Thomas Aquinas Commentary Isaiah 44:1-28

"Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel, who I have chosen: Thus saith Jehovah that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, who will help thee: Fear not, O Jacob my servant; and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: and they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses. One shall say, I am Jehovah`s; and another shall call [himself] by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah, and surname [himself] by the name of Israel. Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I established the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have I not declared unto thee of old, and showed it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any. They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity; and the things that they delight in shall not profit; and their own witnesses see not, nor know: that they may be put to shame. Who hath fashioned a god, or molten an image that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows shall be put to shame; and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; they shall fear, they shall be put to shame together. The smith [maketh] an axe, and worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with his strong arm: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no water, and is faint. The carpenter stretcheth out a line; he marketh it out with a pencil; he shapeth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compasses, and shapeth it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the holm-tree and the oak, and strengtheneth for himself one among the trees of the forest: he planteth a fir-tree, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn; and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread: yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied; yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire. And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image; he falleth down unto it and worshippeth, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They know not, neither do they consider: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none calleth to mind, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens, for Jehovah hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel. Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb: I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth (who is with me?); that frustrateth the signs of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited; and of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof; that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers; That saith of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." — Isaiah 44:1-28 (ASV)

1. And now hear, O Jacob. Here, third, he strengthens them by explaining the worthlessness of idols, lest they should believe that the divine promises could be hindered by them. This is divided into two parts:

   1. In the first, he excludes fear.
   2. In the second, he shows the worthlessness of the idols, where it says, thus says the LORD, the King (Isaiah 44:6).

2. Concerning the first part, he does three things.

   1. First, he rouses their attention: hear, O Jacob whom I have chosen, with Esau having been rejected: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau (Malachi 1:2–3).
   2. Second, he excludes fear: thus says the LORD who formed you (compare to Isaiah 49:5, thus says the LORD, who formed me); most righteous, because the name “Israel” expresses this according to its true meaning. As if by its etymology, it is said to mean “man who sees God”: is, “man,” rac, “seeing,” El, “God.”
   3. Third, he sets forth a promise, where it says, I will pour out.

3. He promises a divine benefit in two ways.

   1. First, concerning temporal things, he promises: I will pour out waters, that is, consolations, as in, I will pour upon you clean water (Ezekiel 36:25). Concerning spiritual things, he promises: I will pour out my spirit; and my blessing upon your offspring, referring to the multiplication of gifts: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).
   2. Second, he sets forth the fruit of this benefit.
      • Regarding temporal goods: and they shall spring up. That is, they will be multiplied from the abundance of your prosperity, like a tree by an abundance of water, as in a previous passage: it shall bud forth and blossom (Isaiah 35:2); and he shall be like a tree (Psalms 1:3).
      • He also sets forth the effect of the spiritual gifts: one shall say: I am the LORD’s. For whoever confesses that he is subject to God will write songs to the LORD, that is, for the honor of the Lord. Or, another shall write, ‘The LORD’s,’ meaning, ‘I am the LORD’s,’ on his hand, carrying the Scripture that pertains to the worship of God. He will be honored with the name of Israel—the foreigner in worshiping God—or he will be vigorous like Jacob: you will call me Father and will not cease to walk after me (Jeremiah 3:19).

4. Thus says the LORD. Here he shows the worthlessness of the idols. Concerning this, he does three things:

   1. First, he shows the defect of the idols.
   2. Second, based on this, he calls them back to worship him: remember these things (Isaiah 44:21).
   3. Third, he promises the benefit of liberation to those who worship him: thus says the LORD your redeemer (Isaiah 44:24).

   Concerning the first point, he does two things:

   1. First, he argues against the idols from the standpoint of divine operation.
   2. Second, he argues from the formation of the idols, where it says, who has formed a god? (Isaiah 44:10).

   Concerning this first argument, he does two things:

   1. First, he sets forth the uniqueness of his own divinity: I am the first, and I am the last, as in, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 1:8).
   2. Second, he presents a test: who is like me?

5. And concerning this test, he does three things.

   1. First, he sets forth the divine act of announcing future things and ordering past things: let him call and declare, predestining, and so on. All things were known to the Lord God, before they were created (Sirach 23:29 [or 23:20]).
   2. Second, he indicates the sign of his divinity as confirmed by witnesses: fear not, as if to say, “Do not be worried for me, as if I would fail a test of my divinity,” as in a later passage: I have made you hear new things (Isaiah 48:6).Audita feci tibi nova. DR: “I have shown thee new things.”
   3. Third, he infers the defect of the idols from the question, is there a God besides me? Here he does three things:
      • First, he poses the question: is there a God besides me? as in, see that I alone am, and there is no other God besides me (Deuteronomy 32:39).
      • Second, he shows the unsuitability of their witnesses: the makers (plastaeSee above on 45:21.) of idols are all of them nothing, having no power. This is similar to a previous passage: all nations are before him as if they had no being at all (Isaiah 40:17). Or it is because they do not achieve their intention of wishing to form a god with their hands, just as an idol is also nothing (1 Corinthians 8:4), and let the companions of him who is not dwell in his tabernacle (Job 18:15). Their most beloved things refers to the idols, which are either large and greatly to be revered or made from precious materials.
      • Third, he shows the falsehood of their testimony: they are their own witnesses that they do not see. This refers to the idols, whom the makers call gods: a false witness shall not be unpunished (Proverbs 19:5).

