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Zechariah
Chapter Two
Zechariah 2
Chapter Contents
The prosperity of Jerusalem. (1-5) The Jews called to
return to their own land. (6-9) A promise of God's presence. (10-13)
Commentary on Zechariah 2:1-5
(Read Zechariah 2:1-5)
The Son of David
even the Man Christ Jesus
whom the
prophet sees with a measuring line in his hand
is the Master-Builder of his
church. God notices the extent of his church
and will take care that whatever
number of guests are brought to the wedding-supper
there shall be room. This
vision means well to Jerusalem. The walls of a city
as they defend it
so they
straiten its inhabitants; but Jerusalem shall be extended as freely as if it
had no walls at all
yet shall be as safe as if it had the strongest walls. In
the church of God there yet is room for other multitudes
more than man can
number. None shall be refused who trust in Christ; and He never shuts out from
heaven one true member of the church on earth. God will be a Wall of fire round
them
which can neither be broken through nor undermined
nor can it be
assailed without danger to those who attack. This vision was to have its full
accomplishment in the gospel church
which is extended by admitting the
Gentiles into it; and which has the Son of God for its Prince and Protector;
especially in the glorious times yet to come.
Commentary on Zechariah 2:6-9
(Read Zechariah 2:6-9)
If God will build Jerusalem for the people and their
comfort
they must inhabit it for him and his glory. The promises and
privileges with which God's people are blessed
should engage us to join them
whatever it costs us. When Zion is enlarged to make room for all God's Israel
it is the greatest madness for any of them to stay in Babylon. The captivity of
a sinful state is by no means to be continued in
though a man may be easy in
worldly matters. Escape for thy life
look not behind thee. Christ has
proclaimed that deliverance to the captives
which he has himself wrought out
and it concerns every one to resolve that sin shall not have dominion over him.
Those who would be found among God's children
must save themselves from this
world
see Acts 2:40. What Christ will do for his church
shall be an evident proof of God's care and affection. He that touches you
touches the apple of his eye. This is a strong expression of God's love to his
church. He takes what is done against her as done against the tenderest part of
the eye
to which the least touch is a great offence. Christ is sent to be the
Protector of his church.
Commentary on Zechariah 2:10-13
(Read Zechariah 2:10-13)
Here is a prediction of the coming of Christ in human
nature. Many nations in that day would renounce idolatry
and God will own
those for his people who join him with purpose of heart. Glorious times are
foretold as a prophecy of our Lord's coming and kingdom. God is about to do
something unexpected
and very surprising
and to plead his people's cause
which had long seemed neglected. Silently submit to his holy will
and
patiently wait the event; assured that God will complete all his work. He will
ere long come to judgment
to complete the salvation of his people
and to
punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sins.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Zechariah》
Zechariah 2
Verse 1
[1] I lifted up mine eyes again
and looked
and behold a
man with a measuring line in his hand.
With a line — Ready and prepared to lay out the
platform of Jerusalem.
Verse 2
[2] Then said I
Whither goest thou? And he said unto me
To
measure Jerusalem
to see what is the breadth thereof
and what is the length
thereof.
To measure — To take the exact dimensions of
it
that it may answer God's promise
and be capable to receive its
inhabitants.
Jerusalem — The city which was to be built
hereafter.
Verse 3
[3] And
behold
the angel that talked with me went forth
and another angel went out to meet him
The angel — Christ
who had so long talked with
Zechariah.
Went forth — From the midst of the
myrtle-trees.
Verse 4
[4] And said unto him
Run
speak to this young man
saying
Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men
and cattle therein:
And he said — Christ to that angel who came to
meet him.
Run — Hasten and tell Zechariah.
As towns — The suburbs of it shall be as towns unwalled
for
extent and for safety.
Verse 5
[5] For I
saith the LORD
will be unto her a wall of fire
round about
and will be the glory in the midst of her.
The glory — My presence and favour shall make
her glorious.
Verse 6
[6] Ho
ho
come forth
and flee from the land of the north
saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven
saith the LORD.
Ho
ho — Ye sleepy Jews.
Come forth — Come out from your prisons.
Flee — Make all the haste you can.
From the land — Babylon
which lay north of
Canaan.
