The iniquities and
calamities of God's
Israel
had been largely and pathetically lamented
before, in this book. Now in this chapter the shepherds of
Israel, their rulers both in church and state, are
called to an account, as having been very much accessory to the sin and ruin
of
Israel
, by their neglecting to do the duty of their
place. Here is, I. A high charge exhibited against them for their
negligence, their unskillfulness, and unfaithfulness in the management of
public affairs, ver. 1-6 and ver. 8. II. Their discharge from their trust,
for their insufficiency and treachery, ver. 7-10. III. A gracious promise
that God would take care of his flock, though they did not, and that it
should not always suffer as it had done by their mal-administrations, ver.
11-16. IV. Another charge exhibited against those of the flock that were fat
and strong, for the injuries they did to those that were weak and feeble,
ver. 17-22. V. Another promise that God would in the fulness of time send
the Messiah, to be the great and good Shepherd of the sheep, who should
redress all grievances and set every thing to rights with the flock, ver.
23-31.
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The
Shepherds Reproved.
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B. C. 587.
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1
And the word of the LORD
came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the
shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD
unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed
themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat
the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but
ye feed not the flock. 4 The diseased have ye not strengthened,
neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that
which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven
away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with
cruelty have ye ruled them. 5 And they were scattered, because there
is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field,
when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the
mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all
the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
The prophecy of this
chapter is not dated, nor any of those that follow it, till ch. xl.
It is most probable that it was delivered after the completing of
Jerusalem's destruction, when it would be very seasonable to enquire into
the causes of it.
I. The prophet is ordered
to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel--the princes and
magistrates, the priests and Levites, the great Sanhedrim or council of
state, or whoever they were that had the direction of public affairs in a
higher or lower sphere, the kings especially, for there were two of them now
captives in Babylon, who, as well as the people, must have their
transgressions shown them, that they might repent, as Manasseh in his
captivity. God has something to say to the shepherds, for they are
but under-shepherds, accountable to him who is the great Shepherd of
Israel, Ps. lxxx. 1. And that which he says is, Woe to the shepherds
of Israel! Though they are shepherds, and shepherds of Israel, yet he
must not spare them, must not flatter them. Note, If men's dignity and power
do not, as they ought, keep them from sin, they will not serve to exempt
them from reproof, to excuse their repentance, or to secure them from the
judgments of God if they do not repent. We had a woe to the pastors,
Jer. xxiii. 1. God will in a particular manner reckon with them if they be
false to their trust.
II. He is here directed
what to charge the shepherds with, in God's name, as the ground of God's
controversy with them; for it is not a causeless quarrel. Two things they
are charged with:-- 1. That all their care was to advance and enrich
themselves and to make themselves great. Their business was to take care of
those that were committed to their charge: Should not the shepherds feed
the flocks? No doubt they should; they betray their trust if they do
not. Not that they are to put the meat into their mouths, but to provide it
for them and bring them to it. But these shepherds made this the
least of their care; they fed themselves, contrived every thing to
gratify and indulge their own appetite, and to make themselves rich and
great, fat and easy. They made sure of the profits of their places; they did
eat the fat, the cream (so some), for he that feeds a flock
eats of the milk of it (1 Cor. ix. 7), and they made sure of the best of
the milk. They made sure of the fleece, and clothed themselves with the
wool, getting into their hands as much as they could of the estates of
their subjects, yea, and killed those that were well fed, that
what they had might be fed upon, as Naboth was put to death for his
vineyard. Note, There is a woe to those who are in public trusts, but
consult only their own private interest, and are more inquisitive about the
benefice than about the office, what money is to be got than what good to be
done. It is an old complaint, All seek their own, and too many more
than their own. 2. That they took no care for the benefit and welfare of
those that were committed to their charge: You feed not the flock.
