mh_parser/vol_split/38 - Zechariah/Chapter 9.xml

<div2 id="Zech.x" n="x" next="Zech.xi" prev="Zech.ix" progress="95.63%" title="Chapter IX">
<h2 id="Zech.x-p0.1">Z E C H A R I A H.</h2>
<h3 id="Zech.x-p0.2">CHAP. IX.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Zech.x-p1" shownumber="no">At this chapter begins another sermon, which is
continued to the end of <scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.11.1-Zech.11.17" parsed="|Zech|11|1|11|17" passage="Zec 11:1-17"><i>ch.</i>
xi.</scripRef> It is called, "The burden of the word of the Lord,"
for every word of God has weight in it to those who regard it, and
will be a heavy weight upon those who do not, a dead weight. Here
is, I. A prophecy against the Jews' unrighteous neighbours—the
Syrians, Tyrians, Philistines, and others (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.1-Zech.9.6" parsed="|Zech|9|1|9|6" passage="Zec 9:1-6">ver. 1-6</scripRef>), with an intimation of mercy to
some of them, in their conversion (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.7" parsed="|Zech|9|7|0|0" passage="Zec 9:7">ver.
7</scripRef>), and a promise of mercy to God's people, in their
protection, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.8" parsed="|Zech|9|8|0|0" passage="Zec 9:8">ver. 8</scripRef>. II. A
prophecy of their righteous King, the Messiah, and his coming, with
a description of him (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.9" parsed="|Zech|9|9|0|0" passage="Zec 9:9">ver.
9</scripRef>) and of his kingdom, the nature and extent of it,
<scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.6" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.10" parsed="|Zech|9|10|0|0" passage="Zec 9:10">ver. 10</scripRef>. III. An account of
the obligation the Jews lay under to Christ for their deliverance
out of their captivity in Babylon, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.7" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.11-Zech.9.12" parsed="|Zech|9|11|9|12" passage="Zec 9:11,12">ver. 11, 12</scripRef>. IV. A prophecy of the
victories and successes God would grant to the Jews over their
enemies, as typical of our great deliverance by Christ, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.8" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.13-Zech.9.15" parsed="|Zech|9|13|9|15" passage="Zec 9:13-15">ver. 13-15</scripRef>. V. A promise of great
plenty, and joy, and honour, which God had in reserve for his
people (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p1.9" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.16-Zech.9.17" parsed="|Zech|9|16|9|17" passage="Zec 9:16,17">ver. 16, 17</scripRef>),
which was written for their encouragement.</p>
<scripCom id="Zech.x-p1.10" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9" parsed="|Zech|9|0|0|0" passage="Zec 9" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Zech.x-p1.11" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.1-Zech.9.8" parsed="|Zech|9|1|9|8" passage="Zec 9:1-8" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Zech.x-p1.12">
<h4 id="Zech.x-p1.13">Prophecy against Syria; Prophecy against the
Enemies of Israel; Judgments and Mercies. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p1.14">b.
c.</span> 510.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Zech.x-p2" shownumber="no">1 The burden of the word of the <span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p2.1">Lord</span> in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus
<i>shall be</i> the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all
the tribes of Israel, <i>shall be</i> toward the <span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p2.2">Lord</span>.   2 And Hamath also shall border
thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.   3 And
Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the
dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.   4 Behold,
the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea;
and she shall be devoured with fire.   5 Ashkelon shall see
<i>it,</i> and fear; Gaza also <i>shall see it,</i> and be very
sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the
king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
  6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off
the pride of the Philistines.   7 And I will take away his
blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his
teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, <i>shall be</i> for our God,
and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
  8 And I will encamp about mine house because of the army,
because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth:
and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I
seen with mine eyes.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p3" shownumber="no">After the precious promises we had in the
foregoing chapter of favour to God's people, their persecutors, who
hated them, come to be reckoned with, those particularly that
bordered close upon them.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p4" shownumber="no">I. The Syrians had been bad neighbours to
Israel, and God had a controversy with them. The word of the Lord
shall be a <i>burden in the land of Hadrach,</i> that is, of
<i>Syria,</i> but it does not appear why it was so called. That
that kingdom is meant is plain, because Damascus, the metropolis of
that kingdom, is said to be the <i>rest</i> of this burden; that
is, the judgments here threatened shall light and lie upon that
city. Those are miserable upon whom the burden of the word of the
Lord rests, upon whom <i>the wrath of God abides</i> (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:John.3.36" parsed="|John|3|36|0|0" passage="Joh 3:36">John iii. 36</scripRef>); for it is a weight
that they can neither shake off nor bear up under. There are those
whom God <i>causes his fury to rest</i> upon. Those whom the wrath
of God makes its mark it will be sure to hit; those whom it makes
its rest it will be sure to sink. And the reason of this burden's
resting on Damascus is because <i>the eyes of man, as of all the
tribes of Israel</i> (or rather, <i>even of all the tribes of
Israel</i>), are <i>towards the Lord,</i> because the people of God
by faith and prayer look up to him for succour and relief and
depend upon him to take their part against their enemies. Note, It
is a sign that God is about to appear remarkably for his people
when he raises their believing expectations from him and dependence
upon him, and when by his grace he turns them from idols to
himself. <scripRef id="Zech.x-p4.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.17.7-Isa.17.8" parsed="|Isa|17|7|17|8" passage="Isa 17:7,8">Isa. xvii. 7, 8</scripRef>,
<i>At that day shall a man look to his Maker.</i> It may be read
thus, <i>for the Lord has an eye upon man, and upon all the tribes
of Israel;</i> he is King of nations as well as King of saints; he
governs the world as well as the church, and therefore will punish
the sins of other people as well as those of his own people. God is
<i>Judge of all,</i> and therefore all must give account of
themselves to him. When St. Paul was converted at Damascus, and
preached there, and disputed with the Jews, then the word of the
Lord might be said to rest there, and then <i>the eyes of men,</i>
of other men besides <i>the tribes of Israel,</i> began to be
<i>towards the Lord;</i> see <scripRef id="Zech.x-p4.3" osisRef="Bible:Acts.9.22" parsed="|Acts|9|22|0|0" passage="Ac 9:22">Acts ix.
