John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 66:5

"Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name`s sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame." — Isaiah 66:5 (ASV)

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.”