Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 4.djvu/77

Rh persons, home to himself, divine grace will be victorious over all opposition. At the presence of the Lord, the sea shall flee, and Jordan be driven back: and those who set their faces heaven-ward will find there are not such difficulties in the way as they thought there were, for there is a highway thither, ch. xxxv. 8.

CHAP. XII.

The salvation promised in the foregoing chapter was compared to that of Israel, in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt; so that chapter ends. Now as Moses and the children of Israel sang a song of praise, to the glory of God, (Exod. xv. 1.) so shall the people of God do in that day, when the Root of Jesse shall stand for an Ensign of the people, and shall be the Desire and Joy of all nations. In that day, I. Every particular believer shall sing a song of praise for his own interest in that salvation; (v. 1..3.) Thou shalt say, Lord, I will praise thee: thanksgiving-work shall be closet-work. II. Many in concert shall join in praising God for the common benefit arising from this salvation; (v. 4..6.) Ye shall say, praise ye the Lord: thanksgiving- work shall be congregation-work; and the praises of God shall be publicly sung in the congregations of the upright.

ND in that day thou shalt say, O, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

This is the former part of the hymn of praise which is prepared for the use of the church; of the Jewish cnurch, when God would work great deliverances for them, and of the Christian church-church, - as per 1811 London edition [sic] when the kingdom of the Messiah should be set up in the world, in despite of the opposition of the powers of darkness; In that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee. The scattered church, being united into one body, shall, as one man, with one mind and one mouth, thus praise God, who is one, and his name one. In that day, when the Lord shall do these great things for thee, thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee. That is,

I. "Thou shalt have cause to say so." The promise is sure, and the blessings contained in it are very rich, and, when they are bestowed, will furnish the church with abundant matter for rejoicing, and therefore with abundant matter for thanksgiving. The Old Testament prophecies of gospel-times are often expressed by the joy and praise that shall then be excited; for the inestimable benefits we enjoy by Jesus Christ, require the most elevated and enlarged thanksgivings.

II. "Thou shalt have a heart to say so." All God's other gifts to his people shall be crowned with this; he will give them grace to ascribe all the glory of them to him, and to speak of them upon all occasions, with thankfulness to his praise. Thou shalt say, thou oughtest to say so. In that day, when many are brought home to Jesus Christ, and flock to him as doves to their windows, instead of envying the kind reception they find with Christ, as the Jews grudged the favour shown to the Gentiles, thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee. Note, We ought to rejoice in, and give thanks for, the grace of God to others as well as to ourselves.

1. Believers are here taught to give thanks to God for the turning away of his displeasure from them, and the return of his favour to them; (v. 1.) O Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast angry with me. Note, Even God's frowns must not put us out of tune for praising him; though he be angry with us, though he slay us, yet we must put our trust in him, and give him thanks. God has often just cause to be angry with us, but we have never any reason to be angry with him, nor to speak otherwise than well of him; even when he blames us, we must praise him. Thou wast angry with us, but thine anger is turned away. Note, (1.) God is sometimes angry with his own people, and the fruits of his anger do appear: they ought to take notice of it, that they may humble themselves under his mighty hand. (2.) Though God may for a time be angry with his people, yet his anger shall, at length, be turned away; it endures but for a moment, nor will he contend for ever. By Jesus Christ, the Root of Jesse, God's anger against mankind was turned away, for he is our Peace. (3.) Those whom God is reconciled to, he comforts: even the turning away of his anger is a comfort to them; yet that is not all, they that are at peace with God, may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, Rom. v. 1, 2. Nay, God sometimes brings his people into a wilderness, that there he may speak comfortably to them, Hosea ii. 14. (4.) The turning away of God's anger, and the return of his comforts to us, ought to be the matter of our joyful, thankful praises.

2. They are taught to triumph in God, and their interest in him; (v. 2.) "Behold, and wonder; God is my salvation; not only my Saviour, by whom I am saved, but my Salvation, in whom I am safe. I depend upon him as my Salvation, for I have found him to be so. He shall have the glory of all the salvations that have been wrought for me, and from him only will I expect the salvations I further need, and not from hills and mountains: and if God be my Salvation, if he undertake my eternal salvation, I will trust in him to prepare me for it, and preserve me to it. I will trust him with my temporal concerns, not doubting but he will make all to work for my good. I will be confident, I will be always easy in my own mind." Note, Those that have God for their Salvation, may enjoy themselves with a holy security and serenity of mind; let faith in God, as our Salvation, be effectual. (1.) To silence our fears; we must trust, and not be afraid; not be afraid that the God we trust in will fail us; no, there is no danger of that; not be afraid of any creature, though ever so formidable and threatening. Note, Faith in God is a sovereign remedy against disquieting, tormenting fears. (2.) To support our hopes. Is the Lord Jehovah our Salvation? Then he will be our Strength and Song. We have work to do and temptations to resist, we may depend upon him to enable us for both; to strengthen us with all might by his Spirit in the inner man, for he is our strength; his grace is so, and that grace shall be sufficient for us. We have many troubles to undergo, and must expect griefs in a vale of tears; and we may depend upon him to comfort us in all our tribulations, for he is our Song, he giveth songs in the night. If we make God our strength, and put our confidence in him, he will be our strength; if we make him our Song, and place our comfort in him, he will be our Song. Many good Christians have God for their Strength, who have him not for their Song; they walk in darkness, but light is sown for them : and they that have God for their Strength, ought to make him their Song, that is, to give him the glory of it, (see Ps. lxviii. 35.) and to take to themselves the comfort of it, for he will become their Salvation. Observe the title here given to God, Jah, Jehovah; Jah is the contraction of Jehovah, and both signify his eternity and unchangeableness; which