Month: April 2021

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool. ISA 1:18

We see in this passage that God brought this case against his people not to cut his relationship with them, but to draw them closer to him. He gives them the assurance that no matter how unfaithful they have been, he will wipe away all traces of their unfaithfulness and make them as white as snow. God is saying that he will still honor his part of the covenant, but he wants his people to repent and return to him. In the same way, he is calling us to have a real relationship with him, not an empty one masked by religiosity. Though we are unfaithful, he will remain faithful. How can we extend God’s invitation for people to draw closer to him?

Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers. 1SA 12:7

Arakhin 17a:2

The Gemara returns to the topic of rebuke. It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: Were the Holy One, Blessed be He, to have entered into judgment with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they would not have been able to stand before the rebuke. As it is stated: “Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers” (1Sa 12:7). This indicates that God acted towards the patriarchs with righteousness, i.e., mercy, not as they deserved according to the strict letter of the law.

John Gill

Now therefore stand still—Keep your place, and do not as yet break up the assembly, but wait a little longer patiently, and with reverence and attention listen to what I have further to say:

That I may plead with you before the Lord—As in his presence; and which he observes to command the greater awe upon their mind, and the greater regard to the subject of his discourse and resolutions; which would be,

Concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers—Not only in a way of judgment delivering them into the hands of their enemies, when they sinned against him, but rather in a way of mercy and kindness in delivering them out of their hands.

Set forth your case, says the Lord;

bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. ISA 41:21

John Gill

Set forth your case, says the Lord—The Lord having comforted his people under their afflictions and persecutions from their enemies in the first times of Christianity, returns to the controversy between him and the idolatrous nations, and challenges them to bring their cause into open court, and let it be publicly tried, that it may be seen on what side truth lies:

Bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob—Or King of saints, the true Israel of God, who acknowledge the Lord as their King and their God, and whom he rules over, protects and defends; and this title is assumed for the comfort of them, that though he is King over all the nations of the world, yet in an eminent and peculiar sense their King; and he does not style himself the God of Jacob, though he was, because this was the thing in controversy, and the cause to be decided, whether he was the true God, or the gods of the Gentiles; and therefore their votaries are challenged to bring the strongest proofs and arguments they could muster together, in proof of the divinity of their idols; their “bony” arguments, as the word signifies; for what bones are to the body, that strong arguments are to a cause, the support and stability of it.

24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money,

or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.

But you have burdened me with your sins;

you have wearied me with your iniquities.

John Gill

You have not bought me sweet cane with money—Or “calamus,” which was used in the anointing oil, and for the perfume or incense (Exo 30:7, 23), this they thought too expensive, and so left it out of the composition, or neglected the whole this being put a part for the whole. Jarchi gives it as the sense, that they had no need to buy it, since it grew in great plenty in the land of Israel, which he took to be cinnamon; though this is distinguished from calamus, or the sweet cane (Son 4:14), wherefore Kimchi much better observes, that it was not to be had in the land of Israel, but came from a land afar off; and therefore must be bought; see Jer 6:20, hence grudging to give the price for it, and to be at the expense of it, bought it not, and disused it:

Or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices—They did not multiply their sacrifices, offered only just what the law required, if so many, and those of the leaner sort; and whereas the fat of the sacrifices was the Lord’s, there was little of it for him in these:

But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities—They were so many, and so aggravated, that he could not bear with them any longer, his patience was worn out; they were an uneasiness to him, as it were a burden upon him, and therefore would ease himself, as he sometimes does, by avenging himself (Isa 1:24), but here by pardoning them, as in the following verse. Some think that these are the words of Christ, the surety of his people, who took upon him the form of a servant for the sake of them, and had all their sins laid upon him, and which he bore, and made satisfaction for; and were to the human nature a burden, and a weariness to it; see Psa 40:12. This must be understood of the remnant according to the election of grace, among these people so sadly corrupted, for whose sins of omission and commission Christ made atonement; and upon the foot of his satisfaction, remission of sins proceeds, as in the next verse.

25 I, I am he

who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,

and I will not remember your sins.

26 Put me in remembrance; let us argue together;

set forth your case, that you may be proved right. ISA 43:24-26

And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ACT 17:2

John Gill

And Paul went in, as was his custom—To the Jews in their synagogue; for though the Jews had put away the gospel from them, and the apostle had turned to the Gentiles; yet he still retained a great affection for his countrymen the Jews, and as often as he had opportunity, attended their synagogues, in order to preach the gospel to them;

And on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures—That is, out of the Old Testament, concerning the Messiah, the characters of him, the work that he was to do, and how he was to suffer and die for the sins of men; and this he did three weeks running, going to their synagogue every Sabbath day, when and where the Jews met for worship; and made use of books, which they allowed of, and of arguments they could not disprove.

And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. ACT 18:4

John Gill

And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath—In Corinth there was a synagogue of the Jews, in which they met together for worship on the seventh day of the week, which was their Sabbath; and here Paul went, and took the opportunity of reasoning with them out of the Scriptures, concerning Christ, his person, and offices, his incarnation, obedience, sufferings, and death, and about redemption and salvation by him: we may observe the diligence, industry, and indefatigableness of the apostle; on the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, and preached Christ to those who there attended; and on the weekdays he laboured with his own hands. Beza’s most ancient copy, and the Vulgate Latin version add here, “interposing the name of the Lord Jesus”; frequently making mention of his name, or calling upon it, and doing miracles in it.

