We turn to God's Word in the
chapter that we read, Isaiah chapter 5, and taking for our
text words that we find at the beginning of verse 17. Isaiah chapter 5, the first part
of verse 17, Then shall the lambs feed after their manna. Isaiah chapter 5, the first part
of verse 17. Then shall the lambs feed after
their manna. I was drawn to these words earlier
in the week, reading a little book, Fragments of Divinity,
by the hymn writer Henry Fowler. He made reference to this particular
text and I was much taken with some of the remarks he had to
make concerning the significance of these words. In the first
part of the chapter, of course, we see how God likens Israel,
His chosen people, to the vine, or a vineyard. that that he himself
had gathered out of the land of Egypt and planted in the land
of Canaan. Now will I sing to my well-beloved
the song of my beloved touching his vineyard, my well-beloved
at a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And he fenced it and gathered
out the stones thereof and planted it with the choice's vine, and
built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press
therein. And he looked that it should
bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And we're told quite specifically
the significance of the figure in verse 7, For the vineyard
of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah
his pleasant plant. And he looked for judgment, but
behold, oppression for righteousness, but behold the cry. And of course we have the same
figure being employed in what we just sang in the metrical
version of Psalm 80. There at verse 8, following in
the Psalm The psalmist speaks again of Israel as the Lord's
vine that he himself had planted. In both cases, both in the psalm,
and particularly here in this fifth chapter of Isaiah, we see
something of God's judgments. He doesn't bring forth that fruit
that it should be bringing forth. He looked that it should bring
forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes, it says here
in verse 2. And so the whole chapter is really
taken up with the manner in which God was pleased to deal with
His people because of their disobedience, because of their many sins. Verse 3, And now, O inhabitants
of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me
and my vineyard." It's a chapter really that contains a goodly
number of woes. Verse 8, Woe unto them that join
house to house, that they field to field, till there be no place
that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth. Verse 11, Woe unto them that
rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink,
and continue until night, till wine inflame them." Verse 18,
"...woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin,
as it were with a carter." And then in verses 20, 21, and 22
we have further woes being pronounced upon Israel. God's judgment then
is what really takes up the content of this particular chapter. And what was that judgment? It
was that God would remove them. He had taken them and planted
them and He will remove them as He had brought them out of
Egypt. So He will remove them now and
take them into exile. Verse 13. Therefore my people
are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge, and their
honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up
with thirst. Therefore Hell hath enlarged
herself, and opened her mouth without measure, and their glory,
and their multitude, and their pump, and he that rejoiced shall
descend into it. And yet, though the chapter is
so much taken up with woes and judgments, and the awfulness
that would come at the time of the Babylonian Exile, yet in
the midst of all this terrible chapter we find gospel promise
and the words that I've read as our text this morning are
part of that gospel promise look at verses 16 and 17 but the Lord
of hosts shall be exalted in judgment and God that is holy
shall be sanctified in righteousness Then shall the lambs feed after
their manna, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers
eat." How significant then is that little word, but, that introduces
us to this portion of Scripture. But the Lord of hosts shall be
exalted, and God He is exalted when His grace comes to sinners. And so the opening word of verse
17 then, as God is exalted and it is the Lord of hosts, it is
the God of the covenant, it is the faithful God, it is that
God who is righteous in all His dealings. When God is exalted
there is the consequence. Then shall the lambs feed after
their manna, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers
eat." Now what is the consequence? Here there is a reference to
strangers, and prophetically the word is really speaking of
the calling of the Gentiles. That is the interpretation certainly
that Dr. Gill puts upon this 17th verse. these waste places, of the fat
ones, those proud people who had been removed into exile.
