[1] There was a general panic among the people: "their heart
was moved as the trees of the wood are moved by the wind,"
when they heard that Syria was confederate with Ephraim;
their cry was everywhere, "A confederacy has been made
against us, and we must meet it by a counter-alliance with
Assyria;" and the prophet says that he too should have
fallen under the influence of this panic, if Jehovah had
not laid hold of him with a strong hand, to keep him in the
way of dependence on Himself, and if He had not taught him
to escape the fear which possessed his fellow-countrymen,
by making the Lord of hosts his fear and his dread, by
sanctifying Him himself, as he now in His name calls on
them to do. To sanctify Jehovah is in mind and practice to
recognise Him as the _holy_ God, the Lord who is _absolute_
(absolutus), free from the limitations which hinder all
other beings from carrying their wills into full operation,
and to believe with the whole heart that God does and can
govern all things according to the counsel of His own will,
and that what He determines does certainly come to pass,
however probabilities and appearances may be against the
belief (Num. xx. 12; Deut. xxxii. 51; Isa. xxix. 23). To
the nation which thus sanctifies Jehovah, He (says Isaiah)
will be their sanctuary--their protection against all their
enemies. Such was His original covenant with both the
houses of Israel, and it still holds good. If, therefore,
they will break and renounce it, it becomes a
stumbling-block to them. When their statesmen endeavour to
remedy present mischief and secure future prosperity, by
craftily playing off against one another the nations who
they cannot hope to match by force, they are attempting to
go counter to the whole plan of Jehovah's government, and
they will do it only to their own confusion.--_Strachey._
[2] H. E. I. 4137-4139.
[3] The prophet, and such as were on his side, were not to call
that _kesher_ which the great mass of the people called
_kesher_ (cf. 2 Chron. xxiii. 13, "She said, Treason,
treason! _Kesher, kesher!"); . . . the reference is to the
conspiracy, as it was called, of the prophet and his
disciples. The same thing happened to Isaiah as to Amos
(Amos vii. 10) and to Jeremiah. Whenever the prophets were
at all zealous in their opposition to the appeal for
foreign aid, they were accused and branded as standing in
the service of the enemy, and conspiring for the overthrow
of the kingdom.--_Delitzsch._
[4] _Mikdash_ generally means the sanctified place or
sanctuary, with which the idea of an asylum would easily
associate itself, since even among the Israelites the
Temple was regarded and respected as an asylum (1 Kings
i. 50; ii. 28). . . . _Mikdash_ is really to be taken in
this sense, although it cannot be exactly rendered
"asylum," since this would improperly limit the meaning of
the word. The Temple was not only a place of shelter, but
also of grace, blessing, and peace. All who sanctified the
Lord of lords He surrounded like temple walls; hid them in
Himself, whilst death and tribulation reigned without, and
comforted, fed, and blessed them in his own gracious
fellowship (chap. iv. 5, 6; Ps. xxvii. 5;
xxxi. 20).--_Delitzsch._
"HALLOWED BE THY NAME!"
viii. 13. _Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him
be your fear, &c._
+I. What is it to "sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself"?+ It is, 1. To
fill our minds with the right thoughts concerning Him.[1] 2. To fill
our hearts with right feelings towards Him (P. D. 1492-1526).
+II. How is this to be done?+ By frequent, devout, prayerful, intense
meditation on the revelations of Himself which He has been pleased to
give (H. E. I. 3507-3514). +III. What will be the effect of doing
it?+ 1. All other fear and dread will vanish from our minds (1 Sam.
xiv. 6, xvii. 37; Jer. xxxii. 17; 1 Pet. iii. 14, 15). 2. Thus we
shall unconsciously and inevitably attain to that heroism of which
some of us dream (Ps. xvi. 8; Dan. iii. 16-18; Acts iv. 19, 20).
3. Thus we shall be qualified for the noblest service of God and man
(Heb. xi. 24-27; 1 Cor. iv. 3, 4). 4. Thus a divine peace and joy
will fill our whole being, as a mighty tide fills every nook and
cranny of a wide-stretching bay (Ps. civ. 34). We shall rejoice in
God as a soldier rejoices in a mighty fortress in which he feels
secure from all assaults (2 Sam. xxii. 2, 3).