Verse 10

VER. 10.

It is in my desire that I should chastise them.

IT is in my desire.] God speaks here as one that has forborn a long time, and now longs to satisfie himself.

Tremelius upon the place notes, that the form of the word for chastising here, it is unusual, because (says he) perhaps God would express some more than ordinary way of punishing them. And Luther renders it, Exceeding desirously will I chastise them. It is in my will to chastise them. Oh! blessed God, do not we find in your Word that the works of your justice are said to be your strange works, and that you are not willing to grieve the children of men, that mercy pleases you? But where do we ever find that Justice was so pleasing to you?

It's true, though at first God seems to forbear the execution of Justice as a thing he has no mind to, yet if sin be continued in, in a stubborn way, now God desires it as a thing that there's nothing more pleasing to him. He is burdened with mens sins, and desires to bring punishments upon them; as a man under a great burden desires to be eased; In Isaiah 1. Oh! I will ease me of mine Adversaries. And in Ezekiel 5:13. you shall find there that God in threatning of wrath says, that he would do thus, and thus, and he would be comforted: and in Proverbs 1. he laughs at the destruction of wicked men, it's a thing that rejoyces him at the very heart. And in the Revelation the wrath of God is called the wine of his wrath, because he takes so much pleasure in the execution of it.

1. God's Justice is God himself as well as any other attribute.

2. God does delight to vindicate his honor, therefore the word that is for chastisement, it signifies sometimes, the vindication of a mans honor: the honor of God is dear to him: your peace and comforts may be dear to you; yes, but my honor is more dear to me.

3. In chastisements God fulfils his Word, the Word of God would be slighted and contemned else: Now this pleases me therefore to chastise them to fulfil my Word upon them.

Oh! the fearful evil of sin that brings the creature into such a condition, as God's heart is delighted in every evil that sinful creatures suffer: this must needs be a sad condition indeed, for the merciful God that delights so much in doing of mercy, yet now to look upon a sinner under his wrath, and delights in it, and loves it, and is well pleased to see the creature, even the work of his own hands to be under his wrath. Hereafter there will be pure Justice, God will delight in the destruction of sinners in Hell, in the execution of his Justice upon them, he will there do nothing else but rejoyce in it, there shall be nothing but joy in God's heart to see the execution of his Justice upon sinners to all eternity, yes, and God will call all the Angels and Saints to come to rejoyce with him, Come you Angels and Saints and rejoyce with me, here's a wretched sinner that was stubborn and rebellious against me in the time of his life, and see how my Power has overtaken him, see the dreadfulness of my wrath, come and rejoyce with me for ever in this wrath of mine. This will be the condition of sinners eternally in Hell.

Consider this, you that have a desire to sin, a mind to sin, to delight in sin, that are comforted in sin? Is it in your will to sin? It is God's will to punish: can you rejoyce in sin? God can rejoyce in the execution of his wrath: are you resolute upon your sin? God can be resolute in the waies of his wrath. When God chastises his servants for their infirmities, he does it as a thing he has no mind at all to, and therefore says the Apostle, If need be, we fall into many temptations, and it is but seeming grievous: and himself is afflicted in all their afflictions. David would have Joab go against Absolom, but says he, Use the young man kindly, for my sake. So when God does chastise his servants, he sends an affliction, Go (says he) and scourge such an one, yes, but use him kindly for my sake, for all that.

The bowels of David did yern towards Absolom, even when he sent Joab to fight against him. So the bowels of God do yern towards his people when he sends afflictions upon them. But when he comes to deal with wicked and ungodly men, I will do it to purpose (says God) I will delight in it, I will be comforted in it, it is my desire, &c.