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1.
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Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands. The
fantastic destruction of Sennacherib’s army at Jerusalem meant the
smashing of the legend of Assyrian invincibility. Not only little Judah but also
other nations, trampled by these imperial bullies, took heart. And they
recognized the mighty power that had done this; hence their bringing of gifts to
Hezekiah at Jerusalem (2 Chron. 32:23). Hence also the emphasis on “all
the earth” (v. 4) and “the nations” (v. 7). Psa. 100:1 repeats
this verse, but uses the Covenant Name of God (Jehovah/Yahweh)
because that is the psalm of thanksgiving for God’s covenant
people.
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2.
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Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise
glorious. This is what Israel did at their first Passover (Exod. 15; cp. v.
6 here).
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3.
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Say unto God, How terrible art thou in all thy works.
“Terrible” is s.w. Psa. 65:5. This is just the right word to
describe the massive destruction of Isa. 37:36.
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Thine enemies submit themselves. The kings of Nineveh
never went to such lengths, but the neighboring peoples who had become allies of
Assyrian certainly found it a wise policy to honor Hezekiah’s God, even if
it was only, as the margin puts it, to “yield feigned
obedience” (or to “come cringing”: Rotherham; cp. RSV), being
compelled by sheer force of circumstances. (The same expression occurs in Psa.
18:44; 81:15; Deut. 33:29. The same attitude was to be found in the Pharaoh of
the Exodus: Exod. 15:8-15,25,29.)
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4.
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All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee;
they shall sing to thy name. Compare Isa. 42:12 and its context:
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“Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his
praise in the islands.”
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Selah is appropriate to the offering of sacrifices
implied in the word worship.
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5.
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Come and see the works of God; he is terrible in his doing
toward the children of men. This is immediately explained by the historical
context.
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6.
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He turned the sea into dry land. Exod. 14 was the only
comparable deliverance in earlier days; cp. Psa. 114:3.
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They went through the flood on foot refers to the
crossing of the Jordan River (Josh. 4:23): Nachar =
“river” in RSV (s.w. 74:15).
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There did we rejoice in him uses the same idiom as Hos.
12:4. Such “theophanies” as Exod. 15 and Isa. 37:36 belong to all
generations of God’s people (they are “for ever”: v. 7).
For those who will embrace them in faith, such stories from the history of
Israel are a preview of their personal deliverance.
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7.
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His eyes behold the nations. There is evidence that the
Assyrian army invading Judah included also support from Media, Elam, Edom, Moab,
Philistia, Arabia, and Tyre (see notes and references, 47:3 and 65:7).
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Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Could this be
an allusion to such as Rabshakeh, who was probably a renegade Jew? Note that:
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(a) he was fluent in Hebrew;
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(b) he knew about Hezekiah’s religious reforms (2 Kings
18:22), although he distorted the facts for his own purpose;
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(c) he knew of the prophecy of an Assyrian invasion of Israel
(v. 25; Isa. 10:5-7); and
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(d) his speech in 2 Kings 18 is replete with other Biblical
allusions.
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Selah has reference to Israel’s praise of God in
the temple: v. 8.
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9.
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Which holdeth our soul in life. A double reference to
(a) Hezekiah saved from his incurable sickness (note the first person singular
pronouns in vv. 13-20); and (b) the nation saved from obliteration by
Sennacherib’s savage campaign.
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And suffereth not our foot to be moved. Note the
emphasis on the feet of the saved nation in Exod. 14:13,29; Josh. 4:9,10;
cp. v. 6 here. In general, see Psa. 15:5; 16:8; 46:5.
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10.
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Thou, O God. The “Thou... thou... thou”
(vv. 10-12) is very effective.
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Thou hast tried us, in the siege of Jerusalem, as also
in earlier generations: Exod. 20:20; Psa. 81:7; Deut. 8:2,16. In general, see
12:6; 17:3; Mal. 3:2,3; 1 Pet. 1:6,7; 4:12; Job 23:10; Isa. 48:10; Lam.
4:2.
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12.
