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Isaiah Chapter
Sixty-two
Isaiah 62
Chapter Contents
God's care of his church and people. (1-5) The office of
ministers in preaching the gospel. (6-9) Every hinderance shall be removed from
the way of salvation. (10-12)
Commentary on Isaiah 62:1-5
(Read Isaiah 62:1-5)
The Son of God here assures his church of his unfailing
love, and his pleading for her under all trails and difficulties. She shall be
called by a new name, a pleasant name, such as she was never called by before.
The state of true religion in the world, before the preaching of the gospel, no
man seemed to have any real concern for. God, by his grace, has wrought that in
his church, which makes her his delight. Let us thence learn motives to
holiness. If the Lord rejoices over us, we should rejoice in his service.
Commentary on Isaiah 62:6-9
(Read Isaiah 62:6-9)
God's professing people must be a praying people. He is
not displeased with us for being earnest, as men commonly are; he bids us to
cry after him, and give him no rest, Luke 11:5,6. It is a sign that God is coming to
a people in mercy, when he pours out a spirit of prayer upon them. See how
uncertain our creature-comforts are. See also God's mercy in giving plenty, and
peace to enjoy it. Let us delight in attending the courts of the Lord, that we
may enjoy the consolations of his Spirit.
Commentary on Isaiah 62:10-12
(Read Isaiah 62:10-12)
Way shall be made for Christ's salvation; all
difficulties shall be removed. He brings a reward of comfort and peace with
him; but a work of humiliation and reformation before him; and they shall be
called, The holy people, and, The redeemed of the Lord. Holiness puts honour
and beauty upon any place or person, makes them admired, beloved, and sought
after. Many events may have been part fulfilments of this, as earnests of more
glorious times yet to come. The close connexion between the blessedness of the
Jews and of the Gentiles, runs through the Scriptures. The Lord Jesus will
complete his work, and he never will forsake one whom he has redeemed and
sanctified.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Isaiah》
Isaiah 62
Verse 1
[1] For
Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,
until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation
thereof as a lamp that burneth.
Zion's sake —
Zion and Jerusalem are both put for the church, Hebrews 12:22.
My peace —
These seem to be the words of the prophet strongly resolving, notwithstanding
all difficulties, to solicit God for the church's happiness, and constantly
excite to the belief of it by his preaching, though it were long before it
came, for Isaiah lived near two hundred years before this was accomplished.
Righteousness —
With reference to the Babylonians, understand it of the righteousness of God,
who hath promised his people deliverance, and he must be righteous, and so
understand salvation before; or rather, the vindicating of his people's cause
in the eyes of the nations by the ruin of the Babylonians; he will shew that
his people have a righteous cause.
Lamp —
And to that purpose is set up where it may be seen continually, to signify how
eminently conspicuous this prosperous estate of the church should be among the
nations, and as it may particularly relate to revealing of Christ unto the
world.
Verse 2
[2] And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and
thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
A new name —
The church shall be more renowned than ever, both in respect of her condition,
and so called Hephzi-bah, and of her relation, and so called Beulah, and this
new name the Lord gives them accordingly, verse 4.
Verse 3
[3] Thou
shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in
the hand of thy God.
Crown of glory — An
expression to set forth the dignity of her state.
In the hand —
Preserved and defended by God's hand.
Royal diadem —
The same thing with the former for substance. Or, the royal priesthood, whereof
the apostle speaks, 1 Peter 2:9.
Verse 4
[4] Thou
shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed
Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD
delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
Forsaken — As
a woman forsaken by her husband.
Thy land —
The inhabitants of the land.
Hephzi-bah — My
delight is in her; a new name agreeing with her new condition.
Beulah —
Married; agreeing to her new relation.
Married —
Thou shalt see the increase of thy children again in the land, as the fruit of
thy married condition, which by reason of thy being forsaken of thy husband,
were in a manner wasted and decayed: and this refers to the great enlargement
of the church in the gospel days.
Verse 6
[6] I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold
their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
Day nor night —
There shall be a vigilant and industrious ministry.
Ye — That is, are his
servants. And here especially are meant his servants in ordinary, his
remembrancers, such as put God in mind of his promise, and such as make the
Lord to be remembered, putting his people in mind of him.
Verse 7
[7] And
give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the
earth.
A praise — By
sending the Messiah, and those labourers into his vineyard, whereby the church
may be established, and settled on sure foundations, and so become a matter of
praise to God. All the nations shall praise him for her.
Verse 9
[9] But
they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that
have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.
But —
Thou shalt not sow, and another reap, as formerly.
Courts — In
my courts: holiness being put for God himself.
Verse 10
[10] Go
through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast
up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.
Go through — It
is doubled by way of emphasis. Go meet the Gentiles, whom God purposes to bring
into the church.
Prepare —
Let them not have any obstructions in their way.
Stones —
That there be no stumbling-stone, or offence in their way.
Standard — An
allusion to soldiers, that set up their standard that the army may know where
to repair from all quarters.
Verse 11
[11]
Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the
daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him,
and his work before him.
Zion — To
Jerusalem, or the church.
Thy salvation —
Thy saviour.
Reward —
The reward due to the work.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Isaiah》
62 Chapter 62
Verse 1
For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace
The Church blessed and made a blessing
(Isaiah 62:1-12):--The words of the great
Deliverer are continued from the foregoing chapter.
1. He will not rest until the glorious change in the condition of His
people is accomplished (Isaiah 62:1).
2. They shall be recognized by kings and nations as the people of
Jehovah (Isaiah 62:2-3).
3. She who seemed to be forsaken is still His spouse (Isaiah 62:4-5).
4. The Church is required to watch and pray for the fulfilment of the
promise (Isaiah 62:6-7).
5. God has sworn to protect her and supply her wants (Isaiah 62:8-9).
6. Instead of a single nation, all the nations of the earth shall
flow into her (verse ,10).
7. The good news of salvation shall no longer be confined, but
universally diffused (Isaiah 62:11).
8. The glory of the Church is the redemption of the world (Isaiah 62:12). (J. A. Alexander.)
The gradual development of the glory of Jerusalem
“For Zion’s sake I shall not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I
shall not rest, until her righteousness breaks forth like morning-splendour,
and her salvation like a burning torch.” (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
The moral illumination of the world
I. THE PRESENT
IMPLIED OBSCURITY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. “The righteous One and the Saviour”
(Vulgate). Whenever the righteous One and Saviour are hidden there is
obscurity.
II. HER ANTICIPATED
GLORY. The burning lamp is a symbol of the presence of Jehovah. Jesus is termed
“the brightness of His Father’s glory and the express image of His person.”
Connect both the figures in the text. The Sun of Righteousness shall go forth
like the light of the morning.
1. Manifestly. Light maketh manifest.
2. Irresistibly, as the light of the morning.
3. Universally. As all the earth turns to the sun, all are visited by
the morning light. “Righteousness shall go forth as brightness” in all the
earth.
III. THE MEANS BY
WHICH THE WORK IS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED. “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My
peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest.” Some think these are expressions
of Jehovah. Correct or not, it is a Scriptural truth; it has long lain near the
heart of God! Others, that Jesus is the speaker. The world is His purchased
property, but His own world received him not. Yet the Father has pledged
Himself to vindicate His right: “Ask of me.” The most common opinion is that
these words are Isaiah’s, as a man of God and as a minister of God. It is
proper to be used by all who mention the name of the Lord. Human agency, then,
is the means employed. In providence God helps man by man. In grace the same.
The Word of God is to be carried and held forth as light. The text indicates
the manner also.
1. It shall be consistent--prayer and exertion. “Not hold my peace,
not rest.”
2. Affectionate exertions also--from a principle of love. “For Zion’s
sake.”
3. Persevering. “Until the righteousness go forth.” (J.
Summerfield, M. A.)
The extension of the Gospel
I. THE BLESSING OF
THE GOSPEL AS APPLIED TO YOUR OWN SOULS. Two inclusive blessings, righteousness
and salvation.
II. THE EXTENSION
OF THIS BLESSING THROUGHOUT THE EARTH. It is evident that it is in the promise
of God that it shall be so, because it is made the subject of the persevering
intercession of Christ. “For Zion’s sake will I,” etc.
III. THE GROUND OF
OUR ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE EXTENSION OF THIS BLESSING. What can be stronger? It
is the grace of the intercession of the Son of God. (C. Bridges, M. A.)
Divine unrest
(with Isaiah 62:6-7):--
I. THE CAUSE OF
DIVINE UNREST. The needs of the Church, Zion; the condition of the city,
Jerusalem. It is in the lack of “righteousness,” the need of “salvation.” This
is still true of our Churches and cities. The sin is pro found, the sorrow
unfathomable. Yet there is not total darkness. There is twilight; but all the
Divine yearning is, that the twilight may brighten into noon.
