Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Isaiah
Book: Isaiah
Chapter: 14
Overview:
The
Destruction of
Babylon, and the
Death of its proud
monarch.
(1-23) Assurance of the
Destruction of
Assyria.
(24-27)
The
Destruction of the
Philistines.
(28-32)
1-23 The whole plan of Divine
Providence is arranged with a
view to the good of the people of
God. A settlement in the land
of promise is of
God's
Mercy. Let the
Church receive those whom
God receives.
God's people, wherever their
Lot is cast, should
endeavour to recommend religion
By a right and winning
Conversation. Those that would not be reconciled to them, should
be humbled
By them. This may be applied to the success of the
Gospel, when those were brought to obey it who had opposed it.
God himself undertakes to work a blessed change. They shall have
Rest from their sorrow and fear, the sense of their present
burdens, and the dread of worse.
Babylon abounded in riches. The
King of
Babylon having the absolute command of
So much wealth,
By the help of it ruled the nations. This refers especially to
the people of the Jews; and it filled up the
Measure of the
King
of
Babylon's sins. Tyrants
Sacrifice their true interest to
their lusts and passions. It is gracious ambition to covet to be
like the Most Holy, for he has said, Be ye holy, for I am holy;
but it is sinful ambition to aim to be like the Most High, for
he has said, He who exalts himself shall be abased. The
Devil
thus drew our first parents to
Sin. Utter ruin should be brought
upon him. Those that will not cease to
Sin,
God will make to
cease. He should be slain, and go down to the
Grave; this is the
common fate of tyrants. True
Glory, that is, true
Grace, will go
up with the soul to
Heaven, but vain pomp will go down with the
body to the
Grave; there is an
End of it. To be denied
Burial,
if for
Righteousness' sake, may be rejoiced in, Mt 5:12. But
if the just
Punishment of
Sin, it denotes that impenitent
sinners shall rise to
Everlasting shame and contempt. Many
triumphs should be in his fall.
God will reckon with those that
disturb the peace of mankind. The receiving the
King of
Babylon
into the regions of the dead, shows there is a world of spirits,
to which the souls of men remove at
Death. And that souls have
converse with each other, though we have none with them; and
that
Death and
Hell will be
Death and
Hell indeed, to all who
fall unholy, from the height of this world's pomps, and the
Fulness of its pleasures. Learn from all this, that the seed of
evil-doers shall never be renowned. The royal
City is to be
ruined and forsaken. Thus the utter
Destruction of the New
Testament Babylon is illustrated, Re 18:2. When a people will
not be made
Clean with the
Besom of reformation, what can they
expect but to be swept off the
Face of the
Earth with the
Besom
of
Destruction?
24-27 Let those that make themselves a
Yoke and a
Burden to
God's people, see what they are to expect. Let those that are
the called according to
God's purpose, comfort themselves, that
whatever
God has purposed, it shall stand. The
Lord of hosts has
purposed to break the Assyrian's
Yoke; his
Hand is stretched out
to execute this purpose; who has power to turn it back?
By such
dispensations of
Providence, the Almighty shows in the most
convincing manner, that
Sin is hateful in his sight.
28-32 Assurance is given of the
Destruction of the
Philistines
and their power,
By Famine and
War.
Hezekiah would be more
terrible to them than
Uzziah had been. Instead of rejoicing,
there would be
Lamentation, for the whole land would be ruined.
Such
Destruction will come upon the proud and rebellious, but
the
Lord founded Zion for a
Refuge to
Poor sinners, who flee
from the wrath to come, and trust in his
Mercy through
Christ
Jesus. Let us tell all around of our comforts and security, and
exhort them to seek the same
Refuge and
Salvation.