'Hearken unto Me, ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness: I
bring near My righteousness; it shall not be far off, and My salvation
shall not tarry.'--ISAIAH xlvi. 12,13.
God has promised that He will dwell with him that is humble and of a
contrite heart. Jesus has shed the oil of His benediction on the poor
in spirit. It is the men who form the exact antithesis to these
characters who are addressed here. The 'stout-hearted' are those who,
being untouched in conscience and ignorant of their sin, are
self-reliant and almost defiant before God. That temper is branded
here, though, of course, there is a sense in which a stout heart is a
priceless possession, but that sort of stoutness of heart is best
secured by the contrite of heart. Those who are far from righteousness
are those who are not only sinful in act, but do not desire to be
otherwise, having no approximation or drawing towards a nobler life, by
aspiration or effort.
To such men God speaks, as in the tone of a royal proclamation; and
what should we expect to hear pealing from His lips? Words of rebuke,
warning, condemnation? No; His voice is gentle and wooing, and does not
threaten blows, but proffers blessings: 'I will bring near My
righteousness. It shall not be far off,' though the stout-hearted maybe
'far from' it. Here we have a divine proclamation of a divine Love that
will not let us away from its presence; of a divine Work for us that is
finished without us; of an all-sufficient Gift to us.
I. A divine proclamation of a divine Love that will not let us away
from its presence.
There is a great contest between God and man: man seeking to withdraw
from God, and God following in patient, persistent love.