Therefore he hath poured, &c.— The force and elegance of the metaphor in this verse is very great. Of all natural evils which affect the human mind, which arouse and awaken it, none do so with greater quickness than fire; than a mighty flame, encompassing a man on every side. No sleep, no lethargy is so great, which this will not shake off; and yet the stupor and insensibility of the Jews is here represented to be so great, that in the midst of fire and flame, which they might and ought to think was kindled by God, they inquired not into the causes of this judgment. They knew them not, nor considered them; but, persisting in their impenitence and stupidity, applied not to God in repentance and faith, nor humbled themselves before him. See Amos 2:4-5 and Vitringa.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, That these words belong to Christ we are assured, Matthew 12:17-21. We have,
1. His designation to his office, and qualification for it. Behold! with wonder and love, my servant, though equal with the Father as touching his Godhead, yet humbling himself to the form of a servant, for us men and our salvation; whom I upheld; for as men, Christ received power and strength from the Father, to enable him to accomplish the arduous work of redemption; or on whom I lean, expressive of the confidence that God reposed in him, to fulfil the work appointed him, as much to his glory as his faithful people's good; mine elect, chosen and designed for the work; in whom my soul delighteth, his obedience, sufferings, sacrifice, and all that he did, being always highly pleasing to his Father; I have put my Spirit upon him, fully qualifying and enabling him for the execution of all he hath undertaken. Note; (1.) The highest honour is to be a servant of God. (2.) There never was but one under the sun in whom, for his own sake, God could say my soul delighteth. (3.) If God bid us minister, he will supply the ability.
2. His exercise of his office. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles, the Gospel, which is to be the rule and guide of all his converted people: He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street, as coming with human pomp and grandeur, for his kingdom was not of this world. A bruised reed shall he not break, so tender are his compassions towards the weak and tempted, who are cast down under their trials, but supported and strengthened by him, that they may not utterly faint; and the smoking flax shall he not quench, where the smallest gracious appearances are seen, he will not despise, but cherish them, and fan the smoking flax into a flame: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth, accompanying the word of his truth with divine power. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged amid the arduous works in which he shall be engaged, till he have set judgment in the earth, established his glorious Gospel, which is so productive of judgment and righteousness among men, and the isles shall wait for his law; the distant nations of Gentiles offering themselves willing scholars at the feet of his ministers. The LXX, from whom the passage is quoted, Matthew 12:21 render it, And in his names shall the Gentiles trust.
2nd, God, having ushered in the glorious personage appointed by him for the salvation of his faithful people, here encourages and authorizes him to proceed in his undertaking.
1. He gives him his orders, as the Almighty Creator of all, able abundantly to support him in the exercise of his office. He calls him in righteousness, in a way wherein the divine perfections were eminently to be magnified; or with righteousness, being himself a righteous person, and who in his nature and practice knew no sin: he promises to uphold and keep him, that no difficulties may discourage, nor enemies prevail against him; to give him for a covenant of the people, to be their great covenant-head, as through him all the blessings of the covenant are to be freely received: two of the most eminent of which are mentioned, [1.] He is given for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, both to be the light of the world which lay in darkness and the shadow of death, and also to bestow power on the fallen mind of man to see this light of life, without which it shineth in darkness. Note; The mind of man, yea, of the wisest, continues in utter darkness respecting spiritual things, without divine illumination. [2.] He is sent to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house; we are by nature the slaves of sin and Satan; and even when we have light enough through grace to see and deplore our misery, we have no power to set ourselves at liberty; it is the Lord Jesus who must interpose to break our bands, and bring us forth into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
2. He confirms his commission by his great name, Jehovah, who, in the investiture of the Redeemer, intends to exalt his own glory, and will not suffer idols to be his rivals; but will condignly punish those who ascribe to them the praise due to him alone. And as he has fulfilled his former promises, so will he also accomplish the new things that he now declares, relative to the deliverance of the Jews under Cyrus, the incarnation of the Messiah, and the success of his Gospel; which, before they spring forth into act, he foretels, and shall be as surely fulfilled in their season, as any past prophesies had been. Note; God hath still new mercies in store; while we have faith to trust him, he will not, cannot fail us.
3. The whole church is called upon to exalt God's praise for the redemption of Jesus. From the ends of the earth, to which the Gospel should be spread, the grateful song must arise; those who go down to the sea, the Tyrians and Phoenicians, and other maritime nations, the Arabians, and the most savage inhabitants of the desart and the rock, civilized by the preaching of the Gospel, must join in the work of praise, till the sound should be universal, and the knowledge of the glory of God be wafted to the most distant isles of the sea. This was in a measure the case under the ministry of the apostles, and we expect a still more glorious day, when praises for redeeming love shall be sung from pole to pole.
