XL There are no teabs which God cannot wipe away. The sufferer weeps " till the Lord louk down, and behold from heaven." But when God looks the tears will be dried. Belief comes from God. It comes in a look from God. It comes when heaven is open to the troubled soul. One look from heaven is enough. How is this 1 1. When God looks from heaven he manifests himself. He is always regarding us. But at times it seems to us that we are forgotten and deserted by him. Then again •re see that he is observing us. The newly manifested nearness of God is a consolation.
46 THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH. [ch. m. 1— 66,
2. When God looks lie shows compassion. We express compassion by the eye more than by the voice. The look of pity is its surest, gentlest, most touching ezpTession. Tliis is the look of God when he beholds distress. 3. When Q-od looks at the sufferer he sends help to him. God is not one who can contemplate suffering and then "pasi by on the other side." With him to see want is to aid it. It is therefore enough that God regards us. The rest must follow. 4. When God looks from heaven he draws the sufferer up to himself. He attracts by his wonderful look of loving-kindness. The ••evolation of heaven lifts the troubled spirit up to heaven. By communion with heaven earthly tears are wiped away.
Ver. 57. — " Fear not I " The recollection of how God has forbidden one not to fear in the past is a plea in praying that he will remove the ground of fear in the present.
I. Wb much need Divine encookagbments to overcome peab. 1. In real danger. It is not only the coward who fears. Indifference often gets the credit of courage. Many fear not simply because they are blind. To see would be to tremble. For the great powers of the universe, " the terror by night and the arrow that flieth by day," and the spiritual temptations that threaten our souls, are too strong for us. 2. In the threateniny aspect of the future. Heavy clouds will gather to windward. Storms are plainly brewing out at sea. Whether they will burst over our heads or not we cannot say. But the very uncertainty adds to ihe terror ; for fear feeds on vague alarms and may be conquered when the worst is known. 3. In the mystery of life. Even when w« see no threatening danger the awful unknown is peopled to our imagination with strange horrors. 4. In the fears of others. Nothing is so contagious as fear. Hence the madness of panics. It is hard to be brave among the timorous. 6. In hours of weakness. When we are weary courage flags. We can be brave at noon, but midnight awakens fear. Guilt is full of alarm.
II. We have many Divine bnijoubaobments to overcome fbab. 1. In directly urging us not to fear. He has said, " Fear not!" He will not mock with empty words.
2, Inpromises of help. The Scriptures teem with words of grace for troubled souls, as when they are bidden to cast their burden upon God because he will sustain them, to call upon him in the day of trouble and he will hear them, etc. By the veracity and honour of God we have enough assurance in any one of these promises to dispel fear.
3. In the fatherly character of God. If we had no instruction not to fear and no pronaise of help, we might still know enough of God to rest confident that all must be well when we are in his hands. The child fears nothing when nestling on its mother's boiom. Who shall fear that leans upon the bosom of God ? 4. In our personal rela- tions with Ood. Let it be noted that everybody under all circumstances is not to be urged to cast fears to the wind. The guilty should fear. The impenitent have no excuse for abandoning fear. They who are at enmity with God should dwell in great trembling. It is when reconciled through Christ, forgiven and restored to our home, that as redeemed souls we can shake off fear.
III. DlVI^E ASSURANCES AGAINST FEAR SHOULD INSPIRE OUR FBAYEBS FOE HELP I»
DANGER. We are to remember how God has bidden us not to fear. Here is a grand source of confidence when we cry for help. For it is the very Word of God that has led us to stand facing the storm. His action must be true to his Word. Nevertheless, we do need to pray for help in danger. God's promises are conditional. When he dissuades us from fear it is on the understanding that we seek refuge beneath the covert of his wings. To the storm-tossed soul he says, " Pear not 1 " but he expects that soul to welcome him as its Pilot. Then the storm will be weathered. God's assurance of safety is for those who turn to his protection. It is those who are " in Christ Jesus " fur whom there is no condemnation, and who therefore need fear nothing.
Vers. 59 — 66. — The great appeal. We can see the advantage to justice of appealing irum a lower to a higher court. Sometimes the process has to be repeated and the case tried again and again until the best attainable verdict is pot from the very highest tribunal. In the East, where justice was commonly neglected by indolence, outraged by violence, or prostituted by bribery, men felt strongly the value of an appeaL To ths believer in the supreme Judge it was a groat satisfaction that he couLl turn from the eorrupt and venal courts of human judicature to the high court of Heaven. It may
OH. m. 1—66.] THE LAMENTATIONS OP JEREMUH. 47
aften be a relief to make this appeal. For absolate justice between man and man is rarely obtained. Three things are wanted to make the result satisfaotoiy— -clear evidence, a just verdict, and a firm execution of the sentence.
L Cleab evidence. It is difficult to make one's condition rightly apprehended by men. Frequently there are facts that cannot be explained, or the whole transaction stands on a different ground from what people imagine, or its features are warped by the atmosphere of prejudice through which it is regarded. But God sees clearly and knows all. "Thou God seest me" is the comforting reflection of the vexed soul. " Thou hast seen my wrong," " Thou hast seen all," is the first consolation. But for this assurance to give comfort it is necessary that our cause should be just. God sees truly both the merit and the fault. It is useless to appeal to God with a bad case. There is no deceiving him. Let us see that our cause is always one which we can refer to the thorough investigation of the all-seeing God.