They neither knew how to do it, so ignorant were they, nor would they take
any pains to do it, so lazy and slothful were they; nay, they never desired
nor designed it, so treacherous and unfaithful were they. (1.) They did not
do their duty to those of the flock that were distempered, did not
strengthen them, nor heal them, nor bind them up, v. 4. When any of
the flock were sick or hurt, worried or wounded, it was all one to them
whether they lived or died; they never looked after them. The princes and
judges took no care to right those that suffered wrong or to shelter injured
innocency. They took no care of the poor to see them provided for; they
might starve, for them. The priests took no care to instruct the ignorant,
to rectify the mistakes of those that were in error, to warn the unruly, or
to comfort the feeble-minded. The ministers of state took no care to check
the growing distempers of the kingdom, which threatened the vitals of it.
Things were amiss, and out of course, every where, and nothing was done to
rectify them. (2.) They did not do their duty to those of the flock that
were dispersed, that were driven away by the enemies that invaded the
country, and were forced to seek for shelter where they could find a place,
or that wandered of choice upon the mountains and hills (v.
6), where they were exposed to the beasts of prey and became meat to
them, v. 5. Every one is ready to seize a waif and stray. Some
went abroad and begged, some went abroad and traded, and thus the country
became thin of inhabitants, and was weakened and impoverished, and wanted
hands both in the fields of corn and in the fields of battle, both in
harvest and in war: My flock was scattered upon all the face of the
earth, v. 6. And they were never enquired after, were never
encouraged to return to their own country: None did search or seek after
them. Nay, with force and cruelty they ruled them, which drove
more away, and discouraged those that were driven away from all thoughts of
returning. Their case is bad who have reason to expect better
treatment among strangers than in their own country. It may be meant of
those of the flock that went astray from God and their duty; and the
priests, that should have taught the good knowledge of the Lord, used no
means to convince and reclaim them, so that they became an easy prey to
seducers. Thus were they scattered because there was no shepherd, v.
5. There were those that called themselves shepherds, but really they were
not. Note, Those that do not do the work of shepherds are unworthy of the
name. And if those that undertake to be shepherds are foolish shepherds
(Zech. xi. 15), if they are proud and above their business, idle and do not
love their business, or faithless and unconcerned about it, the case of the
flock is as bad as if it were without a shepherd. Better no shepherd than
such shepherds. Christ complains that his flock were as sheep having no
shepherd, when yet the scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses' seat,
Matt. ix. 36. It is ill with the patient when his physician is his worst
disease, ill with the flock when the shepherds drive them away and disperse
them, by ruling them with force.
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The
Shepherds Reproved.
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B. C. 587.
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7
Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD,
surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every
beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my
shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not
my flock; 9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at
their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall
the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from
their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. 11 For thus
saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them
out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he
is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep,
and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in
the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the
people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own
land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all
the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in a
good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be:
there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they
feed upon the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock, and
I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven
away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen
that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed
them with judgment.
Upon reading the foregoing
articles of impeachment drawn up, in God's name, against the shepherds of
Israel, we cannot but look upon the shepherds with a just indignation, and
upon the flock with a tender compassion. God, by the prophet, here expresses
both in a high degree; and the shepherds are called upon (v. 7, 9) to
hear the word of the Lord, to hear this word. Let them hear how
little he regards them, who made much of themselves, and how much he regards
the flock, which they made nothing of; both will be humbling to them. Those
that will not hear the word of the Lord giving them their direction
shall be made to hear the word of the Lord reading them their doom. Now see
here,
I. How much displeased God
is at the shepherds. Their crimes are repeated, v. 8. God's flock
became a prey to the deceivers first that drew them to idolatry, and then to
the destroyers that carried them into captivity; and these shepherds took no
care to prevent either the one or the other, but were as if there had been no
shepherds; and therefore God says (v. 10), and confirms it with
an oath (v. 8), I am against the shepherds. They had a
commission from God to feed the flock, and made use of this name in what
they did, expecting he would stand by them. "No," says God,
"so far from that, I am against them." Note, It is not our
having the name and authority of shepherds that will engage God for us, if
we do not the work enjoined us, and be not faithful to the trust reposed in
us. God is against them, and they shall know it; for, 1. They shall
be made to account for the manner in which they have discharged their trust:
"I will require my flock at their hands, and charge it upon them
that so many of them are missing." Note, Those will have a great deal
to answer for in the judgment-day who take upon them the care of souls and
yet take no care of them. Ministers must watch and work as those that
must give account, Heb. xiii. 17. 2. They shall be deprived officio
et beneficio--both of the work and of the wages. They shall cease from
feeding the flock, that is, from pretending to feed it. Note, It is just
with God to take out of men's hands that power which they have abused and
that trust which they have betrayed. But, if this were all their punishment,
they could bear it well enough; therefore it is added, "Neither
shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, for I will deliver my
flock from their mouth, which, instead of protecting, they had made a
prey of." Note, Those that are enriching themselves with the spoils of
the public cannot expect that they shall always be suffered to do so. Nor
will God always permit his people to be trampled upon by those that should
support them, but will find a time to deliver them from the shepherds their
false friends, as well as from the lions their open enemies.
