The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-15
THE LESSON STORY.

1t may be we'll for us at this Christmas
season, to recall how the old prophet, in
the most dreary surroundings, cheered his
heart and lightened the darkness with
hope.
More disheartening the circumstances
of Judah could scarcely be than in the
days when grand old Isaiah wrote our
lesson-passage. The united nation be-
queathed by Solomon was now rent in
! twain. The Northern Kingdom, which
had never overcome its tendency to idola-
try, was now in the closing stages of its life.
And it seemed, on the face of things, that
as the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes went
down it would drag the Southern Kingdom
down with it. The Northern Kingdom was
now in vassalage to Assyria; it had, never.
theless, with the little freedom left to it,
formed an alliance with Syria against Ju
dab. The Southern Kingdom was thus
pitted against three nations, two of which
were great powers in the earth. Not only
this, her old foes at the southwark, the
Philistines and Edomites, had taken adj
vantage of her stress to overrun her south
DOidCiSy clld iii CdtCh CtCA
Judah was thus, as it were, between the
upper and neither mil-stones, and was ap-
parently soon to be ground to power.
More yet, and worse. The king of Judah
at this period was the recreant Ahaz, who
favored idols and had established the wor-
ship of Molech in the Valley of Hinnom,
at the south of Jerusalem, and had even
made a fire-offering of his own children.
Such an abject, superstitious spirit in the
king himself, of course tended to extract
all the heroic quality from the popular
Hebrew faith. Only very small remnant
of Judah remained Her cities had been
destroyed by fire. Ahaz had appealed to
the king of Assyria for help and the great
Assyrian conqueror, Tiglath-Pilezer, had
come to extort such tribute as required
the despoiling of the temple of its golden
vessels and the royal palace of its treas
ures. The independence of the nation
was now seemingly lost. Its honor was in
the dust. Its destiny seemed to be speedy
extinction.
1t was at this period that Isaiah uttered
his cheering prophecy
He saw a deliverer coming. We need
put no strain upon his words, to make
them appear like distinctive prophecy of
Christ. We see him rather prophesying
of deliverer not so far away, and not so
exclusively spiritual. The phrasing of his
vision is given for our study.
1. In the Darkness the Dawn
Is Discerned,-vs2 2.
The peobAe that 7OaLsed in darkness
haze seen a great light they that 6a,eH
in the land of The sAaaozO Of death, UPON
them hath tie light SAfned
The people were indeed walking in this
worlds darkness. The atmosphere was
full of evil omens. Coming death cast its
dread shadow before.
But the prophet discovers light ahead.
He sees all his people eagerly watching the
first glimmers of this light The light in
creases. 1t is the dawn. 1t advances to
full day. flights up the valley; it shines
upon the people; it dissolves the death
shadows.
This light, of course, shone out of the
prophets own heart. He simply believed
in the God of his fathers. He believed
that his people would fulfil the mission on
which they had entered; that the witnesses
of the Abrahamic faith must be still in
Gods keeping. Therefore he saw light
other than that of the sun; coming day
brighter than that which the sun makes.
2. The Victory of the Coming
One,-vs. IS.
The prophet, from his chosen viewpoint
in the future, looking backwards, sees
wondrous things.
He sees the one he has previously Us.
2: 24) spoken of as an unborn child now
come to maturity and fulfilling his mission
as his peoples emancipation. Then hast
multiplied tie nation. The decimated
peoble are by tie prophet seen to become
again an increasing and thriving popula-
ton. Thou hast Increased their joy The
people are by the prophet seen to be re-
joicing before their deliverer with such
ora ffftada tba b,ebauIr.a. cooI.