And tried to persuade Jews and Greeks—This was the effect of his reasoning, and the success that attended it; some, both of the Jews, who were so by birth, as well as religion, and of the Greeks, or Gentiles, who were Jewish proselytes, and attended synagogue worship, were convinced by his arguments, and were induced to believe the truth of his doctrine, and to embrace it; or at least he endeavoured to persuade them that they were lost sinners, and that there was salvation for them in Christ, and in him only.

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

John Gill

To the praise of his glorious grace—The grace of God manifestly appears in the predestination of men to adoption; in that God had no need of sons, he having a dear and well beloved one; in whom he is well pleased; and in that those he adopts are so unworthy of the relation; and in that men, and not angels, should be taken by him into his family; and that some, and not others of the same race; and that this should be before the world was; and in providing Christ as a Redeemer, to open the way for the reception of this grace and happiness; and in appointing the grace of faith to be the receiver of it: and the glory of the grace of God appears herein; the glory of God is the supreme end of all he does; and the glory of his grace, and not his power, or other perfections of his, and the manifestative glory of that is here intended; yea, the “praise” of that glory: and this end is answered, when the children of God ascribe their adoption to the free grace of God; and when they admire it, and are thankful for it, and walk worthy of the relation they are brought into:

With which he has blessed us in the Beloved—The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read, “his own beloved Son,” and so the Claromontane exemplar; the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the beloved of God the Father; and was so from everlasting, and will be so to everlasting; which has appeared by his nearness to him, lying in his bosom; by his being privy to all his counsels, purposes, and designs; in putting all things into his hands, and in showing him all that he does; and by his giving him honour and glory, as man and mediator: and he is the beloved of the saints, for the transcendent excellencies that are in him, and for his love to them, and for what he has done for them, and is unto them; and in him is their acceptance: which is to be understood of the acceptance of their persons, as founded in the blood and righteousness of Christ, and so of their services in him; of God’s act of delight and complacency in them, as considered in Christ; who looks upon them, and is well pleased with them, and rests in his love towards them; which is an amazing instance of grace: it was grace that gave them a being in Christ, and which has provided in predestination everything to make them grateful to God; and the very act of acceptance is of mere grace; for internal grace, or grace infused, is not here meant, but the free favour of God: some read not “in which,” but “which, he freely gave us in the Beloved”; so the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Syriac and Arabic versions.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight EPH 1:6-8

4 Ah, sinful nation,

a people laden with iniquity,

offspring of evildoers,

children who deal corruptly!

They have forsaken the Lord,

they have despised the Holy One of Israel,

they are utterly estranged.

Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. GEN 13:13

John Gill

Now the men of Sodom were wicked—Which either he knew not, and so ignorantly made this bad choice, to take up his home among such very wicked men, which occasioned a great deal of grief, trouble, and vexation to him; or if he knew it, the pleasing prospect of convenience for his cattle, and of enriching himself, was a temptation to him, and prevailed upon him to take such a step; and so Jarchi interprets it, “although” they were so, Lot was not restrained from dwelling among them:

Great sinners against the Lord—Exceeding great sinners, guilty of the most notorious crimes, and addicted to the most scandalous and unnatural lusts that can be thought of; and these they committed openly and publicly in the sight of God, in the most daring and impudent manner, and in defiance of him, without any fear or shame. The Targum of Jonathan reckons up many of their sins, as defrauding of one another in their substance, sinning in their bodies, incest, unclean copulation, shedding of innocent blood, worshiping of idols, and rebelling against the name of the Lord; see Isa 3:9; Eze 16:49.

You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? MAT 23:33

John Gill

You servants, you brood of vipers—The latter of these names, John the Baptist calls the Sadducees and Pharisees by, in Mat 3:7 and Christ, in Mat 12:34 both express their craft and subtlety, their inward poison, and venomous nature; their fair outside, and specious pretences; their hypocrisy, malice, and wickedness; in which they were like to the old serpent, their father the devil, and to their ancestors, that murdered the prophets; nor could any good thing be expected, from such a viperous generation:

How are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Signifying, that it was impossible that they should; nor could they surely expect it themselves, who must be conscious to themselves of their wickedness, malice, and deceit. The Persic version reads it, “where can you escape?” &c. and so Beza says it was read, in one ancient copy of his; and the sense is, whither can you flee? to whom, or what can you have recourse to, to screen you from the wrath to come? Rocks and mountains, caves and dens, will be of no service. The phrase, “the judgment, or damnation of hell,” is a phrase often used in the Talmud, and Midrashes of the Jews; and intends future torment, and the everlasting vengeance and wrath of God, the unquenchable fire prepared for the devil and his angels, and which impenitent unbelieving sinners cannot escape.

5 Why will you still be struck down?

Why will you continue to rebel?

