Month: May 2021

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

All the ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before you. PSA 22:28

Rashi

Shall remember and turn to the Lord—The nations shall remember the evil that befell us when they see the good and turn to the Lord.

2 May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us,

Rashi

And make his face to shine—To show a laughing countenance, to give dew and rain.

3 that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations. PSA 67:2-3

Rashi

That your way may be known on earth—To make known that your trait is to benefit your people, and because of this, kingdoms will rejoice and sing praises.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,

6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. MAT 10:5-6

John Gill

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel—To whom he himself was sent (Mat 15:24). By “the house of Israel” is meant the whole Jewish nation; for though this phrase, when distinguished from the house of Judah, designs only the ten tribes; yet here it intends all the Jews, then living in the land of Judea, among whom there were some of all the tribes: and by “the lost sheep” of this house, are meant either all the people of the Jews in general, who were wandering, and were lost in error and sin, and to whom the external ministry of the gospel came; or rather the elect of God among them, for whose sake particularly the apostles were sent to them. These are called “sheep,” because they were chosen of God, and given to Christ to be redeemed, looked up, sought out, and saved by him; and “lost” ones, not only because lost in Adam, and by their own transgressions, so that neither they themselves, nor any mere creature, could save them from eternal ruin and destruction; but also, because they were made to go astray, and were lost through the negligence and errors of their pastors, the scribes and Pharisees: and this character is the rather given of them, partly to reflect upon the characters of the shepherds of Israel: and partly to magnify the grace of God, in having regard to such ruined and miserable creatures; and also to excite the compassion and diligence of the apostles, to preach the gospel to them: respect seems to be had to (Jer 1:16).

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, MAT 28:19

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” LUK 10:17

John Gill

The seventy-two returned—The Syriac version adds, “whom he had sent”: these disciples having received orders and instructions from Christ, went as he directed them; and when they had finished their embassy, they returned again to him, and gave him an account of their journey and success.

With joy—With great joy, as read the Syriac and Persic versions; notwithstanding the difficulties that had attended them, reproaches cast upon them, the ill treatment they might have met with in some places, and the labours and fatigues of their journey, and the dangers they had been exposed to:

Saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name”—They found the miraculous power conferred on them was greater than they at first imagined, or could collect from what Christ said to them, who only bid them heal the sick (Luk 10:9), but when they came to make use of it they found they had a power of casting out devils; not in their own name and strength, but in the name, and through the power, and by the authority of Christ; and this had thrown them into an ecstasy of joy, and in a sort of a rapture: they express themselves as men astonished at the powers bestowed on them.

The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. ACT 5:16

John Gill

The people also gathered from the towns around—The fame of the apostles’ miracles spread in the towns around Jerusalem; those that were at some distance as well as near, and large numbers of people came from thence,

Jerusalem—Where the apostles were: the Syriac version adds, “to them,” that is, to the apostles; and the Arabic version, “with them”; along with those of the city of Jerusalem, who brought out their infirm persons into the streets to be cured:

Bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits—With demons, by whom they were not only possessed, but greatly harassed and afflicted: sometimes tearing and convulsing them, and sometimes throwing them on the ground, and bruising them; or into fire and water, of which there are some instances in the evangelists:

And they were all healed—None went without a cure, which served greatly to confirm the gospel preached by the apostles, and to irritate and provoke their enemies, as appears by what follows.

18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel. GEN 3:15

Rashi

I will put enmity—Your sole intention was that Adam should die by eating it first and that you should then take Eve for yourself (Bereishit Rabbah 20:5), and you came to speak to Eve first only because women are easily influenced and know how to influence their husbands; therefore “I shall put enmity.”

He shall bruise your head—Like (Deu 9:21), “And crushed it” which the Targum translates as וְשָׁפִית יָתֵיהּ.

And you shall bruise his heel—You will not stand erect and you will be able to bite him only on the heel, but even at that spot you will kill him. The word תְּשׁוּפֶנוּ is like (Isa 40:24): “He blows (נָשַׁף) on them.” When a serpent comes to bite, it blows with a kind of hissing sound, and since the two words coincide i.e., they sound similar, Scripture used the expression of נְשִׁיפָה in both cases.

You will tread on the lion and the adder;

the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. PSA 91:13

Sanhedrin 95a:2

The Gemara asks: Are these matters comparable? There, in Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar is called ari, as the verse refers to him with the term arye, and here, in Isaiah, Nebuchadnezzar is called laish. The Gemara explains that the verses are not contradictory, as Rabbi Yohanan says: There are six Hebrew terms for the lion, and they are: Ari, kefir, lavi, layish, shaḥal, shaḥatz. The Gemara challenges: If it is so that this verse is unrelated to the journeys of Sennacherib, then the places listed in the verse are too few, as there are not ten. The Gemara explains: Averu and Mabara are in fact the names of two separate places.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. LUK 10:19

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

John Gill

So then the Lord Jesus, after he—The Ethiopic version reads, “our Lord, the Lord Jesus”; and both Syriac and Persic read, “our Lord”; which is common in these versions, where the word “Lord” is used:

Had spoken to them—The disciples, the above words, which commissioned them where to go, what to do, and what to say; and what should follow them, for the confirmation of their mission and doctrine:

He . . . was taken up into heaven—In a cloud, angels attending him, and demons led captive by him, and with a welcome into his Father’s presence:

And sat down at the right hand of God—The Ethiopic version adds, “his own Father,” and which is an evidence of his having done his work, and that to full satisfaction; and is an honour never conferred on angels, or any mere creature; and is a peculiar dignity conferred on the human nature of Christ, in union with his divine person; and here he will remain, till his second coming.

A Psalm of David.

The Lord says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.” PSA 110:1

Rashi

The Lord says to my Lord—Our Rabbis interpreted it as referring to Abraham our father, and I shall explain it according to their words (Mid. Psa 110:1): The Lord says to Abraham, whom the world called “my Lord,” as it is written (Gen 23:6): “Hearken to us, my master.”

“Sit at my right hand”—Wait for my salvation and hope for the Lord. The root ישיבה means only waiting, as Scripture states (Deu 1:46): “So you stayed (ותשבו) at Kadesh for many days.”

At my right hand—At the salvation of my right hand.

Until I make your enemies—Amraphel and his allies.

7 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.

The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

Rashi

Your throne, O God—Your throne, O prince and God, shall exist forever and ever, as the matter that is stated (Exo 7:1): “I have made you a judge to Pharaoh.” And why? Because “a scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness,” that your judgments are true, and you are fit to govern.

8 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; PSA 45:7-8

Rashi

Anointed you with the oil of gladness—Every expression of greatness is depicted by the anointment of oil, as is the custom of the kings.

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. LUK 9:51

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

John Gill

And they went out—After this the apostles went out, from Galilee to Jerusalem; and on the day of Pentecost, they appeared publicly, and preached the gospel in different languages; and after the death of Stephen, and the persecution raised upon that, they went out from Jerusalem; see (Isa 2:3).

And preached everywhere—Not only in Judea, and in the neighbouring countries, but all over the world, in process of time:

The Lord worked with them—Making their ministry useful, for the conviction and conversion of large multitudes, and for the forming and settling abundance of gospel churches, and for the comfort and edification of the saints; all which was done, by the power and grace of Christ, without whom they could do nothing; see 1Co 3:9.

And confirmed the message by accompanying signs—The Arabic version adds “them”; or “which they did,” as the Syriac and Persic versions render it; not by their own power, but, as the latter of these versions adds, “by the help of our Lord”; see (Heb 2:4).

by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; ROM 15:19

2 It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the Lord

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be lifted up above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

3 and many peoples shall come, and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

TRUST WORTHY God’s Salvation: God desires for us to learn his ways

The rest of the passage shows what will take place in the house of God: that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. God desires for his people to learn his ways. When we put our faith in him, we will learn his ways, and if we walk in his paths by obeying him and listening for his correction, we will become more and more like him. As a result of knowing God more and more, what are some things in your life that have changed?

The Lord sends forth from Zion

your mighty scepter.

Rule in the midst of your enemies! PSA 110:2

John Gill

The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter—His royal and powerful scepter, called the scepter of righteousness (Psa 45:7), and is no other than the gospel, the power of God to salvation; and which is mighty through him, for the reducing souls to the obedience of Christ; when it comes with power, and works effectually. This was first preached in Zion, or Jerusalem, and went out from thence into all parts of the world; the first ministers of it had their commission there, and were sent from thence to publish it all over the world; see Isa 2:3; Luk 24:47; Act 1:4; 8:4, by means of which the kingdom of Christ was set up and spread in the world; with this scepter in his hand, he went forth with his ministers, conquering and to conquer (Rev 6:2). The Jews own this scepter to be a scepter in the hand of the Messiah, which they seem to understand literally; and have a fabulous notion of its being the same that Jacob, Judah, Moses, Aaron, David, and so every king of Judah, had, down to the destruction of the temple: the Targum in the king’s Bible is,

“the Word of the Lord shall send”

the essential Word.

Rule in the midst of your enemies—Or, “you shall rule,” as the Targum and Arabic version; in the hearts of those who, in their unregenerate state, are enemies: but the arrows of his word being sharp in them, they are brought to submit to him; the everlasting doors are caused to open; he enters in, takes possession of their hearts, and rules there. Or this may be understood of his church in the world, which is his kingdom, and lies surrounded with enemies on all hands; but, in spite of them, and all their opposition, he will support his kingdom and interest.

Rashi

The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter—When you return from the war and your men are weary and in pursuit, the Lord will send you Melchizedek king of Salem, to bring out bread and wine (Gen 14:14).

Scepter—This is an expression of support, as (above 105:16): “all supply of bread.”

Rule in the war.

In the midst of your enemies safely.

For there shall be a day when watchmen will call

in the hill country of Ephraim:

“Arise, and let us go up to Zion,

to the Lord our God.” JER 31:5

Rashi

Watchmen will call—The lookouts at the tops of the lofty towers to announce with a voice heard a distance away. Another explanation: נֹצְרִים is like “He keeps (נֹצֵר) lovingkindness” (Exo 34:7), an expression of keeping. That is to say: There is a day when they will call those who kept the law and say, “Arise . . .” And so did Jonathan render: There are many days and much goodness that is destined to come to the righteous who kept my law from days of old.

