xxiii. 2.) II. We shall not necessarily adopt as our own the popular cries (ver. 12, 7). Vox populi is often far other than Vox Dei. III. We shall not necessarily share in the prevalent feelings of our time, whether they be those of fear or of hope (ver. 13). We shall know that no permanent hurt can be done to our nation while it is in pursuit of righteousness, and that no real advantage can be gained by methods that will not bear the divine scrutiny. IV. Our supreme desire will be, not to conciliate men, but to please God (ver. 13). We shall consider all public questions, and vote for, or withhold our vote from, all public men, as in His sight (Heb. xi. 27). This may cause us often to cut ourselves off from our "party," but this will not trouble us. Hostility may thus be excited against us will be excited against us, for such "impracticable men" are the abhorrence of mere politicians; but then God Himself will be to us "for a sanctuary" (d). V. We shall never lose sight of the fact that the penalty of ungodliness in public life is ruin (vers. 14, 15). The real Ruler of the world is God, who governs it according to a plan of truth, righteousness, and mercy; and every human "policy" which is not consistent therewith, though it may win for its authors a short-lived triumph, will inevitably plunge those who accept it into disaster. From those who fight against God, utter defeat cannot be far off. When these facts are in wrought into the understandings and consciences of God's people, and have become influential in their public and political life, much will have been done to usher in the millennium for which we daily pray, and of which Isaiah himself has given us such glowing pictures (chaps. ii. 4, xxxii. 16, 17; ix. 17). (a) There was a general panic among the people: "their heart was moved as the trees of the wood are moved by the wind," when they heard that Syria was confederate with Ephraim; their cry was everywhere, "A confederacy has been made against us, and we must meet it by a counter-alliance with Assyria;" and the prophet says that he too should have fallen under the influence of this panic, if Jehovah had not laid hold of him with a strong hand, to keep him in the way of dependence on Himself, and if He had not taught him to escape the fear which possessed his fellow-countrymen, by making the Lord of hosts his fear and his dread, by sanctifying Him himself, as he now in His Name calls on them to do. To sanctify Jehovah is in mind and practice to recognise Him as the holy God, the Lord who is absolute (absolutus), free from the limitations which hinder all other beings from carrying their wills into full operation, and to believe with the whole heart that God docs and can govern all things according to the counsel of His own will, and that what He determines does certainly come to pass, however probabilities and appearances may be against the belief (Num. xx. 12; Deut. xxxii. 51; Isa. xxix. 23). To the nation which thus sanctifies Jehovah, He (says Isaiah) will be their sanctuary-their protection against all their enemies. Such was His original covenant with both the houses of Israel, and it still holds good. If, therefore, they will break and renounce it, it becomes a stumblingblock to them. When their statesmen endeavour to remedy present mischief and secure future prosperity, by craftily playing off against one another the nations whom they cannot hope to match by force, they are attempting to go counter to the whole plan of Jehovah's government, and they will do it only to their own confusion.-Strachey. (8) H. E. I. 4137-4139. (7) The prophet, and such as were on his side, were not to call that kesher which the great mass of the people called kesher (cf. 2 Chron. xxiii. 13, "She said, Treason, treason! Kesher, kesher 1); . . . the reference is to the conspiracy, as it was called, of the prophet and his disciples. The same thing happened to Isaiah as to Amos (Amos vii. 10) and to Jeremiah. Whenever the prophets were at all zealous in their opposition to the appeal for foreign aid, they were accused and branded as standing in the service of the enemy, and conspiring for the overthrow of the kingdom. -Delitzsch. (8) Mikdash generally means the sanctified place or sanctuary, with which the idea of an asylum would easily associate itself, since even among the Israelites the Temple was regarded and respected as an asylum (1 Kings i. 50; ii. 25). ... Mikdash is really to be taken in this sense, although it cannot be exactly rendered "asylum," since this would improperly limit the meaning of the word. The Temple was not only a place of shelter, but also of grace, blessing, and peace. All who sanctified the Lord of lords He surrounded like temple walls; hid them in Himself, whilst death and tribulation reigned without, and comforted, fed, and blessed them in His own gracious fellowship (chap. iv. 5, 6; Ps. xxvii. 5; xxxi. 20).— Delitzsch. "HALLOWED BE THY NAME!" viii. 13. Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, &c. I. What is it to "sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself" It is, 1. To fill our minds with right thoughts concerning Him (a). 2. To fill our hearts with right feelings towards Him (P. D. 1492-1526). II. How is this to be done By frequent, devout, prayerful, intense meditation on the revelations of Himself which He has been pleased to give (H. E. I. 3507-3514). III What will be the effect of doing it 1. All other fear and dread will vanish from our minds (1 Sam. xiv. 6, xvii. 37; Jer. xxxii. 17; 1 Pet. iii. 14, 15). 2. Thus we shall unconsciously and inevitably attain to that heroism of which some of us dream (Ps. xvi. 8; Dan. iii. 16-18; Acts iv. 19, 20). 3. Thus we shall be qualified for the noblest service of God and man (Heb. xi. 24–27; 1 Cor. iv. 3, 4). 4. Thus a divine peace and joy will fill our whole being, as a mighty tide fills every nook and cranny of a wide-stretching bay (Ps. civ. 34). We shall rejoice in God as a soldier rejoices in a mighty fortress in which he feels secure from all assaults (2 Sam. xxii. 2, 3). (a) See note (a) to preceding outline: BIBLICAL POLITICIANS. GOD OUR REFUGE, OR OUR RUIN. viii. 14. And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, &c. In God "we live, and move, and have our being." We cannot be independent of, or indifferent to, Him, as we can in regard to some of our fellowmen. There can be no neutrality between Him and us. We must be obedient or disobedient to Him, and therefore we must find in Him our refuge or our ruin-our helper or our destroyer. That this vast truth may be received into our minds, let us take it somewhat in detail. I. We have to do with God in Nature. It is His world we live in ; and all its substances and forces are things which He hath made, and intends to be used according to His plans. Nay, He acts in them (a), and in them He is willing to be our ally, but not our slave. We cannot use Him to carry into effect our whims and fancies, as the old magicians were said to use the genii supposed to be under their control. God is of one mind, He changeth not; what is called "the uniformity of the laws of nature" is one manifestation of His unchangeableness; and that unchangeableness is most merciful (H. E. I. 3156, 3157, 3173-3177). If we fall in with His laws of nature, all nature is on our side; wind and tide then combine to bear us into our desired haven; but if we will not do so, the very stones of the field will be in league against us (Job v. 23; H. E. I. 3172, 4612) (B). E.g., gravitation. If a builder comply with the demands of this great law, it will give stability to his structure; but if not, from the very moment they are departed from, it will begin to pull down the hut or the palace he has builded. So with all the other substances and forces by which we are surrounded; they are for us or against us there is no neutrality possible. II. We have to do with God in Providence. Not only are we in this world, but, whether we like or not, we are under His government. He has laid down laws for our guidance, as communities and as individuals. These laws are vast and comprehensive; they cover every realm of activity and relationship of life; it is impossible for us to find ourselves in any place or circumstances in which some of them are not in force. If we obey them, they will be our helpers; if we disobey them, they will be our destroyers: us. obey one, and all others stand ready to befriend us; disobey one, and more manifestly all others become hostile to Illustrate-1. Communities. The law of frugality. The law of freedom of exchange. The supreme law for every nation is, that God shall be acknowledged as the supreme ruler, His will done, His protection sought and trusted in. It was this law that Ahaz and his people were setting at defiance (chap. vii.), and God forewarned them that He would not stand idly by and see it broken (chap. vii. 17-20). If any nation commit itself to a godless policy, it may achieve a transient triumph thereby (ver. 6), but disaster is inevitable (ver. 7). It may be delayed, but it is only that it may come in more awful form. United States of America: their maintenance of slavery when England abolished it, and their civil war. 2. Individuals. The comprehensive law (Matt. vii. 12): if a man obey it, the very constitution of society fights for him; if he disobey it, that same constitution fights against him. From God, as the God of Providence, we cannot escape; we must have to do with Him as friend or foe. Those men who deliberately put Him out