John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 66

This saith Jehovah. This discourse is different from the preceding one, for here the Prophet exclaims against the Jews who, puffed up with vain confidence in the sacrifices and the temple, indulged freely in their pleasures and flattered themselves in their sins under this pretense. He shows that this confidence is not only foolish and groundless but diabolical and accursed, for they grossly mock God who endeavor to serve and appease him by outward ceremonies. Accordingly, he reproaches them with endeavoring to frame an idol in place of God when they shut him up in the temple. Next, he speaks of the renovation of the Church and of its extension throughout the whole world.

Heaven is my throne. His aim being to shake off the self-complacency of the pretended or hypocritical worshippers of God, he begins with his nature. By assigning “heaven” for his habitation, he means that the majesty of God fills all things and is everywhere diffused, and that he is so far from being shut up in the temple, that he is not shut up or confined within any place whatever.

The Scripture often teaches that God is in heaven—not that he is shut up in it, but in order that we may raise our minds above the world and may not entertain any low, carnal, or earthly conceptions of him; for the mere sight of heaven ought to carry us higher and transport us into admiration. And yet, in innumerable passages, he protests that he is with us, that his power is everywhere diffused, in order that we may not imagine that he is shut up in heaven.

It may be thought that this is beyond all controversy and was at that time acknowledged by all, for who did not know that heaven and earth are filled by the majesty of God? They might therefore object that there is no man who wishes to thrust God out of heaven, and that the Prophet has no good reason for becoming so angry and breaking out into such violent invective.

And undoubtedly they rejected with great haughtiness this doctrine of the Prophet and were highly irritated and enraged, as if great injury had been done to them. But it is easy to reply that, when men endeavor to appease God according to their own fancy, they frame an idol that is altogether contrary to his majesty. Relying on their useless ceremonies, they thought that they had performed their duty well when they went frequently to the temple and offered in it prayers and sacrifices.

The Prophet shows that the majesty of God must not be measured by this standard, and that all that they bring forward, unaccompanied by purity of heart, are absolute trifles; for since it is evident from his dwelling-place being in heaven that the nature of God is spiritual, if the worship does not correspond to that nature, it is undoubtedly wicked and corrupted.

Where is that house which ye will build for me? Under the word house or temple he includes all the ceremonies in which they thought that the worship of God consisted; and because they measured God and his worship by the temple as a standard, the Prophet shows that it is unworthy of God’s majesty to view his presence as confined to a visible and frail building.

He does not argue merely about God’s essence, but at the same time discusses his true worship, which he shows to be spiritual, in order that it may correspond to the nature of God, who is a Spirit (John 4:24). And if men diligently considered what is the nature of God, they would not contrive foreign and new modes of worship for him, or measure him by themselves.

This common and often expressed sentiment is more weighty and energetic than if the Prophet had brought forward something new; for he shows that they are so stupid and dull as to be ignorant of that which was well known to the merest idiot, and that they resemble dumb beasts in imagining that God dwells and reposes in the temple.

He therefore asks contemptuously, Where is that house? For it was absurd to think either that God dwells on the earth, or that he is concealed and shut up in a prison. Besides, the temple was built on a small mountain, and could not contain the glory of God within its limited dimensions.

And where is this place of my rest? And yet the Lord had said of the temple, This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have chosen it (Psalms 132:14). In another passage it was said, Enter, O Lord, into thy rest (2 Chronicles 6:41). Besides, we have seen, in a former part of this book, that the Lord’s rest shall be glorious in it (Isaiah 11:10). Finally, this was the ordinary designation of the temple, and yet the Prophet now finds fault with it.

I reply, the temple is called God’s rest because he gave the token of his presence in the temple; for he had chosen it as the place where men should call upon him, and from which he would give a display of his strength and power. But he did not command it to be built in order that men might conceive of his majesty according to their own fancy, but rather that, reminded by the outward signs of God’s presence, they might raise their minds higher and rise to heaven, and acknowledge that God is greater and more excellent than the whole world.

Yet, as the minds of men are prone to superstition, the Jews converted into obstacles to themselves those things which were intended to be aids; and when they ought to have risen by faith to heaven, they believed that God was bound to them, and worshipped him only in a careless manner, or rather made sport of worshipping him at their own pleasure.

This passage is very appropriately quoted by Stephen (Acts 7:49) and is indirectly accommodated by Paul to the sense which we have now stated.

They show that those persons are grievously deceived and far astray who bring to God carnal ceremonies, as if pure worship and religion consisted of them, or who wickedly and profanely disfigure his worship by statues and images. Stephen addresses the Jews who, being attached to the figures of the Law, disregarded true godliness, while Paul, speaking to the Gentiles, affirms that God dwelleth not in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24).