For I have spread you abroad — As I executed my
threats in scattering you
so I will perform my promise
and gather you.
Verse 7
[7] Deliver thyself
O Zion
that dwellest with the daughter
of Babylon.
Deliver thyself — Accept of thy deliverance.
Verse 8
[8] For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath
he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you
toucheth the apple of his eye.
After the glory — After that he is become your
glory
I am to avenge you of your enemies.
Verse 9
[9] For
behold
I will shake mine hand upon them
and they
shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts
hath sent me.
Upon them — Against the nation that doth
violence to my people.
Unto their servants — Unto the Jews
who
were first spoiled by
and then made servants to them.
Hath sent me — To inform them of my father's
will.
Verse 10
[10] Sing and rejoice
O daughter of Zion: for
lo
I come
and I will dwell in the midst of thee
saith the LORD.
I come — To execute judgments on thine adversaries
and to
compleat thy deliverance and salvation.
I will dwell — This was fulfilled in part to the
Jews
but more fully to the gospel church.
Verse 11
[11] And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that
day
and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee
and thou
shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
Shall be joined — Shall worship the God of Israel.
In that day — When Christ shall come in the
flesh
and take down the partition wall.
Sent me — The Messiah.
Verse 12
[12] And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy
land
and shall choose Jerusalem again.
Shall inherit — Claim
recover
possess
and
delight in
as a man doth in his paternal inheritance.
Verse 13
[13] Be silent
O all flesh
before the LORD: for he is
raised up out of his holy habitation.
Be silent — Reverence and adore God
and expect
the accomplishment of his word.
All flesh — Both Jew and Gentile.
He is raised up — God is on this work already
and
he will not sit down again
'till he has accomplished his whole work.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Zechariah》
02 Chapter 2
Introduction
Verses 1-13
Verses 1-4
A man with a measuring line in his hand
The man with a measure
The prophet asks where the man is going
and the answer
given is--“to measure”; and then he shows what would be the measure of
Jerusalem
that it would hereafter extend beyond the walls
as that compass
would not contain the vast number of the people.
“God will extend
” he says
“far and wide the holy city; it will no longer be
confined as before to its own walls
but will be inhabited through all its
villages.” There is then no doubt but that God intended here to bear witness
respecting the propagation of His Church
which was to follow a long time
afterwards
even after the coming of Christ. For though Jerusalem became
wealthy and also large in its compass
and
as it is well known
a triple city
and heathen writers say that it was among the first of the cities of the East
when Babylon was still existing
yet this prophecy was not verified in the
state of Jerusalem
for it was not inhabited without its walls
nor did it
spread through the whole of Judaea. We hence conclude that the spiritual
Jerusalem is here described which differs from all earthly cities. Here is
described the heavenly Jerusalem
which is surrounded by no walls
but is open
to the whole world
and which depends not on its own strength
but dwells
safely though exposed on all sides to enemies; for the prophet says
not
without reason
“through the villages shall Jerusalem be inhabited”; that is
it shall everywhere be inhabited
so that it will have no need of defence to
restrain or hinder enemies to come near; for a safe rest shall be given to it
when every one shall quietly occupy his own place. Though few returned from
exile
God was yet able to increase the Church
and to make it a vast
multitude
and this was certain and decreed
for it was shown by the vision
that however unequal they were to their enemies
God was still sufficiently
strong and powerful to defend them; and that however destitute they were of all
blessings
God was still rich enough to enrich them
provided they relied on
the blessing which He had promised. (John Calvin.)
The optimism of faith
Zechariah was the most uniformly hopeful of all the prophets. He
was a young man. His little book is the work of a youthful imaginative mind
richly endowed with poetic gifts
as well as steeped in the diviner fount of
inspiration. He saw all things bathed in the glory of the morning. The time in
which he wrote was near the end of the Babylonian captivity. The prophet draws
one picture after another of the glorious things which were nigh. Here the prophet
sees a young man going with a measuring line in his hand
and asks “Whither? To
measure Jerusalem
” is the answer
and straightway he marches on. Then the
angels appear
and one says to the other
“Go after that young man
and tell
him that his measuring line is too short. Jerusalem will expand beyond all
boundaries and all measurements
because of the number of people in it. Tell
him that he is going to measure the immeasurable.” This allegory contains these
two Gospel truths.
