Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_200_p.lzh/5_224.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-09 | 7KB | 128 lines

"to Zion ;" and so tnay be applied to Gospel ministers,
who bring the good tidings of the good will, grace,
and fayour of God, to men, through Christ; of the
grace of Christ, in his suretyship-engagements and per-
formantes; in his incarnation, sufferings, and death,
and in his advocacy and intercession; and of the good
things that come by him, as peace, pardon, righte-
ousness, salvation, and eternal life: get thee up into the
high mountain; to declare these good tidings, in the
most open and public manner, that all might hear and
receive them, and rejoice at them; it may also point
at the place, the church of God, comparable to a high
mountain for its visibility and immovableness, where
the Gospel is to be published: 0 Jerusalem, that bring-
estgood tidD,gs: the church of God so called, to whom
the faith of the Gospel is delivered, which is the pillar
and ground of truth; which receives, retains, and
maintains it, and sends forth ministe_rs to proclaim it;
particularly the first church at Jerusalem, where it was
first preached, and from whence it went forth into
other parts of J udea, and into all the world; here the
apostles of Christ were, and from hence they set out,
and published the Gospel all the world over, and who
seem to be chiefly meant; for the words may be ren-
dered, as the other clause, 0 thou that bringest good
tidings to Jerusalem o; so the Targum: lift up thy voice
with strength; or preach the Gospel with a strong
voice, speak it out; don't mutter it over, or whisper it
in a corner; proclaim it on the house-tops, cry aloud
that all may hear; lift up thy voice like a trumpet;
blow the trumpet of the Gospel with all the strength
thou hast; cause the joyful sound to 'be heard far and
near : lift it up, and be not a. fraid ; of the reproaches
and revitings of men on account of it, or of their per-
secutions for it; or lest it should not be welcome, or
be received as truth: say unto the cities o.f Judah ; the
inhabitants of them literally understood, and to the
several churches and congregations of the saints ev.ery-
where: behold your God! that divine Person is come,
that was promised, prophesied of, and expected; even
Iramanuel, God with us, God in our nature, God ma-
nifest in the flesh, God your SaySour,. and who being
 God, truly God, is able to save to the uttermost'; look
to him with an eye of faith, and be saved; behold the
Son of God, the Lamb of God, that has bore your sins,
and took them away; behold him now, as your King
and your God, on the throne, made and declared, Lord
and Christ, crowned with glory and. honour, on the
same throne with his divine Father, having all power
in heaven and earth; and let the echo of your faith be,
my Lord and my Go& The Targum is," the liing-
".dom of your God is revealed ;" see Matt. iii. c2.
Ver. lo. Behold, the Lord God will come with a
strong hand, &c.] Some understand this of the second
coming of Christ, which coming is certain, such as-
surances being given of it by promise and prophecy;
and will be artended with power, which will be requi-
site to raise the dead, summon all nations before him,
and pass and execute the proper sentence on them;
when his artn shall openly bear rule, he'll take to
himself his great power, and reign; when his reward
will be with him, to give to every man according to
theii' works; and his own work will be before him, to
judge the world in righteousness: see Rev. xxii. 12.
but it is more agreeable to the context, which foretels
the coming of John the Baptist, points out the mi-
nisters of the Gospel, and describes Christ in his of-
rice, as a shepherd feeding his flock, to understand it
of his first coming; for not God the Father, but the
Son of God, is meant by the Lord God, who is truly
God, and so able to save, and which was the end of
his coming. He is said to come with a strong hand,
or with great power, which his Work required; which
was to fnlfil the law, satisfy divine justice, atone for
sin, grapple, and conflict with innumerable enemies,
undergo the death of the cross, bear the curse of the
law, and the wrath of God, and all in order to obtain
eternal redemption for his people; for this he came
from heaven to earth, not by change of place, but by
assumption of nature. Some render it, against a strong
one {p}; the strong man armed, the devil, whose head he
came to break, whose works he came to destroy, with
whom he fought, and whom he conquered and de-
stroyed. Jarchi's note is," against the wicked, to
"take vengeance on them ;" but Aben Ezra and Kim-
chi supply the word hand, as we do: and his arm shah
rule for him; or he shall have sufficient power of him-
self to do the work he comes about; his own arm or
power wrought salvation for him and for his people;
see Isa. lxiii. 5. Some render it, over him {q}; that is,
over the ,strong and mighty one, against whom he
Came, whom he conquered, subdued, and ruled over:
behold, his reward is with him; to give to those that
trust in him, as Kimchi; or to those that do his
word, as the Targum; that. believe in him, em-
brace his Gospel, and act according to it: or this
may respect his own reward, which should follow his
work; which he was as sure of as if it was in his
hands; namely, his exaltation in his human nature,
his glory with his father, and the enjoyment of his
spiritual seed to all eternity: and his wortc before him;
the work of redemption and salvation, which he was
called unto, sent tO do, and which, being given him,
he agreed to do, was very toilsome and laborious, yet
he. took great delight_in it, and has finished it; this is
said to be before him, being proposed in council, and
cut out in covenant'for him, was well known unto him,
and in his power to effect, and what he could easily
do, and did. The Targum understands this of the
works of men being before him, for whom he has a
reward,
Ver. 11. He shall feed his fiock like a shepherd, &c.]
Christ has a flock, a flock of men, a distinct and pe-
culiar people, and it is but one, and that a little one,
and yet a beautiful one, though often a flock of slaugh-
ter; which is his by his father's gift, anti his own pur-
chase, and appears manifest in effectual vocation,
when he calls them by name; to these he stands in
the relation of a shepherd, being so by Iris father's de-
signation and appointment, and his own consent; and
a good shepherd he is, as is manifest by his laying
down.hiS life tbr the sheep; and a great one, being

{o} \^Mlvwry trvbm\^ O quae evangelizas Jeruschalaimo, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator.
{p} \^qzxb\^ contra robustum, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Vitringa.
{q} \^wb\^ in illum, ibid.