'Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.'--ISAIAH lii. 11.
The context points to a great deliverance. It is a good example of the
prophetical habit of casting prophecies of the future into the mould of
the past. The features of the Exodus are repeated, but some of them are
set aside. This deliverance, whatever it be, is to be after the pattern
of that old story, but with very significant differences. Then, the
departing Israelites had spoiled the Egyptians and come out, laden with
silver and gold which had been poured into their hands; now there is to
be no bringing out of anything which was tainted with the foulness of
the land of captivity. Then the priests had borne the sacred vessels
for sacrifice, now they are to exercise the same holy function, and for
its discharge purity is demanded. Then, they had gone out in haste;
now, there is to be no precipitate flight, but calmly, as those who are
guided by God for their leader, and shielded from all pursuit by God as
their rearward, the men of this new Exodus are to take their march from
the new Egypt.
No doubt the nearest fulfilment is to be found in the Return from
Babylon, and the narrative in Ezra may be taken as a remarkable
parallel to the prophecy here. But the restriction to Babylon must seem
impossible to any reader who interprets aright the significance of the
context, and observes that our text follows the grand words of verse
10, and precedes the Messianic prophecy of verse 13 and of ch. liii. To
such a reader the principle will not be doubtful according to which
Egypt and Babylon are transparencies through which mightier forms
shine, and a more wonderful and world-wide making bare of the arm of
the Lord is seen. Christ's great redemption is the highest
interpretation of these words; and the trumpet-call of our text is
addressed to all who have become partakers of it.
So Paul quotes the text in 2 Cor. vi. 17, blending with it other words
which are gathered from more than one passage of Scripture. We may then
take the whole as giving the laws of the new Exodus, and also as
shadowing certain great peculiarities connected with it, by which it
surpasses all the former deliverances.