The sudden cl11\nge of persons is quite in oompe.BBion 11pon us. The verb" turn 11ge.in," the prophet's sty le. joined with ,mother verb, often danotos the Vers. 18-20.-§ 8. The book endA tcith repetition of an aotion, ns in Job vii. 7; Hoe. xiv. 8, cto.; so here we may tre.nsln.te simply, a lyric ode in prai'.se of Gorl' B mercy and Jaith- "He will again he.ve compl\seion." lie will Ju/ne,ss. anbdne i. litere.lly, tread underfoot. Bin ia . Yer. 18.-ln ~iew of the many provoca- regarded os o. personnl enemy, which bJ tions and baoblidmgs of the people, Miet\h God's sovereign gmce will be entirely sub- is filled with wonder at the goodness and dued. So, according to ona interpretation, long-suffering of God. Wbo is a God like sin is personified (Gen. iv. 7; comp. Ps. lxv. unt.o thee ! The question seems to recall 8). Cast all their sins into the depths of the prophet's own nRme, which mce.us, the sea. Thou wilt blot out e.nd bnry com- " Who is like J ehove.h?" and the cle.use in pletely and for ever, as once thou di<let !\loses' song (Exod. xv. 11), "Who is like overwhelm the Egyptie.ns in the Red Se11 unto thee, 0 Lord, e.moug the gods?'' Such (Exod. xv. 1, 4, 10, 21). The mire.oulous <XJmparisons e.re made from the ste.ndpoint deliverance of the Israelites at the Exodus of the ne.tions who believe in the real exist- is a type of the grenter deliverance of the enoe of their fe.lse gods. That pardoneth true Israelites in Christ (Ps. ciii 12; l John iniquity (comp. Exod. xmv. 7; Numb. xiv. i. 7; comp. Isa.. xliii. 25). • 18). Passeth by the tra.nsgreBBion; Sep- Ver. 20.-Thou wilt perform (literally, tnagint, &Tr,pf3a.ivow d.1nf3,ia.s, "passing over give) the truth to J'aoob, and the mercy to iniquities;" Vulgate, tranmpcceaium. To Abraham. Je.cob and Abraham are men- pMs by, or pe.es over, is to forgive, as Amos tioned as the chiefs and represente.tives of vii. 8. There is probe.bly an allusion, as the chosen family; e.ud "the truth" (i.e. Jerome says, to the night of the Exodus. As God's fe.ithfulness to his promises) and the destroying e.ngel pnssed over the "mercy" e.re equally given to both, sepa- Israelites and destroyed them not, so God rately e.ssigned only for the sake of the spares his people, imputing not their parallelism. Knabenbe.uer compares snoh iniquities unto them. The remnant (eh. ii passages es Pa. cxiv. 1, "When Israel went 12; iv. 6, 7). The true Israel, which is forth out of Egypt, the house of Jo.cob from only a remnant (lse.. x. 21 ; Rom. ix. 27). a people of strange language" (Ps. ov. •6 ; lie reta.ineth not his ILJl.!rer for ever (Ps. Isa;, xli. 8 ; I.xiii 16, etc.). The geneml eiii 9). The word rendered " for ever" is meaning, therefore, is that God will perform transle.ted by Jerome ultra, and by the the promises me.de to the forefathers, as Septuagint ,ls µ.a.pT'1pwv, i.e. to testify the Luke i. 72, eto, Hast sworn, as in Gen, justice of his punishment. B:e delighteth xxii. 16, etc.; xxviii. 13, etc.; Deut. vii.12. in meroy. AJJ the Collect says, " 0 God, With the close of the ode Hengstenberg whose nature and property is always to have compares Rom. xi. 33-'-36. Thus the mercy and to forgive" (comp. Wied. xi. 24). checkered prophecy ends with the glow of Ver. 19.-B:e will tum again, and have faith a.nd happy hope.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-13.-The good in rlegenerate times. We are not to understand these verses as referring specially to the prophet himself. In eh. i. 8, 9 we _have his own lamenta- tion in view of the prevailing ungodliness; here " the speaker 1s not the prophet, but the true Israel, i.e. Israel withi..I;i Israel, personified" (Cheyne). Go~ bas never left himself without witnesses. Even in the most corrupt and degenerate times he has he.d a people to show forth his praise. It w~ so in the age to w~:ch th;is book ?f Scripture refers. Widespread though the depravity was, "a remnant contmued faithful, true. loyal to God and o?edient to hi:i will; and. Mi~ah here speaks si11;ply e.~ the mouth- piece of these, settrng forth thell' _sadness ~n view of the aboun~ing wickedness, ;vet withal their unshaken confidence rn the tnumph of truth e.nd nghteousness; whilst then, as the prophet of the Lord, he declared that this confidence should not. be ~is- appointed, but the victory anticipated be most surely won. Notice here, co~ceming the Church of God- I. Hirn BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT. (Vere. 1-6.) 1. The desire for spiritual excel- lence WIU ardently cherished. This aspiration of the good is here expressed figuratively. "My soul desired the first-ripe figs" (ver. 1). These were accounted the choicest and sweetest1 and were very refreshing and very welcome to the weary traveller, aud hence were choeen as the symbol of spiritual excellence. So elsewhere <lll, VII, 1-20,] THE BOOK OF MICAH. 111