of their thoughts and plans find it so just when they seem to themselves to be triumphing in their godless courses, they stumble against Him unawares. They are snared and taken in the great retributive laws of His universe. III. We have to do with God in Redemption. In Christ, God is revealed, and therefore we are not to be surprised when we see this great Old Testament truth conspicuously illustrated in Him. In the New Testament we are distinctly taught that neutrality in regard to Christ is impossible (Matt. xii. 30; 2 Cor. ii. 16; Matt. xxii. 37-44). Not to accept His salvation, is to reject it; not to submit to His authority, is to rebel against it. We cannot choose whether we will have to do with Christ or not! All that we can decide is the nature of the relationship that shall subsist between us. We can make Him our sanctuary, and then all blessing is ours; or we can refuse to do this, and then He becomes to us a stumblingblock and a snare. Not as the result of any vindictive action on His part, but as the inevitable result of the working of our own nature and of the constitution of the universe. 1. The phrase, "Gospel-hardened," represents a terrible reality (H. E. I. 2439-2442). 2. By our rejection of Christ, and consequent rebellion against His authority, we put ourselves on the side of those powers of evil which He is pledged to destroy, and then His very Almighti ness, which would have insured our salvation, becomes our ruin, just as the very same force of wind and wave, which would carry a vessel rightly steered into the desired haven, hurls it when wrongly steered as a miserable wreck on the rocks outside. Thus, in all the realms of life, we must have God with us or against us; and if God be against us, we have cause to lament that He is God-a being whom we cannot resist, from whom we cannot escape. Therefore, 1. Let us recognise what the realities of our position are. Let us not go on to eternal ruin through ignorance or heedlessness. 2. Let us make God our "sanctuary." We may do this. He invites us to do it. Having done it, everything in Him that otherwise would terrify us will be to us a cause of joy (Rom. v. 11). (a) "He this flowery carpet made, Made this earth on which we tread. Cheers us by His light and heat, THE STONE OF STUMBLING. viii. 14. And He shall be for ... a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel. This prophecy refers to our Lord Jesus Christ, and it has had a threefold fulfilment. It was fulfilled--1. In His own personal history. When He was made manifest to Israel He was so contrary to their conceptions of what the Messiah would be-in the lowliness of His condition, in the spirituality of the kingdom He set up, and, above all, in the ignominiousness of the death He accomplished at Jerusalem,-that they "stumbled at" and rejected Him. 2. In the experience of His disciples in all ages. In them He has been again despised and rejected. This He foresaw and predicted (John xv. 18– 21, &c.). In the world there is an irreconcilable hatred of Christ as He reappears in His people (Gal. v. 28, 29). 3. In the hostility which faithful preaching has always created. The preaching of the Gospel is the preaching of Christ (Acts v. 42; 1 Cor. i. 23; 2 Cor. iv. 5). The great evangelical doctrines all centre in and flow from "Christ and Him crucified," and can never be clearly and faithfully proclaimed without awakening the dis gust and enmity of the carnal heart. They necessarily humble sinful men, and they hate to be humbled. The offence of the cross is not yet ceased; multitudes still stumble at the truth, being disobedient. 1. How sad that Christ should be an offence and a stumbling-stone to a single soul! That His Word, which is sufficient for all the purposes of salvation, should become to any "the savour of death unto death"! 2. How terrible, and earnestly to be shunned, is that unbelief which thus reverses the design of God's greatest mercies! 3. Whatever others may do, let us, with penitent and thankful hearts, make Christ our "sanctuary."-Manuscript Sermon. THE DUTY OF TEACHERS OF TRUTH IN TIMES OF NATIONAL PERVERSION. viii. 16-18. In Heb. ii. 13 the commencement of verse 18 is quoted as an utterance of the Messiah. This opens up questions concerning the New Testament quotations from the Old which cannot be fully discussed in this commentary. It may suffice to remark that the Spirit inspiring Isaiah was the Spirit of Christ, and that therefore Isaiah's utterances generally may be regarded as the utterances of Christ; and further, this is especially true in those cases in which there is a close similarity in the position occupied by the great prophet of the Messiah and the Messiah Himself. At times Isaiah appears to be merely the spokesman of the Messiah; but in others, while his words had their ultimate and highest fulfilment in Christ, they were primarily true of himself, and this appears to be the case here. There are times when a nation goes utterly wrong, politically, socially, and, as the root of all the evil, religiously. God is forgotten, and the people give themselves over to purposes of ambition or of sensual pleasure. It is a time of formalism and pharisaism, of infidelity and blasphemy, of luxury and vice. So strong is this current of evil that it seems a hopeless and foolish thing for any man or body of men to resist it. What, then, is the prophet or faithful preacher to do? Prudence counsels compliance with the prevailing temper (2 Chron. xviii. 