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1.
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Refuge = Machseh: “that to which one
flees”. Not s.w. as vv. 7,11. Many from surrounding cities and villages
fled from the depredations of Sennacherib, until the only refuge remaining was
the city of Jerusalem. So, thankfully, they pressed into it, until it was filled
to overflowing.
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2.
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Though the earth be removed. There is the strong
suggestion of earthquake here (cp. v. 3). Literally, “at the changing of
the earth” — perhaps as of a worn-out garment (a figure that appears
in the related Psa. 102:26).
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The waters roar. In Isaiah’s figure, the mighty
waters of the Euphrates River (Biblical symbol of Assyrian power)
“invade” God’s Land. What a contrast with “the waters of
Shiloah that go softly” (v. 4; Isa. 8:7,8; and note “Immanuel”
and “Lord of hosts” in Isa. 8:10,13 — compared with vv. 5,7,11
here).
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4.
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There is a river. Nachar (a constantly flowing
stream), in contrast to nachal, or wadi (an erratic,
often-dry desert stream bed). This river, this nachar, which
gladdens the city of God is almost certainly Hezekiah’s conduit, driven
through solid rock by two teams of engineers, so as to insure an adequate supply
of water for the besieged people of Jerusalem (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chron. 32:2-5;
cp. Psa. 42:7, notes). (Before this time, Jerusalem had depended upon
rock-cistern storage for rain water, and upon the fountain of the Virgin’s
Spring located outside the walls of the city.) At the same time as the
conduit was being constructed, a new wall was going up to enclose the area of
Siloam, at the south end of the city, as a sizeable reservoir. Hezekiah’s
conduit is, even today, an amazing feat of planning and execution. But it is
more than that: it is also an eloquent symbol of the silent, hidden
purpose of the Almighty (the “still, small voice”), by which
Israel was sustained during her severest trials (cp. Psa. 87:7; Isa.
22:9,11).
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The most High is Elyon, a title of the
Almighty often associated with Gentiles: Gen. 14:18; Deut. 32:8; Psa. 18:13;
47:2,3; Isa. 14:14. It is first used of Melchizedek, priest of Elyon
and king of Salem, the exalted (v. 10 here) or elevated (Psa.
48:2) city of God.
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5.
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She shall not be moved — and this in spite of the
devastating cataclysm destroying the Assyrian camp less than a mile away (the
ancient name of Mt. Scopus is “the camp of the Assyrians”). The
great “waves” of the Assyrian flood surged through Judah —
sweeping everything before them — but they could not overflow Jerusalem,
which was in God’s plan fixed and immovable (Psa. 124:1,4,5; 125:1,2).
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Moved. The same word is used, for contrast, in v. 2
(mountains “carried”, or moved) and v. 6 (kingdoms
moved).
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God shall help her, and that right early. Literally,
at the dawn of the morning (RV mg.), or “at the opening of the
dawn” (Eureka, vol. 2, p. 17). The best commentary on these words
is 2 Kings 19:35 and Isa. 37:36:
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“And when they arose early in the morning,
behold, they were all dead corpses!”
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6.
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The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his
voice, the earth melted. What a superb contrast here. When the feared
Assyrians “raged” (like uncontrollable waters: Isa. 8:7), many
kingdoms trembled. God speaks but once (in His storm and earthquake), and the
whole earth is demoralized and abjectly silent!
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7.
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The Lord of hosts is with us. “Immanuel”!
The Isa. 7:14 prophecy about, first, Hezekiah and then Christ is alluded to
here. There is fair evidence for reading Lord of hosts as referring to
the Cherubim of Glory (1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; Isa. 6:1-3; 37:15,16; Psa. 24:10;
80:1,4; Hag. 2:7). The LXX suggests “hosts of angels” —
hence...
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The God of Jacob, the Jacob who saw God’s angelic
host at Mahanaim (Gen. 32:1,2; cp. 28:15).
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Refuge. Misgab (as in v. 11) signifies an
impregnable place. A “fortress” (RSV). The same word occurs in Isa.
33:16 (Isa. 33 has quite a number of verbal contacts with Psalms
46-48).
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8.
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Behold. This Hebrew word is normally used of seeing a
divine revelation, in this instance the “theophany” of desolations
wrought by the angel of the Lord.
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What desolations he hath made in the earth (eretz:
Land, i.e. of Israel). And even this sounds like an understatement when
contemplating 185,000 corpses!
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9.
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He maketh wars to cease. After this the warlike
Assyrians left Judah severely alone for a long time. The rest of this verse
describes the havoc in the Assyrian camp (cp. Isa. 9:4,5, which foretold all
this).
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Chariots (agaloth) is, literally, carts
(probably ox-drawn). The Assyrians were bringing up heavy siege equipment from
the capture of Lachish, when overtaken by the avenging angel. (The LXX —
followed by NEB and NIV — has, by one vowel change,
“shields”.)
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10.
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Be still, and know that I am God. ‘Let go,
desist’; cease from your own labors. “Give in” (Moffatt). And
Hezekiah’s faith rested on this:
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“ ‘Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor
dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him:
for there be more with us that with him: With him is an arm of flesh: but with
us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles.’ And the
people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah” (2
Chron. 32:7,8).
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And the people rested themselves on the faith of Hezekiah
also! (In general, see also Exod. 14:13 — the words of Moses, in a time of
comparable deliverance: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation
of the Lord”.)
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2.
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Though the earth be removed. “The earth is
utterly broken down... clean dissolved... moved exceedingly... ” (Isa
24:10,19-23).
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Though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
This was achieved figuratively in the first century by the faith of the
disciples (Mark 11:23), and will be achieved literally in the days of
Messiah’s glory (Isa. 54:10; Psa. 76:1-6; Zech. 14:4,5).
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3.
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The waters roar. The sea and the waves roaring (Luke
21:25; cp. Psa. 89:9; Jer. 31:35,36). The nations are like a troubled sea
which cannot rest (Isa. 57:20,21; cp. Psa. 48:22).
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4.
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There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad.
The waters of Shiloah (Isa. 8:5-7), or Siloam, remind us of the miracle
performed by Christ in conjunction therewith (John 9:1-7). We too have, in a
spiritual sense, been born blind. We too have been bidden by Jesus to go and
wash in the pool of Siloam. So, washing ourselves in the pool of “the One
Sent” (John 9:7), we see — for the first time — the hidden
resources of strength and sustenance and protection to be found in the Lord of
hosts: Christ, the “river of life” (Gen. 2:10; Rev. 22:1), the river
flowing from under God’s throne (Ezek. 47:1-5), “a spring whose
blessings never fail”.
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And, further, the Kingdom of God will witness “living
waters” going forth from Jerusalem, both literal and figurative (Zech.
14:8; Joel 3:18; Isa. 30:25; 33:21; 41:18; 43:19,20; John 7:37), and in Christ
himself a “fountain” for the purification of sin and uncleanness
(Zech. 13:1).
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The holy places of the tabernacles of the most High.
The Son of David has not yet established the full glory of his temple in his
glorified saints.
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5.
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She shall not be moved. Quoted in Heb. 12:28, about the
“heavenly Jerusalem... the general assembly, and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven”. What a contrast with v. 6 here.
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8,9.
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Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he
hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth: he
breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder: he burneth the chariot in the
fire. A soul-satisfying picture of the final end of all human frightfulness,
and of war itself: Isa. 2:4; Ezek. 39:9; Hos. 2:18; Hag. 2:22; Rev.
11:18.
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10.
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Heathen... the earth (the Land?) — Gentiles and
Israel. The evil of men tamed, and God exalted at last.
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