i. 28-31. _They that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
For they[1] shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye[1] have
desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye
have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth,
and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be
as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both
burn together, and none shall quench them._
In modern days, when men "forsake the Lord," they become simply
irreligious--practical atheists; but in ancient times such men became
idolaters, they became worshippers of idols set up under the "oaks"
planted on the hilltops, or in gardens.[2] It is almost impossible
for us to understand the fascination of idol-worship, but it was very
powerful, and the idols were made objects of passionate trust. They
were regarded as the strength of those who served them. Trusting in
their protection their votaries went forth confidently to battle.
Defeat did not dispel this delusion; it was interpreted to mean
merely that the god of the victors was mightier than the god of the
vanquished. To men glorying in their protection, the prophet predicts
utter destruction. You shall be consumed, he says; the day is at hand
when ye shall be caused to blush for your gods; you yourselves shall
be withered oaks, and gardens without water; yea, your idols, and ye
who have made them, for they are but things, the work of your hands,
shall be burned together in unquenchable fire.[3] The theme of these
verses is therefore _the doom of the apostates, and the objects of
their trust._
+I. Idolatry is still the sin of our race.+ It is not confined to
"heathen" lands. There is no need in this land for a proclamation of
the first commandment. For what is idolatry in the essence? It is
loving and trusting some being or thing more than God. Every man's
god is what he lives for. Hence the declaration that "covetousness is
idolatry;" it is _one_ form of the widespread sin. +II. The
confidence of men in their idols is still limitless and exultant.+
Every idolater is persuaded that that which he lives for is worth
living for; this is the conviction of the miser, the ambitious man,
&c. +III. The time is at hand when the falsity of this confidence
shall be exposed.+ There are coming upon those who cherish it
calamities amid which they will seek in vain for comfort from their
"idols." How often this is verified in daily life! In the withered,
desolate condition of those who have forsaken the Lord how awfully is
their folly demonstrated! +IV. Yea, there is a day appointed in which
all idolaters and their idols shall be consumed together.+ In the day
of judgment the worshippers of Dagon, of Astarte, of Baal, and of
Brahm will not be the only persons on whom utter destruction shall
come: those who have made gold their confidence, &c., shall be burned
up, together with their "gods." The objects of their trust shall be
as powerless as is "tow" to resist flame, and they themselves shall
be but as "sparks," swept away by the blast of the Divine indignation.
_Application._--1. The day of judgment is a great reality; it is no
mere dream of theologians, it is A TREMENDOUS FACT with which we
shall soon be brought face to face. 2. This fact should govern us in
selecting the object of our supreme love and trust. 3. It should
prevent us from envying those who have forsaken the Lord, because of
the temporary prosperity in which they are rejoicing.[4] 4. It should
make us earnest in our endeavours to reclaim them from their apostacy
while the day of Divine long-suffering and mercy still continues.