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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>Z E C H A R I A H.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. IX.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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At this chapter begins another sermon, which is continued to the end of
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+11:1-17"><I>ch.</I> xi.</A>
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It is called, "The burden of the word of the Lord," for every word of
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God has weight in it to those who regard it, and will be a heavy weight
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upon those who do not, a dead weight. Here is,
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I. A prophecy against the Jews' unrighteous neighbours--the Syrians,
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Tyrians, Philistines, and others
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:1-6">ver. 1-6</A>),
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with an intimation of mercy to some of them, in their conversion
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:7">ver. 7</A>),
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and a promise of mercy to God's people, in their protection,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:8">ver. 8</A>.
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II. A prophecy of their righteous King, the Messiah, and his coming,
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with a description of him
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:9">ver. 9</A>)
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and of his kingdom, the nature and extent of it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:10">ver. 10</A>.
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III. An account of the obligation the Jews lay under to Christ for
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their deliverance out of their captivity in Babylon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:11,12">ver. 11, 12</A>.
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IV. A prophecy of the victories and successes God would grant to the
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Jews over their enemies, as typical of our great deliverance by Christ,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:13-15">ver. 13-15</A>.
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V. A promise of great plenty, and joy, and honour, which God had in
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reserve for his people
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:16,17">ver. 16, 17</A>),
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which was written for their encouragement.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Zec9_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Zec9_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Zec9_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Zec9_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Zec9_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Zec9_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Zec9_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Zec9_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Prophecy against Syria; Prophecy against the Enemies of Israel; Judgments and Mercies.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD VALIGN=BOTTOM ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 510.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 The burden of the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> in the land of Hadrach,
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and Damascus <I>shall be</I> the rest thereof: when the eyes of man,
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as of all the tribes of Israel, <I>shall be</I> toward the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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2 And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon,
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though it be very wise.
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3 And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up
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silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
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4 Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her
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power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
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5 Ashkelon shall see <I>it,</I> and fear; Gaza also <I>shall see it,</I>
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and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be
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ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall
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not be inhabited.
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6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the
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pride of the Philistines.
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7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his
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abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even
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he, <I>shall be</I> for our God, and he shall be as a governor in
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Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
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8 And I will encamp about mine house because of the army,
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because of him that passeth by, and because of him that
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returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for
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now have I seen with mine eyes.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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After the precious promises we had in the foregoing chapter of favour
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to God's people, their persecutors, who hated them, come to be reckoned
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with, those particularly that bordered close upon them.</P>
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<P>
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I. The Syrians had been bad neighbours to Israel, and God had a
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controversy with them. The word of the Lord shall be a <I>burden in the
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land of Hadrach,</I> that is, of <I>Syria,</I> but it does not appear
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why it was so called. That that kingdom is meant is plain, because
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Damascus, the metropolis of that kingdom, is said to be the <I>rest</I>
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of this burden; that is, the judgments here threatened shall light and
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lie upon that city. Those are miserable upon whom the burden of the
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word of the Lord rests, upon whom <I>the wrath of God abides</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+3:36">John iii. 36</A>);
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for it is a weight that they can neither shake off nor bear up under.
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There are those whom God <I>causes his fury to rest</I> upon. Those
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whom the wrath of God makes its mark it will be sure to hit; those whom
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it makes its rest it will be sure to sink. And the reason of this
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burden's resting on Damascus is because <I>the eyes of man, as of all
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the tribes of Israel</I> (or rather, <I>even of all the tribes of
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Israel</I>), are <I>towards the Lord,</I> because the people of God by
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faith and prayer look up to him for succour and relief and depend upon
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him to take their part against their enemies. Note, It is a sign that
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God is about to appear remarkably for his people when he raises their
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believing expectations from him and dependence upon him, and when by
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his grace he turns them from idols to himself.
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+17:7,8">Isa. xvii. 7, 8</A>,
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<I>At that day shall a man look to his Maker.</I> It may be read thus,
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<I>for the Lord has an eye upon man, and upon all the tribes of
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Israel;</I> he is King of nations as well as King of saints; he governs
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the world as well as the church, and therefore will punish the sins of
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other people as well as those of his own people. God is <I>Judge of
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all,</I> and therefore all must give account of themselves to him. When
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St. Paul was converted at Damascus, and preached there, and disputed
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with the Jews, then the word of the Lord might be said to rest there,
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and then <I>the eyes of men,</I> of other men besides <I>the tribes of
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Israel,</I> began to be <I>towards the Lord;</I> see
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ac+9:22">Acts ix. 22</A>.