4 In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the Lord their God.

John Gill

In those days and at that time, declares the Lord—When Babylon shall be taken and destroyed, then what follows shall be accomplished; which, as it respects the conversion of the Jews, shows that this prophecy is not to be restrained to literal Babylon:

The people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together—Upon the taking of Babylon, in a literal sense, by Cyrus, the children of Israel, or the ten tribes, carried away by the Assyrians, did not return; only the children of Judah, or the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites, and a few of the other tribes, that might be mixed among them: but when mystical Babylon is fallen, then the whole body of the Jews will be converted, and return to their own land, Israel and Judah; which is foretold in other prophecies, as here, which speak of their general conversion; see Jer 30:3, 9; Eze 37:16-25; Hos 2:2;

Weeping—Which is another circumstance, which shows that this does not respect the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; for that was attended with joy, and not with tears; see Psa 126:1-2; unless it is to be understood of weeping for joy, and of tears of joy, as Kimchi interprets it; but it is better to understand it of that godly sorrow and mourning for sin, which will appear in the Jews at the time of their conversion; particularly for their fathers’ ill treatment of the Messiah, their unbelief and rejection of him, and their continued obstinacy and perverseness, and other sins; see Jer 31:8; Zec 12:10;

As they come, and they shall seem the Lord their God—Even David their king, the true Messiah, who is Lord and God; to him they shall seek for peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life; and acknowledge him to be the Messiah, their Lord, and their God; embrace his gospel, and submit to his ordinances; see Jer 30:9; Hos 3:5. The Targum is,

“when they were carried captive, they went weeping; but when they return from the land of their captivity, they shall seek the worship of the Lord their God.”

5 They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, “Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.” JER 50:4-5

Rashi

Turned toward it—Toward this place, Jerusalem, they shall direct their faces when Babylon will be destroyed and they will leave it with the sanction of Cyrus, king of Persia.

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. MAT 7:24

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” LUK 11:28

John Gill

But he said—Christ said “to the woman,” Persic version reads, as correcting her, though not denying it, nor reproving her for it, but improving upon it:

Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it—Intimating, that though his mother was happy in bearing and suckling such a son, yet it was a far greater happiness to hear the word of God; meaning either himself, the eternal “Logos,” so as to embrace him, believe on him, and have him formed in the heart; or the gospel preached by him, so as to understand it, receive it as the ingrafted word, and bring forth fruit, and act in obedience to it, observe it, and abide by it, and never relinquish it. This is a greater happiness than to be related to Christ in the flesh, though ever so nearly. The Ethiopic version reads, “who hear the word of God and believe and keep it”: for faith comes by hearing, and shows itself in doing. Barely to hear the word, and even give an assent to it, will be of little avail, unless what is heard and believed is put in practice.

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. JOH 7:17

John Gill

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will—Meaning, not one that perfectly fulfils the law, which is the good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God; for there is no man that does this, or can do it; nor is it so said here, “if anyone do God’s will,” but “if anyone’s will is to do” it; that is, is desirous of doing it; who has it wrought in him both to will and do, of the good pleasure of God, by his grace and Spirit; with whom to will is present, though, he has not power to perform, and so is a spiritual man; and who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, which is one branch of the will of God; and who depends upon the Spirit and grace of God, and acts from a principle of love to God, and in the exercise of faith on Christ:

He will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority—Not a man of mere natural knowledge and learning, or a man of theory and speculation, is a judge of doctrine; but he that leans not to his own understanding, and implores the assistance of the Divine Spirit, and who is for reducing doctrine into practice: he knows by the efficacy of the doctrine upon his heart, and the influence it has on his life and conversation; by its coming not in word only, but in power; and by its working effectually in him, whether it is divine or human, of God or of man.

So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord. ACT 10:33

5 O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the Lord.

Rashi

O house of Jacob . . .—The nations will say this to them, and this verse refers back to the verse commencing with, “And many peoples shall come . . .”

Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord—They will say this to them. Jonathan, however, renders: And those of the house of Jacob will say, “Come, let us walk in the teaching of the law of the Lord.”

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, PSA 89:16

Rashi

Who know the festal shout—Who know how to appease their Creator on Rosh Hashanah with the blasts, upon which they arrange the blessings of “malchuyoth” (manifestations of God’s dominion), “zichronoth” (remembrances), and “shofaroth.”

10 Who among you fears the Lord

and obeys the voice of his servant?

Let him who walks in darkness

and has no light

trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on his God.

John Gill

Who among you fears the Lord? Not with a slavish fear of the awful majesty of God, or of his tremendous judgments, or of wrath to come, but with a filial fear, a fear of the Lord, and his goodness, which is an internal principle in the heart, a reverential affection for God, a godly fear of him; is attended with faith in him, and joy of him; which makes holy, and keeps humble, and takes in the whole worship of God: of men of this character there are but few, and especially there were but few among the Jews at this time which the prophecy refers to; the greatest part were rejecters of Christ, before spoken of, and to; and from whom the Lord turns himself, and addresses these few. There are none that naturally fear the Lord, only such who have the grace bestowed on them; their number is but small, but there are always some in the worst of times, and these are taken notice of by the Lord (Mal 3:16-17, 20),

And obeys the voice of his servant—Not the prophet, as the Targum adds, and as it is commonly interpreted by the Jewish writers, and others; though some of them say this is “Metatron,” a name of the Messiah with them; and indeed he is meant, before spoken of as the Lord’s servant, and represented as an obedient one, and afterwards as righteous; see Isa 49:3; 50:5-6; 53:11 and by his “voice” is meant either his gospel, which is a soul quickening and comforting voice, a charming and alluring one; and which is obeyed, heard, and listened to, by his people, externally and internally, when they receive it by faith, and in the love of it; or else his commands, precepts, and ordinances, which love constrains his people to an obedience to; and where there is the fear of God, there will be hearing of his word, and submission to his ordinances:

Let him . . . trust in the name of the Lord—Not in himself, nor in any creature, but in the Lord himself; in the perfections of his nature, his mercy, grace, and goodness; in the name of the Lord, which is a strong tower, and in whom is salvation; in Christ, in whom the name of the Lord is, and whose name is the Lord our righteousness; and to trust in him, when in the dark, is a glorious act of faith; this is believing in hope against hope.

Who walks in darkness—Not the Lord’s servant, but the man that fears the Lord, and obeys his servant’s voice, such an one may be in darkness, and walk in it; or “in darknesses,” as in the original; not only in affliction and misery, often expressed by darkness in Scripture, but in desertion, under the hidings of God’s face; and which may continue for a while:

And has no light—Or “shining”: not without the light of nature, nor without the light of grace, but without the light of God’s countenance shining upon him; without the light of spiritual joy and comfort shining in his heart; and this must be a very distressing case indeed.

And rely on his God—Covenant interest continues in the darkest dispensation; God is the believer’s God still; and faith is a staying or leaning upon him, as such; a dependence upon his power to protect, on his wisdom to guide, and on his grace, goodness, and all sufficiency, to supply.

Rashi

The voice of his servant—The voice of the prophets.

Who walks in darkness—Even if trouble comes upon him, let him . . . trust in the name of the Lord, for he shall save him.

11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire,

who equip yourselves with burning torches!

Walk by the light of your fire,

and by the torches that you have kindled!

This you have from my hand:

you shall lie down in torment. ISA 50:10-11

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace. LUK 1:79

John Gill

To give light to those who sit in darkness—God’s elect among the Jews, who were not only in a state of unregeneracy, which is a state of darkness, ignorance, and unbelief; but in the darkness of the legal dispensation, and at this time under more than ordinary darkness and ignorance; having lost the knowledge of the righteousness of God, and of the spirituality of his law, the true sense of the Scriptures, and right notions of the Messiah; being led by blind guides, the scribes and Pharisees;

And—Were as it were also,

In the shadow of death—In a state seemingly irrecoverable, when Christ, the great light arose, and shone upon them; and communicated spiritual light, life, and heat to them; see Isa 9:3 compared with Mat 4:13-16 though Christ is also a light, to lighten his chosen ones among the Gentiles (Luk 2:32), but the Jews seem chiefly to be intended here:

To guide our feet into the way of peace—Which we knew not: not that he came to teach us how to make our peace with God, but to make peace for us, by the blood of his cross; and so by his Spirit and word, lead us into the true way of enjoying spiritual peace here, and eternal peace hereafter.

20 In that day mankind will cast away

their idols of silver and their idols of gold,

which they made for themselves to worship,

to the moles and to the bats,

21 to enter the caverns of the rocks

and the clefts of the cliffs,

from before the terror of the Lord,

and from the splendor of his majesty,

when he rises to terrify the earth. ISA 2:2-3, 5, 20-21

Isaiah painted a vivid picture of mankind cowering in the great splendor of the Lord. In light of his majesty and holiness, people would realize that everything they put their trust in is worth nothing. God is a jealous God (Exo 34:14), and in his love he will strip away the things we trust in to show us what truly matters. Again, in spite of our shortcomings, he is faithful to the covenant he made with us and invites us to come and walk with him in his light (Isa 2:5). This is where we can experience his power and guidance, his eternal presence, and his holy majesty. How has walking in the light of the Lord been different for you? How has it changed your life and revealed things about you?

(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), EXO 34:14

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly,

and to revive the heart of the contrite.” ISA 57:15

Rashi

“I dwell in the high and holy place,” and thence I am with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, upon whom I lower my presence.

Lowly . . . contrite—Suffering from poverty and illnesses.

Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? EXO 15:11

Rashi

בָּאֵלִם means among the gods, just as (Eze 17:13) “and the powerful (אֵילֵי) of the land he had taken away”; (Psa 22:20) “my help איָלוּתִי, come quickly to my aid.”

נורא תהלות means You are awesome for one to recount your glorious deeds fearing lest these may be enumerated less then they really are, just as it is written (Psa 65:2) “Praise is due to you.”

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name. MAT 6:9

With his great might and power, God can take away all manmade idols. Isaiah prophesied that the idols shall utterly pass away (Isa 2:18). Unlike earthly things that people put their trust in, God inhabits eternity. He sees all: past, present, and future. This means that he is the only one who can truly guide us. It also means he will always be there. We can never go anywhere to hide from him. In God, we can experience true guidance and his eternal presence. What is one earthly thing you used to put your trust in that is no longer present? How does this compare to God?

And the idols shall utterly pass away. ISA 2:18

John Gill

And the idols shall utterly pass away—The images of saints worshiped by the papists: after the destruction of antichrist, and when the spiritual reign of Christ takes place, there will be no idolatry or worshiping of images any more, see Zec 13:2. The word used for “idols,” signifies things that are not, for an idol is nothing in the world (1Co 8:4), these the Lord “will cause to pass away,” even all of them, they shall disappear.

Rashi

Shall utterly pass away—They will all pass away; they will all vanish.

Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for,

and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:

when he makes all the stones of the altars

like chalkstones crushed to pieces,

no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing. ISA 27:9

John Gill

Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for—Or “expiated”; not that afflictions are atonements for sin, or give satisfaction to divine justice for it; but they are the means of bringing the Lord’s people to a sense of their sins, and to repentance and humiliation for them, and confession of them, and of leading them to the blood and sacrifice of Christ, by which they are expiated and atoned, and which the Spirit of of God brings near, and applies to them; whereby their sins, they are convicted of by means of afflictions, and which lay heavy upon their consciences, are purged away, and removed from them:

And this will be the full fruit of the removal of sin—This is the design and use of afflictions, the profit and advantage of them to the saints, that, being humbled for their sins, they depart from them, leave and forsake them; as well as the guilt of them is taken away from their consciences, through the application of pardoning grace, upon their repentance; see Job 36:8-10 this shows another difference between the afflictions of God’s people and of others: namely, in the use and end of them. The sin of idolatry seems to be particularly designed by what follows; unless the sin of the present Jews, in their disbelief and rejection of the Messiah, should be rather intended; which, through their long affliction, they will be convinced of in the latter day, and it will be taken away from them, and be purged and expiated through the atoning sacrifice of Christ, the Savior and Deliverer, they will embrace (Rom 11:25-26):

When he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces—That is, when Jacob, or the people of the Jews, being convinced of their idolatry by their afflictions, shall pull down all their idolatrous altars; perhaps particularly referring to that which Ahaz made (2Ki 16:10-12) and remove the stones thereof, and break them to pieces, as chalkstones for lime, which is easily done:

The Asherim and the incense altars will not stand up—Erect, to be worshiped; but shall be thrown down, demolished, and broke to pieces; and, by thus abandoning their idols and idolatrous practices, they will show the sense they have of their sins, and the sincerity of their repentance; and it is to be observed, that the Jews, after their return from the Babylonish captivity, never practised idolatry more, not in the literal sense; perhaps some respect may be had here to the time when they shall look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn; and when they shall renounce all their legal sacrifices, traditions of the elders, and their own righteousness, their idols, and look alone to the sacrifice of Christ, and declare against all the idolatry of the church of Rome, and all antichristian worship.

Rashi

Therefore—Now, too, by this the guilt of Jacob would be atoned for, to merit to be redeemed as then.

And this will be the full fruit that is best for me to remove his sin, if he makes all the stones of the altars of his high places, like chalkstones crushed to pieces. Comp. (Psa 137:9) “And crushes (וְנִפֵּץ) your babies.” Comp. (Jer 13:14) “And I will crush them (וְנִפַּצְתִּים) one against another.” גִּיר is a kind of dye.

No Asherim or incense altars will remain standing—So that they will not retain their idolatry.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. EZE 36:25

John Gill

I will sprinkle clean water on you—Not baptismal water, as Jerom; an ordinance indeed of the gospel, and to which the Jews will submit when converted; and which is performed by water, but not by sprinkling, nor does it cleanse from sin; and is administered by men, and is not an operation of God, as this is: rather the regenerating grace of the Spirit; though this does not purify from all sin, and besides is intended in the next verse: it seems best to understand it of the blood of Christ, the blood of sprinkling, and of justification from sin, and pardon of it by it; so Kimchi and Jarchi interpret of purification by atonement; and the Targum is,

“I will forgive your sins, as one is cleansed by the water of sprinkling, and the ashes of a heifer, which is for a sin offering”:

And you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you—The blood of Christ cleanses from all sin; by it men are justified from all things, and are made perfectly pure and spotless in the sight of God; they are cleansed from original sin, the pollution of their nature; from all actual sins and transgressions, which are very defiling; from sins of heart, lip, and life; even from such as are idols, set up in the heart, and served.

They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. EZE 37:23

John Gill

They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols—With their dung or dunghill gods; either with the idols of the Gentiles, or their own: after their return from the Babylonish captivity, the Jews were no more addicted to idolatry; and the image worship of the papists is an abhorrence to them at this day, and a stumblingblock to them in their embracing Christianity: and when they are effectually called and converted to Christ; they will no more have respect to the idols, the works of their own hands; or to the idol of their own righteousness, which they have set up, and have gone about to establish, and to make to stand; they will then see it to be as filthy rags, defiling to them, instead of justifying of them; and therefore shall reject it, and no more defile themselves with it; but seek the righteousness of Christ, which justifies from all sin, and renders pure and spotless in the sight of God,

And their detestable things—Or “abominations”; the traditions of the elders, which they have preferred to the word of God, and made the rule of their faith, worship, and conversation; which has made them detestable to God:

Or with any of their transgressions—Particularly their disbelief of Christ and their blasphemy against him; nor shall they indulge themselves in those sins which now prevail among them, as pride, covetousness, uncleanness, fraud, and tricking in their trade and commerce:

But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned—As wherever they dwell they do; they are notorious for their wickedness; but God will bring them out of all these places, where they have lived in sin, and been the occasion of it to some, as well as followed the example of others:

And will cleanse them—By sprinkling clean water upon them; by applying the blood of Christ to them, which cleanses from all sin see Eze 36:25:

And they shall be my people, and will be their God—The “Not My People” will be taken off, and the covenant of grace shall be renewed with them, and made manifest to them; and the blessings and promises shall be applied to them, and particularly this; see Jer 30:25; Rom 11:25-26.

And on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. ZEC 13:2

John Gill

And on that day, declares the Lord of hosts—In the latter day, at the time of the conversion of the Jews, when they shall turn to the Lord, and their sins shall be forgiven, and washed away in the fountain of his blood; for this refers not to the times of the Babylonish captivity, and their deliverance from that, which was now over, when idolatry ceased among that people; nor to the times of Christ, when soon after the false prophets among the nations, and their lying oracles, ceased, and paganism in the Roman empire was destroyed; but to the times before mentioned, of which it is predicted by the Lord, saying,

I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more—Meaning the idols of gold, silver, brass, and wood; images of the Virgin Mary, and saints departed, worshiped by the papists (Rev 9:20-21), for at this time mystical Babylon will fall, the idolatry of the church of Rome will be at an end, and will never be revived more:

And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness—By “the prophets” are meant false prophets, as the Targum explains it, even all the Popish hierarchy, pope, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests all that wretched body, which goes by the name of the false prophet, who at the battle of Armageddon will be taken, and with the beast cast alive into the lake of fire (Rev 19:20), and by “the spirit of uncleanness,” or “spirits,” the singular for the plural, are meant the three unclean spirits like frogs, and which are the spirits of demons, that come out of the mouth of the dragon beast, and false prophet, the Jesuits, monks, and friars; these shall be no more then on the earth, after these times (Rev 16:13-14). Jarchi and Kimchi interpret “the spirit of uncleanness” of the corruption of nature; but that will not cease as long as men are in a mortal state. This prophecy is, by the ancient Jews, applied to the times of the Messiah.

I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” REV 7:14

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable. ISA 40:28

John Gill

Have you not known? Have you not heard? From the history of the church in all ages; from the experience of all good men; from their own knowledge and observation; from the Scriptures, and the prophets, the interpreters of them; both that what is before suggested is wrong, and that what follows is true,

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary—Or, “the God of the world”; that has made it, and upholds it, and governs it, and judges righteously in it; who is from everlasting to everlasting, unchangeably the same; whose name alone is Jehovah, the self-existent and all comprehending Being, the Maker and Former of all things; who has not only created the earth, and the foundations of it, as the Targum, or the continent, and the habitable part of the world, that is most known and dwelt in, but even the extremities of the earth; and therefore knows and will take care of his own people, let them be where they will: and though the work of creation, and of upholding creatures in their beings, and of governing the world, and providing for all in it, and of taking care of his church and people in particular, requires so much power, as well as wisdom, yet he never sinks under it, nor is weary of it; therefore they have no reason to give way to such unbelief and despondency, as above expressed:

His understanding is unsearchable—It is infinite, it reaches to all persons and things, and therefore he cannot be at a loss to provide for his people, or plead their cause; nor can their case be unknown to him, or he want either power or skill to help them.

Rashi

The Creator of the ends of the earth . . . his understanding is unsearchable—And One who has such strength and such wisdom—he knows the thoughts. Why does he delay your benefit, only to terminate the transgression and to expiate the sin through afflictions.

Taanit 2a:10

Rabba bar Sheila elaborates on this verbal analogy. It is written here: “Who does great things that are beyond comprehension,” and it is written there, with regard to the creation of the world: “Have you not known? Have you not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow faint or weary; his understanding is beyond comprehension” (Isa 40:28). This shows that both creation and rainfall are beyond comprehension. And concerning the creation of the world, it is written elsewhere: “Who sets firm the mountains with your power; being girded with might” (Psa 65:7). From this verse it can be inferred that rainfall, like the creation of the world, reflects God’s might.

Taanit 9b:13

As it is stated, with regard to the creation of the world: “Who does great things past finding out” (Job 9:10), and as an example of this it is written: “He gives rain on the earth” (Job 5:9-10). And it is written below: “Have you not known? Have you not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint and is not weary; his understanding is past finding out” (Isa 40:28). The repetition of “past finding out” indicates that rainfall is as wondrous as the creation of the world. The Gemara adds: And it is written in a psalm that deals with rainfall: “Who by your strength sets fast the mountains, being girded with might” (Psa 65:7).

Idols aren’t necessarily carven images or statues. They can be anything that takes the place of God in our lives. For the Israelites, they trusted in foreign military power, silver and gold, and their leaders. Unlike other things we may put our trust in, God is the greatest. There is no one above him or higher than him. He is uncreated; He doesn’t depend on others to exist. Because he is above all, he is the only one with the power and authority to bless us and provide for our every need. In God, we can be certain that he has the power over all things on earth. How can we respond to the truth that God has highest power and remains faithful to his covenant with us?

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. GEN 21:33

John Gill

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba—The Jewish writers are divided about the use of this tamarisk tree, as Jarchi relates; one says it was for a paradise or orchard, to produce fruits out of it for travellers and for entertainment; another says it was for an inn to entertain strangers in; it rather was for a shade, to shelter from the sun in those sultry and hot countries; and perhaps for a religious use, and to be an oratory, as the following words seem to suggest: in the midst of it very likely Abraham built an altar, and sacrificed to the Lord; hence might come the superstitious use of groves among the nations; and, when they came to be abused to idolatrous purposes, they were forbidden by the law of Moses, which before were lawful. And, though the name of Abraham is not in the text, there is no doubt but he is designed, and was the planter of the tamarisk tree, and which is expressed in the Septuagint version, as it is supplied by us. What sort of trees this grove consisted of cannot with certainty be said, very probably the oak. R. Jonah thinks it may be the tree which in Arabic they call “ethel,” and is a tree like that which is called tamarisk in general it signifies any tree, and especially large trees;

And called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God—Who, is from everlasting to everlasting, or “the God of the world,” the Creator and upholder of it, and the preserver of all creatures in it; him Abraham invoked in this place, prayed unto him, and gave him thanks for all the mercies he had received from him.

Rashi

A tamarisk tree—Heb. אֵשֶׁל Rav and Samuel differ as to what this was. One said it was an orchard from which to supply fruit for the guests at their meal. The other said it was an inn for lodging in which were all kinds of fruit (Sotah 10a). And we can speak of planting an inn for we find the expression planting used of tents, as it is said (Dan 11:45), “And he shall pitch his palatial tents.”

