Isaiah 44

Isaiah 44:1

O Jacob my servant] Chap. 41. 8. & 43. 1, 7. Jeremiah 30:10. & Jeremiah 46:27.

Isaiah 44:2

formed thee from the wombe] From thy very first begining: ere thou wast able to do, much lesse to deserve ought, vers. 24. Chap. 46. 3.

Jesurn] Deuteronomy 32:15.

Isaiah 44:3

I will poure, &c.] Chap. 35. 7. Jeremiah 31:25. Joel 2. 28. John 7:38. Acts 2:18.

water] The spirituall water of grace and comfort, Chap. 12. 3. John 4:14.

that is thirstie] That is of himself void of it: or, that thirsteth after it, Chap. 55. 1. Matthew 5:6. John 7:37. Revelation 22:17.

poure my spirit, &c.] Chap. 32. 15.

thine off-spring] Chap. 48. 19.

Isaiah 44:4

shall spring up] Thy posterity shall encrease exceedingly, after their return from captivitie: and thy spirituall issue shall mightily shoot up, Chap. 27. 6. and 61. 9, 11. Ephesians 4:16. Col. 2. 19. 2 Peter 3:18.

as among the grasse] 2 Samuel 23:4. Job 5:25.

willows by the water-courses] Leviticus 23:40. Psal. 137. 1, 2. Ezekiel 17:5.

Isaiah 44:5

One shall say, I am the LORDS] They shall give up their names to God, to be enrolled in his Church-book among the faithfull professours of his service, Psal. 87. 5, 6.

Isaiah 44:6

I am the first, and I am the last] Chap. 41. 4. and 48. 12. Rev. 1. 8, 17. and 22. 13.

Isaiah 44:7

shall call] Appoint and design persons to deliver my Church, Chap. 45. 4.

shall declare] Who shall tell me, how I should therein proceed? Chap. 41. 13. and 45. 11.

the ancient people] Mine elect, set apart from the beginning of the world, Genesis 3:15. Revelation 13:8. and Revelation 17:8. or, from eternitie, Ephes. 1. 4, 5.

let them shew unto them] Their idols, to those that serve them and trust in them, Chap. 41. 22. and 43. 9.

Isaiah 44:8

from that time] Or, formerly: or, in times past. Heb. from then. Chap. 16. 13. and 48. 3.

my witnesses] Chap. 43. 10.

there is no God] Heb. rock. Psalms 19:14. No such rock, as is able to protect and secure those that repair to it for shelter and succour, as God doth those that betake themselves to him, Deut. 4. 35, 39. and 32. 4, 31, 39. 1 Samuel 2:2. Psalms 18:31. Proverbs 18:10-11. Chap. 26. 4. and 45. 5. and 46. 9.

I know not any] Who yet should, if any were.

Isaiah 44:9

delectable things] Heb. desirable. Chap. 64. 12.

shall not profit] Though they bestow never so much upon them, to make them seem glorious, Chap. 40. 19. and 46. 6. Jeremiah 10:4; Jeremiah 10:9.

they are their own witnesses] They themselves cannot but acknowledge, that their idols neither see, nor know ought. Or, they cannot but see their own blindnesse and senslesnesse, in adoring those, that they see to be such, vers. 18, 19.

the see not] Or, that they see not. Psal. 115. 4, &c.

Isaiah 44:10

Who hath formed a god] An extream folly, for a man, to deem ought, that man maketh, to be God, Deuteronomy 27:15. Psalms 135:15.

molten a graven image] Chap. 40. 19.

that is profitable for nothing] Heb. not to profit. Jeremiah 1:4. And how then fit to be lay-mens books? being unprofitable, vers. 9. ?Habakkuk 2:18. abominable, Chap. 41. 24. the work of errors, Jeremiah 10:15. and lying teachers, Habakkuk 2:18. Jeremiah 10:8. and Jeremiah 16:19.

Isaiah 44:11

all his fellows, &c.] That joyn with him, either in the making, or worshipping of it, shall be ashamed, Psalms 97:7. Chap. 1. 29. and 42. 17. and 45. 16.

and the workmen they are of men] Or, more then any man. Chap. 52. 14. Jeremiah 5:1.

let them all be gathered together, &c.] The multitude of them shall neither excuse, nor save them, when God cometh to take vengeance.

Isaiah 44:12

The smith] Heb. workman of iron. Chap. 40. 19. Jeremiah 10:3. Wisd. 13. 11.

with the tongs] Or, with an ax. Or, maketh an ax for the wright to use, vers. 13. Jeremiah 10:3.

he is hungry] So eager are they upon it, that they neglect their own necessities out of devotion to their idols, Chap. 44. 20.

Isaiah 44:13

The carpenter] Heb. workman of wood; or, trees.

in the house] In some Temple, or private house, Deuteronomy 27:15. Jud. 17. 5.

Isaiah 44:14

which he strengtheneth for himselfe among the trees of the forest] Or, and he useth his strength upon the trees of the wood.

he strengtheneth for himself] Or, taketh courage. 2 Chronicles 32:7.

Isaiah 44:15

Then shall it be for a man to burn] The extream folly and obstinacie of them; who though they see their idols to be no better, then the residue of the matter, out of which they were made; yet refuse the one part, and make a God of the other; as the Papists do their cake, or wafer-God, and the rest of their idols.

Isaiah 44:16

with part thereof he eateth flesh] Or, on part thereof. Having made a table, or a trencher of it. Or, he dresseth his meat with it, vers. 19.

seen] Or, felt. Psal. 34, 8.

Isaiah 44:18

They have not known, nor understood] They are voyd of knowledge and understanding vers. 19. Chap. 45. 20. Jeremiah 10:14.

he hath shut their eyes] The idol; as some: God, in just judgement; as others, Chap. 69. 10. but more simply, Their eyes are daubed over: without speciall intimation, how, or by whom. So Genesis 41:13. 2 Samuel 24:1. Luke 6:38. and Luke 12:20.

shut] Heb. daubed. Ezekiel 13:10; Ezekiel 13:13.

Isaiah 44:19

none considereth in his heart] Heb. setteth. or, returneth it, to his heart. Chap. 46. 8.

I have roste flesh and eaten it] Or, rosted flesh with it, and eaten thereof.

the stock of a tree] Heb. that which comes of a tree. ?Job 40:20.

Isaiah 44:20

He feedeth of ashes] He is grosly deluded; as one that would eat ashes to slake his hunger. Or, his idol feedeth and entertaineth him with nothing but ashes, matter of sorrow and mourning, Psalms 16:4. and Psalms 102:9.

a deceived heart hath turned him aside] Hosea 4:12.

Is there not a lie in my right hand] Is not this mine idol, a meer fancie and fallacie? Jeremiah 10:8.

Isaiah 44:21

Remember these] These things that are now told thee; that thou maist not be carried away with such vanities, when thou comest among them: mans heart by nature being over-prone thereunto. See Chap. 40. 18.

O Jacob and Israel, &c.] Vers. 2.

thou shalt not be forgotten of me] Or, I do not forget thee. though I may seem so to do. See Chap. 49. 14, 15.

Isaiah 44:22

I have blotted out as a thick cloud, thy transgressions] As the Sunne, when it breaketh forth, dispelleth the clouds with his bright beams, Job 37:11. Psalms 18:12. Or, as the wind scattereth them, be they never so thick, Psal 68. 2. Proverbs 25:23. Or, as a cloud vanisheth away, and appeareth no more, then as if it had never been, Job 7:9. and Job 30:15. Hosea 6:4. and Hosea 13:3.

James 4:14. so do I put away thy sinnes, Chap. 43. 25. that rise up, as a cloud, between thee and me, Chap. 59. 2. hindering the light of my countenance, from shining forth upon thee, Chap. 57. 17. and thy prayers from finding accesse into my presence, Lamentations 3:44. Or, I wipe away as with a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as with a cloud thy sinnes. the preposition omitted, as Chap. 42. 21. Psal. 17. 7, 13, 14. I wash away thy sinnes, as the clouds, with showers of rain, wash away the filth and slime of the earth, Ezekiel 22:24.

I have redeemed thee] And therefore have best right to thee, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Isaiah 44:23

Sing, O ye heavens &c.] Implying that Gods work for his people should be such, that even the creatures both above and below, though void of sense, might well seem to be affected therewith, Psalms 96:11. and 98. 7, 8. Chap. 35. 1. and 49. 13. Jeremiah 50:38. and Jeremiah 51:32.

Isaiah 44:24

that formed thee from the womb] Vers. 2.

stretcheth forth the heavens, &c.] Chap. 42. 5. Jeremiah 10:12.

Isaiah 44:25

that frustrateth the tokens of the liers] Or, wisards. Jeremiah 50:36. This is spoken to arm them against the Babylonians soothsayers, who would bear them in hand, that by the starres they saw, that Babylon should stand, Chap. 47. 12, - 14.

maketh their knowledge foolish] Chap. 29. 14. 2 Samuel 15:31. 1 Corinthians 1:20. and 1 Corinthians 3:19.

Isaiah 44:26

confirmeth the word of his servant] Isaiah; and other the Prophets, that fore-told Babylons fall, and the deliverance of Gods people thence.

the decayed places] Heb. wasts. Nehem. 1. 5, 8. and 2. 1, &c.

Isaiah 44:27

saith to the deep, Be drie, &c.] Intimating, that his work in this their deliverance should be no lesse notable, then when he saved them by passage through the red sea, and the river of Jordan. See Chap. 43. 16. and 51. 10, 11. Alluding withall, it may be, to the drying up of Euphrates, by Cyrus his device, for the surprisall of Babylon. See Jeremiah 50:38. and 51. 32, 36. Revelation 16:12.

Isaiah 44:28

saith of Cyrus] To assure them of deliverance, he nameth the partie, by whom it should be effected, about two hundred yeers before he was born. See Chap. 13. 22. and the like, 1 Kings 13:2. This his name he had from a Persian word, signifying the Sunne; which the Persians honoured as a God. See Chap. 45. 3, 4.

Thou shalt be built] 2 Chronicles 36:22-23. Ezra 1:1,—3. Chap. 45. 1, 13.

Thy foundation shall be laid] Ezra 3:10-11.