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Hamath, a country which lay north of Damascus, and which we often read
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of, <I>shall border thereby</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>);
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it joins to Syria, and shall share in the <I>burden of the word of the
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Lord</I> that rests upon Damascus. The Jews have a proverb, <I>Woe to
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the wicked man, and woe to his neighbour,</I> who is in danger of
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partaking in his sins and in his plagues. Woe to <I>the land of
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Hadrach,</I> and woe to <I>Hamath that borders thereby.</I></P>
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<P>
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II. Tyre and Zidon come next to be called to an account here, as in
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other prophecies,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:2-4"><I>v.</I> 2-4</A>.
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Observe here,</P>
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<P>
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1. Tyrus flourishing, thinking herself very safe, and ready to set
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God's judgments, not only at a distance, but at defiance: for,
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(1.) She is <I>very wise.</I> It is spoken ironically; she thinks
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herself very wise, and able to outwit even the wisdom of God. It is
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granted that her king is a great politician, and that her statesmen are
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so,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:3">Ezek. xxviii. 3</A>.
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But with all their wit and policy they shall not be able to evade the
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judgments of God when they come with commission; there is no
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<I>wisdom</I> nor <I>counsel against the Lord;</I> nay, it is his
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honour to take the wise in their own craftiness.
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(2.) She is very strong, and well fortified both by nature and art:
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<I>Tyrus did build herself a strong-hold,</I> which she thought could
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never be brought down nor got over.
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(3.) She is very rich; and <I>money is a defence;</I> it is the sinews
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of war,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+7:12">Eccl. vii. 12</A>.
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By her vast trade she has <I>heaped up silver as the dust, and fine
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gold as the mire of the streets,</I> that is, she has an abundance of
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them, heaps of silver as common as heaps of sand,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+27:16">Job xxvii. 16</A>.
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Solomon made silver to be in Jerusalem as the <I>stones of the
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streets;</I> but Tyre went further, and made <I>fine gold</I> to be as
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<I>the mire of the streets.</I> It were well if we could all learn so
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to look upon it, in comparison with the merchandise of wisdom and grace
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and the gains thereof.</P>
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<P>
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2. Tyrus falling, after all. Her wisdom, and wealth, and strength,
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shall not be able to secure her
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>):
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<I>The Lord will cast her out</I> of that strong-hold wherein she has
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fortified herself, will <I>make her poor</I> (so some read it); there
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have been instances of those that have fallen from the height of plenty
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to the depth of poverty, and great riches have come to nothing. God
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will <I>smite her power in the sea;</I> her being surrounded by the
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water shall not secure her, but <I>she shall be devoured with fire,</I>
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and burnt down to the ground. Tyrus, being seated in the midst of the
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water, was, one would have thought, in danger of being some time or
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other overflowed or washed away by that; yet God chooses to destroy it
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by the contrary element. Sometimes he brings ruin upon his enemies by
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those means which they least suspect. Water enough was nigh at hand to
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quench the flames of Tyre, and yet by them she shall be devoured; for
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who can put out the fire which the breath of the Almighty blows up?</P>
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<P>
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III. God next contends with the Philistines, with their great cities
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and great lords, that bordered southward upon Israel.</P>
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<P>
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1. They shall be alarmed and affrighted by the word of the Lord
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lighting and resting upon Damascus
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>);
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the disgraces of Israel had many a time been <I>published in the
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streets of Ashkelon,</I> and they had triumphed in them; but now
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<I>Ashkelon shall see</I> the ruin of her friends and allies, and shall
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<I>fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron,</I>
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concluding that their own turns come next, now that the cup of
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trembling goes round. What will become of their house when their
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neighbour's is on fire? They had looked upon Tyre and Zidon as a
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barrier to their country; but, when those strong cities were ruined,
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their <I>expectations</I> from them <I>were ashamed,</I> as our
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expectation from all creatures will be in the issue.</P>
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<P>
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2. They shall themselves be ruined and wasted.