Strangers are to ease. We can think of the words of
the Apostle in Ephesians, remember how in that epistle Paul certainly
speaks much of the revealing of that great mystery that had
been hidden, the calling of the Gentiles, and what does he say
there in the second chapter of Ephesians he speaks of those who were strangers
to the covenants verse 12 at that time at that time you were
without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel strangers
from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God
in the world but now In Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were
far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. And he goes
on, remember, in the third chapter in particular, to speak of the
revelation of that mystery. And he tells us what that is,
even the calling of the Gentiles, that the Gentiles should be fellow
heirs and of the same body. and partakers of his promise
in Christ by the gospel. These Gentiles, these strangers,
then, are to be caught. This is what is being spoken
of, then, in the text that we come to this morning. And as
we consider the first part of this 17th verse, I want us to
examine the words in this gospel light, that this is really a
promise of the gospel. Then shall the lambs feed after
their manna." First of all, to consider this appellation that
is given to the people of God. Here in Scripture God speaks
of His elect in terms of lambs. when he comes of course to the
great day of judgments that will wind up the whole day of grace
when the Lord Jesus Christ descends in power and great glory as the
one to whom the Father has committed all judgment he is going to separate
the sheep from the goats we're told and he will put the sheep
on his right hand and the goats on his left. Now this title is
often applied to those who are the people of God. They are his
sheep, they are his lambs. The Lord Jesus himself in John
chapter 10 says, Other sheep I have which are not of this
fold. Them also I must bring, they
shall hear my voice. There shall be one shepherd and
one fold, those other sheep. Again, it's the calling of the
Gentiles. Here is a title then that belongs
unto the election of grace and how appropriate it is that they
should be referred to as lambs when we think of the character
of sheep, particularly of lambs, newborn sheep. Lambs are such
timid and feeble creatures, are they not? Of course the Lord
Jesus Christ is that one who is the principal lamb the Paschal
Lamb, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world,
the Lamb that taketh away the sin of the world? And are we
not told concerning Christ in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, He
is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers
is done, so He openeth not His mouth. always like a lamb, so
timid, so feeble. And what is true of Christ must
be true of those also who are put into Christ, who are united
to the Lord Jesus Christ. They are to be marked by that
same characteristic. They are such feeble folks. Not
only does scripture speak of the godly in terms of lambs,
but remember how in the book of Proverbs we read of the conies,
those rabbit-like creatures. And the wise man tells us the
conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses among
the rocks. All those feeble creatures, how
they hide among the rocks. And this is what believers must
do, they must hide themselves in the blessed rock of ages. The guy in the psalm, he says,
the high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and the rocks
for the covids, these feeble folks. This is what believers
are. They are so timid, so easily
frightened. What a gracious ministry the
Lord Jesus Christ exercises towards His sheep. Later in this book,
of course, we read of Him again as that great shepherd of the
sheep. In chapter 14, He shall feed
His flock like a shepherd, He shall gather the lambs with his
arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that
are with young." Oh, the Lord's ministry to them then is such
a tender, kind ministry. Why? Because He sees how feeble
and how frail and how timid these lambs are. But as lambs are feeble
creatures, so also we witness in them a certain innocence and
isn't this a fit representation particularly of the young believer
oh, there's such an innocence there's such an innocence, their
consciences are such tender consciences, are they not? so easily, so quickly
offended young believers will so soon embrace reproofs
and yet at the same time they refuse to themselves those kind
and gracious words of promise they so quickly judge themselves
and misjudge themselves remember what we're told in the song of
Solomon concerning the church under the figure of
the brides of the Lord Jesus Christ. There in the Song of
Solomon, chapter 5, verse 7, we read, The watchmen that went
about the city found me, they smoked me, they wounded me. The keepers of the walls took
away my veil from them. Who are these watchmen? And who
are these keepers of the walls? Isn't the reference here to those
who, as watchmen, are really the shepherds, or the pastors,
or the ministers? And here we have the bride of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and she's so quickly offended, they smoked
me, they wounded me, they took away my veil from me, it says. And I say, friends, that this
is what can so easily happen with those who are but young
in the faith. They are ready to take to themselves
all those hard sayings of Scripture. They fear to be presumptuous
and to imagine that the gracious invitations and the promises
are for them. They misjudge themselves. They
say that they're the grace of God. is not for them, might be
for others. How they are so tender in their
consciences. It's only as believers become
the more established in the grace of God that they can take those
reproofs and accept them. We know that God's Word is profitable
to that end. We're told as much, are we not?
