The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 325

withstood prepares for withstanding the greater when it comes; and the overleapine1 of the frail barriers that now may oppose our self-surrender to Christ ensures that nothin" at any future time shall be able to keep us back from him, nothing shall "separate u~ from the love of Christ."-C. Vers. 7-13.-Tlie hiding of God'sf<ffiJ. Here is a most terrible condition of things set forth. It may be taken as telling of the calamities which ensue when God hides his face from his people. It is terrible every way. Because- I. OF HUI BY WHOM HIS FACE IB wnDEN. It is God. We feel such conduct from our fellow-men according to our estimate or the person who manifests it. Now, all these facts which make the hiding of his face grievous to us meet in God-righteous- ness, goodness, wisdom, power. Were he devoid of these, could we question the existence of any of them in him, we could bear with more equanimity his hiding his face from us. II. OF THOSE FROM WHOM HIS FACE IS RIDDEN. Had they been enemies all along, it would have been taken as a matter of course; that he should have regarded them with favour would never have been expected. Or had they been strangers and aliens to him, then, too, his favour would not have been looked for. Or had that favour never been known or enjoyed, then its absence would not have been fch, nothing that they had been accustomed to would have been missed. But the reverse of all this is the truth. They had been counted by him as friends, as dear children, as precious in his sight; and he had been wont to cause his face to shine upon them. See the endearing epithets by which he describes them. He had counted them as" the dearly beloved of his soul" (vcr. 7), "his portion," "his pleasant portion," etc. (vers. 8-10). How dark, there- fore,.must be the frown of God to such! how intolerable to them his displeasure! III. OF THAT WHICH ACCOMPANIED THE JIIDINO OF RIB FACE. There is withdrawal: 1. From the sanctuary. "I have forsaken mine house." The customary services went on, but the glow, the unction, the power of them had departed. 'l'he place where his honour dwelt, the dearly beloved of his soul, was forsaken by him. 2. From the people. His heritage was no longer pleasant to him; he delighted not to dwell amongst them. All that joy, strength, prosperity, which belonged to them when God was amongst them had departed. 3. From the land. "The whole land is made desolate." In the outward circumstances and surroundings of the people the effect of God's hi<liug his face from them became terribly manifest. And there has come a terrible revulsion of feeling on the part of God towards them (see vers. 8, 9). And not only his mind, but his hand, his providence, is awfully changed towards them. Ho calls on their enemies to come (ver. 9). And they come (ver. 12). .And the ruin is complete: "The sword of tho Lord shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other" (ver. 12). All their own plans-their sowing of wheat (ver. 13)-for their own good are miserably defeated, they "reap thorns." Thus the inward displeasure of God manifests itself oftentirues in the outward circumstances of a man or nation. IV. OF TIIAT ON ACCOUNT OF WHICII Gon's FACE IS HIDDEN. It was" because no ruan layeth it to heart" (vcr. 11). The lessor juogments or God, his repeated warnings, had becu disregarde<l-hearing they heard not, seeing they saw not; and hence all this. Had tho cause of their woe bceu their misfortune, the result of mistake, or ignorance, or lack of timely couusel, then there would hnve been somu element of consolation amid all they had to sulfor. But to add to their distress was the ever-present reflection, "It was all our own fault; we brought it all ou ourselves." \Yith what intense hatre<l, therefore, should wo look upon all that grieves the Spirit of God! and with what earnest haste should we endeavour to return unto God, if we have wandered from him I These miseries which beset those from whom God hides his face are his lovh)!; scourgings whereby we ma.y be le,! to say, 11 I will arise and go to my b'ather, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned," etc.-C. Ver. 9.-The speckled bird. A great preacher relates the following incident :-He says, 11 I had during my early mini~~ry to preach _one_ Gvening at a neighbouring villa~e, to which I bad to walk. After rendmg and mcd1to.t1ug l\ll lhy, I could not meet with the ri"ht text. Do what I would, no response ea.me from the sacred oracle, no li~ht flashed from the Urim and 'l'hummim. I prayed, I meditated, I turned from one verse 82G THE BOOK OF 'l'llE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [cu. xu. 1-17.