And called there etc.—Through this tamarisk tree the name of the Holy One, blessed be he, was called “God of the entire universe.” For after they had eaten and drunk he said to them, “Bless him of whose possessions you have eaten! Do you think that you have eaten of what is mine? You have eaten of that which belongs to him who spoke and the universe came into existence” (Sotah 10a).

The eternal God is your dwelling place,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

And he thrust out the enemy before you

and said, “Destroy.” DEU 33:27

John Gill

The eternal God is your dwelling place—God is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting; the Ancient of Days, before all things, and all time; which is, and was, and is to come: the same is true of Christ, who is the everlasting Father, or Father of eternity, the true God, and eternal life; as appears from his nature, having the whole fulness, all the perfections of deity in him; from his office, as mediator, in which he was set up from everlasting; from his concern in eternal election, in the everlasting covenant, and in the creation of all things out of nothing: and he is the refuge of his people, the antitype of the cities of refuge, to whom sinners, under a sense of sin, flee for refuge; and where they are safe from avenging justice, the wrath of God, the condemnation of the law, everlasting ruin and destruction, or the second death; or their “mansion,” or “dwelling place”; which he has been in all generations, as Moses also says (Psa 90:1-2). Such is Christ to his people, who dwelt secretly in him from everlasting, being chosen in him, and given to him; and openly in conversion, where they dwell as in a strong hold, safely, quietly, comfortably, and pleasantly:

And underneath are the everlasting arms—That is, of God, which are the support of his people, and their protection, safety, and security; such as the arms of his everlasting love, which encircle them, and compass them about as a shield; his everlasting covenant, which is immovable, and in which they ever remain; eternal redemption and salvation, wrought out by Christ, which secures them from destruction; and everlasting power, by which they are kept and preserved as in a garrison; and everlasting consolation, which flows from all this: and so the arms of Christ, or his almighty power, are under the world, to uphold it in being; and under his church, to support it, on whose shoulders the government of it is; and under particular believers, whom he carries in his arms, embraces in his bosom, bears them up under all their afflictions and temptations, trials and exercises; nor will he ever suffer them to drop out of his arms, or to be plucked from thence:

And he thrust out the enemy before you—The Canaanites out of the land of Canaan, to make room for Israel, which he was just about to do, and quickly did. In like manner Christ thrusts out Satan and the spiritual enemies of his people, whom to dispossess is a work of mighty power; and not only so, but gives orders to destroy them, and does destroy them, and makes his people more than conquerors over them:

And said, “Destroy”—The Canaanites: to do which the people of Israel had an order from the Lord (Deu 7:1-2).

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ROM 1:20

John Gill

For his invisible attributes—Not the angels, the invisible inhabitants of heaven: nor the unseen glories of another world; nor the decrees of God; nor the persons in the divine nature, but the perfections of God, or his “properties,” as the Arabic version reads it; and which are explained by “his eternal power and divine nature”: these,

Have been clearly perceived—In an intellectual way, by the discursive faculty of the understanding,

Have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world—This is no new discovery, but what men have had, and might, by the light of nature, have enjoyed ever since the world was created; these

In the things that have been made—The various works of creation; all which proclaim the being, unity, and perfections of God their Creator,

So they are without excuse—The very nations, who have only the light of nature, and are destitute of a revelation, have no colour or pretext for their idolatrous practices, and vicious lives; nor have they, nor will they have anything to object to God’s righteous judgment against them, or why they should not be condemned.

but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— ROM 16:26

John Gill

But has now been disclosed—In these last days, in which God has spoken by his Son, by whom the doctrines of grace are most clearly revealed, and fully dispensed; and by his apostles, who were blessed with a clear insight into them, and with extraordinary gifts to minister them;

And through the prophetic writings—In which these truths are hinted, and by which, being made manifest by Christ and his apostles, they are attested and confirmed;

Has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—That is, it is by the express order and command of that God who is from everlasting to everlasting, that the mystery of the gospel is made manifest by the preaching of the apostles being witnessed to by the law and prophets in all its doctrines; particularly justification by Christ’s righteousness, remission of sins through his blood, and salvation by his sufferings and death; that this should be made known not only in the land of Judea, but to all the nations of the world; for this end, that many souls may be brought to submit to the righteousness of faith, to embrace the doctrine of faith, make a profession of it, be subject to the ordinances of it, live by faith on Christ, and also soberly, righteously and godly in this world: if this commandment refers, as it seems to do, to the order of Christ to his apostles, to preach the gospel to Jews and Gentiles, to the Jews first, and upon their rejection of it, to turn to the Gentiles; for so, says the apostle, has the Lord commanded us (Act 13:46-47); here is a clear proof that Christ is God, and that he is the eternal God.

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

2 He said,

“The Lord came from Sinai

and dawned from Seir upon us;

he shone forth from Mount Paran;

he came from the ten thousands of holy ones,

with flaming fire at his right hand.

Rashi

He said, “The Lord came from Sinai”—Moses began his blessing by praising the Omnipresent, and then he addressed the needs of Israel. The praise with which Moses began, mentions the merit of Israel. All this was a way of intercession, as though to say, “These people are worthy that a blessing should rest upon them” (Sifrei Devarim 343:1).

Came from Sinai—He came out to meet them when they came to stand at the foot of the mountain, as a bridegroom goes forth to welcome his bride, as it is said (Exo 19:17), “And Moses brought the people forth to meet God”: this teaches us that He (God) came out to meet them (cf. Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 19:17:1 and Rashi on the verse quoted).

And dawned from Seir upon us (the Israelites), because he first offered the sons of Esau (the inhabitants of Seir) that they should accept the law, but they refused.

He shone forth—To them Israel.

From Mount Paran, because he went there and offered the sons of Ishmael (who dwelt in Paran, see Gen 21:21) to accept it and they also refused (Avodah Zarah 2b; Sifrei Devarim 343:6).

He came to Israel.

From the ten thousands of holy ones—With him were ten thousands of the holy angels, and not all of them and not even the majority of them: not as is the way of a human being who displays all the splendour of his riches and magnificence on his marriage day (Sifrei Devarim 343:11).

Flaming fire—The law which had been written before him from olden times in black fire upon white fire (Midrash Tanchuma, Bereshit 1). He gave to them upon the tablets the writing of his right hand (cf. Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 9:1). Another explanation: As the Targum renders it, that he gave it to them from amidst the fire.

3 Yes, he loved his people,

all his holy ones were in his hand;

so they followed in your steps,

receiving direction from you, DEU 33:2-3

Bava Batra 8a:3

You have transgressed the words of the law, as it is written: “Even when he loves his people, all his holy ones were in his hand” (Deu 33:3), which is understood to mean that Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be he: Master of the universe, even when you hold the other nations dear and grant them dominion over Israel, let “all his holy ones,” meaning the law scholars, be exclusively in your hand and free from the authority of the nations, and therefore be exempt from pay-ing taxes. The continuation of that verse can also be understood as referring to law scholars, as it states: “So they followed in your steps, receiving direction from you” (Deu 33:3), and Rav Yosef teaches: These are law scholars who pound their feet from city to city and from country to country to study the law; “receiving direction from you,” to discuss the utterances of God.

John Gill

Yes, he loved his people—The people of Israel, of which his giving the law to them in such a glorious manner was an instance, and was a distinguishing blessing which other nations were not favoured with, see Deu 4:6, 8; Psa 147:19-20; Rom 9:4; how much more is the love of God shown to his spiritual Israel and special people, by giving them his gospel, the precious truths, promises, and ordinances of it, and, above all, in giving them his Son to be the Redeemer and Savior of them, as revealed therein! these he embraces in his arms and in his bosom, as the word here signifies; admitting them to great nearness and familiarity with him, to commune with Father, Son, and Spirit, to a participation of all the blessings of grace here, and to the enjoyment of glory hereafter:

All his holy ones were in his hand—Not the sons of Levi, who were round about the ark, as Aben Ezra interprets it; rather all the people of Israel, who were chosen to be an holy people to the Lord above all people, and who were the care of his providence, protected by his power, and guided with his right hand; and were in a wonderful manner kept and preserved by him, both at the time of the giving of the law, and in their passage through the wilderness; it is eminently true of the chosen people of God, who are given to Christ, and made his care and charge, as all such who are sanctified and set apart by God the Father are, they are preserved in Christ (Jud 1:1); and these are sanctified in and by Christ, and by the Spirit of Christ, and so may be truly called his saints; and they are in the hands of Christ, as dear to him as his right hand, highly valued by him, held in his right hand; they are in his possession, are his peculiar people, portion, and inheritance, they are at his dispose, under his guidance and direction; and are in his custody and under his protection, and where they are safe from every enemy, and can never be snatched, taken, or removed from thence; see Joh 10:28-29; here they are put by the Father, as an instance of his love to them, and care of them, though not without the consent and desire of the Son, and this was done in eternity, when they were chosen in him:

So they followed in your steps—Which may respect the position of the Israelites at the bottom of Mount Sinai, while the law was giving, which may be said to be the feet of the Lord, he being on the top of the mount, see Exo 19:17-18; 24:10; all the Targums interpret it of the feet of the cloud of glory, they pitching their tents where that rested (Num 9:17-18); some think it an allusion to scholars sitting at the feet of their masters to receive instructions from them, see Act 22:3; so the disciples and followers of Christ sit at his feet, attending on his word and ordinances with calmness and serenity of mind, with much spiritual pleasure and delight, and where they continue and abide; and which may denote their modesty and humility, their subjection to his ordinances, and readiness to receive his doctrines, and their perseverance in them, see Son 2:3; Mar 5:15; Luk 10:39; the word signifies, in the Arabic language, to sit down at a table, and so the word is used in the Arabic version of Mat 8:11; Luk 11:37; and the ancient manner being reclining, the guests might be said to sit at the feet of each, especially at the feet of the master; so Christ sits at his table, and his people with him at his feet (Son 1:12);

Receiving direction from you—Of the words of the law, as the Israelites, who heard them and promised obedience to them (Exo 24:7); and would hear and receive them again (Jos 8:34-35); and so Christ’s disciples, everyone of them that hath heard and learned of the Father, and comes to him, and believes in him, receives the words or doctrines given him by the Father (Joh 17:8); so as to understand them, approve of them, love them, believe them, and act according to them; these they receive into their hearts as well as into their heads, with all readiness, gladness, and meekness; even everyone of the persons before described or loved by the Lord, are in the hands of Christ and sitting at his feet.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

John Gill

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love—Not that their continuance in the heart’s love and affection of Christ depended upon their observation of his commands; for as the keeping of them is not the cause or reason of the saints having an interest in the love of Christ, so it is not the cause or reason of their abiding in it; but to such that observe the commandments of Christ he will continue to make further discoveries of his love, and let them see more clearly and largely what a value he has for them, and how much he loves them: or the sense is, that by keeping the commandments of Christ, his disciples and followers show that they love him, and continue in their affection to him:

Just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love—The commandments of the Father kept by Christ were not only the precepts of the moral law, and the rites of the ceremonial one, which he strictly observed; but the preaching of the gospel, and submitting to the ordinances of it, doing of miracles, and laying down his life for his people; in performing which, as his Father testified his approbation of them, and how strongly he was affected to him, what an abiding he had in his love; so Christ hereby showed his constant and continued love to his Father; and which was done by him, that the world, as well as his disciples, might know how much he loved him; see Joh 14:31.

