The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 554

when the invader is in the land. God makes no new lot, no fresh circumstances, for the good man. He does not promise any ma.n that he will alt,er his einthly conditions, or altogether relieve him of his troubles. He lifts the good man up a.hove his earth-scenes, by "strengthening him with strength in the soul," making his soul bigger tha.n his circumstances. A man is not lost until he has lost heart. But if God supplies inward strength we never shall lose heiut, and so we never shall be lost. Outwardly, a man may be tossed about, worn, wea.ried, wounded, almost broken, yet inwardly he may be kept in perfect peace, his mind stayed on God; he may be "strong in the Lord, and in the power of bis might." He may "dwell on high," "out of the reach of present troubles, out of the bearing of the noise of them ; be shall not be really harmed by them, na.y, he shall not be greatly frightened at them." This is the portion of the good; God's witnees to chara.eter. II. THE GOOD MAN MAY HAVE LITTLE, BUT BE IS SECURE OF ENOUGH. "Bread and water" represent his necessities, not his indulgences; a sufficiency, but not a luxury. So good Agur prays," Feed me with food convenient for me." The figure here is taken from the limitations of a. time of siege. The " necessary," as distinguished from the "luxurious," is so difficult to decide. What bas become a necessity for one person. another still looks upon as luxury. One great evil of our age is the development of fictitious wants. We are called back to simplicity by the promises of God. " No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." All that is needful is pledged to us, but for all the rest we are dependent on Divine grace; then what "monuments of grace" we must be!-R. T. Ver. 17.- Visions of the King. The Targum reads, "Thine eyes shall see the Shechinah of the King of ages·." The idea of the prophet probably is, that the good man shall see, with his soul-eyes, God himself delivering and rescuing the city from its threaten- ing foes. The good man never can be content with agencies and instrumentalities and second causes. He must recognize the living God, working his work of gra.ee by means of them. He cannot be content unless he can "see the King in bis beauty "-the beauty of his redemptive workings. Some see a reference to Hezekiah, clothed with an ideal beauty, the evidence of God's extraordinary favour. But however we may begin with that, it is but a step to the much more satisfying thing, the spiritual vision of God. " Can God be seen? and if so, how? What is the true vision of God? Is it possible t-0 men? By what means can we realize it? It is a question as old a.s humanity. In a. thousand ways of formal interrogation, or unconscious yearning, wo a.re ever putting it. In a thousand ways of ignorance, superstition, or intelligence, we are ever trying to answer it." We may dwell on- I. THE EYES THAT SEE. Strangely imprisoned by their bodily senses, which are their sole mediums of communication with the world of material things, men over- value the knowledge which the senses can bring them, and under-value tbose'.more real and more important worlds which are revealed only to the eyes of the mind and of the soul. No bodily vision of God can ever be given to dependent creatures; meeting our sense-conditions, Jesus Christ, the Man, is, for us, the" Brightness of his glory, and the express Image of his person." But souls can have that near sense of God which can only be represented as a. vision. Faith, love, purity, holy desire, patient waiting, are the conditions of soul-eyes to which God is revealed. Each of these suggests illustrations and practical applications. II. 'l'HE THI.NGS THAT ARE SEEN, Three things a.re indicated. 1. Soul-eyes see the King. They are quick to discern God's presence. They detect him overywhere and in everything. Life is serious, life is glorious, to them, because God is ~lways "wa.l~- ing in the garden," always close_by. 2. Soul-eyes are keen to_detect ~,s beauty o~ his graciousness; especially as seen Ill the tenderness and care of his watcln ngs, defendmgs, and deliverings. Soul-eyes a.re long-v~1ioned, and can see the future, which they know is in God's hands, and will surely pron to he the scene of God's triumph. ·whatever men may think and say and feel a.bout the present, this is certain-the future is with • the good.-R. 'l'. Ver, 22.-The true theocracy. It Is most difficult for ue to realize that idea of Jehovah as the direct Ruler and Governor of a. nation, which was the ene ch1uacteristio 558 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHE'r ISAIAH. [oH. xxxm.1-24,