Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_700.lzh/6_709.TXT

Text File | 1994-11-26 | 7KB | 127 lines

Peacemaker; in the situation Of it on a mount,. which
denotes the safety, visibility, and exalted state of the
church; in the matter of it, being made of choice
stones, and excellent timber, to which believers in
Christ, who as lively stones are built up 'a spiritual
house. are filly compared; in the magnificence and
stateliness of it, especially as the church will be in the
latter day. when the glorious things spoken of it will
be fulfilled; and in its strengab and firmness. as well'
as in its hbliness: and it is called the ternfie of the
Lord, because it is of his building. where he dwells,
and where he is worhipped; and in the buildi
it Christ has a great concern; he is not only the
dation and corner-stone of it. but he is the chief, the
master-builder of it; he builds it on himself, and
builds it up by his spirit. his ministers, his word and
ordinances, making thereby continually an incise of
it. and additions to it; see Matt. xvi. 18
Ver. 13 Even he shah buil4 the temple of the Lord.
&c.] Which is repeated, as Kimchi observes, for
confirmation-sake: and he shall bear the glory; that
is, of building the temple; and the phrase dens
that the glory of it shall be upon .him. shall be hung
upon him, as in ls,a. xxii. 24. and so shall be visible';
that it would be weighty and heavy, he having many
crowns on his head. put there by all the saints, who
every one of them ascribe g1ory to him; that it would
continue. and not pass away like the glory of this world;
and that he, and he alone, should bear it; not Joshua.
'nor Zerubbabel, nor the ministers of the word. nor
.members of churches, nor' any other, but himself; he,
and he alone. shall be exalted: and shall sit and rule
upon his throne; in heaven, having done his work on
earth, where he is at ease and nst, and exercises
power and authority; he rules over the whole world.
and the kings of it in general, and in particular over
his saints, by his spirit, word, and ordinates, feeding.
protecting. and defending them': and he shall be a
Prince upon his throne; he is both Priest and King. and
exercises both offices at one and the same ,time, and
even now in heaven; having offered himeff as a sacri-
fice on earth. by which he has put away .sin for ever.
and peffected his people; he is set down upon his
thine. as a King crowned with glory and honour;
and ever lives as a Priest the thine, to make in-
tercession for them; by appearing in the presence of
God for them; by presenting his blood. sacrifice, and
righteousness. to his divine Father; by offering u,p the
prayers and praises of his people; by declaring it as
his will that such and such blessings be bestowed
upon them; and by .applying the beasts of his death
unto them: and the counsel of peaoe shall be between
them boil; not between Joshua and Zerubbabel, who
should agree together. as they did, in ,the adminis-
tration of government belonging to their distinct of-
fices; rather between the priestly 'and kingly offices of
Christ; nor the council of peace between the Father
and the Son. concerning .the salvation of,the elect ;for
that was past in eternitv; but better the Gospel of.
peace, coiled' the whole cou.nsel of God, which, in con-
sequence of Christ being a P-r4est on .his throne,-was
preached to both Jews and Gentiles; which brought
the glad tidings of.peace and salvation by Christ to
both. and was the means of making peace between
them both.
Ver. 14. And the crowns shall be to lfelem, &c.]
The same with Heldai, ver. 10: and to Tobijah, and
to,Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah ; the Same
with 'Josiah, ver. 10: for a memorial in the temple of
the Lord ; the cro. wns, after they had been put upon
the head of J, osh-ua, were taken otf, and laid up in
some part of the temple, of which the Jews make
mention in their Misna {}; and say there were golden
chains fixed to the beams of the porch (of the temple),
by which the young priests .Went up, and saw the
crowns; as it is said. Zech. vi. 14. and the crowns
shall'be to Itelem. &c.; these Were taint up for a me-
morial of the liberality and, generosity of those men,
as Jaa, chi interprets it; who had so freely and la. rgely
offered towards the building of t!he temple; or rather.,
as Atshec {}, another Jewish commentator. observes,
they were for a memorial of something future, even of
the Messiah, who was .typified by Joshua; when he
had those crowns upon him; for those crowns respectt
the glory of Christ's government in future time,; and
.being made both of silver and gold, and put upon the
head of the high-priest Joshua, .denoted the union of
the kingly and priestly offt. ces in the Messiah.
Vet. 15. Anti they that are afar off shall come, &c.].
Into the temple; note the material temple ;. :nor is this.
a prophecy which was fulfilled in Herod, a...stronger,.
repairing that, as Kimchi suggests; but into the spi--
ritual temple, the church; and is.a prophecy of the
calling of the Gentiles, who are said to be afar off,
Ephes. ii. 12, 13, from God; from having his image on
them; from subjection to his law.; from the know,,
ledge and fear of' him; and flora .communifn .with.
him: from :Christ; from the knowtedge ofhiaperson,
righteousness, and salvation .by him; from love to
him, faith ha him, and fellow. ship with him ;. from .ache
Spirit of God, and from the people of God, and from
any solid hope of eternal life.: now these being called
by grace, and br9ught to Christ under the drawings
of the Father's love, shall come to ;his church, and join
tt4emselves to his people .: ard build in .the temple of the
Lord; upon. the foundation Christ; and be useful in
build. ing up other, s, either by private conversafon, or
· by public preaching the ,word ; lit is not said, they shall
build the temple of .the Lord; 'that isChrist's .work;
but build in it: and ye shah .know that the Lord o
hosts ha,th sent me unto you; that is, the Prophet Ze,
cbariah, who was sent to .t, he Jews to declare these.
th,ings to them ;. or, as the Tar, gum adds, ¢o prophesy
unto you: which they-would ful1y know, and be as-
sured of, when these things shou4d have their. aecom,
plishment: and this shall come to- pass, if ye will dill-.
gently obey the voice of the Lord your God..not that
the fulfilment. of the above predict ions depended upon
their obedience; but when they ..should m the hi,leer.
day obey the Gospei. of Christ, or the word of the Lord
their God, as the Targum .paraphrases it; then this
wou:ld .come to pass, that they.$houid know that the
prophet had his mission from the Lord..

{r} Massech. Middot, c. 3. sect. 8.
{s} Apud L'Empereur. Not in ib.