The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 53

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 1...-..-The golden age. I. THE BLESSED oa GOLDEN AGE A BUllJECT OF EARLY PROPHECY. It is believed that we have in these verses a very ancient oracle, first delivered by the earlier prophet Joel (see Joel iii. 10), and from him repeated by Isaiah and Micah (iv. 1-4). An eternal hopefulness lived in the heart of the great prophets, like a light shinini in a dark place, amidst all the scenes of national sin and depression. What has been said of true poetry is to be said of prophecy-it is the" light that never shone on sea or shore ; the inspiration and the poet's dream." II. A REVIVAi, OF RELIGION Wll.L USHER IN THE GOLDEN AGE. The mountains were earliest seats of Divine worship, both amongst Jews and Gentiles. One of the seats of the great god of the Greeks, Mount Lycieos in Arcadia, commanded, Pausanias tells us, a view over nearly the whole Peloponnese. Zion was a small and lowly mount, \Jut it is to become a peak that shall overtop all mountains, the "joy of the whole earth" (Ps. xlviii. 2), unrivalled in the majesty of its Divine associations (Ps. lxvili. 16). The Gentiles will make pilgrimages to this holy mountain. All this poetically describes the commanding influence of true religion. 1. The revival of religion means the revival uf morality. When the conscience is really awakened, the inquiry will ever be--What must we do? What are the ways and paths of God? What are the principles of a true, a just, and a blessed life? 2. It means social unity. In the vision the Gentiles are seen converging with the Jews to one point-to Zion. The more deep religion is, the more do men feel that truth is but one, thought one, spiritual worship one. '!'he love of God solves all differences in itself. 3. True religion is a self-diffusive power. It goes forth like light, like heat, like a fame and rumour insensibly stealing through the air. Ill. JUSTICE AND PEACE WILL BE THE EFFECTS C1F TRUE RELIGION. We can clearly : see that it is so from the course of history. With the progress of Christianity, the ad.min- istration of justice within the sphere of each nation has become milder, because more thoughtful, more respectful of the value of the individual life. Not only so, the idea of international justice has gained ground. Whatever a certain school of politicians may say, conscience does gain ground in the dealings of nation with nation. Wrong cannot be done to the weak without censure. Nations as well as individuals are more alive to the voice of public opinion, and more sensible of shame. In our own time, "justice" has again and again been the watchword of our politics: and has gained attention and overcome the clamours of the bellicose and the sneers of the cynical. Let us be thankful for these things. Best of all, peace and its occupations replace war and its waste, as true religion prevails. In this beautiful picture, or slight sketch of a picture, we see the soldier going back to his fields, that he may turn the murderous steel into the hoe, the share, the pruning-knife, while the arsenals and military schools arc closed (see the touch added by Micah iv. 4; cf. Ps. xlvi. 9; Hos. ii. 20; Zech. ix. 10). It is the picture of an ideal and a future, not yet nor soon perhaps to be converted into an actual present, except in the delightful world of holy dreams which makes the best of our life. But for every one who works and lives in the true Christian spirit, the picture ever more nearly tends to coincide with the reality. IV. REFLECTIONS OF THIS PROPHECY AMONG THE GENTILES. Doubtless a large collec- tion might be made of passages of similar scope from the lore of other nations. Best known are those from the Roman poets. Virgil, like Joel (iii. 10), reverses the imagery. When right and wrong are confused, wars prevail and all manner of crimes. The plough receives no honour; the fields run to weeds, because the farmers have gone to servo as soldiers, o.nd the curved sickles are turned into the rigid sword (' Georg.,' i. 50G, sqq.). So Ovid: in time of wrir the sword is apter than the plough; the toiling ox gives wo.y to the wrir-horse, while hoes o.nd rakes o.re turned into javelins(' Fast.,' i. 697, sqq.). Ho further sketches the picture of peace bringing back the ox to the yoke, and the seed to the ploughed land. ~'or "Peace nourishes Ceres, and Ceres is the foster~hild of Peace." We must reserve the further l)ictnrcs of the perfection of the golden :tge in the Gentile poets until we come to eh. xi. In their way they, too, recognized that so happy a state of things could only be brought ribout by religion-by the returning of n1en to obedience to Diviuo laws.  THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [OB. ll. 1-22.