392
T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Everything was purified by blood in the tabernacle. The seraph bearing the coal is a symbol of the messenger of the gospel, who takes the Word of God, which is quick and powerful, to the sin-stricken people to quicken their consciences and awaken in them a sense of their guilt, and create a desire for cleansing. “ Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” With a new na ture man has a new heart and Ms lips are prepared by the Holy Spirit to bear the message. (4) THE SUMMONS AND SEN TENCE, vs. 9-13'. First, we have the voice of the Lord saying, “Who will go for us?” TMs corresponds with Gen. 1:26. The mes senger is called by and sent forth by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What a call and what a calling! Call ed to be the ambassadors of the Triune God, to represent Him,, to bear His mes sage to the children of men! His call is to every believer, young and old. The place to which we are to go is of His selection,— at home or to the regions beyond. He makes the choice. We have only to say, “ Here am I; send me.” Wihat a joyful privilege, yet how few are ready to respond. Isaiah out of weakness is made strong. He does not ask when or where or how, but replies at once, “Here am I; send me.” Many go who are not sent. They choose their own fields. The fields are white but few are willing to have God choose the field. Many others have nb consciousness of a definite call and are always indefinite or indifferent to ser vice. Did Isaiah make a mistake in saying ‘Send me?” Have not millions been blessed in reading and studying the matchless messages of his prophecy? Are you sure you are in His will? If not, surrender and say, out of a heart full of gratitude, “Here am I; send me” and rest in His will for a life of service. the enemy of impurity.
“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; hut now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” . This is the way Simon Peter felt when he saw the miracle of the draught of fishes (Luke 5^:8) “When Simon Peter saw It, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It is the vision of the Lord—His holi ness, His righteousness, His broken laws, our consciousness of our sinful ness, our knowledge of His hatred of sin and His righteous wrath against sin—which is needed in our day. There is such a tendency to excuse sin, to make light of sin, to paint false pictures of God’s relation to sin and the sinner, to probate the law-breaker instead of penalizing him, that it is difficult to bring men to a proper consciousness of the sinful nature which we all have and the terrible consequences for time and eternity. (3) THE SIN-PURGING FIRE, vs. 6- 8 . Whenever the sinner takes his place and confesses his sin, God’s remedy is immediaté. He has provided a Saviour for thè sinner. We find an illustration in Moses’ experience in the 33rd chapter of Exodus, and in the experience of Manoah in Judges 13:22, 23: “And Manoah said nnto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen wod. But his wife said unto him, If the Lord wore pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.” We find it in the life of Saul of Tar sus (Acts 9). The purging and purifying fire is taken from off the altar o f incense—-a glowing stone from the golden altar, carried with the golden tongs (Ex. 25: 38). "l
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs