God. Isaiah 48:18. Now it is half hidden in a narrow channel, among overhanging mountains and forests; and now spread over a wide bed conspicuous in the plain. At low tide, with a fresh east wind, a white-capped wave seems to try to reach some beautiful Place on the shore. All God’s promises are conditional. large, abundant, numerous as the waves of the sea; which may 3. The blessed Master by His Spirit imparts peace. 1. (A. Raleigh, D. D.), Walk along the coast-line when the tide has ebbed, mark the wastes of sand, the muddy ooze, the black unsightly rocks. He had no wish that they should sin, and that these judgments should come upon them. Now, of this righteousness it may well be said that it is “like the waves of the sea.” Behold the sea, and the idea it gives us is that of vastness and immensity--an almost boundless mass of waters. … John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Alexander MacLaren's Expositions of Holy Scripture. 1. The peace of such is as a river. Innocence is a plain of white snow. Every chapter in the world’s history shows that the disobedient have been miserable, whilst the obedient have been happy. “Righteousness.” The people of God are clothed in the merits of their Saviour. IN ITS ORIGIN small, joyous, sparkling, vigorous, rapid. But such an expression of grief with God is generally predictive of judgment. Righteousness - thy religious prosperity, the parent of "peace" or national prosperity; therefore "peace" corresponds to "righteousness" in the parallelism (Isaiah 32:17). We might explain righteousness, which he connects with peace, to mean what is expressed by the familiar phrase ( ton bon droict ) “thy right.” But I choose rather to understand by the word “Righteousness” a well regulated commonwealth, in which everything is administered in a regular and orderly manner; as if he had said, “Thou wouldest have had everything well conducted at home, and wouldest have had plenty and abundance of all things.” And properly does he connect this condition with “peace;” for when government is overtumed, everything goes wrong and is out of order, and it is utterly impossible that we shall enjoy “peace,” if there be not “righteousness,” that is, a just and equitable administration of affairs. “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” The trouble with most of us is that we do not “let” the Holy Spirit do in us and for us what He yearns to do. 1. Amplified® Darby K.J.V. The word peace, as we have formerly explained, 240 240 See Commentary on Isaiah, vol. It shall grow stronger and more pervading. A.). (A. Roberts, M. 16 ¶ Come ye neere vnto me; heare ye this; I haue not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I; and now the Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me. 18. So, in the times of Christ, they disregarded his doctrines, though so profitable; and despised his ordinances and commands, which were not grievous; they neither hearkened to them themselves, nor would suffer others; wherefore our Lord expresses his great concern at it, and his desire, as man, after their welfare; see Matthew 23:13. then had thy peace been as a river: their prosperity, temporal and spiritual, had been abundant, and would have always continued, have been increasing and ever flowing, yea, overflowing, like the waters of a river. Man’s opposition to God’s loving purpose for us. “Thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” When the tide is coming in the waves advance farther and farther over the strand. Progressional expansion. THE DIVINE PROPOSAL FOR RESTORATION. If we could solve those two mysteries, we should be far on the way to solve all the mysteries of man’s relation to God, and God’s to man. Yes, but more than that. He would greatly have preferred that they should have kept his law. Our Price: $34.99 Save: $15.00 (30%) Buy Now. לוא (lu) denotes a wish, O if! Still, if you can get a man to sigh for what might have been, you have laid the foundation for what may be. Other rocks in the river’s course are mentioned in Colossians 3:8. “Righteousness,” as elsewhere, includes the idea of the blessedness which is its recompense. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! WHAT TENDERNESS THERE IS IN THE TEXT! We have heard the story of a simpleton who went to see the reputed source of the Thames, and putting his hand over the little rivulet that came trickling down the ditch, he stopped it, and said, “I wonder what they are doing at London Bridge now that I have stopped the river.” But who knew the difference? Contrast-’Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.’, God has yet a method to accomplish His loving desire. All are members of a social system, and each has a mission to fulfil, not only in relation to himself, but in relation to others. Then your well-being would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the “perfect peace” enjoyed by God’s true children. Religion, with all its inestimable benefits, would have abounded to the utmost extent. peace — (Psalm 119:165). That restoration to obedience is man’s deepest necessity. Sin is negative as well as positive. God’s resources are infinite, and the supply shall not fail. A whole Parliament could not make the Thames swell with waves, and fifty Parliaments could not lessen the body of its waters. Israel proved to be like that (cf. Sc. III. man, after their welfare; see ( Matthew . - This expresses the earnest wish and desire of God. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. A river may run through the busiest cities without losing its deep steadiness and gentle murmur. A. The broad section of Isaiah 40 through 48 focused on the promise of God's deliverance of His people from their captivity in Babylon, and the specific prediction of the Gentile king who would deliver them, Cyrus. It was so with the tearful words of the Redeemer. 3. The fact that the mysterious possibility becomes an actuality in us is still more mysterious. But regarded separately each has its own fair promise. This is therefore a figurative appropriation of human affections, by which God compassionates the ruin of those who chose rather to perish of their own accord than to be saved; for he was ready to bestow blessings of every kind, if we did not drive him away by our obstinacy. Generation after generation would witness the rising tide of prosperity. Psalm 81:13. “O that thou hadst hearkened,” &c. 1. Or He may have thought of the Jordan, which “overflowed all its banks in the time of harvest.” Certain it is that the river of peace runs out of its banks, and is useful only when it does. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, O that thou hadst heardened to my commandments! Filial obedience springing from love to his Father in heaven ought to be the rule of his life. As a river, which runs sweetly, strongly, plentifully, and constantly; and such had been thy prosperity. A river the source of verdure and fertility. 2. The Targum is, the river Euphrates, a river which ran through Babylon: but they had no regard to the things which related to their temporal, spiritual, and eternal peace, these were hid from their eyes, Luke 19:42. and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: large, abundant, numerous as the waves of the sea; which may regard acts of justice and righteousness, which are the support of a people and state, and blessings the fruit thereof; and which God of his goodness bestows on such a people, as all kind of prosperity, protection, safety, and continuance. what did that rebellious seed of Jacob lose by forsaking the Lord! Rip-rapping to prevent dissipation of power. Oh! ordinances and commands, which were not grievous; they neither Because it expresses a law of life, the condition of physical health. The devil cannot rob us of the peace which comes from God, neither can the world take it away. Failure to listen and hear the Lord"s instruction (cf. The Targum (H. P.Wright, B. Of course, these differ very much among themselves, just as pictures differ in a gallery or as human faces in a crowded street, all of which, perhaps, you will find to have a general resemblance, but none of which are exactly alike. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat; And with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee. “I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins.” (J. H.Jowett, M. Not to hearken is as bad as to act in dead opposition to. There are diversities. Here some commentators speculate about spiritual “righteousness,” and the forgiveness of sins; but they wander far from the Prophet’s meaning, which is plain and obvious. Isaiah 48:18 New Living Translation << Isaiah 47 | Isaiah 48 | Isaiah 49 >> 18 Oh, that you had listened to my commands! A sigh for the past is a prayer for the future. To disobey a commandment is not merely to go against the will of God; it is to violate eternal law. Audio Narration of Analytical Commentary of Isaiah. their prosperity, temporal and spiritual, had been abundant, and The waves of the sea! Observe, the Lord addresses words of poignant regret over the prize the sinner has lost, as well as the penalty he has incurred. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments THE EXTENT OF THIS BLESSED EFFECT. It is we who obscure it. He assures them that, if they had been obedient, that would not only have prevented their captivity, but … ‘Hear, and your soul shall live.’. 