upon the poor and weak. From that hour on he knew that God had called
him to be His prophet, that God had selected him to bring the truth
home to the Judeans and, if possible, to save the nation from the doom
that awaited the sister-nation, Israel.

What Isaiah saw and heard in the Temple at the close of that memorable
day, gave him the germ of an idea as to what God demanded of him to
do. Time, thought and experience ripened that idea into a plan. The
course of events offered him the opportunity to put the plan into
action.

Isaiah could not count on Jotham to institute and carry out reforms in
the religious beliefs and practices of the people, in their commercial
wrongdoings, in the corrupt law courts and in the general oppression
of the lower classes. He had to begin work on his own initiative; and
he began it with the people themselves, in the City of Jerusalem.

He came to the Temple Mount one day, when many pilgrims were gathered
there. He listened attentively, with the rest, to travelers from
Arabia, who were relating wonderful tales of adventure. From stories
of adventure in foreign lands the pilgrims drifted into stories of
happenings in their own country. Some related rumors of what was going
on in Samaria; others spoke of the possibility of Judah's being forced
to fight Assyria some day. Some laughed at such a suggestion; others
were in grave doubt whether such an emergency would find the nation
prepared. Some spoke of the evils that were sapping the strength of
the people; others complained that the king, instead of attending to
his business of State, was busying himself with his wealth of herds
and vineyards.