The whole head is sick,

and the whole heart faint. ISA 1:4-5

In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. 2CH 28:22

John Gill

In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—By increasing his idolatries, as appears by what he did, in imitation of what he saw at Damascus, where he had an interview with the king of Assyria (2Ki 16:10-16)

This same King Ahaz—That monster of iniquity, than whom there was none worse, nor any so bad, of all the kings of Judah.

In these verses, God calls out the unfaithfulness of his people. They had forsaken the LORD and rebelled against him. Externally, they continued doing required acts of love, like bringing offerings and sacrifices, but there was no love for God in their hearts (Isa 1:11-14). Because of this, God declared that he hated the appointed feasts and couldn’t endure their assemblies. While acts of love for God are important, they become empty rituals if our hearts are far from him. As a follower of Christ, when did you realize that God is after your heart and not what you can do for him? How did this affect your relationship with God?

11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the Lord;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of well-fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of goats.

John Gill

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord—These people, though they neglected the weightier matters of the law, and the more substantial duties of religion, as did the scribes and Pharisees in Christ’s time (Mat 23:23), yet were very diligent in the observance of the ceremonial law, and repeated their sacrifices almost without number, on which they placed all their trust and dependence; wherefore, to take off their confidence in these things, the Lord observes to them the unprofitableness of them; they could be of no avail to them, for they could not expiate their sins, or atone for them; and they could not be profitable to God, for he had no need of them; see Psa 50:10-12.

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts—To the loathing of them, and therefore would no more eat their flesh, and drink their blood, or accept of them in sacrifice (Psa 50:13), “rams” were used for burnt offerings (Exo 29:18; Lev 1:10) and the fat of any creature offered in sacrifice was burnt, and forbidden to be eaten by men (Lev 1:8, 12, 15-16; 3:4-5, 10-11; 4:8-10, 19, 31, 35; 7:25, 31)

I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats—As he did in moral services, in acts of beneficence and mercy, and in sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving (1Sa 15:22; Psa 69:30-31; Hos 6:6), much less did he delight in the sacrifices of these creatures, as offered by such wicked hands and without faith in the blood and sacrifice of Christ; and still less when these were superseded and abrogated by Christ; for this prophecy belongs to the times of the apostles, as appears from Isa 1:9 see Psa 40:6-7. The several creatures mentioned were used in sacrifice, and their blood was sprinkled round about the altar (Lev 3:2, 8, 13), and before the vail (Lev 4:6, 17).

12 When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?

Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God. EXO 23:17

John Gill

Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God—In the city of Jerusalem, when they were come into the land of Canaan, and the temple was there built: here they were to show themselves before the Lord as being his, and devoted to his service; concerning which the Misnic doctors have the following canon,

“all are bound to appear except a man deaf and dumb, a fool, a little one, one of neither sex, or of both sexes, women, servants not free, the lame, the blind, the sick, an old man, and he that cannot go on his feet.”

13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the desert! PSA 78:40

John Gill

How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness—Where they were not only at his mercy, having nothing to help themselves with, but had many singular mercies bestowed upon them; and yet were continually committing such sins against God as provoked the eyes of his glory; ten times they tempted him, the Lord says (Num 14:22), therefore that dispensation is called the provocation and day of temptation; for it was a series of rebellion and sin (Psa 95:8),

And grieved him in the desert—Which signifies the same as before, and is spoken after the manner of men (Gen 6:6), and like a tender parent grieved at the disobedience of his child, and that he is obliged to take the rod and chastise it. The prophet Isaiah says, they “grieved his Holy Spirit” (Isa 63:10), the same word is there used as here; compare with it Eph 4:30.

But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. LUK 11:42

John Gill

But woe to you Pharisees—Though these words, with several other passages in this chapter, are much alike with those in Mat 23 yet it is clear that they were spoken at different times, these in the house of a Pharisee, and they in the temple at Jerusalem:

For you tithe mint and rue—(See Gill on Mat 23:23) the Persic version here reads, “mint and anise,” as there; and the Ethiopic version only “hyssop”:

And every herb—That is, all sorts of herbs that grow in the garden, and were not common to all;

And neglect justice and the love of God—By “justice” may be meant doing that which is right between man and man, both publicly and privately, which was greatly neglected by these extortioners and unjust men: and by “the love of God” may be intended, both love to God, which shows itself in the observance of the first table of the law, and love to the neighbour, which God requires, and regards the second table:

These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others—(See Gill on Mat 23:23).

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them. ISA 1:11-14

You have not bought me sweet cane with money,

or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.

But you have burdened me with your sins;

you have wearied me with your iniquities. ISA 43:24

John Gill

You have not bought me sweet cane with money—Or “calamus,” which was used in the anointing oil, and for the perfume or incense (Exo 30:7, 23), this they thought too expensive, and so left it out of the composition, or neglected the whole this being put a part for the whole. Jarchi gives it as the sense, that they had no need to buy it, since it grew in great plenty in the land of Israel, which he took to be cinnamon; though this is distinguished from calamus, or the sweet cane (Son 4:14), wherefore Kimchi much better observes, that it was not to be had in the land of Israel, but came from a land afar off; and therefore must be bought; see Jer 6:20, hence grudging to give the price for it, and to be at the expense of it, bought it not, and disused it:

Or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices—They did not multiply their sacrifices, offered only just what the law required, if so many, and those of the leaner sort; and whereas the fat of the sacrifices was the Lord’s, there was little of it for him in these:

But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities—They were so many, and so aggravated, that he could not bear with them any longer, his patience was worn out; they were an uneasiness to him, as it were a burden upon him, and therefore would ease himself, as he sometimes does, by avenging himself (Isa 1:24), but here by pardoning them, as in the following verse. Some think that these are the words of Christ, the surety of his people, who took upon him the form of a servant for the sake of them, and had all their sins laid upon him, and which he bore, and made satisfaction for; and were to the human nature a burden, and a weariness to it; see Psa 40:12. This must be understood of the remnant according to the election of grace, among these people so sadly corrupted, for whose sins of omission and commission Christ made atonement; and upon the foot of his satisfaction, remission of sins proceeds, as in the next verse.

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;

for the Lord has spoken:

“Children have I reared and brought up,

but they have rebelled against me.

and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. DEU 1:31

John Gill

And in the wilderness—Where he had fed them with manna, brought water out of rocks for them, protected them from every hurtful creature, had fought their battles for them, and given them victory over Amalek, Sihon, and Og:

Where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son—In his arms, in his bosom, with great care and tenderness:

All the way that you went until you came to this place—Supplying their wants, supporting their persons, subduing their enemies, and preserving them from everything hurtful to them; and therefore having God on their side, as appeared by so many instances, of his favour to them, they had nothing to dread or fear from the Canaanites, though ever so mighty.

7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?

8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?

John Gill

And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous—Founded in justice and equity, and so agreeable to right reason, and so well calculated and adapted to lead persons in the ways of righteousness and truth, and keep them from doing any injury to each other’s persons and properties, and to maintain good order, peace, and concord among them:

As all this law that I set before you today—Which he then repeated, afresh declared, explained and instructed them in; for otherwise it had been delivered to them near forty years ago. Now there was not any nation then in being, nor any since, to be compared with the nation of the Jews, for the wise and wholesome laws given to them; no, not the more cultivated and civilized nations, as the Grecians and Romans, who had the advantage of such wise lawgivers as they were accounted, as Solon, Lycurgus, Numa, and others; and indeed the best laws that they had seem to be borrowed from the Jews.

26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. DEU 4:7-8, 26

John Gill

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today—Should they be guilty of such a sin, since they were so strongly and publicly cautioned against it; and even the heaven and the earth were called upon as witnesses of the law being set before them, which so expressly forbids it (Deu 30:19),

That you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess—Though they were now about to go over Jordan and inherit the land of Canaan, yet they would not enjoy it long, but be taken and carried captive out of it; as the ten tribes were by Shalmaneser king of Assyria, and the two tribes by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and both for their idolatry and other crimes.

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.

John Gill

They are Israelites—Which were their national name, as descended from Jacob, whose name was Israel; and it was accounted a very honourable one; see 2Co 11:22; Php 3:5; and the very name they bore gave the apostle some concern that they should be cut off; and then he proceeds to enumerate the several distinguishing favours and privileges they had been partakers of:

To them belong the adoption—Not that special adoption, which springs from eternal predestination, is a blessing of the covenant of grace, comes through the redemption of Christ, and is received and enjoyed only by believers in him; for all that were Israelites, were not in this sense the children of God; but national adoption is here meant, by which the whole body of the people, as nation, were the sons of God, his firstborn:

The glory—Either the ark of the covenant, which is so called in Psa 63:2, according to Kimchi; or the clouds in the tabernacle and temple, which were called the glory of the Lord, and were symbols of his presence,

The covenants—Not the two Testaments, Old and New, but the covenant of circumcision, made with Abraham their father, and the covenant at Sinai they entered into with the Lord; some copies, and the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, read, “the covenant”:

The giving of the law—A way of speaking theJews make use of when they take notice of this privilege; for it was peculiarly given to them with great solemnity by God himself, through the disposition of angels into the hands of Moses the mediator, and by him to them; and on account of this, they reckoned themselves more beloved of God than the rest of mankind

The worship—So the Jews are used to call it, “the worship”; and false worship is called by them “strange worship,” which is the title of one of their Misnic tracts; and here it signifies the whole worship of God, in the whole compass of it, sacrifices, prayer, praise daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly:

And the promises—Both temporal and spiritual, especially such as related to the Messiah, and which now had their accomplishment.

5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. ROM 9:4-5

John Gill

To them belong the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for, according to the Jewish writers,

“they call none in Israel, ‘fathers,’ but three, and they are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and they call none ‘mothers’ but four, and they are, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah”:

their descent from these fathers was a privilege, though they valued themselves too highly upon it; but what was the crown and glory of all, and which they took the least, though the apostle took the most notice of, is,

And from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ—That is, either of the fathers, or of the Israelites, from whom Christ, according to his human nature, sprung; being a son of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of David, and the son of Mary; hence the Messiah is called, “the Messiah or Christ of Israel”:

Who is described as

God—Truly and properly God,

Over all—Angels and men, being the creator, upholder, and governor of them; and as having another nature, a divine one, being

Blessed for evermore—In himself, and to be blessed and praised by all creatures. The apostle alludes to that well known periphrastic name of God so much used by the Jews, “the holy, blessed God”; to which, by way of assent and confirmation, the apostle puts his

Amen—Now all these particular privileges are mentioned by him, as what heightened his concern for these people; it filled him with heaviness and sorrow of heart, when he considered, that persons who had been partakers of such favours, and especially the last, that the Messiah should spring from them, be born of them, and among them, and yet that they should be given up to ruin and destruction.

