The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1908-08-29
lence which King Ahaz might have
offered him.

For this reason he always received
the prophet when he came to him, and
made a pretense of listening to his
message, but always beneath the sur.
face there lurked a contempt, nay. al.
most hatred, for the prophet. And
when the prophet had taken his de-.
parture he would always willfully fol.
low his own desires.
All this was a source of deep sOr.
row to the prophet, but he who would
walk with God and do his service must
learn to patiently labor and then wait,
and Isaiah learned early in his rela-
tions to King Ahaz that after he had
spoken Gods message he must leave
he matter rest there. He knew that
Gods plans would be carried out and
that even the kings willfulness and
w~ickedness could not thwart the glo-
rious promises which God had spoken
concerning his chosen people.
And now the nation had come face
to face with a grievous peril. The ma
ton Of Israel had co~nfederated her
self with Rein, king of Syria, and
had come up with a mighty army
against Jerusalem, so that there was
neither going out nor coming in of the
people Of the city. Terror filled the
place, king and people were panic
stricken. knowing not whittier to turn.
Feverishly the plans of defense were
carried out. For day and nights now
the king had not had any rest for
the water supply was in danger, and
the entire force of the city under the
direction of the king was being thrown
around the works at the n of the
conduit of the upper pool in the high
way of the fuller's field.
And it was there that Isaiah found
the king n day, and sought audience
liSiOn that prevailed, and yet still I'M
conscious of a vital relationship with
God and a commission from him in
stemming the tide Of evil.
And because he did not as yet feel
the sanctity of the Divine commission
resting upon him, and did not know
what it was to feel that it was Gods
battle, and not his, he felt unutterably |
discouraged at times and almost ready
to give up.
In such a frame of mind one day he
withdrew to that garden spot outside
of Jerusalem on the side of Mt.
Olivet. where centuries later the Lord
and Christ, concerning whom he was
to have so many beautiful visions,
was Won't to go for rest. The olive
trees and the grape vines were there
in their %luXuriant and fruitful beauty,
and as the young man threw himself
down beneath the branches Of one of
the trees he CAV a sigh of relief,
and the half-formed resolves vaguely
took shape in his mind that after all
he would let the evils take care of
themselves. Why should he worry
about them? Why should he carry
burdens that were destroying his
peace of mind? Why should he not
let the nation go it's own way while he
sought in his own way to keep Gods
law? And with the thought came q
sort of conplacent, self-satisfied feel
ing which is peculiarly dangerous to
those who know Gods law and strive
to keep it. Such feeling places one in
that ''holier-than-thou" class which
cuts off vital contact with the world
about and destroys that tie of sympa-
thy and love which is absolutely es-
sential to effect work for God. And
such we say was the state of mind of
Isaiah at that particular moment on
that particular day as he sat there
under the olive tree in the garden.
But thanks be to God there was too
serious a vein in the young man Isaiah
to have his career forever blasted by
such narrow and superficial view OF
himself and the world about him
Goodness was more than mere per.
sonal possession, it was o%utf1owing as
well as %inf1owing, just as it must be
with God, he thought. And he half
despised himself because he had been
good and the world SO bad that he
would just withdraw into a little world
of his own, there to live in complacent
enjoyment of the virtues he had &C
Quired.
Impatiently he arose and paced to
and fro in deep anguish of spirit.
The evening shadows began to fall,
ouI OthA liz PoSSo boSh oAo
Then darkness settled down and he
seemed shut into the little space that
just surrounded him save for the
cleaning stars overhead, which as he
lifted his gaze towards them seemed
striving to flash some message to his
soul.
Gods handiwork!" he exclaimed,
reverently. How great is God. Sure
ly, David hath truly said hat the
heavens declare the glory of Cod"
And again he relapsed into silence.
How long he sat there in the rap
lures of that heavenly vision which
gave him that night and which
the prophet has faithfully recorded for
our edification and blessing he never
would have known had it not been
that as he again became conscious of
his surroundings and looked towards
the east he saw the sun slowly COM
above the line of the horizon.
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