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Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:8

The secret of national ruin. "Their tongue and their doings are against the Lord." This is given distinctly as the reason and the explanation of the ruin of Judah. The prophet goes right past all accidents and all national events, and fixes on the moral cause of the ruin. A nation is bad at the core when it can doubt and dishonor God; and no such nation can stand long. God will surely arise to vindicate himself and to shake terribly the earth. Isaiah uses a singular figure: "To provoke the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:8-15

The reasons of judgment. In man's sufferings they must own they are subject to the reasonable rule of him who is eternal Reason. I. ANTAGONISM TO THE DIVINE RULE . In word and deed. 1. In current talk, writing, speechifying, it is difficult to detect where the falsehood lies. It consists in the suppression of certain important sides of truth, and in putting forward interested, partial views of things. The literature of a people cannot be sound, if it be sunk in greed of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:8-26

THE CAUSE OF THE JUDGMENT SHOWN TO BE THE SINS OF JERUSALEM . 1. The sins of the men . ( Isaiah 3:8-15 ). These are declared to be partly sins of speech, but mainly sins of act ( Isaiah 3:8 ). Of sins of speech the only one specified is the open and shameless declaration of their wickedness ( Isaiah 3:9 ). Under the head of sins of act are enumerated The enumeration of the sins is mixed with exhortation and comment in such a way as to give rise to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:9

The show of their countenance doth witness against them. This is not in itself a sin, but it is a sign of frequent and habitual sin. Vice, long indulged in, stamps its mark upon the countenance, giving men what is called "a bad expression"—a guilty and hardened look. It does not require a skilled physiognomist to detect at a glance the habitual criminal or sensualist. They declare their sin as Sodom. Not only does their countenance betray them, but, like the Sodomites ( Genesis 19:5 , ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:9

The revealings of the face. "The show of their countenance doth witness against them." We are "fearfully and wonderfully made." Just as the countenance reveals the state of our physical health, so do thought and character manifest themselves in the face. All our nature, with its complexity of being, has yet a subtle and mysterious oneness, and the tone of the mind and the inclination of the heart are made manifest, not alone in speech, but in look and gesture and manner. In the simple... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:9-11

The law of retributive justice not mechanical, but moral. The doctrine of future rewards and punishments is sometimes preached in a way that is, if not offensive, at any rate unsatisfactory. God is made to deal with men as not even judicious parents would deal with their children—viz, for so much obedience, so much bestowal of pleasure or indulgence; for so much disobedience, an equal award of pain and punishment. But this is certainly not the doctrine of Holy Scripture. Scripture... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:9-11

The path of sin and the rest of righteousness. I. THAT SIN CANNOT BE CONCEALED . "The show of their countenance doth witness against them" ( Isaiah 3:9 ). Whether Isaiah's words point to the unconscious revelation of sin is uncertain, but they clearly suggest the fact. The evil that is in men's hearts is shown in their countenance, whether they wish to conceal it or whether they take a shameful pride in it. The thoughts that flit through the mind, the passions that burn... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:10

Say ye to the righteous . The mention of the fact that the men of Jerusalem have permanently injured their moral natures by sin, and thus "rewarded evil to themselves," leads the prophet to declare at this point, parenthetically, the general law, which extends alike to the evil and the good—that men receive in themselves the recompense of their deeds. The righteous raise their moral nature, become better, and, in becoming better, become happier. "It is well with them, for of the fruit of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:10-11

Messages to the righteous and the wicked. These verses are parenthetical. "They assert the doctrine of 'future rewards and punishment' in a spiritual and not a mechanical sense. Good deeds ripen into happiness, as evil deeds into misery" (Cheyne). The point of impression may be stated thus— I. TO THE RIGHTEOUS — GOD 'S JUDGMENTS ARE NOT INDISCRIMINATE . II. TO THE WICKED — GOD 'S JUDGMENTS ARE INEVITABLE . "The pious are graciously assured, that in the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 3:12

As for my people . Return is now made to the sins of the dwellers in Jerusalem, and the first thing noted is that the people suffer from the childishness and effeminacy of their rulers. The rulers are called "oppressors" by the way here, the sin of oppression being dwelt on later ( Isaiah 3:14 , Isaiah 3:15 ). Here the emphatic words are "children," "women." Children (see Isaiah 3:4 ). The rulers are "children," or rather "babes"—foolish, capricious, cowardly. It is not clear that... read more

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