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O God: Psalms 10:1, Psalms 42:9, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 44:9, Psalms 60:1, Psalms 60:10, Psalms 77:7, Jeremiah 31:37, Jeremiah 33:24-26, Romans 11:1, Romans 11:2

smoke: Psalms 79:5, Deuteronomy 29:20

the sheep: Psalms 79:13, Psalms 95:7, Psalms 100:3, Jeremiah 23:1, Ezekiel 34:8, Ezekiel 34:31, Luke 12:32, John 10:26-30

Reciprocal: Exodus 32:11 - why doth Deuteronomy 9:26 - which thou hast redeemed Judges 10:7 - was hot Judges 21:3 - why is 1 Samuel 4:3 - Wherefore 2 Samuel 22:16 - nostrils 2 Samuel 24:17 - these sheep 1 Chronicles 6:39 - Asaph 1 Chronicles 25:2 - Asaph 2 Chronicles 36:16 - the wrath Esther 1:12 - burned Psalms 13:1 - How Psalms 18:8 - went Psalms 44:23 - cast Psalms 68:10 - Thy congregation Psalms 80:4 - be angry Psalms 85:5 - angry Psalms 106:40 - his own Isaiah 5:5 - I will take Isaiah 63:17 - Return Isaiah 64:9 - wroth Jeremiah 14:22 - vanities Lamentations 5:20 - dost

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?..... This the church supposed because of the prevalence, oppression, and triumph of the enemy, because of the hardships and afflictions she laboured under, and because of the hidings of the face of God from her, which unbelief interpreted of a casting off; see Psalms 77:7 when in reality it was not so, only in appearance, and according to a wrong judgment made of things; for God never did nor never will cast off, nor cast away, his people whom he foreknew, Romans 11:1,

why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? the people of God are called "sheep", because subject to go astray, not only before conversion, but after; and because harmless and inoffensive in their lives and conversations; and because, though exposed to the insults and persecutions of men, and their butcheries and barbarities, and therefore called "the flock of slaughter", Zechariah 11:4, yet bear all patiently, as the sheep before her shearers is dumb; and because like sheep they are weak and timorous, unable to defend themselves; are clean, and so distinguished from dogs and swine; and are profitable, though not to God, yet to men, and one another; and like sheep are sociable, and love to be together: and they are called the sheep of the Lord's pasture; because he provides good pasture for them, leads them into it, and feeds them himself with Christ, the bread of life, the tree of life, and hidden manna; with covenant grace and promises, even the sure mercies of David; with discoveries of his love and grace, and with his word and ordinances; and yet these, when under afflictions and desertions, are ready to conclude that God is angry with them, yea, is very angry; that his anger burns against them, and his fierce wrath goes over them, signified by smoking; see Deuteronomy 19:20, alluding to men, who, when they are angry, become hot, as Kimchi observes, and their breath like smoke comes out of their nostrils.

k Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 3. c. 29. col. 984. l Vid. T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 56. 2.

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? - Thou seemest to have cast us off forever, or finally. Compare Psalms 44:9, note; Psalms 13:1, note. “Why doth thine anger smoke.” See Deuteronomy 29:20. The presence of smoke indicates fire, and the language here is such as often occurs in the Scriptures, when anger or wrath is compared with fire. See Deuteronomy 32:22; Jeremiah 15:14.

Against the sheep of thy pasture - Thy people, represented as a flock. See Psalms 79:13; Psalms 95:7. This increases the tenderness of the appeal. The wrath of God seemed to be enkindled against his own people, helpless and defenseless, who needed his care, and who might naturally look for it - as a flock needs the care of a shepherd, and as the care of the shepherd might be expected. He seemed to be angry with his people, and to have cast them off, when they had every reason to anticipate his protection.