It, has been from that time forth and to this day observed as a nntional fast. It seemed to he the final revocation of the advantages of the Exodus. By this breach in their local-continuity a chasm was made in the history, which for good or evil was never filled up." Yes ; they who will go so near temptation will go into it, and be borne down by it to their sore hurt and harm.
v. The remedy recommended. Jeremiah urged them to return to their own land and stay there (ch. xlii. 8, etc.), promising them the blessing of God if they obeyed, and threatening his sore anger if they did not. This counsel ever wise. Get away from the border-land back into safety. Think of what will follow on yonr conduct — tlie blestiing or the curse. " Stay not in all the plain, but escape for thy life." As " the angels hastened Lot," so would we hasten all those who have foolishly and wrongly chosen to go too near temptation's edge. — 0.
Vers. 1 — 18. — A great erime and its eonteqiience. L A great obiue. The slaying of Gedaliah was accompanied by circumstances making it peculiarly atrocious. 1. The breach of good fellowship. There had been professions of amity before. Gedaliah shows by deed his confidence in Ishmael, sitting down with him at a common meal. 2. 2%e subsequent slaughter. The slaying of Gedaliah was not enough to serve the purpose. A man, once entered on the ways of crime, cannot say, " So far I will go, and no further." Ishmael had to go on killing to secure his own safety and mastery.
II. The ooksequence. The chief consequence was the departure to a point nearer to Egypt, to escape if possible the vengeance of the Chaldeans. One man sins and other people suffer. The great lesson is to stop crime in its beginnings. Ishmael gained none of the ends he seems to have had in view, and was this much the worse, that he had deep stains of murder on him. — Y.
EXPOSITION.
CHAPTER XLU
Jeremiah receives a request to inquire of God oonoeming the proposed emigration, and a " word of the Lord " follows.
Yer. 1. — Jezaniah the son of Eoshaiah. For " Jezaniah," the Septuagint has " Aza- riah," the name given in the Hebrew text of eh. xliii 2.
Ver. 2. — Said nnto Jeremiah the prophet Jeremiah, we have been already told, was one of the refugees at Mizpfih (ch. xl. 6), and oonsequently was forced into the train of bbmael (ch. xli. 16). Fray for ns. This petition has been accused of hypocrisy, but the prophecy of Jeremiah assumes through- out that it was made in earnest (ver. 20 proves nothing to the contrary). The "captains" never supposed it possible that Jeremiah could direct them to stay in Jndah ; the only question with them was as to the best direction for flight.
Ver. S, — A true and faitlifnl witness between ns ; rather, against lu. If they broke their promise, Jehovah wns to " wit- ness against" them by puriisliing them.
Ver. 7. — After ten days. Why this delny ? Eeil thinks it was for the sake of the people, who needed time to collect them- selves and listen calmly to the rcvcliitl^in. EzeMel once waited seven days (iii. 16); bat this was owing to his own distiirlicd
state of mind. The answer of the Iiord extends to ver. 18, the last four verses being an epilogue enfnrcing the Divine declara- tion. It consists of the promise (vers. 9—12) that, if the people will remain quietly in the land, they will be protected ; and of the threat (vers. 13—18) that, if they presume to migrate into Egypt, they will perish there by 8word,famine,and pestilence.
Ver. 10.— Build you, and not puU you down, etc. Some of JeremiRh's favourite phrases (see on ch. xxiv. 6). I repent me. And yet in 1 Sam. xv. 29 we read that "Israel's Trust ... is not a man that he should repent." The key to the discrepancy may be found in Ps. xviil. 25, 26, " With the pious thou showest thyself pious, . . and with the iroward thou showest thyself froward." Tliere is no change in the nature or purpose of God, but only in his conduct towards man. The term " repent " is, there- fore, only used analogically.
Ver. 12.— I will show mercies unto yon; rather, I will ■procure you mercy. And cause you to return to. As if the journey to Bethlehem were a virtual Exodus. But it is far more natural to read the consonants of the text in a slightly different manner, rendering, "and cause you to dwell in." So the Syriac, the Vulgate, and Aquila.
Ver. 15. —And now therefore. Omit " and ; " the van simply marks the apodosis of the two previous verses.
os.XLn.1— 2aj THE BOOK OF THE THOPHET JEliEMIAH.
in
Ver. 16.— The sword, which ya feared; rather, which ye fear. The calamities mentioued were precisely tliose of which the Jews were apprehensive in their own oonntiT. So afterwards, "whereof ye are afraid." Shall overtake you there. 'For » foithei explanation, see oh. xliii. 8—13.
Ver. 20. — For ye dissembled in yoni hearts ; ratlier, for ye have gone astray (Jroim the righi path) at the risk of your lives; or, anothir possible rendering, /or ye have led yourselves astray. Hypocrisy is ceitainly not the accusation which Jeremiah brings against the people.
HOMILETICS.
Vers. 1 — 6. — Talcing counsel with Ood. I. Teoublb drives men to fbatisii. In their trouble " all the peoiile, from the least even unto the greatest," sought help from God through the iirayers of Jeremiah. In deep distress there are common wants of humanity, which touch alike the ]irince and the peasant. Then one common cry will burst from all lips to the God of all flesh. The begjiar and the king in their agony utter the same moan, " My God ! " There was but " a remnant " of tlie Jews left in the land. All these united to seek counsel of God. United prayer is prevailing prayer. If we are few, the more reason we should be united, and the more reason that each of us should come forward and do his part. If a congregation is small, it can the less afford that any one member should be prayerless or idle.
II. In perplexity we should seek light from God. His Spirit is a Spirit of light. We have a right to expect guidance because we have Divine assurances of this (Ps. xxxii. 8). God will guide us, however, through om- own thinking, and not by audible voices, nor should we look for the direction in mystic inward inipressioas, the origin and character of which we cannot test. God has given us eyes, and he expects us to use them. Hi8 guidance is the purging of our vision, that we may see the better with our own organs of sight ; the rectifying and strengthening of our intelligence and conscience, tkat we may use these as right instruments for discerning truth.