The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 461

We learn that thefaithfa,l have no need to/ear. "He that believeth eba\l not make hRste." (1) No need to be alarmed for his own safety; for God, who is his Refuge, will hide him in the pavilion of his power. (2) No need to take hurried or questioMblo certainly not forbidden or unworthy, steps for the deliverance of others; for God'~ promised word is the assurance of ultimate redemption.-C. Vere. 28-29.-Divine discrimination. There are two preliminary lessons we may gather from these verses before we pluck the principal one. • l. 'fHAT IN THE ACTS AND U,llUSTIUES OF MAN WE MAY FIND APT ILLUSTBATIONB OF THE WISDOM OF Goo. "Give ear and hear" (ver. 23). There is something well worth observing in human husbandry ; it will teach the student a useful lesson respect- ing the ways of God. Not only from the lilies of the field and from the birds of the air, but also from the arts and industries of man, come suggestions which will explain Divine providence and give rest to the troubled mind. IT. 'lllAT AGRICULTURE AFFORDS ONE PROOF OF THE PRESENCE AND POWER OF A Drvn."E INTELLIGENCE. How is it that, while the birds and the beasts continue through all succeeding ages to supply their wants by the same unchanging processes, man is ever moving forward? From hunting to grazing, from grazing to agriculture, h~ ascends; and in agriculture he shows a discretion and a versatility which are striking to all who have eyes to see and souls to learn. The fact is that man is taught of God. " His God doth instruct him," etc. (ver. 26); it comes from him who is " wonderful in counsel" (ver. 29). The intelligence, the shrewdness, the inventiveness, the patience, the foresight, which a.re manifested in husbandry, go far to assure us that God is near us, laying his hand upon us, touching the springs of our mind, calling forth from us intellectual and moral faculties which, though immeasurably inferior, are yet akin to his own. lIJ. THAT Goo IS SHOWING A CAREFUL DISCBDIINATION IN THE TREATMENT OF ms ERRING CHILDREN. This is the lesson of the prophet's illustration: the husband- man only ploughs till he is ready to sow; he always threshes with the instrument which is suitable, adjusting his means to the character of the corn; he orders every- thing with careful, discriminating consideration of what is best at the particular time with the particular object. So carefully, so wisely, so tenderly, does God deal with us. 1. He mingles mercies with jndgments, light with shade, hope with fear: "He does not always chide." He sows as well as ploughs. 2. He places us in spheres that suit us ; some in the more prominent, others in the more humble, parts of the field (ver. 25). 3. He applies his chastisement according to our nature and our character (vers. 27, 28): to some-to the more hardened and abandoned-he administers his severer blows; to others-to his people who, though his people,'have much yet to learn-he sends the milder and gentler mea.sures of rebuke; on them he 'lays his hand more tenderly. Learn: L That God, in chastisement, is seeking fruit-the harvest of love, of trust, of obedience, of service. 2. That if he deals severely with us, it ie because severity is needed for the high purpose he has before him. 3. That he will never deal too rigorously with any one of his children,-C. Ver. l.-Tl,e woe of the drunkard. On this subject there is grave danger of saying extrava"ant, unqualified, and unreasonable things. The abstract rightness or wrong- ness of ~ing strong drinks must be decided by the individualjudgment. Enough now to say that no man with the spirit of a patriot, much less wit~ th~ spirit ?fa_ Christian -who is his brother's keeper,--can observe the growth of drmkrng habits m modern society without serious alarm; no mothers without grave anxiety for their sons; no wives without deep concern for their husbands and themselves. 'fhe common speech a.bout drink too often leaves the impression that the evil of it lies in the drink itself, and so tends to take our minds from the much more serious fact that the evil of drink lies in us, and in its relation to us-in feebleness of will, and lack of self-restraint and i;elf-control. I. WHEREIN LIES THE PEillL OF STRONG DRINK? Precisely in its strength, in its raging. "Strong drink is raging." There ~ produced by it an ~leva_t~on a~d ~xc!tement that are beyond nature; according to the differences of men's d1spos~tions, 1t 1s either an NI, :u.vm. 1-20.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 465