22</scripRef>. Hamath, a country which lay north of Damascus, and
which we often read of, <i>shall border thereby</i> (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p4.4" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.2" parsed="|Zech|9|2|0|0" passage="Zec 9:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>); it joins to Syria, and
shall share in the <i>burden of the word of the Lord</i> that rests
upon Damascus. The Jews have a proverb, <i>Woe to the wicked man,
and woe to his neighbour,</i> who is in danger of partaking in his
sins and in his plagues. Woe to <i>the land of Hadrach,</i> and woe
to <i>Hamath that borders thereby.</i></p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p5" shownumber="no">II. Tyre and Zidon come next to be called
to an account here, as in other prophecies, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.2-Zech.9.4" parsed="|Zech|9|2|9|4" passage="Zec 9:2-4"><i>v.</i> 2-4</scripRef>. Observe here,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p6" shownumber="no">1. Tyrus flourishing, thinking herself very
safe, and ready to set God's judgments, not only at a distance, but
at defiance: for, (1.) She is <i>very wise.</i> It is spoken
ironically; she thinks herself very wise, and able to outwit even
the wisdom of God. It is granted that her king is a great
politician, and that her statesmen are so, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.28.3" parsed="|Ezek|28|3|0|0" passage="Eze 28:3">Ezek. xxviii. 3</scripRef>. But with all their wit and
policy they shall not be able to evade the judgments of God when
they come with commission; there is no <i>wisdom</i> nor <i>counsel
against the Lord;</i> nay, it is his honour to take the wise in
their own craftiness. (2.) She is very strong, and well fortified
both by nature and art: <i>Tyrus did build herself a
strong-hold,</i> which she thought could never be brought down nor
got over. (3.) She is very rich; and <i>money is a defence;</i> it
is the sinews of war, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Eccl.7.12" parsed="|Eccl|7|12|0|0" passage="Ec 7:12">Eccl. vii.
12</scripRef>. By her vast trade she has <i>heaped up silver as the
dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets,</i> that is, she
has an abundance of them, heaps of silver as common as heaps of
sand, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p6.3" osisRef="Bible:Job.27.16" parsed="|Job|27|16|0|0" passage="Job 27:16">Job xxvii. 16</scripRef>.
Solomon made silver to be in Jerusalem as the <i>stones of the
streets;</i> but Tyre went further, and made <i>fine gold</i> to be
as <i>the mire of the streets.</i> It were well if we could all
learn so to look upon it, in comparison with the merchandise of
wisdom and grace and the gains thereof.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p7" shownumber="no">2. Tyrus falling, after all. Her wisdom,
and wealth, and strength, shall not be able to secure her
(<scripRef id="Zech.x-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.4" parsed="|Zech|9|4|0|0" passage="Zec 9:4"><i>v.</i> 4</scripRef>): <i>The Lord
will cast her out</i> of that strong-hold wherein she has fortified
herself, will <i>make her poor</i> (so some read it); there have
been instances of those that have fallen from the height of plenty
to the depth of poverty, and great riches have come to nothing. God
will <i>smite her power in the sea;</i> her being surrounded by the
water shall not secure her, but <i>she shall be devoured with
fire,</i> and burnt down to the ground. Tyrus, being seated in the
midst of the water, was, one would have thought, in danger of being
some time or other overflowed or washed away by that; yet God
chooses to destroy it by the contrary element. Sometimes he brings
ruin upon his enemies by those means which they least suspect.
Water enough was nigh at hand to quench the flames of Tyre, and yet
by them she shall be devoured; for who can put out the fire which
the breath of the Almighty blows up?</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p8" shownumber="no">III. God next contends with the
Philistines, with their great cities and great lords, that bordered
southward upon Israel.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p9" shownumber="no">1. They shall be alarmed and affrighted by
the word of the Lord lighting and resting upon Damascus (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p9.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.5" parsed="|Zech|9|5|0|0" passage="Zec 9:5"><i>v.</i> 5</scripRef>); the disgraces of Israel
had many a time been <i>published in the streets of Ashkelon,</i>
and they had triumphed in them; but now <i>Ashkelon shall see</i>
the ruin of her friends and allies, and shall <i>fear; Gaza also
shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron,</i> concluding that
their own turns come next, now that the cup of trembling goes
round. What will become of their house when their neighbour's is on
fire? They had looked upon Tyre and Zidon as a barrier to their
country; but, when those strong cities were ruined, their
<i>expectations</i> from them <i>were ashamed,</i> as our
expectation from all creatures will be in the issue.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p10" shownumber="no">2. They shall themselves be ruined and
wasted. (1.) The government shall be dissolved: <i>The king shall
perish from Gaza,</i> not only the present king shall be cut off,
but there shall be no succession, no successor, (2.) The cities
shall be dispeopled: <i>Ashkelon shall not be inhabited;</i> the
rightful owners shall be expelled, either slain or carried into
captivity. (3.) Foreigners shall take possession of their land and
become masters of all its wealth (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p10.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.6" parsed="|Zech|9|6|0|0" passage="Zec 9:6"><i>v.</i> 6</scripRef>): <i>A bastard shall dwell in
Ashdod;</i> a spurious brood of strangers shall enter upon the
inheritances of the natives, which they have no more right to than
a bastard has to the estates of the legitimate children. And thus
God will <i>cut off the pride of the Philistines,</i> all the
strength and wealth which they prided themselves in, and which were
the ground of their confidence in themselves and their contempt of
the Israel of God. This prophecy of the destruction of the
Philistines, and of Damascus, and Tyre, was accomplished, not long
after this, by Alexander the Great, who ravaged all these countries
