John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 27:9

"Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, [so that] the Asherim and the sun-images shall rise no more." — Isaiah 27:9 (ASV)

Therefore in this manner shall the iniquity of Jacob be expiated. After having spoken of the chastisement of the people, he begins to state more clearly that the Lord promotes the interests of His people by these chastisements, so that they derive benefit from them. He had mentioned this formerly, but now he explains it more fully, that all the chastisements which God inflicts will tend to wash away the sins of His people, so that in this way they may be reconciled to God.

A question arises: Are our sins expiated by the stripes with which God chastises us? For if it is so, it follows that we must satisfy God for our sins, as the Papists teach. These two things are closely connected. If God punishes us for our sins in order to expiate them, when punishments are not inflicted, satisfactions must come in their place.

But this difficulty will be easily removed if we consider that here the Prophet does not address the question of whether we deserve the forgiveness of sins on account of our works, or whether the punishments God inflicts on us may be regarded as making amends for them. He simply shows that chastisements are the remedies by which God cures our diseases, because we are accustomed to abuse His goodness and patience.

God must therefore bring us to acknowledgment of our sins and to patience; and thus the punishments He inflicts as chastisements for our sins are remedies, because our desires may be said to be consumed by them as by fire, to which Scripture also frequently compares them (Psalms 66:10; Psalms 89:46). In no respect can they yield satisfaction, but people are prepared by them for repentance.

He shows, therefore, that the godly have no reason for exclaiming against God’s chastisements, and that they ought to acknowledge, on the contrary, that their salvation is thus promoted, because otherwise they would not acknowledge the grace of God. If anyone wishes for a short reply, it can be stated briefly: chastisements expiate our offenses indirectly, but not directly, because they lead us to repentance, which in turn brings us to obtain the forgiveness of sins.

And this is all the fruit, the taking away of his sin. Some render it in the genitive case, “the fruit of the taking away of his sin;” but I prefer to read it in the nominative case. כל, (chōl), all, frequently means “great and abundant;” and therefore it denotes the plentiful fruit that will follow the chastisements.

In a word, he intends to commend God’s chastisements to us because of their usefulness, so that the godly may bear them with calmness and moderation when they know that by means of them they are purged and prepared for salvation. And immediately afterwards, the Prophet explains his meaning more clearly by speaking of abolishing superstitions.

As long as the people of Israel enjoyed prosperity, they did not think of repentance, for it is natural for people that prosperity should make them insolent and harden them more and more. He therefore shows how, in chastising His people, God also takes away their sin because, having formerly indulged in wickedness and proceeded to greater lengths in sinning in consequence of His goodness and forbearance, they will now know that they were justly punished and will change their life and conduct.

When he shall have made all the stones of the altar. Here Isaiah, by a figure of speech, exhibits a single class, so as to explain the whole by means of a part, and describes in general terms the removal of idolatry and superstitions; for he does not speak of the altar which was consecrated to God, but of that which they had erected to their idols. Thus, when its stones shall have been broken, and the idols thrown down and destroyed, so that no trace of superstition shall be seen, the iniquity of the people shall at the same time be removed.

Therefore, it should be noted:

1. It should be noted that we should not expect pardon from the Lord unless we also repent of our sins; for whoever flatters himself must be the object of the anger of God, whom he does not cease to provoke, and our iniquity is taken away only when we are moved by a true feeling of repentance.
2. It should be observed that though repentance is an inward feeling of the heart, yet it brings forth its fruits before people. We profess in vain that we fear God if we do not give evidence of it by outward works, for the root cannot be separated from its fruits.
3. It should be inferred that idolatry is chiefly mentioned here because it is the source of all evils. As long as the pure worship of God and true religion are maintained, there is also room for the duties of brotherly kindness, which necessarily flow from it; but when we forsake God, He permits us also to fall into every kind of vice.

And this is the reason why, under the name of idolatry, he also includes other acts of wickedness. Besides, we see that he condemns not only statues and images, but everything that had been invented by the Jews contrary to the injunction of the law; and hence it follows that he sets aside every kind of false worship.

That groves and images may never rise again. By adding this, he shows how strongly God abhors idolatry, the remembrance of which He wishes to be completely blotted out, so that not even a trace of it shall henceforth be seen. Yet the Prophet intended to express something more, namely, that our repentance should be of such a kind that we should steadfastly persevere in it; for we will not say that it is true repentance if anyone, through a sudden impulse of feeling, puts down superstitions and afterwards gradually allows them to spring up and bud forth, as we see to be the case with many who at first burn with some appearance of zeal and afterwards grow cold. But here the Prophet describes such steadfastness that those who have once laid aside their filth and pollution maintain their purity to the end.