II. THE NATURE OF
THIS DIVINE UNREST. It is not chiefly that of indignation at wrong, but it is
the unrest of anxiety for others, the unrest of pity. It is--
1. Unselfish.
2. Universal. Even God will share it.
III. THE
MANIFESTATION OF THIS DIVINE UNREST.
1. In loud human proclamation of the truth.
2. In prayer to God.
3. In God’s unrest, in which He gives Jesus to save and bless. Christ’s
piercing cry of grief, “O Jerusalem,” utters the unrest in God. Learn--
The heavenly workers and the earthly watchers
(with verses6, 7)--
1. The preceding chapter brings in Christ as proclaiming the great
work of deliverance for which He is anointed of God; the following chapter
presents Him as treading the wine-press alone, which is a symbol of the future
judgment by the glorified Saviour. Between these two prophecies of the earthly
life and the still future judicial energy, this chapter lies, referring, as I
take it, to the period between these two--i.e to all the ages of the
Church’s development on earth. For these Christ here promises His continual
activity, and His continual bestowment of grace to His servants who watch the
walls of Jerusalem.
2. Notice the remarkable parallelism in the expressions: “I will not
hold My peace;” the watchmen “shall never hold their peace.” And His command to
them is literally, “Ye that remind Jehovah--no rest (or silence) to you! and
give not rest to Him.” So we have here Christ, the Church and God, all
represented as unceasingly occupied in the one great work of establishing “Zion
‘ as the centre of light, salvation and righteousness for the whole world.
I. THE GLORIFIED
CHRIST IS CONSTANTLY WORKING FOR HIS CHURCH. We are too apt to regard our.
Lord’s real work as all lying in the past, and, from the very greatness of our
estimate of what He has done, to forget the true importance of what He evermore
does.. He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. In
that session on the throne manifold and mighty truths are expressed. It
proclaims the full accomplishment of all the purposes of His earthly ministry;
it emphasizes the triumphant completion of His redeeming work by His death; it
proclaims the majesty of HIS nature, which returns to the glory which He had
with the Father before the world was; it shows to the world, as on some
coronation day, their King on His throne, girded with power. But whilst on the
one side Christ rests as from a perfected work which needs no addition nor
repetition, on the other He rests not day nor night. When the heavens opened to
the rapt eyes of John in Patmos, the Lord whom he beheld was not only revealed
as glorified in the lustre of the inaccessible light, but as actively
sustaining and guiding the human reflectors of it. He “holdeth the seven stars
in HIS right hand,” and “walketh in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks.” Not otherwise does my text represent the present relation of
Christ to His Church. “I will not rest.” Through all the ages His power is in
exercise. He inspires in good men all their wisdom: and every grace of life and
character. Nor is this all. There still remains the wonderful truth of His
continuous intercession for us. In its widest meaning that word expresses the
whole of the manifold ways by which Christ undertakes and maintains our cause.
So we have not only to look back to the cross, but up to the throne. From the
cross we hear a voice, “It is finished.” From the throne a voice, “For Zion’s
sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest.”
II. CHRIST’S
SERVANTS ON EARTH DERIVE FROM HIM A LIKE PERPETUAL ACTIVITY FOR THE SAME
OBJECT. “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never
hold their peace day nor night. On the promise follows, as ever a command “Ye
that remind Jehovah, keep not silence.” There is distinctly traceable here a
reference to a twofold form of occupation devolving on these Christ-sent
servants. They are watchmen, and they are also God’s remembrancers. In the one
capacity as in the other, their voices are to be always heard. The former
metaphor is common in the Old Testament, as a designation of the prophetic
office, but, in accordance with the genius of the New Testament, as expressed
on Pentecost, when the spirit was poured out on the lowly as well as on the
high, on the young as on the old, and all prophesied, may be fairly extended to
disignate not some select few, but the whole mass of Christian people. The
remembrancer’s priestly office belongs to every member of Christ’s priestly
kingdom, the lowest and least of whom has the privilege of unrestrained entry
into God’s presence-chamber, and the power of blessing the world by faithful
prayer.
1. Our voices should ever he heard on earth. A solemn message is
committed to us by the very fact of our belief in Jesus Christ and His work.
2. Our voices should ever be heard in heaven. They who trust God
remind Him of His promises by their very faith; it is a mute appeal to His
faithful love, which He cannot but answer. Beyond that, their prayers come up
for a memorial before God and have as real an effect in furthering Christ’s
kingdom on earth as is exercised by their entreaties and proclamations to men.
3. These two forms of action ought to be inseparable. Each, if
,genuine, will drive us to the other, for who could fling himself into the
watchman’s work, with all its solemn consequences, knowing how weak his voice
was, and how deaf the ears that should hear, unless he could bring God’s might
to his help? And who could honestly remind God of His promises and forget his
own responsibilities?
4. The power for both is derived from Christ. He sets the watchmen;
He commands the remembrancers. And, as the Christian power of discharging these
twofold duties is drawn from Christ, so our pattern is His manner of
discharging them, and the condition of receiving the power is to abide in Him.
Christ asks no romantic impossibilities from us, but He does ask a continuous,
systematic discharge of the duties which depend on our relation to the world,
and on our relation to Him.
III. THE CONSTANT
ACTIVITY OF THE SERVANTS OF CHRIST WILL SECURE THE CONSTANT OPERATION OF GOD’S
POWER. “Give Him no rest: “ let there be no cessation to Him. These are bold words.
Those who remind God are not to suffer Him to be still. The prophet believes
that they can regulate the flow of Divine energy, can stir up the strength of
the Lord. It is easy to puzzle ourselves with insoluble questions about the
co-operation of God’s power and man’s; but practically, is it not true that God
reaches His end, of the establishment of Zion, through the Church? The great
reservoir, is always., full to the brim; however much may be drawn from it, the
water sinks not a hair’s breadth; but the bore of the pipe and the power of the
pumping-engine determine the rate at which the stream flows from it. “He could
there do no mighty works because of their unbelief.” (A. Maclaren, D. D.
Hindrances to the spread of the Gospel
Our particular inquiry is, What obstacles to the conversion of the
world are found among those who, in different ways, are enlisted in the cause
of foreign missions?
I. THE DEFECT OF
OUR CHRISTIAN CHARACTER, OR THE WANT OF A HIGHER DEGREE OF HOLINESS.
II. THE DIRECT
INDULGENCE OF AFFECTIONS WHICH ARE SELFISH AND EARTHLY.
III. DIVISION AND
STRIFE AMONG CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS.
IV. THE UNNECESSARY
EXCITEMENT OF POPULAR PREJUDICE.
V. FALLING SHORT
IN OUR DUTY IN REGARD TO THE BENEVOLENT USE OF
PROPERTY.
VI. THE WANT OF A
PROPER FEELING AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF OUR
DEPENDENCE ON GOD FOR THE SUCCESS OF OUR EFFORTS. (Leonard
Woods, D. D.)
I. ENCOURAGEMENTS.
The encouragements and duties of Christians
1. There are declarations respecting the character and essential
attributes of God, as, for example, His sovereignty, His power, His justice,
His wisdom, His love; even from which, if we had no express or specific
direction, we might justly and safely infer that the Almighty cannot always
permit His own world to remain the almost unmitigated form of general apostasy
and wretchedness; and that for the sake of His own glory He will cause a vast
and mighty change, by which the revolt of the world shall be terminated, and by
which it shall be recovered and reclaimed to Himself.,
2. There are declarations with regard to the sufficiency and design
of our Saviour’s sacrifice (John 1:29; John 12:32; Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2). That the sacrifice of
Christ, of which such is the declared sufficiency and design has hitherto but
very partially and imperfectly accomplished its object is plain; that, so long
as the world continues as it is, that partiality and imperfection must still
continue is plain also; and we must therefore judge that it never can fulfil
the objects for which it was originally offered, except in the final effusion
of the Divine Spirit among all the nations of the earth.
3. There are declarations in regard to thee majesty and extent of the
Saviour’s exaltation and royalty. As the reward and the recompense of His
sufferings, He has been made the possessor of a wonderful mediatorial kingdom,
a kingdom in the gaining and maintaining of the authority of which the Spirit
is the agent, and the Word is the instrument--that kingdom in which the Spirit,
through the Word, is destined to maintain a universal sway (Psalms 2:7-8; Isaiah 9:6; Psalms 62:8, etc.).
4. There are those declarations with regard to the final and
renovating change, as we find them expressed throughout the general structure
of the prophetical writings. Because He who cannot lie has promised, therefore
we believe.
