Isaiah 2:5 - Homilies By W. Clarkson

The wisdom of walking in the light.

The prophet inserts a parenthesis which evidently expresses the deepest and strongest feelings of his heart. He is oppressed with a sense of the folly of those who deliberately go astray in the darkness, when they might walk on in the light of Divine truth toward the goal of human blessedness; hence his fervent exclamation, "O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us," etc.

I. THE TRUTH OF GOD THE LIGHT OF THE HUMAN SOUL . Light is "that which makes manifest" (see Ephesians 5:13 ). And as the sunshine makes clear to us our own persons, shows us all surrounding nature, and enables us to find our way to the objects of our desire, so the truth of God

II. THE SUPREME WISDOM OF WALKING IN ITS LIGHT . Well may the man of God exclaim with even passionate earnestness, "Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." For:

1. It is the one right course to take; any other must be one of error and of sin.

2. It is the path of progress, leading up to heights of strength, prosperity, sanctity.

3. It is the way to abiding joy; other paths, though they may open temptingly enough and may promise keen delights, will conduct ultimately to sorrow, shame, and death. This way, in which the light of the Lord leads us, may be entered upon with spiritual struggle ( Luke 13:24 ), may be attended with much self-denial ( Matthew 16:24 ); but it is a path of purest and noblest joy ( Romans 5:11 ; Philippians 3:1 ; Philippians 4:4 ; 1 Peter 4:13 ), and it ends in everlasting glory ( 1 Peter 1:3 , 1 Peter 1:4 ).—C.