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Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads. This is
the very picture of Assyrian chariots presented by their bas-reliefs (cp. Isa.
51:23). And here men is enoshim, weak mortal men, as the
Assyrians were demonstrated to be.
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We went through fire and through water.
“Fire” = the pillar of fire in the wilderness, or the
“burning bush” (Exod. 3:2) — as typifying Israel’s
experience of trials. “Water” = the Red Sea and the Jordan River (v.
6), a national “baptism” (1 Cor. 10:1,2). The language is repeated
in Isa. 43:2, in a Hezekiah/Sennacherib context.
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Into a wealthy place. Or, possibly, to freedom.
Here the AV suggests the prosperity of Canaan, in Moses’ time, and the
plunder of the Assyrians, in Hezekiah’s. The alternative
(“freedom”) pictures the release of bondage from Egypt, or from the
straitness of the siege of Jerusalem.
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13.
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I will go into thy house. This paragraph is certainly
about Hezekiah after his miraculous healing (Isa. 37:1; 38:22).
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With burnt offerings. This and v. 15 are typical of
Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29:20-24). Literally, in burnt offerings —
Hezekiah sees himself typified or represented in the actual offerings.
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I will pay thee my vows. This is not mentioned in the
history, but very clearly in 116:14 (another Hezekiah psalm).
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14.
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When I was in trouble may refer both to his sickness
and to the Assyrian threat. These happened together (Isa. 38:5,6 —
some other portions of the text dealing with the chronology of this period are
defective and confusing, and have led to some deeply-flawed
expositions).
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15.
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The rams and goats suggest the Nazarite vow (v.
13; Num. 6:14) and the Day of Atonement, which is alluded to in Isa. 58 and
59.
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Selah is fitting to the offering of
sacrifices.
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16.
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Come and hear. Compare v. 5: “Come and
see”. It was characteristic of Hezekiah to lead his people in worship (2
Chron. 29; 30).
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What he hath done for my soul. This praise of God was
promised in Isa. 38:20. The meaning is, of course: ‘He has saved my
life’ (v. 9; 16:10).
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17.
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I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my
tongue. Here are cause and ultimate result. Note Isa. 38:2,3.
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18.
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If I regard iniquity in my heart. Isa. 39:2 is the only
example of iniquity pertaining to Hezekiah. Verse 19 (RV mg.) and Jer. 26:18,19
chime in with the outcome of this disreputable Babylonian alliance. Hezekiah
repented of his weakness, and the divine judgment was stayed for 100 years.
Hence the word mercy (forgiveness) in v. 20.
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1-7.
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This should surely be read as a picture of God’s
judgments in establishing Messiah’s kingdom.
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3.
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A feigning or lying spirit of “worship” will still
exist during the Kingdom Age, as evidenced by such passages as Zech. 14:16-9 and
Rev. 20:7,8.
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5.
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Come and see were the words used by Jesus to the two
disciples of John the Baptism (John 1:39), and by Philip to Nathanael (v. 46).
God’s marvels must be seen, and seeing them is the first step
toward believing in their Almighty Author.
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8-12.
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The final salvation of Israel from their enemies.
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10.
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Thou hast tried us as silver is tried.
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“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and
will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they
shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and
they shall say, The Lord is my God” (Zech. 13:9).
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13.
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I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay
thee my vows. Should this verse and its context (vv. 13-20) be considered in
connection with Mark 1:44 and its context (vv. 35-45) — about the healing
of the leper?:
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“And [Jesus] saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any
man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing
those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.”
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For vows, see also Psa. 22:22-26.
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15.
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I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with
the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. If applied literally
to Jesus in the days of his flesh, when was this true of him?
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16.
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Come and hear were the words of Jesus to the cured
demoniac (Mark 5:19; Psa. 116:12-14), and the words of the Samaritan woman to
her friends (John 4:29).
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19.
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But verily God hath heard me. Therefore, there was no
iniquity in his heart (note the if in v. 18). Nevertheless, because of
the nature he bore, mercy (v. 20) is not an inappropriate word.
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