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I. ITS CHARACTERISTICS.

1. The spirit of docility. Those once deaf now "hear the words of the book" (ver. 18); "They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine" (ver. 24). It is one of the surest signs of the presence of God's Spirit that the attitude of insensibility or of captiousness is exchanged for the desire to learn the will of God - that those who once held aloof altogether or came to carp and quibble now lend a reverent, inquiring ear, sit like Mary at the feet of Jesus, look heavenwards like Paul and say, "Lord, what wilt. thou have me to do?"

2. The power of spiritual perception. "The eyes of the blind shall see," etc. (ver. 18). God awakens human souls from the sleep of sin or the languor of spiritual decline. Then, in the one case men see the guilt of continued rebellion against God's will, also the terrible risks they run who remain rebellious, and also the excellency and openness of the salvation which is in Jesus Christ, etc.; in the other case they see the transcendent value of the human souls around them, the admirableness of Christian zeal, the desirableness of gaining the approval of Christ for carrying on his work of redeeming love, etc.

3. Gladness of heart in God and in man.

(1) In God. "Joy in the Lord" (ver. 19) will be increased, not only on the part of the meek, but in the heart of all those who are affected by the action of Divine truth and the influence of the Divine Spirit. Men will realize the closeness, the blessedness, the nobility of their relation to God, as his children, friends, co-workers, heirs; and their souls will be lifted up and will swell with a sacred joy.

(2) In man. Jacob "wilt not now be ashamed," his face will not "wax pale (ver. 22) as he regards his children; on the contrary, he will behold them with unbounded joy when he sees them "sanctifying the Name of the Holy One" (ver. 23). The fathers and mothers in Israel, the leaders and teachers of the Church, will exult in the extension of piety and purity, of worth and wisdom, among all the people, and particularly among the young.

4. The disappearance of iniquity. (Vers. 20, 21.) The oppressor, the scorner, the vicious, the unrighteous, - these and such as they are removed from the scene; they no longer linger about the gates or frequent the courts or walk the streets of Jerusalem. The force of sacred fervor, like the cleansing indignation of Christ himself, sweeps unholiness from the sanctuary; "that which defileth" is cast out with the strong hand of reawakened purity.

II. THE DIVINE SOURCE OF IT. All those thus made true children of God are "the work of mine hands" (ver. 23); everything, as every one, is his workmanship; it is all of God. It is his Spirit that "renews the face of the earth," that also revives the souls of men and the condition of his Church.

III. THE HOPE OF ITS COMING.

1. We may look to the promises of God's Word, that hold out to us the hope of better and brighter days in the future.

2. Or to the grace and power of our Lord; for we cannot believe that his yearning compassion and his mighty power will leave outside forever the multitudes that are still afar off.

3. But we do well to look to devout and earnest preparation on our own part. Can we not "prepare the Lord's way" by cleansing our hearts of selfishness and sin, of pride and unbelief; by devout expectation and eager readiness for the sound of his chariot-wheels; by earnest and believing prayer for the action of his reviving Spirit? - C.

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KJV: And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

WEB: In that day, the deaf will hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and out of darkness.