i. 2, 3. _Hear, O heavens; and give ear, O earth: for the
Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children,
and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his
owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not
know, my people doth not consider._
+I. The unnaturalness of sin.+ The heavens and the earth obey the
laws to which they have been subjected; the very beasts are faithful
to their instincts; it is only man who falls in duty and goes astray.
+II. The baseness of ingratitude:+ as displayed--1. By man to man;[1]
2. By children to their parents;[2] 3. By men to their Heavenly
Father.[3] +III. The reasonableness of God's claim to their obedience
and love.+ 1. He is our Father.[4] 2. To all parental duties He has
been faithful. 3. He has been more than faithful; He has caused our
cup to run over with His lovingkindness.[5] +IV. Privilege is the
measure of responsibility and the aggravation of guilt.+ The point of
the condemnation in these verses does not lie in the contrast between
the conduct of animals and men, but in the contrast between the
conduct of animals and that of God's people. "_Israel_ doth not know,
_my people_ doth not consider!" This is the wonder and the
monstrosity. That privilege is the measure of responsibility and the
aggravation of guilt, is a very familiar truth; a truth often
forgotten; and yet absolutely certain and tremendously important
(Luke xii. 48; Heb. vi. 7, 8). What need _we_ have to lay it to heart!