Yet my hand hath made all these things. The Prophet refutes the false opinion that people form about the worship of God, by thinking that sacrifices and outward ceremonies are of great value in themselves. For the issue is this: God cares nothing about ceremonies; they are empty and useless masks when people think that they satisfy God by means of them.

When He says that He made all these things, this must not be understood as referring solely to the temple, but to all that was offered to God there. Now He says that He “made all these things,” so that people may know that God has no need of this external worship, as He declares (Psalms 50:10) that all the animals were created by Him, and are His own, though by sacrificing them the Jews hoped to obtain His favor. But foolish mortals have this disease deeply seated in them: they transform God according to their inclination, though He appointed external worship not for His sake, but for our advantage—that is, so that we may be trained by it according to the capacity of our flesh.

And all these things began to be. It is the same as if He had said that He must not be compared to these things, which at one time began to be; for He is eternal and had no beginning. “I could dispense with your sacrifices,” says the Lord, “for, before they began to be, I was, and therefore they can be of no service to me.” In short, Isaiah maintains that ceremonies are of no avail in themselves, but aim at a different purpose. Isaiah takes for granted that it is impossible for God to receive any addition. Hence it follows that He is satisfied with Himself alone, for He could do without the world from all eternity.

And I look to him who is humble and contrite in spirit. Next, a definition of lawful worship is added. For, when Isaiah says that God “looks to the humble,” I have no doubt that the one who is “humble and contrite in spirit” is indirectly contrasted by him with the array, splendor, and elegance of ceremonies, by which people's eyes are commonly dazzled, so that they are carried away in admiration.

On the other hand, the Lord testifies that He demands humble and downcast minds, and minds that tremble at His commandments. By these words Isaiah describes inward purity of heart and sincere desire for godliness, and at the same time shows in what way we should be prepared to please God.

And trembleth at my word. As far as “trembling” is concerned, it might seem strange at first sight that He demands it in believers, since nothing is sweeter or gentler than the word of the Lord, and nothing is more contrary to its nature than to excite terror. I reply, there are two kinds of trembling: one by which those who hate and flee from God are terrified, and another which affects the heart and promotes the obedience of those who reverence and fear God.

This clause, I am aware, is viewed by others as relating to the Law, which threatens, terrifies, and proclaims the dreadful judgment of God. But I take it in a more general sense, for even believers tremble at the promises when they embrace them with reverence. Hence, infer that true godliness consists in having our faculties brought into a state of obedience to God, and in making no boastful or wicked claims for ourselves.

The nature of faith is to yield obedience to God, and to listen to Him attentively and patiently when He speaks. But when we are puffed up and carried away by a vain confidence in ourselves, we have no piety or fear of God, for we cannot make even the smallest claim for ourselves without despising God.

We should carefully note the expression Isaiah uses: “Trembling at the word of God.” Many boast that they reverence and fear God; but, by disregarding His word, they at the same time show that they are despisers of God. All the reverence that we owe to God must be paid to His word, in which He wishes to be fully recognized as in a living image.

The substance of what is said is that God prefers this sacrifice to all others: when believers, by true self-denial, lie low in such abasement as to have no lofty opinion about themselves, but permit themselves to be reduced to nothing. Thus also the Psalmist says, The sacrifice acceptable to God is a contrite spirit; an afflicted heart, O God, thou wilt not despise (Psalms 51:17). Because this modesty of faith produces obedience, this pious feeling is also added: that, laying aside all obstinacy, they tremble at the word of God.

From these words we should draw a remarkable consolation: “Though we appear to be wretched in our abasement and humility, and though we appear to be unworthy of being regarded by people, yet we are truly happy, because the Lord looks upon us and bestows on us His favor.” When we are tempted to despair, let us remember that in this way the Lord exalts His servants to heaven, though they have been cast down to hell and almost sink under the burden.

He that killeth an ox, as if he slew a man. There are two clauses in this verse. In the former, Isaiah plainly declares that all the sacrifices of his nation are of no value in the sight of God, but are held by Him in abomination; in the latter, he describes the dreadful corruption by which they mingled the ceremonies of the Gentiles with the sacrifices of the Law, and in this way corrupted and perverted everything.

The greater part of commentators think that these words repeal the sacrifices of the Law, but this is a mistake; for Isaiah, in this passage, treats of the same subject of which he had formerly treated in the first and fifty-eighth chapters, and does not absolutely condemn sacrifices, but rather the blemishes and corruptions of them, because the Jews thought that God was satisfied with a deceitful and empty appearance, and at the same time did not care about the true fear of God and a pure conscience.

