Isaiah 54

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:5

The husband-figure for God. "For thy Maker is thine Husband" (comp. Hosea 2:16 ), "And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me, Ishi [my Husband], and shalt call me no more, Baali [my Lord]"). The figure Isaiah uses is that of the Goel , or next of kin, and this very suggestive and beautiful illustration may be taken from the story of Ruth and Boaz. Boaz was a "next of kin," and on him rested the formal duty of recovering Ruth's property, if the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:5

God-worshippers outside Judaism. "The God of the whole earth shall he be called." To our fathers the world seemed but small; to us it is great, and its bounds are ever enlarging. In olden times the few travellers came back with marvellous stories of griffins and dragons and mermaids, at which ignorant crowds gaped, but at which we can afford to smile. Now almost every part of the earth is searched again and again, and distant lands have become almost as familiar to us as our own. Men still... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:6

For the Lord hath called thee ; i.e. recalled thee to himself—summoned thee to return, and once more resume the office of a wife . As a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit ; i.e. as one whom her husband has cast off, and whose spirit is grieved by the repudiation. No doubt a large number of the captives had the same spirit of penitence as Daniel ( Daniel 9:5-19 ). A wife of youth . One wooed and won in youth, therefore more dearly loved, more regretfully repudiated, more joyfully... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:6-10

Superabounding goodness. The prevailing thought here is the prevalence of God's goodness over his severity. For a small moment he had forsaken, but with great mercies he would comfort his people. Against the "little wrath" in which his face was hidden there was to be set the " everlasting kindness" with which he would redeem them. The largely preponderant, completely outweighing, superabounding goodness of the Lord is manifest on every side. We see it— I. IN THE NATURAL ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:7-8

For a small moment have I forsaken thee . The sixty or seventy years of the Captivity were but as a moment of time compared with the long ages during which God had tenderly watched over and protected his Church, and, still more, compared with the eternity during which he was now about to show himself her constant Guardian and Protector. There had been a little wrath; or rather, one burst of wrath; and then Mercy had resumed her sway. The face hid for a moment had been allowed once more to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:9

This is as the waters of Noah unto me . The existing calamity—Israel submerged in the flood of Babylonian captivity-is as it were a repetition of the calamity of the Deluge in God's eyes. Its object is to purify his Church, as the object of the Flood was to purify the world. A righteous household survived in the one case; a righteous remnant would go forth in the other. And as God bound himself in Noah's time not to repeat the calamity of the Deluge, so now he binds himself not again to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:9

Lessons from Noah's times. In the ancient time God was wroth with mankind, when he "looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." Then in Divine judgment he swept the earth clean with a flood of great waters. But in wrath he remembered mercy: a restoring-day came, and in that day God was pleased to enter into covenant with the race, and make solemn pledge and promise that never again should "all flesh be cut off by the waters of a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:10

The mountains shall depart … but my kindness shall not depart (comp. Matthew 24:35 , "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away"). Everything material may fail, depart, perish; but God ' s promises remain firm and secure for ever. The covenant of my peace; or, my covenant of peace— any promise which God makes to his creatures for their advantage (comp. Numbers 25:12 ; Ezekiel 34:25 ; Ezekiel 37:26 ; Malachi 2:5 ). Here there is a special allusion to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:10

Perennial kindness. "My kindness shall not depart from thee." Much kindness does. It is fervid, but fickle, and is too often conditioned by mood and temper and circumstance. Moreover, it may depart through lack of power and opportunity. I. THE SAVIOR 'S KINDNESS IS TRUE KINDNESS . He knows what kindness is. We too often mistake favour and indulgence for kindness. God is often kindest when he is most severe. II. THE SAVIOUR 'S KINDNESS IS MANIFESTED KINDNESS ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:10

The eternal constancy: a meditation on change. "My kindness shall not depart from thee." How much does depart in this world! There are departed sorrows, departed joys, departed friends; and in one sense, concerning life and joy and duty, the world is full of graves. But we have an unchanging Lord, Jesus Christ, "the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." "My kindness!" Is there not a comfort in the very emphasis? For much kindness does depart. Fervent, but evanescent, it has its little... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:6-10

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:7-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 54:10

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