It shapes itself into many forms, according to our different needs.
'The glorious Lord shall be a place of broad rivers.' Yes; but notice
the next words--'and streams.' Now, the word which is there translated
'streams' means little channels for irrigation and other purposes, by
which the water of some great river is led off into the melon patches,
and gardens, and plantations, and houses of the inhabitants. So we have
not only the picture of the broad river in its unity, but also that of
the thousand little rivulets in their multiplicity, and in their
direction to each man's plot of ground. It is the same idea that is in
the psalm which I have already quoted: 'There is a river, _the streams_
whereof make glad the city of our God.' You can divide the river up
into very tiny trickles, according to the moment's small wants. If you
make but a narrow channel, you will get but a shallow streamlet; and if
you make your channel broad and deep, you will get much of Him.
It is of no profit that we live on the river's bank if we let its
waters go rolling and flashing past our door, or our gardens, or our
lips. Unless you have a sluice, by which you can take them off into
your own territory, and keep the shining blessing to be the source of
fertility in your own garden, and of coolness and refreshment to your
own thirst, your garden will be parched, and your lips will crack.
There is a 'broad river,' and there are also 'streams'; which, being
brought down to its simplest expression, just comes to this--that we
may and must make God our very own property. It is useless to say
'_our_ God,' 'the God of Israel,' 'the God of the Church,' 'the Great
Creator,' 'the Universal Father,' and so on, unless we say '_my_ God
and _my_ Saviour,' '_my_ Refuge and _my_ Strength.' How much of the
river have you dipped up in your own vessel? How much of it have you
taken with which to water your own vineyard and refresh your own souls?
The time comes when Isaiah's prophecy shall be perfectly fulfilled,
according to the great words in the closing hook of Scripture, about
the river of the water of life proceeding out of the Throne of God and
of the Lamb. But, till that time comes, we do not need to wander
thirsty in a desert; but all round us we may hear the mighty waters
rolling everywhere, and drink deep draughts of delight and supply for
all our needs, from the very presence of God Himself.
JUDGE, LAWGIVER, KING
'For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our
King; He will save us.'--ISAIAH xxxiii. 22.
There is reference here to the three forms of government in Israel: by
Moses, by Judges, by Kings. In all, Israel was a Theocracy. Isaiah
looks beyond the human representative to the true divine Reality.
I. A truth for us, in both its more specific and its more general forms.
(a) Specific. Christ is all these three for us--Authority; His will
law; Defender.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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