II. OBLIGATIONS.
1. There are peculiar duties pressing upon the ministers and other
public officers of the Church of Christ. The ministers are called upon to
cultivate peculiar eminence in personal holiness; they ought to cultivate an
enlarged and most accurate acquaintance with evangelical truth, an ardent zeal
for the glory of God, a tender compassion for the souls of men! They ought to
give themselves up wholly to their high vocation. They ought to labour with
quenchless ardour and perseverance, while prayer ought to be, as it were, their
very food, their very air, and their very being. As to the other public
officers of the Church, their special duty appears to be the
following--exemplary firmness in the belief of Christian doctrine, in the
practice ofChristian precepts, and in the manifestation of a Christian spirit;
fervent, brotherly love amongst themselves, towards all their
fellow-Christians, and especially towards the poor, whose interest they are
invoked to superintend; cheerful assistance to the pastors of the flock, in all
measures which may be deemed proper for preserving the purity of the Church,
and for the conversion of the ungodly; and an earnest endeavour with regard to
all departments of Christian character, that they may shine as lights in the
world.
2. But there are general duties which press upon all the members of a
Christian Church.
Intercessory prayer and the Divine reapers
The prophet here tells us--
I. WHAT HE WILL DO
FOR THE CHURCH (Isaiah 62:1).
II. WHAT GOD WILL
DO FOR THE CHURCH (Isaiah 62:2-5).
1. The Church shall be greatly admired. “And the Gentiles shall see
thy righteousness” etc.
2. She shall be truly admirable. “Thou shalt be called by a new name,
etc. Two names God shall give her.
Verse 2
And thou shalt be called by a now name
The new name
(with Isaiah 62:12):--According to the Hebrew
idiom, the name which expresses the nature and character of a person is used as
equivalent to that nature and character.
The promises of these verses involve, accordingly, far more than appears upon
the surface.
I. THE NEW NAME
ABOLISHES THE OLD. In the prophetical writings Israel’s sins are very plainly
described and very faithfully upbraided. The favoured people are called rebels
and traitors, idolaters and spiritual adulterers. Upon their repentance, the
old reproach is wiped away, and the old appellations are discarded. This is how
Divine mercy treats all true penitents and believers. Former sins are
forgotten, former rebukes are reversed, former sentences of condemnation are
cancelled.
II. THE NEW NAME
EXPRESSES A NEW CHARACTER. The Christian dispensation, by peculiar agencies and
spiritual powers, for the removal of the nature and life of men (2 Corinthians 5:17). In accordance
with the fact is the expression of the fact; in accordance with the new nature,
the new birth, the new life, is the new name.
III. THE NEW NAME IS
SIGNIFICANT OF A NEW STATE OF FAVOUR AND ACCEPTANCE. Especially those upon whom
the great change has passed are the Lord’s. His possession and property, His
beloved and honoured, for whom no privileges are too great and no dignities too
eminent. The new name is His name who confers it, and who delights to deem and
to call His beloved ones His own. (Homiletical Library.)
Verses 3-5
Thou shalt also be a crown of glory
Zion a crown of glory God’s hand
It is only through figurative representations that prophecy here
sees what Zion will be in the future; she becomes a crown of adornment, a tiara
(the head-dress of the high priest, Exodus 33:4; Zechariah 3:5; and of the King, Ezekiel 21:26) of royal dignity in the
hand of Jehovah her God.
It is a leading feature in the picture that Jehovah holds the crown in His
hand. Zion is not the ancient crown which the Eternal bears on His head, but
she is the crown which He holds in His hand, because in Zion He is recognized by
all creation; the whole history of redemption is the history of Jehovah’s
taking the kingdom and bringing it to perfection, in other words, the history
of the working out of this crown. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
Verse 4
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken
A joyful change of condition
“No more shall it be called to thee (shalt thou be called) Azubah
(Forsaken), and thy land shall no more be called Shemamah (Desolate); but thou
shalt be called Hephzibah (My delight is in her), and thy land Beulah
(Married), for Jehovah delights in thee, and thy land shall be married.
The joyful change of condition is expressed in the prophet’s favourite manner,
by significant names. The common version not only mars the beauty of the
passage, but renders it in some degree unintelligible to the English reader, by
translating the first two names and retaining the others in their Hebrew dress.
It is obvious that all four should be treated alike, i.e that all the Hebrew
forms should be retained, or none. Henderson prefers the latter method, on the
ground ,that “the names are merely symbolical, and will, never be employed as
proper names. It is probable, however, that they were all familiar to the Jews
as female names in real life. This we know to have been the ease with two of
them (1 Kings 22:42; 2 Kings 21:1). It is better,
therefore, to retain the Hebrew forms, in order to give them an air of reality
as proper names, and at the same time to render them intelligible by
translation. In the last clause there is reference to the primary meaning of
the verb, viz that of owning or possessing; and as the inhabitants of towns are
sometimes called in Hebrew their “possessors,” its use here would suggest, as
at least one meaning of the promise, thy land shall be inhabited, and so it is
translated in the Targum. (J. A. Alexander.)
Spiritual espousal
I invite your attention to some reflections on the Scriptural use
of marriage, as a type of the mystical union betwixt Christ and His Church.
This tender, beautiful image implies--
I. CHOICE. In all
nations there has been the instinctive rule that the initiative choice is not
with the bride, but with the bridegroom. Its spiritual parallel is in the
declaration of Jesus to His disciples, “Ye has not chosen Me, but I have chosen
you.” “I am jealous over you,” said Paul, “with godly jealousy, for I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to
Christ.” At the same time all are bound, because all are invited, to “seek the
Lord while He may be found,” to “choose this day whom ye serve;” then the
farther element in the marriage symbol will be verified.
II. DEVOTION. You
will love Him because He first loved you. It is often observed in ordinary
married life, how the mutual love of husband and wife enables them to bear, not
only without bitterness or mutual recriminations, but with a greater clinging
to, and confidence in each other, the trials, sorrows, and burdens of life.
Love lightens the load, when each one, for the other’s sake, cheerfully takes
his or her share. The love of Christ endears Him to the believer, and the
believer to Him.
III. INSEPARABLE
UNION. Earthly ties of man and wife are liable to many incidents of severance.
Necessities of particular callings in life sometimes separate them, lands and
seas asunder. Guilt, aversion, insanity, disease and death, often dissolve the
union, which once bid fair to be firmly riveted “till death them should part.”
The believer’s union with Christ is liable to no such disastrous issues.
Not that this consolatory doctrine dispenses with the necessity of a faithful,
obedient, and devout course of effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace and in righteousness of life. The Divine idea of marriage is
a united family, basing its bond of union on the unity of its parentage. “For
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,” etc. True spiritual union
with Christ involves an ascendency of affection. “If any man love father or
mother more than Me,” etc. In a deep sense it may be said of Christ and His
disciple, “They twain are one Spirit.” (J. B. Owen, M. A.)
Thy land shall be married
“Thy land shall be married,”
“Thy land shall be married,” i.e it shall become fruitful
again and be replenished.
1. Her sons shall heartily espouse the land of their nativity, and
the interests of it, which they had for a long time neglected, as despairing
ever to have any comfortable enjoyment of it. Thy sons shall marry thee, i.e
they shall live with thee, and take delight in thee. When they were in Babylon,
they seemed to have espoused that land, for they were appointed to settle, and
to seek the peace of it (Jeremiah 29:5-7); but now they shall
again marry their own land, “as a young man marrieth a virgin” that he takes
great delight in, is extremely fond of, and is likely to have many children by.
It bodes well to a land when its own natives and inhabitants are pleased with
it, prefer it before other lands; when its princes marry their country, and
resolve to take their lot with it.
2. Which is much better, her God shall betroth her to Himself in
righteousness (Hosea 2:19-20). (M. Henry.)
Monopoly and communism
I propose to name some of the suitors who are claiming the hand of
this Republic.
1. There is a greedy, all-grasping monster who comes in as suitor
seeking the hand of this Republic, and that monster is known by the name of
Monopoly. His sceptre is made out of the iron of the rail-track and the wire of
telegraphy. He does everything for his own advantage and for the robbery of the
people. Such monopolies imply an infinite acreage of wretchedness. Great
monopolies in any land imply great privation.
2. Another suitor claiming the hand of this Republic is Nihilism. He
owns nothing but a knife for universal blood-letting and a nitro-glycerine bomb
for universal explosion. He believes in no God, no government, no heaven, and
no hell, except what he can make on earth. He slew the Czar of Russia, killed
Abraham Lincoln, and would put to death every king and president on earth, if
he had the power. (T. De W. Talmage, D. D.)
Verse 5
For as a young man marrieth a virgin
Fervid devotion to a cause
It is difficult to see how any real parallel can exist between an
intellectual interest or reasoned sense of duty to a public cause or
institution, although prescribing exertion and even sacrifice, and the
spontaneous, glowing, fervid devotion of a young man to his chosen bride.