with his victorious army, took the cities, and planted colonies in
them, which Quintus Curtius gives a particular account of in the
history of his conquests. And some think he is meant by the bastard
that shall dwell in Ashdod, for his mother Olympia owned him
begotten in adultery, but pretended it was by Jupiter. The Jews
afterwards got ground of the Philistines, Syrians, and others of
their neighbours, took some of their cities from them and possessed
their countries, as appears by the histories of Josephus and the
Maccabees, and this was foretold before, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p10.2" osisRef="Bible:Zeph.2.4 Bible:Obad.1.20" parsed="|Zeph|2|4|0|0;|Obad|1|20|0|0" passage="Zep 2:4,Ob 1:20">Zeph. ii. 4, &amp;c.; Obad. 20</scripRef>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p11" shownumber="no">3. Some among them shall be converted, and
brought home to God, by his gospel and grace; so some understand
<scripRef id="Zech.x-p11.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.7" parsed="|Zech|9|7|0|0" passage="Zec 9:7"><i>v.</i> 7</scripRef>, as a promise,
(1.) That God would take away the sins of these nations—<i>their
blood</i> and <i>their abominations,</i> their cruelties and their
idolatries. God will part between them and these sins which they
have rolled under their tongue as a sweet morsel, and are as loth
to part with as men are to part with the meat out of their mouths,
and which they hold fast between their teeth. Nothing is too hard
for the grace of God to do. (2.) That he would accept of a remnant
of them for his own: <i>He that remains shall be for our God.</i>
God would preserve a remnant even of these nations, that should be
the monuments of his mercy and grace and be set apart for him; and
the disadvantages of their birth shall be no bar to their
acceptance with God, but a Philistine shall be as acceptable to
God, upon gospel-terms, as one of Judah, nay, as a governor, or
chief one, in Judah, and a man of Ekron shall be as a Jebusite, or
a man of Jerusalem, as a proselyted Jebusite, as Araunah the
Jebusite, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p11.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.24.16" parsed="|2Sam|24|16|0|0" passage="2Sa 24:16">2 Sam. xxiv. 16</scripRef>.
In Christ Jesus there is no distinction of nations, but all are one
in him, all alike welcome to him.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p12" shownumber="no">IV. In all this God intends mercy for
Israel, and it is in kindness to them that God will deal thus with
the neighbouring nations, to avenge their quarrel for what is past
and to secure them for the future.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p13" shownumber="no">1. Thus some understand the <scripRef id="Zech.x-p13.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.7" parsed="|Zech|9|7|0|0" passage="Zec 9:7">seventh verse</scripRef>, as intimating, (1.)
That thus God would deliver his people from their bloody
adversaries, who hated them, and to whom they were an abomination,
when they were just ready to devour them and make a prey of them: I
will <i>take away his blood</i> (that is, the blood of Israel) out
of the mouth of the Philistines and <i>from between their teeth</i>
(<scripRef id="Zech.x-p13.2" osisRef="Bible:Amos.3.12" parsed="|Amos|3|12|0|0" passage="Am 3:12">Amos iii. 12</scripRef>), when, in
their hatred of them and enmity to them, they were greedily
devouring them. (2.) That lie would thus give them victory and
dominion over them: And <i>he that remains</i> (that is, the
remnant of Israel) <i>shall be for our God,</i> shall be taken into
his favour, shall own him and be owned by him, and <i>he shall be
as a governor in Judah;</i> though the Jews have been long in
servitude, they shall recover their ancient dignity, and be
victorious, as David and other governors in Judah formerly were;
and Ekron (that is, the Philistines) shall be as the Jebusites, and
the rest of the devoted nations, who were brought into subjection
under them.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p14" shownumber="no">2. However, this is plainly the sense of
<scripRef id="Zech.x-p14.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.8" parsed="|Zech|9|8|0|0" passage="Zec 9:8"><i>v.</i> 8</scripRef>, that God will
take his people under his special protection, and <i>therefore</i>
will weaken their neighbours, that it may not be in their power to
do them a mischief: <i>I will encamp about my house because of the
army.</i> Note, God's house lies in the midst of an enemy's
country, and his church is as a lily among thorns; and therefore
God's power and goodness are to be observed in the special
preservation of it. The <i>camp of the saints,</i> being a little
flock in comparison with the numerous armies of the powers of
darkness that are set against it round about, would certainly be
swallowed up if the angels of God did not encamp about it, as they
did about Elisha, to deliver it, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p14.2" osisRef="Bible:Rev.20.9 Bible:Ps.34.7" parsed="|Rev|20|9|0|0;|Ps|34|7|0|0" passage="Re 20:9,Ps 34:7">Rev. xx. 9; Ps. xxxiv. 7</scripRef>. When the
times are unusually perilous, when armies are marching and
counter-marching, and all bearing ill-will to Zion, then Providence
will as it were double its guards upon the church of God,
<i>because of him that passes by and because of him that
returns,</i> that whether he return a conqueror or conquered he may
do it no harm. And, as none that pass by shall hurt them, so <i>no
oppressor shall pass through them any more;</i> they shall have no
enemy within themselves to rule them with rigour, and <i>to make
their lives bitter</i> to them <i>with sore bondage,</i> as of old
in Egypt. This was fulfilled when, for some time after the
struggles of the Maccabees, Judea was a free and flourishing state,
or perhaps when Alexander the Great, struck with an awe of Jaddus
the high priest, favoured the Jews, and took them under his
protection, at the same time when he wasted the neighbouring
countries. And the reason given for all this is, "<i>For now have I
seen with my eyes,</i> now have I carefully distinguished between
my people and other people, with whom before they seemed to have
their lot in common, and have made it to appear that I know those
that are mine," This agrees with <scripRef id="Zech.x-p14.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.34.15" parsed="|Ps|34|15|0|0" passage="Ps 34:15">Ps.
