Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_100_p.lzh/5_123.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-08 | 7KB | 127 lines

observe what houses might be annoyed by the enemy,
and what stood in the way of the repair of the walls,
or were proper to pull down, that with the stones and
timber of them they might make up the breaches of
the wall, and that the stronger, as follows: and the
houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall; either
such as wereW. ithout the wall, which, had theylet them
stand, would either have been destroyed by the enemy,
or have been a harbour for them; or those upon it,
and near it within, which stood in the way of the re.
pair, and were easily beat down by the enemy; or
might be a means of cotnmunication between them
and such as were inclined to be treacherous; with the
stonesand timber of which houses, when broken down,
they strengthened the wall, and so served a better
purpose than if they had stood.
Vet. 11. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls,
&c.] The outward and the inward; for Hezekiah not
only repaired the broken wall, but he built another
without, 2 Chron. xxxii. 5. and between these two he
made a ditch, or receptacle for water; for rain-water,
as Kimchi says; that the inhabitants might not want
water during the siege; but the end for which it was
made follows: for the water of the old pool; which,
being without the city, was by this means drained into
this ditch or receptacle; and so the Assyrians were
deprived of it, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem more
abundantly supplied; this was wisely contrived to
distress the enemy, and to enable themselves to hold
out the siege the longer; and for this and other me-
thods they took they are not blamed, but for what
follows: but ye have not looked unto the Maker thereof;'
either of the distress and calamity which came upon
them for their sins, with the will and by the decree of
God; or of the water of the pool, which is a creature
of his; for who can give rain or water but himself?
or rather of the city of Jerusalem, to build which he
stirred up persons, and assisted them in it, and which
he chose for the seat of his habitation and worship:
neither had respect unto him that .fashioned it long ago;
not in his own mind from eternity, which is the gloss
of the Jewish Rabbius {p}; Jerusalem being one of the
seven things, which, before the world was, came into
the mind of God to create; but in time, many years
ago, in the times of David, who built some part of it;
and before, it being the ancient city of Salem. Now
this was their fault, that they trusted in their warlike
pdreparations, and prudential care and caution, for the
efence of themselves, and looked not unto, nor trusted
in, the Lord their God; for though Hezekiah did, yet
many of his people did not; and very probably his
principal courtiers and officers about him, concerned
in the above methods, and particularly Shebna, here-
after mentioned.
Vet. l2. And in that day did the Lord God of hosts,
&c.] When it was a day of trouble, of treading down,
and of perplexity; when Jerusalem was besieged by
the Assyrian army; and when the people were so
much concerned, and so careful for their defence and
preservation; then did the Lord call to weeping and
to mourning; to confess and mourn over their sins,
the cause of these calamities; to lament their unhappy
case; to humble themselves under the mighty hand of
God, and, by prayer and supplication, with tears to
implore his 'help and assistance, and grant them de-
liverance; this the Lord called them unto by the voice
of his Providence, by the afflictire dispensations of it,
and alamo by his prophets, whom he sent unto them,
particularly the Prophet Isaiah; so the Targum, "and
"the prophet of the Lord-God of hosts called in that
"day," &c.: and to baldhess, and to girdlug with sack-
cloth; which were external signs and tokens of inward
sorrow and repentance; the former. of which was done
by shaving the head, or plucking off the hair, and
was forbidden on private occasions, yet might be
allowed in a public case; see Mic. i. 16. Jer. xvi. 6.
Ver. 13. Behold joy and gladness, &c.] As if it
was a time of rejoicing, rather than of weeping and
mourning; and as if they were at a festival, and in the
greatest prosperity and liberty, and not besieged by a
powerful army: slaying oxen, and killing sheep: not
for sacrifice, to make atonement for sin, as typical of
the great sacrifice; but to eat, and that not as at ordi-
nary meals, or merely for the support of life, but as at
feasts, where, as there was great plenty, so luxury and
intemperance were indulged; just as Belshazzar did,
at the same time that Babylon was beset by the army
of the Medes and Persians, Dan. v. 1, 30. so the Jews
here, having taken the armour out of the treasury, and
furnished the soldiers with them, and took care of pro-
visions of bread and water, and having repaired and
fortitled the walls of the city, thought themselves
secure, and gave up themselves to feasting, mirth, and
pleasure: saying, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we
shall die; which they said, not as believing their caso
to be desperate; that the next day, or in a few days,
their city would be taken by the Assyrians, and they
shonld be put to the sword, and therefore, since they
had but a short life to live, they would live a merry
one; but rather as not believing it, but scoffing at the
prophet, and at the word of the Lord by him; as if
they should say, the prophet says we shall die to-
morrow, or we are in great danger of being suddenly
destroyed; but let us not be dismayed at such words,
and to shew that we don'tbelieve them, or if this is our
case, let us take our fill of pleasure, whilst we may
have it. This is the language of epicures, and of such
that disbelieve the resurrection of the dead, and a future
state, to whom the apostle applies the words in 1 Cor.
xv.
Vet. 14. And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord
of hosts, &c.] Both what they said in .the preceding
verse, their profane, impious, and scoffing language;
which perhaps was not expressed by words, but said
in their hearts, and which God the searcher of hearts
knew, and revealed it to the prophet; and also what
he determined to do upon this, which is afterwards
said, which being a purpose within himself, could not
be known without a divine revelation; so the Targum,
"the prophet said, with mine ears I was hearing,
"when this was decrecd from before the Lord of
"hosts;" namely, that their iniquity should not be
forgiven; the Vulgate Latin version is,.the voice of the
Lord of hosts is revealed in mine ears; saying what is

{p} Vid. Kimchi in loc.