Asshur shall not save us.
Giving up our vain confidences
It is a great point of wisdom to take advantages with the stream of our temper to praise God. It is one branch of redeeming the time, to observe what state and temper of soul we are in, and to take advantage from thence. Add some encouragements to incite us to praise God. We honor God by it. It is a gainful trading with God. It is a most noble act of religion. We have more cause to praise God than to pray; having many things to praise Him for, which we never prayed for. Praise being a larger sacrifice than prayer, we ought to be abundant in it. If we be much in praising God, we shall be much in joy, which easeth misery. How shall we know that God accepts these sacrifices of praise? Under the old law God witnessed by fire from heaven. If we find our hearts warmed, cheered, and encouraged with joy, peace, and comfort in praising God, this is as it were a witness by fire from heaven, that our sacrifices are accepted. Here is also a promise of new obedience, which hath two branches.
1. A renunciation of the ill courses they took before. “Asshur shall not save us.” The people of God, in any distress, had recourse for help to the Assyrians or the Egyptians, as if God had not been sufficient to be their rock and shield.
Learn--
1. That man naturally is prone to put confidence in the creature.
2. That the creature is insufficient and unable to yield us this prop to uphold our confidence.
3. That God’s people when they are endowed with light supernatural, to discern and be convinced hereof, are of that mind to say, “Asshur shall not save us.” As a preparative for the treatment of these points, notice that reformation of life must be joined with prayer and praise; and that true repentance is of the particular sin which we are most addicted to and most guilty of. The particular sin of this people was their confidence in Assyria, horses, and idols. Naturally we are apt and prone to confidence in outward helps and present things. Because having lost communion with God, somewhat we must have to stay the soul. Because Satan joins with our sense and fancy, by which we are naturally prone to live, esteeming of things not by faith and by deeper grounds, but by fancy. These outward things cannot help us, and so are not to be relied on. “Asshur shall not save us.” He is but a creature. He is an enemy. He is an idolater. “A horse is a vain thing for safety.” When God alters and changes and moulds anew the heart of a man to repentance, He altereth his confidence in the creature. “In Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.” When a man hath once repented, there is a closing between God and him, and he seeth an all-sufficiency in God to satisfy all his desires. Therefore he will use all other things as helps, and as far as it may stand with His favour. How shall we know whether we exceed in confidence in the creature, or not? We may know it by adventuring on ill courses and causes. When there is such confidence in the creature, as for us to outdare God, then there is too much trust in the creature; and that trust will end in confusion. By security and resting the soul in meaner things; never seeking to Divine and religious helps, when we are supplied with those that are outward. Let us take heed of carnal confidence. All is but vanity. Things do not yield that which we expect they should yield. There is a falsehood in the things; they promise this and that in shows, but when we possess them they yield it not; as they have no strength in deed, so they deceive. Then there is mutability in them. And they are snares and baits to us, to draw us away from God, by reason of the vanity of our nature. Let this be the end of all, touching this carnal confidence, to beware that we do not fasten our affections too much upon any earthly thing, at home or abroad, within or without ourselves: for “God will destroy the wisdom of the wise.” Let us use all outward helps, yet so as to rely upon God for His blessing in the use of all. (R. Sibbes, D. D.)
Penitence
We have here the true portrait of real penitents.
1. Here is a renunciation of all help and succour in all creatures, and all dependence for salvation on anything inherent. It is good to observe here that we have all the initials of true Gospel sorrow and godly grief for sin, with all contained in that repentance which is unto, and belongs unto, everlasting life. Turning to the Lord; acknowledging our case; deploring our sinfulness; praying for the Lord’s gracious acceptation of us, a declaration of our future acknowledgment of these gratuitous acts of the Lord towards us; and then a full renunciation of ourselves, with the sole ascription to the free grace of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; this involves and includes all contained in godly sorrow for sin. It was one of the national sins of Israel to trust in the Assyrians for help and succour, when in trouble and distress they looked to them. So “Asshur shall not save us,” means, we will no longer seek relief in human means. It is a very important effect of our truly turning to the Lord to renounce ourselves wholly and altogether.