xxxiv. 15</scripRef>, <i>The eyes of the Lord are upon the
righteous;</i> now his eyes, which <i>run to and fro through the
earth,</i> shall fix upon them, that he may show himself tender of
them, and <i>strong on their behalf,</i> <scripRef id="Zech.x-p14.4" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.16.9" parsed="|2Chr|16|9|0|0" passage="2Ch 16:9">2 Chron. xvi. 9</scripRef>.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Zech.x-p14.5" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.9-Zech.9.11" parsed="|Zech|9|9|9|11" passage="Zec 9:9-11" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Zech.x-p14.6">
<h4 id="Zech.x-p14.7">Predictions Relating to
Messiah. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p14.8">b. c.</span> 510.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Zech.x-p15" shownumber="no">9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he
<i>is</i> just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an
ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.   10 And I will cut
off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the
battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the
heathen: and his dominion <i>shall be</i> from sea <i>even</i> to
sea, and from the river <i>even</i> to the ends of the earth.
  11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have
sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein <i>is</i> no
water.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p16" shownumber="no">That here begins a prophecy of the Messiah
and his kingdom is plain from the literal accomplishment of the
<scripRef id="Zech.x-p16.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.9" parsed="|Zech|9|9|0|0" passage="Zec 9:9">ninth verse</scripRef> in, and its
express application to, Christ's riding in triumph into
<i>Jerusalem,</i> <scripRef id="Zech.x-p16.2" osisRef="Bible:Matt.21.5 Bible:John.12.15" parsed="|Matt|21|5|0|0;|John|12|15|0|0" passage="Mt 21:5,Joh 12:15">Matt. xxi.
5; John xii. 15</scripRef>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p17" shownumber="no">I. Here is notice given of the approach of
the Messiah promised, as matter of great joy to the Old-Testament
church: <i>Behold, thy king cometh unto thee.</i> Christ is a king,
invested with regal powers and prerogatives, a sovereign prince, an
absolute monarch, having all power both in heaven and on earth. He
is Zion's king. God has <i>set him upon his holy hill of Zion,</i>
<scripRef id="Zech.x-p17.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.2.6" parsed="|Ps|2|6|0|0" passage="Ps 2:6">Ps. ii. 6</scripRef>. In Zion his glory
as a king shines; thence <i>his law went forth,</i> even the
<i>word of the Lord.</i> In the gospel-church his spiritual kingdom
is administered; it is by him that the ordinances of the church are
instituted, and its officers commissioned; and it is taken under
his protection; he fights the church's battles and secures its
interests, as its king. "This King has been long in coming, but
now, <i>behold, he cometh;</i> he is at the door. There are but a
few ages more to run out, and he that shall come will come. He
<i>cometh unto thee;</i> the Word will shortly be made flesh, and
dwell within thy borders; he will <i>come to his own.</i> And
therefore <i>rejoice,</i> rejoice <i>greatly,</i> and <i>shout for
joy;</i> look upon it as <i>good news,</i> and be assured it is
true; please thyself to think that he is coming, that he is on his
way towards thee; and be ready to go forth to meet him with
acclamations of joy, as one not able to conceal it, it is so great,
nor ashamed to own it, it is so just; cry <i>Hosanna</i> to him."
Christ's approaches ought to be the church's applauses.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p18" shownumber="no">II. Here is such a description of him as
renders him very amiable in the eyes of all his loving subjects,
and his coming to them very acceptable. 1. He is a righteous ruler;
all his acts of government will be exactly according to the rules
of equity, for <i>he is just.</i> 2. He is a powerful protector to
all those that bear faith and true allegiance to him, for he <i>has
salvation;</i> he has it in his power; he has it to bestow upon all
his subjects. He is the <i>God of salvation;</i> treasures of
salvation are in him. He is <i>servatus</i>—<i>saving himself</i>
(so some read it), rising out of the grave by his own power and so
qualifying himself to be our Saviour. (3.) He is a <i>meek, humble,
tender Father</i> to all his subjects as his children; he is
<i>lowly;</i> he is <i>poor</i> and <i>afflicted</i> (so the word
signifies), so it denotes the meanness of his condition; having
<i>emptied himself,</i> he was <i>despised and rejected of men.</i>
But the evangelist translates it so as to express the temper of his
spirit: he is <i>meek,</i> not taking state upon him, nor resenting
injuries, but <i>humbling himself</i> from first to last,
condescending to the mean, compassionate to the miserable; this was
a bright and excellent character of him as a prophet (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p18.1" osisRef="Bible:Matt.11.29" parsed="|Matt|11|29|0|0" passage="Mt 11:29">Matt. xi. 29</scripRef>, <i>Learn of me, for I
am meek and lowly in heart</i>), and no less so <i>as a king.</i>
It was a proof of this that, when he made his public entry into his
own city (and it was the only passage of his life that had any
thing in it magnificent in the eye of the world), he chose to ride,
not upon a stately horse, or in a chariot, as great men used to
ride, but <i>upon an ass,</i> a beast of service indeed, but a poor
silly and contemptible one, low and slow, and in those days ridden
only by the meaner sort of people; nor was it an ass fitted for
use, but an <i>ass's colt,</i> a little foolish unmanageable thing,
that would be more likely to disgrace his rider than be any credit
to him; and that not his own neither, nor helped off, as sometimes
a sorry horse is, by good furniture, for he had no saddle, no
housings, no trappings, no equipage, but his disciples' clothes
thrown upon the colt;' for he <i>made himself of no reputation</i>
when he visited us in great humility.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p19" shownumber="no">III. His kingdom is here set forth in the
glory of it. This king has, and will have, a kingdom, not of this
world, but a spiritual kingdom, a <i>kingdom of heaven.</i> 1. It
