1Takto mluví Jahve: Kde je rozlukový list vaší matky, jímž jsem ji zapudil? Anebo také: Kterému ze svých věřitelů jsem vás prodal? Ano, za svá provinění jste byli prodáni, za vaše zločiny jsem zapudil vaši matku. 2Proč jsem přišel, a nikde nikdo nebyl? Proč jsem volal, a žádný neodpovídal? Snad že bych měl příliš krátkou ruku, abych vykoupil, že bych neměl sílu osvobodit? Hle: svou hrozbou vysušuji moře, obracím řeky v poušť. Ryby tam hnijí nedostatkem vody, umírají žízní. 3Nebesa odívám temnotou, pytlovinu jim dávám za oděv. 4Pán Jahve mi dal jazyk učedníka, abych uměl vyčerpanému přinést povzbudivé slovo. Probouzí každého rána, probouzí mé ucho, abych naslouchal jako učedník. 5Pán Jahve mi otevřel ucho a já jsem nevzdoroval, neodkradl jsem se. 6Nastavil jsem záda těm, kdo mě bili, a líce těm, kdo mi rvali vous; nechránil jsem si tvář před urážkami a plivanci. 7Pán Jahve mi přijde na pomoc, proto jsem se nenechal ubít, proto jsem své tváři dal ztvrdnout v kámen a vím, že nebudu zahanben. 8Je blízko ten, jenž mě ospravedlňuje. Kdo proti mně povede při? Postavme se spolu! Kdo je můj protivník? Ať ke mně přistoupí! 9Hle, Pán Jahve mi přijde na pomoc, kdo by mě odsoudil? Hle, všichni se rozpadají jako šat, jejž sežral mol. 10Kdokoli z vás se bojí Jahva a poslouchá hlas jeho Služebníka, kdokoli kráčel v temnotách a neviděl žádný přísvit, ať se spoléhá na Jahvovo jméno, ať se opře o svého Boha. 11Ale vy všichni, kdo rozděláváte oheň, kdo se vyzbrojujete žhářskými šípy, jděte do plamenů svého ohně, k šípům, které zažíháte. Má ruka vám to udělala: Ulehnete v trápeních.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE JUDGMENTS ON ISRAEL WERE PROVOKED BY THEIR CRIMES, YET THEY ARE NOT FINALLY CAST OFF BY GOD. (
Isa 50:1-
Isa 50:11)
Where . . . mothers divorcement--Zion is "the mother"; the Jews are the children; and God the Husband and Father (
Isa 54:5;
Isa 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 (
Deut 24:1), or that He had "sold" His and her "children," as a poor parent sometimes did (
Exod 21:7;
2Kgs 4:1;
Neh 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 (
1Kgs 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,
Isa 52:3). The same Divine Person had "come" by His prophets in the Old Testament (appealing to them, but in vain,
Jer 7:25-
Jer 7:26), 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-- (
Exod 14:21). The second exodus shall exceed, while it resembles in wonders, the first (
Isa 11:11,
Isa 11:15;
Isa 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 (
Exod 7:18,
Exod 7:21).
3 heavens . . . blackness--another of the judgments on Egypt to be repeated hereafter on the last enemy of God's people (
Exod 10:21).
sackcloth-- (
Rev 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-
Isa 50:6), for that He knows His cause will triumph at last (
Isa 50:7-
Isa 50:8).
learned--not in mere human learning, but in divinely taught modes of instruction and eloquence (
Isa 49:2;
Exod 4:11;
Matt 7:28-
Matt 7:29;
Matt 13:54).
speak a word in season-- (
Pro 15:23;
Pro 25:11). Literally, "to succor by words," namely, in their season of need, the "weary" dispersed ones of Israel (
Deut 28:65-
Deut 28:67). Also, the spiritual "weary" (
Isa 42:3;
Matt 11:28).
wakeneth morning by morning, &c.--Compare "daily rising up early" (
Jer 7:25;
Mark 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-
Ps 40:8, with
Phil 2:7;
Isa 42:1;
Isa 49:3,
Isa 49:6;
Isa 52:13;
Isa 53:11;
Matt 20:28;
Luke 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-
Heb 10:10).
6 smiters--with scourges and with the open hand (
Isa 52:14;
Mark 14:65). Literally fulfilled (
Matt 27:26;
Matt 26:27;
Luke 18:33). To "pluck the hair" is the highest insult that can be offered an Oriental (
2Sam 10:4;
Lam 3:30). "I gave" implies the voluntary nature of His sufferings; His example corresponds to His precept (
Matt 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;
Matt 27:30;
Luke 18:32).
7 Sample of His not being "discouraged" (
Isa 42:4;
Isa 49:5).
set . . . face like . . . flint--set Myself resolutely, not to be daunted from My work of love by shame or suffering (
Ezek 3:8-
Ezek 3:9).
8 (
Isa 49:4). The believer, by virtue of his oneness with Christ, uses the same language (
Ps 138:8;
Rom 8:32-
Rom 8:34). But "justify" in His case, is God's judicial acceptance and vindication of Him on the ground of His own righteousness (
Luke 23:44-
Luke 23:47;
Rom 1:4;
1Tim 3:16, with which compare
1Pet 3:18); in their case, on the ground of His righteousness and meritorious death imputed to them (
Rom 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
Zech 3:1, &c.
Rev 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,
Isa 51:8;
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-
Isa 49:5;
Isa 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 (
Judg 7:3).
obeyeth . . . servant--namely, Messiah. The godly "honor the Son, even as they honor the Father" (
John 5:23).
darkness-- (
Mic 7:8-
Mic 7:9). 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;
Ps 97:11;
Ps 37:24).
let him trust in the name of the Lord--as Messiah did (
Isa 50:8-
Isa 50:9).
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) (
Eccl 11:9). The image is continued from
Isa 50:10, "darkness"; human devices for salvation (
Pro 19:21;
Pro 16:9,
Pro 16:25) are like the spark that goes out in an instant in darkness (compare
Job 18:6;
Job 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 (
Matt 25:30;
Matt 8:12;
Rev 18:7).
