Notes from Isaiah 9

The prophet in this chapter (according to the directions given him, ch. 3:10, ch. 3:11 ) saith to the righteous, It shall be well with thee, but Woe to the wicked, it shall be ill with him.

Here are,
I. Gracious promises to those that adhere to the law and to the testimony; while those that seek to familiar spirits shall be driven into darkness and dimness, they shall see a great light, relief in the midst of their distresses, typical of gospel grace.
   1. In the doctrine of the Messiah (v. 1-3).
   2 .His victories (v. 4, v. 5).
   3. His government and dominion as Immanuel (v. 6, v. 7).

II. Dreadful threatenings against the people of Israel, who had revolted from and were enemies to the house of David,
-   that they should be brought to utter ruin, that their pride should bring them down (v. 8-10),
-   that their neighbours should make a prey of them (v. 11, v. 12),
 -  that, for their impenitence and hypocrisy, all their ornaments and supports should be cut off (v. 13-17),
-   and that by the wrath of God against them, and their wrath one against another, they should be brought to utter ruin (v. 18-21).

And this is typical of the final destruction of all the enemies of the Son of David and his kingdom.

Notes from Isaiah 8

This chapter, and the four next that follow it (to chap. 13) are all one continued discourse or sermon, the scope of which is to show the great destruction that should now shortly be brought upon the kingdom of Israel, and the great disturbance that should be given to the kingdom of Judah by the king of Assyria, and that both were for their sins; but rich provision is made of comfort for those that feared God in those dark times, referring especially to the days of the Messiah.

In this chapter we have,
I. A prophecy of the destruction of the confederate kingdoms of Syria and Israel by the king of Assyria (v. 1-4).
II. Of the desolations that should be made by that proud victorious prince in the land of Israel and Judah (v. 5-8).
III. Great encouragement given to the people of God in the midst of those distractions; they are assured,
    1. That the enemies shall not gain their point against them (v. 9, v. 10).
    2. That if they kept up the fear of God, and kept down the fear of man, they should find God their refuge (v. 11-14),
    3. and while others stumbled, and fell into despair, they should be enabled to wait on God, and should see themselves reserved for better times (v. 15-18).
    4. Lastly, He gives a necessary caution to all, at their peril, not to consult with familiar spirits, for they would thereby throw themselves into despair, but to keep close to the word of God (v. 19-22).
And these counsels and these comforts will still be of use to us in time of trouble.

Notes from Isaiah 7

This chapter is an occasional sermon, in which the prophet sings both of mercy and judgment to those that did not perceive or understand either; he piped unto them, but they danced not, mourned unto them, but they wept not.

Here is,
I. The consternation that Ahaz was in upon an attempt of the confederate forces of Syria and Israel against Jerusalem (v. 1, v. 2).
II. The assurance which God, by the prophet, sent him for his encouragement, that the attempt should be defeated and Jerusalem should be preserved (v. 3-9).
III. The confirmation of this by a sign which God gave to Ahaz, when he refused to ask one, referring to Christ, and our redemption by him (v. 10-16).
IV. A threatening of the great desolation that God would bring upon Ahaz and his kingdom by the Assyrians, notwithstanding their escape from this present storm, because they went on still in their wickedness (v. 17-25).
And this is written both for our comfort and for our admonition.

Notes from Isaiah 5

In this chapter the prophet, in God’s name, shows the people of God their transgressions, even the house of Jacob their sins, and the judgments which were likely to be brought upon them for their sins, I. By a parable, under the similitude of an unfruitful vineyard, representing the great favours God had bestowed upon them, their disappointing his expectations from them, and the ruin they had thereby deserved (v. 1-7).

II. By an enumeration of the sins that did abound among them, with a threatening of punishments that should answer to the sins.
Covetousness, and greediness of worldly wealth, which shall be punished with famine (v. 8-10) 2. Rioting, revelling, and drunkenness (v. 11, v. 12, v. 22, v. 23), which shall be punished with captivity and all the miseries that attend it (v. 13-17).
Presumption in sin, and defying the justice of God (v. 18, v. 19).
Confounding the distinctions between virtue and vice, and so undermining the principles of religion (v. 20).
Self-conceit (v. 21).
Perverting justice, for which, and the other instances of reigning wickedness among them, a great and general desolation in threatened, which should lay all waste (v. 24, v. 25), and which should be effected by a foreign invasion (v. 26-30), referring perhaps to the havoc made not long after by Sennacherib’s army.

Notes from Isaiah 4

In this chapter we have,

I. A threatening of the paucity and scarceness of man (v. 1), which might fitly enough have been added to the close of the foregoing chapter, to which it has a plain reference.
II. A promise of the restoration of Jerusalem’s peace and purity, righteousness and safety, in the days of the Messiah (v. 2-6).

Thus, in wrath, mercy is remembered, and gospel grace is a sovereign relief, in reference to the terrors of the law and the desolations made by sin.

Notes from Isaiah 6

Hitherto, it should seem, Isaiah had prophesied as a candidate, having only a virtual and tacit commission; but here we have him (if I may so speak) solemnly ordained and set apart to the prophetic office by a more express or explicit commission, as his work grew more upon his hands: or perhaps, having seen little success of his ministry, he began to think of giving it up; and therefore God saw fit to renew his commission here in this chapter, in such a manner as might excite and encourage his zeal and industry in the execution of it, though he seemed to labour in vain.

In this chapter we have,

I. A very awful vision which Isaiah saw of the glory of God (v. 1-4), the terror it put him into (v. 5), and the relief given him against that terror by an assurance of the pardon of his sins (v. 6, v. 7).

II. A very awful commission which Isaiah received to go as a prophet, in God’s name (v. 8), by his preaching to harden the impenitent in sin and ripen them for ruin (v. 9-12) yet with a reservation of mercy for a remnant, (v. 13). And it was as to an evangelical prophet that these things were shown him and said to him.

Notes from Isaiah 3

The prophet, in this chapter, goes on to foretel the desolations that were coming upon Judah and Jerusalem for their sins, both that by the Babylonians and that which completed their ruin by the Romans, with some of the grounds of God’s controversy with them.
God threatens,
 I. To deprive them of all the supports both of their life and of their government (v. 1-3).
II. To leave them to fall into confusion and disorder (v. 4, v. 5, v. 12).
III. To deny them the blessing of magistracy (v. 6-8).
IV. To strip the daughters of Zion of their ornaments (v. 17-24).
V. To lay all waste by the sword of war (v. 25, v. 26).

The sins that provoked God to deal thus with them were,
1. Their defiance of God (v. 8).
Their impudence (v. 9).
The abuse of power to oppression and tyranny (v. 12-15).
The pride of the daughters of Zion (v. 16).

In the midst of the chapter the prophet is directed how to address particular persons.
(1.) To assure good people that it should be well with them, notwithstanding those general calamities (v. 10).
(2.) To assure wicked people that, however God might, in judgment, remember mercy, yet it should go ill with them (v. 11).

O that the nations of the earth, at this day, would hearken to rebukes and warnings which this chapter gives!