shall not be set up and advanced by external force, by an arm of
flesh or carnal weapons of warfare. No; he <i>will cut off the
chariot from Ephraim and the horses from Jerusalem</i> (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p19.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.10" parsed="|Zech|9|10|0|0" passage="Zec 9:10"><i>v.</i> 10</scripRef>), for he shall have no
occasion for them while he himself rides upon an ass. He will, in
kindness to his people, cut off their horses and chariots, that
they may not cut themselves off from God by putting that confidence
in them which they should put in the power of God only. He will
himself undertake their protection, will himself be <i>a wall of
fire about Jerusalem</i> and give his angels charge concerning it
(those <i>chariots of fire and horses of fire</i>), and then the
chariots and horses they had in their service shall be discarded
and cut off as altogether needless. 2. It shall be propagated and
established by the preaching of the gospel, the <i>speaking of
peace to the heathen;</i> for Christ <i>came and preached peace to
those that were afar off and to those that were nigh;</i> and so
established his kingdom by proclaiming <i>on earth peace,</i> and
<i>good-will towards men.</i> 3. His kingdom, as far as it prevails
in the minds of men and has the ascendant over them, will make them
peaceable, and slay all enmities; it will cut off the battle-bow,
and <i>beat swords into plough-shares.</i> It will not only command
the peace, but will <i>create the fruit of the lips, peace.</i> 4.
It shall extend itself to all parts of the world, in defiance of
the opposition given to it. "The chariot and horse that come
against Ephraim and Jerusalem, to oppose the progress of Zion's
King, shall be cut off; his gospel shall be preached to the world,
and be received among the heathen, so that <i>his dominion shall be
from sea to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the
earth,</i> as was foretold by David," <scripRef id="Zech.x-p19.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.8" parsed="|Ps|72|8|0|0" passage="Ps 72:8">Ps. lxxii. 8</scripRef>. The preachers of the gospel
shall carry it from one country, one island, to another, till some
of the remotest corners of the world are enlightened and reduced by
it.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p20" shownumber="no">IV. Here is an account of the great benefit
procured for mankind by the Messiah, which is redemption from
extreme misery, typified by the deliverance of the Jews out of
their captivity in Babylon (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p20.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.11" parsed="|Zech|9|11|0|0" passage="Zec 9:11"><i>v.</i>
11</scripRef>): "<i>As for thee also</i> (thee, O daughter of
Jerusalem! or thee, O Messiah the Prince!) <i>by the blood of thy
covenant,</i> by force and virtue of the covenant made with
Abraham, sealed with the blood of circumcision, and the covenant
made with Israel at Mount Sinai, sealed with the blood of
sacrifices, in pursuance and performance of that covenant, <i>I
have</i> now of late <i>sent forth thy prisoners,</i> thy captives
out of Babylon, which was to them a most uncomfortable place, as
<i>a pit</i> in which was <i>no water.</i>" It was part of the
covenant that, if in the land of their captivity, they sought the
Lord, he would be found of them, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p20.2" osisRef="Bible:Lev.26.42 Bible:Lev.26.44 Bible:Lev.26.45 Bible:Deut.30.4" parsed="|Lev|26|42|0|0;|Lev|26|44|0|0;|Lev|26|45|0|0;|Deut|30|4|0|0" passage="Le 26:42,44,45,De 30:4">Lev. xxvi. 42, 44, 45; Deut. xxx.
4</scripRef>. It was <i>by the blood of that covenant,</i>
typifying the blood of Christ, in whom all God's covenants with man
are yea and amen, that they were released out of captivity; and
this was but a shadow of the great salvation wrought out by <i>thy
King, O daughter of Zion!</i> Note, A sinful state is a state of
bondage; it is a spiritual prison; it is a pit, or a dungeon, in
which <i>there is no water,</i> no comfort at all to be had. We are
all by nature prisoners in this pit; the <i>scripture has
concluded</i> us all <i>under sin,</i> and bound us over to the
justice of God. God is pleased to deal upon new terms with these
prisoners, to enter into another covenant with them; the blood of
Christ is the blood of that covenant, purchased it for us and all
the benefits of it; by that blood of the covenant effectual
provision is made for the sending forth of these prisoners upon
easy and honourable terms, and proclamation made of <i>liberty to
the captives and the opening of the prison to those that were
bound,</i> like Cyrus's proclamation to the Jews in Babylon, which
all those whose spirits God stirs up will come and take the benefit
of.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Zech.x-p20.3" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.12-Zech.9.17" parsed="|Zech|9|12|9|17" passage="Zec 9:12-17" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Zech.x-p20.4">
<h4 id="Zech.x-p20.5">Gospel Invitations; Promises of God's Favour
to Israel. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p20.6">b. c.</span> 510.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Zech.x-p21" shownumber="no">12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of
hope: even to day do I declare <i>that</i> I will render double
unto thee;   13 When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow
with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O
Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.   14 And
the <span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p21.1">Lord</span> shall be seen over them,
and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p21.2">God</span> shall blow the trumpet, and shall go
with whirlwinds of the south.   15 The <span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p21.3">Lord</span> of hosts shall defend them; and they shall
devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink,
<i>and</i> make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled
like bowls, <i>and</i> as the corners of the altar.   16 And
the <span class="smallcaps" id="Zech.x-p21.4">Lord</span> their God shall save them
in that day as the flock of his people: for they <i>shall be as</i>
the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.  
