Introduction:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Chapter 1:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 Song of Solomon Jeremiah
Introduction to Isaiah
The whole circle of God's
thoughts as to Israel given by Isaiah
Isaiah takes the first
place; and in fact he is the most complete of all the
prophets, and perhaps the most rich. The whole circle of
God's thoughts with respect to Israel is more given here.
Other prophets are occupied with certain portions only of
the history of this people.
The moral bearing
of the book
We will give here the
division of this book into subjects. There is in the
beginning an appearance of confusion; nevertheless it
helps to explain the moral bearing of the book.
And here what a scene
presents itself to our view!—sorrowful in one
aspect, yet at the same time lovely and glorious, like
the first glimmerings of dawn after a long and cold night
of darkness, telling of the bright day which soon will
rise over a scene, the beauties of which are faintly
perceived, mingled with the darkness that still obscures
them—a scene that shall be vivified by the sun that
will soon enlighten it. One rejoices in this partial
light: it tells of the goodness, the energy, and the
intentions of that God who has created all things for the
accomplishment of His purposes of grace and glory. But
one longs for the manifestation of the fulness of this
accomplishment, when all will repose in the effects of
this goodness.
The two characters
of prophecy
Such is prophecy. It is
sorrowful, because it unveils the sin, the ungrateful
folly, of God's people. But it reveals the heart of One
who is unwearied in love, who loves this people, who
seeks their good, although He feels their sin according
to His love. It is the heart of God that speaks. These
two characters of prophecy throw light upon the two-fold
end it has in view, and help us to understand its
bearing. First of all, it addresses itself to the actual
state of the people, and shews them their sin; it always
therefore supposes the people to be in a fallen
condition. When they peacefully enjoy the blessings of
God, there is no need of displaying their condition to
them. But, in the second place, during the period in
which the people are still acknowledged, it speaks of
present restoration on their repentance, to encourage
them to return to Jehovah; and it proclaims deliverance.
And in this, the law and so the blessings connected with
it, have their place as that to which they should return.
Of this the last prophetic word from God (Mal. 4) is an
expressive instance. But God well knew the hearts of His
people, and that they would not yield to His call. To
sustain the faith of the remnant, faithful amidst this
unbelief, and for the instruction of His people at all
times, He adds promises which will assuredly be fulfilled
by the coming of Messiah. These promises are sometimes
connected with the circumstances of a near and partial
deliverance, sometimes with the consummation of the
people's iniquity in the rejection of Christ come in
humiliation. It is important to be able to distinguish
between that part of a passage which refers to those
circumstances which were near at hand, and that which
speaks of full deliverance shewn in perspective through
those circumstances. This is the difficult part of the
interpretation of prophecy.
The use of figures
in prophecy
I would add that, although
the subject of prophecy is not a figure, yet figures are
not only largely used, but they are often intermingled
with literal expressions; so that in explaining the
prophetic books one cannot make an exact rule to
distinguish between figure and letter. The aid of the
Holy Ghost is necessary, as is always the case in the
study of the sacred word, to find the true sense of the
passage. What I have said is equally applicable to other
parts of scripture, and in the most solemn circumstances.
Psalm 22, for instance, is a continual mixture of
figures, which represent the moral character of certain
facts, with other facts recited in the simplicity of the
letter. There is no difficulty in understanding it.
"Dogs have compassed me; the assembly of the wicked
have inclosed me, they pierced my hands and my
feet." The word dogs gives the character of those
present. This way of speaking is found in all languages.
For instance, it would be said, "He drew a fine
picture of virtue." Drew a picture is a figure. I
say this in order that a difficulty may not be made of
that which belongs to the nature of human language.
The contents and
divisions of the book
I come now to the contents
of this important book of prophecy. It is thus
divided:—The first four chapters are apart, forming
a kind of introduction. The fifth also in itself stands
alone. It judges the people in view of the care that God
has bestowed upon them. But we shall find this judgment
resumed in detail in verse 8 of chapter 9. In chapter 6
we have the judgment of the people in view of the
Messiah's coming glory; consequently there is a remnant
acknowledged. [
1]
Chapter 7 formally introduces the Messiah, Immanuel, the
Son of David, and the judgment upon the house of David
after the flesh; so that there is an assured hope in
sovereign grace, but at the same time judgment upon the
last human support of the people. In chapter 8 we have
the desolating Assyrian who overruns the land, but also
Immanuel (previously announced in chap. 7) who finally
brings his schemes to nought. Meantime there is a
remnant, separate from the people, and attached to this
Immanuel; [
2]
and the circumstances of anguish through which the
apostate people must pass are alluded to, which terminate
in the full blessing flowing from Immanuel's presence.
This closes with verse 7 of chapter 9; so that we have
here in fact the whole history of the Jews in
relationship with Christ. In verse 8 of chapter 9 the
Spirit resumes the general national history from chapter
5, interrupted by this essential episode of the
introduction of Immanuel. He resumes it from the time
then present, pointing out the different judgments of
Jehovah, until He introduces the last instrument of these
judgments—the Assyrian, the rod of Jehovah. And here
the immediate deliverance is presented as an
encouragement to faith, and as prefiguring the final
destruction of the power that will be the rod of Jehovah
in the last days. Jehovah, having smitten the desolator,
presents (chap. 11) the Offspring of David, at first in
His intrinsic moral character, and then in the results of
His reign as to full blessing, and the presence of
Jehovah established again in Zion in the midst of Israel.
