The Breaches in the Wall
THREE GREAT MOVEMENTS of the SPIRIT of GOD.
Back To The Breaches in the Wall
Back to Writings on different Topics
Isaiah 22: 5-14.
This passage depicts a dark day in the history of Jerusalem. It was "a day of trouble" and "perplexity." The walls of the city were broken down and the enemy was "at the gate." The inhabitants of Jerusalem saw their choice valleys filled with chariots, and the horsemen of their enemy at the gate. To defend themselves they looked "to the armour of the house of the forest." They saw also "the breaches of the city of David," and made the most desperate efforts to stop the breaches, even breaking down the houses to fortify the walls.
Alas, in the day of their trouble, they missed the mind of the Lord, and this in a threefold way.
First, they entirely failed to see that the "trouble" and "perplexity" — the enemy at the gate and the breaches in the wall — were "by" or "from the Lord God of Hosts." They overlooked the first great cause of all their trouble and, looking merely at second causes, could only see that an enemy had made the breaches. They did not see that the Lord was behind all, and that, in His righteous judgment He had allowed the enemies of Israel to make the breaches in the wall because of their sin and folly.
Secondly, though they made the most strenuous efforts to repair the breaches, yet, in their trouble and perplexity, they did not look to the Lord. The Lord has to say, "Thou didst look in that day to the armour" . . . "but ye have not looked unto the Maker thereof, neither had respect unto Him, that fashioned it long ago."
Thirdly, the Lord called "to weeping and to mourning," and instead they abandoned themselves to feasting and drinking, for they said, "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die." They pursued their course, as if all would be well, with utter indifference as to results and without a thought as to the future.
In this, the close of the Christian dispensation, the people of God again find themselves in "a day of trouble" and "perplexity," according to that word which tells us "in the last days difficult times shall come."
We may truly say the enemy is at the gate ever seeking to break up and scatter the people of God, and our hands are weakened for resisting the enemy by reason of the breaches in the wall. Hence the words of the prophet still carry with them warning, as well as guidance, for those who are in a like condition, and who have ears to hear, for "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through endurance and encouragement of the scriptures might have hope."
Before, however, we seek to apply the lessons of Isaiah 22, it may be well to take a general view of the condition in which the people of God find themselves today, and the distinct activities of the Spirit of God during the past four centuries. In this period there have been, we judge,
THREE GREAT MOVEMENTS of the SPIRIT of GOD.
Back To The Breaches in the Wall
Back to Writings on different Topics