Vera. 0, 10,-Lessons from history. I. A LESSON IN GoD's aoon:-r,;ss. In putlir,~ Israel into possession of the land of promise after so Ion; a period of iVaiting, and >it tho cost of so much miracle, God gave the nation an irrefragablc proof of bis covenant- kecpin:i; faithfulness. How many rlifliculties, to the human eye, stood in the way of the fullilment of that promise I And by what nice adjustments of provi,lence, nnrl what e. subtly linked succession of events, was the fulfilment at length bronght about! Israel had to be taken down to E-!ypt, there preserve,! till it grew and multiplied, passed through the iron furnace of affiiction, brought np again witli a rni;hty hand anrl a stretched-out arm, conducted and provided for in tl,e wilderness, legislated for and or_ganized, strengthened to overcome its enemies. At what an expenditure of wbdom and power was all this accomplished! And how much forbearance and tenderness had to be shown to the people themselves in the course of their rebellious history! Faith- fulness was thus emblazoned on every rart of God's dealings with them. Another and greater promise, which hung still longer in suspension, has been fulfille<l in the comin_s; of that "Seecl" in whom already al\ families of the earth are beginning to l,e ble,,e,l (Gen. xxii. 18; Gal. iii. 16). This fulfilment, above all, demonstrates that Jehovah, he is God, the faithful God, keeping coveoant with them that love him. II. A LESSON IN GoD's SEVERITY. (Ver. 10.) That had been taught to Israel by many passages in their own history. They had seen God's judgments upon Pharaoh. They had experienced his severity in the plagues, etc., which had swept their own camp in punishment of disobedience. They had witnessed a whole generation turned back to perish in the wilderness. The lesson was now to be taught them by the destruction of these wicked natioos. And as if to burn it more deeply, and for ever, into their minds and consciences, the sword of execution was put ioto thei■ own hands. The two lessons need to be read together. God's severity, divorced from the discoveries of his grace, might appear to the on-looker harsh and cmel, whereas, as Bible history shows, judgment is "his strange work" (Isa. xxviii. 21). On the other hand, the remembrance of his severity is needed to prevent the abuse of his goodness (Il.om. xi. 22).-J. 0.
Vers. 12-16.-The rewards of obedience, •If Israel fulfilled its vocation, in keeping itself separate from the idolatries of the heathen, and in destroying them from the land; if further, in possession of the land, it adhered to God's commands, God would make his blessing rest on it in every sphere and department of existence. I. TEMPORAL PROSPERITY IS A LEGITIMATE OBJECT OF DESIRE. Otherwise it could not be named as part of the blessing, .nor could the hope of it be held out as an encourage- ment to the obedient. We nature.Uy desire to see our affairs prospering. We justly rejoice in the prosperity of our nation. We are glad when trade is brisk, wages good, ~he comforts of life diffused through the different orders of society. But: 1. Prosperity 1s to be desired only in subordination to higher ends (Matt. v. 33). 2. Only in so far as it is good for us (3 John 2). 3. Not in excess (Prov. xxx. 8, 9). If God, in the exercise of bis higher wisdom, withhold prosperity from us, the loss will be compensated by better blessings (Mark x. 29, 30). II. TEMPORAL PROSl'ERITY, IN SUCH MODES AND DEGREES AS GoD SEES BEST, IS _\)! F.FFE0T OF THE DIVINE BLESSING. Godliness has promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come (1 'l'im. iv. 10). It naturally tends to prosperity. Religion teaches men to be sober, righteous, and godly (Titus ii. 12). It cond,mns ialenc8,, waste, dishonesty, and the whole series of vices which wreck health, squander property, and destroy confidence. ,vhere-religion prevails, men will be industrious, conscientious, orderly, and reliable, But, in addition to this natural tendency of religion to prosperity, there rests on the uood man's lot what is distinctively spoken of as the Divine blessing;. 'l'his will mingle itself with all he has and with all he does. It gives him favc,ur 1n tho oyos of men (Gen, xxxix. 21). It opens up his w~y fur him (.Ps. xuvii. 5). It 148 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [ea. vu. 1-20.
protC'rts him from injury (Ps. xxx1·ii. 33, 39). It overrules all events and influences s0 thnl they work for bis good. This is forcibly illustrated in the text, where blessing is r<"prcscntC'd as descending on t.lic home, on the products of tho land, on !locks nnd l1mls, on the bodily life, etc. 'l'he counterpart of the blessing is the curse (ver. 16). The wicked often prosper, but it is prosperity unblessed and unenduring.-J. O. ~-