1. Faith realises that which does not exist.
2. These Divine things which faith realises are so great that even
faith cannot measure them.
I. Faith realises
that which is to be. This young man was going to do an apparent absurdity. He
was going to measure a city which had not yet been built. All the practical
materialistic
matter-of-fact people of the world would call that the very
climax of folly. The Gospel of common sense says
Let us have no illusions.
Give us facts
for anything which is not built upon facts is foolishness. Our
religion indulges throughout in this foolishness
if foolishness it may be
called. Faith realises the city that is not yet built.
grasps coming events as
though they were already present. All the best and greatest men and women that
have ever been upon this earth have lived and moved and had their being in what
was called a world of dreams
a world
that is
of fair
sweet hopes
of
treasures and of glories that had not yet been created. Illustrated by Abraham
David
etc. It is the source and secret of all our strength and confidence
that where other eyes see only imperfections
we see a city of God which He
will most assuredly build.
II. These Divine
things which faith realises before they come into existence are so great that
even faith cannot measure them. The angel speaks to the young man
to rebuke
him for the presumption of thinking that he can measure the city--it is
immeasurable. We cannot measure anything that God builds. You cannot gauge
moral influences or tabulate spiritual forces. There is no plummet that can
sound the depths of love Divine. You could have measured Giant Goliath
but you
could not have measured the faith and the courage of the young man who came up
to meet him in the name of the Lord. Illustrated from the company carried by
the Mayflower; or by comparing the French Revolution with the beginning
of missionary enterprise. You cannot measure the Church
the Church of Christ.
It is infinitely broader
larger
stronger
than the most flattering statistics
show. (J. G. Greenhough
M. A.)
The man with the measuring line
It was natural enough. We dream of what occupies our waking
thoughts; and probably Jerusalem was full of surveyors
engaged in mapping out
the new streets and walls.
1. The pessimist comes with his measuring line
and draws the plan of
the city within the narrowest possible boundaries. He justifies his forecast by
quoting such a text as “Fear not
little flock”; or “Strait is the gate and
narrow is the way that leadeth unto life
and few there be that find it.” Sometimes
he fears that he will not enter
at other times he doubts all others but
himself.
2. The bigot comes with his measuring line and insists that the city
walls must coincide with his shibboleth
and follow the tracings of his creed.
3. The experimentalist is apt to refuse to consider as Christians
those who have not experienced exactly the same doubts
fears
ecstasies
deliverances
and cleansings which he himself has felt.
4. The universalist goes to the other extreme
and practically builds
his walls around the entire race of man
including within their circumference
every member of the human family. It is not for us to fix the boundaries
or
insist on our conceptions. These are secret things which belong to the Lord our
God. So shall it be with the saved. We have no right to include in their ranks
any who know not God
and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
who have loved
darkness rather than light
because their deeds were evil. But apart from
these
there will be a multitude which no man can number
out of every nation
and of all tribes
and peoples
and tongues; as stars in the midnight sky
or
the sand grains on the seashore. (P. B. Meyer
B. A.)
An interesting future of the world
I. The future
increase of good men on the earth. Two remarks are suggested concerning the
extent of genuine religion. It is--
1. Measurable only by the Divine. Who had the “measuring line”? Not a
mere man
not any created intelligence
but the God-man
the Messiah. Men
cannot measure the growth of piety in the world. They attempt it
but make
fearful mistakes. They deal in statistics
they count the number of churches in
the world and the number of professed worshippers. But piety cannot be measured
in this way. Have you scales by which to weigh genuine love? Any numbers by
which to count holy thoughts
aspirations
and volitions? Any rules by which to
gauge spiritual intelligence? Have you any plummet by which to fathom even the
depths of a mother’s affections? No one but God can weigh and measure the holy
experiences of holy souls.
II. The future
security of good men on the earth. Who shall penetrate a massive wall of fire?
But that wall is God Himself
omnipotent in strength. Omnipotence is the
Guardian of the good.
III. The future
glory of the good men on the earth. Good men are the recipients and the
reflectors of the Divine glory. They are the temples for the Holy Ghost to
dwell in
and they reveal more of Him than the whole material universe. Holiest
souls are His highest manifestations. (Homilist.)