2. The love of Christ is to “constrain” us--keep us within limits. But that was a happy retort, in which somebody observed--“David Hume’s opinion is not worth much, for he never saw many Christians; and when he did see any, there was enough to make them miserable in the sight of David Hume.” The true Christian has a peace which is totally unknown to any other man. (2.) Proud member then had your peace been as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea: American King James Version ×, God says how much better for the Israelites it would have been if they had obeyed Him. Certainly, whenever God invites us to himself, there is clearly laid before us, in his word, complete happiness, which we wickedly reject. Act iv. This latter comparison of righteousness is very striking. Part of the secret of a strong and blessed life lies in knowing the tides, in counting upon them, and in relying on the fact that these influences from above will do more for our exaltation and joy than any of our own efforts may do. 2. Here, as in Isaiah 48:14, Jacob and Israel are summoned to hearken to the prophet speaking in God’s name, and as a type of the great prophet, by whom God has in these last days spoken unto us. O that thou hadst, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 5:29), Compare Psalms 81:13. “HEARKEN.” This is the most important word of all, when we consider that it contains the condition of the promise God makes as to peace. river — (Isaiah 33:21; Isaiah 41:18), a river flowing from God‘s throne is the symbol of free, abundant, and ever flowing blessings from Him (Ezekiel 47:1; Zechariah 14:8; Revelation 22:1). It is the inflow of the Divine life, bringing the Divine quietness, patience and power, and resulting in spiritual beauty and fruitfulness. Formatting issue in the NIV '84 edition has been resolved. Then had thy peace been as a river - The word ‹peace‘ here (שׁלום shâlôm ) means properly wholeness, soundness, and then health, welfare, prosperity, good of every kind. “O that thou hadst hearkened,” &c. What does this hearkening mean? His heart seems to break into commiseration. Compare Deuteronomy 22:29; Isaiah 5:1-7; Ezekiel 18:23-32; Matthew 23:37; Luke 19:21. (W. J. Harsha, D. D.). III. 1. Nice image here. In this commentary, Dr. Freehof samples the major rabbinic opinions on the critical passages. Righteousness has majestic unity and richest variety, like the waves of the sea. In all cases, at all times, and with reference to all his creatures, he prefers holiness to sin; he sincerely desires that there should be perfect obedience to his commandments. I. I have instructed thee what laws to observe in building a house; I have instructed thee what laws to observe in building a life. John Trapp Complete Commentary. Read Isaiah 48 commentary using Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Those who hearken to the Divine commandments make progress in righteousness. The constitution of the human soul shows this. Retail: $14.99. Scripture: Isaiah 48:18. Click the verse number to read commentary, definitions, meanings, and notesfor that particular Isaiah 48 verse. The good which He purposed has been missed by man’s fault, and He regards the faulty Israel with sorrow and pity as a would-be benefactor balked of a kind intention might do. On the condition of hearkening to or obeying the Divine commands there would follow a peace as full and deep and calm as to be like a river. I. 3. Isaiah's Seven-Part Bifid Structure. The rosy hues of sunset do not glimmer down into its deeps! Then had thy peace been as a river - (Psalms 119:165.) Well, this is the emblem which God takes to set forth the beauty and glory of man’s life. What would you think if some poet, living in one of these towns, were to begin to cry, “Hide not thy face from us, O blue sky”? 3. Peace as a river (without waves), and righteousness as the waves of the sea, not calm and dead as a river with no waves. Now, what happens when a man will not hearken to God’s commandments, when he shapes his life in utter indifference to the revealed law? The language suggests the idea of PERPETUITY. how unconquerable in energy! The blue sky is not hiding its face; it is your own black smoke that obscures it. Isaiah 48:18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments Which the Jews did not, but slighted and despised them, and were not obedient to them. God’s Word furnishes the dynamite by which they may be uprooted. A. Luke 19:42 ) : The ideal of another person would not be mine, nor mine his. 15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. III. Then had thy peace been as a river and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Metaphorical Key Words that Function as Pseudonyms. While little is known of the personal life of the prophet, he is considered to be one of the greatest of them all.The book is a collection of oracles, prophecies, and reports; but the common theme is the message of salvation. O that my people had hearkened unto me! It may not be secured by mere struggle, anxiety, and activity. The Psalmist describes it as “great peace.” St. Paul refers to it as “the peace of God which passeth all understanding.” We make mention of it in our daily prayers as “that peace which the world cannot give.” It is not a scanty, fluctuating, failing stream, but a full tide of peace, both wide and deep, and supplying to the utmost every longing of the soul. If we fulfil our part of the contract He will not fail in His. Book Notes Barnes' Book Notes Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Book