Matthew Henry Commentary Isaiah 24
Matthew Henry Commentary
Isaiah 24
Matthew Henry Commentary
Isaiah 24
"Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest to him. The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly laid waste; for Jehovah hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the lofty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted do sigh. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. The waste city is broken down; every house is shut up, that no man may come in. There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction." — Isaiah 24:1-12 (ASV)
All whose treasures and happiness are laid up on earth, will soon be brought to poverty and misery. It is good to apply to ourselves what the Scripture says of the vanity and vexation of spirit that attend all things here on earth. Sin has turned the earth upside down; the earth has become quite different for humanity from what it was when God first made it to be their dwelling place.
It is, at best, like a flower, which withers in the hands of those who delight in it and hold it close. The world we live in is a world of disappointment, a vale of tears; the children of men in it live for only a few days and are full of trouble. See the power of God's curse, how it makes everything empty and devastates people of all ranks and situations. Sin brings these calamities upon the earth; it is polluted by the sins of people, therefore it is made desolate by God's judgments.
Carnal joy will soon come to an end, and its end is sorrow. God has many ways to embitter wine and strong drink for those who love them; bodily illness, mental anguish, and financial ruin will make strong drink bitter, and the pleasures of the senses tasteless. Let people learn to mourn for sin and rejoice in God; then no person, no event, can take their joy from them.
"For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive-tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done. These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye Jehovah in the east, even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea." — Isaiah 24:13-15 (ASV)
There shall be a remnant preserved from the general ruin, and it shall be a devout and pious remnant. These few are dispersed, like the gleanings of the olive tree, hidden under the leaves. The Lord knows those who are His; the world does not.
When the merriment of worldly, carnal people ceases, the joy of the saints is as vibrant as ever, because the covenant of grace—the fountain of their comforts and the foundation of their hopes—never fails.
Those who rejoice in the Lord can rejoice in tribulation, and by faith may triumph when all around them are in tears. They encourage their fellow sufferers to do likewise, even those who are in the furnace of affliction or in the valleys—low, dark, muddy places.
In every fire, even the hottest, in every place, even the remotest, let us maintain our good thoughts of God. If none of these trials move us, then we glorify the Lord in the fires.
"From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous. But I said, I pine away, I pine away, woe is me! the treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is shaken violently. The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Jehovah of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders shall be glory." — Isaiah 24:16-23 (ASV)
Believers may be driven into the farthest parts of the earth, but they are singing, not sighing. Here is terror for sinners; the prophet laments the miseries he saw breaking in like a torrent and the small number of believers. He foresees that sin would abound. The meaning is plain: evil pursues sinners.
Unsteady and uncertain are all these things. Worldly men think to dwell in the earth as in a palace or a castle, but it shall be removed like a cottage, like a lodge put up for the night. It shall fall and not rise again.
But there shall be new heavens and a new earth, in which nothing but righteousness shall dwell.
Sin is a burden to the whole creation; it is a heavy burden, under which it groans now and will sink at last.
The high ones, who are puffed up with their grandeur, who think themselves out of the reach of danger—God will visit them for their pride and cruelty.
Let us judge nothing before the time, though some shall be visited. None in this world should be secure, though their condition be ever so prosperous; nor does anyone need to despair, though their condition be ever so deplorable. God will be glorified in all this. But the mystery of Providence is not yet finished.
The ruin of the Redeemer's enemies must make way for His kingdom, and then the Sun of Righteousness will appear in full glory. Happy are those who take warning from the sentence against others; every impenitent sinner will sink under his transgression and rise no more, while believers enjoy everlasting bliss.
Jump to: