ISAIAH 66 COMMENTARY

EDITED BY GLENN PEASE

Judgment and Hope

1 This is what the LORD says:

Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool.

Where is the house you will build for me?

Where will my resting place be?

1.BARNES, The heaven is my throne - (See the notes at Isa_57:15). Here he is represented as having his seat or throne there. He speaks as a king. heaven is the place where he holds his court; from where he dispenses his commands; and from where he surveys all his works (compare 2Ch_6:18; Mat_5:34). The idea here is, that as God dwelt in the vast and distant heavens, no house that could be built on earth could be magnificent enough to be his abode.

The earth is my footstool - A footstool is that which is placed under the feet when we sit. The idea here is, that God was so glorious that even the earth itself could be regarded only as his footstool. It is probable that the Saviour had this passage in his eye in his declaration in the sermon on the mount, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is Gods throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool Mat_5:34-35.

Where is the house that ye build unto me? - What house can you build that will be an appropriate dwelling for him who fills heaven and earth? The same idea, substantially, was expressed by Solomon when he dedicated the temple: But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! 1Ki_8:27. Substantially the same thought is found in the address of Paul at Athens: God, that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands Act_17:24.

And where is the place of my rest? - It has already been intimated (in the analysis) that this refers probably to the time subsequent to the captivity. Lowth supposes that it refers to the time of the rebuilding of the temple by Herod. So also Vitringa understands it, and supposes that it refers to the pride and self-confidence of those who then imagined that they were rearing a structure that was worthy of being a dwelling-place of Yahweh. Grotius supposes that it refers to the time of the Maccabees, and that it was designed to give consolation to the pious of those times when they were about to witness the profanation of the temple by Antiochus, and the

cessation of the sacrifices for three years and a half. God therefore shows, says he, that there was no reason why they should be offended in this thing. The most acceptable temple to him was a pious mind; and from that the value of all sacrifices was to be estimated. Abarbanel supposes that it refers to the times of redemption.

His words are these: I greatly wonder at the words of the learned interpreting this prophecy, when they say that the prophet in this accuses the people of his own time on account of sacrifices offered with impure hands, for lo! all these prophecies which the prophet utters in the end of his book have respect to future redemption. See Vitringa. That it refers to some future time when the temple should be rebuilt seems to me to be evident. But what precise period it refers to - whether to times not far succeeding the captivity, or to the times of the Maccabees, or to the time of the rebuilding of the temple by Herod, it is difficult to find any data by which we can determine. From the whole strain of the prophecy, and particularly from Isa_66:3-5, it seems probable that it refers to the time when the temple which Herod had reared was finishing; when the nation was full of pride, self-righteousness, and hypocrisy; and when all sacrifices were about to be superseded by the one great sacrifice which the Messiah was to make for the sins of the world. At that time, God says that the spirit which would be evinced by the nation would be abominable in his sight; and to offer sacrifice then, and with the spirit which they would manifest, would be as offensive as murder or the sacrifice of a dog (see the notes at Isa_66:3).

2. WESLEY, Zion's sake - Zion and Jerusalem are both put for the church, Hebrews 12:22 . My peace

- These seem to be the words of the prophet strongly resolving, notwithstanding all difficulties, to solicit

God for the church's happiness, and constantly excite to the belief of it by his preaching, though it were

long before it came, for Isaiah lived near two hundred years before this was accomplished.

Righteousness - With reference to the Babylonians, understand it of the righteousness of God, who hath

promised his people deliverance, and he must be righteous, and so understand salvation before; or

rather, the vindicating of his people's cause in the eyes of the nations by the ruin of the Babylonians; he

will shew that his people have a righteous cause. Lamp - And to that purpose is set up where it may be

seen continually, to signify how eminently conspicuous this prosperous estate of the church should be

among the nations, and as it may particularly relate to revealing of Christ unto the world.

3. GILL, Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne,.... The third heaven, the heaven of heavens, where angels and glorified saints are, and some in bodies, as Enoch and Elijah, and where now Christ is in human nature; this is the seat of the divine Majesty, where he in a most illustrious manner displays his glory; and therefore we are to look upwards to God in heaven, and direct all our devotion to him there, and not imagine that he dwells in temples made with hands; or is confined to any place, and much less to any on earth, as the temple at Jerusalem, the Jews boasted of, and trusted in; and which were the unworthy notions they had of God in the times of Christ and his disciples; to confute which these words are here said, and for this purpose are quoted and applied by Stephen, Act_7:48. See Gill on Act_7:48, Act_7:49, Act_7:50,

and the earth is my footstool: on which he treads, is below him, subject to him, and at his dispose; and therefore is not limited to any part of it, or included in any place in it; though he for a while condescended to make the cherubim his throne, and the ark his footstool, in the most holy place in the temple; which were all figurative of other and better things, and so no more used: where is the house that ye build unto me? what house can be built for such an immense Being? and how needless as well as fruitless is it to attempt it? where can a place be found to build one in, since the heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool? and therefore, if any place, it must be some that is without them both, and that can hold both; but what space can be conceived of that can contain such a throne and footstool, and much less him that sits thereon? see 1Ki_8:27, and where is the place of my rest? for God to take up his rest and residence in, as a man does in his house? no such place can be found for him, nor does he need any; indeed the temple was built for an house of rest for the ark of the Lord, which before was moved from place to place; but then this was merely typical of the church, which God has chosen for his rest, and where he will dwell, as well as of heaven, the resting place of his people with him to all eternity; no place on earth is either his rest or theirs.

4. HENRY, Here, I. The temple is slighted in comparison with a gracious soul, Isa_66:1, Isa_66:2. The Jews in the prophet's time, and afterwards in Christ's time, gloried much in the temple and promised themselves great things from it; to humble them therefore, and to shake their vain confidence, both the prophets and Christ foretold the ruin of the temple, that God would leave it and then it would soon be desolate. After it was destroyed by the Chaldeans it soon recovered itself and the ceremonial services were revived with it; but by the Romans it was made a perpetual desolation, and the ceremonial law was abolished with it. That the world might be prepared for this, they were often told, as here, of what little account the temple was with God. 1. That he did not need it. Heaven is the throne of his glory and government; there he sits, infinitely exalted in the highest dignity and dominion, above all blessing and praise. The earth is his footstool, on which he stands, over-ruling all the affairs of it according to his will. If God has so bright a throne, so large a footstool, where then is the house they can build unto God, that can be the residence of his glory, or where is the place of his rest? What satisfaction can the Eternal Mind take in a house made with men's hands? What occasion has he, as we have, for a house to repose himself in, who faints not neither is weary, who neither slumbers nor sleeps? Or, if he had occasion, he would not tell us (Psa_50:12), for all these things hath his hand made, heaven and all its courts, earth and all its borders, and all the hosts of both. All these things have been, have had their beginning, by the power of God, who was happy from eternity before they were, and therefore could not be benefited by them. All these things are (so some read it); they still continue, upheld by the same power that made them; so that our goodness extends not to him. If he required a house for himself to dwell in, he would have made one himself when he made the world; and, if he had made one, it would have continued to this day, as other creatures do, according to his ordinance; so that he had no need of a temple made with hands. 2. That he would not heed it as he would a humble, penitent, gracious heart. He has a heaven and earth of his own making, and a temple of man's making; but he overlooks them all, that he may look with favour to him that is poor in spirit, humble and serious, self-abasing and self-denying, whose heart is truly contrite for sin, penitent for it, and in pain to get it pardoned, and who trembles at God's word, not as Felix did, with a transient qualm that was over when the sermon was done, but with an habitual awe of God's majesty and purity and an habitual

dread of his justice and wrath. Such a heart is a living temple for God; he dwells there, and it is the place of his rest; it is like heaven and earth, his throne and his footstool.

5. JAMISON, Isa_66:1-24. The humble comforted, the ungodly condemned, at the Lords appearing: Jerusalem made a joy on earth.

This closing chapter is the summary of Isaiahs prophecies as to the last days, hence the similarity of its sentiments with what went before.

heaven ... throne ... where is ... house ... ye build The same sentiment is expressed, as a precautionary proviso for the majesty of God in deigning to own any earthly temple as His, as if He could be circumscribed by space (1Ki_8:27) in inaugurating the temple of stone; next, as to the temple of the Holy Ghost (Act_7:48, Act_7:49); lastly here, as to the tabernacle of God with men (Isa_2:2, Isa_2:3; Eze_43:4, Eze_43:7; Rev_21:3).

where rather, what is this house that ye are building, etc. what place is this for My rest? [Vitringa].

