Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.
The heavens are summoned to be astonished and horribly afraid and desolate at what God's people have done, because their departure from Him is shocking and grievous. Their evil is double, that they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters and source of life, and have hewed out broken cisterns that can hold no water, thus exchanging their glory for what cannot profit and for gods that are no gods, though no heathen nation changes its gods even though they are no gods. Heaven and earth are also called to marvel that the divine Son of God, whose glory filled heaven, veiled His majesty in humanity and came to earth as a frail infant lying in a manger, sent as the great Teacher and Redeemer to speak in human language and take the penalty of transgression upon His own soul. Fitting wonder and alarm belong to the rejection of the light He brought, when the people chose their own ways above His divine teaching and opposed Him with envy and attachment to tradition, and to the oppression of the innocent Son of God by a stirred-up mob and to the people's choice and sentence against Christ. Heaven is called to be astonished and earth to be amazed at the returns made to the Lord, for contempt and formality and pride and selfishness and striving for human praise and exaltation are shocking in light of His humbling Himself as Deity and debasing Himself as man to agonize and die the shameful death of the cross to atone for guilty man, and His followers who demand honor while bearing no shame are called to look to Calvary and blush.
Israel's Appalling Exchange
The heavens are summoned to witness what God's people have done and to react with astonishment and horror, with fear and desolation, because their departure from God is so shocking and grievous. Their deed is that they have exchanged their glory for what cannot profit, for what is worthless and brings no benefit, for gods that are no gods. No heathen nation changes its gods even though they are no gods, and this makes it all the more appalling that God's people have changed their glory.
Their evil is two evils together. They have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters and source of life, and they have hewed out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. That is a turning from God and His life-giving word to human teachings that cannot satisfy or give life, and from what can sustain them to broken sources that cannot satisfy.
The warning falls on professed people of God who uphold a false sabbath and turn from Him. It warns of the gravity of departing from pure principles. It applies to seeking guidance from people who do not trust God rather than going to God, the source of wisdom, and such misplaced trust dishonors Him. The call is directed to people who need it, especially to men who have not been walking in the light, whose wrong principles and resistance to reproof keep God from prospering His people.
Christ Astonishes Heaven and Earth
The verse calls heaven to marvel, and even earth to stand amazed, at the lowly birth of the divine Son of God. He whose glory had filled heaven and drawn the worship of angels came to earth as a frail infant with His majesty veiled in humanity. He was laid in a manger among animals with no human welcome, and the contrast between His heavenly majesty and His lowly birth makes the event a cause for wonder.
The astonishment is over God's answer to man's terrible necessity, decided in the councils of heaven. The appointed instructor and Redeemer was no less a personage than the Son of God, the great Teacher, the eternal Word, who must Himself come to win human confidence. He came to speak in the language of humanity in His own temple, to separate truth from the chaff of man's utterance, to clearly define the principles of God's moral government and the plan of redemption, and to set the lessons of the Old Testament fully before men. He came to recover the rebellious alien province by an embassy of mercy, taking the penalty of transgression upon His own divine soul instead of sweeping evil away.
The verse also expresses the wonder and alarm fitting for the rejection of the light Jesus brought from heaven. Christ came from heaven with divine power and knowledge to teach the truth, yet the people chose their own ways and defective knowledge instead. When the Jews met heaven's messenger and teacher they opposed Him with envy and jealousy and attachment to their traditions because He would not follow them, and receiving Him would have changed their history, while their refusal made their history grievous.
Heaven and earth are called to wonder at the oppression of the innocent Son of God when Jesus was surrounded by a mob that mocked and blasphemed Him after religious leaders stirred the crowd to frenzy. Heaven is called to be astonished and earth's inhabitants to be ashamed at the people's choice and the sentence passed on Christ. Angels heard that rejection with sorrow and indignation but could not interfere, because Satan had to be allowed to reveal the principles of his rule so that the heavenly universe and humanity could see the righteousness of God's purposes.
Heaven is called to hear and be astonished, and earth to hear, that the royal heavenly messenger is unwelcome. He who shows such interest and sympathy and amazing condescension to fallen men is repulsed by indifference and unkindness and neglect. The heavens are called to be astonished and earth's inhabitants to be amazed at such returns made to the Lord.
Contempt and wickedness and formality, pride and selfishness and self-important ideas, striving for supremacy and for human praise and human exaltation, fearing the loss of deference and respect, and efforts to lift up man and glorify self are shocking in light of what the Lord of glory did. He humbled Himself as Deity and then debased Himself as man lower and lower until there were no lower depths He could reach, agonizing and dying the shameful death on the cross on behalf of guilty condemned man to make an atonement and lift man from moral defilement. The verse therefore rebukes followers of Christ who bear no trials and shame and humiliation while demanding honor, calling them to look to Calvary and blush for shame, because such pride is not Christlike.
