Liberty and Discipline
H. Bushnell, D. D. Isaiah 27:4-5 Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.… I. A BLESSED ABSENCE IN THE NATURE OF GOD. "Fury is not in Me." Fury seems to be uncontrolled and uncontrollable anger. A vessel in a storm, with its rudder gone or its screw broken, is passive in the power of winds and waves. A lion, who for hours has been disappointed of his prey, is passive under the dominion of his hunger. In both cases no influence, internal or external, is able to resist the onward course. And when a man is so in the hand of anger that no consideration from within or intercession from without can mollify him, when he is passive in its power, he is in a state of fury. But no such estate is possible to our God. His anger is always under control, and we have plentiful evidence that, in the height of His displeasure, He is accessible to intercession on behalf of His creatures. Nevertheless — II. THIS BLESSED ABSENCE IN THE NATURE OF GOD IS COMPATIBLE WITH CONTENTION WITH THE UNREPENTING. "Who would set the briars and thorns against Me in battle?" etc. Imagine a father and son at variance, the father being in the right and the son in the wrong, There are two ways of reconciliation: either the son must comply with the conditions of the father, or the father must lower his standard to the level of the son. But what a wrong would the father do to himself, his family, and society if he were to adopt this course. He ought not, will not. If the son resolves to fight it out, reconciliation is impossible. This is the relative position of God. and the ungodly man. God declares His conditions, "Let the wicked forsake his way," etc. Consider what is involved in the conditions of the ungodly. Nothing less than the inversion of the whole moral law. God says, "I am Jehovah, I change not." It is a blessed impossibility. But the unrepentant man ought, can, must! If not, the fire of goodness must be set against the briars of wickedness, a contest as hopeless, and of which the issue is as certain, as that of the devouring flame with briars and thorns. III. THE ABSENCE OF FURY IN GOD LEADS HIM TO PREFER PARDON TO PUNISHMENT, AND TO PROVIDE MEANS FOR THE FORMER. "Let him take hold of My strength," etc. Men, churches, and nations are lovers of peace in proportion as they are righteous (Psalm 72:3). The preference of God for peace depends upon the very attribute of which the ungodly would rob Him — namely, His righteousness. What is God's strength? How take hold of it? When a man falls overboard at sea, the appointed means of rescue is the life belt which is thrown to him. Seizing that, he takes hold of the strength of the vessel to save him. When the man slayer, fleeing from the avenger of blood, entered the city of refuge, he took hold of God's appointed means of shelter. God's strength is His pardoning prerogative, exercised to us through Christ, the "arm," or "strength," of the Lord. (H. Bushnell, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. WEB: Wrath is not in me, but if I should find briers and thorns, I would do battle! I would march on them and I would burn them together.