Isaiah 58:9

9 "Then you will 1call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you 2remove the yoke from your midst, The 3pointing of the finger and 4speaking wickedness,

Isaiah 58:9 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 58:9

Then shall thou call, and the Lord shall answer
A spirit of grace and supplication will be poured out upon the people of God; they will then pray without a form, and call upon the Lord in sincerity and truth, with faith and fervency; and the Lord will hear and answer them, and plentifully bestow his favours on them, so that they will have no reason to complain, as in ( Isaiah 58:3 ) : thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am;
he will immediately appear to the help and relief of his people; they shall have his presence with them, to comfort and refresh them, to support and supply them, to protect and defend them: if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke;
of human inventions, doctrines, rites and ceremonies, as in ( Isaiah 58:6 ) : "the putting forth of the finger"; pointing at those that could not comply with them, by way of scorn and derision, as puritans, schismatics and persecuting them for it; and so is the same with smiting with the fist of wickedness, ( Isaiah 58:4 ) ; when this deriding and persecuting spirit is done away, then, and not till then, will the prayers of a people be heard, though under a profession of religion, and under the Protestant name: and speaking vanity; which also must be taken away, or desisted from; even speaking false doctrines, as the Syriac version; or which profits not, as the Vulgate Latin version; profane and vain babblings, ( 2 Timothy 2:14 2 Timothy 2:15 ) , and threatening words, to such who will not receive them.

Isaiah 58:9 In-Context

7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 "Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.
11 "And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

Cross References 4

  • 1. Psalms 50:15; Isaiah 55:6; Isaiah 65:24
  • 2. Isaiah 58:6
  • 3. Proverbs 6:13
  • 4. Psalms 12:2; Isaiah 59:13

Footnotes 1

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