6. K&D, Although the note on which this prophecy opens is a different one from any that has yet been struck, there are many points in which it coincides with the preceding prophecy. For not only is Isa_65:12 repeated here in Isa_66:4, but the sharp line of demarcation drawn in chapter 65, between the servants of Jehovah and the worldly majority of the nation with reference to the approaching return to the Holy Land, is continued here. As the idea of their return is associated immediately with that of the erection of a new temple, there is nothing at all to surprise us, after what we have read in Isa_65:8., in the fact that Jehovah expresses His abhorrence at the thought of having a temple built by the Israel of the captivity, as the majority then were, and does so in such words as those which follow in Isa_66:1-4 : Thus saith Jehovah: The heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What kind of house is it that ye would build me, and what kind of place for my rest? My hand hath made all these things; then all these thing arose, saith Jehovah; and at such persons do I look, at the miserable and broken-hearted, and him that trembleth at my word. He that slaughtereth the ox is the slayer of a man; he that sacrificeth the sheep is a strangler of dogs; he that offereth a meat-offering, it is swine's blood; he that causeth incense to rise up in smoke, blesseth idols. As they have chosen their ways, and their soul cheriseth pleasure in their abominations; so will I choose their ill-treatments, and bring their terrors upon them, because I called and no one replied, I spake and they did not hear, and they did evil in mine eyes, and chose that in which I took no pleasure." Hitzig is of opinion that the author has broken off here, and proceeds quite unexpectedly to denounce the intention to build a temple for Jehovah. Those who wish to build he imagines to be those who have made up their minds to stay behind in Chaldea, and who, whilst their brethren who have returned to their native land are preparing to build a temple there, want to have one of their own, just as the Jews in Egypt built one for themselves in Leontopolis. Without some such supposition as this, Hitzig thinks it altogether impossible to discover the thread which connects the different vv. together. This view is at any rate better than that of Umbreit, who imagines that the prophet places us here on the loftiest spiritual height of the Christian development. In the new Jerusalem, he says, there will be no temple seen, nor any sacrifice; Jehovah forbids these in the strongest terms, regarding them as equivalent to mortal sins. But the prophet, if this were his meaning, would involve himself in self-contradiction, inasmuch as, according to Isa_56:1-12 and 60, there will be a temple in the new Jerusalem with perpetual sacrifice, which this prophecy also presupposes in Isa_66:20. (cf., Isa_66:6); and secondly, he would contradict other prophets, such as Ezekiel and Zechariah, and the spirit of the Old

Testament generally, in which the statement, that whoever slaughters a sacrificial animal in the new Jerusalem will be as bad as a murderer, has no parallel, and is in fact absolutely impossible. According to Hitzig's view, on the other hand, v. 3a affirms, that the worship which they would be bound to perform in their projected temple would be an abomination to Jehovah, however thoroughly it might be made to conform to the Mosaic ritual. But there is nothing in the text to sustain the idea, that there is any intention here to condemn the building of a temple to Jehovah in Chaldaea, nor is such an explanation by any means necessary to make the text clear. The condemnation on the part of Jehovah has reference to the temple, which the returning exiles intend to build in Jerusalem. The prophecy is addressed to the entire body now ready to return, and says to the whole without exception, that Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth, does not stand in need of any house erected by human hands, and then proceeds to separate the penitent from those that are at enmity against God, rejects in the most scornful manner all offerings in the form of worship on the part of the latter, and threatens them with divine retribution, having dropped in Isa_66:3-4 the form of address to the entire body. Just as in the Psalm of Asaph (Ps 50) Jehovah refuses animal and other material offerings as such, because the whole of the animal world, the earth and the fulness thereof, are His possession, so here He addresses this question to the entire body of the exiles: What kind of house is there that ye could build, that would be worthy of me, and what kind of place that would be worthy of being assigned to me as

a resting-place? On maqom menuchath, locus qui sit requies mea (apposition instead of genitive connection). He needs no temple; for heaven is His throne, and the earth His footstool. He is the Being who filleth all, the Creator, and therefore the possessor, of the universe; and if men think to do Him a service by building Him a temple, and forget His infinite majesty in their concern for their own contemptible fabric, He wants to temple at all. All these refer, as if pointing with

the finger, to the world of visible objects that surround us. (from , existere, fieri) is used

in the same sense as the which followed the creative . In this His exaltation He is not

concerned about a temple; but His gracious look is fixed upon the man who is as follows (zeh pointing forwards as in Isa_58:6), viz., upon the mourner, the man of broken heart, who is filled with reverential awe at the word of His revelation.

We may see from Psa_51:9 what the link of connection is between Isa_66:2 and Isa_66:3. So far as the mass of the exiles were concerned, who had not been humbled by their sufferings, and whom the preaching of the prophet could not bring to reflection, He did not want any temple or sacrifice from them. The sacrificial acts, to which such detestable predicates are here applied, are such as end with the merely external act, whilst the inward feelings of the person presenting the sacrifice are altogether opposed to the idea of both the animal sacrifice and the meat-offering, more especially to that desire for salvation which was symbolized in all the sacrifices; in

other words, they are sacrificial acts regarded as , the lifeless works of men spiritually

dead. The articles of hasshor and hasseh are used as generic with reference to sacrificial animals.

The slaughter of an ox was like the slaying (makkeh construct with tzere) of a man (for the

association of ideas, see Gen_49:6); the sacrifice (zobhea#ch like shachat is sometimes applied to slaughtering for the purpose of eating; here, however, it refers to an animal prepared for Jehovah) of a sheep like the strangling of a dog, that unclean animal (for the association of

ideas, see Job_30:1); the offerer up (meoleh) of a meat-offering (like one who offered up) swine's blood, i.e., as if he was offering up the blood of this most unclean animal upon the altar; he who

offered incense as an 'azkarah (see at Isa_1:13) like one who blessed 'aven, i.e., godlessness, used here as in 1Sa_15:23, and also in Hosea in the change of the name of Bethel into Beth 'Aven, for idolatry, or rather in a concrete sense for the worthless idols themselves, all of which, according

to Isa_41:29, are nothing but 'aven. Rosenmller, Gesenius, Hitzig, Stier, and even Jerome, have all correctly rendered it in this way, as if he blessed an idol (quasi qui benedicat idolo); and Vitringa, cultum exhibens vano numini (offering worship to a vain god). Such explanations as that of Luther, on the other hand, viz., as if he praised that which was wrong, are opposed to

the antithesis, and also to the presumption of a concrete object to (blessing); whilst that of

Knobel, praising vainly ('aven being taken as an acc. Adv.), yields too tame an antithesis, and is at variance with the usage of the language. In this condemnation of the ritual acts of worship, the closing prophecy of the book of Isaiah coincides with the first (Isa_1:11-15). But that it is not sacrifices in themselves that are rejected, but the sacrifices of those whose hearts are divided between Jehovah and idols, and who refuse to offer to Him the sacrifice that is dearest to Him (Psa_51:19, cf., Psa_50:23), is evident from the correlative double-sentence that follows in Isa_66:3 and Isa_66:4, which is divided into two masoretic verses, as the only means of

securing symmetry. Gam ... gam, which means in other cases, both ... and also, or in negative sentences neither ... nor, means here, as in Jer_51:12, as assuredly the one as the other, in other words, as ... so. They have chosen their own ways, which are far away from those of Jehovah, and their soul has taken pleasure, not in the worship of Jehovah, but in all kinds of

heathen abominations (shiqqutsehem, as in many other places, after Deu_29:16); therefore Jehovah wants no temple built by them or with their co-operation, nor any restoration of

sacrificial worship at their hands. But according to the law of retribution, He chooses thaa#lule

hem, vexationes eorum (lxx 0 45: see at Isa_3:4), with the suffix of the object: fates that will use them ill, and brings their terrors upon them, i.e., such a condition of life as

will inspire them with terror (meguroth, as in Psa_34:5).

7. BI, The eternal blessedness of the true Israel; the doom of the apostates

This chapter continues the antithesis that runs through chap. 65., carrying it onward to its eschatological issues. The connection of ideas is frequently extremely difficult to trace, and no two cities are agreed as to where the different sections begin and end. (Prof. J. Skinner, D. D.)

Temple building

Hitzig thinks (and with him Knobel, Hendewerk) that the author here begins quite abruptly to oppose the purpose of building a temple to Jehovah; the builders are those who meditated remaining behind in Chaldea, and wished also to have a temple, as the Jews in Egypt, at a later time, built one in Leontopolis. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)

The offerings of the impenitent offensive to God

The address, directed to the entire body ready to return, says without distinction that Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth, needs no house made by mens hands; then in the entire body distinguishes between the penitent and those alienated from God, rejects all worship and offering at the hand of the latter, and threatens them with just retribution. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)

The inward and spiritual preferred by God to the outward and material

[These great words] are a declaration, spoken probably in view of the approaching restoration of the temple (which, in itself, the prophet entirely approves, Isa_44:28, and expects, Isa_56:7; Isa_55:7; Isa_62:9),reminding the Jews of the truth which a visible temple might readily lead them to forget, that no earthly habitation could be really adequate to Jehovahs majesty, and that Jehovahs regard was not to be won by the magnificence of a material temple, but by humility and the devotion of the heart. How needful the warning was history shows. Jeremiah (Jer_7:1-15) argues at length against those who pointed, with a proud sense of assurance, to the massive pile of buildings that crowned the height of Zion, heedless of the moral duties which loyalty to the King, whose residence it was, implied. And at a yet more critical moment in their history, attachment to the temple, as such, was one of the causes which incapacitated the Jews from appropriating the more spiritual teaching of Christ: the charge brought against Stephen (Act_6:13-14)is that he ceased not to speak words against this holy place and the law; and, the argument of Stephens defence (Act_7:1-60.) is just to show that in the past Gods favour had not been limited to the period during which the temple of Zion existed. Here, then, the prophet seizes the occasion to insist upon the necessity of a spiritual service, passing on (verses 3-5) to denounce, in particular, certain superstitious usages which had apparently, at the time, infected the worship of Jehovah. (Prof. S. R. Driver, D. D.)

The inwardness of religion

1. The tendency to make religion consist in external actions, apart from the inward dispositions which should accompany them, is very common. The reason for this is discovered from the fact that outward actions are easier than inward. It is easier, for instance, to become outwardly poor than to become poor in spirit; easier to adore with the body than to worship with the soul. The tendency is observable in all dispensations. For instance, whatever other differences there may have been between the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, we are expressly told that it was by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice (Heb_11:4). The outward act was linked with the right inward disposition. So, again, in the time of the Levitical Law, the tendency often manifested itself to put ceremonial above moral obligations (Psa_1:1-6.). And Isaiah, in his first chapter (verses 11-18), shows how an outward service, without the putting away of evil, is an abomination to God. In the same way our Lord condemned the Pharisees Mat_15:8).

2. This closing prophecy of Isaiah seems to contain a warning against formalism. It is not that the outward is unimportant, for this would be to run from one extreme to the other, but that the outward will not avail. The return of Israel from captivity will be followed by the building of a new temple, as the event has shown; and the warning of the text is twofoldone, to remind the Israelites that Jehovah had no need of a temple; the other, to impress them with a truth they were very apt to forget, that religion must be a matter of the heart.

I. A REVELATION OF GOD. Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.

1. These words, or the substance of them, are again and again repeated in Holy Scripture (1Ki_8:27; Mat_5:34; Act_7:49). Repetitions in the Bible show the importance of a truth, or our difficulty in remembering it.

2. What is the truth? That God is incomprehensible. He is everywhere and cannot be localized (Jer_23:24). There is nowhere where Cods power and essence and presence do not reach. He knows no limit of space or time, of knowledge or love.

II. THE REFERENCE TO THE EXTERNAL TEMPLE. Where is the house that ye build unto Me?

1. These words are not intended to deter Israel from building a material temple when they had returned to their own land. The prophet would be contradicting himself (Isa_56:5-7; Isa_60:7); and he would be running counter to the solemn injunctions of other prophets, such as Haggai and Zechariah, who were in part raised up by God to further the work of building the temple. What the words are intended to rebuke is the falseness of the ideas that God requires a temple, and that His presence can be restricted to its walls. God does not need a temple, but we do. In heaven there will be no necessity for any temple (Rev_21:22), where the glory of God and of the Lamb floods with its radiance the whole place.

2. Here the church, with its sacred objects and associations, appeals to us and excites our devotion; here in the sacred place there is a distinct promise to prayer; here God acts upon us, and we upon God, through prescribed ordinances; here He promises to be present in some especial manner; here we act upon one another, and kindle fervour, and therefore must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together in the house of Heb_10:25).

III. BUT THE TEXT ALLUDES TO THE INTERNAL TEMPLETHE DISPOSITIONS OF THE SOUL OF THE WORSHIPPER, WHICH ATTRACT THE FAVOUR OF GOD. To this man will I look,. . . who is poor,. . . contrite, and who trembleth at My word.

1. Poor, not merely outwardly, but poor in spirit (Psa_138:6). The man who at all realizes the Divine majesty will have a sense of his own nothingness.

2. Of a contrite spirit. A perception of the Divine holiness brings self-humiliation by force of contrast (Job_42:6).

3. Trembleth at My word. Fear is ever an element of the spirit of worship. A sense of the Divine justice and judgments fills the soul with awe in approaching God. The Word or revelation of God is received, not in the spirit of criticism, but with reverence and godly fear.

IV. LESSONS.

1. The remembrance of the all-pervading presence of God should be a deterrent from evil, and an incentive to good.

2. The obligation of regularity in attendance at Divine worship ought to be insisted upon, both as a recognition of God and our relations with Him, and for the sake of the subjective effects on human character.

3. But outward worship is of no avail without inward. There are tests, in the text, of the presence of the spirit of worshiplowliness, contrition, and awe, as products of the realization of Gods presence and perfections. (The Thinker.)

Gods elevation and condescension

1. The subject of remarkGod Himself. Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, the earth is My footstool. The attention is turned simply to GodHis grandeur, His magnificence, His immensity, His omnipresence. He abides in heaven, He puts the earth under His feet.

2. The manner in which the remark about God is conducted, is that of a kind of contrast betwixt Him and men. Where is the house that ye build unto Me, and where is the place of My rest? God is unlike man. He challenges any comparison. The heaven, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain Him. Ancient kings aimed often to Impress their subjects with an idea of their magnificence, and surrounded themselves with a solemn and salutary awe, by rearing palaces of the most imposing splendour and magnificence. They wished to overawe the multitude. On this ground, God Himself, seems to have ordered the unequalled grandeur

of the ancient temple. But in doing it, He took care that its dazzling beauty and stateliness should only be an aid, a stepping-stone, to assist the imagination in its upward reach towards the grandeur of God. In the prayer of the dedication, Solomons devotion soars infinitely above the temple.

Here, the majesty of God, and the littleness of man, stand side by side. After mentioning the earth and the heaven, God says, All these things hath My hand made.

3. But yet, lest dread should too much terrify the worshipper, or a high and just idea of Gods infinite majesty lead the humble into the error of supposing that such an august Being would not regard such an insignificant creature as man, he adds, To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word. A turn of thought well worthy of our admiration. A contrite sinner has nothing to fear from God. His very majesty need not terrify him. Indeed, His majesty constitutes the very ground for his encouragement. It can condescend. Just as much does the King of kings and Lord of lords glorify Himself, when He consoles, by the whisperings of His Spirit, the poorest and most unworthy sinner that ever felt the pangs of a bruised heart, as when He thunders in the heavens as the most High, and gives His voice, hail-stones and coals of fire. With this idea, sinners should-approach Him and meditate His grandeur. (I. S. Spencer, D. D.)

The magnificence of God

I. THE STYLE OF THE TEXT. God speaks of Himself. The heaven is My throne, the earth is My footstool. This style of religious address is especially common in the Scriptures (Psa_137:1-9.; Job_11:7-8; Job_26:6-14; Isa_40:1-31.). These passages all speak of God in a style which we cannot attempt to analyze. Their aim appears to be twofold.

1. To lead us to make the idea of God Himself the leading idea in religion.

2. To have this idea, which we are to entertain about God, an idea of the utmost grandeur, of the most amazing magnificence, and solemn sublimity.

II. THE DESIGN IN VIEW CANNOT EASILY BE MISTAKEN. They would give us just ideas of God. The impression they aim to make is simply this, that God is incomparably and inconceivably above usan infinite and awful mystery!

III. THE NECESSITY OF THIS MAY EXIST OH DIFFERENT GROUNDS.

1. Our littleness. In the nature of the case, there can be no comparison betwixt man and God. All is contrastan infinite contrast.

2. Our sinfulness. Sin never exists aside from the minds losing a just impression of the Deity; and wherever it exists, there is a tendency to cleave to low and unworthy ideas of Him.

3. Our materiality, the connection of our minds with material and gross bodies. This connection renders it difficult for us to soar beyond matter. We are in danger of introducing the imperfections of our existence into our religion, even into our ideas of God. Consequently, when God speaks to us of Himself, He speaks in a manner designed to guard us from error. He says to us, The heaven is ,My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house ye build unto Me? We are limited to the world. We cannot get foothold anywhere else. We are circumscribed within very narrow limits. But God asks, Where is the place of My rest? He would elevate our conceptions of Him beyond matter, out of the reach of its bounds.

4. The nature of God. Man is only a creature. He owes his existence to a cause without him. That cause still rules him. That cause allows him to know but little, and often drops the veil

of an impenetrable darkness before his eyes just at the point, the very point, where he is most desirous to look further, and it drops the veil there, in order to do him the twofold office of convincing him of the grandeur of God and his own littleness, and of compelling him, under the influence of those convictions, to turn back to a light which concerns him more than the darkness beyond the veil can, to a light where are wrapped up the duties and interests of his immortal soul. God would repress his curiosity, and make him use his conscience. Therefore, He makes darkness preach to him.