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(1.) The government shall be dissolved: <I>The king shall perish from
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Gaza,</I> not only the present king shall be cut off, but there shall
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be no succession, no successor,
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(2.) The cities shall be dispeopled: <I>Ashkelon shall not be
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inhabited;</I> the rightful owners shall be expelled, either slain or
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carried into captivity.
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(3.) Foreigners shall take possession of their land and become masters
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of all its wealth
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>):
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<I>A bastard shall dwell in Ashdod;</I> a spurious brood of strangers
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shall enter upon the inheritances of the natives, which they have no
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more right to than a bastard has to the estates of the legitimate
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children. And thus God will <I>cut off the pride of the
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Philistines,</I> all the strength and wealth which they prided
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themselves in, and which were the ground of their confidence in
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themselves and their contempt of the Israel of God. This prophecy of
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the destruction of the Philistines, and of Damascus, and Tyre, was
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accomplished, not long after this, by Alexander the Great, who ravaged
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all these countries with his victorious army, took the cities, and
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planted colonies in them, which Quintus Curtius gives a particular
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account of in the history of his conquests. And some think he is meant
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by the bastard that shall dwell in Ashdod, for his mother Olympia owned
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him begotten in adultery, but pretended it was by Jupiter. The Jews
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afterwards got ground of the Philistines, Syrians, and others of their
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neighbours, took some of their cities from them and possessed their
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countries, as appears by the histories of Josephus and the Maccabees,
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and this was foretold before,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zep+2:4,Ob+1:20">Zeph. ii. 4, &c.; Obad. 20</A>.</P>
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<P>
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3. Some among them shall be converted, and brought home to God, by his
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gospel and grace; so some understand
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>,
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as a promise,
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(1.) That God would take away the sins of these nations--<I>their
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blood</I> and <I>their abominations,</I> their cruelties and their
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idolatries. God will part between them and these sins which they have
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rolled under their tongue as a sweet morsel, and are as loth to part
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with as men are to part with the meat out of their mouths, and which
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they hold fast between their teeth. Nothing is too hard for the grace
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of God to do.
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(2.) That he would accept of a remnant of them for his own: <I>He that
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remains shall be for our God.</I> God would preserve a remnant even of
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these nations, that should be the monuments of his mercy and grace and
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be set apart for him; and the disadvantages of their birth shall be no
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bar to their acceptance with God, but a Philistine shall be as
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acceptable to God, upon gospel-terms, as one of Judah, nay, as a
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governor, or chief one, in Judah, and a man of Ekron shall be as a
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Jebusite, or a man of Jerusalem, as a proselyted Jebusite, as Araunah
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the Jebusite,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+24:16">2 Sam. xxiv. 16</A>.
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In Christ Jesus there is no distinction of nations, but all are one in
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him, all alike welcome to him.</P>
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<P>
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IV. In all this God intends mercy for Israel, and it is in kindness to
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them that God will deal thus with the neighbouring nations, to avenge
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their quarrel for what is past and to secure them for the future.</P>
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<P>
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1. Thus some understand the
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:7">seventh verse</A>,
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as intimating,
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(1.) That thus God would deliver his people from their bloody
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adversaries, who hated them, and to whom they were an abomination, when
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they were just ready to devour them and make a prey of them: I will
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<I>take away his blood</I> (that is, the blood of Israel) out of the
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mouth of the Philistines and <I>from between their teeth</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Am+3:12">Amos iii. 12</A>),
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when, in their hatred of them and enmity to them, they were greedily
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devouring them.
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(2.) That lie would thus give them victory and dominion over them: And
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<I>he that remains</I> (that is, the remnant of Israel) <I>shall be for
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our God,</I> shall be taken into his favour, shall own him and be owned
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by him, and <I>he shall be as a governor in Judah;</I> though the Jews
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have been long in servitude, they shall recover their ancient dignity,
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and be victorious, as David and other governors in Judah formerly were;
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and Ekron (that is, the Philistines) shall be as the Jebusites, and the
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rest of the devoted nations, who were brought into subjection under
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them.</P>
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<P>
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2. However, this is plainly the sense of
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>,
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that God will take his people under his special protection, and
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<I>therefore</I> will weaken their neighbours, that it may not be in
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their power to do them a mischief: <I>I will encamp about my house
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because of the army.</I> Note, God's house lies in the midst of an
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enemy's country, and his church is as a lily among thorns; and
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therefore God's power and goodness are to be observed in the special
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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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+20:9,Ps+34:7">Rev. xx. 9; Ps. xxxiv. 7</A>.
