The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 515

happens that earthly wealth is an injury instead of a benefit. It detains a man'd faith nnd delight on itself. He exalts his riches into a god. Entering a man's heart, as his professed friends, riches become his secret foes: they sap the foun<lati,ms of his piety; they degrade and stultify the man. 2. The flagrrmr,y of sin is seen in the perversfon of privilege. The Hebrews had been chosen by God to a place of peculiar honour. 'fhey had been admitted to"' nearer access to his friendship than any other nation. God hnd called them his som. rnd daughters. Nutl,ing of good had God withheld fron, them, For these pri viloged persons to turn their backs on God, and act as trait,,rs t,, their Lord,·was sin of more than ordinary flagrancy. If such fall from their allegiance, how great must be their fall I 3. The course of si,t proceeds by perceptible stages. Si" often begins by culpable omissions. '!'here is first negative good, then positive offence. The people began their downward course by being" unmindful" of their Maker. Their sense of dependence on God declined. Then they quite forgot the God who had so often rescued them. The next stage was openly to forsake God. 'l'hcy avoided his presence, neglected his worship. Soon they "lightly esteemed" their Deliverer. If they thought of him at all, it was only to look down on him-yea, to despise him. Yet in a condition of atheism they could not long remain. Their natnre demanded that they should worship somewhat. So they set up strange deities; they sacrificed unt,, demons. '!'hey provoked to jealousy, and to just indignation, the God of Israel. Beyond this it wns impossible fur human rebellion to proceed. 4. Sin learls to ,, terrible alternative, viz. the worship and service of devils. There is no middle place at which a man can halt. He either grows up into the image of God or into ti.e image of Satan. II. \VE HAVE A CASE OF EQUITABLE Pfil'ISllllENT. 1. It was the reversal off<YI'meJ" good. He who aforetime had promised them prolific plenty now threatens to " consume the earth with her increase." Instead of the sunlight of his favour, he was about to " hide his face from them." The wheels of providence were to be reversed, and the effect would be to overthrow and to crush them. 2. God's judgments are tardy. He did not smite at once, His first strokes were comparatively light, an,l then he patiently waited what the effect might prove. "I will see what their encl ~ball be." The long-suffering or God is an immeasurab\e store. He" is slow to anger." Attentively he listens, if so be he may catch some sigh of penitence. "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself." 3. We may observe here the equity of God's procedure. By making his punishments, in great measure, like the sins, the Hebrews would the readier detect their folly and guilt. They had forsaken -God : therefore Go,! will "hide his face from them:'' 'fhey had" lightly esteemed" God: therefore he will abhor them. They had "excited his jealousy," by choosing another object of worship : he will excite their jealousy by choosing another nation to fill their plaGe. They had provoked his anger by their choice of vanities: he will provoke their anger by sup- planting them with a" foolish nation." 'l'he emotions which exist in man have theil' correspondences in the nature of God. Thus, by stupendous condescension, G°'1 accommodates his messages to human understanding-employs a thousand comparisons by which to impress our hearts. 4. God's agents to execute his behests are numerous and terrible. A few only are mentioned here, but these may serve as samples of others. Material forces are pressed into service. The atmosphere will be a conveyer of pestilence. Fire is a well-known minister of God. Earthquake and volcano have often been commissioned to fulfil Jehovah's will. As a skilled warrior aims well his deadly arrows upon bis foes, so God sends his lightnings abroad out of his quiver. Famine is decreed: " they shall be burnt with hunger." Sickuess and fever shall follow: they sbnll be "devoured with burning beat." Pestiferous insects shall assail them, and wild beasts shall overrun the land. 'l'he sword of the invader shall fall with ruthless violence upon young and old-upon babe and veteran. They who escape from one peril shall fall under another. From the hand of God release is impossible.-D. Vers. 26-29.-The pleading of Divine wisdom. The judicial anger of God is not an uncontrollable passion; it actsjn harmony with infinite wisdom. The vast and varied interests of all God's creatures are tenderly considered in the act of judicial retribution. We have here- I. Gon'e ESTIMATE OF HUMAN DESERT. We"ffl guilty men alone to be considered, no DIC"OTERONOMY, 2 ll /i30 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY, [cu. xxxu. 1-62,