Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_700.lzh/6_743.TXT

Text File | 1994-11-26 | 7KB | 130 lines

who pretended to be the friends of the Messiah, and to
expect his. com.ing, and this at or near Jerusalem,
where was the tsemple or house of God; but all this he
endured, not for any crime he had been guilty of, but
according to the counsel and will, purpose and decree,
of God; whereby he was appointed the Shepherd of the
flock; the Mediator between God and man; the Saviour
of Isis people; and to die such a death, in order to ob-
tain salvation for them; which counsel and will of
God are clearly and strongly expressed in the fol-
lowing verse: and to this sense Capellus interprets the
words.
Ver. 7. Atvake, 0 sword, ,against my shepherd, &c.]
Not Judas Maccabeus, slain in battle by Bacchis",
as Grotius fancies; but Christ, Jehovah's Shepherd; for
these are the words of Jehovah the Father, concerning
his Son, whom he calls my Shepherd; because he has a
property in him, as well as in the flock; and he was
chosen, called, set up, and sent as such by him; on
whom he laid the straylugs of all the sheep; and who
as such died and rose again, and is accountable to Isis
divine Father for the flock committed to him: by the
sword awoke against him are meant either the sorrows
and afflictions of Christ, which, like a sword, pierced
through his soul; or the violent death he was put to,
being stricken and cut off for the transgressions of his
people; or the Jews, who were the instruments of it;
so wicked men are called, Pant. xvii. 13. or rather the
glittering sword of justice, which was drawn against
him, and sheathed in him; which is called upon to
awake, it seeming as though it was asleep; it having
been a long time since the first sin of Adam was com-
mitted, in which all isis posterity was concerned, and
for which satisfaction to divine justice must be made;
and longer still 'since Christ became a surety, and en-
gaged to do it; moreover, it was a great while since it
was promised that he should come, and be smitten
and wounded for sin; and, after he was come iuto the
world, it was some time before the orders were given
to this sword to awake a.aainst him: even against the
man that is my .fellow, saith the Lord of hosts; the
human nature of Christ is signified by the man; not
that he was really man before his incarnation, only in
the purpose and-covenant of God; and he often ap-
pearing in a human form; and the Scripture speaking
of things future as present; though here it regards him
in the days of his flesh, and as suffering: his divine
nature is expressed by being the fellow of the Lord of
hosts; not only being near to him in place and affec-
tion, but his equal, .being truly a divine Person; of
the same nature, glory, and majesty, with him {}, though
distinct from him; and so fit to be the Shepherd of the
flock: smite the Shepherd; the order is given to the
sword of justice, by the Lord of hosts, to smite the
Messiah, the Shepherd, even unto death: this was ac-
cording to his purpose; was his will of command;
agreeable to his mind; what he took a kind of pleasure
in, and in which he had a hand himself; for it is ren-
dered I will smite, Matt. xxvi. 31: and the sheep shall
be scattered; particularly the apostles, who, upon the
seizure of Christ, were scattered from him, and one
another, whereby this prophecy was fulfilled, Matt.
xxvi. 31, 56: and I will turn my hand upon the little
ones; the same with the sheep, the disciples of Christ {};
yea, all that Christ died for, and to whom God is gra-
cious for his sake; even all the little ones that believe
in him; who are few in number, little in their own
sight, and contemptible in the eyes of the world;
pusillanimous, fearful, and of little faith, as the
apostles of Christ were at the time he died: on these
the Lord turned his hand; not his chastising hand,
though that is sometimes on the saints; much less his
hand of justice, which was laid on Christ, and it
would have been unjust to have laid it on sinner and
surety both; but his hand of grace and mercy, power
and protection; which was upon the apostles in their
ministrations, succeeding them to the conversion of
sinners, and preserving them from their enemies; and
all the elect are saved in consequence of the death of
Christ, and redemption by him. Aben Ezra says
this prophecy refers to the great wars which shall be in
all the earth in the times of Messiah ben Joseph; but
they regard the times of Christ the son of David, who
is already come. The Targum is, "be revealed, O
"sword, against the king, and against the ruler his
"companion, who is like unto him ;" and Jarchi in-
terprets it of the king of Moab; and Aben Ezra of
every king of the nations that shall in the above times
reign over the earth, who thinks himself to be as God;
which sense Kimchi approves of, and observes, that
the little ones are governors and princes, who are less
than kings: and another Jewish writer {} says the
sense is, awake, O sword, against the king of lshmael,
who is called the king of the Turks (the grand seig-
nior), that rules over Asia and Africa; which are more
than three-fourths of the world, and the greater part of
the Jewish nation are in captivity hnder his hand;
him God calls his Shepherd, because he hath given into
his hand to feed his flock in their captivity, and this
flock is the nation of Israel; and he is called the man
his fellow, because he thinks himself, through the
pride and haughtiness of his heart, to be as God; and
upon the ruin of this prince, he supposes, will be the
deliverance of the Jews, who, being scattered into se-
veral parts, will, in separate bodies, return to their
own !an'd: and by the little ones he thinks are meant
the kings of the nations of Edom, or of the Roman
nations, which are the lesser pastors of the sheep.
Manasseh ben Israel {a} makes mention of the same ex-
position of the passage, but is of opinion that the
words are rather to be understood of the pope of
Rome, who calls himself a pastor, and next to God,
and his vicar on earth; and against him and those like
to him, inferior in power, God will make war. But
much more agreeable, and very remarkable, are the
words of R. Samuel Marochianus {b}, who, writing of the
coming of the Messiah, says, "I fear, O my Lord, that
"that which Zechariah the prophet said, I will smite
"the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scat-
" tered, was fulfilled when we smote the Shepherd of

{w} Vid. Joseph. Antiqu. l. 12. c. 11. sect. 2.
{x} \^tyme\^ socius, proximus; speciatim tribuitur Messiae, qui patri
caelesti est conjunctissimus & intimus, cum sit ejusdem numero essen-
tiae, gloriae, ac majestatis cum eo. Stockius, p. 794.
{y} So Stockius, p. 912.
{z} R. Isaac Chizzuk Emunah, par. 1. c. 37. p. 310. 311.
{a} De Resurrect. Mort. l. 3. c. 5. sect. 5. p. 290.
{b} Apud Burkium in loc. e Mullero.