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+34:15">Ps. xxxiv. 15</A>,
|
|
|
|
<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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+16:9">2 Chron. xvi. 9</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_9"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_10"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_11"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Predictions Relating to Messiah.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 510.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>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.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
That here begins a prophecy of the Messiah and his kingdom is plain
|
|
from the literal accomplishment of the
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:9">ninth verse</A>
|
|
|
|
in, and its express application to, Christ's riding in triumph into
|
|
<I>Jerusalem,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+21:5,Joh+12:15">Matt. xxi. 5; John xii. 15</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+2:6">Ps. ii. 6</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+11:29">Matt. xi. 29</A>,
|
|
|
|
<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>
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>),
|
|
|
|
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,"
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+72:8">Ps. lxxii. 8</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>):
|
|
|
|
"<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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Le+26:42,44,45,De+30:4">Lev. xxvi. 42, 44, 45; Deut. xxx. 4</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_12"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_13"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_14"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_15"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_16"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Zec9_17"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Gospel Invitations; Promises of God's Favour to Israel.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 510.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>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 L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go
|
|
forth as the lightning: and the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT> shall blow the trumpet,
|
|
and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
|
|
15 The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> 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 L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> 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.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
I. They are invited to look unto Christ, and flee unto him as their
|
|
city of refuge
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>):
|
|
|
|
<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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ne+9:36">Neh. ix. 36</A>),
|
|
|
|
yet <I>prisoners of hope,</I> or <I>expectation,</I> for God had given
|
|
them a <I>little reviving in their bondage,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ezr+9:8">Ezra ix. 8, 9</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+45:22">Isa. xlv. 22</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+2:25,38">Luke ii. 25, 38</A>.
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>),
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Da+11:1-45">Dan. xi</A>.
|
|
|
|
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
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some think that this is signified by the phrase of <I>filling the
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|
bow.</I> The expressions here are very fine, and the figures lively.
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Judah had been <I>taught the use of the bow</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+1:18">2 Sam. i. 18</A>),
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and Ephraim had been famous for it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+78:9">Ps. lxxviii. 9</A>.
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But let them not think that they gain their successes by their own bow,
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|
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
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|
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
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|
he enables them to do. The preachers of the gospel were the bow in
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|
Christ's hand, with which he went forth, he went on, <I>conquering and
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|
to conquer,</I>
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|
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+6:2">Rev. vi. 2</A>.
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|
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The following words explain this: <I>I have raised up</I> and animated
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<I>thy sons, O Zion! against thy sons, O Greece!</I> This was fulfilled
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|
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
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|
exploits,</I>
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|
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Da+11:32">Dan. xi. 32</A>.
|
|
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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
|
|
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+17:13">Ps. xvii. 13</A>),
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|
and sometimes good men are made so; for he employs both as he pleases.
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|
|
|
(2.) That God will be captain, and commander-in-chief, over them, in
|
|
every expedition and engagement
|
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>):
|
|
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<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>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>);
|
|
|
|
<I>The Lord their God shall save them</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>);
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
2. They shall triumph in their God. They shall take the comfort and
|
|
give God the glory of their successes. So some read
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
<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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eph+5:18,19">Eph. v. 18, 19</A>.
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+62:2,3">Isa. lxii. 2, 3</A>.
|
|
|
|
And <I>they shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that day when I make up
|
|
my jewels,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mal+3:17">Mal. iii. 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+11:10,12">Isa. xi. 10, 12</A>.
|
|
|
|
(2.) In the provision he makes for them,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
This is the matter of their triumph
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>):
|
|
|
|
<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>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+27:4">Ps. xxvii. 4</A>),
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+33:17">Isa. xxxiii. 17</A>),
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=La+2:12,21,4:7,8,5:10">Lam. ii. 12, 21; iv. 7, 8; v. 10</A>),
|
|
|
|
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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