Isaia 35:3,4

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INCORAGGIAMENTO AI DEBOLI

Isaia 35:3 . Rafforzate le mani deboli e confermate le ginocchia deboli. Di' a quelli che hanno un cuore pauroso: Siate forti, non temete: ecco, il vostro Dio verrà con vendetta, anche Dio con una ricompensa; verrà e ti salverà.

Il nostro benedetto Signore, come grande Pastore delle pecore, ha dato un esempio a tutti i pastori inferiori, come vegliare sul loro gregge [Nota: Ezechiele 34:11 ; Isaia 40:11 .]. E nelle parole davanti a noi dà loro indicazioni speciali su come trattare i deboli e i malati.

I. Considera i personaggi qui descritti:

Tra il popolo di Dio, tutti deboli come pecore, ve ne sono molti che, per la loro peculiare debolezza e infermità, si caratterizzano piuttosto come «agnelli, o come pecore grandi con i piccoli». Questi sono descritti nel testo,

1. Come sentendo la loro debolezza—

[Le "mani e i piedi" essendo quelle membra del corpo atte al lavoro, non rappresentano impropriamente le forze attive dell'anima: e la debolezza che sperimentano per eccessiva fatica, ci dà una giusta idea di un'anima stanca di le sue fatiche e pesantemente carico dei suoi fardelli spirituali. Ci sono molti che si trovano proprio in questo stato: hanno mantenuto un conflitto con il peccato e Satana; hanno sopportato la pressione di molte prove; e sanno appena come sostenere ancora le loro difficoltà: le loro “mani sono così deboli e le loro ginocchia così deboli”, che sono pronti a rinunciare nella più totale disperazione [Nota: questo può essere illustrato dal caso di Davide, Salmi 38:2 ; Salmi 38:17 .] — — —]

2. Come scoraggiato per questo:

[Many are the misgiving thoughts that arise in the minds of God’s tempted people. When they find their insufficiency to support their burthens, and to overcome their spiritual enemies, they have “great searchings of heart:” they begin to doubt whether they have not altogether deceived their own souls; and whether they may not as well cease from those contests which they have hitherto found so ineffectual.

They fear that God has cast them off; that all their professions are mere hypocrisy; and that their renewed exertions will only issue in their greater disappointment [Note: Salmi 77:2.] — —]

If there be any present, whose experience accords with this description, we proceed to,

II.

Deliver to them a message from the most high God—

God would not that his ministers should ever “break a bruised reed,” or “despise the day of small things:” on the contrary, he says, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.” “Strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.” But, because we should be at a loss to know what to say, and all that we could say would be to no purpose, if it were the mere offspring of our own imaginations, God himself has put words into our mouths; which therefore we may safely, and confidently, deliver.

[Let the drooping and disconsolate now listen as to the voice of God himself; for it is God, and not man, that thus audibly speaks unto them.
“Be strong, fear not.” This may appear a strange address to those who feel within themselves such reason for despondency: but it is God’s message to them; and therefore in God’s name we deliver it.
But in the text the grounds of this encouragement are stated: and, if duly applied to the soul, they are sufficient to comfort the most distressed, and to invigorate the weakest.

“Behold then, your God will come:” yes, that God who, notwithstanding all your fears, is, and will be, your God. Think what is implied in this relation, and then say, whether you have not in this word alone an inexhaustible fund of consolation.

He will come “with vengeance” to your enemies, and “with a recompence” to you. He sees with indignation those evil spirits that assault you, and those ungodly men that despise and persecute you, and all those indwelling lusts that harass and defile you: and he has doomed them all to destruction; your lusts, by the operation of his grace, and your enemies, whether men or devils, by his avenging arm.

But with respect to yourselves, there is not a tear, which he has not treasured up in his vial [Note: Salmi 56:8.]; nor a sigh, a groan [Note: Salmi 38:8.], a purpose [Note: 1 Re 8:18.

], a wish [Note: 1 Re 14:13.], a thought [Note: Malachia 3:16.], which he has not noted in the book of his remembrance, in order to recompense it at the resurrection of the just.

In short, “he will come and save you.” He is interested in your welfare; and suffers you to be thus tried, and tempted, only for your good [Note: 1 Pietro 1:6.]. He knows “when your strength is gone,” and will make your extremity the season of his effectual interposition [Note: Deuteronomio 32:36.].

Notice the repetitions in this message; for they surely were not inserted thus for nought. It is “God, even God,” that will come for your relief: it is not a man, or an angel, but Jehovah himself, to whom all things are alike possible, and alike easy. Moreover, it is said, “He will come, he will come;” you need not doubt it, for it is as certain as that he himself exists. He may tarry long: but wait his leisure; and he will come at last [Note: Habacuc 2:3. with 2 Cronache 15:7.]

Infer,
1.

How anxious is God for the comfort of his people!

[He charges all his servants to exert themselves for the relief of his people’s minds: and expressly sends them a message of love and mercy under their multiplied afflictions. And, lest they should put away from them the word, as not applicable to themselves, he describes them, not by their attainments, but by their defects; not by their hopes, but by their fears, He describes them by the very terms which they themselves make use of to describe their own state.

What marvellous condescension is this! Moreover, he sends them exactly such a message as they themselves would desire, if they were commissioned to declare beforehand what they would consider as an adequate ground of consolation. Can any thing exceed this kindness?

Let us then entertain worthy conceptions of our gracious God; and learn never to doubt his love, or to distrust his care. And, instead of distressing ourselves with fears on account of our own weakness, let us look unto our Almighty Saviour to “perfect his own strength by means of it [Note: 2 Corinzi 12:9.].”]

2. How differently must ministers conduct themselves towards the different objects of their care!

[That same divine Shepherd who says, “I will strengthen that which was sick,” adds, “But I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment [Note: Ezechiele 34:16. before cited.].” Now there are many who perhaps will bless themselves, that they are strangers to the faintings and fears which are so distressing to others.

What message then have we from God to them? Shall we endeavour to “confirm and strengthen” them? They need not our assistance; they would despise our proffered help. Shall we say to them, “Be strong, fear not?” Alas! how “shall they be strong in the day that God shall deal with them [Note: Ezechiele 22:14 and Isaia 10:3.

]?" Hanno piuttosto bisogno di temere e tremare per i giudizi che stanno arrivando su di loro. “Dio viene;” ma non è il loro Dio; poiché non l'hanno mai scelto per il loro Dio, né si sono dati a lui come suo popolo. Viene con una terribile “vendetta” e con una giusta “ricompensa” per tutta la loro negligenza nei suoi confronti. Non viene per “salvare”, ma per distruggerli. Ascoltino allora il messaggio di Dio a loro [Nota: 2 Tessalonicesi 1:7 .

], e trema. Devono essere malati per conoscere il valore di un medico; e devono sentirsi perduti, se mai volessero essere interessati alla salvezza di Cristo [Nota: Marco 2:17 ; Luca 18:13 .]