Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_200_p.lzh/5_250.TXT

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

Gospel, and the ordinances of it, which should be
preached and administered in the Gentile world, be-
fore like a desert; and the graces of the spirit, which
should be brought into the hearts of men by means of
them; and the large communications of grace from
Christ; and the discoveries of the love of God, with
the blessings of it; compared to rivers for their abun-
dance, and for the comforting, reviving, and fructi-
fylug nature of them.
Vet. 2O. The beast of the field shall honour me, the
dragons, and the owls, &c.] Which is not to be un-
derstood literally of these creatures, who as they had
honoured the Lord, when Israel passed through the
wilderness, so would again in their way praise the
Lord, when they came through the deserts from Ba-
bylon, for giving them water to drink in such dry and
thirsty places, to which there may be an allusion; but
spiritually of the Gentiles, compared to those crea-
.tures for the savagehess, fierceness, and stupidity of
them, and who were reckoned by the Jews no other
than as the beasts of the field; who should honour and
glorify God for the Gospel brought unto them, and
for his grace and mercy bestowed on them: because I
give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert;
as before; see the note on the preceding verse; be-
cause of the plenty of divine grace, and the means
of it: to give drink to my people, my chosen; to refresh
and comibrt the hearts of his people, whom he had
chosen out from among the Gentiles, and now would
call them by his grace, and set them a thirsting after
Christ, and salvation by him.
Vet. 2l. This people have I fo%rmed for myself, &c.]
The Gentiles, compared to a desert and wilderness,
wild and uncultivated, distinguished from Jacob and
Israel in the next verse, and the same with the chosen
people before tnentioned; who being chosen of God,
and redeemed by Christ, are formed anew by the spi-
rit of Christ, made new creatures, regenerated, and
transformed by the renewing of their minds, and con-
formed to the image of Christ, and having him formed
in their souls, and principles of grace and holiness
wrought in them; in consequence of which they re-
formed in their lives and conversation, and were also
formed into a Gospel church-state, and all this done
by the Lord for himself, his service, and his glory.
The Targum is," this people have I prepared for my
"worship :" they shall shew .forth my praise; with
their lips, by ascribing their formation to the power and
grace of God, and even their whole salvation to it, and
express their thankfulness for the same; and likewise
by their actions, by a subjection to the ordinances of
the Gospel, and by their lives and conversations being
agreeably to it. Joseph Kimchl, as Abendana ob-
serves, interprets this people of the beasts of the field,
spoken of in the preceding verse, that should honour
the Lord, and here said to be formed for himself, and
should shew forth his praise; and which is taken
ffotice of to aggravate the sins of the people of the Jews,
who called not on the Lord, &c. as in the following
verses; so the ants and conies are called a people not
strong, and the locusts a people great and strong, Prov.
xxx. 25, 26. Joel ii.g.
Ver. 22. But thou hast not called upon me, 0 Jacob,
&c.] The Jews, though they were the posterity of
Jacob, a praying person, yet did not tread in his steps,
but were more like the Heathens that called not on the
name of the Lord; .though there is no necessity of re-
straining this to prayer, it may regard the whole wor-
ship of God, which is sometimes included in the invo-
cation of his name; and so the Targum, "and ye coma
"not to my worsh, ip, 0 ye of the house of Jacob."
The Jews, in Christ' s time, did not call upon his name,
nor believe in him, nor receive his Gospel, nor submit
to him and his ordinances; they rejected him and
his service, therefore the Lord rejected them, and
called the Gentiles, as before prophesied of: but thou
hast been weary of me, 0 Israel: of the word, wor-
ship, and ordinances of God; see Mal. i. 13. Amos
viii. 5.
Ver. e3. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle
of thy burnt-offerings, &c.] The kids and the lambs,
which, according to the law, should have been brought
for burnt-offerings daily, morning and evening; and
much less did they bring the larger cattle of burnt-
offerings, as oxen and bullocks. The Targum and
Vulgate Latin render it, the rams of thy burnt-offerings;
the Septuagint version, the sheep; and the Syriac and
Arabic versions, the lambs; and these were not brought
to him, but to their idols; or, however, were not brought
in a right way and manner,-and from right principles,
aad with right views. Kimchi thinks this refers to
the times of Ahaz, when the service of God ceased in
the temple, and idolatry was practised at Jerusalem
but it seems to respect later times, nearer the times of
Christ; see Mal. i. 13, 14. and iii. 7, 8: neither hast
thou honoured me-with thy sacrifices; what sacrifices
they did offer were not offered to God, but to their
idols; or they were such as were not according to the
law of God; or they were not offered up in the faith
of the Messiah, nor with a true spirit of devotion,
and with a sincere view to the glory of God, and
in the exercise of repentance for sins; but rather as
an atonement for them, and that they might go on
in them with ease of mind; see Isa. i. 11--15: I have
not caused thee to serve with an offering; the minchah,
a meat-offering or bread-offering, which was a free-will
offering, and they were not obliged to it; it was at
their own option whether they would bring it or no,
and which was not very chargeable to them: nor wea-
ried thee with incense; or frankincense, which was put
upon the meat or bread offering; see Lev. ii. 1. Some
understand this of all offerings in general, th'at they
were not so many that were commanded them, as to
be a burden to them; nor so expensive but that they
were able to bear the charge of them, considering the
fruitfulness of the land of Canaan, and especially the
numerous and costly sacrifices of Heathen idolaters:
and others think it has reference to the time of Israel's
coming out of Egypt, and the covenant of God with
them, when no mention was made of sacrifices, nor
were they enjoined them, Jet. vii.
Vet. 24. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with
money, &c.] Or .calamus{r}, which was used in the
anointing oil, and for the perfume or incense, Exod.

{r} \^hnq\^ calamum, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; calamum odoratum,
Janius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Vitringa.