II. How much concerned God
is for the flock; he speaks as if he were the more concerned for them
because he saw them thus neglected, for with him the fatherless finds
mercy. Precious promises are made here upon the occasion, which were to
have their accomplishment in the return of the Jews out of their captivity
and their re-establishment in their own land. Let the shepherds hear this
word of the Lord, and know that they have no part nor lot in the matter.
But let the poor sheep hear it and take the comfort of it. Note, Though
magistrates and ministers fail in doing their part, for the good of the
church, yet God will not fail in doing his; he will take the flock into his
own hand rather than the church shall come short of any kindness he has
designed for it. The under-shepherds may prove careless, but the chief
Shepherd neither slumbers nor sleeps. They may be false, but God abides
faithful.
1. God will gather his
sheep together that were scattered, and bring those back to the fold that
had wandered from it: "I, even I, who alone can do it, will do
it, and will have all the glory of it. I will both search my sheep and
find them out (v. 11) as a shepherd does (v. 12),
and bring them back as he does the stray-sheep, upon his shoulders, from
all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day."
There are cloudy and dark days, windy and stormy ones, which scatter God's
sheep, which send them hither and thither, to divers and distant places, in
quest of secrecy and safety. But, (1.) Wherever they are the eye of God will
find them out; for his eyes run to and fro through the earth, in
favour of them. I will seek out my sheep; and not one that belongs to
the fold, though driven ever so far off, shall be lost. The Lord knows
those that are his; he knows their work and where they dwell
(Rev. ii. 13), and where they are hidden. (2.) When his time shall come his
arms will fetch them home (v. 13): I will bring them out
from the people. God will both incline their hearts to come by his grace
and will by his providence open a door for them and remove every difficulty
that lies in the way. They shall not return one by one, clandestinely
stealing away, but they shall return in a body: "I will gather them
from the countries into which they are dispersed, not only the most
considerable families of them, but every particular person. I will seek
that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away," v.
16. This was done when so many thousand Jews returned triumphantly out of
Babylon, under the conduct of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and others. When those that
have gone astray from God into the paths of sin are brought back by
repentance, when those that erred come to the acknowledgment of the truth,
when God's outcasts are gathered and restored, and religious assemblies,
that were dispersed, rally again, upon the ceasing of persecution, and when
the churches have rest and liberty, then this promise has a further
accomplishment.
2. God will feed his
people as the sheep of his pasture, that had been famished. God will
bring the returning captives safely to their own land (v. 13), will
feed them upon the mountains of Israel, and that is a good pasture,
and a fat pasture (v. 14); there shall their feeding
be, and there shall be their fold; and it is a good fold.
There God will not only feed them, but cause them to lie down
(v. 15), which denotes a comfortable rest after they had tired
themselves with their wanderings, and a constant continuing residence; they
shall not be driven out again from these green pastures, as they have been,
nor shall they be disturbed, but shall lie down in a sweet repose and there
shall be none to make them afraid. Ps. xxiii. 2, He makes me to
lie down in green pastures. Compare this with the like promise (Jer.
xxiii. 3, 4), when God restored them not only to the milk and honey of their
own land, to the enjoyment of its fruits, but to the privileges of his
sanctuary on Mount Zion, the chief of the mountains of Israel. When they had
an altar and a temple again, and the benefit of a settled priesthood, then
they were fed in a good pasture.