8 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written of me:

9 I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.” PSA 40:8-9

John Gill

I delight to do your will, O my God—This he came down from heaven to do, and this he did do, by preaching the gospel, and working miracles; and above all by obtaining eternal redemption for his people, which he effected by fulfilling the law, becoming a sacrifice, and suffering and dying in their room; all which were the will of God, and grateful to him, and in doing which Christ took the utmost delight and pleasure (Luk 12:50; Joh 4:34);

Your law is within my heart—Either the whole moral law, under which he was, as man, and the surety of his people; and which was written upon his heart, and which he perfectly obeyed; or that particular law, injunction, and command laid upon him by his Father, to offer himself a sacrifice, and lay down his life for men; which he agreed to, had it in his mind, his heart was set upon it, and he cheerfully complied with it (Joh 10:18; 14:31).

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

You shall no more be termed Forsaken,

and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,

but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,

and your land Married;

for the Lord delights in you,

and your land shall be married. ISA 62:4

John Gill

You shall no more be termed Forsaken—That is, of the Lord her God, as she had seemed to be to others, and thought to be so by herself (Isa 49:14), not having so much of his gracious presence as is desirable; sensible communion with him being withheld; the word and ordinances not owned and blessed, or very little; and few souls converted; and the interest of Christ, labouring under many difficulties and discouragements, under the reproaches and persecutions of men, and so looked as if forsaken of God; but in the latter day all these complaints shall be removed; and the presence of God will be very manifest in his churches, and among his people; and they will appear to be his care and charge; see Isa 60:15:

And your land shall no more be termed Desolate—As the Gentile world was before the preaching of the gospel in it; and as the land of Israel now is, and the Jewish people are, having rejected the Messiah, and continuing in impenitence and unbelief; and as the church of Christ is, when the word and ordinances are neglected, or little success attends them; but now more shall be the children of the desolate than of the married wife; many souls shall be born again in Zion, and many sons and daughters brought there, and brought up there, and therefore shall not be called desolate (Isa 49:19-21; 54:1):

But you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married—The former of these was the name of Hezekiah’s mother (2Ki 21:1) and a fit name for the church of Christ, who is pleasant to him for delights (Son 7:7) and the latter well agrees with her being married to Christ. The meaning of these names is explained in the next clause; or the reason of their being given:

For the Lord delights in you, and your land is married—Christ delighted in his church from everlasting, as they were the objects of his own and his Father’s love; as chosen in him, and given to him as his spouse and bride (Pro 8:31), and he delights in them in time, as clothed with his righteousness, washed in his blood, and adorned with the graces of his Spirit; he delights in their company, to hear their voice, and see their countenance; they are the excellent in the earth, in whom is all his delight (Psa 16:2), and he will delight in them hereafter, in the spiritual reign, when he will glorify and beautify them, and make them an eternal excellency (Isa 60:7, 13, 15), and in the personal reign, when they shall be as a bride adorned for her husband, and his tabernacle shall be among them, and he will reign with them, and they with him; during which time he will be presenting them to himself, and delighting in them, as a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing (Eph 5:27; Rev 21:2-3), and in heaven to all eternity. The latter clause explains “married,” as the church secretly was to Christ from all eternity; in the latter day the wedding of her to him will be more open and manifest; then the marriage of the Lamb will be come, and it will more clearly appear that she is in such a state, by the numerous converts in her, or sons and daughters that will be born in her to Christ, both of Jews and Gentiles (Isa 66:8; Rev 19:7-8).

4 He shall judge between the nations,

and shall decide disputes for many peoples;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war anymore.

Rashi

Into plowshares—Koltres in O.F.

Pruning hooks—Sarpes in O.F. serpes in modern French, with which they prune the vineyards.

The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;

against them he will thunder in heaven.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;

he will give strength to his king

and exalt the horn of his anointed. 1SA 2:10

Rashi

Against them he will thunder in heaven—The spelling is עלו “they have ascended” meaning that even if they have ascended to the heavens, he thunders against and casts them down.

Will judge the ends of the earth—Will judge them; in O. F., jostizier.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the chariots with fire. PSA 46:10

John Gill

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth—As at the birth of Christ, the Prince of Peace, in the times of Augustus Caesar, when there was a general peace in the world, though it did not last long; and in the times of Constantine, signified by silence in heaven for half an hour (Rev 8:1); when for a while there was a cessation from wars and persecution; and as will be in the latter day, and which is here chiefly designed; when nations shall learn war no more, and Christ’s kingdom will take place; of which and its peace there shall be no end (Psa 72:7; Isa 2:4; 9:5-6). The consideration of which may serve to relieve distressed minds under terrible apprehensions of present troubles and public calamities;

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire—Or “carts” or “wagons,” in which, as Aben Ezra observes, arms and provision were carried for the use of soldiers; the Targum renders it “round shields”: and the destroying of all these military weapons and carriages is a token of peace, and of war’s being caused to cease, there being no more use for them; with this compare Eze 39:8-9. It was usual to burn the arms of enemies taken in war.

because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. ACT 17:31

John Gill

Because he has fixed a day—The day of judgment is fixed by God in his eternal purposes, and is sure and certain, and will come, though it is not known by men or angels; and this is a reason why God will have the doctrine of repentance everywhere published, both to Jews and Gentiles, since all must come to judgment: and the day for it is appointed by him,

On which he will judge the world in righteousness—The whole world will be judged, and every individual in it, good and bad, righteous and wicked; and this judgment will be a righteous one; it will proceed according to the strict rules of justice and equity, and upon the foot of the righteousness of Christ, as that has been received or rejected by men, or as men are clothed with, or are without that righteousness:

By a man whom he has appointed—Beza’s ancient copy reads, “the man Jesus”: not that the apostle means that Christ is a mere man; for then he would not be fit to be a judge of quick and dead, and to pass and execute the definitive sentence; which requires omniscience and omnipotence: but preaching to mere Gentiles, he chose not at once to assert the deity of Christ, though he tacitly suggests it: but intended, by degrees, to open the glories of his nature and office to them, he being the person God had from all eternity appointed, and in time had signified, should have all judgment committed to him, and by whom the last judgment shall be managed and transacted:

And of this he has given assurance to all—Or full proof, both of his being the judge, and of his fitness to be one, and also of the righteousness, according to which he will judge:

By raising him from the dead—Whereby he was declared to be the Son of God; and when all power in heaven and in earth was given to him; and which was done for the justification of all those for whose offences he was delivered: and this seems to be the reason why the apostle calls Christ the judge a man, that he might have the opportunity of mentioning his resurrection from the dead.

5 O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the Lord. ISA 2:4-5

Rashi

O house of Jacob . . .—The nations will say this to them, and this verse refers back to the verse commencing with, “And many peoples shall come . . .”

Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord—They will say this to them. Jonathan, however, renders: And those of the house of Jacob will say, “Come, let us walk in the teaching of the law of the Lord.”

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, PSA 89:16

Rashi

Who know the festal shout—Who know how to appease their Creator on Rosh Hashanah with the blasts, upon which they arrange the blessings of “malchuyoth” (manifestations of God’s dominion), “zichronoth” (remembrances), and “shofaroth.”

10 Who among you fears the Lord

and obeys the voice of his servant?

Let him who walks in darkness

and has no light

trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on his God.

John Gill

Who among you fears the Lord? Not with a slavish fear of the awful majesty of God, or of his tremendous judgments, or of wrath to come, but with a filial fear, a fear of the Lord, and his goodness, which is an internal principle in the heart, a reverential affection for God, a godly fear of him; is attended with faith in him, and joy of him; which makes holy, and keeps humble, and takes in the whole worship of God: of men of this character there are but few, and especially there were but few among the Jews at this time which the prophecy refers to; the greatest part were rejecters of Christ, before spoken of, and to; and from whom the Lord turns himself, and addresses these few. There are none that naturally fear the Lord, only such who have the grace bestowed on them; their number is but small, but there are always some in the worst of times, and these are taken notice of by the Lord (Mal 3:16-17, 20),

And obeys the voice of his servant—Not the prophet, as the Targum adds, and as it is commonly interpreted by the Jewish writers, and others; though some of them say this is “Metatron,” a name of the Messiah with them; and indeed he is meant, before spoken of as the Lord’s servant, and represented as an obedient one, and afterwards as righteous; see Isa 49:3; 50:5-6; 53:11 and by his “voice” is meant either his gospel, which is a soul quickening and comforting voice, a charming and alluring one; and which is obeyed, heard, and listened to, by his people, externally and internally, when they receive it by faith, and in the love of it; or else his commands, precepts, and ordinances, which love constrains his people to an obedience to; and where there is the fear of God, there will be hearing of his word, and submission to his ordinances:

Let him . . . trust in the name of the Lord—Not in himself, nor in any creature, but in the Lord himself; in the perfections of his nature, his mercy, grace, and goodness; in the name of the Lord, which is a strong tower, and in whom is salvation; in Christ, in whom the name of the Lord is, and whose name is the Lord our righteousness; and to trust in him, when in the dark, is a glorious act of faith; this is believing in hope against hope.

Who walks in darkness—Not the Lord’s servant, but the man that fears the Lord, and obeys his servant’s voice, such an one may be in darkness, and walk in it; or “in darknesses,” as in the original; not only in affliction and misery, often expressed by darkness in Scripture, but in desertion, under the hidings of God’s face; and which may continue for a while:

And has no light—Or “shining”: not without the light of nature, nor without the light of grace, but without the light of God’s countenance shining upon him; without the light of spiritual joy and comfort shining in his heart; and this must be a very distressing case indeed.

And rely on his God—Covenant interest continues in the darkest dispensation; God is the believer’s God still; and faith is a staying or leaning upon him, as such; a dependence upon his power to protect, on his wisdom to guide, and on his grace, goodness, and all sufficiency, to supply.

Rashi

The voice of his servant—The voice of the prophets.

Who walks in darkness—Even if trouble comes upon him, let him . . . trust in the name of the Lord, for he shall save him.

11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire,

who equip yourselves with burning torches!

Walk by the light of your fire,

and by the torches that you have kindled!