Say you so? Then let me say that as yet you know not some salient features of
human nature. As a matter of fact abstractions, as we call them, do provoke
passion; the passion of love and the passion of hate, no less truly than do
concrete and visible objects. Millions of human beings have worked, suffered,
fought and died for these very abstractions; for a political or social
doctrine, for the fame of a fallen dynasty, for the credit of some secret club
or association, for a country that has been crushed out of existence, for some
wild undemonstrable theory, for some baseless or grotesque superstition, no
less than for a true and soul-inspiring faith or principle. (H. P. Liddon,
D. D.)
Practical devotion to the Church of Christ
Isaiah’s comparison would suggest that the devotion of her sons to
the city of God would have three characteristics.
I. AN UNRESERVED,
WHOLE-HEARTED DEVOTION a devotion which bestows on its object its best and its
all. “With my body I thee worship; and with all my worldly goods I thee endow,”
is the language not only of a Christian Church formulary, but of the human
heart in its better mood, throughout all time; and it marks the first
characteristic of that devotion to the Church of God which Isaiah saw in vision
across the centuries. Undoubtedly a partial fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy may
be recognized in the love and service which Israel after the flesh received
from a long line of patriot children. Noblest among them were the Maccabees;
but they were only samples of a spirit which was shared, in their day and
afterwards, by thousands of their countrymen. That temper was indeed too often
mingled with moral alloy that sullied its purity. But the men who saved their
country from the cultured Paganism of Antiochus Epiphanes, and who even after
the utter ruin of their sacred house by Titus, rose once and again to pour out
their blood like water in an unavailing struggle with Imperial Rome at the
epoch of its greatest military power, were assuredly not men only under the
sway of a common or sordid motive. In their love to “Jerusalem the Holy,” whose
name was stamped upon their coins, they surely exhibit the careless
self-abandonment of the passion which gives itself without stint to the object
of its choice. The Lord had chosen Zion to be a habitation for Himself, and
this choice made her, to those who had faith in it, the object of a passionate
attachment in some respects without a parallel in history. Now, our Lord
proclaimed and founded, within the Jewish nation, yet with a capacity and,
indeed, an internal necessity of passing beyond its bounds, a new Society,
which was to be more to the intellect and heart of man than the Greek πόλις, or the Roman World Empire, or the Jewish theocracy itself, ever
had been or could be; yet which should sanction and satisfy, in ample measure,
those instincts of union, brotherhood, improvement, order, of which earlier
forms of association among men were the outcome and assertion. This Society, in
virtue of its origin, its object, and its compass, He named the Kingdom of
Heaven. Certain is it that the Church of Christ has inspired millions of
Christians with mingled love and enthusiasm. If we believe that Christ’s
Church, though built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, has for the
chief cornerstone, Himself; if we see in her, not a self-formed collection of
individuals who agree in following Him, but, as Scripture says, His Body,
instinct with His life; if for her He shed His most precious blood that He
might present her glorious and immaculate in the realms of purity; then, in
making much of her, we surely are doing no wrong to Him. Only because,
notwithstanding the sears and stains which mark her sojourn here below, she is
yet so intimately His, should she be so precious to His servants;--drawing the
noblest souls into the highest paths of service.
II. THE DEVOTION
WHICH ISAIAH PREDICTS WILL BE DISINTERESTED. The truehearted bridegroom
marries, not that he may win rank or wealth, or public recognition, or any
outward advantages whatever., he weds his” bride” for her own sake, because she
is what she is, because in wedding her he finds the joy and satisfaction of his
heart. It is “for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in
health.” So was it also to be with the espousals of the soul. The Holy Bride is
wooed for her own sake, and not for anything that she may bestow on those who
would win her.
III. AND THE
PROPHET’S COMPARISON SUGGESTS A DEVOTION THAT WILL LAST TILL DEATH. “Till death
us do part.” Weariness, impaired health, diminished opportunities for
usefulness may come with years; but the tie of sacred service to the cause and
Church of Christ can only end with life. (H. P.Liddon, D. D.)
Verse 6-7
I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem
The watchman’s call
The prosperity of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, which teaches the
Gentile world through Hebrew channels, depends on two conditions--watchfulness
and prayer.
To the latter of these subjects this discourse will be devoted. Let us dwell on
importunity in prayer. “And give Him no rest.”
I. THIS IS A CALL
TO THE INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN, and to a particular duty. Personal devotion will
largely relate to matters affecting the individual and the family, but it must
not stop there. The Christian must not forget that he is a member of the great
Catholic Church, and must bear its burdens on his spirit to God in prayer.
II. THE CHURCH ALSO
MUST MEET ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS TO PRAY FOR A LARGER OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY
GHOST.
III. BY A FEW
CONSIDERATIONS WE WILL ENDEAVOUR TO ENFORCE THE DUTY.
1. One is the fact that God has promised to meet us on the ground of
earnest and constant prayer.
2. The history of importunate prayer is full of marvels.
3. If we survey the situation of the Church, and call to mind the
responsibility which rests upon it, our own souls would be moved to greater
earnestness. Precious souls are perishing around us; the Cross of Calvary, the
love of God, the traditions of the Church, conscience, humanity, the judgment,
heaven, hell, beseech us to rescue the perishing. There is but one power that
will make the Church of Christ equal to every task which the Master has set
before it--earnest prayer.
4. Importunate prayer ends in praise. Jerusalem will be established,
and will become the praise--the glory--of the earth.
5. Although prayer in all its aspects is the inheritance of every
Christian, yet every Christian is not a watchman. Therefore a word to Church
leaders will be in place. Let them look round and survey the state of the
Church. (T. Davies, M. A.)
The saints’ importunity for Zion’s prosperity
It is a truth which holds good, both in Scripture and experience,
that the care of Zion lies at the bottom of all God’s powerful actings among
the sons of men. All that He is and does, in the methods of His common and
extraordinary providence, is for the sake of His Church, which is the principal
cause and interest; He has in the world.
I. WHAT ARE THOSE
SHAKINGS TO WHICH THE CAUSE AND CHURCH OF CHRIST ARE EXPOSED IN THE EARTH?
1. There are shakings to which the cause of Christ is exposed, which
arise from outward violence (Psalms 2:2).
2. There are shakings which arise from inward decays A building will
shake and totter and grow ruinous, without any outward violence, if the
foundation is undermined ‘; or if the pins and fastenings, whereby it is held
together, decay. This is the ease(l)
When Gospel-truth is perverted or denied.
II. WHEN MAY GOD BE
SAID SO TO ESTABLISH HIS CHURCH AS TO MAKE IT A PRAISE IN THE EARTH? To make up
this praise and renown there are four or five things. As--
1. Abundance of light and knowledge.
2. High degrees of holiness.
3. Abundance of peace (Psalms 72:7).
4. A. multitude of converts.
5. A rich supply of all temporal good things.
Men’s natures shall be changed; their corrupt lusts and passions
shall be subdued; and all their riches, honour, and power shall be employed for
the support of Christ’s cause and kingdom.
III. THE DUTY OF
SUCH AS MAKE ANY PROFESSION OF CHRIST WITH REFERENCE TO THIS GREAT AND GLORIOUS
DAY. “Ye that make,” etc.
1. This day of Zion’s establishment and praise should be uppermost in
our thoughts. That which has no place in our thoughts and affections will have
very little in our prayers. The Church of old deprecated this as an abominable
sin; (Psalms 137:5-6).
2. It should be continually in our prayers.
3. Prayer for Zion’s establishment must be with a holy importunity
and constancy. It is not the work of one day, but of every day; the blessing
prayed for has every other blessing and mercy in the bowels of 2:4. Zion’s
friends are called to pray and work. The former branch of the verse commands
action: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem. It is hypocrisy to
ask in private what you would not be glad to do in public. Your time, gifts,
substance and lives are God’s.” (J. Hill.)
Spiritual patriotism
We propose to put this illustration of Jewish patriotism into
another frame. For in the New Testament Jerusalem stands metaphorically for the
Church of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:22; Galatians 9:26). The rebuilding of the Jewish
capital will thus signify in Gospel speech the establishment of the Christian
Church.
I. A CALL TO
SPIRITUAL PATRIOTISM. All through the second part of Isaiah Jerusalem is
idealized, for Jerusalem, as the city actually was, presented small occasions for
felicitation. But the Jerusalem “the Servant of the Lord” saw was the world’s
centre--the capital of all the nations! It was “the city of the Great
King,” and while the power and glory of other nations lay in their armies,
their wealth, their population, their culture, the glory of Jerusalem was her
religion. Now, what Jerusalem was to “the Servant of the Lord” the Christian
Church is to the Christian; he is a fellow-citizen with the saints, bound,
therefore, to be a spiritual, patriot. Only the Christian Church is not limited
to one nation. Above all, the Church is a spiritual metropolis among the world
powers, a heavenly fatherland on earthly soil, an eternal State established
amidst temporal surroundings. Thus the love of a Jew for Jerusalem comes to represent
the solicitude of a Christian for the Church. The Jew never forgot his
fatherland.