17 For how great <i>is</i> his goodness, and how great <i>is</i>
his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine
the maids.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p22" shownumber="no">The prophet, having taught those that had
returned out of captivity to attribute their deliverance to the
<i>blood of the covenant</i> and to the promise of the Messiah (for
they were so wonderfully helped because that blessing was in them,
was yet in the womb of their nation), now comes to encourage them
with the prospect of a joyful and happy settlement, and of glorious
times before them; and such a happiness they did enjoy, in a great
measure, for some time; but these promises have their full
accomplishment in the spiritual blessings of the gospel which we
enjoy by Jesus Christ.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p23" shownumber="no">I. They are invited to look unto Christ,
and flee unto him as their city of refuge (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p23.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.12" parsed="|Zech|9|12|0|0" passage="Zec 9:12"><i>v.</i> 12</scripRef>): <i>Turn you to the
strong-hold, you prisoners of hope.</i> The Jews that had returned
out of captivity into their own land were yet, in effect, but
<i>prisoners (We are servants this day,</i> <scripRef id="Zech.x-p23.2" osisRef="Bible:Neh.9.36" parsed="|Neh|9|36|0|0" passage="Ne 9:36">Neh. ix. 36</scripRef>), yet <i>prisoners of hope,</i> or
<i>expectation,</i> for God had given them a <i>little reviving in
their bondage,</i> <scripRef id="Zech.x-p23.3" osisRef="Bible:Ezra.9.8" parsed="|Ezra|9|8|0|0" passage="Ezr 9:8">Ezra ix. 8,
9</scripRef>. Those that yet continued in Babylon, detained by
their affairs there, yet lived in hope some time or other to see
their own land again. Now both these are directed to turn their
eyes upon the Messiah, set before them in the promise as their
strong-hold, to shelter themselves in him, and stay themselves upon
him, for the perfecting of the mercy which by his grace, and for
his sake, was so gloriously begun. <i>Look unto him, and be you
saved,</i> <scripRef id="Zech.x-p23.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.45.22" parsed="|Isa|45|22|0|0" passage="Isa 45:22">Isa. xlv. 22</scripRef>.
The promise of the Messiah was the strong-hold of the faithful long
before his coming; they saw his day at a distance and were glad,
and the believing expectation of the <i>redemption in Jerusalem</i>
was long the support and <i>consolation of Israel,</i> <scripRef id="Zech.x-p23.5" osisRef="Bible:Luke.2.25 Bible:Luke.2.38" parsed="|Luke|2|25|0|0;|Luke|2|38|0|0" passage="Lu 2:25,38">Luke ii. 25, 38</scripRef>. They, in their
dangers and distresses, were ready to turn towards this and the
other creature for relief; but the prophets directed them still to
turn to Christ, and to comfort themselves with the joy of their
king coming to them with salvation. But, as their deliverance was
typical of our redemption by Christ (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p23.6" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.11" parsed="|Zech|9|11|0|0" passage="Zec 9:11"><i>v.</i> 11</scripRef>), so this invitation to the
strong-hold speaks the language of the gospel-call. Sinners are
prisoners, but they are prisoners of hope; their case is sad, but
it is not desperate; yet now there is hope in Israel concerning
them. Christ is a strong-hold for them, a strong tower, in whom
they may be safe and quiet from the fear of the wrath of God, the
curse of the law, and the assaults of their spiritual enemies. To
him they must turn by a lively faith; to him they must flee, and
trust in his name.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p24" shownumber="no">II. They are assured of God's favour to
them: "<i>Even to day do I declare,</i> when things are at the
worst, and you think your case deplorable to the last degree, yet I
solemnly promise that <i>I will render double unto thee,</i> to
thee, O Jerusalem! to every one of you prisoners of hope. I will
give you comforts double to the sorrows you have experienced, or
blessings double to what I ever bestowed upon your fathers, when
their condition was at the best; the glory of your latter state, as
well as of your latter house, shall be greater, shall be twice as
great as that of your former." And so it was no otherwise than by
the coming of the Messiah, the preaching of his gospel, and the
setting up of his kingdom; these spiritual blessings in heavenly
things were double to what they had ever enjoyed in their most
prosperous state. As a pledge of this, in the fulness of time God
here promises to the Jews victory, plenty, and joy, in their own
land, which yet should be but a type and shadow of more glorious
victories, riches, and joys, in the kingdom of Christ.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p25" shownumber="no">1. They shall triumph over their enemies.
The Jews, after their return, were surrounded with enemies on all
sides. They were <i>as a speckled bird;</i> all the birds of the
field were against them. Their land lay between the two potent
kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, branches of the Grecian monarchy, and
what frequent dangers they should be in between them was foretold,
<scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.1" osisRef="Bible:Dan.11.1-Dan.11.45" parsed="|Dan|11|1|11|45" passage="Da 11:1-45">Dan. xi</scripRef>. But it is here
promised that out of them all the Lord would deliver them; and this
promise had its primary accomplishment in the times of the
Maccabees, when the Jews made head against their enemies, kept
their head above water, and, after many struggles and difficulties,
came to be head over them. It is promised, (1.) That they shall be
instruments in God's hand for the defeating and baffling of their
persecutors: "I <i>have bent Judah for me,</i> as my bow of steel;
that <i>bow I have filled with Ephraim</i> as my arrows, have drawn
it up to its full bent, till the arrow be at the head;" for some
think that this is signified by the phrase of <i>filling the
bow.</i> The expressions here are very fine, and the figures
lively. Judah had been <i>taught the use of the bow</i> (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.18" parsed="|2Sam|1|18|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:18">2 Sam. i. 18</scripRef>), and Ephraim had been
famous for it, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.78.9" parsed="|Ps|78|9|0|0" passage="Ps 78:9">Ps. lxxviii.
