John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 26:2

"Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth faith may enter in." — Isaiah 26:2 (ASV)

Open ye the gates. This "song" was undoubtedly despised by many when it was published by Isaiah. During his life, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were wicked and ungodly, and the number of good men was exceedingly small. But after his death, when they had been punished for their wickedness, it was, to some extent, perceived that this prediction had not been uttered in vain.

As long as wicked men enjoy prosperity, they have no fear and do not imagine that they can be brought low. Thus, the Jews thought that they would never be driven out of Judea and carried into captivity, and hoped that they would continue to live there. It was therefore necessary to take away from them every pretense for being haughty and insolent; and such is the meaning of the Prophet’s words:

And a righteous nation, which keepeth the truth, shall enter in. “The inhabitants of the restored city shall be unlike the former, for they will maintain righteousness and truth.” But at that time, this promise also might appear to have failed to be fulfilled. When they had been driven out of the country and led into captivity, no consolation remained.

Accordingly, when the Temple had been destroyed, the city sacked, and all order and government overthrown and destroyed, they might have objected, “Where are those ‘gates’ which he bids us ‘open?’ Where are the people who shall ‘enter?’” Yet we see that these things were fulfilled, and that nothing was ever foretold which the Lord did not accomplish. Therefore, we ought to keep in mind those ancient histories, so that we may be fortified by their example and, amid the deepest adversity to which the Church is reduced, may hope that the Lord will yet raise her up again.

When the Prophet calls the nation “righteous and truthful,” he not only, as I mentioned a little before, describes the persons to whom this promise relates, but shows the fruit of the chastisement. When its pollution has been washed away, the holiness and righteousness of the Church will shine more brightly.

At that time, wicked men were the majority; good men were very few and were overpowered by the multitude of those who were of an opposing character. It was therefore necessary that this multitude, which had no fear of God and no religion, should be removed, so that God might gather his remnant. Thus, a compensation for the destruction was that Jerusalem, which had been polluted by the wickedness of her citizens, was again truly devoted to God; for it would not have been enough to regain prosperity if newness of life had not shone forth in holiness and righteousness.

Now, as the Prophet foretells the grace of God, he also exhorts the redeemed people to maintain uprightness of life. In short, he threatens that these promises will be of no use to hypocrites and that the gates of the city will not be opened for them, but only for the righteous and holy.

It is certain that the Church was always like a barn (Matthew 3:12), in which the chaff is mixed with the wheat, or rather, the wheat is overpowered by the chaff. But when the Jews had been brought back into their country, the Church was unquestionably purer than before.

Those who returned must have been animated by a good disposition to undertake such a long journey, beset by so many troubles, hardships, and dangers. Many others preferred to remain in captivity rather than to return, thinking that to live in Babylon was a safer and more peaceful condition than to return to Judea.

Such persons must have had a seed of piety, which led them to take hold of those promises granted to the fathers. Now, though the Church even at that time was stained by many imperfections, this description was still comparatively true, for a large portion of the filth had been swept away, and those who remained had benefited to some extent from God’s chastisements.

A righteous nation, which keepeth the truth. Some distinguish these terms in this way: “A nation righteous before God, and upright before men.” But I take the meaning to be simpler: after calling the nation “righteous,” he shows in what righteousness consists—that is, where there is uprightness of heart, which has nothing false or hypocritical, for nothing is more opposite to righteousness than hypocrisy.

And though no one ever existed who progressed so far that he could be commended as perfectly righteous, yet the children of God, who with their whole heart aim at this “truth,” may be said to be keepers of it.

But perhaps it will rather be thought that, by a figure of speech, a part is taken for the whole to describe what true righteousness is: that is, when all deceit and all evil practices have been laid aside, and people act towards each other with sincerity and truth.

If anyone wishes to use this passage for upholding human merits, the answer is easy. The Prophet does not here describe the cause of salvation, or what people are by nature, but what God makes them by his grace, and what kind of persons he wishes to be members of his Church.

Out of wolves he makes sheep, as we have previously seen. As long as we live here, we are always at a great distance from perfection and are continually progressing towards it.

But the Lord judges us according to what he has begun in us, and, having once led us into the way of righteousness, counts us as righteous. As soon as he begins to check and reform our hypocrisy, he at once calls us true and upright.