3. He will succour those
that are hurt, will bind up that which was broken and strengthen that
which was sick, will comfort those that mourn in Zion and with
Zion. If ministers, who should speak peace to those who are of a sorrowful
spirit, neglect their duty, yet the Holy Ghost the Comforter will be
faithful to his office. But, as it follows, the fat and the strong shall
be destroyed. He that has rest for disquieted saints has terror to speak
to presumptuous sinners. As every valley shall be filled, so every
mountain and hill shall be brought low, Luke iii. 5.
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God's
Care of His Flock; Prediction of Messiah's Kingdom.
B.
C. 587.
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17
And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he
goats. 18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten
up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of
your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the
residue with your feet? 19 And as for my flock, they eat
that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have
fouled with your feet. 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD
unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and
between the lean cattle. 21 Because ye have thrust with side and
with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have
scattered them abroad; 22 Therefore will I save my flock, and
they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and
cattle. 23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he
shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he
shall be their shepherd. 24 And I the LORD
will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD
have spoken it. 25 And I will make with them a covenant
of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they
shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 26
And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I
will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of
blessing. 27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit,
and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their
land, and shall know that I am the LORD,
when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the
hand of those that served themselves of them. 28 And they shall
no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour
them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them
afraid. 29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and
they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the
shame of the heathen any more. 30 Thus shall they know that I
the LORD
their God am with them, and that they, even the house
of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am
your God, saith the Lord GOD.
The prophet has no more to
say to the shepherds, but he has now a message to deliver to the flock. God
had ordered him to speak tenderly to them, and to assure them of the mercy
he had in store for them. But here he is ordered to make a difference
between some and others of them, to separate between the precious and the
vile and then to give them a promise of the Messiah, by whom this
distinction should be effectually made, partly at his first coming (for for
judgment he came into this world, John ix. 39, to fill the hungry
with good things and to send the rich empty away, Luke i. 53), but
completely at his second coming, when he shall, as it is here said, judge
between cattle and cattle, as a shepherd divides between the sheep and the
goats, and shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left
(Matt. xxv. 32, 33), which seems to have reference to this. We have here,
I. Conviction spoken to
those of the flock that were fat and strong, the rams and the he-goats
(v. 17), those that, though they had not power, as shepherds and
rulers, to oppress with, yet, being rich and wealthy, made use of the
opportunity which this gave them to bear hard upon their poor neighbours.
Those that have much would have more, and, if they set to it, will have
more, so many ways have they of encroaching upon their poor neighbours, and
forcing from them the one ewe-lamb, 2 Sam. xii. 4. Do not the rich oppress
the poor merely with the help of their riches, and draw them before the
judgment-seats? Jam. ii. 6. Poor servants and tenants are hardly used by
their rich lords and masters. The rams and the he-goats not
only kept all the good pasture to themselves, ate the fat and drank the
sweet, but they would not let the poor of the flock have any comfortable
enjoyment of the little that was left them; they trod down the residue of
the pastures and fouled the residue of the waters, so that the flock was
obliged to eat that which they had trodden into the dirt, and drink that
which they had muddied, v. 18, 19. This intimates that the great men
not only by extortion and oppression made and kept their neighbours poor,
and scarcely left them enough to subsist on, but were so vexatious to them
that what little coarse fare they had was embittered to them. And this seemed
a small thing to them; they thought there was no harm in it, as if it
were the privilege of their quality to be injurious to all their neighbours.
Note, Many that live in pomp and at ease themselves care not what straits
those about them are reduced to, so they may but have every thing to their
mind. Those that are at ease, and the proud, grudge that any
body should live by them with any comfort. But this as not all; they not
only robbed the poor, to make them poorer, but were troublesome to the sick
and weak of the flock (v. 21): They thrust with side and shoulder
those that were feeble (for the weakest goes to the wall) and pushed the
diseased with their horns, because they knew they could be too hard for
them, when they durst not meddle with their match. It has been observed
concerning sheep that if one of the flock be sick and faint the rest will
secure it as well as they can, and shelter it from the scorching heat of the
sun; but these, on the contrary, were most injurious to the diseased. Those
that they could not serve themselves of they did what they could to rid the
country of, and so scattered them abroad, as if the poor, whom,
Christ says, we must have always with us, were public nuisances, not to be
relieved, but sent far away from us. Note, It is a barbarous thing to add
affliction to the afflicted. Perhaps these rams and he-goats
are designed to represent the scribes and Pharisees, for they are such
troublers of the church as Christ himself must come to deliver it from, v.