9</scripRef>. But let them not think that they gain their successes
by their own bow, for they themselves are no more than God's bow
and his arrows, tools in his hands, which he makes use of and
manages as he pleases, which he holds as his bow and directs to the
mark as his arrows. The best and bravest of men are but what God
makes them, and do no more service than he enables them to do. The
preachers of the gospel were the bow in Christ's hand, with which
he went forth, he went on, <i>conquering and to conquer,</i>
<scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.4" osisRef="Bible:Rev.6.2" parsed="|Rev|6|2|0|0" passage="Re 6:2">Rev. vi. 2</scripRef>. The following
words explain this: <i>I have raised up</i> and animated <i>thy
sons, O Zion! against thy sons, O Greece!</i> This was fulfilled
when <i>against Antiochus,</i> one of the kings of the Grecian
monarchy, the people that knew their God were <i>strong</i> and
<i>did exploits,</i> <scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.5" osisRef="Bible:Dan.11.32" parsed="|Dan|11|32|0|0" passage="Da 11:32">Dan. xi.
32</scripRef>. And they in the hand of an almighty God were made
<i>as the sword of a mighty man,</i> which none can stand before.
Wicked men are said to be God's sword (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.6" osisRef="Bible:Ps.17.13" parsed="|Ps|17|13|0|0" passage="Ps 17:13">Ps. xvii. 13</scripRef>), and sometimes good men are
made so; for he employs both as he pleases. (2.) That God will be
captain, and commander-in-chief, over them, in every expedition and
engagement (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.7" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.14" parsed="|Zech|9|14|0|0" passage="Zec 9:14"><i>v.</i> 14</scripRef>):
<i>The Lord shall be seen over them;</i> he shall make it appear
that he presides in their affairs, and that in all their motions
they are under his direction, as apparently, though not as
sensibly, as he was <i>seen over Israel</i> in the pillar of cloud
and fire when he led them through the wilderness. [1.] Is their
army to be raised, or mustered, and brought into the field? <i>The
Lord shall blow the trumpet,</i> to gather the forces together, to
proclaim the war, to sound the alarm, and to give directions which
way to march, which way to move; for, if God blow the trumpet, it
shall not give an uncertain sound, nor a feeble ineffectual one.
[2.] Is the army taking the field, and entering upon action?
Whatever enterprise the campaign is opened with, God shall go forth
at the head of their forces, <i>with whirlwinds of the south,</i>
which were of incredible swiftness and fierceness; and before these
whirlwinds thy sons, O Greece! shall be as chaff. [3.] Is the army
actually engaged? God's <i>arrows shall go forth as lightning,</i>
so strongly, so suddenly, so irresistibly; his <i>lightnings</i>
shall go forth <i>as arrows</i> and <i>scattered them,</i> that is,
he <i>shot out his lightnings and discomfited them.</i> This
alludes to that which God had done for Israel of old when he
brought them out of Egypt, and into Canaan, and had its
accomplishment partly in the wonderful successes which the Jews had
against their neighbours that attacked them in the time of the
Maccabees, by the special appearances of the divine Providence for
them, and perfectly in the glorious victories gained by the cross
of Christ and the preaching of the cross over Satan and all the
powers of darkness, whereby we are made more than conquerors. [4.]
Are they in danger of being overpowered by the enemy? <i>The Lord
of hosts shall defend them</i> (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.8" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.15" parsed="|Zech|9|15|0|0" passage="Zec 9:15"><i>v.</i> 15</scripRef>); <i>The Lord their God shall
save them</i> (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p25.9" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.16" parsed="|Zech|9|16|0|0" passage="Zec 9:16"><i>v.</i>
16</scripRef>); so that their enemies shall not prevail over them,
nor prey upon them. God shall be unto them for defence as well as
offence, <i>the shield of their help</i> as well as <i>the sword of
their excellency,</i> and this as <i>the Lord of hosts,</i> who has
power to defend them, and as <i>their God,</i> who is engaged by
promise to defend them, and by the property he has in them. He
shall save them in <i>that day,</i> that critical dangerous day,
<i>as the flock of his people,</i> with the same care and
tenderness that the shepherd protects his sheep with. Those are
safe whom God saves. [5.] Did their enemies hope to swallow them
up? It shall be turned upon them, and they shall <i>devour</i>
their enemies, and shall <i>subdue with sling-stones,</i> for want
of better weapons, those that come forth against them. The
<i>stones of the brook,</i> when God pleases, shall do as great
execution as the best train of artillery; for the <i>stars in their
courses</i> shall fight on the same side. Goliath was subdued with
a sling-stone. Having subdued, they shall <i>devour, shall
drink</i> the blood of their enemies, as it were, and, as
conquerors are wont to do, they shall <i>make a noise as through
wine.</i> It is usual for conquerors with loud huzzas and
acclamations to glory in their victories and proclaim them. We read
of those that <i>shout for mastery,</i> and of the <i>shout of a
king</i> among God's people. They shall be filled with blood and
spoil, as the bowls and basins of the temple, or the <i>corners of
the altar,</i> were wont to be filled with the blood of the
sacrifices; for their enemies shall fall as victims to divine
justice.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Zech.x-p26" shownumber="no">2. They shall triumph in their God. They
shall take the comfort and give God the glory of their successes.
So some read <scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.1" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.15" parsed="|Zech|9|15|0|0" passage="Zec 9:15"><i>v.</i> 15</scripRef>.
