n. The kbbd foe asking why they abb swept away. 1. Because of tJieir magnifi- cent appearance. They look strong, and according to a certain standard they are strong. This Egypiian army had been gathered together to do a certain work. It was known that they liad to meet no common and easily conquered foe. Therefore there were strong men on strong horses, with powerful weapons and well defended. Yet after all this preparation there came, not merely defeat, but what is called a sweeping away. Assuredly this wants explaining. 2. 'Beca.nse o! past victories. We cannot suppose they were an untried host. If they had won battles and campaigns before, why did they lose this ? And why were they so utterly and lastingly defeated ? 3. Because there is DO obvious explanation. It is not to be looked for in the strength of their human opponents. It is not to be found in some difiference between what they were in the hour of confusion and what they had been in previous hours of victory. There is no ground to say they were less brave, less disciplined, worse commanded. The reason for this sweeping away, whatever it be, passes ordinary human search.
III. The sufficient reason is found in the action of Jehovah. Jehovah drove them. All forces that find expression in matter are completely at God's disposal. He can paralyze the mightiest army in a moment. The mighty man is not to glory in his might (ch. ix. 23). True it is that God lets the strong man do generally all his strength permits him to do. The success military men look for is on the side of the strongest battalions. But then all strength of this sort fails against spiritual strength. Not all the armies of Eome and not all the wild beasts of the amphitheatre could persuade a single true Christian to forsake Christ. The strength of this world achieves great things in its own field, but directly it goes beyond and tries to interfere with conscience and spiritual aspiratjons, its weakness is made manifest. — Y.
Vers. 27, 28. — Ood's care of his own. I. The need op the fullest posbiblb asbur- ANCB. Jehovah, who has visited Israel with many and great sufferings, will also visit other peoples. Egypt is spoken of in this chapter ; and Philistia, Moab Ammon, and Habylon in following chapters. Hence the need of Divine words such as would keep tlie believing element in Israel calm and confident through all these disturbances, and HO it ever is meant to be with the true Israel of God. God ia ready with comfortino words amid the necessary turmoil of external conditions.
II. The solid orounds of this assurance. They lie in Jehovah's continued con- nection with Israel, and his purposes for its safety, peace, and prosperity. We have no assurance in ourselves or our circumstances, but the moment we can feel that we are in God's hands, that he has plans with respect to us, and a future preparing for us, then assurance is possible. God never tells man to take courage and put away fear without giving good reason for the exhortation, and showing that fear is rather the unreasonable feeling to allow. The moment we can take in the full force of that wonderful word, " I am with thee," then we are freed from alarms and from dependence on the shifting phenomena of this present life.
III. Tl'B DIFFKRRNIE GoD WILL MAKE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND OTHER NATIONS. A
OH. XLVU. 1— 7 ] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH.
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full end is to be made of them. And a full end has been made of them. Here, of course, the (iistinction must be borne in mind between nations and the individuals composing them. A nation is but a cert.iin arrangement of human beings, and this arrangement may be productive of such wrong feelings and such danger to the world as to make it fitting that the naiion should cease. But the people composing the nation remain, and their descend. mts pass into new and butter combinations. So with regard to Israel ; the people who are to return and be in rest and without fear, the people who are not to be made a full end of, are those of whom literal Israel is but the type. There are really but two nations in the world — those who believe in God and in his Son, and show their faith by their works; and those who trust in themselves, in their power and their purposes. Of all these latter God must make a full end, if in no other way by bringmg them to see their folly, so that they may turn to the ways of faith.
IV. Jehovah's chastisement of his own even while he protects them. There is a purpose in all suflfering, a real need for it. Mi n seem to be mixed up indis- criminately, and suffering looks as if it often fell irrespective of character, but this is only a seeming. The suffering of Israel, though it may look the same outwardly, is really as different as possible from the suffering of Egypt. There is a fire which ends in the destruction of what passes through it. It must be so, lor the thing is destructible and shows its nature when the fire tries it. 'I'he same fire attacking indestructible things only separates destructible accr. tions from them, and consumes these accreti ins away. God's intcntioa is that the believer may be able to say, " I cannot be destroyed in this furnace of trials ; I cannot go to pieces as others do. But still I must remain in it for a while ; I must submit to God's wise ordinances so that at last I may return to my true rest and tear no more for ever." — Y,
EXPOSITION.
CHAPTER XLVn.
Pbophect ok the Philistines.
It is clear from the contents of the prophecy (and the inference is thoroughly confirmed by its position) that it was written after the battle of Carohemish, with reference to the dreaded northern foe — Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. The prophecy against Egypt precedes, because Egypt was by far the most important of the nations threatened by the advance of Nebuchadnezzar. But chronologically and geographically, it ought rather to have been placed at the end of the series, for Palestine had to be conquered before a design upon Egypt could have a reasonable chance of success. The com- mentators have given themselves much anuecessary trouble with the heading in ver. 1, which assigns the date of the prophecy to a period prior (as it would seem) to the battle of Ciarchemish. They forget that the heading* are not to be received without critioism as historical evidence for the date of the prophecies. Knowing, as we do, that the prophecies were edited, not only by the disciples of the prophets, but by students of the Scriptures long after their time, it is