The Conviction of the Song (Part 2)

Pastor Bill Farrow

⁸Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You.

Isaiah 26:8

Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for you - Yes does not just add a fact but heaps one fact on another - ‘Yes indeed!’, ‘What’s more …’.  The word ‘judgments’ often refers to the statutes or laws of God. But it may also refer to the afflictions and trials with which he visits or judges people; the punishments which they endure for their sins. In which sense the word is used here it is not easy to determine. Some understand it as the ‘laws’ of God. They might argue that the sense is, that during their captivity and trials, they had not remitted anything of their love and piety toward God. I am inclined to hold this as the true interpretation, because in the corresponding member of the parallelism they are represented as saying that the desire of their soul was to God, and to the remembrance of him, implying that they sought by an observance of his laws to please him, and to secure his favor. It can also mean judgment pronounced and executed (i.e. the Lord’s judgmental acts). Either meaning suits here - the Lord’s people walking in obedience or the Lord’s people amid his earthly disciplines and punishments. The use of the same word in verse 9c does not point one way or the other. Either way, whether they are holding to the path of obedience or proving durable amid life’s providential orderings, the Lord’s people wait for him, exercise believing patience till the Lord performs his final act (5–6). They do not long for altered circumstances but for fuller experience of him. To desire his name means that true experience is controlled by revelation (the name of the Lord is what he has revealed himself to be). His renown (‘remembrance, memorial’; cf. Ex. 3:15) is the preservation in memory of what he has revealed himself to be. The desire of our hearts means ‘our deepest, truest desire’.

The ‘waiting’ in this passage is partly for the over-throw of evil by the correction (9–11) or destruction (11c, 13–15) of the wicked but is mostly referring to a longing for God himself (for you … for you, 8–9).  This verse contains a very beautiful doctrine, without which it might have been thought that the former statements were without foundation. Since he said that God will be our guide during the whole of life, so that we shall neither wander nor stumble, and while, on the other hand, we are pressed by so many straits, we might conclude that those promises have not been actually fulfilled. Accordingly, when he tries our patience, we ought to strive, and yet to trust in him. Here the Prophet gives us this instruction, that, though our eyes are not gratified by an easy and delightful path, and though the road is not made smooth under our feet, but we must toil through many hard passages, still there is room for hope and patience.

By the way of judgments he means adversity, and the word judgment often has this meaning in Scripture. But here is a mark which distinguishes the godly from hypocrites; for in prosperity hypocrites bless God, and speak highly of him; but in adversity they murmur, and curse God himself, and plainly show that they had no confidence in him, and thus judge of God according as their prosperity lasts. The godly on the other hand, when they are tried by afflictions and calamities, are more and more excited to place confidence.

The particle Even, is inserted for the sake of emphasis, as if the Prophet had said, that believers are earnest in the worship of God, not only so long as he treats them with gentleness, but that, if he deal harshly with them, still they do not faint, because they are supported by hope. It is therefore the true test of sincere godliness, when not only while God bestows his kindness upon us, but while he withdraws his face, and afflicts us, and gives every sign of severity and displeasure, we place our hope and confidence in him. Let us learn to apply this doctrine to our own use, whenever we are hard pressed by the calamities of the present life; and let us not cease to trust in him, even when our affairs are in the most desperate condition.   “Though He slay me,” says Job, “I will trust in Him;” and David says that: “though he walk amidst the shadow of death, he will trust and not be afraid, because he knows that God is with him.” (Job 13:15; Psalm 23:4.)

The desire of our soul is for Your name - The word ‘name’ is used here, as it is often, to denote God Himself. They desired that He would come and deliver them; they earnestly wished that He would manifest Himself to them as their friend. The Prophet aims at showing what is the source of that unwearied earnestness which prevents the godly from sinking under the greatest calamities. It is because they are free from wicked desires and from excessive solicitude, and in their aspirations boldly rise to God. For, in consequence of our disorderly passions and cares holding us bound, as it were, to the earth, our hearts either wander astray, or sink into indolence, so that they do not freely rise to God; and as the essence of God is hidden from us, this makes us more sluggish in seeking him. From his hidden and incomprehensible essence, therefore, the Prophet draws our attention to the name of God, as if he enjoined us to rest satisfied with that manifestation of it which is found in the word; because there God declares to us, as far as is necessary, his justice, wisdom, and goodness, that is, himself.

And for the remembrance of You - The word ‘remembrance’ is often equivalent to one’s name or that by which anyone is remembered, or known. (Exo. 3:15; Ps. 30:4).  In the place before us it seems to be used in the sense of God’s name; that is, that by which God would be remembered or known. It is not without good reason also that he has added this word; for it means that the first perception or thought is not enough, but that continual meditation is enjoined; because without its aid all the light of doctrine would immediately vanish away. And indeed the true and sincere knowledge of God inflames us to desire him, and not only so, but also prompts us to desire to make progress, whenever the “remembrance” of it occurs to our minds. The knowledge of God, therefore, comes first; and next, we must be employed in frequent “remembrance;” for it is not enough that we have once obtained knowledge, if love and desire do not grow through constant meditation. Hence, also, we perceive that the knowledge of God is not a dead imagination.

It is our duty, and will be our comfort, to wait for God, and to keep up holy desires towards him in the darkest and most discouraging times, (v. 8, 9). This has always been the practice of God’s people, even when God has frowned upon them, to keep up a constant dependence upon him: "In the way of thy judgments we have still waited for thee; when thou hast corrected us we have looked to no other hand than thine to relieve us,’’ as the servant looks only to the hand of his master, till he have mercy upon him, (Ps. 123:2). We cannot appeal from God’s justice but to his mercy. If God’s judgments continue long, if it be a road of judgments (so the word signifies), yet we must not be weary but continue waiting.

Such waiting is also designed to cause us to send up holy desires towards him. Our troubles, however pressing they are, must never draw us away from our practice of spirituality, nor turn us away from God; but still the desire of our soul must be to his name and to the remembrance of him; and in the night, the darkest longest night of affliction, with our souls must we desire him.

Our great concern must be for God’s name, and our earnest desire must be that his name may be glorified, whatever becomes of us and our names. This is that which we must wait for, and pray for. "Father, glorify thy name, and we are satisfied.’’

Our great comfort must be in the remembrance of that name, of all that whereby God has made himself known. The remembrance of God must be our great support and pleasure; and, though sometimes we be unmindful of him, yet still our desire must be towards the remembrance of him and we must take pains with our own hearts to have him always in mind.

Our desires towards God must be inward, fervent, and sincere. With our soul we must desire him, with our soul we must pant after him (Ps. 42:1), and with our spirits within us, with the innermost thought and the closest application of mind, we must seek him. We make nothing of our religion, whatever our profession be, if we do not make heart-work of it.

Even in the darkest night of affliction our desires must be towards God, as our sun and shield; for, however God is pleased to deal with us, we must never think the worse of him, nor cool in our love to him.  If our desires be indeed towards God, we must give evidence that they are so by seeking him, and seeking him early, as those that desire to find him, and dread the thoughts of missing him. Those that would seek God and find him must seek betimes, and seek him earnestly. Though we come ever so early, we shall find him ready to receive us.