Isaiah 49:5,6 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And now, saith the Lord— This passage is connected with the whole preceding period, and with each part of it; for the Messiah, in the beginning of this discourse, Isaiah 49:1-2 having addressed the Gentiles, and called upon them to hear him, as an eminent teacher, he instructs them in these words, that he did this by the command of the Father, who had promised to him the glory of bringing the Gentiles to the obedience of faith, after he, as his servant, had proved his obedience to the Father as his Lord; which glory is here set forth as the greatest. Again, as the Messiah had taught in what follows, Isaiah 49:3 that God had appointed him as his distinguished servant to effect great and glorious things, and thence had related the small fruit of his ministry among the Jews, yet had signified at the same time that he was well persuaded of an abundant reward for his labours—he hence takes occasion to declare this grand plan of salvation, as well to shew the foundation of his hope and confidence in the future reward, as to teach obliquely, that the incredulity of the Jewish nation was to be considered as the occasional cause of the calling of the Gentiles to the dispensation of the Gospel. This period, therefore, contains a declaration of the two-fold honourable condition which is here proposed by the Father to the Messiah, with respect to the two-fold object for whose conversion and salvation he was to labour, by the will of the Father; namely, the Jewish people, and the Gentile world, to be brought by him to the communion of the blessing of Abraham: which conditions are so proposed and described, as at the same time to comprehend the office, and the honour as a consequence and reward of that office. The former part, which respects the Jews, is contained in Isaiah 49:5.; the latter, which respects the Gentiles, in Isaiah 49:6. A parenthesis is placed between each, at the end of Isaiah 49:5 wherein a reason is given why so great and honourable an office is proposed to him, namely, because he was glorious in the eyes of the Lord; and by what means he should be sufficient for the discharge of so great an office, because God was his strength. Bishop Lowth renders the 5th verse, And now thus saith JEHOVAH; (who hath formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring back again Jacob unto him, and that Israel unto him may be gathered: therefore am I glorious in the eyes of JEHOVAH, and my God is my strength;) it is a small thing for thee, &c. It is as absurd as it is vain in the Jews, says Bishop Newton, to apply these prophesies to the proselytes whom they have gained among the nations; for the number of their proselytes was very inconsiderable, by no means suited to answer these pompous descriptions. Neither was their religion ever designed by its founder for an universal religion, their worship and sacrifices being confined to one certain place. There was indeed to be a religion which was designed for all nations, to be preached in all, and to be received in all; but what prospect was there that such a generous institution should proceed from such a narrow-minded people as the Jews; or, that the Gentiles, who hated and despised them, should ever receive a religion from them? Was it not much more likely that they should be corrupted by the example of all the nations around them, than that they should be the happy instruments of reforming the world, and converting some of all nations to the worship of the one only God in spirit and in truth? A revolution of this kind was certainly improbable; but, however great the improbability of it was at the time of the prophesy, let the planting of the Gospel, and the present state of christianity show whether it has not been partly fulfilled. See Dissert. vol. 1: p. 236.