IV. APPLICATION.

1. Let us be admonished to approach the study of religion with a solemnity of mind which belongs to it. It is the study of God. The voice comes from the burning bush, Draw not nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the ground whereon thou standest is holy ground. How unlike all other subjects is religion! How differently we should approach it!

2. This mode in which God teaches usthis grandeur and magnificence which belong to Himought to remove a very common difficulty from our minds, and prepare us to receive in faith, those deep and dark doctrines, whose mystery is so apt to stagger us. What can we expect?

3. Since God is so vast a being, how deep should be our humility!

4. How deep should be our homage.!

5. The greatness of God should gauge the depth of our repentance. Our sin is against Him.

6. The greatness of God should invite our faith. If God be for us, who can be against us?

7. The magnificence of God should be a motive to our service. He is able to turn our smallest services to an infinite account.

8. The greatness of God ought to encourage the timid. Because He is great, His regard reaches to every one of your annoyances. Your enemies cannot hurt you.

9. The grandeur of God ought to rebuke our reliance upon creatures. (I. S. Spencer, D. D.)

What God does not, and what He does, regard

I. WHAT THE LORD DOES NOT REGARD. He speaks quite slightingly of this great building. But is it not said elsewhere that the Lord loved the courts of Zion? Did He not expressly tell King Solomon when his temple was completed, Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be on it perpetually? He did; but in what sense are we to understand those words? Not that He delighted in the grandeur of the house, but in as much of spiritual worship as was rendered there. The temple itself was no otherwise well pleasing to Him than as it was raised in obedience to His orders, and as it served, in its fashion and its furniture, for an example and a shadow of heavenly things; but the Lord loved the gates of Zion because the prayers of Zion were presented there. He points out to us two thingsHis throne, and His footstool! and then He leaves it to ourselves to say whether any building man can raise to Him can be considerable in His eyes.

II. Hear from the Lords own lips THE DESCRIPTION OF THE MAN WHO DRAWS HIS EYE. To this man, etc.

1. The sort of character described.

(1) He is poorhumble towards God. He is humble, too, towards his fellow-creatures; carrying himself meekly towards all men, and in lowliness of mind, esteeming others

better than himself. He is slow to wrathpatient under provocationanxious not to be overcome of evil but rather to overcome evil with good.

(2) Another quality which marks the man to whom the Lord looks is contrition.

(3) He trembleth at My word. But what kind of trembling is meant? Felix trembled at Gods word; and many a wicked man from his days to the present has trembled at it also. And yet it has been but a momentary panga sudden fright that has come over them, but which they have soonlaughed off again. Now it is certainly not this sort of trembling which the Lord regards. The man who trembleth at Gods word is one who entertains a deep and abiding reverence for every word which hath proceeded from Gods lips.

2. What does the Lord mean when He saith, To this man will I look? He evidently means, To this man will I look with an eye of notice and regard. The Lords favourable look, be it remembered, is quite another thing from mans; there is help, and comfort, and support conveyed by it Isa_57:15). The Lord but looked on Gideon, and Gideon, weak before, was wonderfully strengthened (Jdg_6:14). (A. Roberts, M. A.)

Gods greater glory

Here are described two phases of the Divine greatness, one material, and the other moral; the superiority of the latter being clearly implied.

I. THE MATERIAL GREATNESS OF GOD. Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Here God represents Himself as a mighty potentate, leaving us to infer the measure of His kingly glory and the extent of His dominion from these two thingsHis throne and His footstool. Thus the glory of the whole is indicated by the glory of the part.

1. The throne. We must note carefully the full extent and purport of the figure, The heaven is My throne. It is not that the heaven is the place of His throne, but that the heaven is itself the throne. The conception, bold as it is, strikingly agrees with another figure used by inspiration to set forth the transcendent majesty of God, Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee. The figure is a bold one. The human imagination, daring as its flights often are, could never have conceived it. It is purely a Divine conception, and the text is careful to say so, Thus saith the Lord.

2. His footstool. The earth. We know very little of the heaven. We know a great deal about the earth. Men have taken its dimensions, explored its resources, and discovered its glories. Yet this magnificent object is but His footstool. The footstool is the humblest article of furniture in the household; so needless is it deemed that thousands of houses dispense with it altogether. Others easily convert the thing nearest to hand into a footstool, as occasion may require. Nevertheless, some have expended no little skill and expense upon the construction even of footstools. There is preserved as a relic in Windsor Castle such an article, once belonging to the renowned Hindoo prince, Tippoo Sahib. It is in the form of a bears head, carved in ivory, with a tongue of gold, teeth of crystal, and its eyes a pair of rubies. This article is adjudged worth 10,000. It is after all but a footstool. If Tippoo Sahibs footstool were so magnificent, what must have been the splendour of his throne! Yet, were all the thrones of the world collected together into one vast pile, they would form but a heap of rubbish as compared with Gods footstool.

II. THE TEXT PRESENTS US WITH ANOTHER PHASE OF HIS GLORYTHE MORAL, WHICH IS ALSO HIS GREATER GLORY. But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word. What a contrast we have presented to us here. God, the Mighty Potentate, from the height of His heavenly throne, looking down with

yearning, compassionate regard upon such objects as are here described, the very dust of His footstool. There is a moral grandeur in this far transcending the power of language to describe. In order to appreciate fully the beauty and glory of this act, we must notice particularly the characters which are its special objects. They are described as those who are poor and are of a contrite spirit, and that tremble at His word. These several expressions do not describe one and the same condition. They indicate three distinct and progressive stages of spiritual experience.

1. Destitution. Poor. It is not physical poverty that is meant, for the wealthiest, those who abound most in worldly possessions, are equally with the most destitute in the condition here indicated by the term poor. It describes a spiritual conditionthe spiritual poverty into which all men are reduced through sinthe wretched, the miserable, the oppressed of sin and guiltthe poor in the sense of being without hope, destitute of true peace and happiness.

2. The second stage indicated is one of convictionthe misery becoming a felt fact. And of a contrite spirit. In these words we have indicated that condition of the mind when the all-crushing fact of its poverty and wretchedness has come home with overwhelming conviction.

3. The third stage is one of hope. Trembleth at My word. God, out of the infinite depth of His compassion, hath spoken to this poor, wretched, sin-convicted creature, and the word spoken is a word of hope. The trembling at the word does not mean regarding it with fear, terror, or dismay, but solemnly, feelingly, and trustingly. It is the trembling of gratitude and of an awakened hopean exquisite thrill of gratitude piercing the whole soul, causing it to vibrate with responsive joy to the message of hope. This wonderful condescension of God in relation to sinful men is His greater glory, it redounds to His honour far more than His conversion of the heavens into His throne and of the earth into His footstool. (A. J. Parry.)

Worship and ritual

The desire for Divine communion has ever been strong in man. This desire was originated by God Himself. If not from God, whence could it come? We have no right to suppose it to be self-originated. That finite man should conceive an infinite Deity is an incredible supposition, for, to use the words of Pascal, the infinite God is infinitely inconceivable. The manner in which God has thus revealed Himself in response to the passionate desire which He originated in man is a study fraught with a singular interest. He made Himself known to our first parents in Edens garden, and in our first Scriptures we have several examples recorded of revelations made by Him after the banishment to the fathers of our race. By tradition these revelations were spread throughout the earth, and so we find the earliest religious faiths of our world abounding in sublime truths. But He specially revealed Himself to a chosen people. Israel lived under the very shadow of Jehovah, for God dwelt in that temple ann specially manifested His presence in it. But that presence did not restrain the people from rebellion. When not open followers of the idolatries of the surrounding nations, they left worship for ritual and forsook God for observances, and so made that temple to be at once their glory and their shame. It was at such time as this that the words of our text were uttered. Thus are we taught that Divine worship is not material, but spiritual, and that the habitation of God is not the building, but the soul.

I. THE NATURE OF THE BEING WHOM WE WORSHIP. Our text brings before as His omnipresence. He is in heaven, and He is on earth. We have a revelation also of the Divine omnipotence. Not only is He in heaven, not only is He on earth, but He has a throne. Of course the one includes the other. If He be the omnipresent One, He is also the omnipotent One. That which is Infinite must be Absolute. We, however, distinguish, so as to obtain clearer

conceptions. We are in danger of supposing that amidst all this vastness we can be but of little consequence. But mind is greater than matter, and such ideas immediately vanish when we remember that the vastest material substance can never outweigh a holy thought, a feeling of devotion, a thrill of love. The man who can tell the motions of the stars is greater than the stars. And thus looking at the question, what shall we say of that man in whom God dwells? He who lives in a palace is greater than the palace, no matter how gorgeous it may be; and in the presence of a holy man the whole material creation is dwarfed into nothingness.

