Isaiah 44

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:5

One shall say, I am the Lord's , etc. There shall be an influx of proselytes. Instead of the heathen nations looking scornfully on, and uttering gibes and jeers ( Psalms 137:7 ) at Israel's fall, on seeing Israel's rise they shall be anxious to have a part in it, and shall hasten to enrol themselves among the worshippers of Jehovah. "One shall say, I am Jehovah's,"—while "another shall proclaim the name of Jacob," as that in which he glories; and a third "shall write on his hand, (I am)... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:5

God's kingdom entered one by one. Reference is probably intended to the coming of Gentiles, as proselytes, into the Israelite communion; and the point suggested is that they will come in "one by one," because the acceptance of the Jewish faith must be a matter of individual and personal decision. God asks for an intelligent worship. The true worship is the voluntary surrender of the will and life to God, and that each man must do for himself. We worship together; but there is no virtue in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:6

The Lord the King of Israel . Therefore entitled to Israel's allegiance (comp. Isaiah 43:15 ). And his Redeemer; i.e. Israel's Redeemer—he who had redeemed them from Egyptian bondage—who will redeem them from the power of Babylon—who, best of all, will redeem them from their sins. The First … the Last (comp. Isaiah 41:4 , with the comment). Beside me there is no God . This had been distinctly asserted in the Law ( Deuteronomy 4:35 , Deuteronomy 4:39 ; Deuteronomy 32:39 ); but... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:6-20

A FURTHER CONTRAST OF GOD WITH IDOLS . The captive Jews, dwelling scattered in a land the inhabitants of which were, one and all, idolaters, and having by hereditary taint an inclination to idolatry, would be easily tempted, during the long and weary period of the Captivity, to put away the worship and even the thought of Jehovah, who had allowed their subjugation, and conform to the religion of their conquerors. Hence the repeated contrasts in these later chapters—specially... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:6-28

Jehovah and the images. I. SELF - MANIFESTATION OF JEHOVAH . He is the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega. Existing before the creation, he will endure when it shall have passed away ( Isaiah 48:12 ). It is a thought which strikes us at once by its sublimity, anal, what is better, with its truth. Men sometimes speak of the material world as real, of the world of faith and imagination as dreamy. Not so the greatest prophets and poets. Shakespeare describes the globe and all its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:7

Who, as I, shall call , etc.? i.e. "Who will do (or who can do) as I do—call events into being, declare them, and set them in order beforehand—who can do this for me (or, in my stead)? No one. I have done it, ever since I appointed (or, placed upon earth) the ancient people" that is, the race of men before the Flood (see Job 22:15 ). The claim is that, from the first creation of mankind, God has not only prearranged the events that should happen, but has declared them by the mouth of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:8

Fear ye not (comp. Isaiah 41:10 , Isaiah 41:13 ; Isaiah 43:5 ; Isaiah 43:2 ). Israel need not fear that they will be forgotten or forsaken. God has told them from that time, or, from the beginning ( Isaiah 48:3 , Isaiah 48:7 ), and declared to them, what he is about to do—viz, destroy Babylon, and give them deliverance. He will assuredly do as he has said. Ye are even my witnesses (comp. Isaiah 43:10 , Isaiah 43:12 ). There is no God ; literally, there is no Rock ; ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:8

God's witness to his own rights. "There is no God; I know not any." A most striking exclamation. God becomes a witness to his own claims, and the last, the supreme, witness. The thought here so grandly and sublimely expressed is one which occurs also in the sacred book of the Buddhists. In the address of Gotama "Bhagavat," are the following sentences: "Even I was even at first, not any other thing, that which exists, unperceived, supreme; afterwards I am that which is, and he who must... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:9

They that make a graven image are … vanity ; rather, are confusion. The word used is tohu , which, together with bohu , describes the primitive chaos in Genesis 1:2 (comp. Isaiah 24:10 ; Isaiah 34:11 ; Isaiah 40:17 , Isaiah 40:23 ; Isaiah 41:29 ; Isaiah 59:4 ). Their delectable things shall not profit. "Their delectable things" are their idols, which are "pets, favourites, treasures." These cannot possibly be of any advantage to them. They are their own witnesses.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:9-18

The irrational and the religions, This passage is interesting, as containing the most pungent and effective sarcasm in holy writ. There are indeed the finest conceivable materials for the sarcastic in the practice of idolatry; i.e. in all those cases in which idolatry has sunk into its lowest stage. Where a statue is understood to be nothing more than the memorial or visible representation of the Divine, the language of the Hebrew prophet would not apply; but where it is regarded, as it... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:6-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:6-28

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:7

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:9-18

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