Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_700.lzh/6_736.TXT

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

nances of the Jews, in which judaizing Christians
joined them, until the destruction of Jcrusaletn; or
rathcr the ordinances of the Gospel, which, upon
taking that away, ceased: that l rnight brealc the brother-
hood between Judah and Israel; the Gospel and GoSpel
ordinances being removed from the Jews, there was
no more work of conversion among them'; their church-
state came to nothing, and an entire disagreement be-
tween them and the Gentiles ensued: and so it is when
God takes away his word and ordinances from a peo-
ple, they are unchurched and their brotherhood is
broken, those being the ba'nds which keep them toge-
ther; and therefore, when looscd, their unity and so-
ciety cease. There seems to be an allusion to the case
of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin., and of the
ten tribes; .the former are often signified by 3udah
only; and thebiter by Israel or Ephraim: the division
between them was mado in the times of Rehoboam,
wh'ich/ continued unto their respective captivities; after
the Jews' return from the Babylonish captivity, there
was some shew of an union between them; some of
the ten tribes returning with the Jews, and coalescing
in one state; and ,moreover, at their certain stated
feasts, they came from different parts of the world, and
joined togethey in religious service; see Acts it. but,
upon .the dissolution of their civil and church state,
this friendly correspondence was broken off, and their
communion With each other ceased: and as for the
Jews, .after the Christians were called out from among
,them at Jerusalem, and removed to Pella, they fell
into intestine divisions and quarrels among themselves,
.which, lasted during the siege of that City; and when
it was taken and destroyed, their brotherhood and
union among themselves were broken to such a degree,
that the. y were scattered one from another; and now
know not of what kingdom and tribe they are. whether
,ofJudah or Israel, or of what tribe in either.
Vet. 15. And the Lord said unto me, &c.] The Pro-
phet Zechariah: tatce unto thee yet the instruments of a
foolish shepherd; the meaning is, that the prophet
.should put on the habit of a shepherd, and take a scrip
and staff in Iris hands, and represent a foolish sheph.rd,
,hereafter described.
Ver. 16. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land,
&c.] Not in the land of Judea, but in the Roman em-
pire; and so not Herod, nor King Agrippa, as Kim-
chi; nor Antiochus Epiphanes, as others ;. nor those
wicked priests and princes, who governed after the
times of Zechariah ;. nor the Scribes and Pharisees in
Christ's times, though they are often called fools by
him, .and were.truly foolish shepherds; nor even Titus
Vespasian, who destroyed the city and temple; nor
Bar Cozba, who set up for the Messiah, and was a false
true; or afiy other of that sort. Calmet {} thinks this
designs the Roman emperors, successors of Tiberius,
under whom Jesus Christ was crucifi/ed. Caligula suc-
ceeded Tiberius. Claudius Caligula, and Nero suc-
ceeded Claudius: every one knows (adds he} the cha-
· raeteri of those princes, that they were truly foolish
.shepherds, mad, wicked, and cruel: but rather it in-
tends shepherd, or sheplierds, not in a civil, but in an
ecclesiastic sense; all such after Christ, who took
uFon theni this office, but did not perform it aright, as
herctics, false teachers, with which the first ages
abounded; and especially it points at the bishop of
Rome, and all under him, when he fell off froth the
true doctrine and disciplinc of the Gospel, the man of
am, or antichist, as Jerom rightly observes; who,
though his .coming is according to the working of
Satan, yet may be said to be raised up by the Lord,
because he .suffered him to rise; and by his secret
providence, ,and wise ordination in righteous judgment,
he came to .the height of hi.s powcl': with him agrees
the name of a shepherd; he calls himself the vicar of
Christ, thechief shepherd and bishop of souls; Petcr's
successor, .-who was ordered to feed the sheep ahd
lambs of Christ; and universal pastor, and a single
one, that 'will not admit of any associate. The cha-
racter of a foolish one belongs to him, though he
would be thought to be wise; nor is hc wanting in
wicked craft and cunning, but ignorant of the pastoral
office, and how to feed the church of God; and is a
wicked or evil shepherd, as the word t used is pretty
much the same in sound with our English word evil:
he governlug the flock, not with and according to the
word of God, but according to his own will and laws;
for his instruments are laws of his own making, an ex-
ercise of tyrannical power over kings and princes, un-
written traditions, pardons, indulgences, 4'c.: which
shall not visit those that be cut off ; not that cut off tllem-
selves, or are cut bff by the church; but such that go
astray, wander from the fold, and are in danger of
lost; \^twdbwa\^, that are perishing, as Jarchi ex-
plains the word; these he looks not after, nor has he
any regard to their spiritual and eternal welfare: nei-
ther shall seek the young one; the lamb, the tender of
the flock; he will not do as the good shepherd does,
carry the lambs in his arms, Isa. xl. 11. or, that which
wanders {}; that strays from the f01d, and out of the
pastures, or the right way: nor heal that that is broken;
that is of a broken and of a contrite spirit; or whose
bones are broken, and consciences wounded, through
falls into sin: nor feed that that standeth still; that
can't move from its place to get fresh pasture, but is
obliged to stay where it is, and needs supply and sup-
port there: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat ; that
is, as the Targum well explains it, "shall spoil the
"substance of the rich ;" see Rev. xviii. 3, 7: and
tear their claws in pieces; take all their power and pri-
vileges from them; all which well agrees with the
pope of Rome.                                              ·
Ver. 17. Woe to the idol-shepherd, &c.] Or, the
shepherd of nothing {w}; that is, no true shepherd, that'
is good for nothing, for an idol is nothing in the world.
1 Cor. viii. 4. and who is an idol himself, sits in the
temple of God, and is worshipped as if he was God.
2 Thess. it. 4. Rev. xiii. 4, 8, 15. and is an encourager
and defender of idolatry: that leaveth the flock; has no
regard to its spiritual concerns; does not feed it, but
fleece it, and leaves it to the cruelty and avarice of his

{s} Dictionary, in the word Shepherds.
{t} \^ylwa\^.
{u} \^renh\^ errantem, Noldius; quod prae ruditate evagatur, Cocceius.
{w} \^lylah yer\^ pastori nihili, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius,
So R. So. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 4. 2.