Sunday Service - Sep 1943

The prophet Isaiah pictures himself as standing on a watchtower – the city of Jerusalem – from which he surveys all the surrounding nations. The period in the history of Israel to which this refers is similar to the present times. The nations who inhabited the region between what we now call Iran and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea were under the domination of Assyria. The spirit of rebellion against this militaristic domination was spreading. At length, on the murder of Sargon, King of Assyria in 705 the unrest broke out in a universal revolt. All sorts of intrigues went on, seeking to find methods of reclaiming liberty. For these consultations, Jerusalem standing midway between Assyria and Egypt was the natural centre. Its position in the hills lent support to the conception of it as a watch tower from which the doings of the period might be observed. The Assyrians were a mighty power and they had succeeded in crushing the spirit of many, especially the smaller people. There was no sign of the collapse of the mighty oppressor. Men were in despair as to what the future might bring. The prophet, as he stands on his watch tower surveying the tragic scene, seems to hear a cry from one of these peoples – men of Edom. ‘Watchman what of the night?’ That is, Watchman how far is the night spent? How long till morning? These men are weary of the long night of distress and anguish. They long for the first streak of dawn, for the breaking of a new day and the passing away of the reign of darkness. They are weary of a long time of woe and danger, and they ask, ‘Watchman what of the night?’ Is not that the very cry that is ringing today from countless human hearts? We have just begun the fifth year of the great world war. It is on a colossal scale and it is more complicated and more far reaching than any yet known in history. There is no home in the world in which the effects of the war is not felt in some measure at least. Force and fear hang like a bleak night over the world. Weary with the strain of this long period of anxiety, and seeing no hope of an early settlement we cry, ‘Watchman what of the night? How long till morning?’ We feel exactly the same about things as the men of Israel’s day. We long to see the passing of the night and the breaking of a new day. But notice the two parts of the answer given by the prophet. First, the morning cometh and also the night. The night will pass as every night does. The war will come to an end as every other war has done. Every war, every time of stress and woe has seemed long and wearisome to those who had to live through it. But the night will pass. The morning cometh. Yet on the other hand we are not to imagine that when this time of trouble is over, there will be a perfect day and all the shadows and trials of life will have passed away for ever. There will be other nights. Even if the horrors of war are removed there will be other things to distress us – our disappointments, our sorrows and losses. Again the post-war world will be bristling with very difficult problems. The powers of darkness will not be easily banished from the earth. Tanks and aeroplanes, necessary as they are to deal with Germany, cannot deal the deathblow to spiritual wickedness at work in human hearts everywhere. The morning is sure to come, but let us not delude ourselves that if the war ceased tonight all would be well. The morning cometh and also the night.

So the prophet watchman goes on to the second point of his answer that the men of Edom must come back again to make inquiry. What he said to the men of Edom must be said to us. Last Friday was the anniversary of the outbreak of the war, and on that day the King called the whole nation to prayer. Such occasions very forcibly remind us of our dependence on God and of our need of God’s help and guidance not only on certain special occasions, but at all times. The problem of the night of the world’s anguish is there before us constantly, and therefore we must also come to God constantly to inquire of him, to seek His mind, His help and His guidance. Four years have passed and perhaps before long we will see the end of the war. We in Ceylon may have to face greater dangers and endure greater hardship in the short period before us than in the days that have passed. Even when the war is over, difficulties and trials will still remain in our lives. And therefore God, the great watchman, whose eye is upon all men and all nations, who sees the end from the beginning, who hears our prayer and knows the anxiety of our heart says, ‘Come here again, you will need my help again and again; and I will always be ready to give it.’ He invites us to come to him for fresh vision and strength and for a renewal of our faith. He wants us to come to him for fresh forgiveness of our sins and new power to face temptations. Let us therefore come to him again and again and ask for courage to face danger and for freedom from selfish fears and from hatred and bitterness. The morning cometh, and also the night; if ye will enquire, enquire ye, return, come. As teachers of the present generation of boys and girls, and as leaders in the Church and in our community we are called to be watchmen. Especially in such a critical period in the history of the world we have a great responsibility to discharge as watchmen. Not only must we come ourselves to God again and again and ask for his help and guidance, but we must also bring others to Him. Both here in Ceylon and elsewhere people are engaged in thinking of the post- war world. Various solutions have been put forward for the establishment of lasting peace and order in the world. Many have an idea that everything will be well with the world once Hitler is defeated. If Hitler is overthrown we will have other enemies of peace to fight against, including our own selfishness and greed. Many have their hopes for the future in certain systems of government such as Communism. Whatever good there may be in the various solutions put forward, many people in the world have to realise that there cannot be lasting peace in the world unless people return to God and come to him for help and guidance. It was at a time like this the Prophet Isaiah urged the people to return to God. It is our duty as watchmen to preach the same message to our boys and girls and to those around us during this critical period. Not only in our Scripture and Ethics classes, not only in our Church services, but whenever we have a chance of discussing with our pupils the reconstruction of the world, we should impress on them the urgent need to return to God. At the beginning of this new term and the fifth year of the war, may we dedicate ourselves afresh to the great task to which it has pleased God to call us - that of being watchmen.