They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain
The golden age
Poets have sung of a golden age, saints have prayed for one, the Bible distinctly teaches that one will come.
This passage gives us the characteristics of this “good time coming.”
I. THE WHOLE EARTH SHALL BE THE SPIRITUAL REALISATION OF WHAT MOUNT ZION WAS BUT THE SYMBOL. What were the great ideas that Mount Zion of old symbolised They were especially two--
1. Man’s meeting place with God.
2. Entire consecration to worship. It was for worship and worship only. These ideas will be fully realised in the last days. The whole earth will be man’s meeting place with God, the Shechinah will gleam everywhere, light up every social circle, radiate from every institution, etc. Every spot, too, will be sacred to worship. Man will worship in everything, handicraft, commerce, politics, literature.
II. THE WHOLE EARTH SHALL BE FREED FROM INJUSTICE AND VIOLENCE. “They shall not hurt nor destroy.”
1. They shall not hurt. They shall not hurt by any unkind word, or any ungenerous deed, by any species of mean conduct. Exquisite delicacy of conduct shall distinguish all. Every man shall deal with his fellow with the loving tenderness of a brother.
2. They shall not destroy. They shall not destroy the property, the reputation, or the life. There shall be no wars.
III. THE WHOLE EARTH SHALL BE FLOODED WITH CHRISTIANITY. “As the waters cover the sea.” Full as the waters roll through the channels of the Mediterranean, will Christianity roll through every district of human life. But whilst this universal diffusion of Christianity is a characteristic of the golden age, the text suggests that it is the instrumental cause. We infer--
1. That Christianity is essentially pacific.
2. That every philanthropist should use Christianity as his grand instrument. There is no other panacea for the world’s woes. (Homilist.)
Messiah’s peaceful reign
I. THE PACIFIC SPIRIT THAT SHALL BE IN THE WORLD IN MESSIAH’S REIGN.
II. THE CAUSE OF ITS UNIVERSAL PREVALENCE. The knowledge with which the world will be filled. (J. Summerfield, M. A.)
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
The great Gospel and millennial kingdoms of Christ our Lord
1. The declaration of the word before us has never yet been fulfilled.
2. God is now about speedily to fulfil it.
I. We shall open the whole chapter which contains our text, in order to explain WHAT THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST IS of which it speaks, and we shall bring before you the great events with which the introduction of that kingdom of our Redeemer shall be attended.
1. The chapter commences with a glorious description of the Person and the office of the blessed Redeemer of men.
2. Proceed we now to open unto you the Gospel kingdom of Christ, which is contained in the following portion of the chapter. The design of the figure (Isa_11:6-9) is to show that in the great day when Christ shall execute His office in a more full and wide extent over the earth there shall be a marvellous concord and union and love among all the children of men by their being brought to worship the one Redeemer, through the one Gospel of His grace and through the sameness of His blessed Spirit.
3. With reference to the expression in our text--“For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea”--we have here set before us both the extent of the knowledge of the Lord, which shall characterise this kingdom of our Lord, and the depth of that knowledge also; for both are represented by this similitude of the ocean. We are to believe, therefore, that the knowledge of God which shall then prevail, shall as far surpass, in extent and in depth, the knowledge of every preceding Church state, as the waters of the ocean exceed, in width and profundity, the common lakes in the midst of kingdoms.
4. One great event that shall immediately precede this glorious issue of things shall be the conversion of God’s ancient people, the Jews; their gathering from out of all the nations of the earth into the land of their fathers; and, as I believe, their becoming the preachers of the Gospel of Christ to all those nations of the earth, which shall now be converted unto Him. This glorious event is immediately appended, in this chapter, to the description of the Gospel kingdom of the Redeemer (Isa_11:11, etc.).
5. Another mighty reality which shall accompany the introduction of the coming kingdom of our Lord and Saviour is the destruction of the anti-Christian church (the papacy).
6. The destruction of antichrist.
II. We shall present to your view THE MEANS WHICH YOU MAY THE MOST SAFELY ADOPT FOR INSTRUMENTALLY PROMOTING THE KINGDOM OF OUR ADORABLE REDEEMER amidst the kingdoms of the world. (H. Cole.)
The millennium
I. THE NATURE OF THE MILLENNIUM. It is generally believed, by judicious divines--
1. That the millennial blessedness shall consist of an extraordinary degree of spiritual knowledge.
2. That holiness shall prevail to an unexampled extent.
3. That the millennial period will be distinguished by happiness and peace altogether unexampled in any previous period of the history of the Church of Christ.
II. SOME PASSAGES WHICH SEEM PLAINLY TO INDICATE THAT SUCH A PERIOD SHALL ARRIVE (Psa_72:1-20; Isa_55:1-13; Rom_11:12; Rom_11:15; Rev_14:6).
III. EXHIBIT THE TRIUMPHS OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST DURING THE DAYS OF MILLENNIAL BLESSEDNESS. (A. Fletcher, D. D.)