This you have from my hand:

you shall lie down in torment. ISA 50:10-11

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace. LUK 1:79

John Gill

To give light to those who sit in darkness—God’s elect among the Jews, who were not only in a state of unregeneracy, which is a state of darkness, ignorance, and unbelief; but in the darkness of the legal dispensation, and at this time under more than ordinary darkness and ignorance; having lost the knowledge of the righteousness of God, and of the spirituality of his law, the true sense of the Scriptures, and right notions of the Messiah; being led by blind guides, the scribes and Pharisees;

And—Were as it were also,

In the shadow of death—In a state seemingly irrecoverable, when Christ, the great light arose, and shone upon them; and communicated spiritual light, life, and heat to them; see Isa 9:3 compared with Mat 4:13-16 though Christ is also a light, to lighten his chosen ones among the Gentiles (Luk 2:32), but the Jews seem chiefly to be intended here:

To guide our feet into the way of peace—Which we knew not: not that he came to teach us how to make our peace with God, but to make peace for us, by the blood of his cross; and so by his Spirit and word, lead us into the true way of enjoying spiritual peace here, and eternal peace hereafter.

When we believe in God and submit ourselves to his Lordship, we can have peace. Here we see God as the ultimate Judge. In the latter days, Isaiah says, the nations will no longer be at war, and weapons meant to hurt others will be forged into tools for harvest and peacetime. In God, we can be at peace with him and with one another, even here on earth. God invites us to live this sort of life with him: to journey with him, to learn his ways, and to have peace in him. How did you feel when you accepted the invitation of God to live this life in him?

. . . “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ISA 2:3

The rest of the passage shows what will take place in the house of God: that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. God desires for his people to learn his ways. When we put our faith in him, we will learn his ways, and if we walk in his paths by obeying him and listening for his correction, we will become more and more like him. As a result of knowing God more and more, what are some things in your life that have changed?

The Lord sends forth from Zion

your mighty scepter.

Rule in the midst of your enemies! PSA 110:2

John Gill

The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter—His royal and powerful scepter, called the scepter of righteousness (Psa 45:7), and is no other than the gospel, the power of God to salvation; and which is mighty through him, for the reducing souls to the obedience of Christ; when it comes with power, and works effectually. This was first preached in Zion, or Jerusalem, and went out from thence into all parts of the world; the first ministers of it had their commission there, and were sent from thence to publish it all over the world; see Isa 2:3; Luk 24:47; Act 1:4; 8:4, by means of which the kingdom of Christ was set up and spread in the world; with this scepter in his hand, he went forth with his ministers, conquering and to conquer (Rev 6:2). The Jews own this scepter to be a scepter in the hand of the Messiah, which they seem to understand literally; and have a fabulous notion of its being the same that Jacob, Judah, Moses, Aaron, David, and so every king of Judah, had, down to the destruction of the temple: the Targum in the king’s Bible is,

“the Word of the Lord shall send”

the essential Word.

Rule in the midst of your enemies—Or, “you shall rule,” as the Targum and Arabic version; in the hearts of those who, in their unregenerate state, are enemies: but the arrows of his word being sharp in them, they are brought to submit to him; the everlasting doors are caused to open; he enters in, takes possession of their hearts, and rules there. Or this may be understood of his church in the world, which is his kingdom, and lies surrounded with enemies on all hands; but, in spite of them, and all their opposition, he will support his kingdom and interest.

Rashi

The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter—When you return from the war and your men are weary and in pursuit, the Lord will send you Melchizedek king of Salem, to bring out bread and wine (Gen 14:14).

Scepter—This is an expression of support, as (above 105:16): “all supply of bread.”

Rule in the war.

In the midst of your enemies safely.

4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

To him who lacks sense she says,

Rashi

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here” and learn it and become wise.

Sanhedrin 38a:17

The verse states in that passage: “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she tells him” (Pro 9:4). The Gemara explains: The Holy One, blessed be he, said: Who lured this man to sin? The woman told him to sin. An allusion to the interpretation that one who is lured to sin by a woman is called one “that lacks sense” is as it is written: “He who commits adultery lacks sense” (Pro 6:32).

5 “Come, eat of my bread

and drink of the wine I have mixed.

John Gill

Come, eat of my bread—Which stands for all the provisions of Christ’s house; it designs the gospel, which to a believer is more than his necessary food; and the ordinance of the supper, one of the symbols of which is bread; and more especially Christ himself, the bread of God, the living bread that came down from heaven, which is to be eaten by faith; and this only, for everything else is that which is not bread; and this daily, as the Israelites ate their manna; this is the believer’s daily bread; and largely and freely, to which they are welcome by Christ; and with gladness and singleness of heart, joyfully and with sincerity;

And drink of the wine I have mixed—Of the love of Christ; or of the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit, which meet and mingle together: to “drink” of this is to partake of it by faith, and be persuaded of interest in it; this may be drank largely of, for there is enough, a river of it; and without danger, it is not intoxicating as wine, wherein is excess; and it may be had freely, without money and without price (Son 1:2, 4; 5:1; Isa 55:1).

6 Leave your simple ways, and live,

and walk in the way of insight.” PRO 9:4-6

Rashi

Leave your simple ways—The way of simplicity and live.

And walk—Heb. מסכתי, an expression of stepping, as in (Job 23:11): “To his steps (באשרו) my foot was held fast.”

For there shall be a day when watchmen will call

in the hill country of Ephraim:

“Arise, and let us go up to Zion,

to the Lord our God.” JER 31:5

Rashi

Watchmen will call—The lookouts at the tops of the lofty towers to announce with a voice heard a distance away. Another explanation: נֹצְרִים is like “He keeps (נֹצֵר) lovingkindness” (Exo 34:7), an expression of keeping. That is to say: There is a day when they will call those who kept the law and say, “Arise . . .” And so did Jonathan render: There are many days and much goodness that is destined to come to the righteous who kept my law from days of old.

4 In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the Lord their God.

John Gill

In those days and at that time, declares the Lord—When Babylon shall be taken and destroyed, then what follows shall be accomplished; which, as it respects the conversion of the Jews, shows that this prophecy is not to be restrained to literal Babylon:

The people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together—Upon the taking of Babylon, in a literal sense, by Cyrus, the children of Israel, or the ten tribes, carried away by the Assyrians, did not return; only the children of Judah, or the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites, and a few of the other tribes, that might be mixed among them: but when mystical Babylon is fallen, then the whole body of the Jews will be converted, and return to their own land, Israel and Judah; which is foretold in other prophecies, as here, which speak of their general conversion; see Jer 30:3, 9; Eze 37:16-25; Hos 2:2;

Weeping—Which is another circumstance, which shows that this does not respect the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; for that was attended with joy, and not with tears; see Psa 126:1-2; unless it is to be understood of weeping for joy, and of tears of joy, as Kimchi interprets it; but it is better to understand it of that godly sorrow and mourning for sin, which will appear in the Jews at the time of their conversion; particularly for their fathers’ ill treatment of the Messiah, their unbelief and rejection of him, and their continued obstinacy and perverseness, and other sins; see Jer 31:8; Zec 12:10;

As they come, and they shall seem the Lord their God—Even David their king, the true Messiah, who is Lord and God; to him they shall seek for peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life; and acknowledge him to be the Messiah, their Lord, and their God; embrace his gospel, and submit to his ordinances; see Jer 30:9; Hos 3:5. The Targum is,

“when they were carried captive, they went weeping; but when they return from the land of their captivity, they shall seek the worship of the Lord their God.”

5 They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, “Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.” JER 50:4-5

Rashi

Turned toward it—Toward this place, Jerusalem, they shall direct their faces when Babylon will be destroyed and they will leave it with the sanction of Cyrus, king of Persia.

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. MAT 7:24

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” LUK 11:28

John Gill

But he said—Christ said “to the woman,” Persic version reads, as correcting her, though not denying it, nor reproving her for it, but improving upon it:

Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it—Intimating, that though his mother was happy in bearing and suckling such a son, yet it was a far greater happiness to hear the word of God; meaning either himself, the eternal “Logos,” so as to embrace him, believe on him, and have him formed in the heart; or the gospel preached by him, so as to understand it, receive it as the ingrafted word, and bring forth fruit, and act in obedience to it, observe it, and abide by it, and never relinquish it. This is a greater happiness than to be related to Christ in the flesh, though ever so nearly. The Ethiopic version reads, “who hear the word of God and believe and keep it”: for faith comes by hearing, and shows itself in doing. Barely to hear the word, and even give an assent to it, will be of little avail, unless what is heard and believed is put in practice.

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. JOH 7:17

John Gill

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will—Meaning, not one that perfectly fulfils the law, which is the good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God; for there is no man that does this, or can do it; nor is it so said here, “if anyone do God’s will,” but “if anyone’s will is to do” it; that is, is desirous of doing it; who has it wrought in him both to will and do, of the good pleasure of God, by his grace and Spirit; with whom to will is present, though, he has not power to perform, and so is a spiritual man; and who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, which is one branch of the will of God; and who depends upon the Spirit and grace of God, and acts from a principle of love to God, and in the exercise of faith on Christ:

He will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority—Not a man of mere natural knowledge and learning, or a man of theory and speculation, is a judge of doctrine; but he that leans not to his own understanding, and implores the assistance of the Divine Spirit, and who is for reducing doctrine into practice: he knows by the efficacy of the doctrine upon his heart, and the influence it has on his life and conversation; by its coming not in word only, but in power; and by its working effectually in him, whether it is divine or human, of God or of man.

So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord. ACT 10:33

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there. ISA 35:8-9

John Gill

No lion shall be there—That is, in the way before described; no wicked persons, comparable to lions for their savage and cruel dispositions towards the people of God; for those who have been as such, as Saul before conversion, yet when brought into this way become as tame as lambs. The Targum interprets it of tyrannical kings and princes,

“there shall not be there a king doing evil, nor an oppressive governor”;

And Jarchi applies it to Nebuchadnezzar, as in Jer 4:7 and the sense may be, that when this way shall be more known on earth, in the latter day, there will be no persecutor of the church and people of God: or else Satan, the roaring lion, is here meant, who has no part nor lot in this way of salvation; and all that are in it are out of his reach; and though he may disturb in the paths of duty and ordinances, yet he can never destroy those who are in Christ the way:

Nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it—Upon the high way; the same may be intended as before:

They shall not be found there—Walking, ravaging, and destroying:

But the redeemed shall walk there—Without fear, as Kimchi adds, since no lion, or any beast of prey, shall be found upon it: the “redeemed” are the redeemed of the Lord, and by him, and are peculiarly his, being bought with his precious blood, redeemed from among men, and unto God, and from sin, the law, its curse, and condemnation; these “shall walk” in the way of life and salvation by Christ, in consequence of their being redeemed; which supposes life, strength, and wisdom, which are given them, and a proficiency or going forward: they “shall” walk here; though they have been blind, their eyes shall be opened to see this way; and, though weak, they shall have strength to walk in it; and, though foolish, they shall have wisdom to guide their feet with discretion; and, though they may stumble and fall, they shall rise again, and shall keep on walking to the end.

