God's law is broken; the earth is empty; none shall be comforted
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| 1 ¶ Behold, the LORD
maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down,
and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2 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 lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. |
1
- Empty A very serious time of death and destruction. The
natural systems of the earth will be upset. We may see this time as a great
development of the chaos and and anarchy of the time of trouble of da12.
As time passes, we need less imagination to picture this time. After this
Satan is bound for a thousand years surrounded by the work of his hands
re2001-3.
His angels will be there condemning him.
2 - As with the people The common people were and will be treated without pity from the privileged classes except that here all will be part of the emptying. See ja0504. |
| .4
The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away,
the haughty people of the earth do languish.
.5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. |
5
- Transgressed the laws The setting is divine judgment. These
are the laws of God. Wickedness results in devastation ps10734.
5 - Changed the ordinance Breaking God's laws is evil, but trying to change them is rebellion da0725. 5 - Everlasting covenant See re1406c. 6 - Devoured ... burned We may see these as events connected with the punishment of the wicked at the coming of the Lord jl02. 6 - Few men left Those faithful to God will be few. They will be the final remnant re1217. |
| .7
The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. 9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. 10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in. .11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. 12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction. |
7 - Merryhearted do sigh The time of the end of Lady Babylon re1821. |
| .13
¶ When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people,
there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes
when the vintage is done.
14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. 15 Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. |
13
- Shaking See on re0612c-li.
13 - Olive tree In preceding verses Isaiah saw desolation. The city was left in ruins in a symbol of the final time of trouble at the coming of Christ. Now are seen the picked grapes. The trampling follows. In this we see the destruction of the living wicked at the coming of Christ. See (re0109, re0613, is1020-33, is1111.) For this vintage, see re1415. Consider the bright grapes (or olives) as the few that are left after the time of trial when the majority are shaken off. 14 - Sing It is a song of victory for the righteous. re1401, re07c. Joy in the midst of terror and mourning. The doors of eternity have been opened is2508,9, ps091. 15 - Glorify ... Lord A joyous response. 15 - Fires From 'urim or from 'or "light." 'Urim may also mean "east," the direction from which Christ will come mt2427. Compare ez4302,4.. |
| .16 ¶ From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. | 16
- Glory to the righteous The glory is the Lord's but is reflected
by the righteous. In je2306
Israel is called "the Lord our righteousness." in je5110,
we may see the righteous condemned by the world but honored by the Lord.
Paul is assured a crown of righteousness at the coming of Christ. 2ti0408.
The song of praise also appears in re1901-6.
16 - My leanness In comparison to the glory. Compare ps10615, is1016. In contrast, fatness is often used to describe prosperity de3215, ne0925, ps09214. 16 - Woe unto me Isaiah may also be remembering his encounter with the Lord in the temple is0605. 16 - Treacherous The word is translated "deceitfully" in ex2108 |
| 17 Fear, and the pit,
and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 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 from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. |
17 - Fear ... pit "This verse explains the wretchedness spoken of in [verse 16]. Jeremiah (Jer 48:43,44) uses the same words. They are proverbial [verse 18] expressing that the inhabitants were nowhere safe; if they escaped one danger, they fell into another, and worse, on the opposite side (Am 5:19). "Fear" is the term applied to the cords with feathers of all colors which, when fluttered in the air, scare beasts into the pitfall, or birds into the snare." (JFB) |
| .19
The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth
is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. |
Dissolved At the coming of Christ 2pe0310.
Not rise We know that the earth will be made over again re2101. Here we see that not just one nation but all of them fall and that there will be no recovery. |
| .21
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host
of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the
earth.
.22 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. 23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. |
21
- High ones We may see these as the evil angels, including
Satan, who were cast out of heaven re1207a,
mt2541.
22 - Gathered in the pit Wicked Kings and their followers are buried in graves visited or judged during the thousand years, re2004. Angels are cast into the abyss (bottomless pitt) of the devastated earth during the thousand years re2003c and will be brought before the same judgment, 1co0603. 22 - Visited resurrected as explained above. 23 - Moon ... sun Compare re0612c. 23 - Ancients We think first of the 24 elders who participate in the preadvent judgment re0404, but the judgment here brought to view is the millennial judgment introduced by the terrible signs. Observer-participants are also present for it. See link for verse 4 above. |
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