The Pulpit Commentary — Nahum — Section 10

ix. 8; xxxviii. 8, 11; Pe. xxix. 3; ]xv. 7; lxxiv. 15; Isa. xliv. 27; Ii. 10). Not the frc~hest o.nrl most vigorous, of which Basban, Carmel, and Lebanon are cited as examples -these languish and fade, their beauty decaying and their fruitfulness departing when he directs against them the fury of his wrathful power (ver. 4; cf. Ps. cvii. 34). Not the most Rolid and eto.ble, the mounto.ins, the hills, the earth, the world, all of which quake, melt, and burn at hi~ presence (ver. 5; cf. Ps. lxviii. 8; Micah i. 4; Isa. lxiv. 1). Not the most exalted and wise, the living creatures that dwell upon the surface of the globe, beo.sts and men, both of which are upheaved with terror before the mani- festations of Jehovah's power (Joel i. 18, 20; Hos. iv. 3; Ps. !xv. 8). APPLICATION. "Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger?" (ver. 6). Vere. 7, 8.-0onsolation in God, I. IN ms LOVE, "The Lord is good." I. Revealed in his Word. (1). Made known to Moses (Exod. xxxiii. 19; xxxiv. o); (2) proclainied by David (Ps. hi. 1; c. 5; cxix. 68); (3) announced by Jeremiah (Lam. iii. 25); (4) confirmed by Christ (Matt. xix. 17). 2. .Attested by his works. (1) In creation, God having made the earth to be an abode of happiness for innumerable myriads of creatures: "the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord" (Ps. xxxiii. 5). (2) In providence, by his being good unto all (Ps. cxlv. 9), and making all things work together for good to his people (Rom. viii. 28). (3) In grace, by the gift cf his Sou to be man's Redeemer (Rom. viii. 32; 2 Cor. ix. 15), and by the varions blessings of salvation he for Christ's sake bestows upon them-pardon, peace, adoption, holiness, light, strength, life, heaven. 3. Experienced by his saints. From the beginning of time downwards, good men have been partakers of, and delighted to bear testimony to, the goodness of God, saying, like David, "The Lord is my Shepherd," etc. (Ps. xxiii. 1); "He bath dealt bountifully with me" (Ps. xiii. 6); confessing, like Solomon, "There hath not failed one word of all his good promise" (1 Kings viii. 56); acknowledging, like Jacob, "He bath fed me all my life long unto this day" (Gen. xlviii. 15). 4. Illustrated by his Son. The highest, clearest, and fullest evidence that God is good was furnished by Jesus Christ, who was good in himself (John x. 11), and went about continually doing good (Acts x. 38). II. IN BIB POWER. "He is a Stronghold in the day of trouble." I. .Accessible. (1) To all troubled ones, amongst his believing people (Ps. xlvi. 1; Prov. xiv. 26; Isa. xxv. 4), and amongst mankind generally, if they care to avail themselves of it (Ps. xci. 9). (2) From every quarter of the globe, from every rank and condition of society. Jehovah the God, not of the Jew only, but also of the Gentile (Rom. iii. 29); not of the rich and learned and outwardly virtuous, to the exclusion of the poor, ignorant, and degraded, nor of these to the disadvantage of those-with him is no l'espect of persons (2 Chron. xix. 7; Rom. ii. 11; Eph. vi. 9; Col. iii. 25). (3) In every form of calamity-in the day of national adversity, such as bad often befallen Israel undivided (Exod. xiv. 10; Judg. vi. 1, 2; x. 9; 1 Sam. iv. 2), and Judah in separation (2 Chron. xiv. 9; xx. 1; xxxii. 1), and such as was soon to threaten the latter again, if not from the Assyrian, from the Babylonian power; in the day of domestic tribulation, such o.s overtook Job (i. 13-19), David (2 Sam. xv.-xviii.), Jacob (Gen. xiii. 36), Jairus (Matt. ix. 18), the centurion (Luke vii. 2), th~ widow or Nain (Luke vii. 12), the nobleman (John iv. 46), and the household of Bethany (John xi. 1); in the day of personal aflliction, which may be either spiritual like the distress which fell on David (Ps. xxxviii. 3), or material like that which overtook Lot (Gen. xix. 29), bodily like that which struck Hezekiah (Isa. xxxii. 1), or mental like that which crushed Jeremiah (ix. 1), occasional like that which happened to Manasseh (2 Chron. xxxiii. 12), or perpetual like that which was the lot of Pt1ul (2 Cor. iv. 10). 2. Impregnable. This inevitable, considering what kind of a fortress it is-Divine, and by what munitions it is guarded, the royal battalion of the Divine attributes, by Jehovah's omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, faithfulness, wisdom, holiness, love. Against this manifestly no weo.pon can prevail. "Mine omnipoteucy shall be your guard. I am God Almighty, your Almi'.;bty Protector, your Almighty Benefactor. What though your enemies are many? More are they that are with you than they that are against you; for I nl!: with you. What though they are mighty? they are not almighty,'' etc. (Alleine's • Heaven Opened,' pp. 256, 257). 3. Sitjficient. Every  THE BOOK OF NAHUM. fen. 1. 1-15.