II. THE NATURE OF THAT WORSHIP WHICH THIS GREAT GOD REQUIRES. It must be something more than outward. Of all ceremonialism the Jewish was the most gorgeous. It was also of Divine appointing. The temple was built according to Divine plan and under Divine direction. The services were divinely commanded. The priests belonged to a Divinely set apart; tribe. Tokens of the Divine presence were given. But although this ceremonial was thus gorgeous, and of Divine appointment, yet God rejected it so soon as it lost its spiritual significance. All true religion begins in poverty of spirit. There must be a sense of natural defect and a consciousness of our own inability either to atone for the past or to deliver in the future. And with this poverty of spirit there must be contriteness. The heart needs to be broken before it can be bound up. (Allan Rees.)

A transcendent existence and a transcendent doctrine

I. AN EXISTENCE THAT STANDS IN CONTRAST WITH ALL THAT IS CREATED.

1. Here is an omnipresent Existence. One whose throne is heaven, whose footstool is earth, and to whom all places are alike. One who fills heaven and earth, not merely with His influence, but with His actual presence, as much at all times in one point of space as in another. The incommensurable One, not only everywhere, as the pantheists teach, as a substance, but everywhere as a Personality, free, conscious, active. All created existences are limited by the laws of space, and those that occupy the largest space are mere specks in immensity. Concerning the stupendous fact of Gods Omnipresence, observe

(1) This fact is agreeable to reason. The denial of it would involve a contradiction. It enters into our very conception of God. A limited God would in truth be no God.

(2) This fact is essential to worship. It is essential to the spirit of worship. Worship implies mystery. It is essential to constancy of worship. True worship is not an occasional or specific service confined to times and places, it is an abiding attitude of the soul. God is a Spirit, etc.

(3) This fact is promotive of holiness. Let men realize the constant presence of God, and how strongly will they feel restraint from sin and stimulation to virtue and holiness.

(4) This fact is assurative of retribution. Who can hide himself from the Lord?

(5) This fact is illustrative of heaven. There is nothing local or formal in the worship of heaven. I saw no temple in heaven, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. He is felt to be everywhere, and He is worshipped everywhere.

2. Here is a creative Existence. For all those things hath Mine hand made, etc. Because He made all, He owns all. Creatorship implies Eternity, Sovereignty, Almightiness, and Proprietorship.

II. A DOCTRINE THAT TRANSCENDS HUMAN DISCOVERY. To this man will I look, etc. The doctrine is this,that this Infinite Being, who is everywhere, who created the universe and owns it, feels a profound interest in the individual man whose soul is in a humble, contrite, and

reverent state. Could reason ever have discovered such a truth as this? Never. Although this doctrine transcends reason it does not contradict it. (Homilist.)

Living temples for the living God

I. GODS REJECTION OF ALL MATERIAL TEMPLES. There was a time when it could be said that there was a house of God on earth. That was a time of symbols, when as yet the Church of God was in her childhood. She was being taught her A B C, reading her picture-book, for she could not as yet read the Word of God, as it were in letters. She had need to have pictures put before her, patterns of the heavenly things. Even then, the enlightened amongst the Jews knew well that God did not dwell between curtains, and that it was not possible that He could be encompassed in the most holy place within the veil It was only a symbol of His presence. But the time of symbols is now passed altogether. In that moment when the Saviour bowed His head, and said It is finished! the veil of the temple was rent in twain, so that the mysteries were laid open. So, one reason why God saith He dwelleth not in temples made with hands, is, because He would have us know that the symbolical worship is ended and the reign of the spiritual worship inaugurated at this day (Joh_4:21; Joh_4:23). But our text gives,from Gods own mouth, reasons why there can be no house at the present time in which God can dwell; and, indeed, there never was any house of the kind in realityonly in symbol For, say now, where is the place to build God a house? In heaven? It is only His throne, not His house! On earth? What, on His footstool? Will ye put it where He shall put His foot upon it and crush it? Fly through infinite space, and ye shall not find in any place that God is not there. Time cannot contain Him, though it range along its millenniums! Space cannot hold Him, for He that made all things greater than all the things that He has made. Yea, all the things that are do not encompass Him. But then, the Lord seems to put it,What kind of a house (supposing we had a site on which to erect it) would we build God? Sons of men of what material would ye make a dwelling-place for the Eternal and the Pure? Would ye build of alabaster? The heavens are not clean in His sight, and He charged His angels with folly! Would ye build of gold? Behold, the streets of His metropolitan city are paved therewith, not indeed the dusky gold of earth, but transparent gold, like unto clear glass. And what were gold to Deity? Find diamonds, as massive as the stones whereof Solomon built his house on Zion, and then lay on rubies and jaspers - pile up a house, all of which shall be most precious. What were that to Him? God is a Spirit. He disdaineth your materialism. And yet men think, forsooth, when they have put up their Gothic or their Grecian structures, This is Gods house. And then the Lord shows that the earth and the heavens themselves, which may be compared to a temple, are the works of His hand. How often I have felt as if I were compassed with the solemn grandeur of a temple, in the midst of the pine forest, or on the heathery hill, or out at night with the bright stars looking down through the deep heavens, or listening to the thunder, peal on peal, or gazing at the lightning as it lit up the sky! Then one feels as if he were in the temple of God! Afar out on the blue sea, where the ship is rocking up and clown on the waves foamthen it seems as if you were somewhere near to Godamidst the sublimities of nature. But what then? All these objects of nature He has made, and they are not a house for Him.

II. GODS CHOICE OF SPIRITUAL TEMPLES. To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.

III. THOSE THAT ARE OF THIS CHARACTER SECURE A GREAT BLESSING. God says He will look to them. That means several things.

1. Consideration.

2. Approbation.

3. Acceptance.

4. Affection.

5. Benediction. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The greatness and condescension of God

That is an excellent answer which was given by a poor man to a sceptic who attempted to ridicule his faith. The scoffer said, Pray, sir, is your God a great God or a little God? The poor man replied, Sir, my God is so great that the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him; and yet He condescends to be so little, that He dwells in broken and contrite hearts. Oh, the greatness of God, and the condescension of God! (C. H. Spurgeon.)

8. KELLY, The concluding chapter of our prophet pursues what was begun in Isa. 65. - the answer

of Jehovah to the supplication which precedes them both.

"Thus saith Jehovah, the heavens [are] my throne, and the earth [is] my footstool: what [is] the house

that ye will build unto me? and where [is] the place of my rest? Even all those [things] hath my hand

made, and all those [things] have been, saith Jehovah" (vv. 1, 2). It is not that God did not accept the

house which king David desired, and his son Solomon was given, to erect for His glory. It is not that He

will not have a sanctuary in the midst of Israel in the glorious land; for He has revealed it minutely,

with the feasts, sacrifices, priests, and appurtenances, by Ezekiel (Ezek. 40 - 48).

But it is another thing when His people, despising the only Saviour and Lord, their own Messiah, rest

in the sanctuary, as of old in the ark to their own shame and discomfiture before their enemies. So it

was when the Lord left the temple - no longer God's house but theirs, and left to them desolate,

Himself its true glory being despised and rejected. So Stephen charged home on them these very

words (Act_7:48-50). It was not he nor Luke, but Isaiah who declared that the Most High dwells not in

temples made with hands: and this in full view of the "exceeding magnifical" temple which Solomon

built. Heaven is His throne, earth is His footstool. What can man do worthily for Him to rest in? He

needs nothing of human resources. His own hand has made all these things, in comparison with which

man's greatest exertions are puny indeed.

Once more among the Jews at the end of the age shall be the state of things which draws out this

rebuke of their own prophet. Trusting in the house that they are at length allowed to build in

Jerusalem, they must prove afresh that an unbelieving idolatrous heart desecrates a temple, and that

not thus can sin be settled between God and the sinner. Earthly splendour in such circumstances is

but gilding over iniquity. It is real hypocrisy. They may seek in unbelief to restore "all these things that

have been"; but God has a controversy with the people about idolatry and the rejected Messiah not

yet judged; and His elect own their sins and look for the new estate He will create in honour of

Messiah. The heart must be purified by faith in order to worship acceptably.

9. CALVIN, 1.This saith Jehovah. This discourse is different from the preceding one; for here the

Prophet exclaims against the Jews, who, puffed up with vain confidence in the sacrifices and the temple,

indulged freely in their pleasures, and flattered themselves in their sins under this pretense. He shews

that this confidence is not only foolish and groundless, but diabolical and accursed; for they grossly mock

God who endeavor to serve and appease him by outward ceremonies. Accordingly, he reproaches them

with endeavoring to frame an idol in place of God, when they shut him up in the temple. Next, he speaks

of the renovation of the Church, and of the extension of it throughout the whole world.

