Matthew Henry Commentary Isaiah 24:1-12

"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.