John Trapp on Isaiah 30:20-21

Ver. 20. And though the Lord give you the bread of adverſity] Though he hold you to hard-meat, and give you but priſoners pitrance, ſo much as will keep you alive only, and that you eat your meat with the peril of your lives; emendicato pane hic vivamus, ſaith Luther; in our Fathers houſe is bread, Gods plenty.

Yet ſhall not thy Teachers be removed into a corner] Non alis ſe induent, they ſhall not take wing and flie from thee. The Miniſtry is a ſweet mercy, under what miſery ſoever men do otherwiſe groan and labour. Corporeal wants are not much to be paſſed on, ſo the ſpiritual food be not wanting: a famine of the word is the greateſt Judgement. Amos 8. when the Goſpel was firſt preacht, there was great ſcarcity of bodily food, Rev. 6.6. Act. 11.28. but that was ſcarce felt by thoſe holy ſouls who did eat their meat, ſuch as it was, with gladneſs and ſingleneſs of heart,Greenham. accounting that bread and cheeſe with the Gospel was good chear.

Thine eyes ſhall ſee thy Teachers] A deſcription of holy hearers; their eyes are intent on the preachers,Scultet. their ears arrect, their whole courſe conformed to the rule, quando lapſus tam in proclivi eſt, ver. 21. their deareſt ſins abandoned, ver. 22. Oh for ſuch hearers in theſe dayes!

Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vaſto.

Subeſt comparatio à paſtore ſumpta, qui oves ſequitur, & aberrantes in viam revocat.Ver. 21. And thine ears ſhall hear a word behind thee] Quum à tergo tuo dicent, when they ſhall ſay behind thee, viz. thy teachers: a Metaphor ſay ſome, from Shepherds driving their ſheep, and whiſtling them in, when ready to ſtray.

When ye turn to the right hand or to the left] Heb. when ye right-hand it. and when ye left-hand it. It is hard to hold the Kings high-way chalked out in the word, without ſwerving; to walk accurately, and as it were in a frame: yet this muſt be done, and all exorbitancies carefully ſhunned: Hereunto the word preached is a ſingular help: God by his ſpirit alſo ſends for us in our out-ſtrays, and ſets us right again: there will be upon any miſcarriage, Singultus cordis, an upbraiding or riſing of heart, as tis termed by Abigail, 1 Sam. 25 31. the ſpirit will come in with his ſecret and ſweet voice, both correcting and directing pro re nata.