7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

John Gill

If you had known me—Christ having made mention of his Father’s house, and of himself, as the way there, and the way of access to the Father, was willing to inform his disciples better concerning him before his departure from them, which he introduces, saying: “if you had known me”; that is, more fully and perfectly; for that they knew Christ to be the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, and true Messiah, is certain, though they were not so thoroughly acquainted, as afterwards, with his person, power, and office:

You would have known my Father also—For the knowledge of the Father, and of Christ, go together; he that sees the one, sees the other; he that believes in the one, believes in the other; and the knowledge of both is necessary to eternal life; and as a person increases in the knowledge of the one, so of the other. The disciples had some knowledge of them both, but what was very small and obscure, in comparison of what they afterwards had:

From now on you do know him and have seen him—Some read these words, “henceforwards you shall know him, and see him”; that is, in a very short time, when the Spirit is poured down from on high upon you, and you have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you shall then have an enlarged knowledge both of me and my Father. Others render them, as an exhortation, “henceforward know him”; acknowledge the Father in all that I have done, believing that you see the Father in me, and in all my works; though they are rather to be considered as an assertion, declaring, that they then had some knowledge of the Father; “and now you do know him and,” or “because you have seen him”; in me, who am “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

John Gill

The Lord descended in the cloud—The same with the cloudy pillar, which was now gone up from the door of the tabernacle, and was on high in the air over the mount, and on which the Lord now descended in it, as he had before (Exo 19:9, 16, 18):

And stood with him there—Not Moses stood with the Lord, as the Vulgate Latin version; but the Lord, or the cloud in which the Lord was, stood near to Moses:

And proclaimed the name of the Lord—Jehovah declared with a loud voice out of the cloud, that the Lord was there; the Targum of Jonathan is,

“and Moses called on or in the name of the Word of the Lord;”

and so the Vulgate Latin version refers it to Moses, and renders the words, “calling on the name of the Lord”; but the following verse clearly shows that it must be understood of the Lord, and not of Moses.

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Rashi

The Lord, the Lord—This is the attribute of divine mercy. It is repeated, once for before the person sins, and once for after he sins and repents (Rosh Hashanah 17b).

God—This is also an attribute of divine mercy, and so he the Psalmist says: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psa 22:2). One cannot say to the attribute of stern justice, “Why have you forsaken me?” I found this in Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 15:2:2.

Slow to anger—He defers his anger and does not hasten to punish—it may be that the sinner will repent.

And abounding in steadfast love—To those who need steadfast love because they lack sufficient merits.

And faithfulness—Faithfully rewarding those who perform his will.

7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” EXO 34:5-7

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John Gill

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long”—Conversing familiarly with you, instructing you by my ministry, and performing so many miraculous works among you, for so long a time; see (Heb 5:11-12);

And you still do not know me, Philip? Surely you cannot be so ignorant as this comes to; as you have seen me with your bodily eyes, as a man, you must, know that I am God by the doctrines I have taught you, and the miracles I have wrought among you: and

Whoever has seen me—Not with the eyes of his body, but with the eyes of his understanding; he that has beheld the perfections of the Godhead in me:

Has seen the Father—The perfections which are in him also; for the same that are in me are in him, and the same that are in him are in me: I am the very image of him, and am possessed of the same nature, attributes, and glory, that he is; so that he that sees the one, sees the other:

How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Such a request is a needless one, and betrays great weakness and ignorance.

10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

John Gill

Do you not believe that I am in the Father? This surely is, as it must needs be, and ought to be, an article of your faith, “that I am in the Father,”

And the Father is in me—Phrases which are expressive of the sameness of nature in the Father and the Son; of the Son’s perfect equality with the Father, since the Son is as much in the Father, as the Father is in the Son; and also of the personal distinction there is between them; for nothing with propriety can be said to be in itself. The Father must be distinct from the Son who is in him, and the Son must be distinct from the Father, in whom he is; the Father and Son, though of one and the same nature, cannot be one, and the same person:

The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority—The doctrines which I preach among you are a proof of what I assert, and to them I appeal; for these are not of myself, as man,

But the Father who dwells in me—And so prove that I am truly God, of the same nature with my Father; that he is in me, and I in him; since they are such as none but the only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, could ever have declared and made known to you; Likewise, the works which I do, as man, I do not of myself; but

Does his works—For so this passage must be understood and supplied, in which Christ proceeds to another argument, taken from his works, proving the Father to be in him, and that he is in the Father, which, is enlarged on in Joh 14:11.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John Gill

Whatever you ask in my name—Whether it be for assistance in preaching of the gospel; or for the performance of miraculous operations in confirmation of it; or for success to attend it; or for any blessings whatever, whether for themselves or others:

This I will do—He does not say, that he would be a mediator between God, and them, an advocate with the Father for them, and would intercede, and use his interest with him that it might be done, which would have been saying much, and all which he does; but he declares he will do it himself, which is a proof of his deity, and an instance of his omnipotence:

That the Father may be glorified in the Son—This may be referred either to the petition, which must be made with this view, that the Father may be glorified by, or in the Son, in whose name it is put up, and for whose sake it is made; or to Christ’s promise to do it; who in doing it, seeks not his own glory, at least not singly; but as the good of his people, so the glory of his heavenly Father.

14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

John Gill

If you ask me anything in my name—These words are much, the same with the former, and have been thought, by some, to have crept into the text from the margin; though they seem rather to be repeated by Christ, the more to strengthen and confirm the faith of his disciples in this matter; that whatever they asked

In my name—Either calling upon it, he being equally the object of prayer with the Father, or making mention of it, pleading the merits of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; whatever was according to the will of God, was for his glory, and their real good, he would do it for them, as well when absent from them, as present with them.

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

John Gill

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love—Not that their continuance in the heart’s love and affection of Christ depended upon their observation of his commands; for as the keeping of them is not the cause or reason of the saints having an interest in the love of Christ, so it is not the cause or reason of their abiding in it; but to such that observe the commandments of Christ he will continue to make further discoveries of his love, and let them see more clearly and largely what a value he has for them, and how much he loves them: or the sense is, that by keeping the commandments of Christ, his disciples and followers show that they love him, and continue in their affection to him:

Just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love—The commandments of the Father kept by Christ were not only the precepts of the moral law, and the rites of the ceremonial one, which he strictly observed; but the preaching of the gospel, and submitting to the ordinances of it, doing of miracles, and laying down his life for his people; in performing which, as his Father testified his approbation of them, and how strongly he was affected to him, what an abiding he had in his love; so Christ hereby showed his constant and continued love to his Father; and which was done by him, that the world, as well as his disciples, might know how much he loved him; see Joh 14:31.

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John Gill

This is my commandment, that you love one another—Christ had been before speaking of his commandments; and he mentions this as the principal one, and to which all the rest may be reduced; for as the precepts of the second table of the moral law may be briefly comprehended in this one duty, love to our neighbour, so all the duties of Christianity, relative to one another, are reducible to this, by love to serve each other. This was the commandment which lay uppermost on Christ’s heart, and which he knew, if attended to, the rest could not fail of being observed. The argument by which, and the manner in which, he presses it, is as before:

As I have loved you—Than which nothing can be more strong and forcible; see Joh 13:34.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

John Gill

You are my friends—This is an application of the foregoing passage, and more, clearly explains it. The character of “friends,” is applied to the disciples of Christ; and belongs, not only to his apostles, but to all that love him, believe in him, and obey him; to whom he has showed himself friendly, by laying down his life for them: for this clearly shows, that Christ had respect in the former words, to his own laying down his life for his people, in consequence of his great love to them; whereby he has made them friends, and who appear to be so by their cheerful obedience to him:

If you do what I command you—Not that their doing of the commandments of Christ interested them in his favour; or made them his friends; or was the reason and motive of his laying down his life for them, and showing himself in such a friendly manner to them: but the sense is, that by observing his commands from a principle of love, they would make it appear that they were his friends, being influenced by his grace, and constrained by a sense of his love in dying for them, to act such a part.

But you, Israel, my servant,

Jacob, whom I have chosen,

the offspring of Abraham, my friend; ISA 41:8

Sotah 31a:7

The Gemara asks: And with regard to Abraham himself, from where do we derive that he acted out of a sense of love? As it is written: “The offspring of Abraham who loved me” (Isa 41:8).

Tractate Gerim 4:3

Beloved are proselytes by God, for Scripture everywhere uses the same epithets of them as of Israel; as it is stated, But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen (Isa 41:8). Jacob is here interpreted as ibid. 44:5, Another will call on the name of Jacob—these are the proselytes of righteousness (cf. towards the end of this tractate). The order of the quotations in V is confused. The term “love” is applied to Israel, as it is stated, “I have loved you,” says the Lord (Mal 1:2), and the term “love” is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, And loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing (Deu 10:18). Israel are called “servants,” as it is stated, For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants (Lev 25:55) and proselytes are called “servants,” as it is stated, To be his servants (Isa 56:6). The term “accepted” is used of Israel, as it is stated, It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord (Exo 28:38), and the term “accepted” is used of proselytes, as it is stated, Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar (Isa 56:7). The term “keeping” is applied to Israel, as it is stated, The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand (Psa 121:5), and the term “keeping” is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, The Lord watches over the sojourners (ibid. 146:9). The term “ministering” is applied to Israel, as it is stated, But you shall be called the priests of the Lord;

they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God (Isa 61:6), and the term “ministering” is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him (ibid. 56:6).

Beloved are proselytes seeing that our father Abraham did not circumcise himself when he was twenty or thirty years of age, but when he was ninety-nine years old (cf. Gen 17:24); since if he had circumcised himself when he was twenty or thirty years old, no Gentile would have become a proselyte when he had passed the age of twenty or thirty. The Holy One, blessed be he, kept putting it off until he had reached ninety-nine years, so as not to close the door in the face of proselytes, and to allow more days and years so as to increase the reward of those who do His will, as it is stated, The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious (Isa 42:21). Our father Abraham called himself a ger, as it is stated, I am a stranger [ger] and a sojourner with you (Gen 22:4). Similarly David, king of Israel, called himself a ger, as it is stated, For I am a sojourner [ger] with you (Psa 39:13), and likewise it states, For we are strangers before you (1Ch 29:15).

Beloved is the land of Israel because it makes proselytes fit to be received. If a man says in the land of Israel, “I am a proselyte,” he is accepted at once, but outside the land of Israel he is not accepted unless his witnesses are with him. Beloved is the land of Israel because it atones for iniquities and transgressions, as it is stated, And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity (Isa 33:24).

