Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation.
All Commentaries on Isaiah 12:3 Go To Isaiah 12
Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
The foolishness of those who have eyes with which to see their wounds is superior to the wisdom of those who do not. Admonished by the spiritual vision of his foolishness, then, the king showed himself so obviously to be afflicted with miseries that he was able to find the cure, which is repentance. Judas, on the other hand, who bought a field with the reward from his iniquity, could not find the cure. “I am afflicted with miseries,” the king said, “and I am utterly bowed down; all day long I walk in sorrow.” Are we to understand the “utterly” of his “utterly bowed down” as referring to the fullness of the legal requirements for repentance? Or, better, shall we not understand it mystically as referring to Christ, who is himself the fullness of the law, who allowed himself to be stoned, his body suffering the wounds of death? Christ’s wounds, however, were redolent with the fragrance of grace, not the stench of repentance. Hence it was not death’s decay that flowed from his wounds, as is the case with all other men, but it was the fountain of eternal life, as Scripture teaches us: “And water will spring up with delight from the fountains of salvation.” His wounds gushed forth, therefore, that we might drink of salvation. All sinners of the world will drink to overthrow sin, but each person must be considered individually. Christ was afflicted with miseries to make blessed those who were ensconced in misery. No one will call a man miserable who may be righteous. He himself said, “No one will make you wretched.” He was bowed down that we might be raised up; he bore sorrow to bring us joy, according to which it is written: “For if I make you sorrowful, who will bring me joy except those whom I brought sorrow?” The very one who was made sorrowful by the Lord Jesus Christ will bring joy to Christ and will be made joyful by Christ. We recognize, therefore, that satisfaction does not need to be made by us. We are utterly bowed down, that is, not only in offering our faith in Christ but also our perseverance in suffering. And we should rejoice in our sufferings, as Christ also rejoiced in his sufferings. What he took up for his servants, we should undergo for the Lord.
