The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 514

8electing spt>cial territory for special nations. Amidst all the hurly-burly or war, th11 unseen hand of God bas "divided to the nations their inheritance." Oceans and rivers, mountains and deserts, have been God's walls of partition, 3. All these selec- tions have been subordinate to Israel's welfare. All the lines of God's government met here. To Israel's good everything was to benil. 4. The reason of this is declared "The Lord's portion is his people." Some location on earth was to be reserved fo; ,Teho,,ah. He too had chosen a dwelling-place, an inheritance. .And his habitation was in the hearts of his people Israel. "For to that man will I look, and with him dwell who is of an humble and contrite spirit." "Jacob is the lot of his inheritance," ' II. SrECIA.L TRAINING DY Goo. 1. Apart from God, earth would be a barren desert. Man's e1H"ironment, where God is not, would be discordant, unsuitable, painful. 'l'he flowers and fruits of life a.re divinely provided. 2. Inscrutable are the methods of God's. training. "~e. led him about." A masterly hand is iu the matter, and wo are very rncorr:pe~ent cnt1cs. Those marches an,! counter-marches in the wilderness were all nee~ful to nourish robust courage and simple faith in the Hebrews. In God's arrangements no waste is permitted. 3. 'l'enderest kindness is here expressed. "He kept him as the apple of his eye." \Ve count the eye among our most precious cndo,,.ments. It is protected by the most cle1·er contrivances. No parL of the body is s0 delicate or so susceptible of pain. So God regards his chosen people. As a man guards from harm his eye, so God guards his own. 4. Consummate skill was expended to develop the best qualities of Israel. This is set forth by a piece of impressive imagery. As the eagle knows the perils of indolence, and is anxious to train her young brood to early sdf-exertion, she breaks up the nest, takes the eaglets on her strong pinions, bears them heavenward, shakes them free, then, as they sink, darts beneath them, bears them up again, and encourages them to seek the sun; so, by a tl10usand kind devices, God taught his people "to seek the things which are above." Su precious an end is worthy of the largest expenditure of means. lII. DOMINION OVER NATURE AND OVER MAN ACCORDED BY GOD. In proportion as man has loyally served his God, man has gained earthly dominion. To Adam was accorded sovereignty over all living things in air, or earth, or sea; and of the second .A.dam we read, "Thou hast put all things under his feet." 1. Victory over enemies is secured. "He made him ride on the high places of the earth.'' Every mountain fortress was, one by one, possessed. To ride is significant of military conquest. The triumphs of Israel were swift, signal, and complete. 2. The peaceful conquest of nature followed. To the arts of industry, the earth yielded in sevenfold profusion. The olives on the rugged hills filled their presses with oil. Wild bees toiled early and late to lay up stores of honey. Their cattle, plentifully fed, yielded butter and milk in abundance. Under the curse of civil strife and petty fends of the Canaanites, crops had been devastated, and flocks had been destroyed. Now, peace reigned in every valley, and the very trees blossomed with ruddy gladness. Hill and plain poured their unceasina tribuies at the feet of lordly man. 3. The sole Author of this splendid inberitan~e was God. " The Lord alone did lead him." 'l'be deities of the Amorites (if they had any power at all) bad bestowed on their votaries an inheritance of lust and war and ruin. In whatever respect Israel's inheritance was a contrast, it was due to the beneficence of Jehovah. He had blessed them with an ungrudging hand. "l'was the indulgence of bis native instinct to give and to make glad. No sane man among them could reach any other conclusion than that Jehovah was the royal Giver of all • .And with one voice they should have made the clear welkin ring with hearty halle- lujahs: "The Lord hath done great things for us." The gift was unique. It was conspicuously a deed of grace.-D. Vers. 15-25.-Sowing and reaping. The connection between sin and suffering is natural, oraanic, and universal. Suffering, in some form, is the proper development of ~in. Like the plants of nature, sin has its seed within itself. I. WE HAVE A CASE OF AGGRAVATED SIN. 1. It was a wanton abuse of special kindness. The splendid gifts of providence, which ought to have bound them by golden ties of ohligation to God, were erected into barriers to shut out God from them. An inner principle of selfish perverseness turned all food into poison. Instead of gratitude, there was scoffing; instead of loyalty +1,,.,rc was insolence. So it often on. xxxu. 1-52.J THE DOOK Olt' DEUTERONOMY. 62[)