6. Who has formed. Here he shows from their formation that they are not gods. Concerning this, he does two things:

   1. First, he sets forth their formation to exclude their divinity.
   2. Second, he describes the manner of their formation to show their worthlessness: the smith (Isaiah 44:12).

   Concerning the first point, he does two things:

   1. First, he sets forth their formation, intending this reasoning: what is made by man is not God, and so on. Who, as if to say, “no one”; profitable for nothing, as in, they themselves that make them are not long-lasting .
   2. Second, he foretells the confusion of the workers: behold, all the partakers in the worship of idols, when they come to judgment, will stand as if to be judged. The makers are from men, that is, from among men: let them all be confounded who adore graven things (Psalms 97:7 [or 96:7]).

7. The smith. Here he shows their worthlessness—that they are not only not gods, but are even worthless things.

   1. First, he sets forth the manner of their formation concerning idols made from metal: with the strength of his arm, that is, striking strong blows. He will hunger and faint, as if to say that the god he is making cannot help him, although it is especially indebted to its maker. This is similar to a previous passage: the coppersmith striking with the hammer (Isaiah 41:7).
   2. Second, he discusses idols that are made from wood: the carpenter. Here he does two things:
      • First, he shows the worthlessness of the idol by setting forth its creation. He describes the efficient cause with its tools: his rule, for making the wood straight; a plane, an instrument curved on the side for hollowing out wood; with corners, that is, four-sided in shape, or this is the name of a tool for making such shapes; and the compass, that is, the lathe. He describes its formal cause: and he has made the image. He describes its material cause: he has cut down cedars, which are also used for common purposes: the work of the hands of the workman has cut a tree out of the forest (Jeremiah 10:3).
      • Second, he shows the blindness of the craftsman: they have not known. Part of it—of the wood from which the idol was made—now is ashes, for it was burned. Perhaps there is a lie in my right hand, that is, in my work. He is not ashamed to speak to that which has no life .

8. Remember these things. Here he calls them back to worship him.

   1. First, he assigns the reason, setting forth the duty of servitude: remember these things, that is, consider the worthlessness of idols; my servant. As it is written, the portion of Jacob is not like them: for he who made all things, it is he, and Israel is the scepter of his inheritance (Jeremiah 51:19). He also refers to the benefit presented or promised: I have blotted out, or “I will blot out,” your iniquities as a cloud, that is, easily. As it says elsewhere, our life will pass away as the trace of a cloud, and will be dispersed as a mist .
   2. Second, he sets forth the calling: return, as in, return to me (Jeremiah 3:1).
   3. Third, he invites all creation to give thanks for their return: shout with joy, you ends of the earth, as in, let the heavens and the earth praise him; the sea (Psalms 69:34 [or 68:35]).

9. Thus says the LORD. Here he promises the benefit of liberation to those who return to him. Concerning this, he does two things.

   1. First, he shows the power of the liberator through the benefits he conferred on them. He is your redeemer from evils and your maker of good things (compare to Isaiah 49:5, thus says the LORD, who formed me from the womb). This power is shown in several ways:
      • Concerning the creatures he made: I am the LORD, who makes all things, as in, he makes the earth by his power (Jeremiah 10:12).
      • Concerning the wise, whom he has made fools—some of whom professed to know divine things: who makes void the signs of diviners, as in, a sword is upon her diviners, and they will be foolish (Jeremiah 50:36). Others professed to know things of the world: who turns the wise backward, as in, has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1 Corinthians 1:20).
      • Concerning the fulfillment of promises: who raises up the word—fulfilling it—of my servant, the prophet, or Moses, or Christ: raise up the prophetsPraedicatores. Vg.: praedicationes. DR: “prophecies.” (Sirach 36:17 [or 36:20]).
   2. Second, he promises liberation in four ways:
      • Concerning the rebuilding of the cities: who says to Jerusalem, as in, the cities of Judah will be built up (Psalms 69:35 [or 68:36]).
      • Concerning the destruction of their enemies: who says to the deep, that is, the sea, meaning Babylon. Thus, in a previous passage: the burden of the desert of the sea (Isaiah 21:1), and the water of the sea will be dried up (Isaiah 19:5).
      • Concerning the exaltation of the liberator: who says to Cyrus: you are my shepherd, feeding my sheep, as in, he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd (Ezekiel 34:23).
      • Concerning the reestablishment of the temple: who says to Jerusalem... your foundations will be laid. For in the time of Cyrus, only the foundations of the temple were left standing: Jerusalem will be built up again (Jeremiah 30:18). (Compare to Daniel 9:25.)

10. The Spirit is given :

    • To beginners:

      • For the principle of life-giving: the spirit came into them, and they lived (Ezekiel 37:10).
      • For the washing of renewal: by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5–6).
      • For the privilege of adoption: you have received the spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15).

    • To those making progress:

      • To instruct the intellect: but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things (John 14:26).
      • To refresh the affections: my spirit is sweet above honey (Sirach 24:27 [or 24:20]).
      • To assist in action: the Spirit also helps our infirmity (Romans 8:26).

    • To the perfect:

      • As the benefit of liberty: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17).
      • As the bond of unity: careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
      • As the pledge of their inheritance: you were signed with the holy Spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13–14).

11. The saints are :

    • Elect through predestination: he chose us (Ephesians 1:4).
    • Formed through the infusion of grace: the LORD God formed man (Genesis 2:7).
    • Righteous through love: the righteous love you (Song of Solomon 1:3).
    • Servants through the duty of work: we are unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10).