xxx. 29-33. _Ye shall have a song . . . and the Lord shall
cause His glorious voice to be heard, &c._
The fulfilment of this prophecy is recorded in Isa. xxxvii. 36. The
Assyrian power, hitherto unopposed in its march of conquest,
sustained a severe check when it assailed Jerusalem. The great
deliverance is here foretold. Inside the walls there would be song
and gladness; outside, swift destruction. "The holy solemnity" was
probably the Passover which Hezekiah and his people observed; and the
"song" in that case would be the Paschal Hymn, comprising Ps.
cxiii.-cxviii. There is a tradition that Sennacherib's army was
destroyed on the night of the Passover; and thus while the people
were recalling their great national deliverance, a further and
somewhat similar Divine interposition was about to be made in their
behalf. Mark how grandly, as if in response to the songs and gladness
of the Passover night, the voice of Jehovah comes in. It is
impossible not to see the connection between the two voices. Songs of
praise and gladness have still an echo in heaven, and call forth a
Divine response to quell the church's foes. Look, then, at the two
voices, the human and the Divine, in relation to each other.
1. _A voice of confidence on man's part responded to by a voice of
power on God's part._ It showed no small faith in Hezekiah and his
people to observe the Passover in the circumstances. How could the
little kingdom of Judah oppose the mighty conqueror? How could
Jerusalem standout against the assailants encamped in such numbers
around its walls? God was their defence. To Him in this emergency
they raised their songs of confidence. Nothing could more
appropriately express their faith than the Passover hymn. That night
reminded them of the rescue from Egypt, and would inspire them with
confidence in God. They were on the eve of another great deliverance,
and their song was well fitted to prepare them for it, containing
such passages as these, Ps. cxv. 1-11, cxviii. 6-13. Nor was their
confidence disappointed. Without any human help, God overthrew their
besiegers, but it was the song of faith that called forth the
powerful voice of God. When faith appeals to God, the appeal is heard
on high (Exod. xiv. 13; Ps. xlvi. 10). Two prisoners once prayed and
sang praises to God at midnight. Their testimony for Christ had been
silenced, but from the dark dungeon the song of confidence rose to
heaven. "And the Lord caused His glorious voice to be heard," an
earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, and God gave His two
witnesses an opportunity of bringing the Gospel to bear upon hardened
hearts. Do you wish to see the arm of the Lord revealed? then sing
your song of faith. Does the Church in these days sit powerless, sad,
and despairing through the gloomy night of unbelief and prevailing
ungodliness? Let her know that man's extremity is God's opportunity.
In the darkest night of seeming failure she has her God-given song,
and if only she can sing it in spite of all that is black and
threatening in her prospects, "the Lord shall cause His glorious
voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of His arm" in
rebuking scepticism and indifference, in softening hard hearts, and
in making friends of foes.
2. _A song of gladness and joy in God responded to by a voice of
complacent affection._ All the Jewish feasts were occasions of
gladness, and the Passover must have been so, when we consider the
event it commemorated, the communion with God to which it invited,
and the future salvation it foreshadowed. The Paschal Hymn resounds
with notes of gladness, _e.g.,_ Ps. cxviii. 14, 15, 24. If our song
of joy in God is hearty and sincere, we may expect a corresponding
response. If we rejoice in God, He will rejoice over us (Zeph.
iii. 17; Isa. xxxi. 4, 5).
3. _A song of self-dedication answered by a voice of recognition._
The song breathes the spirit of consecration to God's service (Ps.
cxvi. 12-19). Do we thus consciously and spontaneously lay ourselves
on the altar as living sacrifices? If we own God, God will own us.
The destruction of Sennacherib's hosts was a proof to all the world
that God owned Israel as His peculiar people. You, too, will have the
token of Divine ownership. For your sake God will rebuke the
devourer. In response to your song of dedication, "the Lord shall
cause His glorious voice to be heard," giving success to your efforts
and enterprises, blessing you and making you a blessing.
4. _A song of security calling forth a voice of preservation._ Within
the walls the people marched in procession "to the mountain of the
Lord, to the rock of Israel." That rock of ages was their defence.
They felt secure in God's faithful keeping (Ps. cxv. 17, 18,
cxviii. 16-18). Have you entered into this element of the Paschal
song? You shall hear God's protecting voice, and see the acts of His
preserving care. However strong the foes that muster against you,
they shall not prevail, for all the Divine resources are engaged for
your support (Col. iii. 3).
5. _A song of thanksgiving for past mercies answered by a voice that
commanded new mercies._ This element was very prominent in the
Passover observance, and it enters largely into the Lord's Supper,
called on this account the Eucharist. How can we remember Christ
without thankfulness and praise? When He took the bread and the cup
He "gave thanks," and He and His disciples sang the Paschal Hymn.
What strains of high thanksgiving it contains! It begins with praise
(Ps. cxii. 1, 2). It retells the Exodus (Ps. cxiv.) It rises to
grateful recognition of God's goodness (Ps. cxvi. 7, 8, 17). When
such a song rises from human lips, God will give fresh occasions for
thankfulness.
Let the subject teach us the importance of sacred song. Prayer and
preaching are Divinely appointed means of grace and instruction, but
we cannot dispense with song. God fights for His people, but it is
with the accompaniment of tabrets and harps (ver. 32).--_William
Guthrie, M.A._