Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_700.lzh/6_724.TXT

Text File | 1994-11-26 | 7KB | 129 lines

14. and who was sent after Christ, was received up
tnto heaven, as his second, his deputy, to officiate
in his room and stead; as this word is used sometimes
of the second priest, or sagan, or deputy of the high-
priest, Jer. iii. 24.
Vet. 13. When I have bent Judah .for me, &c.] By
whom are meant the apostles, who were Jews, and
whose ministrations were made use of as a bow with
arrows, to strike the hearts of men, and bring them
into subjection to Christ: they were a bow of the
Lord's bending and preparing, and which abode in
strength, being made strong and effectual through the
hands of the mighty God of Jacob: filled the bow with
Ephraim: or rather, filled Ephraim with the bow {p};
filled his hand with it; meaning, that some out of the
ten tribes, as were the apostles, should be employed
in drawing the bow of the Gospel, and shooting its
arrows, the doctrines of it; which are comparable to
them for swiftness, suddenness, and secrecy, and for
their piercing and penetrating nature: and raised up
Shy sons, 0 Zion, against thy sons, 0 Greece; that is,
persons of the land of Judea, as such the apostles were,
and who belonged to Zion the church of Christ;who
were raised up, quail/led, and sent forth by him into
the Gentile world, with weapons of warfare, not car-
nal, but spiritual; against the Gentiles in general, and
the wise men of Greece, as at Athens, in particular, to
confound some, and to conquer others, and bring them
to the obedience of Christ. Some understand this of
the Maccabees raised up against A utiochus, and the
Greeks that possessed the kingdom of Syria: and made
thee as the sword of a mighty man; that is, made the
Gospel in the hands of the church, and of her sons, as
a sword in the hand of a mighty man, by whom exe-
cution is done with it; this is the sword of the spirit,
even the word of God; and is skarp and cutting, and
is the power of God unto salvation; as it is girt upon the
thigh, and is in the handsof Christ the most Mighty ;and
as it is accompanied with the spirit of God, and of power.
Ver. 14. And lhe Lord shall be seen over them, &c.]
His apostles and ministers: or, shall appear to them {q};
and be seen bv them, as he was in the days of his flesh;
they saw his person, his miracles, his sorrows, and
sufferings; they saw him after his resurrection, and
some have seen him since his ascension, with the eyes
of their bodies, as well as with the eves of their under-
standings; and so were fit to be witnesses of him: or,
the Lord shall appear over them, or upon them {}; he
was seen over, and alcove them, when he ascended up
to heaven; and upon them, by the descent of his Spi-
tit on tbcm at the day of Pentecost, and in other mira-
culous gifts bestowed upon them: or, the Lord shall
appear unto, or for them {}; by giving strength of body,
and fortitude of mind; by protecting and preserving
them, and by succeeding their labours: and his arrow
shall go .forth as the ligtning : meaning the Gospel, and
the swift progress of it, as well as the light it commu-
nicates, and the glory that goes along with it, and the
efficacy of it: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet;
of the Gospel, so called, in allusion to the jubilee trum-
pet, which proclaimed liberty to servants, and resto-
ration of inheritances: or to the trumpets made for
the congregation of Israel to gather them together, and
to express their joy at feasts: or to the trumpet used to
proclaim war, and as an alarm for it; and this was blown
by the Lord himself in person when here on earth, and
by his ministers in his name: and shall go with wMrl-
winds of the south; that is, the Lord in the ministra-
tion of the Gospel shall go forth with the efficacy and
energy of the Spirit: the Spirit is compared towind, be-
cause he works in a sovereign way where he listeth,
and oftentimes imperceptibly, and ever powerfully;
and to the south wind, because that brings warmth,
serenity, and calmness, produces rain, and makes fruit-
ful; and he it is which makes the Gospel efficacious;
see Cant. iv. 16. John iii. 8.
Ver. 15. The Lord of hosts shall defend them, &c.]
Ag. ainst all their enemies; against Satan, and his temp-
tations, and all the opposition made by him; against
the world, and all the rage and reproach of men; this
was remarkably verified in the apostles, who were pre-
served by the Lord amidst a thousand snares and dan-
gers; and who was able to do it, being Jehovah, and
the Lord of armies in heaven and in earth; he was as
a shield unto them, as the wordt used signifies; and to
which he is often compared in Scripture. The Tar-
gum renders it, "the Lord of hosts shall have mercy
"on them ;" he encompassed them about with his
fayour as with a shield: and they shall devour; or eat
spiritual food; Christ the bread of life; whose flesh is
meat indeed, and who is lived upon by faith;the
blessings and promises of the everlastin?_,' covenant, of
which the meek eat, and are satisfied; the Gospel and
the truths of it, the words of faith and good doctrine,
with which faithful ministers are nourished; all which
is necessary,that they may be strengthened, and quali.
fled to feed others with knowledge and understanding.:
and subdue with sling-stones; such who are stout-
hearted, and far from righteousness; who become by
their ministry penitent and humble, and subject to.
Christ, his Gospel and ordinances, even by the means
of preaching of the word, which seem very unpro-,
mising and unlikely; being to men foolishnesss, and
like the scrip and sling David took with him, and by
which he brought Goliah down to the ground: and
they shall'drink; of the love of God, which, for its an-
tiquity, purity, and refi'eshing nature, is like the best
wine; and of the blood of Christ, which is drink
deed; and of the grace of the Spirit, which revives,
strengthens, and extinguishes thirst: and make a
noise as through wine; being full of joy and thankful-
ness for their spiritual food and drink; and so warm,
zealous, and fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; free
and open in their ministrations, loudly proclaimingthe
grace of God; bold, and fearless of danger: and they
shall befilled like bowls; that were full of the blood of
the offerings, as Jarchi and, Kimchi explain it; or ra-
thei', as the. Targum, that were full of fine flour and oil;

{p} \^Myrpa ytalm tvq\^ arcu implebo manum Ephraim, Vatablus; so
Ben Melech.
{q} \^hary Mhyle\^ aderit illis, Vatablus, Drusius.
{r} Super cos, V. L. Calvin; super eis. Montanus, Piscator; super illis,
Cocceius.
{s} So the particle is sometimes used; see Noldius, p. 690, 703.
{t} \^Ngy\^ obteget, Burkius.
{u} \^wlkaw\^ ut comedant, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Tarnovius,
& edent, Burkius.