when Paul writes there in the 3rd chapter of 2nd Timothy, those
familiar words. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, says the apostle, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
It's profitable to reproof, to rebuke, to correct. And when
these lambs are the more established, why they can then accept those
reproofs, and we see it again in the language of the book of
Psalms. The words that we have there
in the 141st Psalm, verse 5, Let the righteous smite me, it
shall be a kindness. Let him reprove me. It shall
be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head, for yet my
prayer also shall be in their calamities. He is that one who
is the better established, the more established. They can take
those hard works and see a gracious purpose in them, but it's not
so easy for those who are but young in the faith. Their consciences,
I say again, are so tender and they're so ready simply to take
the rebukes and to be overwhelmed by them. All these strange creatures,
sheep, and how this name is applied even to believers. Are not those
sheep such foolish creatures of time? How they're so prone
to wonder. Again we have it in the language
of Isaiah 53, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned
every one to his own wife. How true it is. We're prone to
wonder. We're prone to leave the God
that we profess to love. We're so perverse and so foolish. and we begin to wander out of
that narrow way that only leads to life and so there is that
necessity with the shepherd that he has the rod as well as the
staff that rod to correct as well as that staff to draw David
remember in the shepherd's psalm, psalm 23 says thy rod and thy
staff thy comfort now the rod is necessary Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and scourget every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening,
God dealeth with you as with son. What son is it whom the
Father chasteneth? Not, asks the Apostle, or when
God sees his silly sheep wandering from the way, how he must go
after them, how he must teach them and instruct them, and sometimes
lay the rod upon them. No chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, says the Apostle
afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them
who are exercised thereby. Here we read of those who are
the lambs of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. Then shall
the lambs feed after their manna. These lambs they also are such
as know the voice of the shepherd." Doesn't Christ tell us that that
is one of the striking marks of His true children? In the 10th chapter of John's
Gospel, and there at Verse 4, When he putteth forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for
they know his voice. And a stranger will they not
follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of
strangers. How they have that ability to
discern between truth and error. They know the voice of Him who
is the true Shepherd. He says again, My sheep hear
My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Here then we
see some of those marks of those who are the Lords, who are spoken
of under this particular appellation and given this title they're
referred to in Scripture as the sheep of Christ. But let us In
the second place, consider something concerning their food. That's what the text speaks of.
It speaks of them feeding. Then shall the lambs feed after
their manna. What is the food of these lambs? Well, they are newborn sheep,
are they not? They're babes. And babes are
those who have need of milk and not of strong meat, it says. As newborn babes desire the sincere
milk of the word that she may grow thereby. If so be it, ye
have tasted that the Lord is gracious, says Peter. They are
to desire that sincere milk of the word of God. What is the
sincere milk? Well, it's the invitations. It's
those gracious words inviting the sinner to come. It's those
promises which are all precious promises. This is what they had
to desire. Now we find such Gracious words scattered throughout
the Scriptures. Here in this Book of Isaiah,
there's so much of the Gospel, of course, to be found in the
Book of Isaiah. It speaks so plainly to us, time
and again, of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, not surprisingly,
we have many gracious words of invitation here. Think of the
words of chapter 45 and verse 22. Look unto me, and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth for
I am God's and there is none else. Aren't those who are at
the ends of the earth the strangers that are spoken of here at the
end of the text? The waste places of the fat ones
shall strangers eat. Or those who are far off and
those who sometimes in their feelings feel themselves to be
so very far off that salvation surely cannot be for them. Why
they are to look Thou to look to the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou to live. Look unto me, he says, and be
ye saved. And then, of course, that great
promise that we have in chapter 55. For every one that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye by,
and he shall come by wine and milk, without money and without
price. and observe how three times there
in that verse we have that word calm how it is such a strong
gospel word the gracious invitation how the Lord invites the sinner
to come to himself come unto me all ye that labour and are
heavy laden and I will give you rest he says take my yoke upon
you learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall
find rest unto your souls it is surely a great gospel word
is that little word come and even when we come to the very
end of scripture we have it again there in the 22nd chapter of
the book of the revelation the spirit and the bride say come
and let him that hear us say come and let him that is a thirst
come and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely
Oh, what words are these? Three times again, there, in
that text, Revelation 22, 17, we have the word come, come,
come. And he is to take of the water
of life freely. How it corresponds with the language
that we have here in Isaiah 55. And I say, these, these are the
words that belong unto the lambs these gracious invitations and
promises and yet these foolish lambs they refuse them they are
so ready when they read the word to to take the threatenings to
themselves they are fearful of embracing the great promises The spirit of fear is upon them
so often they don't want to be presumptuous with the word of
God. And yet, I say, this is the food that God himself is
pleased to lay up in store for his lambs. And so in the text,
then shall the lambs feed. Oh, there's food here for the
soul. Those who administer the word
are to seek to be encouragers of these poor lambs, these feeble
sheep. Why to talk of the duty faith
is something that only brings distress to them. To tell them,
you see, that they are to believe, they feel they cannot believe.
This is what torments them, the fact that they feel so much their
unbelief. And now they have to come time
and again, as it were, in the language of that man in the gospel,
Lord, he says, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. And how striking it is here,
that emphatic pronoun. He doesn't say, Lord, I believe,
help my unbelief. He says, help thou my unbelief. He's cast all together that man
upon the sovereignty of God. He must receive his faith from
God. He feels it. He's unable of himself
to exercise any faith and to say to such a man, why it's your
duty to believe. You only have to believe and
he cannot believe. Or could I not believe? then
all would easy be, I would, but cannot. Lord, relieve, my help
must come from Thee." How these lambs, you see, are not to be
troubled and tormented then by talk of what is their duty, as
if we are to cast them back on the gospel. The Gospel speaks
of works and duties. Why? The Gospel speaks of grace.