II. THE OUTCOME OF
SPIRITUAL PATRIOTISM IN WATCHFULNESS AND PRAYER. Patriotism is hers set forth
under two similes.
1. Spiritual patriots are to be sentinels. “I have set watchmen upon
thy walls,
2. Jerusalem. The godly life is ever a campaign, and spiritual men
are “men with an eye,” as Carlyle phrases it. When others cry, “Peace, peace,”
it is often their painful duty to be nonconformists to a general delusion and
to sound an alarm. And how great a result may be produced by the faithfulness
of even one man! On a dark night in December 1602, when the inhabitants of
Geneva, lulled by peaceful professions, slept, but never dreamed of danger, a
daring attempt known in history as the “Escalade” was made by their foes. The
Savoyards scaled the walls, and would have admitted their comrades but for the
discharge of the musket of one of the sentries. He fell a martyr, but the crack
of his piece brought the citizens from their beds, and the city was saved,
while Beza, then eighty years of age, returned to God public thanksgiving,
announcing the 124 th Psalm for singing. There is work for our sentinels
to-day.
3. But spiritual patriots are also “the Lord’s remembrancers. The old
State appointment is our illustration. In the Book of Esther the work of the
remembrancer comes out in the chronicles which were read before the king on the
occasion of his attack of insomnia; and the office, in a modified form, is
known to us to-day in connection with our city councils. But there are elect
souls who are the Lord’s remembrancers. It may be that not every Christian has
leisure of heart for this full consecration, for these remembrancers are such
as make the progress of God’s kingdom their prime solicitude. Eli could bear to
hear of the ruin of his ,house in the death of his sons, but died on learning
of the capture of God’s ark. This is the highest style of patriotism. General
Wolfe, in shattered health, led the handful of English that took Quebec from
the French. Stricken down just as victory was assured, yet stimulated by the
cry, “They run,” he could just inquire who ran, and when told it was the
French, forgetful of his own interests, he gasped, “I die happy,” and closed
his eyes. Shall spiritual patriots show less devotion? It is theirs to exercise
unbounded faith in the Divine the text lies in its emphasis of urgent and
perpetual prayer. Take ye no rest, and give Him no rest. This is the Old
Testament anticipation of the parable of the importunate widow. When a lady
appealed to the great Protector for the release of her husband, Cromwell
preserved a stolid demeanour so long as the wife confined herself to the
proprieties of measured speech, but directly she burst into tears her plea was
granted. Prayer is the wireless telegraphy which unites heaven and earth; if
only each heart be a “receiver ‘ it shall never lack a message from on high,
and there is always a great “receiver” there in the heart of our God.
III. FOR THE TRIUMPH
OF THIS SPIRITUAL PATRIOTISM “THE SERVANT OF THE LORD.” RENDERS HIMSELF
RESPONSIBLE. The prayers of the Church and the purpose of Jesus Christ run in
parallel lines when the prayer-spirit is deep and real; or better, our prayer
and His purpose are two streams that run into one channel with united force.
True prayer is not the attempt to wring benediction from an unwilling hand. God
is not in danger of forgetting His pledges only His pledges can scarcely take
effect in spiritual benediction till the Church is ready to claim her own.
There are millions of money in Chancery with no one to claim it; there is
boundless grace in God waiting to be appropriated by man. While our prayers
co-operate with God’s purpose never may we forget that all real prayer has its
origin in God: it is the Divine purpose struggling for expression in the human
heart. This brings us to our point of rest. “The Servant of the Lord” has
rendered Himself responsible for His Church. The proof lies in His Cross, in
His intercession, in the wonderful providence by which His Church has been
preserved from extinction all along the ages, notwithstanding that she has
lived all the while in the midst of foes. While we leave the responsibility of
final issues with our Lord, we may share the glory and the joy of being
“workers together” with Him. How clearly this comes out “ this connection! For
Zion’s sake, says He, will I not hold my peace.” “I have set watchmen upon thy
walls or, they shall never hold their peace.” “I will not rest.” “Take ye no
rest.” The Christ-spirit is thus the Christian spirit; the work of Christ is
continued by His Church. Now look at the magnificent result anticipated! The
Church is to become God’s city of light (verse 1). The ideal is developed in
the Revelation (Revelation 21:23-24). Whatever light
stands for, whether revelation, or brightness, or beauty, or safety, or purity,
all these are to find their home and sphere in Christ’s Church. The Church of
Christ is to be first a guiding light to men--but afterwards she is to be as a
sunrise to the nations (Isaiah 9:2). For the Church is to be at
once the expositor of God’s righteousness and the channel of God’s salvation. (J.
T. Briscoe.)
No rest for God or His people
In its present position, Jerusalem is at once a witness for God
and a type of man--a witness to God’s truth and justice, and a type of man’s
sin and sorrow. Prayer to God is enjoined as a means to secure the renovation
and blessing of the temporal Jerusalem; and prayer is still one of the
mightiest forces which can be brought to bear on the waste places and ruined
magnificence of man’s spiritual nature.
I. A CHARACTER WE
MUST ENDEAVOUR TO DESERVE. The prophet describes God’s servants as those who
“make mention of the Lord,” or, in other words, are “the Lord’s rembrancers.”
Not that they had need to remind Him of their needs or His fulness, but that
their business was to bring Him to the remembrance of those about them.
II. If we are thus
to be the Lord’s remembrancers THERE IS A DANGER WE MUST SEEK TO AVOID. This
is, the danger of keeping silence, of withholding our testimony, or giving it
half-heartedly and in a perfunctory manner. There are not a few roads which end
at this habitation of “silence.
1. Doubt.
2. Despair, whether it be despair of ourselves or of others.
Hopefulness is as necessary as faithfulness.
3. We shall “keep silence” if we grow weary in well-doing; if patience
gives place to fretfulness, and love of ease cries out against the practice of
self- denial; if the crown is longed for while the cross is shunned, and the
reaping is desired while the sowing is neglected.
III. In connection
with all this, THERE IS A DUTY WE MUST FAITHFULLY PERFORM. “Give Him no rest.”
No rest for the servant, and no rest for the Master. Surely this means: “Be
earnest in supplication.”
IV. A RESULT IN
WHICH WE MUST STEADFASTLY BELIEVE. We are to be “remembrancers” and “pleaders”
till He establish, and “till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” That He
will do these great things we are devoutly to believe; that He may do them we
are earnestly to pray. The early verses of our chapter draw a picture already
seen by the prophetic eye. Righteousness, bright as the light going forth with
salvation, clear as the burning lamp. The new name given to betoken the new
nature. The joy of wedding festivity celebrating the union of the once forsaken
city- with her new-found Lord and King. Glowing picture this; yet to be fully
realized in the capital of the Holy Land, and yet to be spiritually realized in
the fulness of blessing which shall crown all faithful labour, and be the
answer to every earnest prayer. (W. J. Mayers.)
The Lord’s rembrancers
(R.V.):--It is hardly possible not to linger a little over this
curious appellation, “the Lord’s remembrancers,” given in the margin of the
Authorised Version, and in the text of the Revised. Several interpretations of
it have been suggested. The original word itself has both the ordinary meaning
of one who reminds another, and a technical meaning 2 Samuel 20:24) akin to, though not
identical with, that of the English word. By some it is applied to the angels,
who are also supposed to be the “watchmen upon the walls, referred to in the
preceding clause. But such an explanation lifts the passage entirely out of the
sphere of human privilege and duty, and introduces into it allusions to matters
about which very little is known. There may be in it a special reference to
prophets, whose functions would naturally include that of leading the people in
their supplications to God, as well as that of warning them of danger and
inciting them to effort. But there is no need to confine the term to officials
of any kind. The entire New Testament is a sufficient authority for applying it
to all true Christians. If, indeed, there be truth in the tradition, in Judaism
itself it was recognized in part of the sacrificial ritual that every man could
be and ought to be the Lord’s remembrancer. Psalms 44:1-26. describes some of the
marvellous things done by Jehovah for Israel in the past, and the forsaken and
oppressed condition of Israel in the present; and one of its closing verses is
said to have been regularly sung for long in the temple worship--the one in
which Jehovah’s rembrancers, after having reminded Him of their need and of His
promised help, call upon Him: “Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arise, cast us
not off for ever.” John Hyrcanus is reputed to have abolished this custom, in
spleen at the refusal of the Pharisees to let him reign in peace, or possibly,
according to a more charitable conjecture, under the feeling that the idea of
awakening and reminding Jehovah involves a defect of faith. The psalm, however,
is entirely true to human nature. For when men are tempted to imagine
themselves forsaken of God and begirt inextricably by perils, it is an immense
stimulus and encouragement of faith to remind God of their needs and of His
promises, of their present reliance upon Him, and even (for Scripture warrants
it elsewhere) of the way in which His faithfulness and honour are concerned in
their protection and deliverance. Jacob prayed in that way, when he trembled at
the thought of his brother’s probable rage, pleading God’s actual words of
promise: “O God of my fathers, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy
country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:. . . Deliver me, I
pray thee, from the hand of my brother:. . . for (again) Thou saidst, I will
surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea. Two
rembrancings, and between them a little prayer; and of course the result was
that, when Esau came, instead of pouring his rough followers upon the
struggling and indefensible caravan, he fell on his brother’s “neck and kissed
him.” David was surprised and almost staggered in unbelief at the prospect of
greatness and renown which the prophet Nathan opened up to him, but he
recovered and fed his faith by reminding Himself and his God of the promise,
and prayed, “Now, O Lord God, the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy,,
servant and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as Thou hast
said. In this very prophecy Israel first of all reminds Jehovah of what He has
been wont to do, anti what needs to be done now: “Awake, awake, put on
strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days, in the generations
of old. The result is seen in vision at once: “Therefore the redeemed of the
Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion;” and so all the watchmen
lift up their voices: “Break forth unto joy, sing together, ye waste places of
Jerusalem, for the Lord hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem:
the Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all
the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. We shall never suffer
much prolonged doubt as to our own establishment or the Church’s, if we will
only duly remember and exercise our high vocation, to remind God of our perils
and needs and of His promised grace and help. (R. W. Moss.)
