-- Depart, depart, go out from thence, touch not what is unclean; go out of the midst of her, be ye clean, that bear the vessels of Jehovah.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for Jehovah will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear-guard.
This verse ends a long stretch of Isaiah with a marching order, and its pace is the surprise: no rush, no panic, no running. The second half of the line says why — God at the front of the column, and the same God at the back.
This is not a stray promise. One commentator maps the whole run of appeals leading up to it, and puts these last two verses at the summit.
In Isaiah 50 we have seen the divine Messiah in the depths of humiliation, but the Lord Jehovah helping and justifying Him. In Isaiah 53 (which really begins at Isaiah 52:13) we shall see Him "pierced for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities"... Between these everlasting foundations of blessing for Israel (or for anyone), the Holy Spirit gives us stirring appeals. They have the greatest force, interest, and beauty. It is a complete whole, made up of seven distinct parts (Isaiah 51:1-3; 4-6; 7, 8; then, 9-16; 17-23; Isaiah 52:1-10; last of all, 11, 12). These parts trace the stages of the godly Jewish remnant, from their deep distress... advancing step by step until they stand in the full glory that was promised them.
Another writer reads the twice-repeated "Depart" as the final call — a call away from something, and also toward Someone.
"DEPART, DEPART!" This is the final call. Holy separation is to mark those who are called to such high honour. It is separation not only from what is "unclean," but separation to the Lord Himself.
Israel's first departure from Egypt was a scramble — haste and flight. One writer sets the two exits side by side.
That is what they did in Exodus 12. They were like a lot of timid frightened creatures, flying from an angry foe. Being "thrust out of Egypt" (Ex. 12:39), they went out in haste, and word reached the king of Egypt "that the people fled" (Ex. 14:5). They were not marching out at a calm, dignified pace. They went out for what I may call dear life. They fled for refuge, fearing the pursuing foe. One day it will not be in haste. By then they will have learned that the question is not between themselves and Pharaoh. It is between God and Pharaoh, as to whom they belong.
The last two lines of the verse cover both directions: the road ahead and whatever follows behind.
Finally, in view of this great deliverance, Jehovah's people are called to separate from the unclean of the nations. Those who carry the vessels of the LORD must be clean. Their deliverance from the nations will be no hasty flight, for the LORD will surround their going. He will go before to lead the way.
Verse 12 gives the reason attached to a command in verse 11 about being clean. One commentator points out that the text never names the place they leave, so more than one empire is in view.
Last of all, the passage closes with a firm call: act in keeping with the holiness of Jehovah and of His sanctuary. "Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out of the midst of her; be clean, you that bear the vessels of Jehovah" (v. 11). The text does not name Babylon: a larger sphere is meant. This going out will not be, like the old one, in haste or in anxiety, however they were guided and delivered then.
The New Testament takes up that same call and presses it on Christians.
Believers are marked by righteousness and light. They are under the leadership of Christ, and they form the temple of God. So they are under a binding obligation to come out from the world and to be separate from evil. The Apostle presses this call home by pointing back to Isaiah 52:11.
Commentators do not tie the verse to one historical return. One writer reads it beside a group of psalms about a journey home, and traces the pattern forward.
The coming out from Babylon is celebrated in advance by prophets, in very lofty language (Isaiah 48:20; Isaiah 52:11-12)... So the return at that time was a type: the pledge of Israel's return from another dispersion, the one they are in now. These Psalms may answer to the words of the remnant of the last days, as they pass through the stages of their trials, until they come into the rest of the kingdom. And in the right conditions they may also, in spirit, be the words of any believer journeying on through the present world to the glory and presence of the Lord — a traveller with Jesus.
- Called — the verse closes a series of stirring appeals. They lift a small, distressed remnant step by step into promised glory.
- Calm — the first exodus was a panicked flight from Pharaoh. This one is unhurried, because the question is no longer between Israel and Pharaoh, but between God and Pharaoh.
- Covered — God takes both ends of the march. He leads the way in front and closes the line behind.
- Clean — the escort comes with a command: those who carry what belongs to the Lord must be clean. Commentators press the same call on believers today, as separation from evil.
- Certain — the return from Babylon was only a pledge of a larger one. The same pattern fits any believer travelling through this world toward the Lord's presence.