Isaiah 28:6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sits in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. 1. "A DIADEM" is an ornament for the head — an ornament worn by kings and queens as a badge of royalty. It used to be made of linen or silk, set with pearls and precious stones. Now it is generally a fillet or band of gold on which the monarch's crown is built. It is a splendid headdress, the emblem of rank, power, sovereignty. Not any of us are likely ever to wear an earthly diadem of jewels and gold. But, wonderful to tell, the prophet Isaiah promises that the living God, "the Lord of hosts," shall be to His people "for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty." We, the least of God's children, may have Him for our diadem, our beauty, our glory, and our eternal joy. 2. "BEAUTY" is something we all love and prize. Even the ugliest people on the face of the earth have some notions of beauty, and try to make themselves beautiful. There are wild, savage tribes who have no churches, no schools, no altars, who never pray, and whose only heaven is their hunting ground, yet they have ideas of beauty and are vain of personal adornment. The red Indian sticks a few feathers in his hair, puts an iron ring through his nose, ties some strings of coloured glass beads around his waist, and a chain of shells upon his wrists and neck, and then thinks himself more beautiful than any dandy in the West End of London. This love of beauty is natural. God Himself loves beauty, and has made everything beautiful. Still, there is beauty and beauty. Not a little that is only fading, quickly dimmed, and almost worthless. Much that is lasting, precious, and noble. , one of the wisest men of his day, knew little concerning the Supreme Being whom we worship as God, and nothing at all of the Gospel — for he lived and died before Jesus Christ was born. And Socrates uttered this memorable petition: "I pray Thee, O God, that I may be beautiful within." Keats says that "Beauty is truth and truth is beauty." The Bible makes mention of "the beauty of holiness." And the prophet Isaiah tells us that the Lord of hosts shall be to His people for "a diadem of beauty." Beauty of soul is true beauty. Sin makes us ugly. Sin defaces and defiles our nature. "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ"; and the Spirit of Christ will transform the heart and life of everyone who receives Him. Meekness, goodness, purity, truth, love indwelling in the soul will shine out in the face, and be a "diadem of beauty." A flower is the diadem of a plant. You don't tie a flower on its stem. It grows out of it. And if the Spirit of Jesus Christ dwell in your heart, the beauty of His grace will blossom forth in your character and life. It will be not a mere outward decoration, to be put on and off on certain days, like a lady's feathers or a queen's crown; it will be always there. No wonder the Psalmist prayed, "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us!" This is a beauty brighter and better than the diadem of kings. (A. A. Ramsey.) Parallel Verses KJV: And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. |
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