3 The ox knows its owner,

and the donkey its master’s crib,

but Israel does not know,

my people do not understand.” ISA 1:2-3

John Gill

The ox knows its owner—Knows his voice, when he calls him, and follows him where he leads him, whether to plough in the field, or feed in the meadows;

And the donkey its masters crib—Or “manger”; where he is fed, and to which he goes when he wants food, and at the usual times. Gussetius interprets the words; the donkey knows the floor where he treads out the corn, and willingly goes to it, though it is to labour, as well as to eat; and so puts Israel to shame, who were weary of the worship of God in the temple, where spiritual food was provided for them, but chose not to go for it, because of labour there.

But Israel does not know—His Maker and Owner, his King, Lord, and Master, his Father, Saviour, and Redeemer; he does not own and acknowledge him, but rejects him; see Joh 1:10-11.

My people do not understand—The Jews, who were the people of God by profession, did not stir themselves up to consider, nor make use of means of knowing and understanding, divine and spiritual things, as the word used signifies; they would not attend to the word and ordinances, which answer to the crib or manger; they would not hear nor regard the ministry of the word by Christ and his apostles, nor suffer others, but hindered them as much as in them lay; see Mat 23:13, 37; Act 13:45-46. The Targum is,

“Israel does not learn to know my fear, my people do not understand to turn to my law.”

In like manner the more than brutal stupidity of this people is exposed in Jer 8:7.

They have lyre and harp,

tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,

but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord,

or see the work of his hands. ISA 5:12

John Gill

They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute—Instruments of music; some struck with a bow or quill, or touched with the fingers; and others blown with the mouth:

And wine at their feasts—So that they lived jovially and merrily, like sons of Bacchus, more than like the people of God:

But they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of his hands—Meaning not the law, as the Targum and Kimchi, which was the work of the Lord, and the writing of his hands; rather, as Aben Ezra, the punishment inflicted on the ten tribes being carried into captivity; or else the works of creation and providence, and the daily mercies of life; or, best of all, the great work of redemption by Christ, and the conversion of sinners, both among Jews and Gentiles, by the preaching of his gospel; for this refers to the Jews in the times of Christ and his apostles, which immediately preceded their utter destruction; and those sins here mentioned were the cause of it. See Psa 28:5.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ROM 1:28

John Gill

And since they did not see fit—This accounts for the justness of the divine procedure in leaving them to commit such scandalous iniquities; that since they had some knowledge of God by the light of nature, and yet did not care

To acknowledge God—Or to own him as God, to worship and glorify him as such; but took every method to erase this knowledge out of their minds, and keep it from others:

God gave them up to a debased mind—A vain empty mind, worthless, good for nothing devoid of all true knowledge and judgment; incapable of approving what is truly good, or of disapproving that which is evil; a mind that has lost all conscience of things, and is disapproved of by God, and all good men:

To do what ought not to be done—Which are neither agreeably to the light of nature, nor convenient to, or becoming the honour of human nature; things which the brutes themselves, who are destitute of reason, do not do.

A covenant is an agreement made between two parties. One example of this is a marriage covenant, where two people vow to love each other for the rest of their lives. Any covenant demands faithfulness. God intentionally began a committed relationship with Israel, and Scripture reveals that God is continuously faithful to the people he loves. He initiated bringing them into a covenant relationship and has continued to shower them with his care and love. How have you seen God’s love expressed toward you? How has he pursued you?

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

39 What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

Rashi

What was torn by a lion or a wolf.

I bore the loss of it—In the Targum it is translated by that which was missing and deficient from the number of the animals, like (Num 31:49): “and there is no man missing from us.”

I bore the loss of it—It has the same meaning as the verb in (Jdg 20:16) “and not miss”; (1Ki 1:21): “My son Solomon and I will be lacking.” I bore the loss; if it was missing, it was missing to me because you required it from my hand.

Stolen—Similar to (Lam 1:1) “great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces”; (Isa 1:21) “full of justice”; (Hos 10:11) “that loved to thresh.”

Stolen by day or stolen by night—Everything I paid back.

40 There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. GEN 31:39-40

Bava Metzia 93b:3

Abaye raised an objection to Rabba from another baraita: To what extent is a paid bailee obligated to safeguard? He is obligated to the extent that Jacob said to Laban: “There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night” (Gen 31:40). Rava said to him: There too, the baraita is speaking of city watchmen, whose responsibility extends further. Abaye said to him: Is that to say that Jacob, our forefather, whose statement is the source of this halakha, was a city watchman? Rava replied: It means that Jacob said to Laban: I safeguarded for you an extra levelof safeguarding, like that of city watchmen.

Rashi

The heat consumed me—An expression of (Deu 4:24): “a consuming fire.”