The moral certainty of the earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord
This prophecy was partially fulfilled when the Christian dispensation was instituted, and “the Gospel of the kingdom” produced the most wonderful effects on the hearts and lives of multitudes who had been the most determined enemies of the Cross. But the expression looks forward to a far more illustrious day, when the prediction will have its complete accomplishment, and the whole family of man will be blessed with the” knowledge of the Lord.”
I. THE IMPORT OF THE PHRASE, “THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD.”
1. It implies an acquaintance with the character of the true God.
2. An acquaintance with the plan of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. An acquaintance with God’s will.
II. THE MORAL CERTAINTY THAT THE EARTH SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD. Reason renders it probable, but revelation declares its certainty.
1. I argue this from a consideration of the nature of the Christian religion. Christianity is a religion of benevolence. It has nothing exclusive in its character. It is designed for man, considered as such, and is adapted to every latitude under heaven. It presents us with a worship which is simple, a faith which is easily understood, ordinances few in number, sacrifices that are unbloody, doctrines and precepts which lead to God, promises which are joy and peace, and hopes which centre in the throne of God! It is reasonable to conclude that God, who is good to all, will not limit blessings of such magnitude and so universally necessary for human happiness, to anyone particular nation or age, but that He will, in His own way and at His own time, extend the benefits of Christianity to the whole family of man.
2. The covenant relation between God and His beloved Son furnishes another guarantee that the prediction will be fulfilled.
3. We ground our hopes on the character of the Saviour as Mediator.
4. Think also of the prophetic record.
III. OUR DUTY AT THE PRESENT TIME IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXTENDING OF THIS KNOWLEDGE. The work is very great. How is it to be accomplished? By the agency of miracles? No. May we expect the Saviour to visit our earth and organise a system for the conversion of the heathen? He has done so already. He has made it our duty to use the means He has appointed. (John Hill, M. A.)
“As the waters cover the sea”
The expression is remarkable for its force. In looking over the face of the ocean, there are no differences to be perceived: one part is not fuller than another; one part is not covered, and another left dry; but all is one unbroken stream, filling and covering the whole. So shall it be with the Word of God among men. It shall not be known to some, and hidden from others. It shall not be fully declared in one place, and only partially set forth in another. This is not the whole purpose of the Almighty. But rather, whatever knowledge it pleases Him to give at all, shall be given equally, and without distinction. (H. A.Sullivan, M. A.)
A picture of the moral condition of the world without the knowledge of God
If the waters of the ocean were suddenly drained, and the channels of the great deep laid bare, rugged, unseemly spectacle would meet the eye. The elements of sublimity and beauty might then be seen, but strangely disfigured, and blended in rude chaotic masses: profound valleys and dark ravines, the pathways of the monsters of the deep; gloomy caverns, never visited by the light of day; towering mountains, abrupt headlands, and precipitous rocks, the cause of many disasters to the adventurous seaman, would form an uncouth, repulsive scene. All these are hidden now by a veil which the Almighty has thrown over them; He has covered them with a fluid, bright, transparent, elastic, filling all the depths, smoothing all the asperities, reducing mountains and valleys to one level, and spreading from the equator to the poles, ever in motion, ever obedient to His will, whether He bids its mountain billows utter His praise in awful tones, or its unruffled surface reflect His glories to the tranquil heavens bending over it. Like the dark, rude bed of ocean, emptied of its waters, has been the moral aspect of our world in all ages and countries since the fall. If we look abroad over the nations today, what disorder, misery, and ruin meet the eye and pain the heart! But the text speaks of a blessed change to be realised ere long: of a coming day, when the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (W. J. Armstrong, D. D.)
The far-spreading grace of the Holy Spirit
1. Most exactly have the figures which the Holy Spirit condescended to apply to Himself been fulfilled in the course of the dispensation; nay, even to this day. His operation has been calm, equable, gradual, far-spreading, overtaking, intimate, irresistible. What is so awfully silent, so mighty, so inevitable, so encompassing as a flood of water? Such was the power of the Spirit in the beginning, when He vouchsafed to descend as an invisible wind, as an outpoured flood. Thus He changed the whole face of the world. The ark of God moved upon the face of the waters.
2. And what the power of the Spirit has been in the world at large, that it is also in every human heart to which it comes.
(1) Any spirit which professes to come to us alone, and not to others, which makes no claim of having moved the body of the Church at all times and places, is not of God, but a private spirit of error.
(2) Vehemence, tumult, confusion, are no attributes of that benignant flood with which God has replenished the earth. That flood of grace is sedate, majestic, gentle in its operation.
(3) The Divine baptism, wherewith God visits us, penetrates through our whole soul and body. It leaves no part of us uncleansed, unsanctified. It claims the whole man for God. Any spirit which is content with what is short of this, which does not lead us to utter self-surrender and devotion, is not from God.
