It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living
God.
] For this is to be understood not in a good sense; so in general
all mankind may be said to fall into, or be in the hands of God,
as they are the work of his hands, the care of his providence,
and are subject to his sovereignty; and in especial manner,
believers, whose times and persons are in God's hand, which
bespeaks his great affection for them, their nearness to him, the
support they have by him, and protection from him; and they
choose to fall into the hands of him as a chastising Father,
rather than into the hands of men, and at death commend
themselves into his hands: but here it is taken in a bad sense,
and signifies to be arrested by justice as a criminal, and be
brought to the bar of God, and receive the sentence of
condemnation; when such will feel the weight of his hand, and the
fierceness of his wrath; and this is "a fearful thing": it is a
dreadful thing to fall into the hands of men, injured and
affronted, and that have power, and will show no mercy; it is
very tremendous to fall into the hands of God, in the way of his
judgments in this world; the apprehensions of a future judgment
are terrible before hand; and the apparatus of the judgment, when
it comes, will be very striking and surprising; but to stand
before the Judge, charged with sin, naked, and without
righteousness, speechless, and no one to speak in favour of them;
to hear the dreadful sentence pronounced, and feel the wrath of
God to the uttermost, how horrible must this be! the aggravations
of this are, that it is into the hands "of God" that such fall,
and not into the hands of men, or mere creatures; but of God, who
is omniscient, and sees through all pretences; omnipotent, and
none can rescue out of his hands by force; omnipresent, and so no
escaping from him; just and faithful, and not to bribed,
inexorable, immutable, and unalterable: and that he is "the
living God"; in opposition to the lifeless deities of the
Gentiles, and to mortal men; and is expressive of his eternity,
and so of the duration of the sinner's punishment, that falls
into his hands.