Notes Robertson's Book Notes (NT) Commentaries Adam Clarke Barnes' Notes Forerunner Commentary Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown John Wesley's Notes Matthew Henry People's Commentary (NT) … of a people and state, and blessings the fruit thereof; and which Bible Commentary for Isaiah 48:18. And what is the height, the length, the breadth, the depth of the righteousness of Christ! A proper overflow of blessing to others is necessary; yet the river is not to run entirely out of its channel and waste itself fruitlessly and even harmfully. “O that thou hadst hearkened unto My commandments.” Such Divine exclamations are not altogether unusual. Like the waves of the sea for constant activity, for breadth and depth, for a wide circuit of influence, for sublimity, power, and greatness. But here they stand as emblem of the strength of a submissive, not of a rebellious, will. And thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. God does three things to restore man to obedience. Such, too, are the variations in the Christian’s peace. shalom) and her right conduct (Heb. Then would thy peace have been as a river. It whispers of eternity. As a river - That is, abundant - like a full, flowing river that fills the banks, and that conveys fertility and blessedness through a land. Oh, rivers that minister perpetually to man--not swept by storm, not drained by drought, not anxious about continuance, always mirroring the blue of the azure sky, or the stars of night, and yet content to stay for every daisy that sends its tiny root for nourishment--in your growth from less to more, your perennial fulness, your beneficent ministry, your volume, your claim, ye were meant to preach to man, with perpetual melody, of the infinite peace that was to rise, and grow, and unfold with every stage of his experience! What means this next word, “Go ye forth of Babylon”? It is to be remarked also that this is not merely prospective, or a declaration in the abstract. 2. Peace, also, comes from above. God never hides His face. “Peace like a river,” and “righteousness like the waves of the sea.” There is a privation which you unconsciously suffer. The Jew has always said, “Peace.” The whole Orient has adopted His salutation in the universal “Shalom” of the present day. HERE ARE THE PRIVILEGES OF GOD’S PEOPLE, Peace like a river; righteousness like the waves of the sea. Innocence has no waves, no perils, no tragedies, no gulf streams, nothing so stormy as a plunging breaker. The waves of the sea are an emblem of plenty. V. The promise of “peace as a river” includes the idea of INCREASE. The comparison is very beautiful and significant. Upgrade to Bible Gateway Plus, and access the New Bible Commentary. how resistless in flow! What can more strikingly represent the abundance of the blessings which religion would have conferred on the land? AN UNALTERABLE PLAN OF THE ETERNAL. A will absolutely submitted to Him is His great ideal of human nature. Blasting out deep-rooted rocks. This is the arduous part of the engineer’s work when a river channel to be deepened. 2. &c. (Isaiah 48:20). Norton. See the like wishes, Deuteronomy 32:29; Deuteronomy 5:29, Psalms 81:13, implying that so they might have redeemed many sorrows, escaped many miseries. He would greatly have preferred that they should have kept his law. Retail: $49.99 . Analytical Commentary of the Book of Isaiah. 1. Isaiah 48:17-18 NIV This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. They turned a sort of indolent and indifferent ear, and pursued their own way. Such is the Christian’s peace. One for the most part is tranquil, the other always heaving and surging to and fro. 18. Not only does the Lord expostulate with the Jews for having disregarded the advantage, or “profitableness,” (verse 17,) which was offered to them, but like a father, he deplores the wretchedness of his children; for he takes no pleasure in our distresses, and is not severe, unless when we constrain him by our wickedness. KJV, The King James Study Bible, Red Letter, Full-Color Edition: Holy Bible, King James Version. That possibility of lifting up our puny wills against the all-sovereign, Infinite Will is the mystery of mysteries. It stands for happiness in its widest and deepest import. This selection is excerpted from Book of Isaiah: A Commentary, and is being used with the permission of UAHC Press. Peace is consistent and co-existent with the intensest activity. then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Ver. Isaiah 48:8); and God expresses his deep concern for them, because they are themselves the losers." NASB E-Prime R.S.V. A BLESSED RESULT OF THIS CONDUCT WHEN PURSUED. We can all see a sort of comparison, and yet at the same time a strong contrast, between the water of an inland river and the collection of waters which make up the wide expanse of the sea. (J. N. O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments. What loss thinkest thou is that which God bewails on thy account? The more we align our lives with Him, the more our lives are fulfilled. Go down into the West Riding of Yorkshire, and look at those tall mill chimneys as they pour out dense volumes of coal black smoke, which hangs like a dark pall between the inhabitants and God’s sky. Isaiah in the Book of Mormon “Isaiah 48 is the first chapter of Isaiah quoted in the Book of Mormon and is found there as 1 Nephi 20. It yearns and strains and fails. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! 1. III. Horwood. 1. Fools may laugh at sin, but God is solemn over it. I. Eli compromised for the sake of peace, and his sons broke his heart. -, O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. ‘how often would I have gathered thee.’ ‘If thou hadst known . Its whole mission is to fling us out on the forever of God and the soul. Israel proved to be like that (cf. Which are perpetual, fluctus fluctum trudit. Which the Jews did not, but slighted and despised them, and were not obedient to them. But Christ also said, Peace. The northern kingdom of Israel had been carried into captivity (722 B.C. Never take a half-hearted course to avoid turmoil. In Him is peace; in Him is Righteousness, which comes from faith. The sea is so much like man’s soul because it is so much a changeful unit; so like man’s righteousness because every man’s righteousness takes on all the hues of his personality. 2, v. 98), in his saying that he had been at the head of that river: Ad caput amuis, quod de coelo exoritur, sub solio Jovis. It is as if he had said, “The richest plenty of spiritual blessings would have flowed to thee abundantly, and thou wouldst have had no occasion to dread any change; because the blessing of God upon believers is never dried up. Do you have a Bible comment or question? What is a commandment of God? Jeremiah, in the bitterest chapter of his Lamentations, bears this graceful witness to our covenant God: “He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.” And surely if in the gentler chastisement of His hands the Most High takes no pleasure, much less can He find delight in that withering curse which destroys the finally impenitent. God of his goodness bestows on such a people, as all kind of Then the men set to work, and great nets of boughs and branches of trees are built, and these are made stable by rocks and bags of sand, and so the “rip-rap” is formed and the waters are kept in their course. Guarding against the formation of sudden sand bars. 2. Isaiah 48:18 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Isaiah 48:18, NIV: "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea." Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers (18) Then had thy peace been as a river. See also Wemyss‘ Key to the Symbolical Language of Scripture, Art. The metaphor is full of beauty, and not wanting in instructiveness either, by which PEACE IS COMPARED TO A RIVER. The case reminds us of Christ weeping over the doomed city of Jerusalem. IV. ), Not as the brook, as it gushes rapturously forth, breaking musically on the stones, and flashing in the glee of its early life; not as a streamlet hardly filling its wide bed, and scarcely affording water enough for the fish to pass to its higher reaches: but like a river far down its course, sweeping along with majestic current, deep and placid, able to bear navies on its broad expanse, to collect and carry with it the refuse of towns upon its banks without contamination, and approaching the sea with the sympathy begotten of similarity in depth and volume and service to mankind. 1. (F. B. Meyer, B. 6 years ago. Righteousness, then, like these waves of the sea, would mean an unfailing movement, an active goodness, strong or gentle, reaching over the boundless surface of life, breaking in pure foam and music on every beach. is, the river Euphrates, a river which ran through Babylon: but Again, it is seen contracting and deepening itself, and moving onward with tenfold velocity and strength. II. Pride is a great rock whose adamantine sides must be pierced. The image sets before us A PEACE WHICH IS THE EXPRESSION OF LIFE AND POWER. View Thread Report . O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments.” “Hearkened.” The word is full of intentness; it is suggestive of quick apprehension. Its fostering influence is essential if the virtues and graces of the Spirit are to develop within us. It suggests in both-Abundance-Continuity-Uninterrupted Succession. Study the bible online using commentary on Isaiah 48 and more! So I suppose, as the words were originally addressed to the Jewish nation and referred to their temporal welfare, the river would represent the beauty and happiness of their own land, like the garden of Eden, watered by the river of God’s pleasure; and the sea, with its waves rolling in majestically one after another in unbroken succession, would set forth that progress which is the renown of righteousness.

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