Bible Commentaries

Isaiah 30:20)

Following upon this gift of teaching and teacher—

"Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it" ( Isaiah 30:21).

We find great promises in the chapter, wondrous assurances that we know nothing yet about light and glory and grace and heaven—

"Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound" ( Isaiah 30:26).

"Handfuls of Purpose"

For All Gleaners

"Their strength is to sit still."— Isaiah 30:7

The Revised Version reads, "Therefore have I called her Rahab that sitteth still." A poetical name for Egypt is found in Isaiah 51:9, Job 26:12, and in Psalm 87:4. The term seems to suggest the idea of empty boasting, very lofty and inflated self-sufficiency and arrogance. The idea of Rahab sitting still is regarded by some critics as almost a political caricature. The meaning is very different from that which is usually attached to the text. Yet the common signification of the text is true in personal experience and in Church history. We often find that we do everything by doing nothing. Lethargy is not rest. Self surrender to what may be called the spirit of fatalism is entirely without moral merit. The man who gives up the strife because he is weary of it or longing for self-indulgence does not realise the peace of God, He is a coward, and must be regarded as such. We can only truly sit still when we do so with the full consent of our understanding and conscience, our reason and love. Every man ought to give God some opportunity of coming into his life. There is a self-watchful ness which is little better than atheism We are bound to do whatever lies in our power, but we should be spiritually instructed to discern the time when we should literally stand still and await the issues of Providence. Do not stand still as the result of the relaxation of self-discipline. Stand still in the moment when you wish to go forward, but when you are so enabled to control yourselves as to allow God to carry on his own war in his own way. He is rich in heavenly wisdom who knows when to strike, and when to cease from striking; when to go on with desperate energy, and when to stand still with patience and silent expectation.