Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1215
“Keep silence before Me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together tojudgment.” Isaiah 41:1.
THE text is a challenge to the heathen to enter into a debate with the living God. The Lord bids them argue at their best and let the controversy be calmly carried out to its issues, so as to be decided once and for all. He bids them be quiet, reflect and consider, in order that with renewed strength they may come into the discussion and defend their gods if they can. He urges them not to bring flippant arguments, but such as have cost them thought and have weight in them, if such arguments can be. He bids them be quiet till they are prepared to speak and then, when they can produce their strong reasons and set their cause in the best possible light, He challenges them to enter the lists and see if they can maintain, for a moment, that their gods are gods, or anything better than deceit and falsehood.
I am not about to speak of that controversy at this time, but to use the text with quite another view. We, also, who worship the Lord God Most High have a controversy with Him. We have not seen His Church and His cause prospering in the world for many a day as we would desire. As yet heathenism is not put to the rout by Christianity, neither does the Truth of God everywhere trample down error. Nations are not born in a day, nor have the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. We desire to reason with God about this and, He, Himself, instructs us how to prepare for this sacred debate.
He bids us be silent. He bids us consider and then draw near to Him with holy boldness and plead with Him. He bids us produce our cause and bring forth our strong reasons. It seems to me that at the beginning of the year I cannot suggest to Christian people a more urgent topic than this, that we should plead with God that He would display among us greater works of Grace than as yet our eyes have seen. We have read of wonderful revivals. History records the prodigies of the Reformation and the marvelous way in which the Gospel was spread during the first two centuries. We pine to see the same, again, or to know the reason why it is not so—and with holy boldness it is our desire to come before the Lord and plead with Him—as a man pleads with his friend. May God help us to do so in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I. First, then, LET US BE SILENT. “Keep silence before me, O islands.” Before the controversy opens, let us be silent with solemn awe, for we have to speak with the Lord God Almighty! Let us not open our mouths to impugn His wisdom, nor allow our hearts to question His love. What if things do not look as bright as we would wish? The Lord reigns! And what if He seems to delay? Is He not the Lord God with whom a thousand years are as one day, and who is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness?
We are going to be bold to speak with Him, but still, He is the eternal God and we are dust and ashes. Whatever we may say with holy boldness, we would not utter a word in rash familiarity. He is our Father, but He is our Father in Heaven. He is our Friend, but at the same time He is our Judge. We know that whatever He does is best. We would not say unto our Maker, “What have You made?” Nor to our Creator, “What have You done?” Shall the potter give account to the clay for the works of his hands? “It is the lord, let Him do what seems good to Him.” When we look at what He does, it may seem to our dim apprehension to be exceedingly strange, and we may fail to read its meaning. But we need not wish to read it. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing and if He chooses to conceal it, let it be concealed!
Truly, God is good to Israel and His mercy endures forever! If this world’s history is to drag on through another score of mournful centuries, it will only reveal so much the more matter for praise when the great hallelujahs of the ultimate victory shall peal forth. Our silence of awe should deepen into that of shame, for, my Brothers and Sisters, though it is certainly true that the cause of God has not prospered, whose fault is this? If there has been straitening, it has not
been in God. Where, then, has it been? If the seed has rotted under the clods, or if the cankerworm has eaten the green shoot so that the reaper has not joyfully filled his arm, from where does it come?
Has there not been sin among us, yes, sin in the Church of God? What if Israel has turned her back in the day of battle? Is there not an accursed thing in the camp and an Achan who has hidden away the goodly Babylonian garment and the shekel of gold? God says, “Is there not a cause? Can two walk together, except they be agreed? If you walk contrary to Me, I also will walk contrary to you.” Truly, when I see how God has blessed us, I am not so much astonished that He has not given more as I am amazed that He has given so much! Does He bless such unworthy instruments, such laggards, such slothful workers? Does He do anything by tools so unfit? Does He place any treasure in vessels so impure? This is to be ascribed to His Grace.