OUR SAVIOUR AND THE WORK OF OUR SALVATION Isaiah 49:1. _Listen, O isles, unto me, &c._ It is to the Gentiles, to _us_, that Christ here speaks concerning Himself and the work of salvation (Isaiah 49:1). What is the information to which He would have us “hearken?” This— I. _For the work of redempti... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SHARP SWORD Isaiah 49:2. _And He hath made My mouth like a sharp sword_. The prophet having, in the foregoing Chapter s, comforted the Church by promises of deliverance from captivity, goes on, in this and the following Chapter s, to comfort it with promises of its restoration by Christ, of wh... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE POSSIBILITY OF UNDERVALUING INFLUENCE [1495] [1495] For many fine words of encouragement for Christian workers, see my _Dictionary of Poetical Illustrations_ (usually referred to as P. D.), 1006, 2011, 2013, 2181, 2182, 2443, 2645, 2767, 2851, 3205, 3278, 3491. Isaiah 49:4. _Then I said, I... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PURPOSE OF GOD’S GREAT GIFT Isaiah 49:6. _And He said, It is a light thing, &c._ The chapter refers to gospel days; and the meaning of the text in particular seems to be fixed by good old Simeon, who, when Jesus was presented to the Lord, hailed Him as God’s “light,” and His “salvation” (Luke... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST’S FUTURE REIGN Isaiah 49:7. _Thus saith the Lord, &c._ In this and the subsequent verses we have a direct promise from Jehovah to the Messiah, of the ultimate success of His mediatorial work. Consider— I. THE DESCRIPTION GIVEN OF THE MESSIAH. 1. _As despised, rejected, and contemned by men... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST IN THE COVENANT Isaiah 49:8. _I will give Thee for a covenant of the people_. We all believe that our Saviour has very much to do with the covenant of eternal salvation. We have been accustomed to regard Him as the _Mediator_ of the covenant, as the _surety_ of the covenant, and as the scop... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORLD GIVEN TO CHRIST (_Missionary Sermon._) Isaiah 49:8. _Thus saith the Lord, &c._ The prophet was looking forward, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to the Messiah and His times, and here states several important truths respecting His great mission. Customary for some kings to grant t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHURCH SHEPHERDED BY CHRIST [1510] [1510] See pp. 24–29. Isaiah 49:9. _They shall feed in the ways, &c._ “The comparison of God’s care to that of a shepherd was first used by Jacob (Genesis 49:24); then by Moses (Deuteronomy 32:6; Deuteronomy 32:12). From these passages the prophets borrowed t... [ Continue Reading ]
GATHERED FROM AFAR (_Missionary Sermon._) Isaiah 49:12. _Behold there shall come from far, &c._ Whatever bearing this prophecy may have had upon the time of Isaiah, or the time immediately after him, it has an important bearing on the time of the Messiah and the course of His kingdom. The prophet... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD’S CARE FOR HIS CHURCH Isaiah 49:13. _Sing, O heavens, &c._ I. NOTHING CAN FURNISH US WITH BETTER MATTER FOR SONGS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING THAN THE TENDER CARE GOD HAS OF THE CHURCH (Isaiah 49:13). Let the whole creation join with us in songs of joy, for it shares with us in the benefits of... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PROMISED INCREASE OF THE CHURCH Isaiah 49:18. _Lift up thine eyes round about, &c._ Two things are here promised, which were to be in part accomplished in the reviving of the Jewish church, after its return out of captivity, but more fully in the planting of the Christian Church, by the preach... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PREY TAKEN FROM THE MIGHTY Isaiah 49:24. _Shall the prey be taken from the mighty? &c._ The history of God’s love to His people is a ground of encouragement and hope to the Church in all aftertime, because God, human nature, and the power and influence of religion are always the same. The text... [ Continue Reading ]