2. A declaration of having no more to do with any works of their hands. The terms used are very expressive of the rejection of idols and idolatrous worship.
3. The reason which is assigned for this. “In Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.” Mercy is in the Lord. It is inherent in Him. It is a perfection of His glorious nature. In the display and manifestation of it He takes delight. (Samuel Eyles Pierce.)
For in Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
God merciful to the fatherless
And it is well that they do find mercy there, for very often they find little mercy among men. The text contains a statement of facts with reference to former dispensations, and a promise of blessing in the future.
I. THE VALUABLE BLESSING HERE BESTOWED--MERCY. Not riches, not honour. Mercy is the Divine perfection, by which God is inclined to pity and succour such as are in distress. It relates only to the miserable; there can be no manifestation of mercy without misery. But though misery was in the world and mercy was the character of God, there existed a strong impediment to the exercise of that mercy. That impediment was justice. That justice has been satisfied. God can be a God of mercy through the merits of His own Son. Why should this blessing of mercy be singled out as given to orphans?
1. It is a comprehensive blessing. It pardons all sin. It prevents evil. It supports in danger. It supplies all wants. It guides in doubt. It heals all diseases. It sustains in death. It comforts in sorrow. It delivers in difficulty. It saves the soul. You cannot think of mercy without thinking of a train of mercies following it.
2. It sweetens all other blessings. Health, property, social comfort, the fireside, are mercies, but to have all these sweetened by the mercy of God, flowing from Him through Christ,--that gives sweetness to all other mercies. Mercy sweetens even the Divine attributes. Mercy sweetens every affliction. Mercy paints a rainbow on the darkest clouds of affliction and distress. There is mercy put into every cup, and this makes it ever delightful to the sinking spirits. Mercy prepares individuals for contentment in every situation.
3. It is a fruitful blessing. What clusters of fruit gather on the tree of mercy! The first-fruit will be an humbled spirit. It will break down the pride of the heart. So sure as mercy is manifested to the soul, the soul will love in return. It creates a spirit of thank fulness.
4. It is an enduring mercy. One psalm is entirely devoted to this blessing (Psalms 136:1-26.). What a comfort it is that amid all the changing things of time there is one thing that “endureth.”
II. The encouragement presented in the character of God.
1. It is part of God’s character to be merciful.
2. What assurances there are that we shall find mercy if we seek it.
3. See that orphans especially are required, and even entreated, to have this mercy.
Seeing what a choice blessing this mercy must be, both to spiritual orphans and to those who are literally so, let us all seek to possess it. But remember that nothing provokes the Divine anger so much as abusing His mercy, or slighting His love. (James Sherman.)
The Church as fatherless
1. It is the Church’s lot to be very desolate and orphan-like in the world.
2. God’s compassion and the sweet manifestation thereof are especially reserved for His people’s low condition and their greatest need.
3. The confidence of God’s respect to His humble people, would be cherished by the needy and penitent, to encourage them to come to Him and call upon Him.
4. Such as do apprehend and believe the mercy of God toward His needy people will renounce all carnal and sinful confidences. (George Hutcheson.)
The fatherless finding mercy in God
I. The distressed case here supposed. The word “fatherless” is sometimes used in its natural sense; and sometimes in a figurative sense, for afflicted and destitute persons in general. Our text supposeth that the case of orphans is truly pitiable, and that, above all others, they stand in need of assistance and mercy from God.
II. God’s kind regard to the fatherless.
1. God has commanded others not to injure, but to assist them. He made provision in the law of Moses that they should not be wronged.
2. He hath expressly declared Himself their friend and guardian. He is their reliever, helper, judge, redeemer, and father.
3. He hath in the course of His providence often shown mercy to them. In cases of families deprived of their heads, we have known how remarkably providence has taken care of them and raised them up friends.
Application.
1. How amiable a view doth this give us of the blessed God, and of His wonderful condescension.
2. Let us imitate God in showing mercy to the fatherless.
3. Let parents take encouragement to commit their children to the care of God.
4. Let the fatherless and orphans seek mercy from God, and humbly commit themselves to Him. (J. Orten.)