Isaiah 56:12 Kommentar

After the exceedingly great and precious promises of gospel grace, typified by temporal deliverances, which we had in the foregoing chapter, we have here, I. A solemn charge given to us all to make conscience of our duty, as we hope to have the benefit of those promises (Isa 56:1, Isa 56:2). II. Great encouragement given to strangers that were wiling to come under the bonds of the covenant, assuring them of the blessings of the covenant (Isa 56:3-8). III. A high charge drawn up against the watchmen of Israel, that were careless and unfaithful in the discharge of their duty (Isa 56:9-12), which seems to be the beginning of a new sermon, by way of reproof and threatening, which is continued in the following chapters. And the word of God was intended for conviction, as well as for comfort and instruction in righteousness.

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 56 This chapter contains a prophecy of the conversion of the Gentiles, and their accession to the church, and of the corrupt state of the church afterwards, especially of its rulers, which brought in men comparable to wild beasts to devour. It begins with an exhortation to the duties of judgment and justice, enforced by the nearness of Christ's salvation, and the clear relation of his righteousness in the Gospel, and by the blessedness of the man that does those duties, and lays hold on those blessings, and observes the whole of religion, instituted and moral, Isa 56:1, when encouragement is given to eunuchs, and strangers or Gentiles, sensible and religious persons, to hope for acceptance with God, and that they shall be welcome to his house, with an answer to their objections, and promises of special favours, Isa 56:3 to which is subjoined a promise or prophecy of future additions, both of Jews and Gentiles, to the church of God in the latter day, Isa 56:8 and then follows a call upon some savage people, comparable to wild beasts, to come and devour, which will be previous to the above prophecy, Isa 56:9, the reason of which is the sad corruption of the rulers of the church, their ignorance, negligence, avarice, and drunkenness, Isa 56:10.

Come ye, say they,.... Either to their fellow bishops and priests, when got together, jovially carousing; or to the common people, encouraging them in luxury and intemperance: I will fetch wine; out of his cellar, having good store of it, and that of the best, hence called "priests' wine"; and so, at Paris and Louvain, the Popish priests called their wine "vinum theologicum": and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; fill their bellies and skins full of it till drunken with it; the drunkenness of priests in Popish counties is notorious, which seems here to be taxed and prophesied of: for tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant; the morrow shall be as good, and merry, and jovial a day as this, and better; and we shall have as much wine and strong drink to drink, or more; this they say to encourage their companions to drink, and not spare, and to put away the evil day far from them. The Targum is, "saying, come, let us take wine, and be inebriated with old wine; and our dinner tomorrow shall be better than today, large, very large.'' Next: Isaiah Chapter 57

Come, let us take wine, and be filled with drunkenness, and it shall be as today, so tomorrow, and much more. LXX: Come, let us take wine, and let us become drunk, and let tomorrow be such a great day, even more so. And what follows: Everyone to his own greed, from the greatest to the least: come, let us take wine, and let us fill ourselves with drunkenness, and it will be as today, so also tomorrow, and much more, is not found in the Seventy Interpreters, but is added from the Hebrew, indicated by the shining stars. Finally, no interpreter of the Church has discussed these verses, but they leap and pass over it as if it were an open pit. However, what he says is this, that is, because they have turned away from the way of the Lord, they have followed their own paths. Therefore, greed burns from top to bottom, from leaders to the common people, so that after they have started to strike their fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunkards, they say: Come, let us take wine and be filled with drunkenness. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. And it will be as today, so also tomorrow: and much more (I Corinthians XV, 2). This is what has been said above: They did not know satiety; nor are they satisfied with past pleasure, but they prepare for future delights, much greater than those they had previously enjoyed. If this is said of the leaders of the Jews, because of whom the people were devoured by beasts, let us avoid the examples of the wicked, let us not be drunk with wine, in which there is luxury, nor overwhelmed by pleasures; let us not be silent in speaking, but let us be fierce dogs against our adversaries; rather, let us follow the ways of God rather than our own, and let us heed the Scripture that warns us: Taste and see that the Lord is good (Wisdom I, 1). And again: The best intelligence is for those who do it. And if we were dogs, let us not despair of salvation, hearing the words of the Canaanite woman saying to the Lord: Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table (Matthew XV, 27). For this reason, having obtained mercy, she hears from the Lord: O woman, great is your faith: let it be done to you as you wish. For she could have said with the Prophet: I have run in the way of your commandments (Psalm CXVIII, 32). Again: Lead me on the straight path.

Third, as to pleasure, which pertains to concupiscence of the flesh: come, let us take wine, and it shall be, that is, if today we rejoice in such things, to morrow, much more, above: behold joy and gladness, killing calves, and slaying rams, eating flesh, and drinking wine (Isa 22:13).

Whoever would partake of the blessings of the Gospel is required to be holy in all manner of life and conversation. And he that will be so is declared to be accepted according to this gracious dispensation, the blessings of which are large as the human race, without any respect to persons or to nations, Isa 56:1-8. At the ninth verse begins a different subject, or new section of prophecy. It opens with calling on the enemies of the Jews, (the Chaldeans, or perhaps the Romans), as beasts of prey against them, for the sins of their rulers, teachers, and other profane people among them, whose guilt drew down judgments on the nation, Isa 56:9-12.

I will fetch wine "Let us provide wine" - For אקחה ekchah, first person singular, an ancient MS. has נקחה nikchah, first person plural; and another ancient MS. has אק ak upon a rasure. So the Syriac, Chaldee, and Vulgate render it. The spirit of this Epicurean sentiment is this: Let us indulge ourselves in the present time to the utmost, and instead of any gloomy forebodings of the future, let us expect nothing but increasing hilarity for every day we shall live. Thus they, "Counting on long years of pleasure here, Are quite unfurnished for the world to come."

THE PREPARATION NEEDED ON THE PART OF THOSE WHO WISH TO BE ADMITTED TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. (Isa 56:1-12) judgment--equity. John the Baptist preached similarly a return to righteousness, as needed to prepare men for Messiah's first coming (Luk 3:3, Luk 3:8-14). So it shall be before the second coming (Mal 4:4-6). near to come-- (Mat 3:2; Mat 4:17), also as to the second coming (Isa 62:10-11; Luk 21:28, Luk 21:31; Rom 13:11-12; Heb 10:25). righteousness--answering to "salvation" in the parallel clause; therefore it means righteousness which bringeth salvation (Isa 46:13; Rom 3:25-26).

fetch wine--language of the national teachers challenging one another to drink. BARNES translates, "I will take another cup" (Isa 5:11). to-morrow, &c.--Their self-indulgence was habitual and intentional: not merely they drink, but they mean to continue so. In the midst of the excesses of the unfaithful watchmen (Isa 56:10-12), most of the few that are godly perish: partly by vexation at the prevailing ungodliness; partly by violent death in persecution: prophetical of the persecuting times of Manasseh, before God's judgments in causing the captivity in Babylon; and again those in the last age of the Church, before the final judgments on the apostasy (Kg2 21:16; Mat 23:29-35, Mat 23:37; Rev 11:17). The Hebrew for "perisheth," and "is taken away," expresses a violent death (Mic 7:2). Next: Isaiah Chapter 57

An office-bearer of the kind described is now introduced per mimesin as speaking. "Come here, I will fetch wine, and let us drink meth; and tomorrow shall be like today, great, excessively abundant." He gives a banquet, and promises the guests that the revelry shall be as great tomorrow as today, or rather much more glorious. מחר יום is the day of tomorrow, τὸ ἐπαύριον, for mâchâr is always without an article; hence et fiet uti hic (dies) dies crastinus, viz., magnus supra modum valde. יתר, or יתר (as it is to be pointed here according to Kimchi, Michlol 167b, and Wrterbuch), signifies superabundance; it is used here adverbially in the sense of extra-ordinarily, beyond all bounds (differing therefore from יותר, "more," or "singularly," in the book of Ecclesiastes).