Thus the whole history of the people is given us in its
grand features, until their establishment in blessing as
the people of God, having Jehovah in their midst. Only
that it is to be remarked that nothing is given of
Antichrist, nor of the power of the beast, nor of the
time of tribulation as such, because that is the period
during which the Jews are not owned, though they be dealt
with, while our prophecy speaks of the time when they are
owned. It is stated in general terms that God would hide
His face from the house of Jacob, and the righteous in
spirit wait for Him.
From chapter 13 to the end
of chapter 27 we find the judgment of the Gentiles;
whether Babylon or the other nations, especially of those
which were at all times in relationship with Israel; the
position of Israel, not only in the midst of them, but of
all the nations in the last days (this is chap. 18); and,
finally, the judgment of the whole world (chap. 24), and
the full millennial blessing of Israel (chaps. 25-27).
From chapters 28 to 35 we have the detail of all that
happens to the Jews in the last days. Each revelation
closes with a testimony to the glory of God in Israel.
In chapters 36 to 39 the
Spirit relates the history of a part of Hezekiah's reign.
It contains three principal subjects:—the
resurrection of the Son of David as from death; the
destruction of the Assyrian, without his having been able
to attack Jerusalem; and the captivity in Babylon. These
are the three grand foundations of the whole history and
state of the Jews in the last days.
From chapter 40 to the end
is a very distinct part of the prophecy, in which God
reveals the consolation of His people and their moral
relations with Himself, and the double ground of His
controversy with them, whether in view of the position in
which He has placed the nation as His elect
servant—the witness of Jehovah the one true God, in
the presence of the Gentiles, and their idolatrous
failure—or in respect to their rejection of Christ
the only true elect Servant [
3] who has fulfilled His will. This gives
occasion to the revelation of a remnant who hearken to
this true Servant, as well as to the history of the
circumstances that this remnant pass through, and
therefore at the same time to that of the people's
condition in the last days, ending with the manifestation
of Jehovah in judgment. The position of Israel with
respect to the idolatrous nations gives occasion also to
the introduction of Babylon, of its destruction, and the
deliverance of captive Judah by Cyrus. This idolatry is
one of the subjects on which Jehovah pleads with His
people. The other and yet graver subject is that of the
rejection of Christ. For more detail we must wait till
these chapters come under examination.
The condition of
those to whom prophecy is addressed; the use of miracles
Prophecy supposes that the
people of God are in a bad condition, even when they are
still acknowledged, and prophecy addressed to them. There
is no need of addressing powerful testimony to a people
who are walking happily in the ways of the Lord, nor of
sustaining the faith of a tried remnant by hopes founded
on the unchangeable faithfulness and the purposes of God,
when all are enjoying in perfect peace the fruits of His
present goodness—attached, as a consequence, to the
faithfulness of the people. The proof of this simple and
easily understood principle is found in each of the
prophets. It does not appear that the prophets, whose
prophecies we possess in the inspired volume, wrought any
miracles. [
4]
For the law was then in force, its authority outwardly
acknowledged; there was nothing to establish; and
Jehovah's authority was the basis of the public system of
religion in the land according to the institutions
appointed by Himself in connection with the temple. It
was on practical duty that the prophets insisted. In the
midst of the ten apostate tribes Elijah and Elisha
wrought miracles to re-establish the authority of
Jehovah. Such is the faithfulness of Jehovah, and His
patience towards His people. A new object of faith
requires miracles. That which is founded on the already
acknowledged word, and which does not demand; the
reception of it as a new object, requires none, whatever
the increase of light or claim on conscience may be. The
word commends itself to the conscience in those who are
taught of God; and if there are new revelations, they are
to the comfort of those who have received the practical
testimony, and have thus recognised the authority of one
who speaks on the part of God.
We will now examine the
contents of the prophecy itself in a more detailed way.
[1] Note here, the two great dealings
of God with the conscience to convict it of sin
exemplified in these two chapters. First, the state of
blessing in which God had first set the person judged,
and his departure from it (so man in his innocence); and
second, the meeting of the Lord in glory. Are we in a
state to do so?
[2] This is largely
brought out in the Gospel of Matthew. The passage itself
is quoted in Hebrews 2. What is spoken of in Isaiah 8:
13-18 is in fact the gospel history breaking in upon the
scene. Peter quotes verse 14; Paul (Rom. 9) the stumbling
stone; Matthew quotes chap. 9: 1, 2 for Christ's
apparition in Galilee.
[3] This term "servant" is a
kind of key to this whole prophecy: first Israel, then in
chapter 49 the Lord takes Israel's place, at the end the
remnant. But of this more hereafter.
[4] The dial of Ahaz in this prophet
may be thought an exception, but Ahaz was really departed
from God. It is also noteworthy that the apostles never
wrought miracles for their own comfort. Trophimus have I
left at Miletus sick. Epaphroditus "was sick nigh
unto death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only
but on me also."
Introduction:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Chapter 1:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 Song of Solomon Jeremiah
This version of Darby's Synopsis of the Old Testament is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1995 by L. Hodgett. Used by permission. The files of the Synopsis found on this site may not be reproduced without permission from L. J. L. Hodgett, Stem Publishing. A special thanks to L. J. L. Hodgett and Stem Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Darby's Synopsis of the Old Testament.
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
