THE JOY OF HARVEST (_Harvest Thanksgiving Sermon_.) Isaiah 9:3. _They joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, &c._ I. THE JOY OF THE NATURAL HARVEST. Harvest was peculiarly interesting to the Jews. [902][903].[904] Two things render “the joy of harvest” peculiar and impressive: 1. It is... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TITLES AND GOVERNMENT OF CHRIST Isaiah 9:6. _For unto us a Child is born, &c._ I. THE INCARNATION AND GOVERNMENT OF JESUS CHRIST. Let us contemplate Him, 1. _As the Incarnate One_. “Unto us a child is born” (H. E. I. 846–853). 2. _As a gift of Heaven to a fallen world_. “Unto us a Son is giv... [ Continue Reading ]
THE EMPIRE OF CHRIST Isaiah 9:7. _Of the increase of His government, &c._ If any man asks, “Concerning whom does the Prophet write these things?” the answer is, “Concerning Christ.” “Of the increase of _His_ government and peace there shall be no end” [911] The world has seen many great empires, t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE OUTSTRETCHED HAND OF GOD Isaiah 9:8 to Isaiah 10:4. _But His hand is stretched out still_. Much is said in the Bible concerning the hand of God [926] Consider what the hand is to man: it is the chief instrument by which he executes his purposes,—farmer, builder, artist, author, &c.; and by the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DUTY OF THE AFFLICTED Isaiah 9:9. _And all the people shall know, &c._ God here complains of what Israel did when grievous and prolonged afflictions, sent by God, fell upon them [935] then they left undone what they ought to have done, and did what they ought not to have done; and this opens u... [ Continue Reading ]
WISE LESSONS FROM WICKED LIPS Isaiah 9:10. _The bricks are fallen down, &c._ Jesus said, “The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light,” meaning that they excel them in shrewdness and tact. Men of the world do not readily submit to defeat and failure, but str... [ Continue Reading ]
UNSANCTIFIED SUFFERING Isaiah 8:21, and Isaiah 9:13. _And they shall pass through it, &c._ I. SIN LEADS TO SUFFERING. 1. This is true of _individuals_ (H. E. I. 4603–4612). But because there is another life and a future retribution, the full results of sin are frequently not seen in this life. Na... [ Continue Reading ]
TRUE NATIONAL GREATNESS Isaiah 19:1; Isaiah 19:14. _The burden of Egypt, &c._ The prophecies of Isaiah take a wide range, embrace the fortunes of almost every nation, however remote, with whom the Israelites were brought into common relation, whether of policy or commerce—Moab, Damascus, Tyre, Bab... [ Continue Reading ]
LEADERSHIP [940] [940] See outline: “BLIND LEADERS,” p. 92. (An Ordination Sermon.) Isaiah 9:15. _The prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail, &c._ I. THE WORLD IS SO CONSTITUTED THAT LEADERS OF THE PEOPLE ARE AT PRESENT A NECESSITY. It is no disparagement of oak trees to say that few of them... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF SIN Isaiah 9:18. _For wickedness burneth as the fire, &c._ One of the grandest and most fearful scenes in nature is a forest on fire. This is the figure Isaiah employs to describe the destruction that was coming upon sinful and stubborn Israel [952] That destruction would be... [ Continue Reading ]