Isaiah 42

Sing to the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants. Wesley: Sing—upon this new and great occasion, the salvation of the world by Christ. From the end—all nations from one end of the earth to another. Ye—you that go by sea carry these glad tidings from Judea, where Christ was born, and lived, and died, and published the gospel, unto the remotest parts of the earth.

The new song is Christ’s salvation, carried from Judea to the ends. Shared christology: Wesley and Calvin both name Christ as the subject of the song—salvation of the world by him, not a later-age chart. Isaiah calls the seafarers and coastlands to sing.

Sing to Jehovah. Calvin: gratitude; behold the prophecy as accomplished. Subject of the song: Christ revealed to the world, sent to restore the Church and as it were renew the whole world. New song: excellent, not ordinary; extraordinary grace of God revealed in Christ. All nations; Christ sent to all. Cannot be sung but by renewed men; needs the Spirit.

The song is already treated as done, and only the renewed can sing it. Wesley agrees: Christ revealed; all nations; a new song of extraordinary grace, not an ordinary hymn. Both camps refuse to make the new song a Jewish monopoly. The Spirit’s necessity is how Calvin hears the singing, not a cue to deny that the praise is from the end of the earth.

Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices, with the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains. Wesley: The wilderness—those parts of the world which are now desolate and forsaken of God, and barren of all good fruits. Kedar—the Arabians: a Heathen and barbarous people, put for all nations. Mountains—who are commonly more savage and ignorant than others.

Desolate places and Heathen Kedar stand for all nations now brought into the song. Arabia as a part for the whole earth; grace reaches rude and barbarous peoples.

Desert and its cities. Calvin: west sea and east desert and Arabia as the known map, a part for the whole earth. Kedar: Scenite Arabians in tents; rude and barbarous nations the grace reaches. From rising to setting of the sun these praises shall be heard.

Isaiah’s known map (sea, desert, Arabia) is a figure for the whole earth, sunrise to sunset. Common ground with Wesley: Kedar names Heathen nations the gospel actually reaches. They agree enough: no fork. The shout from the mountains is the same new song of v. 10, not a later-age chart.

Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. Wesley: The islands—in the remotest parts of the world, as well as in Arabia, which was near to them.

Remote islands and near Arabia alike give Jehovah glory. Either reading: the new song of vv. 10–11 ends in praise declared, not muttered. Glory belongs to the LORD; the idols of v. 17 will get none of it.

Give glory to Jehovah. Calvin: celebrate this redemption with a cheerful voice. Not lukewarm; those who have tasted grace cannot mutter.

Tasted grace sings; lukewarm muttering is not this praise. Wesley reads it the same way: glory to the LORD in the remotest parts. Both camps put the praise on Jehovah’s redemption, not on images. The new song of Christ in v. 10 is what the coastlands declare.

The LORD will go out like a mighty man. He will stir up zeal like a man of war. He will raise a war cry. Yes, he will shout aloud. He will triumph over his foes. Wesley: Go forth—to battle. Stir up—his strength and anger against the obstinate enemies of his Son and gospel. Roar—as a lion upon his prey, and as soldiers when they begin the battle.

The warrior’s zeal is against obstinate enemies of the Son and the gospel. God himself goes forth; the strength is his, not ours.

The LORD goes out like a mighty man. Calvin: ascribes strength so believers rely on him when he seems to delay. Go forth: come forth publicly to give assistance. Like a warrior with burning indignation against enemies. Accommodates to our capacity. Needed through the captivity almost till the coming of Christ.

The giant-speech is so delayed hearts will still rely on him; the figure is accommodated to our capacity. Shared with Wesley: God goes forth as a warrior against enemies of his work. Calvin’s span from captivity toward Christ’s coming is redemption.

I have been silent a long time. I have been quiet and restrained myself. Now I will cry out like a travailing woman. I will both gasp and pant. Wesley: Long—I have for many ages suffered the devil and his servants to prevail in the world, but now I will bring forth and accomplish that glorious work which I have long conceived in my mind; yea, I will suddenly destroy the incorrigible enemies of my truth.

The long peace was patience while the devil prevailed; the labor is the conceived work now brought forth, and sudden ruin of the incorrigible. God was silent and now acts. Wesley’s God had the work long conceived in his mind—he was restrained, not ignorant.

I have kept silence. Calvin: temptation when God delays and the wicked carry themselves high. Long time: so hearts not languish; also rebukes unbelievers who trust his forbearance. Like a woman in labor: astonishing warmth of love and tenderness; redemption a kind of birth, the grave serving as a womb. Then adds lion and giant so the mother-metaphor not degrade majesty.

Delay is a pastoral trial, not absence; the labor-cry is love’s heat, and the giant of v. 13 keeps the mother-speech from lowering majesty. Wesley agrees: long restraint, then the work brought forth. Unbelievers who trust the forbearance are rebuked; hearts of believers are kept from languishing.

I will destroy mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs. I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools. Wesley: Hills—my most lofty and flourishing enemies. Dry up—I will remove all impediments out of the way.

Lofty enemies are the hills; drying is the clearing of the path for the work of vv. 13–14. God himself removes what stands in the way.

Reduce mountains and hills to a wilderness. Calvin: defenses and military forces of the wicked shall not prevent God from setting his people at liberty. Do not need allegory of cities and herbage. Power not limited to natural means.

The waste is power against the wicked’s defenses; Calvin refuses a forced allegory of cities and plants, and will not limit God to ordinary means. Wesley agrees: impediments and enemies cannot stop the deliverance. They agree enough: no fork.

I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them. Wesley: The blind—the Gentiles. By a way—the way of truth, hitherto hidden from them; I will take away all hindrances; direct them in the right way; enlighten their dark minds, and rectify their perverse wills and affections, until I have brought them to the end of their journey.

The blind are the Gentiles; the unknown way is the way of truth; minds enlightened and wills rectified until the journey’s end. God leads; darkness becomes light; he does not forsake them. The fork with Calvin is who “the blind” are, not whether God leads.

I will bring the blind. Calvin: those whose affairs are so difficult, intricate, disordered that they see no means of escape. When we have no way open, that is the time to hope in the Lord. Better to be blind persons guided by the hand of God than by excessive sagacity to form labyrinths. Darkness into light, crooked straight. Promised to believers alone who entrust themselves to God and have known their blindness. Not to worldly wise men who wish to see in spite of him.

Blindness is the distressed believer’s confession, not a map-label for Gentiles as such; hope begins when no way is open, and the worldly-wise who insist on seeing are outside the promise. Wesley agrees: God leads; darkness into light; he does not forsake. The same LORD of vv. 13–15 now guides. The fork is the identity of the blind.

Those who trust in engraved images, who tell molten images, “You are our gods,” will be turned back and utterly disappointed. His song still governs: the new song of Christ’s salvation (v. 10), glory given to the LORD in the coastlands (v. 12), and the warrior who will suddenly destroy the incorrigible enemies of his truth (v. 14). Shame of those who trust graven images follows that song; do not invent a unique Wesley sentence here.

Idol-trust is put to shame as the new song’s reverse.

They shall be driven back. Calvin: distinguishes worshippers of God from worshippers of idols. Those who place hope in idols shall perish; those who trust in the word of God are certain of salvation. “Ye are our gods”: they ascribe the power of God to images. No man will be saved but he who trusts in God alone.

The verse splits two hopes—idols perish, the word saves; images are given what belongs to God. Shared with Wesley’s song: glory not to carved gods. Calvin’s “trust in God alone” is the worshipper distinguished from the image, not a cue to invent a later-age chart.