Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey?
Retribution
I. Retribution springs out of the nature of things. Poiset, in his travels, states that the lion has two different modes of hunting his prey. When not very hungry he contents himself with watching behind a bush for the animal which is the object of his attack till it approaches; when by a sudden leap he attacks it, and seldom misses his aim. But if he is famished he does not proceed so quietly; but impatient and full of rage, he leaves his den, and fills with his terrific roar the echoing forest. His voice inspires all beings with terror, no creature deems itself safe in its retreat; all flee they know not whither, and by this means some fall into his fangs. The naturalness of punishment is perhaps the prophet’s point. It is so with moral retribution. It springs from the constitution of things, Every sin carries with it its own penalty. No positive infliction is required; God has only to leave the sinner alone, and his sins will find him out.
II. Retribution is not accidental, but arranged. The bird is not taken in a snare by chance. The fowler has been there, and made preparation for its entanglement and ruin. Every sinner is a bird that must be caught.
III. Retribution always sounds a timely alarm. Heaven does not punish without warnings. Nature warns. Providence warns. Conscience warns.
IV. Retribution, however it comes, is always Divine. God is in all. He has established the connection between sin and suffering. He has planned and laid the snare. The everlasting destruction with which the sinner is punished comes from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power. ( Homilist.)