And he speaks of that good work of God in the soul of the sinner. Remember how at the end of John's
Gospel where we see Simon Peter being restored after he had denied
the Lord three times. Three times he denied Christ.
And three times the Lord asks that question there in the 21st
chapter of John, Simon Peter love us thou my love us thou
my love us thou my more than these and when Simon Peter does
protest his great love to Christ Lord thou knowest he said thou
knowest that I love thee so the Lord gives him that command and
what is the command feed my lamb feed my sheep feed my sheep three
times three times that's what he's called to and surely the
experience that that man had passed through where he had denied
Christ where he was so humbled as he found himself put into
the very sieve of Satan that experience did it not enable
him to be a true minister to those poor lambs and those feeble
sheep feed my lambs says the Lord Jesus to him and how are
they to be fed well look at the language that we have here in
the 35th chapter of this book there in chapter 35 and verses
3 and 4 strengthen ye the weak and confirm the feeble needs
say to them that I have a fearful heart, be strong, fear not, behold
your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense he
will come and save you. So that's how the weak hands
and the feeble knees are strengthened and confirmed when These are
directed, these fearful ones are directed to God himself. God will come. God will come. Again, we've already referred
to the language that we have there in chapter 40 concerning
Christ as that good shepherd. Remember verse 10, but look at
verse 11 also there in chapter 40. Behold, the Lord God will
come with strong hand his arm shall rule for him behold his
reward is with him his work before him he shall feed his flock like
a shepherd he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry
them in his bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young
but see just what he said previously there in verse 10 is It's His strong hand. It's His
arm ruling. His reward is with Him. His work
before Him. It's altogether the work of God
that is being spoken of. And we see the same when we come
to chapter 62. There's a repetition of that
there in chapter 62 at the end of verse 11. Behold, the Lord
hath proclaimed unto the end of the world say you to the daughter
of Zion behold thy salvation cometh behold his reward is with
him his work before him it's all together the work of God
and this is to be the food of these feeble sheep these timid
lambs they need to be directed to God do they not They need
to be reminded that the work is altogether God's own work
and it's a good work, it's a gracious work that He must accomplish. He is the one who has not only
purposed the salvation of His people and He has not only accomplished
it with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that
Christ finished upon the cross at Calvary but He is the one
who must also come and make application. He brings that salvation home,
does he not, into the soul of the sinner? The language of the prophet Jeremiah,
where he refers us to his own experience of the grace of God.
In Jeremiah 31, the Lord appeared of old unto me, saying, I have
loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Oh, it's that loving kindness
of the Lord drawing him onto himself. Again, we have similar
language in the book of the prophet Hosea. There in chapter 11 and
verse 4 speaking of Ephraim, I drew them with cords of a man,
with bands of love, I was to them as they that take off the
yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them." It's always
the Lord Himself who feeds His people. And what does He feed
them with? He feeds them with His Word,
He feeds them with these gracious invitations, these exceeding
great and precious promises. Why, ultimately, of course, they
are fed, are they not? with the Lord Jesus Christ. We
cannot but come to those words of Christ in the sixth chapter
of John's Gospel. He says, labor not for the meat
which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting
life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you. For him hath God
the Father sealed. And what is that meat? What is
that meat? Why, it is the person, it is
the work of Christ. Verse 53, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink
his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life. And I will raise him up
at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed,
and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the Living
Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth
me, even he shall live by me. You see, all these promises,
they're in Christ. And in Christ, all the promises
says Paul, R.J. and Amen. to the glory of God
by us. God is glorified and God is glorified
in the salvation of His people when they come to experience
the great blessings that are spoken of here in this text the
Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment God that is holy
shall be sanctified in righteousness then shall the lambs feed after
their manner. Well, having considered something
of the title that is given to the Lord's people, their lambs,
having said something with regards to that food that is suitable
to them. Let us in the last place say
something with regards to the manner of their feeding. They feed, it says, after their
manna. Now, there are various ways there
are various ways whereby they are able to feed. Sometimes,
is it not a truth, friends, that we find our souls being fed when
we enter into the closet, as it were, the private place, the
secret place, and we seek God's face in secret, and we consider
God's Word, we read God's Word, we ponder God's Word, We meditate
in God's Word. We study the Word of God. And
as we do that, we find food for our soul. And sometimes, of course,
we know how the pump needs priming. Sometimes we can't come directly
to the Word of God, but there are those Christian books, there's
that literature that we can read. And really, that was my own experience
earlier in the week when I was reading that little piece of
Henry Fowler's in those fragments of divinity, where he spoke of
this particular verse, and it feeds us. We feed ourselves in
that sense. When we read the Word, and study
the Word, and meditate in the Word, and sometimes we feed when
we're in conversation with others. And we can have fellowship one
with the other. Those that fear the Lord, it
says they speak often one to another. The Lord hearkened and
heard. Very striking, is it not, that
the Lord doesn't just hearken, He doesn't just hear. The two
words come together, the Lord hearkened and heard, it says.