And the cold—As (Psa 147:17) “He hurls down his crystals of ice.” The Targum renders: ice, or cold.

שְׁנָתִי means my sleep.

12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

John Gill

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd—That is, who is not the owner of the sheep, though he keeps them, yet only for reward: by whom are meant, not the faithful ministers of the word, who live upon the gospel, as Christ has ordained, and who are worthy of their reward, and are not to be called hirelings by way of reproach; since they teach not for hire and reward, but for the good of souls, and the interest of the Redeemer; but such who seek only their gain, from their quarter, and mind their own things, and not the things of Jesus Christ:

Who does not own the sheep—Who have neither a propriety in them, nor an hearty affection for them, and so care not what becomes of them: such an one

Sees the wolf coming—By whom may be meant, either Satan; so the Jews compare Israel to a flock of sheep, and Satan, they say, “he is the wolf”; or any false prophet, or teacher, who are ravenous wolves; though sometimes in sheep’s clothing; or any tyrant, oppressor, or persecutor of the saints:

And leaves the sheep—As the idol shepherd, against whom a woe is pronounced (Zec 11:17).

And flees—Not being willing to bear any reproach or persecution, for the sake of Christ; not such a keeper of the flock as David, who went after the lion and the bear, and when they rose up against him, did not flee, but caught them by the beard and slew them; nor like the Apostle Paul, who fought with beasts at Ephesus, and would turn his back on none, nor give place, no, not for an hour, that truth might continue;

And the wolf snatches them—Some of them:

And scatters them—The rest; so are the sheep of Christ and his churches sometimes scattered, by persecution raised against them; see Act 8:1, 4. The Jews have a rule concerning such a hired hand shepherd, which is this;

“A shepherd that feeds his flock, and leaves it, and goes to the city, and a wolf comes and ravines, and the lion comes and tears in pieces, he is free; but if he leaves by it his staff and his scrip, he is guilty.”

Which Maimonides thus expresses and explains;

“A shepherd who can deliver that which is torn, and that which is carried captive, with other shepherds, and with staves, and does not call the other shepherds, nor bring the staves to deliver them, he is guilty: one that keeps freely, and one that keeps for hire; he that keeps freely, calls the shepherds, and brings the staves freely; and if he does not find them, he is not guilty; but he that keeps for hire, is obliged to hire shepherds and staves, in order to deliver them.”

13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

John Gill

I am the good shepherd—(See Gill on Joh 10:11).

I know my own—So as to call them all by their names: Christ has an universal, special, distinct, and exact knowledge of all his sheep, as they are the choice of his Father, as his Father’s gift to him; and as his own purchase; he bears an affectionate love to them, and takes special care of them; indulges them with intimate communion with himself; and owns and acknowledges them as his, both here and hereafter:

And I am known of mine—Not in a general way, as the demons and external professors may know him, but with a special, spiritual, and saving knowledge: Christ’s own approve of him, as their shepherd and their Savior, and desire no other; they love him above all, in the sincerity of their souls, and with a love as strong as death; they trust in him as their shepherd, believing they shall not want; and appropriate him to themselves, as their own; and care for him, his cause and interest, his gospel, ordinances, and ministers; and are not ashamed to own him as theirs, in the most public manner.

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish. PSA 1:6

Rashi

For the Lord knows the way, etc.—Because he knows the way of the righteous, and it is before him to recognize it constantly; the way of the wicked is hateful to him, and he removes it from before him. Therefore, the foot of the wicked will not stand up on the day of judgment, neither shall the sinners be written in the congregation of the righteous.

15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John Gill

As the Father knows me—These words, with what follow, are in connection with Joh 10:14; and the sense is, that the mutual knowledge of Christ, and his sheep, is like that which his Father and he have of each other. The Father knows Christ as his own Son, and loves him as such, in the most strong and affectionate manner; and has entrusted him with the persons, grace, and glory, of all his people:

And I know the Father—As he needs must, since he lay in his bosom, and still does, and knows his nature, perfections, purposes, and his whole mind and will; and loves him most ardently, which he has shown by his coming down from heaven, to do his will; and trusts in him for the accomplishment of everything he promised to him:

And I lay down my life for the sheep—Which proves him to be the good shepherd (Joh 10:11). The Vulgate Latin version reads, “for my sheep”; which were his, by the Father’s gift, and for no other has he laid down his life. The Ethiopic version, as before, renders it, or rather explains it, “I lay down my life for the redemption of my sheep.”