3. The heart of every Christian ought to represent in miniature the Catholic Church, since one Spirit makes both the whole Church and every member of it to be His temple. As He makes the Church one, which, left to itself, would separate into many parts, so He makes the soul one, in spite of its various affections and faculties, and its contradictory aims. (J. H.Newman, D. D.)
The knowledge of the Lord
“As the waters cover the sea.” How do they cover it?
1. Completely. There are no gaps or interspaces. The sailor is glad to get out into the open sea. Near the land he is watchful, but when his pathless track lies far from the shore he is more at ease.
2. They cover it, too, abundantly. There is nothing scanty about the sea The average depth, geographers tells us, is about thirteen times the average height of land above sea level.
3. They also cover it helpfully. The waters seem to sever country from country, but, really, they are the best means of bringing far separate lands into communication with each other. What a grand picture, then, is here suggested with regard to the knowledge of God! It will cover the earth completely. All shall know Him from the least to the greatest. It will be an abundant knowledge. As it is, the earth is full of the glory of the Lord.
Everywhere, God. The cataract utters forth God. “Every common bush afire with God,” but too often we only “sit round it and pick blackberries.” It is one thing for God to be everywhere, it is another thing for God to be recognised everywhere. It will also be a helpful knowledge. It will not lead us to make less of this world’s duties, but more. As the waters that seem to separate, yet connect all the more closely, remote lands, so the more truly men know God, the better will they know each other, and the grander will seem the duties of the common day. One great blessing resulting from that knowledge is specially mentioned in the chapter--“They shall not hurt nor destroy.” It is something one can hardly imagine, that beautiful time when nature shall no more be “red in tooth and claw.” It may be but a poetical description of the peace and harmony of the Messiah’s kingdom. But there is one part, at least, will be literally true. However it be with regard to the attitude of beasts to men, or to each other, man’s attitude to the beasts will be one of thoughtfulness, gentleness, and mercy. It is said that a man’s dog should be the better for his Christianity, and so it will. “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.” And, of course, still more will it be true that man’s attitude to his fellow man will be what it ought to be. One of the saddest thoughts in connection with this earth of ours, as it is, is the frightful callousness and unconcern with regard to human life where God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, is not known. Think of a country like Dahomey, where the most prized ornaments are human heads stuck on poles along the highways. The Church of Christ may be far from perfect in our own day, but, at least, it stands for much that is beautiful and helpful among men, and it labours and prays for the fulfilment of its hope that righteousness and peace shall at last e universal. One comprehends that the Church--even the visible building of stone and lime--stands for some measure of realised blessing among men, by even such a simple story as that of the shipwrecked mariners, in doubt as to what sort of coast they had been cast upon,--whether the inhabitants were cannibals, or with some humanity in them,--and whose fears were quite relieved when one of their number, who had climbed a neighbouring hill, came rushing back, shouting, “It’s all right. We are safe. I saw a church spire in the distance.” The most practical and visible result of the universal knowledge of the Lord will be that men’s relationship to each other will be of the happiest and most helpful kind. (J. S. Maver, M. A.)
Things must be seen through the right medium
“Seeing is believing.” But no man sees. Nearly every man is befooled by his own eyes. We see nothing as it really is. We are the gulls and the dupes of appearances. Said a friend to me, whilst we lived in the Alps, “Can you see any living things on the side of that mountain?” Whereupon I answered, “There is no living thing there.” It was a reckless speech. I was then the victim of incomplete sight. I was deluded, as all men are deluded, by the naked eye. Said my, friend, “Look through this telescope.” And I looked, and, behold! the chamois and the shepherds--the beautiful little creatures feeding on abundance of grass on the slopes of the hill. I should have looked through the telescope before I gave my judgment. Things are not all given in revelation to the naked eye. We must look through the right medium if we would see things with any approach to reality. Is this world going to be converted to Christ? “Never!” Why say you, never? “Because there are more drunkards than pure men; there are more brothels than altars; there are more dishonest gamblers on the Exchange than there are honest men.” Now look through this telescope--the Divine promises, the Divine oaths, the repeated and emphatic assurances. Look! What seest thou now, O man? “I see multitudes turning unto the Lord, Ethiopia stretching out her hands unto God to receive the vessel that shall carry the news of the eternal kingdom to all places on the face of the earth.” That is how we view things. (Joseph Parker, D. D.)
A sure word of prophecy
On Sabbath, 15 th May 1836, we saw the sun seized, on the very apex of his glory, as if by a black hand, and so darkened that only a thin round ring of light remained visible, and the chill of twilight came prematurely on. That mass of darkness within seemed the world lying in wickedness, and that thin round ring of light, the present progress of the Gospel in it. But not more certain were we then, that that thin round ring of light was yet to become the broad and blazing sun, than are we now, that through a Divine interposal, but not otherwise, shall the “knowledge of the glory of the Lord cover the earth as the waters the sea.” (G. Gilfillan.)
