The Pulpit Commentary — Zephaniah — Section 44

that vain ia the help of man, 11.nd that there are no devices of human power, or richeR, or wisdom, by which his hand can be escaped. It does not always need universal and a\l,eeping judgmenta to show this; and it is onr wisdom to learn the lessons even from single and Repamte manifestations of the power of God's wrath; or from the records nnd tbrcateninga of these old judgments and their lessons. 2. But this is only a negative motive; it shows us in what quarters we are not to turn-that we can find no help in man. But the prophet gives also positively a reason why we should seek the Lord, and that is because his judgments are sent with a view to mercy. This is pointed out both m regard to Judah (ver. 7) and in regard to the Gentiles (ver. 11); for not only is the captivity of Judah to be turned back, but all the isles of the heathen are to worship the Lord. Such is ever the de~ign of God's judgments against sin in this world. They are, indeed, expressions of his wrath and foretastes of his curse against sin, and as such they are fitted and intended to produce fear, and to lead men to bold their peace at the presence of the Lord God, and to humble themselves under his mighty hand. But the design of them never is simply to destroy. It may be needful ultimately, for the glory of the Lord, that the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and that the wicked be no more; and that utter destruction shall surely over- take the impenitent, when the Lord shall destroy the stumbling-blocks with the wicked, when "the Son of man ·shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire" (Matt. xiii. 41, 42). That is the doom solemnly denounced against the impenitent. But is not the very denunciation of it, stem as it is, an act of mercy? It is a warning graciously sent in time, lest that doom should come upon them unforetold and unexpected-a call to them to flee from the wrath to come, a signal of danger ahead, that may lead sinners to arrest their onward and downward course. Now, if the warning in words is thus manifestly merciful, so :i.lso are these foretastes of judgment that are but warnings in deed given when those in words have been disregarded. Had Israel listened to the words of the prophets, and turned from their evil ways, it might not have been necessary that God should send on them the judgment of the Captivity; but when they would not take warning from the solemn words of the Lord denouncing judgment, it was needful that they should be made to feel that these were not mere words, and be taught by actual inflictions in deed. But these were also sent in mercy, like the famine that came on the prodigal son in the far land to which he had wandered and wherein he wasted his substance in riotous living. Suffering may pierce the heart which the mere thre:i.t of suffering, however solemn and earnest, had failed to touch; and in that case the suffering, as well as the warning of it, has a gracious end. Even to the heathen nations, the judgment is with a view to mercy. Had Israel been faithful to their God and their calling, they would have been a kingdom of priests to spread the know ledge of the trne God and of his grace and mercy among the Gentile nations around. But since they would not do this willingly, in the way of faithfully walking in the covenant of their God, he shall bring it to pass that by the judgments they undergo they shall be the means of making known his way in the cnrtb, and his salvation among a.II nations. The heathen shall learn in the ruin or Israel to recognize the justice of the Lord, and the very nations that destroyed Israel shall be taught that the hand of God is on them too, and that they cannot escape his righteous judgments. "The Lord will be terrible to them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth." When be sent a grievous famine on the far country 'Where the prodigal was, this might lead some of the citizens of that country, as well as the prodigal himself, to see how vain and perishing was the abundance in which they h11d been trusting, and might constrain him to look to that father's houso, from which he had gone away; when the heathen mariners in the ship in which Jonah was fleeing from the Lord found that none of their gods could save them from the great storm sent by the Lord against bis disobedient servant, they cried to the Lord, and they" feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, RDd made vows." So when the heathen nations shall find that the judgments of God against his people for their sin come upon themselves also, and that none of their gods can save them, they too, says the prophet, "shall worship him, every one from bis place, even all the isles of the heathen." 'l'hus the judgment, even as r<'gards them, is with a view to mercy; and thio is the strong positive reason that all have to seek the Lord. Are you suffering  42 THE BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH. [ex, n. 1-16.