he desolation of the land. (1-12) A few shall be preserved.
(13-15) God's kingdom advanced by his judgments. (16-23)
Verses 1-12: All whose treasures and happiness are laid up on earth,
will soon be brought to want and misery. It is good to apply to
ourselves what the Scripture says of the vanity and vexation of
spirit which attend all things here below. Sin has turned the
earth upside down; the earth is become quite different to man,
from what it was when God first made it to be his habitation. It
is, at the best, like a flower, which withers in the hands of
those that please themselves with it, and lay it in their
bosoms. The world we live in is a world of disappointment, a
vale of tears; the children of men in it are but of few days,
and full of trouble, See the power of God's curse, how it makes
all empty, and lays waste all ranks and conditions. Sin brings
these calamities upon the earth; it is polluted by the sins of
men, therefore it is made desolate by God's judgments. Carnal
joy will soon be at end, and the end of it is heaviness. God has
many ways to imbitter wine and strong drink to those who love
them; distemper of body, anguish of mind, and the ruin of the
estate, will make strong drink bitter, and the delights of sense
tasteless. Let men learn to mourn for sin, and rejoice in God;
then no man, no event, can take their joy from them.
Verses 13-15: There shall be a remnant preserved from the general ruin,
and it shall be a devout and pious remnant. These few are
dispersed; like the gleanings of the olive tree, hid under the
leaves. The Lord knows those that are his; the world does not.
When the mirth of carnal worldlings ceases, the joy of the
saints is as lively as ever, because the covenant of grace, the
fountain of their comforts, and the foundation of their hopes,
never fails. Those who rejoice in the Lord can rejoice in
tribulation, and by faith may triumph when all about them are in
tears. They encourage their fellow-sufferers to do likewise,
even those who are in the furnace of affliction. Or, in the
valleys, low, dark, miry places. In every fire, even the
hottest, in every place, even the remotest, let us keep up our
good thoughts of God. If none of these trials move us, then we
glorify the Lord in the fires.
Verses 16-23: Believers may be driven into the uttermost parts of the
earth; but they are singing, not sighing. Here is terror to
sinners; the prophet laments the miseries he saw breaking in
like a torrent; and the small number of believers. He foresees
that sin would abound. The meaning is plain, that evil pursues
sinners. Unsteady, uncertain are all these things. Worldly men
think to dwell in the earth as in a palace, as in a castle; but
it shall be removed like a cottage, like a lodge put up for the
night. It shall fall and not rise again; but there shall be new
heavens and a new earth, in which shall dwell nothing but
righteousness. Sin is a burden to the whole creation; it is a
heavy burden, under which it groans now, and will sink at last.
The high ones, that are puffed up with their grandeur, that
think themselves out of the reach of danger, God will visit for
their pride and cruelty. Let us judge nothing before the time,
though some shall be visited. None in this world should be
secure, though their condition be ever so prosperous; nor need
any despair, though their condition be ever so deplorable. God
will be glorified in all this. But the mystery of Providence is
not yet finished. The ruin of the Redeemer's enemies must make
way for his kingdom, and then the Sun of Righteousness will
appear in full glory. Happy are those who take warning by the
sentence against others; every impenitent sinner will sink under
his transgression, and rise no more, while believers enjoy
everlasting bliss.
he desolation of the land. (1-12) A few shall be preserved.
(13-15) God's kingdom advanced by his judgments. (16-23)