Watchers
Not watchmen (lit. “lookers out”) as in Isaiah 52:8; Isaiah 56:10, but as in Isaiah 21:11; Song of Solomon 5:7, lit. “keepers,’
those who guard the city, especially dining the night. (Prof. S. R. Driver,
D. D.)
Three kinds of ministers
The ministers of the temple of truth, it has been said, are of
three kinds: first, those stationed at the gate of the temple to constrain the
passers-by to come in; secondly, those whose function is to accompany inside
all who have been persuaded to enter, and display and explain to them the
treasures and secrets of the place; and, thirdly, those whose duty is to patrol
round the temple, keeping watch and ward and defending the shrine from the
attacks of enemies. We are only speaking very roughly if we say that the first
of these three functions is that of the
Preacher, the second that of the Teacher, and the third that of
the
Controversialist. (J. Stalker, D. D.)
Verses 10-12
Go through, go through the gates
The conversion of the Jews
I.
THE
GLORIOUS EVENT TO BE PROCLAIMED (Isaiah 62:11). When the Divine Spirit
would attract special attention to any subject, He prefixes “Behold” to the
truth revealed. We have here “Behold thrice repeated.
1. The nature of the event. “Thy salvation cometh. Thy salvation is
rendered by the ancient versions (Syriac, Arabic, LXX, Chaldee, Vulgate) and
the best modern interpreters, “Thy Saviour;” and from the words, “His reward is
with Him,” it is clear that this is the intended meaning of the prophet. The
glowing promises of our text, and the prophecies connected with it, were most
manifestly never fulfilled at His first coming. The second coming of Christ as
the Deliverer of His people Israel is then the event here foretold; an event
yet before the Church (Romans 11:26-27). It is not enough to
proclaim Christ crucified to the Jews; we must also proclaim the once crucified
Immanuel speedily to appear in glory, to punish His rebellious subjects, and to
save His people.
2. The things connected with this event. “His reward is with Him, and
His work before Him.” It is not quite clear whether “His reward” refers to the
reward which Christ receives or which He bestows. Our Lord is to “see of the
travail of His soul, and be satisfied,” and He is to be “glorified in His
saints, and admired in all them that believe.” But I apprehend that the reward
which He bestows is here intended (Revelation 22:12). He has also a work to
perform. What that work is, we may learn from the following chapters. It
comprehends, doubtless, a lengthened series of events. Notice these three--the
overthrow of His enemies; the mercies in store for Israel; the establishment of
His kingdom.
3. Its required proclamation. By “the daughter of Zion ‘ is meant the
Jewish nation. It is a solemnly announced command to all to tell the Jews of
the Coming Saviour. But why should the Lord tell the ends of the world to care
for Zion? He foresaw and foreordained that the Jews should be scattered
everywhere, that there might not be a spot upon the earth uninterested in or
unmoved by their return. It was always the duty of Christians to preach the
Gospel “to the Jew first,” and then to the Gentile.
II. THE BLESSED
RESULT OF THIS EVENT TO THE JEWS (Isaiah 62:12). The words apparently lead
us to two classes of persons to be blessed at our Saviour’s coming.
1. “They shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord;”
2. “Thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken?’ There may
be a reference in the first class to the converted Gentiles (Justin Martyr),
and in the second to the converted Jews. Through the chapter these are
combined, while the Jews arc addressed by the personal pronoun (Isaiah 62:2). In this view, our text
would contain a delightful reciprocation of congratulation between Jews and
Gentiles. Yet, as the leading subject of the chapter is the restoration of the
Jews, and as, in the preceding verse, the ends of the world are to be addressed
on the subject, it is rather probable that the word “they” may here refer to
the admiring nations of the earth. They shall call them, i.e the Jews,
the holy or consecrated people, the redeemed of the Lord;” and then the prophet
himself, as if beholding Jerusalem thus glorious, changes the person and number
of his language, and in the rapture of exultation exclaims, “Thou shalt be
called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.”
III. THE. DUTIES TO
“WHICH WE ARE CALLED (Isaiah 62:10). Here the inhabitants of
cities, where ever the Jews may be, are called to prepare roads for their
return to their own land, that they and the nations at large may be ready to
receive and welcome the great Lord and King of the whole earth. The general
direction is to prepare the Jews, and thus also the Gentiles, for the coming
Saviour.
1. Indifference is to be cast off. “Go through, go through the gates.”
The double direction shows the ardour of the Divine mind, the importance of the
duty, how dull Christians in general would be to it, and how needful to rouse
them by repeated exhortations.
2. A way is to be prepared. “Prepare ye the way of the people,” etc.
3. A standard is also to be lifted up for the nations. “Lift up a
standard for the people.” This is added not only as a duty to be discharged,
but as a great encouragement to fulfil duties to the Jews, by the blessed
effect it will undoubtedly have upon all nations. The meaning of this standard
will be more clear by referring to Isaiah 11:10-12. A standard is a token
ofwar: it is to assemble, direct and encourage the army, and to animate them in
proceeding against their enemies. To lift up this standard is to preach the
Gospel. But for whom is this standard to be lifted up? “For the people. The
original is in the plural number, “for the peoples,” and it is by the best
translators rendered, “the nations.” The restoration of the Jews, then, is a
part of the Divine plan for attracting the attention of and for blessing the
whole world. (E. Bickersteth.)
Gather out the stones
Clearing the road to heaven
I. ENDEAVOUR TO
REMOVE SOME OF THE STUMBLING-BLOCKS OUT OF THE POOR BEGINNER’S WAY.
1. Let us begin with a very old and common difficulty, the doctrine
of election. Many will say, “Perhaps I am not one of God’s chosen.” I know not
any better way of practically treating the matter than of saying, “I will go to
Jesus because He bids me.’ When you are ill you do not know whether you are
ordained to get well, but you send for the doctor; you cannot toll whether you
are predestined to be rich, but you endeavour to make money; you do not know
whether you will live through the day, but you work to provide yourself with
bread; thus common-sense cuts the knot which mere theory can never untie. Leave
the subtleties of argument alone, and act as sensible men. Go to Jesus and try
whether He will reject you.
2. A deep sense of sin. If there had not been great sin, there would
not have been need of a great Saviour.
3. A fear that the day of grace has passed. The Lord’s grace can come
to a man at any time, and at any hour.
4. A tendency to blasphemous thoughts. They should lead you to go and
tell Jesus Christ about it, but they should not drive you to despair.
5. The absence of anything like a horrible thought, or a terror, or
an alarm. If you arc allowed to come to Jesus without being so molested by the
Evil One, do not fret about that, but rather rejoice. There is no need to go
round by bell’s gate to get to heaven.
6. A want of sensibility with regard to their sins. A man is saved by
having his heart broken, and being led to cast himself upon Jesus; and if you
have not yet received this part of salvation, your business is to come to Jesus
for it, not to stay away till you get it of yourself, and then come to Christ
with your feelings as a recommendation.
7. “I cannot believe.” The smallest grain of saving faith will save a
man. It is the object of faith we should look to.
8. “I do not think I can be saved, because I am not like so-and-so.”
Do be content to have nothing good in yourself, and to be nothing good, and to
take all your good from Jesus Christ.
9. “I never have any joy and peace.” You shall receive the joy when
you exercise the faith.
