The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 145

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. \ Vers. 1-9.-The prophet oomfores the king. I. THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK. The , kingd a.nd chieftains of Palestine were in dread of the great Assyrian power. Under the , weak rule of Ahaz Judah had sunk very low, and the King of Damascus, with the King of Ephraim, think it e. favourable opportunity to attack the little kingdom, and so strengthen themselves against the Assyrian&. "Far down to the gulf of Akaba th~ shock of invasion was felt. Elath, the favourite seaport of Jehoshaphat and U:i:ziah, w:.s made over to the Edomites" (2 Kings xvi. 6; xv. 37). Jerusalem was now threater.ad. and a. usurper was to be placed on David's throne (ver. 6). II. 'l'HE ALABM OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. (Ver. 2.) News is brought to the palace "Arlim encampeth in Ephraim ; " the junction of the forces of Syria and Israel had taken place. A shivering fear, like the wind swaying the trees of the forest, passed over their hearts. The court went forth to inspect the fortifications and the water- works, and came to " the end of the conduit of the upper reservoir, upon the path to the fuller's field "-a well-known spot (cf. eh. xxxvi. 2; 2 Kings xviii.). III. THE MEETING WITH ISAIAH. At this spot the prophet, with his son, stood before them. It seems that by Divine intimation the prophet had called the boy Shear-Jashub, which means "Remnant-shall-be-converted," reminding us of the hope of his calling (eh. vi.). He would look upon the boy as a living pledge, not only of conjugal affection, but of Divine promise for a nobler Israel. See how he dwells upon the thought in eh. x. 20-22. Inspired by this confidence, he now addresses the king. IV. COMFORT FOB THE FAINT-HEARTED. "Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, and. be not faint-hearted." A calm, collected mind is a match for any danger. Agitation and fear magnify the ill ; stout resolve reduces it to its true proportions. The worst is ever in our own fancy. " Some of your hurts you have cured, And the sharpest you still have survived: But what torments of grief yon endured From evils which never arrived I" The timid king sees a fiery mass of war rolling towards him ; the stout heart of the prophet contemptuously defies the two kings as "two stumps of smoking firebrands." If we would comfort men, we must, like the prophet, tell them to draw upon the resources God has placed in the soul : intelligence, prudence, self-reliance, o.nd self-help. There ' is no true self-trust which is not at the same time a trust in God. • IV. THE DEEPEST SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND COMFORT. What are the heads of the Syrian power and of Israel's power against Judah's Head, the Lord? Damascus and Samaria will rear their fronts in vain against Jerusalem, if Jerusalem only trust in Jehovah. (Ewald supposes that the words, "J udah's head is Jerusalem, and Jerusalem's head is Jehovah," have fa.lien out of the text, ver. 9.) Only have confidtMf!. There is a play upon words in the original which we might represent in English by: "Fear not, fa.ii not;" or, "Firm in faith is free from scathe;" or, "If ye c1>nfide not, abide ye shall not." 1. Confidence, presence of mind, is a duty in times of dan~er. 2. It m,iy be gained, if we will fall ba.ok upon God as our Leader and Defence. " The Lord is on my side : I will uot fear what men shall do unto me."-J, Vers. 10-17.-Faith triumphing over doubt. Faith in the Eternal personified in the prophet, to whom all things desirable a.re to be hoped for, all things to be hoped for are possible; and distrust, the weakness of ruere flesh and bl,,oJ, represented in the timid Ahaz. Buch is the illusion of appearances. The outwardly kingly man is thi cowurd; the real king of men is the pla.iu-lookiog prophet.  134 THE BOOK OF 'J."HE PROPHET ISAIAH. (oil. vtL 1-2B.