Yers. 1--3.-The sovereign and the seer. I. UNDESERVED MEROY TO THE SOVEREIGN, (Yer. 1.) 1. Jehoshaphat returns/rom Ramoth-Gilead. Having gone thither without the Divine sanction-indeed, against the Divine will-he might have been left thero ILild not permit!ed to return. But God preseryes ~he going out and coming in of his people (Ps. cxx1. 8), even when they walk not m bis ways. 2. Jehoshaphat returns to .Terwalcm. Hanng left his capital and kingdom on an errand to which he was not called, he might have found both taken from him and barred against him on his return. But Jehovah, always better to his people than they deserve, had watched over both while Jehoshaphat was absent. 3. Jehoshaphat returns to his house in peace. Very dif!er_ent might ~is home-com_i~g have been (Isa.. !ix. 8); not alive and in safety, as M1ca1e.h had predicted (eh. xv111. 20), but as Ahab was brought to Samaria, dead; shot by an arrow from e. Syrian bow like the King of Israel, or smitten by the Syrian charioteers as himself nearly was, and certainly would have been had Jehovah not interposed. But, again, God is faithful to his covenant, even when his people are not faithful to their duty (Ps. cxi. 5 ; 2 'l'im. ii. 13; Heb. x. 23). II. DESERVED REBUKE FROM THE SEER. (Vers. 2, 3.) 1. A severe reprimand. Charged by Ha.nani's son J ehu with a twofold offence: (1) Helping the ungodly. Aiding the wicked in their necessities or enterprises, when these are not sinful, never was a crime a.ga.instJebovah in Old Testament times (Lev. xix. 18, 34:; Deut. xxii. 1; Job xxii. 29; Zech. vii. 9), and is not prohibited but commanded in the gospel (Rom. xiii. 9; Gal. v. 14; Jas. ii. 8); but then" as now, sympathizing with them in their wicked thoughts, joining with them in their wicked ways, and assisting them in their wicked projects, is interdicted to all who profess to be followers of God and of Christ (Ps. i. 1 ; xxiv. 4; cxli. 4; Rom. :xiii. 12; Eph. v. 11; 2 Tim, ii. 19, 21, 22; 1 Pet. ii 11, 12). (2) Lovin:r them that hate God. This also permissible in the sense in which God himself and Christ loved and still loves sinners, pitying their misery, corn- pessionating their frailty, grieving over their iniquity, and seeking their recovery and salvation. But in the sense of extending affection and confidence, sympathy and support, to such as are private and public enemies of God, despisers of his religion, deserters from his worship, violators of his commandments, oppressors of his people, opponents of his cause, is a stretch of charity which neither then was nor now is allow- able. Rather among Hebrew saints to hate Jehovah's enemies was accounted the supreme ,irtue (Ps. cxxxi.x.. 21, 22). If Christian saints may uot hate the persons, they are still enj"ined to hate ihe works and ways of the Lord's enemies (2 Cor. xii. 21; Eph. iv. 26; Phil. iii. 18). (On Hanani, see eh. xvi. 7.) 2. An alarming sentence. "Wrath from before Jehovah n should come upon Jehoshaphat certainly and speedily. This was inevita.ble, sioce Jehovah, as a jealous God (Exod. xx. 5; Deut. iv. 24), could by no means allow such declension to pass without some manifestation of displeasure. Besidee, Jehovah, by covenant engagement with David, had expressly bound himself to chastise wiih rods any defection on the part of David's successors (2 Sam. vii. 14:; Ps. cxxxix. 30). In the same way, though God, for Christ's sake, forgives the trans- gressions of believers, so that they shall not come into ultimate ccndemnation, he does not in every instance exempt them from suffering on account of their offences, but rather, as a rule, causes them, when they go astray, to feel such inward rebukes upon their conscieoces, and such outward inflictions upon their persons or estates, as to make them sensible of bis holy anger, if not against their souls, against their sins (Acts :xiv. 22; Rom. v. 3; 1 Cor. xi. 32; Heb. xii. 11). .Already at Ramoth-Gilead Jehoshaphat had experienced a foretaste of Jehovah's wrath (eh. xviii. 31). Additional evidence thereof was soon to follow, in a Moabitish invasion (eh. xx. 1, etc.). 3. .A merciful mitigatwn. While condemning the king's sins, Jehu did not forget to make c.andid acknowledgIDent of the king's virtues. To praise another for good qualities is not so easy as to blame another for bad ones. In others, faults are more readily dis- cerned than favourable points; in ourselves, the latter more quickly than the former. Happily the great Heart-searcher, while noting his people's shortcomings, overlooks not thei; well-doings. If Jehoshaphat's conduct in contracting alliance with Ahab was denounced his behavionr in removing the groves from his land and preparing hie heart to seek J~bovah was not forgotten. So of Christians," God is not unrighteous to forget their work and labour of love" (Heb. vi. 10), even though obliged to correct them for ,foing wrong (Heb. xii 10); while Christ, sending his messages to the Churche11 in cm. xrx, 1-11.J THE SECOND BOOK OF 'l'IIE CHRONICLES. 237
AsiB, with one exception never omits to notice in eBch c&se excellences worthy of commendBtion (Rev, iii., iv.). LllSBONS. 1. Gratitude for mercy. 2. Submission to rebuke. 3. Repentance for liin. 4. WBtchfulnes8 in duty. 5. Charity in judging others.-W.