Heaven is my throne. His aim being to shake off the self-complancency of the pretended or hypocritical

worshippers of God, he begins with his nature. By assigning for his habitation, he means that the

majesty of God fills all things, and is everywhere diffused; and that he is so far from being shut up in the

temple, that he is not shut up or confined within any place whatever. The Scripture often teaches that God

is in heaven; not that he is shut up in it, but in order that we may raise our minds above the world, and

may not entertain any low, or carnal, or earthly conceptions of him; for the mere sight of heaven ought to

carry us higher, and transport us into admiration. And yet, in innumerable passages, he protests that he is

with us, that his power is everywhere diffused, in order that we may not imagine that he is shut up in

heaven.

It may be thought that this is beyond all controversy, and was at that time acknowledged by all; for who

did not know that heaven and earth are filled by the majesty of God? They might therefore object that

there is no man who wishes to thrust God out of heaven, and that the Prophet has no good reason for

waxing wroth and breaking out into such violent invective. And undoubtedly they rejected with great

haughtiness this doctrine of the Prophet, and were highly irritated and enraged, as if great injury had been

done to them. But it is easy to reply that, when men endeavor to appease God according to their own

fancy, they frame an idol that is altogether contrary to his majesty, Relying on their useless ceremonies,

they thought that they had performed their duty well when they went frequently to the temple, and offered

in it prayers and sacrifices. The Prophet shews that the majesty of God must not be measured by this

standard, and that all that they bring forward, unaccompanied by purity of heart, are absolute trifles; for

since it is evident from his dwelling-place being in heaven that the nature of God is spiritual, if the worship

do not correspond to that nature, it is undoubtedly wicked and corrupted.

Where is that house which ye will build for me? Under the word house or temple he includes all the

ceremonies in which they thought that the worship of God consisted; and because they measured God

and his worship by the temple as a standard, the Prophet shews that it is unworthy of God majesty to

view his presence as confined to a visible and frail building. He does not argue merely about God

essence, but at the same time discourses concerning his true worship, which he shews to be spiritual, in

order that it may correspond to the nature of God, who a Spirit. (Joh_4:24.) And if men diligently

considered what is the nature of God, they would not contrive foreign and new modes of worship for him,

or measure him by themselves. (217) This common and often expressed sentiment is more weighty and

energetic than if the Prophet had brought forward something new; for he shews that they are so stupid

and dull as to be ignorant of that which was well known to the merest idiot, and that they resemble dumb

beasts in imagining that God dwells and reposes in the temple. He therefore asks contemptuously, is

that house? For it was absurd to think either that God dwells on the earth, or that he is concealed and

shut up in a prison. Besides, the temple was built on a small mountain, and could not contain the glory of

God within its limited dimensions.

And where is this place of my rest? And yet the Lord had said of the temple, is my rest for ever; here will

I dwell, for I have chosen it,. (Psa_132:14.) In another passage it was said, O Lord, into thy rest.

(2Ch_6:41.) Besides, we have seen, in a former part of this book, that Lord rest shall be glorious in it.

(Isa_11:10.) Finally, this was the ordinary designation of the temple, and yet the Prophet now finds fault

with it. I reply, the temple is called God rest, because he gave the token of his presence in the temple; for

he had chosen it as the place where men should call upon him, and from which he would give a display of

his strength and power. But he did not command it to be built in order that men might conceive of his

majesty according to their own fancy, (218) but rather that, reminded by the outward signs of God

presence, they might raise their minds higher and rise to heaven, and acknowledge that God is greater

and more excellent than the whole world. Yet, as the minds of men are prone to superstition, the Jews

converted into obstacles to themselves those things which were intended to be aids; and when they ought

to have risen by faith to heaven, they believed that God was bound to them, and worshipped him only in a

careless, manner, or rather made sport of worshipping him at their own pleasure.

This passage is very appropriately quoted by Stephen, (Act_7:49,) and is indirectly accommodated by

Paul to the sense which we have now stated; for they shew that those persons are grievously deceived

and far astray who bring to God carnal ceremonies, as if pure worship and religion consisted of them, or

who wickedly and profanely disfigure his worship by statues and images. Stephen addresses the Jews,

who, being attached to the figures of the Law, disregarded true godliness; while Paul, speaking to the

Gentiles, affirms that dwelleth not in temples made with hands. (Act_17:24.)

(217) Et ne mesureroyent sa grandeur infinie a leur petitesse. would not measure his infinite greatness

by their littleness.

(218) Afin que les hommes creussent de sa majeste tout ce que bon leur sembleroit. order that men

might believe concerning his majesty whatever they thought fit.

2 Has not my hand made all these things,

and so they came into being?

declares the LORD.

These are the ones I look on with favor:

those who are humble and contrite in spirit,

and who tremble at my word.

1.BARNES, For all those things hath mine hand made - That is the heaven and the earth, and all that is in them. The sense is, I have founded for myself a far more magnificent and appropriate temple than you can make; I have formed the heavens as my dwelling-place, and I need not a dwelling reared by the hand of man.

And all those things have been - That is, have been made by me, or for me. The Septuagint renders it, All those things are mine? Jerome renders it, All those things were made; implying that God claimed to be the Creator of them all, and that, therefore, they all belonged to him.

But to this man will I look - That is, I prefer a humble heart and a contrite spirit to the most magnificent earthly temple (see the notes at Isa_57:15).

That is poor - Or rather humble. The word rendered poor ( an

; Tapeinon - Humble; not ptochon (poor). The idea is, not that God looks with favor on a poor man merely because he is poor - which is not true, for his favors are not bestowed in view of external conditions in life - but that he regards with favor the man that is humble and subdued in spirit.

And of a contrite spirit - A spirit that is broken, crushed, or deeply affected by sin. It stands opposed to a spirit that is proud, haughty, self-confident, and self-righteous.

And that trembleth at my word - That fears me, or that reveres my commands.

2. CLARKE, And all those things have been And all these things are mine - A

word absolutely necessary to the sense is here lost out of the text: li, mine. It is preserved by the Septuagint and Syriac.

3. GILL, For all those things hath mine hand made,.... The heavens and the earth, which are his throne and footstool; and therefore, since he is the Creator of all things, he must be immense, omnipresent, and cannot be included in any space or place: and all those things have been, saith the Lord; or "are" (l); they are in being, and continue, and will, being supported by the hand that made them; and what then can be made by a creature? or what house be built for God? or what need of any? but to this man will I look. The Septuagint and Arabic versions read, by way of interrogation, "and to whom shall I look?" and so the Syriac version, which adds, "in whom shall I dwell?" not in temples made with hands; not in the temple of Jerusalem; but in the true tabernacle which God pitched, and not man; in Christ the antitypical temple, in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily, and in whom Jehovah the Father dwells personally; see Heb_8:2 as also in every true believer, who is the temple of the living God, later described, for these words may both respect Christ and his members; the characters well agree with him: even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word; Christ was poor literally, and his estate and condition in this world was very low and mean, 2Co_8:9, or "afflicted" (m), as some render it, as he was by God, and by men, and by devils; or "humble" (n), meek and lowly, as the Septuagint and Targum; it was foretold of him that he should be lowly; and this character abundantly appeared in him, Zec_9:9 and he was of a "contrite" or broken spirit, not only was his body broken, but his spirit also; not through a sense of sin, and consciousness of it, but through his sorrows and sufferings: he also trembled at the word of God; that is, had a suitable and becoming reverence of it; it was at the word of the Lord he assumed human nature; and according as his Father taught, and gave him commandment, so he spake; and, agreeably to it, laid down his life, and became obedient to death: and now the Lord looks, to him; he looks to him as his own Son, with a look of love, and even as in human nature, and is well pleased with all he did and suffered in it; he looked to him as the surety of his people, for the payment of their debts, and the security and salvation of their persons; and he now looks to his obedience and righteousness, with which he is well pleased, and imputes it to his people, and to his blood, sacrifice, and satisfaction, on account of which he forgives their sins, and to his person for the acceptance of theirs; and he

looks to them in him, and has a gracious regard for them: they also may be described as "poor"; poor in spirit, spiritually poor, as they see and own themselves to be, and seek to Christ for the riches of grace and glory, which they behold in him, and expect from him; and are both "afflicted and humble", and become the one by being the other; and of a contrite spirit, their hard hearts being broken by the Spirit and word of God, and melted by the love and grace of God; and so contrite, not in a mere legal, but evangelical manner: and such tremble at the Word of God; not at the threatenings of wrath in it, or in a servile slavish manner; but have a holy reverence for it (o), and receive it, not as the word of man, but as the word of God: and to such the Lord looks; he looks on these poor ones, and feeds them; on these afflicted ones, and sympathizes with them; on these contrite ones, and delights in their sacrifices, and dwells with them, and among them; see Psa_51:17.

