John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 12:1

"And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me." — Isaiah 12:1 (ASV)

And you shall say in that day. Isaiah now exhorts all the godly to thanksgiving. Yet the exhortation also has this purpose: that the promise may be more fully believed. For He seals it with that exhortation, so that they may be convinced that it is certain and may not think they are deluded by unfounded hope, when a form of thanksgiving is now given and, as it were, put into their mouth. This would not have been the case if there had not been just and solid grounds.

At the same time, he points out the purpose the Lord has in view in doing good to His Church. This purpose is that the remembrance of His name may be extolled—not that He needs our praise, but it is profitable for us. We should also consider the honor He bestows upon us when He condescends to use our services for extolling and spreading the glory of His name, though we are altogether useless and of no value.

You shall say. He addresses the whole people as if he were addressing one man, because it was their duty to be so united as to be one. We are also taught by this same example that we ought to be united together, so that there may be one soul and one mouth (Romans 15:6), if we desire our prayers and thanksgivings to be accepted by God.

Though you were angry with me. The leading thought of this song is that God, though He was justly offended at His people, yet was satisfied with inflicting a moderate chastisement and showed that He was willing to be pacified. The particle כי (ki), being sometimes expressive of a cause, some render it, I will praise you, O Lord, because, having been angry with me, still you are immediately reconciled; but as it sometimes signifies though, I have adopted the rendering which I considered to agree best with this passage.

Believers, therefore, first acknowledge their guilt and next ascribe their freedom from their distresses to the mercy of God. The words being in the future tense, the following interpretation might also be adopted: “The temporal chastisement will not prevent You from at length having compassion on me and from giving me ground for joy and comfort.”

Whichever of these views is taken, this sentiment ought to be carefully observed. For as soon as a conviction of God’s anger seizes our minds, it prompts us to despair, and if it is not promptly counteracted, it will speedily overwhelm us. Satan also tempts us by all methods and employs every expedient to compel us to despair. We should, therefore, be fortified by this doctrine: that though we feel the anger of the Lord, we may know that it is of short duration (Psalms 30:5), and that we shall be comforted as soon as He has chastened us.

When we have been relieved from distresses, let us remember that our punishment has ended, not because we have paid to the justice of God what we deserved, but because through His fatherly love He spares our weakness. This confession belongs properly to the godly and elect, for though the chastisements of the godly and ungodly appear to be the same, yet the reasons for them are exceedingly different.

The wrath of the Lord against the ungodly is perpetual, and the chastisements inflicted on them are forerunners of everlasting destruction; no alleviation or consolation is promised to them. But the godly feel that the wrath of God is of short duration and encourage their hearts with hope and confidence, for they know that God will be gracious to them, since He has declared that He punishes their sins for no other reason than to train them to repentance, that they may not perish along with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32).