16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John Gill

And I have other sheep—Not distinct from those for whom he laid down his life, but from those who were under the Old Testament dispensation, and who heard not the thieves and robbers that were before Christ (Joh 10:8); others besides the lost sheep of the house of Israel, or the elect among the Jews, to whom Christ was sent; and by whom are meant the chosen of God among the Gentiles, who were sheep, though not called and folded, for the reasons given (see Gill on Joh 10:3). These, though uncalled, belonged to Christ; he had an interest in them, they were given him by his Father; he had them in his hands, and upon his heart; his eye was upon them, and they were under his notice, inspection, and care:

That are not of this fold—Of the Jewish nation and church, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise; were as sheep going astray, and were scattered about in the several parts of the world; and were to be redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation:

I must bring them also—Out of the wilderness of the world, from among the men of it, their former sinful compassions, from the folds of sin and Satan, and the pastures of their own righteousness; to himself, and into his Father’s presence, to his house and ordinances, to a good fold and green pastures, and at last to his heavenly kingdom and glory: and there was a necessity of doing all this, partly on account of his Father’s will and pleasure, his purposes and decrees, who had resolved upon it; and partly on account of his own engagements, who had obliged himself to do it; as well as because of the case and condition of these sheep, who otherwise must have eternally perished:

And they will listen to my voice—In the gospel, not only externally, but internally; which is owing to his powerful and efficacious grace, who quickens them, and causes them to hear and live; unstops their deaf ears, and gives them ears to hear; and opens their hearts, to attend to his word, and gives them an understanding of it. The Arabic version reads this in connection with the preceding clause, thus, “and I must bring them also to listen to my voice”; as well as the rest of the sheep among the Jews, and therefore the gospel was sent among them:

So there will be one flock, one shepherd—One church state, consisting both of Jews and Gentiles; the middle wall of partition being broke down, these two coalesce in one, become one new man, and members of one and the same body; for though there may be several visible gospel churches, yet there is but one kind of church state, and one general assembly and church of the firstborn, one family to which they all belong; for what reasons a church is comparable to a fold (see Gill on Joh 10:1). And over this fold, or flock, there is but one shepherd, Jesus Christ; who is the rightful proprietor, and whose own the sheep are; and who knows how to feed them, and does take care of them; though there are many under shepherds, whom he employs in feeding them.

17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

John Gill

The Jews then disputed among themselves—Fell to cavilling and disputing one among another; some understanding Christ, and others not; some being for him, and vindicated what he said; and others being against him, and who were the majority, objected,

Saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”—Which is to be understood, not physically, but as morally impossible and unlawful; since, with the Jews, it was not lawful to eat the flesh of any creature alive, and much less the flesh of man; for the Jews understood Christ of a corporeal eating of his flesh, being strangers to a figurative or spiritual eating of it by faith, in which sense he meant it.

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” JOH 3:4, 9

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. MAT 5:18

54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John Gill

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood—Spiritually by faith, as explained in the preceding verse:

Has eternal life—The principle of spiritual life, which is evidently implanted in him, as appears from his eating and drinking; and is a durable and lasting principle: grace is an incorruptible seed; every part of it is abiding and permanent; and it is itself the beginning, pledge, and earnest of everlasting life, and is inseparably connected with it: moreover, such have eternal life itself, not only in Christ their head, but in themselves: they have a right into it, and a meetness for it: and may be assured of it, as if they were personally possessed of it, from their election to it; the security of it in Christ; from the grace they have received, which is the beginning of glory; and the earnest of it in themselves:

And I will raise him up on the last day—To enjoy it in soul and body (see Gill on Joh 6:39-40).

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts live forever! PSA 22:27

Rashi

The afflicted shall eat at the time of our redemption in the days of our Messiah.

May your hearts live forever—I will say all this before them.

55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

John Gill

For my flesh is true food—Not in a corporeal, but in a spiritual sense; and the same is said of his blood:

And my blood is true drink—That is, they are both “truly” meat and drink, as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions render it; or are “true” meat and drink, as the Arabic version: in opposition to what was typical meat and drink; as the manna in the wilderness, the water out of the rock, the flesh and wine at the passover, the meat and drink offerings under the law, or any other meats and drinks under that Passover, the meat and drink offerings under the law, or any other meats and drinks under that dispensation; and which, though not when Christ said these words, yet now are abolished, being unprofitable, and not to be fed upon. Moreover, these phrases may denote the reality, substance, and solidity of that spiritual food believers have in Christ, in opposition to the imaginary food of sensual sinners, who feed on ashes and bread of deceit; and to that of self-righteous persons, who spend their labour and money for, and live upon that which is not bread, even upon their works of righteousness; and to the superficial tastes of hypocrites and formal professors; and to the charge of enthusiasm; and even to the outward elements of bread, and wine, in the Lord’s supper, since instituted; and as it may be attended upon by persons destitute of the grace of God. And these words may also be expressive of the virtue, efficacy, and excellency of this food, it being soul quickening, nourishing, strengthening, satisfying, and delightful food, as well as spiritual and savoury; not to carnal persons, or outward professors, but to new born babes, and true believers; and which, by them, may be had, and to the full, and that in due season, even every day, and is what will abide for ever.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. JOH 15:1

56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

John Gill

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood—In the sense above given (see Gill on Joh 6:53);