4. CHARELES SIMEON, THE POOR AND CONTRITE THE OBJECTS OF GODS FAVOUR

Isa_66:2. To this man will I look, even to him that it poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

IT often happens that accidental distinctions serve men as grounds of confidence towards God. Many

found their hopes on no better basis than Micah did [Note: Jdg_17:13.]: the Jews in particular thought

themselves assured of the Divine favour because of Gods residence in their temple [Note: Hence that

common boast among them, Jer_7:4.]. But God shews them the folly of their notions [Note: ver. 1, 2. The

import of which is, How can you think that I, an infinite Being, who myself created those things of which

you boast, can be allured by an earthly structure to continue my presence among you, if you persist in

your evil ways?], and declares the character of those who alone shall be considered by him with any

favourable regard:

I. Who are the objects of the Divine favour

Men choose for their companions the rich and gay; but those whom God regards are of a very different

character

1. They feel themselves destitute of all good

[It is not temporal, but spiritual poverty, that distinguishes Gods people. They have discovered their total

want of spiritual wisdom [Note: Pro_30:2-3.]. They are constrained to acknowledge that they have

norighteousness of their own [Note: Isa_64:6.], and that they an without strength for obedience

[Note: Rom_5:6. 2Co_3:5.]. They unfeignedly adopt the language of St. Paul [Note: Rom_7:18.] Nor do

they hope for mercy but as the free gift of God [Note: They say not, like the servant, Mat_18:26. but

desire to experience the clemency shewn to insolvent debtors, Luk_7:42.].]

2. They bewail the many evils they have committed

[They hare been made to see that sin is hateful to God; and they have felt the bitterness of it in their own

consciences. They know experimentally the sensations of David [Note: Psa_38:4; Psa_38:6;Psa_38:8.].

They lothe themselves for all their abominations [Note: Eze_36:31.]. Nor are their convictions merely

occasional or transient; they are habitually of a tender and contrite spirit.]

3. They pay a reverential regard to every word of God

[They dare not say like the idolatrous Jews [Note: Jer_44:16.] They rather resemble the man after

Gods own heart [Note: Psa_119:161.]. If the word be preached, they receive it as the word, not of man,

but of God. They hear the threatenings like the meek Josiah [Note: 2Ch_34:19; 2Ch_34:27.]. They

attend to the promises with an eager desire to embrace them. To every precept they listen with an

obedient ear [Note: Like Cornelius, Act_10:33 and Paul, Act_22:10. yes, the angels in

heaven, Psa_103:20.].]

These, though generally considered by the world as weak and superstitious, are not overlooked by the

Supreme Being.

II. The peculiar regard which God shews them

The eyes of God are in every place beholding the evil and the good; but he looks to these, in a far

different manner from others. This distinguishing favour implies,

1. Approbation of them

[From the proud and self-sufficient God turns his face [Note: Jam_4:6.]; but he despises not the broken

and contrite in heart [Note: Psa_51:17.]. Though so exalted in himself, he will not disdain to notice them.

His approbation of such characters stands recorded for ever [Note: Luk_18:13-14.]. His reception of the

prodigal is an eternal monument of the regard he will shew to entry repenting sinner.]

2. Care over them

[Wherever they go, his eye is upon them for good [Note: 2Ch_16:9.]. He watches them in order to deliver

them from danger [Note: Psa_12:5.]. He watches them in order to comfort them in trouble

[Note:Psa_147:3.]. He watches them in order to relieve them in want [Note: Isa_41:17-18.]. He watches

them in order to exalt them to happiness and honour [Note: 1Sa_2:8.].]

3. Delight in them

[There are none on earth so pleasing to God as broken-hearted sinners. Their sighs and groans are as

music in his ears [Note: Psa_102:19-20.]. Their tears he treasures up in his vial [Note: Psa_56:8.]. He

dwells with them as his dearest friends [Note: Isa_57:15.]. He rejoices over them as a people in whom he

greatly delights [Note: Zep_3:12; Zep_3:17.]. He saves them here by the unceasing exercise of his power

[Note: Psa_34:15; Psa_34:18.]; and reserves for them hereafter an inheritance in heaven

[Note: Mat_5:3.].]

Nor shall the fewness of such characters render them at all less the objects of Gods regard

[It must be acknowledged that they are but few. But if there were only one in the whole world, God would

find him out [Note: To this man, &c. even to him, &c.]. Not all the splendour of heaven, nor all the

acclamations of angels, should for a moment divert Gods attention from him. Though he were despised

by all the human race, yet should he be amiable in the eyes of his Maker. Nor should he want any thing in

time or eternity. Never shall that declaration in any instance be falsified [Note: Psa_138:6.]]

Infer

1. How should we admire the condescension of God!

[If we view only the material world we may well stand astonished that God should regard such an

insignificant creature as man [Note: Psa_8:3-4.]. But, if we contemplate the majesty of God, we cannot

but exclaim with Solomon [Note: 1Ki_8:27.] Let then the declaration in the text lead our thoughts up to

God. Let us adore him for so clearly describing the objects of his favour. And let us express our

admiration in the words of David [Note: Psa_113:5-8.]]

2. How should we desire to attain the character that is pleasing to God!

[The pool and contrite are exclusively beloved of God. If he look on others, it is only as he did on the

Egyptians [Note: Exo_14:24-25.]. And how dreadful must it be to have such an enemy! But how delightful

to have an almighty, omnipresent guardian! Above all, how awful must it be to have him turn his face from

us in the day of judgment! Let us then endeavour to humble ourselves before God [Note: Isa_2:11.]. And

rest assured that the promised mercy shall in due time be fulfilled to us [Note: Jam_4:10.].]

5. JAMISON, have been namely, made by Me. Or, absolutely, were things made; and therefore belong to Me, the Creator [Jerome].

look have regard.

poor humble (Isa_57:15).

trembleth at ... word (2Ki_22:11, 2Ki_22:19; Ezr_9:4). The spiritual temple of the heart, though not superseding the outward place of worship, is Gods favorite dwelling (Joh_14:23). In the final state in heaven there shall be no temple, but the Lord God Himself (Rev_21:22).

6. KELLY, "But to this [man] will I look, to the afflicted and contrite in spirit, and trembling at my

word" (v. 2). Thus the line is drawn here as before between a godly remnant, and the people apostate

as a whole. Hence their oblations are vain. "He that killeth an ox slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a

lamb breaketh a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation [is as] swine's blood; he that burneth incense

[is as] he that blesseth an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their

abominations, I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I

called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did the evil in mine eyes, and chose

[that] wherein I delight not" (vv. 3, 4).

7. CALVIN, 2.Yet my hand hath made all these things. The Prophet refutes the false opinion which

men form about the worship of God, by thinking that sacrifices and outward ceremonies are of great value

in themselves; for the state of the question is this. God cares nothing about ceremonies, but they are

empty and useless masks, when men think that they satisfy God by means of them. When he says that

he made all these things, this must not be understood as referring solely to the temple, but to all that was

there offered to God. Now he says that he all these things, in order that men may know that God has no

need of this external worship, as he declares (Psa_50:10) that all the animals were created by him, and

are his own, though by sacrifices of them the Jews hoped to obtain his favor. But foolish mortals have this

disease deeply seated in them, that they transform God according to their inclination, though he

appointed external worship not for his sake, but for our advantage; that is, that we may be trained by it

according to the capacity of our flesh.

And all these things began to be. It is the same as if he had said that he must not be compared to these

things, which at one time began to be; for he is eternal and had no beginning. could dispense with your

sacrifices, saith the Lord, before they began to be, I was, and therefore they can be of no service to

me. In short, he maintains that ceremonies are of no avail in themselves, but aim at a different object.

Isaiah takes for granted that it is impossible that God could receive any addition; and hence it follows that

he is satisfied with himself alone; for he could do without the world from all eternity.

And I look to him who is humble and contrite in spirit. Next, a definition of lawful worship is added; for,

when he says that God to the humble, I have no doubt that he who is and contrite in spirit is indirectly

contrasted by him with the array, and splendor, and elegance of ceremonies, by which the eyes of men

are commonly dazzled, so as to be carried away in admiration. On the other hand, the Lord testifies that

he demands humble and downcast minds, and that tremble at his commandments. By these words he

describes inward purity of heart and sincere desire of godliness, and at the same time shews in what way

we ought to be prepared to please God.