23. They devoured widows' houses, took away the key of knowledge, corrupted
the pure water of divine truths, and oppressed the consciences of men with
the traditions of the elders, besides that they were continually vexatious
and injurious to the poor of the flock that waited on the Lord,
Zech. xi. 11. Note, It is no new thing for the flock of God to receive a
great deal of damage and mischief from those that are themselves of the
flock, and in eminent stations in it, Acts xx. 30.
II. Comfort spoken to
those of the flock that are poor and feeble, and that wait for the
consolation of Israel (v. 22): "I will save my flock, and
they shall no more be spoiled as they have been by the beasts of prey, by
their own shepherds or by the rams and he-goats among themselves." Upon
this occasion, as is usual in the prophets, comes in a prediction of the
coming of the Messiah, and the setting up of his kingdom, and the
exceedingly great and precious benefits which the church should enjoy under
the protection and influence of that kingdom. Observe what is here foretold,
1. Concerning the Messiah
himself. (1.) He shall have his commission from God himself: I will set
him up (v. 23); I will raise him up, v. 29. He
sanctified and sealed him, appointed and anointed him. (2.) He shall be the
great Shepherd of the sheep, who shall do that for his flock which no
one else could do. He is the one Shepherd, under whom Jews and
Gentiles should be one fold. (3.) He is God's servant,
employed by him and for him, and doing all in obedience to his will, with an
eye to his glory--his servant, to re-establish his kingdom among men and
advance the interests of that kingdom. (4.) He is David, one after God's own
heart, set as his King upon the holy hill of Zion, made the head of the
corner, with whom the covenant of royalty is made, and to whom God would give
the throne of his father David. He is both the root and offspring of
David. (5.) He is the plant of renown, because a righteous
branch (Jer. xxiii. 5), a branch of the Lord, that is beautiful
and glorious, Isa. iv. 2. He has a name above every name, a throne
above every throne, and may therefore well be called a branch of renown.
Some understand it of the church, the planting of the Lord, Isa. lxi.
3. Its name shall be remembered (Ps. xlv. 17) and Christ's in it.
2. Concerning the great
charter by which the kingdom of the Messiah should be incorporated, and upon
which it should be founded (v. 25): I will make with them a
covenant of peace. The covenant of grace is a covenant of peace. In it
God is at peace with us, speaks peace to us, and assures us of peace, of all
good, all the good we need to make us happy. The tenour of this covenant is:
"I the Lord will be their God, a God all-sufficient to them (v.
24), will own them and will be owned by them; in order to this my servant
David shall be a prince among them, to reduce them to their allegiance,
to receive their homage, and to reign over them, in them, and for
them." Note, Those, and those only, that have the Lord Jesus for their
prince have the Lord Jehovah for their God. And then they,
even the house of Israel, shall be my people. If we take God to be our
God, he will take us to be his people. From this covenant between
God and Israel there results communion: "I the Lord their God am
with them, to converse with them; and they shall know it, and
have the comfort of it."
3. Concerning the
privileges of those that are the faithful subjects of this kingdom of the
Messiah and interested in the covenant of peace. These are here set forth
figuratively, as the blessings of the flock. But we have a key to it, v.
31. Those that belong to this flock, though they are spoken of as sheep,
are really men, men that have the Lord for their God, and are in
covenant with him. Now to them it is promised,
(1.) That they shall enjoy
a holy security under the divine protection. Christ, our good Shepherd, has caused
the evil beasts to cease out of the land (v. 25), having
vanquished all our spiritual enemies, broken their power, and triumphed over
them; the roaring lion is not a roaring devouring lion to them; they
shall no more be a prey to the heathen nor the heathen a terror to them,
neither shall the beasts of the land devour them. Sin and Satan,
death and hell, are conquered. And then they shall dwell safely, not
only in the folds, but in the fields, in the wilderness, in the woods,
where the beasts of prey are; they shall not only dwell there, but they
shall sleep there, which denotes not only that the beasts being made to
cease there shall be no danger, but, their consciences being purified
and pacified, they shall be in no apprehension of danger; not only safe from
evil, but quiet from the fear of evil. Note, Those may lay down and sleep
securely, sleep at ease, that have Christ for their prince; for he will be
their protector, and make them to dwell in safety. None shall hurt them,
nay, none shall make them afraid. If God be for us, who can be
against us? Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed.