<i>They shall eat</i> (that is, they shall quietly enjoy) what they
have got; God will give them power to eat it <i>after they have
subdued the sling-stones</i> (that is, their enemies that slung
stones at them), and <i>they shall drink and make a noise,</i> a
joyful noise, before the Lord their maker and protector, <i>as
through wine,</i> as men are merry at a banquet of wine. <i>Being
not drunk with wine, wherein is excess,</i> but <i>filled with the
Spirit,</i> they shall <i>speak</i> to themselves and one another
<i>in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs,</i> as those that are
drunk do with vain and foolish songs, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.2" osisRef="Bible:Eph.5.18-Eph.5.19" parsed="|Eph|5|18|5|19" passage="Eph 5:18,19">Eph. v. 18, 19</scripRef>. And, in the fulness of
their joy, they shall offer abundance of sacrifices to the honour
of God, so that <i>they shall fill both the bowls and the corners
of the altar</i> with the fat and blood of their sacrifices. And,
when they thus triumph in their successes, their joy shall
terminate in God as their God, the God of their salvation. They
shall triumph, (1.) In the love he has for them, and the relation
wherein they stand to him, that they are <i>the flock of his
people</i> and he is their Shepherd, and that they are to him <i>as
the stones of a crown,</i> which are very precious and of great
value, and which are kept under a strong guard. Never was any king
so pleased with the jewels of his crown as God is, and will be,
with his people, who are near and dear unto him, and in whom he
glories. They are a <i>crown of glory</i> and a <i>royal diadem</i>
in his hand, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.3" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.2-Isa.62.3" parsed="|Isa|62|2|62|3" passage="Isa 62:2,3">Isa. lxii. 2,
3</scripRef>. And <i>they shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that
day when I make up my jewels,</i> <scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.4" osisRef="Bible:Mal.3.17" parsed="|Mal|3|17|0|0" passage="Mal 3:17">Mal.
iii. 17</scripRef>. And <i>they shall be lifted up as an ensign
upon his land,</i> as the royal standard is displayed in token of
triumph and joy. God's people are his glory; so he is pleased to
make them, so he is pleased to reckon them. He sets them up as a
banner upon his own land, waging war against those who hate him, to
whom it is a flag of defiance, while it is a centre of unity to all
that love him, to all the children of God, that are scattered
abroad, who are invited to come and enlist themselves under this
banner, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.5" osisRef="Bible:Isa.11.10 Bible:Isa.11.12" parsed="|Isa|11|10|0|0;|Isa|11|12|0|0" passage="Isa 11:10,12">Isa. xi. 10,
12</scripRef>. (2.) In the provision he makes for them, <scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.6" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.15" parsed="|Zech|9|15|0|0" passage="Zec 9:15"><i>v.</i> 15</scripRef>. This is the matter of
their triumph (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.7" osisRef="Bible:Zech.9.17" parsed="|Zech|9|17|0|0" passage="Zec 9:17"><i>v.</i>
17</scripRef>): <i>For how great is his goodness and how great is
his beauty!</i> This is the substance, this the burden, of the
songs wherewith they shall <i>make a noise</i> before the Lord. We
are here taught, [1.] To admire and praise the amiableness of God's
being: <i>How great is his beauty!</i> All the perfections of God's
nature conspire to make him infinitely lovely in the eyes of all
that know him. They are to him as the <i>stones of a crown;</i> but
what is he to them? Our business in the temple is to <i>behold the
beauty of the Lord</i> (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.8" osisRef="Bible:Ps.27.4" parsed="|Ps|27|4|0|0" passage="Ps 27:4">Ps. xxvii.
4</scripRef>), and <i>how great is that beauty!</i> How far does it
transcend all other beauties, particularly the <i>beauty of his
holiness.</i> This may refer to the Messiah, to Zion's <i>King</i>
that <i>cometh.</i> See <i>that king in his beauty</i> (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.9" osisRef="Bible:Isa.33.17" parsed="|Isa|33|17|0|0" passage="Isa 33:17">Isa. xxxiii. 17</scripRef>), who is <i>fairer
than the children of men,</i> the <i>fairest of ten thousand,</i>
and <i>altogether lovely.</i> Though, in the eye of the world, he
had no form or comeliness, in the eye of faith how great is his
beauty! [2.] To admire and give thanks for the gifts of God's
favour and grace, his bounty as well as his beauty; for <i>how
great is his goodness!</i> How rich in mercy is he! How deep, how
full, are its springs! How various, how plenteous, how precious,
are its streams! What a great deal of good does God do! How rich in
mercy is he! Here is an instance of his goodness to his people:
<i>Corn shall make the young men cheerful and new wine the
maids;</i> that is, God will bless his people with an abundance of
the fruits of the earth. Whereas they had been afflicted with
scarcity to such a degree that the <i>young men</i> and the
<i>maidens</i> were ready to swoon and faint away for hunger and
thirst (<scripRef id="Zech.x-p26.10" osisRef="Bible:Lam.2.12 Bible:Lam.2.21 Bible:Lam.4.7-Lam.4.8 Bible:Lam.5.10" parsed="|Lam|2|12|0|0;|Lam|2|21|0|0;|Lam|4|7|4|8;|Lam|5|10|0|0" passage="La 2:12,21,4:7,8,5:10">Lam. ii. 12, 21;
iv. 7, 8; v. 10</scripRef>), now they shall have bread enough and
to spare, not water only, but <i>wine, new wine,</i> which shall
make the young people grow and be cheerful, and (which some have
observed to be the effect of plenty and the cheapness of corn) the
poor will be encouraged to marry, and re-people the land, when they
shall have wherewithal to maintain their families. Note, What good
gifts God bestows upon us we must serve him cheerfully with, and
must race the streams up to the fountain, and, when we are
refreshed with corn and wine, must say, <i>How great is his
goodness!</i></p>
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