II. POINT YOU TO
HIM WHO IS “THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE” who has already cleared the
stumbling-blocks out of the way. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Verse 11-12
Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world
Who
is this?
(with Isaiah 63:1):--As in God’s immediate
dealingswith men we usually see the Son of God most manifest, this passage may
fitly represent the glorious appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ whenever He
has come forth to vindicate the cause of His people and to overthrow their
enemies. This vision will be astoundingly fulfilled in the second coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. The fourteenth and nineteenth chapters of the Book of
Revelation give us parallel passages to this. The scene before us describes an
interposition of the Messiah; the return of the Divinely-appointed Champion
from the defeat of His enemies. As it is evidently picture of salvation rather
than of damnation; as the main feature in it is that He is mighty to save; as
the great and chief element of the whole thing is that the year of His redeemed
is come, and that the Warrior’s own arm has brought salvation to His people; I
cannot question that this text is applicable to the first coming of Christ.
Then He did battle with the hosts of sin and death and hell, and so vanquished
them that in His resurrection He returned with the keys of death and hell at
HIS girdle. Then was He seen as “mighty to save.”
I. THERE IS A
PROCLAMATION (verses 11, 12). The commentators as a whole can see no connection
between the sixty-third chapter and the preceding part of the Book of Isaiah;
but surely that connection is plain enough to the common reader. In these
verses the coming of the Saviour is proclaimed, and in the next chapter that
coming is seen in vision, and the evangelical prophet beholds the Saviour so
vividly that he is startled, and inquires, “Who is this?’
1. This great announcement tells you that there is a salvation from
without. Within your heart there is nothing that can save you. The proclamation
is, “Behold, thy salvation cometh.” It comes from a source beyond yourself.
2. It is a salvation which comes through a person. “Thy salvation
cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.” The great
salvation which we have to proclaim is salvation by Jesus Christ, the Son of
God.
3. This salvation leads to holiness; for the text says of those who
receive the Saviour, “They shall call them, The holy people.”
4. It is salvation by, redemption; for it is written that they shall
be called “The redeemed of the Lord. In the sacred Scriptures there is no
salvation for men except by redemption.
5. This salvation is complete. “Thou shalt be called, Sought out, A
city not forsaken.” See the beginning of it: “Sought out,” See the end of it:
“Not forsaken.” You will not begin with God, but God will begin with you. You
shall be sought out, and then you will seek Him. He seeks you even now. But
suppose the Lord found you, and then left you; you would perish, after all. But
it shall not be so; for the same Lord who calls you “Sought out also calls you
Not forsaken.” You shall never be forsaken of the grace of God, nor of the God
of grace.
II. CONSIDER THE
QUESTION, “Who is this that cometh from Edom?” The prophet beholds in vision
the Captain of salvation, returning from battle, arrayed like the warriors of
whom we read, “the valiant men are in scarlet.” He beholds the majestic march
of this mighty Conqueror, and he cries, “Who is this?” When a soul first hears
the proclamation of God’s salvation, and then sees Jesus coming to him, he
says, “Who is this?”
1. The question in part arises from anxiety, as if he said, “Who is
this that espouses my cause? Is He able to save?”
2. The question also indicates ignorance. We do not any of us know
our Lord Jesus to the full yet. “Who is this?” is a question we may still put
to the sacred oracle. Paul, after he had known Christ fifteen years, yet
desired that he might know Him; for His love passeth knowledge.
3. As the sinner looks, and looks again, he cries, “Who is this?” in
delighted amazement. Is it indeed the Son of God? Does He intervene to save me?
The God whom I offended, does He stoop to fight and rout my sins? It is even
He.
4. I think the question is asked, also, by way of adoration. As the
soul begins to see Jesus, its anxiety is removed by knowledge, and is replaced
by an astonishment which ripens into worship.
5. It appears from the question that the person asking it knows
whence the Conqueror came; for it is written, “Who is this that cometh from
Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?” Yes, our Redeemer has returned from
death, as said the Psalmist, “Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt
Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption”? Next notice that the prophet in
vision observes the colour of the Conqueror’s garments. “Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?” Red is not Christ’s colour;
hence the question arises, “Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel. Our
beloved’s garments are whiter than any fuller can make them. The glory of His
purity is such that we say to ourselves, “Red, why, that is the colour of Edom,
the adversary! Red, that is the colour of the earth of our manhood. Red is the
colour of our scarlet sins. Why is He red? Although the text treats of the
blood of His adversaries, yet I would have you devoutly think of our Lord
literally as shedding His own blood, for His victory was thus accomplished. The
text sets forth the result of that blood-shedding in the overthrow of His
enemies and ours; but we cannot separate the effect from the cause. I remember
how Rutherford seems to glow and burn when in his prose poetry he talks of “the
bonnie red man.”
7. But yet the question comes from one who perceives that the
Conqueror is royally arrayed. “This that is glorious in His apparel. The Jesus
we have to preach to you is no mean Saviour; He is clothed with glory and
honour because of the suffering of death.
8. The question ends with “travelling in the greatness of His
strength.” He did not come back from slaughtering our enemies feeble and
wounded, but He returned in majestic march, like a victor who would have all
men know that his force is irresistible. The earth shook beneath our Lord’s
feet on the resurrection morning, for “there was a great earthquake.” The Roman
guards became as dead men at His appearing. The Lord Jesus Christ is no petty,
puny Saviour. As He travels through the nations it is as a strong man against
whom none can stand, mighty to rescue every soul that puts its trust in Him.
III. CONSIDER THE
ANSWER. NO one can answer for Jesus: He must speak for Himself. Like the sun,
He can only be seen by His own light. He is His own interpreter. Not even the
angels could explain the Saviour: they get no further than desiring to look
into the things which are in Him. He himself answers the question “Who is
this?” The answer which our Lord gives is twofold. He describes Himself--
IV. As a Speaker “I
that speak in righteousness.” Is He not the Word? Every word that Christ speaks
is true. The Gospel which He proclaims is a just and righteous one, meeting
both the claims of God and the demands of conscience.
2. Our Lord also describes Himself as a Saviour. “I that speak in
righteousness, mighty to save. Observe that the word “mighty is joined with His
saving, and not with his destroying.” Conclusion: Hearken to the proclamation,
“Behold thy salvation cometh.” Jesus can save you, for He is mighty to save! He
has saved others like you. He can overthrow, all your enemies. He can do this
alone. He is able to save you now. It is a sad wonder that men do not believe
in Jesus. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Verse 12
Thou shalt be called, Sought out
“Sought out”
1.
The
first meaning of our text is very clear. Here is a prophecy, that as Jerusalem,
having been despoiled her beauty by her enemies, was for a long time forsaken
and worthy to be called, “A city which no man seeketh after,” so, in a brighter
day, her glory shall return, she shall be an attraction to all lands, and the
joy of the whole earth; multitudes of willing pilgrims shall seek her out that
they may behold her beauty. She shall be a city greatly set by and greatly
sought out by those who love the hallowed spots where the mighty deeds of the
Lord were wrought, and the arm of Jehovah made bare.
2. The text, doubtless, has a similar reference to the Church of God.
During many centuries the Church of Christ was hidden--a thing obscure,
despised, unknown, abhorred; she concealed herself in the catacombs; her
followers were the poorest and most illiterate of men, proscribed by cruel
laws, and hunted by ferocious foes Although the royal bride of Christ, and
destined to be the ruler of nations, she “made no figure in the world’s eye;
she was but a little stone cut out of the mountain without hands. But the day
is already come in which multitudes seek the Church of Christ. (C.
H.Spurgeon.)
Am I sought out?
In a fuller and more spiritual sense the Church of God may well be
called “Sought out”; and the like title may truthfully be applied to every
single member of that dearly-loved and dearly-purchased family.
I. THE NATURAL
CONDITION IMPLIED IN THE TITLE, “SOUGHT OUT.”
1. If the Church of God has been “sought out,” then it is clear
enough that originally it was lost.
2. We were so lost that we did not seek the Lord.
3. As we had no thought of coming to God, so we never should have
willed to return.
4. So far from seeking God, we did not desire Him to seek us.
5. Our being sought out, considering our condition, was one of the
greatest wonders ever known or heard of. I have heard this expressed in words
occasionally; when a man has come to join the Church, he has said to me,
“If any one had told me six months ago that I should make a
profession of being a follower of Christ, I would have knocked him down.’ And
yet the thing did occur.
II. WE HAVE
SURPASSING GRACE REVEALED. This grace lies in several particulars.
1. That they were sought out at all. It is very wonderful grace on
the part of God that He should plan a way of salvation; but there is something
more gracious than this generous summons. One would have supposed that after
the invitation had been freely given and the preparation for the feast had been
generously made, the Lord would leave men to come or not as they willed.
2. But this grace appears even more conspicuous if you consider the
persons sought out. That any should be sought out is matchless grace, but that
we should be sought is grace beyond degree.
