exclaim, as he bas passed from page to page, "This is the Lord's doing, and it is mar- vellous in our eyes"? We say," thoughtful student;" for it is only manifeRt to the spiritually thoughtful. 'l'he hearts of others are so thickly veiled with depravity and wickedness that they see him not; they neither recognize his hand nor hear his voice. 4, He worlcs terribly amongst men. "And his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south." "Like the lightning will his arrow go forth,and the Lord Jehovah will blow the trumpets, and will pass along in storms of the south" (Keil). "ls there evil in the city, and the Lord bath not done it?" (Amos iii. 6)---done it by permission? He is in the crashings of conflagrating cities, in the booming thunders of contending armies, in the wild whirl- winds of battling kingdoms; with him there is" terrible majesty" as he proceeds on his march in human history. II. GOD WORKS AMONGST THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH IN THE INTERESTS OF HIS PEOPLE. 1. He works for their defence. "The Lord of hosts shall defend tbem;" or, "shelter them." He guards his saints; they are as the apple of hrs eye; he is their Shield and Defence. 2. He works for their victl/T'y. "They shall devour, and subdue with sling-stones," etc. "Jehovah of hosts shall protect them, and they shall devour and tread down the sling-stones, they shall drink, they Rhall be noisy, a3 those who drink wine; they shall be full as the bowl, as the corners of the altar" (Henderson). The idea is their complete triumph over their enemies. Hengstenberg observes that there is not the least indication that a spiritual conflict is intended. Quite true, but a spiritual conflict it may illustrate, and its victory too. In such a conflict we are all engaged, and God bas promised, if we are faithful, to make us more than conquerors. 3. He works for their salvation. "And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people." They shall be restored to the fold and guarded by Jehovah as their Shepherd. God works for the entire salvation of his people-salvation from all evil, salvation to all good. 4. He works for their glory. "They shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land;" or, as Hengstenberg renders it, "For crowned jewels shall they be rising up upon his land." There is true glory awaiting the good. There is a crown of glory laid up in heaven, etc. 5. He works for .their perfection. " For how great is its goodness, and how great is its beauty I Com shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids." We accept the render- ing of Keil here, which is not only faithful to the original, but in harmony with the context. The prophet is speaking of the high privileges of God's people, and not of the excellences of the Supreme. It is an exclamation of admiration of the high privileges of the godly. , CoNoLUSION. As much of the writings of this prophet admit of so many interpre- tations, and are perhaps impossible fully to understand, we have thought, not only the mo:1t useful, but the safest way of treatment to be the employment of statements and phrases to illustrate those spiritual realities which are important to man in all times and places. It is true that God works amongst men, and it is true that he works amongst men in the interests of those who love and serve him. May we be of that number, and thus realize in our experience the fact that "all things work tog~ther for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpo,e" 1-D. T.
EXPOSITION. conntrymen. They must put their trust in OHAPTER X. God nlone for the supply of temporal as Vers. 1, 2.-§ 4. A connecting link well as spiritnal bounties. The latter rain between the last section and the next. The wns due at the time of the vernal equinox, DOndition for obtaining the promised blessings and was necessa.rv in order to swell ti! e 0
is that they are to be sought from the Lord, maturing grain (c omp. Deut. xi. H). 'l'he early rain occurred at the auturnnnl equinox. notfrom idols. It was considered as a special ma.uifeotation Ver. ].-Ask ye of the Lord rain. The of God's providential care that these promise of abundance at the end ot' the last periodical rains were received (see Isa. m. chapter suggests to the prophet to make a 23; Jer. v. 24; Joel ii. 23). So the Lord special applicotion to the prnctice of his shall make b1·ight clouds ; rnlhcr, Jehovah 106 THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. [oR. X, 1-12,