John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 49:8

"Thus saith Jehovah, In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages:" — Isaiah 49:8 (ASV)

In a time of good pleasure. From this verse, we again learn more clearly what we explained at the beginning of this chapter: that the Prophet, while he addresses the whole body of the Church, begins with Christ, who is the head. I have said that this ought to be carefully observed, for commentators have not attended to it, and yet there is no other way in which this chapter can be consistently expounded. This is clearly shown by Paul, who applies this statement to the whole Church (2 Corinthians 6:2). And yet, what the Prophet adds, I will give thee to be a covenant, is applicable to no other than Christ.

How can we reconcile these statements? By considering that Christ is not so much His own as ours, for He neither came, nor died, nor rose again for Himself. He was sent for the salvation of the Church and seeks nothing as His own, for He lacks nothing.

Accordingly, God makes promises to the whole body of the Church. Christ, who occupies the place of Mediator, receives these promises and does not plead for Himself as an individual, but for the whole Church, for whose salvation He was sent. On this account, God does not address Christ separately, but insofar as He is joined and continually united to His body.

It is an inconceivable honor that our heavenly Father bestows upon us when He listens to His Son on our account, and when He even directs the discourse to the Son while the matter relates to our salvation. From this, we see how close the connection is between us and Christ. He stands in our place and has nothing separate from us, and the Father listens to our cause.

By the words “good pleasure,” the Prophet lays a bridle on believers, so to speak, that they may not be too eager in their desires, but may wait patiently until the time appointed by God has arrived. In this sense, Paul gives to the coming of Christ the designation of “the time of fullness” (Galatians 4:4). He means, therefore, that they depend on God’s disposal and ought therefore to endure His wrath with meekness and composure.

But although the Prophet's intention is to exhort the godly to patience, that they may learn to place their feelings in subordination to God, yet at the same time he shows that our salvation proceeds from God’s undeserved kindness. רצון (ratzon), which the Greeks translate εὐδοκία, that is, the good-will of God, is the foundation of our salvation, and salvation is the effect of that grace.

We are saved because we please God, not through our own worthiness or merits, but by His free grace. Secondly, the Prophet shows, at the same time, that our salvation is certain when we have clear proof of the Lord's grace. All doubt ought to be removed when the Lord has testified of His “good pleasure.”

This passage tends to the commendation of the Word, beyond which we should not inquire about salvation. Paul declares that the good pleasure of God is clearly manifested in the preaching of the Gospel, and that in this way what is contained in this passage about “the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2) is fulfilled.

Thirdly, the Prophet intended to remind us that God gives us an undoubted pledge of His favor when He sends the Gospel to us. It is evident that He has compassion on us when He gently invites us to Himself, so that we may not look around in every direction to seek this light, which ought to be expected only from God’s gracious pleasure, or be tortured by doubt, from which God frees us.

But let us remember that all this depends on God’s free purpose. Therefore, when the question is asked why the Lord enlightened us at this time rather than at an earlier period, the reason that ought to be given is this: because it pleased God; thus it seemed good in His sight. Such is the conclusion to which Paul comes in the passage we quoted:

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

This passage can greatly aid us in understanding Isaiah’s meaning, so that we may learn to connect our salvation with God’s good pleasure, a proof of which is given to us in the preaching of the Gospel.

It should also be observed that these predictions should not be limited to a certain age, since they belong to the whole Church in all ages. For if we begin with the deliverance from Babylon, we must go on to the redemption of Christ, which might be regarded as its commencement and forerunner. Since many remnants of slavery are still found among us, we must proceed forward to the last day, when everything will be restored.

I have appointed thee to be a covenant. This makes it still more evident that all that had formerly been said was promised to Christ, not for the sake of His personal advantage, but on our behalf; for He has been appointed to be the mediator of the covenant, because the Jews by their sins had revolted from God, who had made an everlasting covenant with them. The renewal of that covenant, therefore, which had been broken or dissolved, is ascribed to Christ. Yet we must likewise keep in view the saying of Paul, that

“Christ is our peace, to reconcile both them that are far off, and them that are near.” (Ephesians 2:14, 17).

But, Isaiah had directly in view that lamentable ruin, the remedy for which could be expected from Christ alone. Besides, it is proper to apply this grace to ourselves because, compared to the Jews before the Gospel was preached, we were enemies and aliens from God and could not in any other way be reconciled to Him.

Christ was therefore “given to be a covenant of the people,” because there was no other way to God but by Him. At that time, the Jews were a people; but as a consequence of the partition-wall having been broken down, all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, have been united in one body.

That thou mayest raise up the earth, which at that time was waste and desolate; for the return of the people was, as we have elsewhere seen, a kind of new creation. Such is also the design of the Prophet's words, so that we may know that there is nothing in the world but ruin and desolation.

Christ is sent to restore what had fallen down and decayed. If we had not been in a fallen condition, there would have been no reason for Christ to be sent to us.

We should therefore weigh our condition well: we are aliens from God, destitute of life, and shut out from all hope of salvation. But by Christ, we are fully restored and reconciled to our Heavenly Father. Isaiah likewise adds the benefits that we obtain through Christ after having been reconciled to God.