The heavens are summoned to be astonished and horribly afraid and desolate at what God's people have done, because their departure from Him is shocking and grievous. Their evil is double, that they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters and source of life, and have hewed out broken cisterns that can hold no water, thus exchanging their glory for what cannot profit and for gods that are no gods, though no heathen nation changes its gods even though they are no gods. Heaven and earth are also called to marvel that the divine Son of God, whose glory filled heaven, veiled His majesty in humanity and came to earth as a frail infant lying in a manger, sent as the great Teacher and Redeemer to speak in human language and take the penalty of transgression upon His own soul. Fitting wonder and alarm belong to the rejection of the light He brought, when the people chose their own ways above His divine teaching and opposed Him with envy and attachment to tradition, and to the oppression of the innocent Son of God by a stirred-up mob and to the people's choice and sentence against Christ. Heaven is called to be astonished and earth to be amazed at the returns made to the Lord, for contempt and formality and pride and selfishness and striving for human praise and exaltation are shocking in light of His humbling Himself as Deity and debasing Himself as man to agonize and die the shameful death of the cross to atone for guilty man, and His followers who demand honor while bearing no shame are called to look to Calvary and blush.
Israel's Appalling Exchange
The heavens are summoned to witness what God's people have done and to react with astonishment and horror, with fear and desolation, because their departure from God is so shocking and grievous. Their deed is that they have exchanged their glory for what cannot profit, for what is worthless and brings no benefit, for gods that are no gods. No heathen nation changes its gods even though they are no gods, and this makes it all the more appalling that God's people have changed their glory.
Their evil is two evils together. They have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters and source of life, and they have hewed out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. That is a turning from God and His life-giving word to human teachings that cannot satisfy or give life, and from what can sustain them to broken sources that cannot satisfy.
The warning falls on professed people of God who uphold a false sabbath and turn from Him. It warns of the gravity of departing from pure principles. It applies to seeking guidance from people who do not trust God rather than going to God, the source of wisdom, and such misplaced trust dishonors Him. The call is directed to people who need it, especially to men who have not been walking in the light, whose wrong principles and resistance to reproof keep God from prospering His people.
Christ Astonishes Heaven and Earth
The verse calls heaven to marvel, and even earth to stand amazed, at the lowly birth of the divine Son of God. He whose glory had filled heaven and drawn the worship of angels came to earth as a frail infant with His majesty veiled in humanity. He was laid in a manger among animals with no human welcome, and the contrast between His heavenly majesty and His lowly birth makes the event a cause for wonder.
The astonishment is over God's answer to man's terrible necessity, decided in the councils of heaven. The appointed instructor and Redeemer was no less a personage than the Son of God, the great Teacher, the eternal Word, who must Himself come to win human confidence. He came to speak in the language of humanity in His own temple, to separate truth from the chaff of man's utterance, to clearly define the principles of God's moral government and the plan of redemption, and to set the lessons of the Old Testament fully before men. He came to recover the rebellious alien province by an embassy of mercy, taking the penalty of transgression upon His own divine soul instead of sweeping evil away.
The verse also expresses the wonder and alarm fitting for the rejection of the light Jesus brought from heaven. Christ came from heaven with divine power and knowledge to teach the truth, yet the people chose their own ways and defective knowledge instead. When the Jews met heaven's messenger and teacher they opposed Him with envy and jealousy and attachment to their traditions because He would not follow them, and receiving Him would have changed their history, while their refusal made their history grievous.
Heaven and earth are called to wonder at the oppression of the innocent Son of God when Jesus was surrounded by a mob that mocked and blasphemed Him after religious leaders stirred the crowd to frenzy. Heaven is called to be astonished and earth's inhabitants to be ashamed at the people's choice and the sentence passed on Christ. Angels heard that rejection with sorrow and indignation but could not interfere, because Satan had to be allowed to reveal the principles of his rule so that the heavenly universe and humanity could see the righteousness of God's purposes.
Heaven is called to hear and be astonished, and earth to hear, that the royal heavenly messenger is unwelcome. He who shows such interest and sympathy and amazing condescension to fallen men is repulsed by indifference and unkindness and neglect. The heavens are called to be astonished and earth's inhabitants to be amazed at such returns made to the Lord.
Contempt and wickedness and formality, pride and selfishness and self-important ideas, striving for supremacy and for human praise and human exaltation, fearing the loss of deference and respect, and efforts to lift up man and glorify self are shocking in light of what the Lord of glory did. He humbled Himself as Deity and then debased Himself as man lower and lower until there were no lower depths He could reach, agonizing and dying the shameful death on the cross on behalf of guilty condemned man to make an atonement and lift man from moral defilement. The verse therefore rebukes followers of Christ who bear no trials and shame and humiliation while demanding honor, calling them to look to Calvary and blush for shame, because such pride is not Christlike.