The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 388

II. THB BEABON OIi' THE JUDGMENT. It closely follows upon the guilt of men. An<l this guilt has~lluted the earth. "Blood profanes the land ; " "The land is polluted with blood" (Numb. xxxv. 33; Ps. cvi. 38). This may,be taken literally or generally. Kingdoms and empires hove often been" founded in blood" (cf. eh. xxvi. 21). And thiil was a tra.nsgression of Divine comma.ndment-the violation of a Divine statute, the breach of a. standing covenant of God with men. The allusion ma.y be to the covenant with Noah (Gen. ix. 16). But if the prophecy refers to mankind in general, then we must think of the" Law written on the heart "-the Divine teaching within. "It wa~ with the whole human race that God concluded a covenant in the person of Noah, at a time when the nations had none of them come into existence" (Delitzsch). " There- fore bath a curse devoured the earth." There is an awfulness in the logic of tbP. Almighty; there is nothing arbitrary in his conduct, nor meaningless in bis word8. No curse "causeless comes." The premises of sin contain the conclusion of punish- ment; and from the fact of curse the fact of " blood-guilt," or of sin in general, may be certainly inferred. "All Isra.el have transgressed thy Law, even by departing, that they might not obP-y thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him" (Dan. ix. 11). The simple and sublime reasoning of the prophets should ever be laid to heart by us anrl pres8ed upon the conscience of others. " The land mourns ; " trade is dull, taxation ill bcil.vy, wars are rife; there is murmuring and discontent. Why? The prophets are ever ready with a because-because of swearing or other falsehood, because of adultery or other impurity, because of the iniquity of statesmen, priestM, or prophets, the pleasant places are dried up (cf. Jer. xxiii. 10). III. THE DESOBIPl'ION OF THE CAUSE. It is conceived as personal. As in Zeeb. v. 3 it is so.id to "go forth over the face of the whole earth," or to be "poured upon" men (Dan. ix. 11), so here it is so said to "devour the earth." The Divine anger burns (eh. xxx. 27), a.nd the God of judgment is ae a" consuming :fire." And under this terrible doom Nature betrays her silent sympathy with the fortunes of man. The drooping grape and the languishing vine seem to reflect the sadness of the people, and visibly to mourn in response to their sighs. And that popular music which charms away the pain of excessive toil, and expresses the fund of health and mirth which lies at the heart of ma.n and the world, ceases; timbrel and lute are hushed, and the merry shouts of the labourers no longer rise from the vineyards. "Jerusalem was uninhabited as a de~ert. There was none going in and coming out of her children; and the sanctuary was trodden down, and the sons of foreigners were in her high place, a place of sojourn for Gentiles. Delight was taken out of Jacob, and the flute and the lyro ceased" (1 Mace. iii. 45). This passage in the prayer of Judas the Maccabee is thonght by Vitringa to allude to the fulfilment of the prediction. It is the doom which follows upon the abuse of the gifts of God. Abuse consists either in excessive indulgence or in oblivion of the Giver. He knows how in chastisement to insert a bitter flavour into the most favourite pleasures. The cup will be dashed from their lips, or a want of relish ,viii be felt for it. A mind clouded by remorse will ",larken the ruby of the cup anrl dim the glitter of the scene." If the time comes when a man is compelled to say ot even innocent social pleasures, "I have no pleasure in them,'' can there be a keener mark of judgment on past excess or abuse? Better the crust and the draught from the spring, with Lealthy appetite and clean conscience, than the repast of luxury and the brimming wine-c1lp turned to gall on the lips by the secret chemistry of guilt. 'l'he city is chaos and the houses are closed, and in the fields, inste~d of the vintage shouts, are heard the howls of those who miss the sweet wine (cf. Joel i. 5). It seems that the sun of joy has gone down, and the bright spirit of glaJness has fled from the earth. The olive, as the vine, is a speaking symbol of fatness, plenty, wealth, and prosperity. But the land will be like an olive stripped and bared of its fruits-a vineyard when the gleaning is over. Still a few will be left (cf. eh. xvii. 5, 6); for never does God suffer hLs Church to become extinct, the spiritual life of mankind utterly to fail, or his work to come to a. standstill. Dark as every cloud of jud,,m,·nt is, it will yet pass, and crushe,\ hearts will be healed and voices now dumb burst forth anew into song. It is at least glimpses of such a future which sustain the prophet's heart under the "burden of tLe Lord." IV, RtHilOUBB OF BETTEB THINGS, A cry is hearJ. from the sea, from the Mediter-  300 THE BOOK 01" THE PMPHET ISAlAll. [oa. u1v. 1-2&