He takes accounts when we're conversing with others on the
good things of God and He blesses our conversation and it's profitable.
There are various ways whereby we can find food for our souls. But we know that the principal
means of God as appointed is the ministry of the word. It
is the preaching of the gospel. And that's evident from what
Paul says in that 10th chapter of Romans where he speaks of
the normal manner whereby faith comes into the soul of the sinner. Therein Verse 14 of Romans 10,
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they
preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things. And then he goes on to say, So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Now, as we come together in this
fashion, I trust that our great concern and desire is that we
might be fed. And not just fed in our minds,
not just instructed in our minds. We want more than just a mental
ascent to be given to the truth. We want to feel it. We want to
experience that Word in our own souls. We want God himself to
come to us and to grant such a gracious application that we
can dwell on these things and suck goodness out of these words
of God. We must experience the truth
as we're hearing the word of God. Now, what is the manner
whereby the Lord causes us to feed upon his own words. Well, we have that word in John
10, 19 concerning Christ as the Good Shepherd, and not only as
the Good Shepherd, but also there he speaks himself as the door
of the fold, remember. He says, I am the door, by me
if any man enter in, he shall be saved. And he goes on to say,
and go in and out and find pasture. There's pasture, you see, there's
the provision of pasture. How is the pasture obtained?
It says, going in and out. Now, I was taken some while ago
with the remark of John Duncan, Rabbi Duncan, on those closing
words of that 9th verse. They go in and out and find pasture. Good Rabbi Duncan says, they
shall not find much pasture except they go out as well as in. There is to be a going out as
well as a coming in. And what are we to understand
by that? Well God's people you see, they lead and live this
rather strange life. They experience changes. They're not always favoured with
that real sense of the Lord's presence. There are times when
they fear that God's face is somewhat hidden from them, they're
at a distance from them. The psalmist reminds us of the
ungodly, because they have no changes, he says, therefore they
fear not God. All God's people will know something
of changes. they won't be left to an easy
life. There's a word pronounced upon
them that are at ease in Zion, is there not? And then again
we have that word concerning Moab in the book of the Prophet
Jeremiah there in Jeremiah 48 verse 11 Moab hath been at ease
from issue He hath settled on his leaves, and hath not been
emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not
changed." All the strange ways of God, you see, even when his
people go into captivity. He's with them, he's teaching
them, he's instructing them, he's establishing them. how their
appetites for spiritual things must be constantly sharpened
how necessary it is then that there are those dark experiences
as well as bright experiences the wise man tells us the false
soul loathes the honeycomb but or to the hungry soul every bitter
thing is sweet if we're those friends who are hungering and
thirsting after righteousness why we'll find sweetness even
in those bitter things those strange reverses that God sometimes
brings across our path the points for our lives all the time our
concern surely is to be that we bear this mark of those who
are Christ's sheep, his very lambs we're those in whatever
situation or circumstance we want to find some nourishment,
some good food for our souls. Then shall the lambs, it says,
feed after their manna. Oh God grant that we might be
those who do bear something of the mark of these who are Christ's
own sheep, even his tender fearful lambs. and that we might know
that provision that He makes for us, that food that He has
laid up for us, even here in Holy Scripture. May the Lord
be pleased to bless His Word to us. in him is number 804 and we shall
omit verses 4 to 6. And the tune is Autumn 808. The lambs of Christ followed
the weaklings in faith who longed to have a home and a life by
his death who claimed would believe him and in your best rule would
gladly receive him. that fear to pursue. Number 804,
verses 4 to 6. Ye lambs of Christ's fold, ye
weaklings in faith, who long to lay hold on life by his death,
who fain would believe would gladly receive him, but
fail to presume. Remember one thing, oh may it
sink deep, a shepherd and king cares much for his sheep. He takes the believer and gives
him his reward.