The Pulpit Commentary — Micah — Section 84

ns "clow." Silent in its fall, beautiful in it~ apr,carance, refreshing in its influence. ·Three things aro suggested concerning this" dew.' 1. It is Divine. It is "from the Lord." All that is quickening and rcfroshing in the thoughtd, spirits, character of good men on this earth descends from heaven. "Every good a.nd perfect gift cometh down from the F1Lther of li~hts," etc. (Jae. i. 17). 2. lt,is copiOWJ. "As the showers upon the grass." 'l'here nave been sea.sons when those spiritual influences have descended on mon with plenitude and power, such as on the Da.y of Pentecost. Would it were so now I '!'he moral heavens seem, 11las I closed, and only a few drops fall here 1Lnd there. 3. It is undeserved of men. "'!'hat tarrieth not for ma.n, nor wa.iteth for the sons of men." Man has something to do in bringing down those moral showers. Though he is powerless to unsenl the natural clouds and bring down the ra.in, these moral showers do not descend altogether independent of his efforts. Good men in this world are to their generation what the geutle dew and the fertilizing shower are to the thirsty earth. Their speech distils as dew and their influence descends on the souls of men like rain upon the new-mown grass. II. THE TERRIBLE ASPECT OF Goo's PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. The same men as are represented under the metaphor of dew are here spoken of as a "lion." Bold, terrible, and destructive. Elijah was a lion in his age, so was John the Baptist, so was Luther, so was Latimer, etc. Indeed, every good man has these two aspects, the tender and the terrible-gentle, symp!Lthetic, succouring towards the weak in goodness, but strong iu indignation towards wrong wherever found. Christ, the great Model, who did not ,. cause his voice to be heard in the street," hurled his fulminations on the ears of hypocrites. In truth, love-which is the essence of all goodness-is constantly taking these two forms. The same love which whispers in the softest tones of pity, often comes out in the fiercest thunder and lightning: no wrath is so terrible a.a the wrath of love. Every good man is like the pillar that guided the children of Israel through the wilderness; it gleamed a guiding light to the Hebrews through the sea., but threw a shadow of confounding darkness to the Egyptians who assayed to follow. CoNOLO'BION. This subject suggests: 1. .A picture of the unregenll1'ate wOTld. Them are some germs of goodness in its soil that require the fertilizing influence of Heaven to quicken and develop; and there are some things in it so pernicious and baneful that it requires all the courage, force, and passion of moral lions to destroy. 2. .A picture of the completeness of mo1'al charactlfl'. A complete character is not all "dew" or all •• lion," but both combined.-D. T. Vers. 10-16,-God's depriving dispensation towards men. "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds." " The prophet now returns to times near his own, and predicts the beneficial moral changes that were to be effected in the condition of his countrymen by the Babylonish conquest and captivity. They had, contrary to the ,express command of the Lord (Deut. xvii. 16), kept up a formidable body of cavalry and war-chariots, trusted in their fortified cities, encouraged sorcery, and indulged in abominable idolatry, These were all to be removed when the Jewish state was broken up; and after God had employed tho heathen in punishing his apostate people, they in their turn should be punished for their obstinate adherence to idol-worship, notwith- atanding the testimony borne against their conduct by the Jews who lived among them." The grand subject of these words is God's depriving dispensation towards rnen. Here the Almighty is represented as taking away from Israel many things they greatly valued-" horses, chariots, cities, soothsayers, witchcrafts, graven ima.,es, groves," etc. God's providence deprives as well as bestows. "The Lord gave, thti Lord hath ta.ken away." He is constantly taking away from men. In relation to his depriving dispensations I offer two remarks. I. THEY ARE VERY PAINFUL. The things here referred to were the dearest thin«s to the hearts of Israel. '£hey loved them, they trusted in them, and they would re:1 lil'o to be perilous, if not intolerable, without them; yet they were to be taken awa.y. 'l'he things he takes away are of two classes. 1. The temporally valuabl". Here chlLriots and horses aud citios aro fa.ken away. These are valuable. ·whatever i,; • -dearest to the heart-property, friends, health, fome-is tho most painful to lose. Aull  THE BOOK OF MICAII, [ell. VI. 1-1(1•