_Listen, O isles, unto Me_
A FORECAST OF THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION
In the previous Chapter s we find very glorious things spoken of the
deliverance of the Jews from Babylon.
But in this chapter we seem to commence a new departure, to rise to a
higher strain, and to launch out into broader and grande... [ Continue Reading ]
_And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword_
A SHARP SWORD
1.
God does not undo, in His relationship to us as Re-creator, the work
which He has already performed as Creator. He does not strip us of our
natural faculties, and endow us with others altogether distinct from
these. Our natural facult... [ Continue Reading ]
_And said unto me, Thou art My servant_
THE SERVICE OF MAN THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S HIGHEST GLORY
How numerous are God’s servants! All things in heaven and upon
earth, all worlds, all elements, and all creatures are His servants,
which obey His word, and declare His greatness and glory.
But of a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then I said, I have laboured in vain_
CHRIST IN PROPHECY
These prophetic sayings go to Christ, not outside of and separate from
man’s struggle, but in and through it.
As all true Christians are living over again, in an imperfect way, the
details of Christ’s own experience, so were all true godly... [ Continue Reading ]
_And now, saith the Lord_
PARADOXES OF PROPHECY
I would weigh with you two of those larger, and at the same time
intense paradoxes of prophecy, which run throughout the prophetic
word, and which Isaiah, in these wonderful words concentrates in one.
1. That He, who was foretold should Himself be t... [ Continue Reading ]
_And He said, It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My servant_
THE EVANGELICAL PROPHET: HIS WIDE OUTLOOK
In the whole of this prophetical book there is not a single verse in
which the character of the evangelical prophet is more conspicuous
than it is here.
How must he have been transported... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel_
THE REDEEMER OF ISRAEL
Israel shall be raised from the deepest degradation to the highest
honour.
The verse is remarkable as anticipating the main idea of Isaiah 52:13.
(_Prof. J. Skinner, D. D._)
CHRIST’S FUTURE REIGN
I. THE DESCRIPTION GIVEN OF TH... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time_
THE WORLD GIVEN TO CHRIST
The prophet was looking forward to the Messiah and His times.
It was customary for some kings to grant to favoured ones whatever
they requested (Psalms 2:8). God’s kingly Son is represented as
having asked, and this is the ans... [ Continue Reading ]
_That thou mayest say to the prisoners, go forth_
OUT OF DARKNESS INTO LIGHT
When Jesus comes to the soul, He delivers us from that direst of all
bondages, fetches us out from that cruellest of all slaveries, the
bondage of the spirit, the slavery of the heart.
Then we are told that, if there are... [ Continue Reading ]
_They shall not hunger nor thirst_
PROMISE OF CHRIST TO HIS PEOPLE
The people of God are represented as a flock of sheep travelling under
the care of their good shepherd, in the heat of summer, through a
barren and dry wilderness, towards a land of plenty, security, and
everlasting rest.
Under su... [ Continue Reading ]
_And I will make all My mountains a way_
GOD’S MOUNTAINS
Since the world was, mountains have been the obstructors of ways, the
natural frontiers between nations, the barriers that have kept people
separate, disunited, and hostile.
And yet even in the natural sphere the fact of the existence of
mou... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, these shall come from far_
GATHERED FROM AFAR
Whatever bearing this prophecy may have had upon the time of Isaiah,
or the time immediately after him, it has an important bearing on the
time of the Messiah, and the course of His kingdom.
The sentiment is that the redeemed Church of Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
_But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me_
THE MORE THAN PARENTAL LOVE OF GOD
I. ZION’S BUILDING. “Zion” here signifies the true Church.
Elsewhere she is called Jerusalem; and very frequently is she spoken
of as a city or building.
1. If we inquire who is her builder, we find that there is but on... [ Continue Reading ]
_Can a woman forget her sucking child?_
UNFORGETTING LOVE
1. As. Jehovah,, had just been announcing His” purposes of
world-wide mercy--salvation “to the ends of the earth”--we may
take these words, in the first instance, as the plaint of literal
Israel: “The Lord has chosen the
Gentile, and in do... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands_
GOD’S LOVING REGARD FOR HIS PEOPLE
It is not only the name of Zion which is engraved on His hands, but
her picture.
And it is not her picture as she lies in her present ruin and
solitariness, but her restored and perfect state. “Thy walls ar... [ Continue Reading ]
_Lift up thine eyes round about--_
PROMISES FOR THE CHURCH
I. THE PROMISED INCREASE OF THE CHURCH.
1. In number.
2. In honour.
3. In triumph.
II. THE ENCOURAGEMENT IT AFFORDS US FOR MISSIONARY EXERTIONS.
1. God is able to effect this great thing.
2. He has engaged to effect it.
3. The begin... [ Continue Reading ]
_The children which thou shalt have._
THE CHURCH A MOTHER
I. THE CHURCH IS A MOTHER.
1. Because it is her privilege to bring forth into the world the
spiritual children of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. When these little ones are born, the Church’s business is to feed
them.
3. It is her endeavour to... [ Continue Reading ]
_And kings shall be thy nursing fathers_
PRINCES AND RULERS SHOULD PROMOTE THE WILL OF GOD
I. PRINCES, OR RULERS, AS SUCH, ARE THE POSITIVE SERVANTS OF GOD, AND
THEREFORE ARE BOUND TO PROMOTE, ABOVE ALL THINGS, THE INTERESTS OF HIS
REVEALED WORD, AND THE HONOUR OF HIS NAME, IN THE WELFARE OF HIS
CH... [ Continue Reading ]
_Shall the prey be taken from the mighty?_
DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE AND DEATH
I. THE STATE OF FALLEN MAN IS ONE OF MISERY AND BONDAGE.
1. Misery because he is the prey of a mighty tyrant, the devil.
2. Bondage because he is the slave of a terrible master, death.
II. JESUS CAN SET US FREE, FOR H... [ Continue Reading ]
_And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh._
SELF-DESTRUCTION
Here is a terrible picture of retributive justice. But the words
represent a general principle, which is universal, in the punishment
of sin. The sinner is his own avenger.
I. TAKE THE DRUNKARD. He is drinking the poi... [ Continue Reading ]