September 1929
411
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Crumbs from the King’s Table By the Editor
I s a ia h ’s V ision o f God ING UZZIAH was dead and Isaiah, that splen did young statesman in Israel, was worried. Things were going wrong in the nation. The prophet’s heart was stirred for his people. He was a man with a great compassion. With this compassion and a burdened heart he went into the temple of the Lord. That is the only place to go when you have a great compassion and a burdened heart. He went to plead for Israel. “The whole head was sick and the whole heart faint." He was not thinking of him self, but his people. But you must receive a blessing yourself before you can be a channel of blessing to others. And the blessing that Isaiah received that day is what we need for these dark days. Isaiah saw the King. He had thought that the king was dead, but the real King of Israel was not dead. The real King was the One whom Isaiah later on described; the “Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.” Uzziah was not of supreme importance in Israel. A mere man is never of supreme importance. You are not absolutely necessary! The world will get along very well without us when we are gone. The King is alive! Isaiah saw an interested King. He was more inter ested in Israel than any of His subjects. It has always seemed difficult for me to remember that it is not my busi ness to carry the ark, or steady it. God has an eternal purpose. He will carry out His own program. We may fail but He will not. Isaiah saw a King of power. When the road is rough and steep an eight-cylinder, 120 horsepower car is most comfortable. Oh, child of God, quit your worrying about present conditions! You are the servant of One who is able. “All power is given to me in heaven and on earth.” You can’t afford to go forth in the energy of the flesh. You can’t afford not to lean hard on the arm of your Lord. Isaiah saw a holy King. How we need that vision of God. “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” God’s purposes are holy. Our purposes are mixed. Is it not a wonderful thought that He will keep us from spoil ing His purposes of love and mercy? Great God, our Saviour, give us a new vision of Thyself! I s a ia h ’s Co llapse S ICKNESS and discouragement come to us in our Lord’s work when our eyes are upon ourselves instead of God. We work in the energy of the flesh instead of the energy of the Spirit. When Isaiah received a new vision of his Lord there was a new collapse of Isaiah. There was a confession of sin. He had gone into the Temple to talk about the uncleanness of Israel, and now he is talking about the uncleanness of Isaiah. Many of us are praying for a world-wide revival, but a revival must begin in our own hearts first. When Isaiah confessed his sin, God cleansed him from sin. The cleansing awaits the con
fession. A live coal from off the altar of sacrifice did the work. Then followed the surrender. I am not criticizing the term “the surrendered life,” but I prefer the term, “the yielding life” ; not the “yielded,” but the “yielding.” Isaiah’s response to the goodness of God was, “Here am I, send me.”
— o — A C a ll To Service
AFTER the vision of God and the collapse of Isaiah came the new commission. That is always God’s order,—a vision of God, a collapse of the perpendicular pronoun, then service. Do not reverse the divine order. I never read the book of Job without a smile. He said to his three friends, “I wish I could get an audience with the Almighty. I would tell Him what a good man I am.” He had his speech all carefully written out. He knew just what he would say if he could get the ear of God. And then God appeared to Job, and Job forgot his speech! He could not remember a sentence of that wonderful speech, and he went on his face in the dust. It was when Job was on his face that God said to Job’s friends, “Go and have Job offer sacrifice for you.” One day after Israel had crossed the Jordan and they were camped over against Jericho, Joshua saw a man whom he perhaps thought was a stranger inside the lines. Now Joshua had taken Moses’ place. If I had taken Moses’ place I would have been a nuisance to all my friends for many months. As I would meet them I would say, “Did you know I took Moses’ place?” Joshua was human and was perhaps affected in the same way. He said to the stranger, “Are you for us or against us?” And the stranger said, “A s the captain of the Lord’s host am I come out to you.” Joshua had thought he was captain, but when he got a vision of God he fell on his face. It was while Joshua was on his face that the Angel of the Covenant told him how to take Jericho. Do you remember that afternoon when Peter sang that abominable hymn, “Surely the Captain May Depend on Me” ? He had said, “Though all men deny thee, I will ,not deny thee, Lord.” It was only a short time after that when standing among the enemies of his Lord he denied Him with curses on his lips. Then he started out of the judgment hall as his eyes caught a sight of his Lord. He received a new vision of God. How the Holy Spirit did use Peter on the day of Pentecost! There was a vision of God, a collapse of Peter, then- service. Do not sing, “Surely the Captain may depend on me.” Better sing, “Oh to be nothing, only to lie at His feet.” A G od -G iven M essage G O tell this people . . . ” The message God gave to Isaiah was not a debate. It was not an oration. It was not an essay. It was not Isaiah’s message. It was God’s message. It was from above. Sometimes we preach ers “get up” a sermon. The sermons we get-up do not
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