Abides in me, and I in him—There is a mutual indwelling of Christ, and believers; Christ is the habitation, or dwelling place of his people: there is a secret dwelling in Christ; so the elect of God dwelt in the heart, and in the hands, and arms of Christ from everlasting; and as members in their head in election grace; and representatively in him, as the mediator of the covenant; and they secretly and safely dwelt in him, when all mankind fell in Adam; and when he was on the cross, in the grave, and now he is in heaven; all which is owing to his own love, his Father’s gift, and to secret union to him. But there is an open dwelling in him in time, which is here meant: God’s elect, as in their natural state, are without Christ, and lie open to the law and justice of God; the Spirit of God convinces them of this state, and directs them to flee to Christ, as a city of refuge; when they find him a stronghold, a place of defence, and a proper dwelling for them, where they resolve to abide, and do abide; and where they dwell safely, peaceably, comfortably, and pleasantly; and from which dwelling place they will never be turned out. Likewise, the saints are the habitation or dwelling place of Christ; he dwells not in their heads and to tongues, but in their hearts, and by faith; which is here expressed, by eating his flesh, and drinking his blood; and which, though it is not the cause of Christ’s dwelling here, yet is the means or instrument by which men receive him into their hearts, and retain him, and have communion with him; for he dwells in believers, not in such sense as he dwells in the world, by his omnipresence, and power; or in the human nature, by hypostatical union to it; but by his Spirit, and by faith, which is an instance of wonderful condescending grace, and is owing to union to him, and is expressive of communion with him, and is what will continue for ever.

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place

in all generations. PSA 90:1

Megillah 29a:8

Rava interpreted a verse homiletically: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psa 90:1)? This is referring to the synagogues and study halls. Abaye said: Initially, I used to study the law in my home and pray in the synagogue. Once I heard and understood that which King David says: “Lord, I love the habitation of your house” (Psa 26:8), I would always study the law in the synagogue, to express my love for the place in which the divine presence resides.

Rashi

A prayer of Moses—Moses recited all the eleven psalms from here to (ch. 101) “Of David, a song.” Corresponding to them, he Moses blessed eleven tribes with eleven blessings, in (Deu 33): “And this is the blessing.”

You have been our dwelling place—Heb. מעון, an abode and a refuge in which to enter. That is what you have been for us.

In all generations—From time immemorial, for you preceded all.

20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

John Gill

In that day you will know—The things they should know, or the objects of knowledge are,

That I am in my Father—In his bosom, in union with him, partaker of the same nature, perfections, and glory with him, and equal to him:

And you in me—That they were in union with him as the branches in the vine, and as the members are in the head, and how they were loved in him, chosen in him, righteous in him, risen with him, and made to sit together in heavenly places in him:

And I in you—Formed in their hearts, living in them, dwelling in them, as in his temples, and filling them with grace and glory. The knowledge of these things promised, designs a more clear and distinct knowledge of them; something of them was known already, but not so perfectly as should be hereafter; and this does not suppose that these unions between the Father and Christ, and between Christ and his people, shall then begin to be; for as the union between the Father and the Son is as eternal as themselves; so the union between Christ and his people, as he is the head and representative of them, is as early as his investiture with the office of a mediator, and his suretyship engagements for them, which were from eternity; and are the ground, and foundation of his being in them, and they in him in the effectual calling; nor does it suggest that they shall begin to be known; only that they shall be known in a more perfect manner: the time when this will be, is “in that day”: meaning either when he should “live” in the body again, be raised from the dead, when he should he declared to be the Son of God with power, when it would appear, that he had the same power with the Father, by raising himself from the dead, and when he would rise as a public head representing them, for their justification, and they should see themselves justified and discharged in him; or the day of “Pentecost,” when “the Spirit of truth,” he promises to pray for, should come to them in an extraordinary manner, and lead them into the knowledge of these things; or the last day, the resurrection morn, when, by virtue of union to Christ, the saints shall rise and “live” with him for ever, and shall have a perfect knowledge of these several unions; see Joh 17:21, 23-24.

23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” JOH 14:20, 23

57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be the God of my salvation— PSA 18:47

Rashi

The Lord lives—He who does all this for me.

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. JOH 5:26

58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

John Gill

This is the bread that came down from heaven—That true bread, the bread of God, the bread of life, living bread; meaning himself, as in Joh 6:32-33, 35, 48, 50-51;

Not like the bread the fathers ate, and died—This is bread of a quite different nature from that; that was only typical bread, this true; that was the bread of angels, but this is the bread of God; that came but from the air, this from the third heaven; that men ate of, and died; but whoever eats of this, lives for ever; see Joh 6:49; as follows:

Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever—(See Gill on Joh 6:51).

59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

John Gill

Jesus said these things in the synagogue—Openly and publicly, in the place of divine worship, where the Jews resorted for that purpose:

As he taught at Capernaum—His own city, and where there was a synagogue, into which he often went and taught his doctrines, and wrought miracles; see Mat 3:13; 8:5, 14; 9:1-2; 12:9.

1 Does not wisdom call?

Does not understanding raise her voice?

Rashi

Does not wisdom call—Does not the law announce for you the things mentioned below in this section?

2 On the heights beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

Avodah Zarah 19a:12

The Gemara mentions a similar contradiction. It is written with regard to the law: “On the heights” (Pro 8:2), and it is written in the continuation of the verse that the law is “beside the path.” This contradiction is resolved as follows: Initially, a person studies the law in a private location, on the heights, but ultimately he will spread his knowledge, beside the path, in the public realm.

3 beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: PRO 8:1-3

Rashi

In front of the town—Heb. קרת, the ceiling above the gate, where people sit.

She cries—Heb. תרנה, she cries, and what does she say? “To you, O men, I call.”

And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, LUK 4:31