3rdly, We have,
1. The victory which the Lord will obtain over his enemies. As a man of war he will rush upon them with a cry, and prevail, his Gospel being made effectual to the casting down all the strong-holds of darkness. For a long while he seemed to pay no regard to the heathen world, winking at the times of their ignorance; but now he sends his elect minister Jesus, he will destroy and devour at once; they who submit not to the calls of his mercy, must perish under the rod of his judgments. The greatest, high as mountains, are not too mighty to escape; nor the least, though mean as the grass, so small as to be overlooked: and every impediment shall be removed, as at the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, that his word may have free course, and run, and be glorified.
2. He will bring home his faithful people to himself. I will bring the blind, those that were spiritually ignorant of the ways of God, by a way that they knew not, even Christ the living way, hid from ages and generations, but now revealed to the Gentiles; I will lead them in paths that they have not known, the path of holiness and life; I will make darkness light before them, shining on their path, and making it plain before their faces; and crooked things straight, removing all obstructions, and forming their once crooked and perverse ways by his divine grace, conformably to his holy mind and word. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them, but perfect in the faithful the salvation here begun.
3. The idolaters, being converted, shall now be made ashamed of their idols; or those who persisted in their worship be confounded to find how little they can profit them in a day of wrath.
4thly, We have,
1. A general exhortation addressed to the spiritually deaf and blind, whether Jews or Gentiles, to hear and see. For though the mere exercise of their natural faculties was by no means sufficient for the attaining of divine knowledge, yet, as they had ears to hear, and eyes to see the word of truth, they were bound to make use of the appointed means. Note; They who wilfully turn away their eyes from the truth, and will not use them to examine the scriptures, are justly given up to judicial blindness.
2. A sharp reproof is given to the Jewish people. Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger that I sent? or, as some render it, those to whom I send my messenger? They who had every opportunity of spiritual knowledge, were more criminally ignorant than their Gentile neighbours, and their teachers blind leaders of the blind. Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant? the Scribes and Pharisees, who most boasted of their high attainments, were most obstinate in rejecting Christ and his Gospel. Seeing many things, or pretending to see at least, but thou observest not the evidences of Christ's divine mission in his miracles; opening the ears to the preaching of Christ and his apostles; but he hearetb not to any saving purpose, but cavilled, and rejected the counsel of God against their own souls. Note; (1.) Spiritual blindness is grievously common, even among the professors of religion. (2.) They who have the highest conceit of their own natural excellence, are most grievously ignorant both of God, his law, and their own vile hearts. (3.) It is a deplorable case when they, who should be teachers of others, are blind and erroneous themselves. (4.) None usually are so obstinate in prejudice and ignorance as those who, having assumed the character of God's messengers, count it a dishonour to have it but suggested that they themselves are out of the way. (5.) They who, through ignorance in their ministry, mislead and ruin others' souls as well as their own, may expect to receive greater damnation.
3. God will be glorified, notwithstanding their obstinacy. The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable; either by the execution of just judgment on the rejecters of his truth, or as the words may refer to Christ, for whose righteousness' sake God is well pleased with all who are found in him; since, by his obedience unto death, he hath in the highest measure magnified the divine law in their behalf, and restored the honour it had lost by their violations of it.
4. The destruction of the whole people is foretold, because of their rejection of the Gospel. They are given up to the Romans to be robbed, spoiled, and snared; dragged from their lurking-places, and imprisoned, without prospect of deliverance. They would not be admonished of this judgment coming upon them, till it was impossible to avert it. God's hand in their ruin was evident, and acknowledged even by Titus, their destroyer, because of their obstinate disobedience. Therefore wrath to the uttermost overtook them, and to this day the heavy stroke is still upon them; yet they will not acknowledge the rejection of Jesus as the cause, nor lay it to heart; the vail being yet unremoved, and their measure of chastisement not yet full. Note; (1.) Of the many who hear God's word, too few pay it the attention that it deserves. (2.) Disregard of God's warnings is sure to bring down his wrath. (3.) All suffering comes ultimately from God's hand, whatever instruments are employed. (4.) Sin, which now provokes God's anger against the sinner in temporal afflictions, will, if unrepented of, shortly kindle that fire of eternal wrath which never can be quenched.