And trembleth at my word. So far as relates to it might be thought strange at first sight that he demands

it in believers, since nothing is more sweet or gentle than the word of the Lord, and nothing is more

opposite to it than to excite terror. I reply, there are two kinds of trembling; one by which they are terrified

who hate and flee from God, and another which affects the heart, and promotes the obedience, of those

who reverence and fear God. This clause, I am aware, is viewed by others as relating to the Law, which

threatens and terrifies, and proclaims the dreadful judgment of God. But I take it in a more general

acceptation; for even believers tremble at the promises when they embrace them with reverence. Hence

infer that true godliness consists in having our senses brought into a state of obedience to God, and in

making no boastful or wicked claims for ourselves. The nature of faith is to yield obedience to God, and to

listen to him attentively and patiently when he speaks. But when we are puffed up and carried away by a

vain confidence in ourselves, we have no piety or fear of God; for we cannot make even the smallest

claim for ourselves without despising God.

We ought carefully to mark the expression which he employs, at the word of God. Many boast that they

reverence and fear God; but, by disregarding his word, they at the same time shew that they are

despisers of God. All the reverence that we owe to God must be paid to his word, in which he wishes to

be fully recognised as in a lively image. The amount of what is said is, that God prefers this sacrifice to all

others, when believers, by true self-denial, lie low in such abasement as to have no lofty opinion about

themselves, but to permit themselves to be reduced to nothing. Thus also the Psalmist says, sacrifice

acceptable to God is a contrite spirit; an afflicted heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psa_51:17.)

Because this modesty of faith produces obedience, this pious feeling is likewise added, that, laying aside

all obstinacy, they tremble at the word of God.

From these words we ought to draw a remarkable consolation, we appear to be wretched in our

abasement and humility, and though we appear to be unworthy of being beheld by men, yet we are truly

happy; because the Lord looks upon us, and bestows on us his favor. When we are tempted to despair,

let us think that in this way the Lord exalts his servants to heaven, though they have been cast down to

hell, and almost sink under the burden.

3 But whoever sacrifices a bull

is like one who kills a person,

and whoever offers a lamb

is like one who breaks a dogs neck;

whoever makes a grain offering

is like one who presents pigs blood,

and whoever burns memorial incense

is like one who worships an idol.

They have chosen their own ways,

and they delight in their abominations;

1.BARNES, He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man - Lowth and Noyes render this, He that slayeth an ox, killeth a man. This is a literal translation of the Hebrew. Jerome renders it, He who sacrifices an ox is as if (quasi) he slew a man. The Septuagint, in a very free translation - such as is common in their version of Isaiah - render it, The wicked man who sacrifices a calf, is as he who kills a dog; and he who offers to me fine flour, it is as the blood of swine. Lowth supposes the sense to be, that the most flagitious crimes were united with hypocrisy, and that they who were guilty of the most extreme acts of wickedness at the same time affected great strictness in the performance of all the external duties of religion. An instance of this, he says, is referred to by Ezekiel, where he says, When they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it Eze_23:39.

There can be no doubt that such offences were often committed by those who were very strict and zealous in their religious services (compare Isa_1:11-14, with Isa_66:21-23. But the generality of interpreters have supposed that a different sense was to be affixed to this passage. According to their views, the particles as if are to be supplied; and the sense is, not that the mere killing of an ox is as sinful in the sight of God as deliberate murder, but that he who did it in the

circumstances, and with the spirit referred to, evinced a spirit as odious in his sight as though he had slain a man. So the Septuagint, Vulgate, Chaldee, Symmachus, and Theodotion, Junius, and Tremellius, Grotius, and Rosenmuller, understand it. There is probably an allusion to the fact that human victims were offered by the pagan; and the sense is, that the sacrifices here referred to were no more acceptable in the sight of God than they were.

The prophet here refers, probably, first, to the spirit with which this was done. Their sacrifices were offered with a temper of mind as offensive to God as if a man had been slain, and they had been guilty of murder. They were proud, vain, and hypocritical. They had forgotten the true nature and design of sacrifice, and such worship could not but be an abhorrence in the sight of God. Secondly, It may also be implied here, that the period was coming when all sacrifices would be unacceptable to God. When the Messiah should have come; when he should have made by one offering a sufficent atonement for the sins of the whole world; then all bloody sacrifices would be needless, and would be offensive in the sight of God. The sacrifice of an ox would be no more acceptable than the sacrifice of a man; and all offerings with a view to propitiate the divine favor, or that implied that there was a deficiency in the merit of the one great atoning sacrifice, would be odious to God.

He that sacrificeth a lamb - Margin, Kid The Hebrew word ( s'eh) may refer to one of a flock, either of sheep or goats Gen_22:7-8; Gen_30:32. Where the species is to be distinguished,

it is usually specified, as, e. g., Deu_14:4, ves'eh

for the spirit with which they would make their offerings, or the fact that the time would come when all such modes of worship would be offensive in his sight.

He that burneth incense - See the word incense explained in the notes at Isa_1:13. The

margin here is, Maketh a memorial of. Such is the usual meaning of the word used here ( za

kar), meaning to remember, and in Hiphil to cause to remember, or to make a memorial. Such is its meaning here. incense was burned as a memorial or a remembrance-offering; that is, to keep up the remembrance of God on the earth by public worship (see the notes at Isa_62:6).

As if he blessed an idol - The spirit with which incense would be offered would be as offensive as idolatry. The sentiment in all this is, that the most regular and formal acts of worship where the heart is lacking, may be as offensive to God as the worst forms of crime, or the most gross and debasing idolatry. Such a spirit often characterized the Jewish people, and eminently prevailed at the time when the temple of Herod was nearly completed, and when the Saviour was about to appear.

2. CLARKE, He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man He that slayeth an ox killeth a man - These are instances of wickedness joined with hypocrisy; of the most flagitious crimes committed by those who at the same time affected great strictness in the performance of all the external services of religion. God, by the Prophet Ezekiel, upbraids the Jews with the same practices: When they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it, Eze_23:39. Of the same kind was the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in our Saviors time: who devoured widows houses, and for a pretense made long prayers, Mat_23:14.

The generality of interpreters, by departing from the literal rendering of the text, have totally lost the true sense of it, and have substituted in its place what makes no good sense at all; for it is not easy to show how, in any circumstances, sacrifice and murder, the presenting of legal offerings and idolatrous worship, can possibly be of the same account in the sight of God.

He that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swines blood That maketh an oblation offereth swines blood - A word here likewise, necessary to complete the sense, is perhaps irrecoverably lost out of the text. The Vulgate and Chaldee add the word offereth, to make out the sense; not, as I imagine, from any different reading, (for the word wanted seems to have been lost before the time of the oldest of them as the Septuagint had it not in their copy,; but from mere necessity.

Le Clerc thinks that maaleh is to be repeated from the beginning of this member; but that is not the case in the parallel members, which have another and a different verb in the second

place, dam, sic Versiones; putarem tamen legendum participium aliquod, et quidem

zabach, cum sequatur cheth, nisi jam praecesserat. - Secker. Houbigant supplies achal, eateth. After all, I think the most probable word is that which the Chaldee and Vulgate seem to

have designed to represent; that is, makrib, offereth.

In their abominations - ubeshikkutseyhem, and in their abominations; two

copies of the Machazor, and one of Kennicotts MSS. have ubegilluleyhem, and in their idols. So the Vulgate and Syriac.

3. GILL, He that killeth an ox, is as if he slew a man,.... Not that killed the ox of his neighbour, which, according to law, he was to pay for; or that killed one for food, which was lawful to be done; but that slew one, and offered it as a sacrifice; not blamed because blind or lame, or had any blemish in it, and so unfit for sacrifice; or because not rightly offered, under a due sense of sin, and with repentance for it, and faith in Christ; but because all sacrifices of this kind are now abolished in Gospel times, to which this prophecy belongs; Christ the great sacrifice being offered up; and therefore to offer sacrifice, which, notwithstanding the unbelieving Jews continued daily, till it was made to cease by the destruction of their temple, was a great offence to God; it was as grievous to him as offering their children to Moloch; or as the murder of a man; and was indeed a trampling under foot the Son of God, and accounting his blood and sacrifice as nothing, which was highly displeasing to God: he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; the lamb for the daily sacrifice, morning and evening, or the passover lamb, or any other: this now is no more acceptable to God, than if a dog, a very impure creature, was slain, his head cut off, and offered on the altar; which was so abominable to the Lord, that the price of one might not be brought into his house, Deu_23:18, he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; the meat offering, made of fine flour, on which oil was poured, and frankincense put, Lev_2:1, however rightly composed it might be, and offered according to law, yet now of no more esteem with God than blood, which was forbidden by the same law; nay, than the blood of swine, which creature itself, according to the ceremonial law, was unclean, and might not be eaten, and much less be offered up, and still less its blood, Lev_11:7, and he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol; or that "remembers incense" (p); that offers it as a memorial of mercies, and by way of thankfulness for them, as if he gave thanks to an idol, which is nothing, and vanity and vexation in the world; sacrifices of such kind, be they what they will, are reckoned no other than as idolatry and will worship: yea, they have chosen their own ways: which were evi