He does not speak, therefore, of the thing itself, but censures men who abused sacrifices, because this was as much as to offer to God the shell of an empty nut. In a word, no sacrifices are acceptable to God but those which proceed from a pure heart and an upright will.

Yet it is probable that the Prophet alludes to the sacrifices of the Gentiles, which were shocking and monstrous, for they killed men or buried them alive. Neither the Romans (who reckoned themselves to be more religious than other nations) nor even the Jews abstained from this crime. Nay more, (κακόζηλοι) wicked imitators polluted themselves by many child-murders, thinking that they followed their father Abraham.

Isaiah says that when they kill an ox, they do the same thing as if they slew a man; and thus he shows that the Jews, though they had a religion which was peculiar and which God had appointed, yet were in no respect better than the Gentiles, among whom everything was polluted and profane, and were not more highly approved by God, because the name of God is profaned by hypocrisy of religion not less than by corrupted and false worship.

How necessary this admonition was, we have formerly seen; for, while the Jews were convicted of all crimes, yet, so long as they concealed themselves under this shadow, they thought that they were safe. Justly therefore does the Prophet meet them by saying that they gain nothing more by their attempts to appease God than if they sought to offer sacrifices from the abominable sacrileges of the Gentiles.

And truly they have chosen their own ways. There are two interpretations of this passage, for the antecedent to the pronoun may either be the Gentiles or the Jews; that is, either that the Jews mingled and entangled themselves with the wicked ceremonies of the Gentiles, or that they followed their own inventions.

The former interpretation would not be inappropriate, were it not that it is unnatural because the word “Gentiles” has not been previously expressed.

It was the most aggravated part of the wickedness of the Jews that they not only abused the pure worship of God but likewise, through their contempt of the Law, defiled the temple and every other place by wicked and abominable superstitions. They built altars on high places, planted and reared groves, took delight in games and public entertainments, and copied everything else that was appointed by public authority for the purpose of corrupting the hearts of men.

Thus, a confused medley of superstitions was produced among them, such as we now behold in Popery, in which we see various patches sewed together, taken from every kind of superstition—not only heathen and Jewish, but also those recently contrived by Satan, so that he might more easily and with greater plausibility impose on the world. These and similar practices the Prophet would justly pronounce to be doubly worthy of condemnation because, while they boast of the name of God and make profession of His worship, still they are not ashamed to stain and pollute that worship by the sacrileges of idolatrous nations.

The other interpretation is not obscure and is equally appropriate: that the Jews were devoted to their own inventions and followed their own abominations. He affirms that they do not worship God sincerely, who despise Him according to their own caprice, not only because they are full of avarice, hatred, ambition, dishonesty, cruelty, and extortion, but because they corrupt the worship of God by their own contrivances.

Although the pronoun refers to the Jews, yet the Prophet condemns all superstitions which they had borrowed from the heathen nations. Consequently, there is little difference between the two interpretations, for he merely teaches that because they have insolently and rebelliously shaken off the yoke of God, because wickedness openly prevails among them, everything that proceeds from them is polluted and detestable.

Streams that bring down dirty and offensive matter from a muddy and polluted fountain cannot be clean or pure. Choice and desire reveal their obstinacy more clearly; that is, because, knowingly and willingly, they despised God’s commandments and devoted their heart to everything that was opposed to them, as if they wished intentionally to disdain everything that proceeded from God, so that they might obey their depraved lust.

I also will choose their delusions. The Prophet means that the Jews gain nothing by offering various and plausible pretenses and by searching for excuses, because God does not care for the cunning or fine speeches of men. Indeed, it is not proper to measure God by our own capacity, and we ought not to depend on human judgment; instead, it is our duty to judge God's works by his word.

“I will choose” means, “I will scatter the clouds which they endeavor to spread over themselves, so that their delusions will be made manifest and visible to all; for now they appear to be hidden, but one day they will be dragged out to public view.”

The meaning may be summed up this way: “Because the Jews have indulged so freely in sinning that everything they chose was preferred by them to the commandments of God, so also, in his turn, God will lay open their delusions at his pleasure.”

And will bring upon them their terror. With the word “terror,” he repeats the same thing, according to the custom of Hebrew writers: “I will cause them to know that they have fallen into a mistake, and that the terrors which they indulged will fall on their own heads.”

Thus, their excuses or hypocritical pretenses will be of no avail in confusing truth and falsehood or veiling superstitions, because the Lord will clearly distinguish between them.

Because I called. The Prophet again condemns the Jews for obstinacy, because they did not allow the Lord to correct them. This is the only remaining remedy for correcting our vices: to hear the Lord speaking when he endeavors to bring us back into the right way. But when we sear and harden our hearts, it is the worst of all evils.

