Vere. 28, 29.-God's agents are never beyond his restrainings. He used Assyria, but he holds Assyria in with bit and bridle. 'fhe horse may plunge, and rear, and trample. and seem to be beyond all restraint; but God never looses the rein, and draws it in when he pleases. The figures used are even more striking. He puts "a hook in the nose," which Michaelis explains in this way: "The Orientals make use of a contrivance for curbing their work-beasts, which is not adopted among us. They bore the nose through both sides, and put a ring through it, to which they fasten two cords. When a beast becomes unruly, they have only to draw the cord on one side, which, by stop- ping bis breath, punishes him so effectually that, after a few repetitions, be fails not to become quite tractable, whenever he begins to feel it. To this contrivance the Arabian poets often allude." It illustrates two points. J. THE ANXIETIES WE SUFFER WHEN WE FIX OUR GAZE ON SECOND O.AUBEB. !I. THE RESTFULNESS WE GAIN WHEN WE LOOK, BEHIND AND WITHIN, TO THE ORE.AT, OVERRULING FIRST CAUSE.-Il. 'r.
Ver. 32.-"The zeal of the Lord." Cheyne renders," The jealousy of Jehovab-Sabaoth shall perform this;" and he suggestively says, "' Jealousy,' being the alfectionnl mani- festation of the Divine holiness, is a 'two-edged word,' implying the destruction of all Lhat opposes the Divine covenant, aud the fnrtbtrance of all that promotes it." Zeal 11leo expresses" earnest desire," and that vigorous and persistent activity in which such desire finds expression. In this sense we may treat Jehu's boast- of his•• zeal for the Lord." This word seems a favourite one with Isaiah, as applied to Jehovah. He employs it in eh. ix. 7; !ix. 17; !xiii. 15 (see also Ezek. v. 13). 'l'he two sides of it may be illufttrnted from the narrative of the chapter. l. THE ZEAL OF THE LORD REGARDED AS A SACRED JEALOUSY OF THE DIVINE NAME AND HONOUR. II. 'l'IIE ZEAL OF THE LORD REGARDED AS AN EARNESTNESS OF PUnPOSE AND ENDEAVOUR, WHICH ASSURES THE DISCOMFITURE OF THE ENEMms OF HIS PEOPLE. It is an incentive to trust that we are thus assured that our God wants no rousing lo action on our behalf, as does the heathen Baal on Mount Carmel. This is our confidence -be is jealous for himself and his Word, and therefore is ever working for us.-R. 'l'.
Ver. 86.-Humiliating fudgments. Arter such boastings and threatenings as the Rabshakeh bad uttered, it was utterly humiliating to lose his army without fighting a battle, to be compelled to take a miserable romnant home, as a circumvented, dis~raccd general. It was all the moro humiliating if Sennacherib himself headed the army nt the later stage. "'l'he greatest men cannot stand before God. The great King of Assyria looks very little when he is forced to return, not only with shame, because ho cannot accomplish what he had projected with so much assurance, but "ith terror nn<l fear, lest tho angel that had destroyed his army should destroy him ; yet he is made to look still less when his own sons, who should have guarded him, killed hbn." 36 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISA.IA.H, [oa. XXXVIII. 1-22,
I. Gon's JUDGMENTS OFTEN TAKE SURPRISING FORMS. Anything 80 overwhelming 11.S this even his people, with all their experience, could not have imacrined. 0 God's ways of judgment are nev~r exhausted, II. Goo's JUOGMENTS ALWAYS HAVE A PRECISE FITNESS. This humiliation was exactly the thing for a people so proud, boastful, and over-confident as the Assyrians. The high looks of the proud God will abase. III. Goo's JUDGMKNTS CARRY SOLEMN WARNINGS TO THOSE WllO BEAR 01!' THEM. They say, " Who art thou that repliest against God?" " Except ye repent ye shal! all likewise perish."-R. T, '
SECTION II. HEZEKIAJl'S ILLNESS, AND THE EMBASSY 01!' MEROD.lOB-BALADAN (OB. XX.XVIII., XXXIX.).