The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 149

uttemnoe Is found in the final words of it: "If ye will not believe, enrely ye ehall not be eeLablished" (ver. 9). We may see in them a declarati® ezpressly pers()'Tl,a/. They intimate to Ahaz that if he, the present King of Judah, does no'; put hie faith in the minister and in the message of the Lord, hie kingdom and his power will suffer lose, 1. His faith was sorely tried. " His heart was moved as the trees of the wood by the wind" when he heard that two powerful monarchs were confederate a.ga.inst him (vere. 1, 2). It required no little faith to accept, without reserve, tbo assurances of Isaiah (vers. 4-9). 2. But he had solid ground on which to build his hope. The history of his country should have made it perfectly practicable to believe that, whatever the , Lord had decided upon, all the hosts of heathendom would be unable to withstand . . 3. His human fears proved too strong for his religious convictions. 4. The prophet -. warned him that with the failure of his faith would come material loss. Thi.I minatory ·- prediction was only too painfully fulfilled. Elatb, a. port on the Red Sea, wa.s lost to the kingdom (2 Kings xvi. 6); great numbers of the people were slaughtered (2 Cbron. nviii. 6); many captives were carried away (2 Chron. xxviii. 8); Judah became tributary to Assyria (2 Kings xvi. 8, 9). "The Lord -,,,,.oo,ght Judah low because of .Ahaz • (2 Chron. xxviii. 19). He was not established; he was enfeebled and humiliated. '\ The lesson which the passage, particularly these final words, conveys to us is this, ! that WHEN FAITII FAILS, POWER DEPARTS; that faith is the oue sustaining power which ! will establish us in the spiritual position to which we have attained, We look, therefore, ' at this broad principle applicable to eve:ry one. 1. As Christian men we enjoy an • excellent estate. We are "kings and priests unto God;" we are made to "sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." "Now are we the sons of God," and all the joys and privileges of sonship are ours. 2. But our position is threatened by powerful adver- saries. There come up against us the foes of our race-worldly allurements, fleshly indulgences, incitements to spirituai pride and unbelief, temptation8 to fall into selfish- . ness or into untruthfulness, etc. 3. Only a living faith will uphold us in oor integrity. We must have the faith which (1) enables us to realize the nearness of the living God; (2) makes spiritual realities ancl. successes seem to our souls the great things they are; (3) brings near to our hearts the future world, with its judgment and its reward; (4) cells down from above, by believing prayer, Divine direction and support. Without this living faith, we may expect the enemy to overcome us; with ii, we may hope to be established in our high and blest estate.-C. • Vere. 10-13.-Sin and duty in regard to "sign,." The passage is interesting for this among other reasons, that Ahaz is charged with guilt for decliuing that course the resort to which became the national sin (1 Cor. i. 22), and for using words which were afterwards employed by the Saviour himself in repelling the attack of the evil one (Matt. iv. 7). We are, therefore, reminded- !. 'l'IIAT THE WORTII OB UNWOBTIIINESS OF AN A«:n'ION DEPENDS LARGELY ON ITS ATTENDANT CONDITIONS. The Jews who sought a sign from Christ were rebuked by him for so doing (Matt, xii. 38, 39). .Ahaz is reproved for not asking for one on this occasion. '!'he circumstances of the two cases made all the difference. In the case of the Pharisees, abundant miraculous evidence bad already been granted, and they demanded a work of a particular kind after their own fancy; in the case of Ahaz, he deliberately refused the special privilege which God offered him. That which is right and wise under certain circumstances may be wrong and foolish under others. Mauy things which are proper to youth are improper to age, and vice versa; language which is devotion on the lips of the half-enlightened would be irreverence in the mouth of the children of privilege. Clearly instructed by God, the Israelites were simply obedient and courageous when they expelled the Canaanites from the country and occupied their land, but an invasion of another's territory and expulsion or slaughter of its inhabitants without such express authority from above would be a crime of the greatest magnitude; etc. II. 'l'RAT WE DO WELL TO SHRINK HONESTLY AND EARNESTLY FROM TEMPTING Goo. Honestly; for an insincere profession of doing so is ofno account. Ahaz probably used this ;1.s a mere pretext with which to cover his real unwilliuguess to have the will of GoJ unmistakably revealed. .And earnestly ; for to terupt God is a serious sin and a calami• 138 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHE'l' , ISAIAH. [011:. vn.,1-.25,