And so you find in the four classes that stand before the Holy One, blessed be he, as it is stated, One will say, “I am the Lord’s,” another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, “The Lord’s,” and name himself by the name of Israel (ibid. 44:5). One will say, “I am the Lord’s,”—this alludes to one who belongs wholly to the Omnipresent and has no admixture of sin. Another will call on the name of Jacob—this alludes to the proselytes of righteousness. Another will write on his hand, “The Lord’s”—this alludes to those who repent. And name himself by the name of Israel—this alludes to those who fear heaven.

15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

John Gill

No longer do I call you servants—As they and the rest of the people of God had been, under the legal dispensation; for though they were children, yet differed nothing from servants; and were very much influenced and impressed with a servile spirit, a spirit of bondage to fear, being kept under tutors and governors by a severe discipline; but now Christ being come in the flesh, and being about to lay down his life, and make reconciliation for them, henceforward he would not use, treat, or account them as servants:

For the servant does not know what his master is doing—Designs to do, or is about to do; he is not made privy to all his counsels and purposes; these are only opened to him as necessity requires; which was pretty much the case of the Old Testament church, who, comparatively speaking, were used as servants; and had not the knowledge of the mysteries of grace, and of the counsels of God, as they are now laid open under the gospel dispensation:

But I have called you friends—That is, accounted, reckoned of them, used them as his friends and familiar acquaintance; whom he told all his mind to, and would go on to treat them as such; by leading them more and more, as they were able to bear it, into the designs of his grace, and the doctrines of his gospel: just as Abraham was called the friend of God, and proved to be so, by his not concealing from him the thing he was about to do:

For all I have heard from my Father I have made known to you—Not all that he knew as the omniscient God, for there was no necessity that all such things should be made known to them; but all things which he had delivered to him as man and mediator, by his Father, respecting the salvation of men; all things which he himself was to do and suffer, in order to obtain eternal redemption; and the whole of the gospel, as to the essential and substantial parts of it, they were to preach; for otherwise, there were some things which as yet they were not able to bear, and were reserved to another time, to be made known to them by his Spirit.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

John Gill

These things I command you—The doctrines which Christ said, as one having authority, concerning the vine and branches; his love to his disciples, in laying down his life for them, and in accounting and using them as friends, and not servants; in choosing, ordaining, and sending them forth, for the ends above mentioned; these were delivered by him with this view, to promote brotherly love among them:

That you will love one another—This lay much upon his heart, he often mentions it; this is the third time it is expressed by him, in these his last discourses; and indeed, since he had declared such strong love and affection for them, it was but right and proper they should love one another; nor does anything more tend to increase mutual love among the saints, than the consideration of their common interest in the unchangeable love of their Lord.

3 . . . “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord . . .” ISA 2:3

Walking in the light of the Lord means journeying with him toward the house of God on the mountain of the Lord, the highest of the mountains. Isaiah’s prophecy shows how people of all nations will flow to his house with joy and eagerness, calling others to join them. Today, the house of God refers to his people, the Church. Because God had ordained that this would happen, it is his desire that we, along with believers from every nation, journey toward his house. What got you started on your journey with the Lord?

8 Good and upright is the Lord;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

John Gill

Good and upright is the Lord—He is essentially, originally, and independently good of himself in his own nature, and he is providentially good to all his creatures; and he is in a way of special grace and mercy good to his own people: and he is “upright,” just in himself, righteous in all his ways and works, and faithful in all his promises; and the consideration of these excellent perfections of his encouraged the psalmist to entertain an holy confidence, that his petitions, respecting instruction and guidance in the ways of the Lord (Psa 25:4-5); would be heard and answered, notwithstanding his sins and transgressions;

Therefore he instructs sinners in the way—Such who are in sinful ways, he will teach them by his word and Spirit the evil of their ways, and bring them out of them, and to repentance for them; and he will teach them his own ways, both the ways and methods of his grace, in saving sinners by Christ, and the paths of faith and duty in which he would have them walk; see Psa 51:13.

Makkot 10b:2

Apropos that halakha, the Gemara cites that Rav Ḥama bar Ḥanina introduced this portion with regard to the halakhot of exile with an introduction from here: “Good and upright is God; therefore he directs sinners along the way” (Psa 25:8). He said: If he directs sinners by commanding the placing of signs directing them to the city of refuge, it may be inferred a fortiori that He will assist and direct the righteous along the path of righteousness.

Rashi

Good and upright is the Lord and wishes to exonerate his creatures.

Therefore he instructs sinners in the way of repentance. Another explanation: He leads sinners, meaning murderers who flee to the cities of refuge, as it is said in Deu 19:3: “You shall measure the distances, etc.” “Refuge, refuge,” was written at the crossroads, etc., as is stated in Makkot 10b:2.

9 He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way. PSA 25:8-9

John Gill

He leads the humble in what is right—Or “the miserable” and afflicted; such as see themselves to be wretched and miserable, lost and undone; and cry out, What shall we do to be saved? and who are humble and lowly, are humbled under a sense of their sins, are poor in spirit, and of broken and contrite hearts; these the Lord will guide by his Spirit into the truth, as it is in Jesus; even the great truth of salvation by him; and in the way of his judgments, statutes, and ordinances; and will give them a true judgment and a right discerning of things that differ; and he will lead them on in judgment, or gently; see Jer 10:24; into every truth of the gospel by degrees, and as they are able to bear them;

And teaches the humble his way—Of justifying sinners by the righteousness of his Son; for such who are humble and confess their sins and unworthiness, and throw themselves on the mercy of God in Christ, are declaratively justified by the Lord, when the proud boasting Pharisee is an abomination to him.

4 Give attention to me, my people,

and give ear to me, my nation;

for a law will go out from me,

and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.

5 My righteousness draws near,

my salvation has gone out,

and my arms will judge the peoples;

the coastlands hope for me,

and for my arm they wait. ISA 51:4-5

John Gill

My righteousness draws near—These are either the words of God the Father, and to be understood not of his essential righteousness, nor of his vindictive justice; but of the righteousness of his Son, which he calls his own, because he approves and accepts of it, imputes and reckons it to his people, and with it justifies them. The words may be rendered, “my righteous One,” as in the Vulgate Latin version; not Cyrus, as Grotius; but Christ, God’s righteous servant, who was near to come in the flesh, in order to work righteousness. Or these are the words of Christ, speaking of his own righteousness, which was near being wrought out by him, as it was when he became the end of the law for it, by obeying its precept, and bearing its penalty; and near being revealed in the gospel, where it is revealed from faith to faith; and near being applied by the blessed Spirit, as it is to all that believe; and is near to be come at, and laid hold on, by faith:

My salvation has gone out—The “salvation” appointed by the Lord; provided in covenant; wrought out by Christ; applied by the Spirit; and fully enjoyed in heaven: this has “gone out” in the purpose and decree of God, in prophecy and promise, and in the declaration of the gospel: or, “my Saviour,” as the Vulgate Latin version; the Saviour of God’s appointing, providing, and sending. Or these are the words of the Saviour himself, who has wrought it out, in whom it is, and of whom it is to be had; it is done, and ready for sinners to look unto and embrace; it is ready to be revealed, and to be fully enjoyed:

And my arms will judge the peoples—To whom the arm of the Lord is revealed, and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation; both the arms of Christ are ready to receive them, and these protect and defend them, and judge, condemn, and destroy those that despise it:

The coastlands hope for me—For Christ, for his coming; for his salvation and righteousness; for his gospel, the truths, promises, and blessings of it; and in his house and ordinances, for his presence. This is a prophecy of the conversion of the Gentiles, even in the coastlands of the sea, those afar off, as ours of Great Britain and Ireland, in which there have been and are many waiting for him:

And for my arm they wait—As on Christ, the arm of the Lord, for salvation; so on the power of Christ for protection and preservation; and on his promises in the gospel, for their support; which is the arm of the Lord revealed unto them, and yields much support and comfort, and makes known that which is a proper object of trust.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. ACT 1:8

John Gill

But you will receive power—From on high, with which they were to be endured (Luk 24:49) meaning the power of the Holy Spirit, strength from him to preach the gospel, and work miracles in confirmation of it, and courage and greatness of mind, amidst all reproaches and persecutions, to face and oppose their enemies, profess the name of Christ, abide by his truths and ordinances, make their way through all opposition and difficulties, and spread the gospel all over the world; for intend of enjoying worldly ease, honour, wealth, and riches, they were looking for, our Lord gives them to understand that they must expect labour, service, afflictions, and trials, which would require power and strength, and which they should have:

When the Holy Spirit has come upon you—From above, from heaven, as he did, and sat upon them in the form of cloven tongues, and of fire; upon which they were filled with knowledge and zeal, with strength and courage, and with all gifts and abilities necessary for their work:

And you will be my witnesses—Of the person of Christ, of his deity and sonship, of his incarnation, his ministry, and his miracles, of his suffering and death, of his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension to heaven. This was to be their work, and what belong to them, and not to enquire about a temporal kingdom, and the setting up of that, and the times and seasons of it; their business was to testify of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that followed, and to preach a crucified Jesus, as the only Saviour of lost sinners: and this

In Jerusalem—The “metropolis” of the nation, and there, in the first place, where such dwelt who had been concerned in the crucifixion of Christ, many of whom were to be called by grace, and converted through their ministry:

And in all Judea—That part of the land of Israel which was distinct from Samaria and Galilee, and from beyond Jordan; where churches were to be planted, as afterwards they were; see (Act 9:31).

And Samaria—Where Christ had before forbid his disciples to go; but now their commission is enlarged, and they are sent there; and here Philip went upon the persecution raised against the church at Jerusalem, and preached Christ with great success, to the conversion of many; and here Peter and John went to lay their hands on them, and confirm them; see Act 8:5, 14

And to the end of the earth—Throughout the whole world, whither the sound of the apostles, and their words went (Rom 10:18).

46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

John Gill

And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly—They were not at all daunted at the opposition they met with, but rather grew more courageous, and used great liberty of speech, and spoke out freely, plainly, and openly: and said,

It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you—As it was by Christ and his apostles, whilst he was on earth; and though, after his resurrection, the commission to his apostles ran, to preach the gospel to all nations, yet they were ordered to begin at Jerusalem, and preach to the Jews first; and this they hitherto strictly observed:

Since you thrust it aside—With loathing, indignation, and contempt:

And judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life—No man is worthy of everlasting life, on account of anything done by him, for it is the free gift of God; and all who are sensible of themselves, and of the just demerit of sin, conclude themselves unworthy to inherit eternal life; but this was not the case of these Jews, nor is it the sense here: but the meaning is, that the Jews, by this act of theirs in rejecting the gospel, did as it were pass sentence upon themselves, and determine against themselves that they ought not to be saved, since they despised the means of salvation; or that they were not worthy to have the gospel preached to them any more, which may be called eternal life, because it is brought to light by it, and revealed in it; and because it points out the way unto it, as well as gives some account of it:

Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles—To preach the gospel to them only, or chiefly; now the words of Christ began to be fulfilled (Mat 21:43).

47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

“ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,

that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. ACT 13:46-48