James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary
Isaiah 13:12
MONEY FOR MEN
‘I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.’
What Isaiah really wrote was this: ‘I will make man more rare than fine gold.’
The preacher was promising a day of trouble for great Babylon. ‘Behold,’ he cried, ‘the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate.’ And then he came to the very abyss and extremity of their desolation. Bad enough to have the land shorn of its harvests, and all the standing grain trampled under the feet of war-horses; bad enough to have the consuming fire lay hold upon its houses; bad enough to have pride turned into shame, and wealth into poverty, and power into captivity. All that was bad enough. But thus far hope was left, for men were left. Leave us men and we may live. Leave us men and you may do your worst: the day will pass, and tomorrow we will repair the damage, and begin over again, and get our revenge upon you yet. But there shall be no men. The widows and the fatherless children shall search about the ruined streets, and a man shall be as rare a sight as a purse of gold. ‘I will make a man more precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.’ That was what Isaiah said.
I. ‘I will make a man more precious than fine gold.’—I will so bring it about that a man shall be of more value than a bar of gold. I will make men love their brother-men more than they love their money. Isaiah never said that; but God said it, and says it still. This is a sentence out of the Word of God. Isaiah said a great many things in his day, and is dead. But God is not dead. And God says this to-day. In the Bible or out of the Bible, this is the voice of God. This word is true with all the truth of God Almighty.
On one side a man, on the other side a bar of gold. On one side a man, on the other side a herd of swine. That, you remember, was at Gadara, beyond the Lake of Galilee.
I will make a man more precious than a herd of swine, or than a purse of gold, or than the golden wedge of Ophir. There is no question as to Christ’s comparative valuation of a man and money. Men were not for money, in His estimation, but money for men.
The text sets the emphasis, not on money, but on men. And that is Christianity. That is what the Master taught.
II. What we all need, whether we have great possessions or small possessions, is to be interested in men.—The part of a Christian man or a Christian woman is to set about making somebody’s life better. I believe that preaching does some good. But I know that the most good is done when the preacher goes down out of the pulpit, and talks quietly and privately and personally to one man or one woman. I believe, too, that some good is done by the general distribution of charity, by putting money into church alms basins, and writing figures in subscription lists. But I know that the best good is got at when one helps one; when a man goes to his neighbour and gets acquainted with him, and becomes his personal friend, and sympathises with him, and uplifts him. What men and women want is honest interest, real, human, brotherly and sisterly interest. They look into your eyes as you take their hand, and they read there whether to you a man is more precious than fine gold or not.
It is not your money that we want so much as your interest. We want your own personal, hand-to-hand and heart-to-heart endeavour. Do you not remember in the old story how Elisha sent his servant with his staff to bring back life to the dead, and the dead stayed dead? And then he came himself, and the still heart began to beat. We want you to come yourself. Don’t send your servant! Come yourself!
‘Who gave Himself.’ That is the secret of the power of Jesus Christ over the hearts of men to-day. Jesus Christ was more interested in men than He was in anything else on earth or in heaven. He cared not for reputation, cared not for the comforts of a sheltered life, cared not for Himself, but He did care for men. And He loved us and gave Himself for us.