12), or at least a temporary silence. Shall he listen to prudence, and bid principle wait for a more fitting season? Nay, but-L Let him betake himself in prayer to God (ver. 16). Let him pray especially that Divine truth may be kept in the hearts of the few who have been led to receive it (a). II. Let him wait upon God with immovable confidence that His truth shall yet prevail in the earth (ver. 17). Thus did the Primitive Christians, the Puritans, and the Covenanters in the evil days in which they lived. III. Let him recognise and glory in the position he occupies (ver. 18). He and his spiritual children are God's witnesses (Isa. xliv. 8); what position could be more honourable Let them not shrink from its conspicuousness (Phil. ii. 15); let them not be disheartened by the singularity it involves (H. E. I. 1042-1045, 3906, 3914; P. D. 1188). Amid all that is depressing and threatening in the position to which they have been Divinely called, let them remember their Lord's declarations (Matt. x. 32; Rev. iii. 5). (a) I agree with Vitringa, Drechsler, and others in regarding verse 16 as the prophet's own prayer to Jehovah. We "bind"-tie together-what we wish to keep from getting separated and lost; we "seal" what is to be kept secret, and only opened by a person duly qualified. And so the prophet here prayed that Jehovah would take his testimony with regard to the future, and his intimation, which was designed to prepare for the future that testimony and thorah which the great mass, in their hardness, did not understand, and in their self-hardening despised, and lay them up well secured and well preserved, as if by bond and seal, in the hearts of those who received the prophet's words with loving obedience. For it would be all over with Israel unless a community of believers should be preserved, and all over with the community if the word of God, which was the ground of their life, should be allowed to slip out of their hearts -Delitzsch WAITING ON THE LORD IN DESERTION AND GLOOM. I. The characteristic appellation of Jehovah. "The God who hideth Himself" (a). II. The implied mysteriousness of His dealings with His people. It is not merely from Babylon or Egypt, from Tyre or Nineveh, that He hides His face, but from "the house of Jacob." 1. The persons referred to may be regarded as typical of the Church. Though descended from Abraham, they were called "the house of Jacob," to denote that they were a chosen people-a praying people (this at least was true of the best men among them)-a people in whom God delighted. 2. With these persons He dealt in a manner contrary to what we should have expected. Looking only at the relation in which He stood to them, we should have expected that the light of His countenance would have gladdened them continually. Yet He hid Himself; and He frequently hides himself not only from the world, but from the Church; not only from the wicked man, but from the believer. Yet here is a difference: in the one case it is total and constant, in the other it is but partial and temporary. In the one case it is in anger, in the other it is in love (Rev. iii. 19). 3. The modes in which He hides Himself. (1) In the cloud of providential darkness-affliction, bereavement, &c. (Isa. 1. 10). (2) In the withholding of the conscious enjoyment of religion (Job xv. 11; xxii. 2) (8). III. The resolve of the believer under this visitation. In nothing does the grace of God shine more unmistakably than in the way in which the Christian bears trouble. "Behold, this evil is of the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?" said a wicked man of old; but "I will look unto the Lord, and will wait for Him," is the prophet's resolve. 1. As to looking for Him. (1.) For whom do we look? For our God-our Father-our Friend-our Deliverer. (2.) Where shall we look for Him He is near, though concealed. Then look for Him in Christ, in whom He is reconciling the world unto Himself, in whom Ho is well pleased even with us. Look for Him in His promises-in His ordinances-in your closet. (3.) How shall |