Isaiah 49:23

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 CHURCH AND PEOPLE. It must be a self-evident proposition, that all who are entrusted with the ruling authority are bound to promote the best interests of the people over whom they preside. But the question is, in what do the best interests of a people consist? Do they consist in the extension of territory; the multiplicity of resources; the advancement of the arts and sciences; of wealth and honour; business and trade? We deny the assertion. As our Lord speaks of a man, so we of a nation, prince, or ruler. What is either he or they profited if they gain the whole world and lose their own soul? Or what shall a man, or any number of men, give in exchange for their soul? The soul, then, in all its vast, interesting, immortal, and eternal concerns, is the chief business of man.

1. From whence does the kingly office, or ruling authority proceed? Does it proceed from the people? No. It proceeds from God.

2. We must not omit to notice the manner in which the Lord speaks of princes and rulers in His Word. They are always spoken of in reference to their accountability to Him, and as bound to the execution of His will, and the promotion of His glory.

3. It may be useful here to adduce what is the estimate of our own Church on this subject.

II. SUCH A DISCHARGE OR DISREGARD OF THIS OBLIGATION WILL ALWAYS YIELD A SURE TEST OF THEIR OWN STATE AND THE CHARACTER OF THEIR GOVERNMENT, AND WHERE IT PREVAILS IT WILL BE VISIBLE, MORE OR LESS, IN ALL THEIR WAYS AND WORKS. We are to judge of the character and condition of princes and rulers, as such, as we do of private individuals and professing Christians, as such, and of the character of their government as we do of the general tenor of a man’s life.

1. There will be deep humiliation before God, coupled with free and ingenuous confessions both of individual and national guilt (2 Samuel 7:1).

2. There will also be a desire to seek the guidance and acknowledge the hand of God in everything.

3. There will also be a fixed determination to banish all wicked men from their presence, and to exclude them from their councils.

4. There will be an anxiety to fill all the offices of the Church and State with men that fear the Lord, love the truth, and who will labour with heart and hand in the same cause for the advancement of true godliness. If the foregoing statements are based on the authority of Divine truth, the following deductions will ensue as some of their most obvious results

(1) It is not an easy office to be exalted to a throne, or to be entrusted with the affairs of a kingdom!

(2) How obvious is the connection between the Church and State! An established religion, nationally considered, is nothing more than that “form of godliness,” according to God’s revealed will, which is selected, supported, and maintained by the State, for the general benefit of all.

(3) How great is the guilt of ungodly princes and rulers, and how earnestly should we pray for them that God may bless and direct them in all His ways! (R. Shittier.)

They shall not be ashamed that wait for Me

Waiting upon God

I. WAITING UPON GOD signifies--

1. A patient expectation of the fulfilment of His Word, whether it be prophecy or promise.

2. A regular attention to the means of grace.

II. THE RESULT OF WAITING UPON GOD. Not disappointment and humiliation, but prayers answered, and hopes fulfilled.

1. The penitent.

2. The Christian relying upon the providential help of a covenant-keeping God.

3. The believer waiting for the accomplishment of God’s purpose in his sanctification.

4. The Christian waiting for the coming of Christ. (T. Blackley, M. A.)

“Wait”

This is the one word which the Divine wisdom often seems to utter in rebuke of human impatience. Man is eager, hurried, impatient, but God is never in haste. The Divine proceedings are slow--everywhere slow.

I. We see it in the realms of NATURE AND PROVIDENCE.

1. The history of the earth.

2. The movement of the seasons. The changes of day and night, &c., how slow, how gradual, how imperceptible!

3. The history of all life and growth.

II. REVEALED RELIGION includes much in harmony with these facts.

1. The long interval between the promise of a Saviour and His advent.

2. The manner of His coming (Luke 17:20).

3. The history of revealed religion since the advent.

4. The spiritual history of the individual believer.

5. The events which make up the story of a life. With regard to much in our history, we are expected to wait for the revelations of the world to come. (R. Vaughan, D. D.)