Through Christ, God delivers his people not only from the things they have
reason to fear, but from their fear even of death itself, from all that fear
that has torment. This safety from evil is promised (v. 27): They
shall be safe in their land, in no danger of being invaded and enslaved,
though their great plenty be a temptation to their neighbours to desire
their land; and that which shall make them think themselves safe is
their confidence in the wisdom, power, and goodness of God: They shall
know that I am the Lord. All our disquieting fears arise from our
ignorance of God and mistakes concerning him. Their experience of his
particular care concerning them encourages their confidence in him: "I
have broken the bands of their yoke, with which they have been brought
and held down under oppression, and have delivered them out of the hand
of those that served themselves of them, whence they shall argue, He
that has delivered does and will, therefore will we dwell safely." This
is explained, and applied to our gospel-state, Luke i. 74. That we, being
delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
as those may do that serve him in faith.
(2.) That they shall enjoy
a spiritual plenty of all good things, the best things, for their comfort
and happiness: They shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land,
v. 29. Famine and scarcity, when Israel was punished with that
judgment, turned as much to their reproach among the heathen as any other,
because the fruitfulness of Canaan was so much talked of. But now they
shall not bear that shame of the heathen any more For the showers
shall come down in their season, even showers of blessing, v.
26. Christ is a Shepherd that will feed his people; and they shall go in
and out, and find pasture. [1.] They shall not be consumed with hunger;
for they shall not be put off with the world for a portion, which is not
bread, which satisfies not, and which leaves those that are put off with it
to be consumed with hunger. The ordinances of the ceremonial law are
called beggarly elements, for there was little in them, compared with
the Christian institutes, wherewith the mower fills his hand and he that
binds sheaves his bosom. Those that hunger and thirst after
righteousness shall not be consumed with that hunger, for they shall
be filled. And he that drinks of the water that Christ gives him, the
still waters by which he leads his sheep, shall never thirst. [2.] Showers
of blessings shall come upon them, v. 26, 27. The heavens shall
yield their dews; the trees of the field also shall yield their
fruit. The seat of this plenty is God's hill, his holy hill of
Zion, for on that mountain, in the gospel church, it is, that God has made
to all nations a feast; to that those must join themselves who would
partake of gospel benefits. The cause of this plenty is the showers that
come down in their season, that descend upon the mountains of Zion, the
graces of Christ, his doctrine that drops as the dew, the graces of Christ,
and the fruits and comforts of his Spirit, by which we are made fruitful in
the fruits of righteousness. The instances of this plenty are the blessings
of heaven poured down upon us and the productions of grace brought forth by
us, our comfort in God's favour and God's glory in our fruit-bearing. The
extent of this plenty is very large, to all the places round about my
hill; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, shall go forth
light to a dark world, and the river that shall water a dry and desert
world; all that are in the neighbourhood of Zion shall fare the better for
it; and the nearer the church the nearer its God. And, lastly, The effect
of this plenty is, I will make them a blessing, eminently and
exemplarily blessed, patterns of happiness, Isa. xix. 24. Or, They shall be
blessings to all about them, diffusively useful. Note, Those that are the blessed
of the Lord must study to make themselves blessings to the world. He
that is good, let him do good; he that has received the gift, the
grace, let him minister the same.
Now this promise of the
Messiah and his kingdom spoke much comfort to those to whom it was then
made, for they might be sure that God would not utterly destroy their
nation, how low soever it might be brought, as long as that blessing
was in the womb of it, Isa. lxv. 8. But it speaks much more
comfort to us, to whom it is fulfilled, who are the sheep of this good
Shepherd, are fed in his pastures, and blessed with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly things by him.