3. Nor must I fail to bring to your recollection, that the surpassing
grace of God is seen very clearly in that we were sought “out.” The word “out”
conveys a mass of meaning. Men go and seek for a thing which is lost upon the
floor of the house, but in such a case there is only seeking, not seeking out.
The loss is more perplexing, and the search more persevering, when a thing is
sought out. We were mingled with the mire; we were as when some precious piece
of gold falls into the sewer, and men have to gather out and carefully inspect
a heap of abominable filth, to turn it over, and over, and over, and continue
to stir and rake, and search among the heap until the thing is found. Or, to
use another figure, we were lost in a labyrinth; we wandered hither and
thither, and when ministering mercy came after us, it did not find us at the
first coming; it had to go to the right hand and to the left, and search hither
and thither, and everywhere, to seek us out, for we were so desperately lost,
and had got into such a strange position, that it did not seem possible that
ever grace could come to us. And yet we were sought out! No gloom could hide
us, no filthiness could conceal us, we were found. The lives of some of God’s
people, if they could be written, would make you marvel. The romance of Divine
grace is infinitely more interesting than the romance of imagination.
4. The grace of God is illustrious in the Divine Agent by whom we are
sought out. It was not the minister; he might have sought thee year after year,
and never have found thee. Thy tearful mother, with her many prayers, would
have missed thee. Thine anxious father, with his yearning bowels of compassion,
would never have discovered thee. Those providences, which like great nets were
seeking to entangle thee, would all have been broken by thy strong dashings
after evil. Who was it sought thee out? None other than Himself. The Great
Shepherd could not trust His under-shepherds; He must Himself come, and oh! if
it had not been for those eyes of omniscience, He never would have seen thee;
He never would have read thy history and known thy ease: if it had not been for
those arms of omnipotence, He never could have grasped thee; He never could
have thrown thee on His shoulders and brought thee home rejoicing.
5. Remember that the glory of it is that we were sought out
effectually. We are a people not sought out and then missed at the last.
III. THE
DISTINGUISHING TITLE JUSTIFIED. How were we sought out?. Let us justify the
name.
1. We are sought out in the eternal purposes and the work of Christ.
2. This seeking out, as far as we know it, began by gracious words of
mercy. A godly mother told us the truth with weeping, a holy father set us a
good example; we were sought out by that little Bible we were taught to read,
and that hymn-book which was put into our hands. We were sought out when we
were taken to the house of God. We were sought out while the preacher called
the Sabbath-breaker, the hard-hearted, the hypocrite, the formalist, the
abandoned, the profane. According to our case we felt that he was calling us,
and the eyes of Jesus were looking on us, and His voice was bidding us repent
and live.
3. Afflictions sought us out. The fever hunted us to the Cross. When
the cholera came, it carried a great whip in its hand to flog us to the Saviour.
We had serious losses, a decaying business, all which should have weaned us
from the world. Our friends sickened; from their graves we heard the voice of
invitation, “Come unto Christ and live. ‘ We were disappointed in some of our
fondest hopes, and our heart, riven for the time, yearned after a higher life
and a deeper satisfaction.
4. Then came mysterious visitations. It was in the night season when
all was still, we sat up in our bed, and solemn thoughts passed through us; the
preacher’s words which we had heard years ago came back fresh as when we heard
them for the first time; old texts of Scripture, the recollection of a mother’s
tears, all these came upon us. Or it was in the midst of business, and we did
not know how it was, but suddenly a deep calm came over us.
5. But after all, these visitations, these providences, these
preachings, and so on, would all have been nothing, if it had not been for the
appointed time when the Holy Spirit came and sought us out.
IV. A SPECIAL DUTY
INCUMBENT UPON THOSE WHO WEAR THE TITLE, “SOUGHT OUT.” If it be really so that
you are such debtors to Divine seeking, ought you not to spend your whole
lifetime in seeking others out? We are not to preach merely to those who come
to listen. Let us hunt for souls by visitation. Where all other means fail,
seek men by our prayers. As long as a man has one other man to pray for him,
there is a hope of his salvation. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
A city not forsaken
“A city not forsaken”
1. A forsaken city! What a picture it presents. Streets once crowded
with life, left desolate. Halls once ablaze with light--darkened. Every voice
of music hushed, every dancer gone. No man of wisdom to advise. No soldier to
defend. No peopled homes. No schools with children. No trade. No port. No active
work for God or man. A city forsaken! Bereft, indeed!
2. But “A city not forsaken”! How different I with its crowded
streets; its marts of trade; its palace of legislature; its courts of
administration and justice; its glory of magnificent architecture; its busy
river; its turrets ablaze with the glory of their gold; its towers of strength;
its bulwarks of defence; its processions of royalty; its merchants; its
scholars; its citizens, good, bad and indifferent; its sanctuaries; its slums;
its manifold life and stir. Ay, verily, “a city not forsaken” is a place of
interest and power; a place to live in; where the pulse beats; where men feel
the blessings of community, and find the possibilities of success; where trade
has its markets; where intellect is sharpened, and where extremes meet--the
place of the temple, the arena, the theatre, the gymnasium, and the forum. (C.
H. Kelly.)
The Church, a city not forsaken
The text is uttered respecting the Church of the Lord, and is true
of every part of that Church. It is descriptive. It is historic. It is
prophetic. (C. H. Kelly.)
The presence of God in His Church
If it was the delight of the ancient Jews to know that the Lord
was in His temple in Jerusalem, it is also ours to know that He is with us.
1. His Church abounds in splendour; in numbers; in wealth; in
structures. She is rich in schools and universities. Her sons are among the
greatest scholars; the bravest soldiers; the most eloquent speakers. She is
like the King’s daughter, arrayed in costly attire, and all beautiful within,
having external adornment and internal excellence; but what of all that, if
that were all? What if she were forsaken of God? If there were no shout of the
King in the camp?
2. But there is the presence of God--the Father in His family; the
Captain with His hosts; the King in His city.
3. Having this truth, how rich is the Church of God! It involves the
heritage of power, wisdom, love.
4. We will rejoice because, having God in the city, the commonwealth
is safe; truth will be victorious; vice will be curbed; crime will cease;
ignorance will be instructed; men and women will be saved; children will be
nurtured and trained aright; true spiritual religion, as contrasted with mere
conventional Churchism, will prevail; the love of worldliness will give place
to spirituality of life; there will be honesty instead of theft; truthfulness
instead of lies; purity instead of wickedness holiness instead of mere
professional Church membership. (C. H. Kelly.)
The Church, “a city not forsaken” by its own people
1. Its numbers are larger to-day than ever. They help to constitute
its wealth, to make it full of power; they make its defence stronger than walls
of brick and stone; mightier than ramparts. The fellowship of believers; the
communion of saints; the brotherhood of Christians is very real. It is found in
this city--this Church of God. It is illustrated in the lives of myriads who
dedicate their intellect, their love, to it. Verily, this city is not forsaken.
Its dwellings are peopled. Its population increases.
2. And more are coming. One day Henry Clay stood on a peak on the
Aleghany Mountains, with arms folded, and as though looking into the distance
far beyond. Some one said to the rapt thinker, “Mr. Clay, what are you thinking
about?” He replied, “I am listening to the ontramping of the feet of future
generations of Americans. He knew they would come. So we. We rejoice in the
millions of our city. But yet there is room. They come. They will continue to
come. This is no forsaken spot. It never will be. Desolation does not belong to
this Zion.
3. There are good reasons for its sons not forsaking it. In it they
have found salvation. In it they have been made joyful. When they were pursued
and troubled, it opened its gates to them, and gave them refuge and safety The
walls which surround It can never be broken through by any foe; for God is the
strength of those walls, and every citizen is absolutely safe. (C. H. Kelly.)
Backslider’s
But have not any forsaken this city? The answer is, to their own sad
sorrow, Yes! At this hour there are sheep that have strayed; prodigals that
have wandered; backsliders that have fallen. They have forsaken purity; they
have turned their backs on God. What has the City herald to proclaim to such?
What is the message of the King? The proclamation is mercy; amnesty; full
forgiveness. The message of the King is, Return. Will you come? The gates of
the city are open: Will you enter? You have forsaken the Church; but God has not
forsaken you. But, so far as you are concerned, the gates of the city will soon
be closed. Take care that you are on the right side. One of our ministers said
that one evening, after a day’s excursion, he and his party were about to enter
an Eastern city. They saw a horseman approach at a gallop. Our friend asked,
“Why does he ride so fast?” “Because,” said the guide, “he knows that in a few
moments it will be sunset, and the city gate will be closed; and, if he is not
in before that, he will be too late, and must remain outside in the dark.” It
is nearly sunset with some of you who have forsaken the city; soon the gate
will be closed; be quick and enter in! (C. H. Kelly.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》