Verse 2

VER. 2.

Israel shall cry to me, My God, we know you.

The words as they are in the Hebrew are somewhat different from what they are in your books, for Israel in your books is in the first place, but in the Hebrew it is in the last, that is, To me they shall cry, My God, we know you, Israel: What difference is this? Yes, the words thus read have more elegancy in them than otherwise, and they hint some observations that would hardly be hinted to us as it is in your books, as thus:

If you read it as it is in your books, then it is only a speech of God to them.

But if you read it according to the Hebrew, they shall cry to me, My God, we know you, Israel: They here seem to put God in mind who they were, as if they should say, we are Israel who know you, remember we are not strangers to you; They shall cry to me, My God, we know you, Israel: It's Israel that cries to you, Oh my God!

Or as if they should put God in mind of their Father Israel in whom their confidence was; They shall cry to me, My God, we know you, Israel: Oh remember our Father Israel and deal graciously with us for the sake of our Father Israel: Just like those in Matthew that would cry, We have Abraham to our Father: so here this people would cry; in their cries in the time of their affliction they would cry to God that they had Israel to their Father, we have reference to Israel who did so prevail as a Prince with God, and therefore we hope we shall fare the better for Israel.

Or thus, They shall cry to me, My God, we know you, Israel: That is, we know you to be the God of Israel, we have known how your ways have been in former times for the good of your Israel, and Lord, remember how you have wrought for your Israel heretofore, and work now for us in the same manner: thus there is a great deal in this word, [Israel] if you set it in the last place in the verse, more than if you set it in the beginning.

From hence the notes are these:

First, that in affliction men see their need of God. So the Chaldee paraphrase upon this place, Always when I bring straits upon them then they pray before me and say, Now we see plainly that we have no other God besides you, Oh! redeem us because we are your people Israel; so that's the meaning.

Secondly, even hypocrites and the vilest wretches that are, in the time of their distress, will claim interest in God and cry to him; even those that have departed most from him will be ready to claim interest in him in their distress. What an impudency was it for this people that had so grossly departed from God, that had gone so against their light, and yet they will come boldly and claim their interest in God in the time of their affliction? Truly we see the same spirit in men at this very day, the most wicked and vile ungodly man or woman that is, yet will be ready in afflictions to claim interest in God; My God. I appeal to you in this congregation, if one should go from one end of the congregation and speak particularly to every one, and ask but this question, Do you hope that God is your God? Every one would be ready to say, Yes, we hope he is. This is the impudency of men's hearts that will take liberty to go on in a way of rebellion and fighting against God all their lives, and yet in the time of their distress claim interest in God.

Thirdly, that knowledge and acknowledgment of God in an outward formal way is that which hypocrites think will commend them much to God in time of affliction; that by which they shall have favor from Him because they have made some profession of God: We know you: as if they should say, Lord, we were not as others that had forsaken you, we continued Israel still, we did not turn to be Heathens: It is very hard for men's spirits to be taken off from trusting in formality, in outward worship, we are all Christians, we are not turned Heathens; so they shall call to me, My God, we know you, Israel; we continue Israel still. Oh! how sweet and comfortable is it then to have a true interest in God? In the time of affliction to be able to say, in truth Lord we know you, and blessed be your Name Lord we have known you, we have had experience of your goodness, and faithfulness, mercy, love, and tender compassion towards us, we have known you an infinite all-sufficient good, you have satisfied our souls with your love, the light of your countenance it has been the joy of our hearts, and blessed be the time that ever we knew you, Oh blessed be the time that ever the Lord made himself known to us; we can say, Lord, we have known you, and therefore now Lord have mercy upon us. Oh let us all learn to make more of our interest in God, and to labor to know Him more and more, that we may have this comfort in our afflictions, to be able to say in truth, Oh Lord, you are our God, and we have known you. If hypocrites think it to be so great a comfort that they are Israel, Oh what is it then to be a true Israelite in whose heart is no guile?

Fourthly, degenerate children they think to have favor for the sake of their godly parents.

We have known you, Israel.] Children should imitate the virtues of their godly parents, and then they may draw comfort from the godliness of their parents.

But lastly, hypocrites though degenerate will not only think to fare the better for their godly parents, but they will think to have the same mercy as their godly parents had; they little think of the difference that there is between Israel heretofore, and that Israel that is now so basely degenerated. It follows.