Therefore, whenever men prefer their own inventions to the ordinances and commandments of God, they openly despise God, to whose will they should have yielded.

This is especially the case when such obstinate hardness of heart is added that it shuts the door against holy warnings. It is useless for them to claim that they cannot displease God by doing what they undertake for the purpose of worshipping him; for the Lord rejects and abhors all that men choose and follow by neglecting the word.

Before mine eyes. He repeats what he had previously said: that the Jews sinned in the sight of God, as if they had resolved to provoke him to anger. Finally, he adds their manner of doing so: that with perverse desire, they sought what God had forbidden. And not without good reason does he so frequently censure the wicked insolence of men in defrauding God of his right by contemptuously treating what he approves.

Hear the word of Jehovah. He directs his discourse to the true worshippers of God and promises them what they could scarcely have expected during those terrible calamities. He expressly addresses them because at that time there were many who falsely boasted of the name of God. Furthermore, leaving the undistinguished multitude, he directs his discourse separately to a small number, as he formerly said, Seal the law, bind the testimony among my disciples (Isaiah 8:16).

You who tremble at my word. He points out the true and sincere children of God by this mark: that they tremble at the word of the Lord. This indeed is an uncommon virtue, and therefore he contrasts it with the false profession of those who, by bearing the outward mark of circumcision, wished to be considered among the people of God and made a great profession and show of holiness.

This is so that we may know that only those who reverence and fear His holy word truly reverence and fear God; that is, those who, as a consequence of being powerfully impressed by hearing the voice of God, constrain all their senses to obey. This is a remarkable proof of godliness.

Your brethren said. Because it is customary for hypocritical worshippers of God to make loud boasts about their pompous rituals, the Prophet’s design is to arm and fortify believers to endure their attacks, so that they may not give way when they are mocked and insulted. It is as if he had said, “You have to contend not only with foreign nations, but with domestic foes, who hold a place in the Church and who are bound by the tie of brotherhood on account of the covenant of God which is common to you all. If they mock your simplicity in the same manner as they haughtily despise God Himself, you must boldly and fearlessly resist that temptation.” He therefore calls them brethren, although they were enemies of believers and of the word of God, because it is by way of concession that he gives them that name which they falsely usurped.

Therefore, we infer that it is not a new evil for enemies who bear the name of brethren to be nourished in the heart of the Church. This internal war must be continually waged with hypocrites, who cannot patiently endure that we worship God with an honest and upright conscience.

Casting you out for the sake of my name. Literally, this means “bidding you begone.” Just as we see the Pope thundering terribly against us, as if we were base and worthless persons, so hypocrites were casting out the small number of believers.

For, being superior in number, authority, and wealth, they also exercise that tyranny, approving or disapproving of everything according to their own caprice. They cause believers to be considered as having no value, whom they not only overwhelm by their vast numbers, as the chaff does the wheat, but also trample proudly under their feet.

Let Jehovah be glorified. Or, in the future tense, “Jehovah will be glorified.” Others translate it, “Jehovah is severe.” But let us examine which is the preferable meaning.

Those who translate it “Jehovah is severe” think that wicked men complain of God’s excessive severity in not sparing His people and in acting severely toward them. They also think that by this statement the people were tempted to despair, because when wicked men try to turn us aside from God, they take away all hope and confidence of salvation.

But I prefer one of the other two interpretations. The one most generally approved is the following: wicked men laughed at the prophecies and promises because the glory which the Prophets had so frequently mentioned was nowhere to be seen. It was as if they had said, “Let the Lord display some testimony of His glory, so that we may safely rely on it.” Therefore, the Prophet wishes to arm believers against such blasphemy, so that they may not allow their faith to be overturned by the sneers of wicked men.

However, this passage might be appropriately, and perhaps more correctly, interpreted to mean that wicked men have promised very great things for themselves, as if by their good deeds they had deserved God’s favor. Amos 5:18 also reproaches them for this, because while they fearlessly provoke God, they confidently trust that He will be gracious to them. Therefore, since, relying on their sacrifices, they scorned all threats and boasted that God would assist them, he replies that they will see the glory of God in a very different manner.

But he will be seen to your joy. It is as if he had said, “God, by His coming, will cause believers to know that they have not hoped in vain, for He will appear for the advantage of believers and for the destruction of those who maintain that He will appear as the defender of wickedness, of which He will be the severe avenger. The former will enjoy gladness and consolation, while the latter will be ashamed and will blush, for they will quickly feel that the judgment of God, which they now laugh at, is near.”