Bible Commentaries

A TERRIBLE CROP

‘Upon the land of My people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.’

Isaiah 32:13

I. The prophets spoke of things to come, but they spoke of things present also; they held up a light in a dark place, imperfectly understood in their own days, but bright and clear when the full day arose, of which they had obscurely spoken; but they also held up a light, a broad blazing light, to the men of their own times, which would never become clearer than it then was, and would be hardly ever again so clear. That is, they were teachers of righteousness to their own people; the sins which they reproved were the sins which they saw daily committed; the judgments which they threatened were the judgments which these sins would draw down.

II. Our times and our own nation more closely resemble the time of Isaiah’s preaching, and the nation of Israel to whom he preached, than any other time or nation that could be named.—The worship of God was established by law amongst the Israelites as it is amongst us. Israel, in the days of Isaiah, was full of great riches and great poverty—great covetousness and luxury on one side, great misery and carelessness of God on the other. Who can look through this land at this moment and not see the same state of things here? Israel, in the days of Isaiah, had too many of those who scorned at God’s Word and His promises; and of this, too, they who know what is the present state of England know that there is too much amongst us. The prophets, then, are in a most remarkable manner the mirror or glass in which we may see our own likeness. To us, God’s Christian Israel, a promise is made of a state of overwhelming blessing after a time of fearful judgments—judgments for the punishment of the tares, and for the cleansing and perfecting of the good seed; till at last, when all that do evil or that tempt to evil shall be gathered out of the Kingdom of God, the righteous may shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

—Rev. Dr. T. Arnold.