2 O the happiness of a man who doth this, And of a son of man who keepeth hold on it, Keeping the sabbath from polluting it, And keeping his hand from doing any evil.
If thou dost turn from the sabbath thy foot, Doing thine own pleasure on My holy day, And hast cried to the sabbath, `A delight,' To the holy of Jehovah, `Honoured,' And hast honoured it, without doing thine own ways, Without finding thine own pleasure, And speaking a word.
And My sabbaths sanctify, And they have been for a sign between Me and you, To know that I, Jehovah, `am' your God.
Thus said Jehovah, Take ye heed to yourselves, And ye bear not a burden on the day of rest, Nor have ye brought `it' in by the gates of Jerusalem. Nor do ye take out a burden from your houses on the day of rest, Yea, any work ye do not do, And ye have sanctified the day of rest, As I have commanded your fathers.
Praise ye Jah! O the happiness of one fearing Jehovah, In His commands he hath delighted greatly.
`And thou, speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, Only, My sabbaths ye do keep, for it `is' a sign between Me and you, to your generations, to know that I, Jehovah, am sanctifying you; and ye have kept the sabbath, for it `is' holy to you, he who is polluting it is certainly put to death -- for any who doeth work in it -- that person hath even been cut off from the midst of his people. `Six days is work done, and in the seventh day `is' a sabbath of holy rest to Jehovah; any who doeth work in the sabbath-day is certainly put to death, and the sons of Israel have observed the sabbath; to keep the sabbath to their generations `is' a covenant age-during,
if these things ye have known, happy are ye, if ye may do them;
And he said, `Yea, rather, happy those hearing the word of God, and keeping `it'!'
`Happy are those doing His commands that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of the life, and by the gates they may enter into the city;
And sons of the stranger, who are joined to Jehovah, To serve Him, and to love the name of Jehovah, To be to Him for servants, Every keeper of the sabbath from polluting it, And those keeping hold on My covenant.
`It is' good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.
A highway of the upright `is', `Turn from evil,' Whoso is preserving his soul is watching his way.
The wise is fearing and turning from evil, And a fool is transgressing and is confident.
Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she `is' thy life.
From every evil path I restrained my feet, So that I keep Thy word.
`Aleph.' O the happiness of those perfect in the way, They are walking in the law of Jehovah, O the happiness of those keeping His testimonies, With the whole heart they seek Him. Yea, they have not done iniquity, In His ways they have walked. Thou hast commanded us Thy precepts to keep diligently, O that my ways were prepared to keep Thy statutes,
Turn aside from evil, and do good, and dwell to the age.
Turn aside from evil and do good, Seek peace and pursue it.
A Psalm of David. Jehovah, who doth sojourn in Thy tent? Who doth dwell in Thy holy hill? He who is walking uprightly, And working righteousness, And speaking truth in his heart. He hath not slandered by his tongue, He hath not done to his friend evil; And reproach he hath not lifted up Against his neighbour. Despised in his eyes `is' a rejected one, And those fearing Jehovah he doth honour. He hath sworn to suffer evil, and changeth not; His silver he hath not given in usury, And a bribe against the innocent Hath not taken; Whoso is doing these is not moved to the age!
O the happiness of that one, who Hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked. And in the way of sinners hath not stood, And in the seat of scorners hath not sat; But -- in the law of Jehovah `is' his delight, And in His law he doth meditate by day and by night: And he hath been as a tree, Planted by rivulets of water, That giveth its fruit in its season, And its leaf doth not wither, And all that he doth he causeth to prosper.
And I strive with the freemen of Judah, and say to them, `What `is' this evil thing that ye are doing, and polluting the sabbath-day?
and the seventh day `is' a Sabbath to Jehovah thy God; thou dost not do any work, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy handmaid, and thy cattle, and thy sojourner who is within thy gates, --
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 56
Commentary on Isaiah 56 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 56
After the exceedingly great and precious promises of gospel grace, typified by temporal deliverances, which we had in the foregoing chapter, we have here,
Isa 56:1-2
The scope of these verses is to show that when God is coming towards us in a way of mercy we must go forth to meet him in a way of duty.
Isa 56:3-8
The prophet is here, in God's name, encouraging those that were hearty in joining themselves to God and yet laboured under great discouragements.
Now suitable encouragements are given to each of these.
Isa 56:9-12
From words of comfort the prophet here, by a very sudden change of his style, passes to words of reproof and conviction, and goes on in that strain, for the most part, in the three following chapters; and therefore some here begin a new sermon. He had assured the people that in due time God would deliver them out of captivity, which was designed for the comfort of those that should live when God would do this. Now here he shows what their sins and provocations were, for which God would send them into captivity, and this was designed for the conviction of those that lived in his own time, nearly a hundred years before the captivity, who were now filling up the measure of the nation's sin, and to justify God in what he brought upon them. God will lay them waste by the fierceness of their enemies, for the falseness of their friends.