The true glory of the Church
1. Although Zion has not yet lengthened her cords and widened her
stakes to her appointed limits
yet the measuring line has gone forth that
gives her bounds to be the habitable earth. Hence
if this future extension was
a motive to the Jew
in his work of rearing the temple of wood and stone
much
more is it to us in our work of erecting the great spiritual temple on the
foundation
Jesus Christ (Zechariah 2:1-4).
2. We learn here the true glory of the Church. It is not in any
external pomp or power
of any kind; not in frowning battlements
either of
temporal or spiritual pretensions; not in rites and ceremonies
however moss
grown and venerable; not in splendid cathedrals and gorgeous vestments
and the
swell of music
and the glitter of eloquence
but in the indwelling glory of
the invisible God. Her outward rites and ceremonies
therefore
should only be
like what the earth’s atmosphere is to the rays of the sun
a pure
transparent
medium of transmission (Zechariah 2:5).
3. The punishment of the wicked as truly declares the glory of God as
the salvation of the righteous (Zechariah 2:8).
4. The wicked shall ultimately be the slaves of their own lusts;
those appetites and passions which were designed to be merely their obedient
servants
shall become their tormenting and inexorable tyrants (Zechariah 2:9).
5. The incarnation of Christ and His indwelling in the Church are
grounds of the highest joy (Zechariah 2:10).
6. Christ is a Divine Saviour. In Zechariah 2:10-11
we have one Jehovah
sending another
and the Jehovah sent is identified with the angel of the
covenant
who was to come and dwell in the Church
whom we know to be Christ.
Hence
unless there are two distinct Jehovahs
one Divine and the other not
Christ
the Jehovah
angel of this passage
is Divine.
7. The Church of God shall cover the earth
and become in fact
what
it is in right
the mightiest agency in human history. Though now feeble and
despised
she shall one day include many nations
and every knee shall bow
and
every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord
to the glory of God the Father (Zechariah 2:11).
8. Delay of punishment is no proof of impunity. God often seems to be
asleep
but He is only awaiting the appointed time; in the end
when all seems
as it was from the foundation of the world
the herald cry shall go forth
Be
silent
O earth
for Jehovah is aroused to His terrible work
and the day of
His wrath is come. Let men kiss the Son whilst He is yet in the way
before His
anger is kindled but a little
and they perish before Him like stubble before
the whirlwind of flames. (T. V. Moore
D. D.)
The man with the measuring line
In this vision God presented to the prophet
and through him to
the nation at large
the prospect and the assurance of the restoration of
Jerusalem
and the reestablishment of the Jewish state as it had been before
the captivity. The city should not only be rebuilt
but greatly extended: the
temple should be restored
and the worship of Jehovah resumed; His presence
should be with His people
and they should enjoy His protection; and whilst
they were thus blessed
judgment should come upon those nations that had
oppressed them
and they should have supremacy over those by whom they had been
enslaved. All this was literally fulfilled. But even in these promises there
seems to be a reference to things of still higher import
and of spiritual
significancy Who can such a speaker be but that Being who in the fulness of
time appeared in our world
uniting in His one person the human and the Divine
natures? May we not say
then
that there is here a promise of blessing to the
Church through the advent of the Redeemer? Then certainly was glory brought to
the temple of the Lord. The Church of God
under the latter dispensation
may
take to herself as her own the comfort and encouragement which those promises
given to the Church in the old times
were intended to convey. Security
protection
glory
grace
blessing
extension
and final triumph are all
assured to her by the promise of Him whose word cannot fail. (W. L.
Alexander
D. D.)
Verse 4
Run
speak to this young man
Young men
The Lord said to me
“Run
speak to this young man
” and I asked--
I.
“Lord
which one?” First
this one. He is the son of godly parents
he was nursed in
the lap of piety
and cradled in prayer. He is in the general acceptation of
the word a good fellow. The home is all the brighter when he is in it. The
parents all the happier for his presence. “Is he
Lord
the only one?” No
“speak to this young man.” Ah
I see him now. His experience has been a very
different one from the last. No prayers ever arose on his behalf; no holy
influences ever surrounded him; his earliest remembrances are oaths. “Are there
any more
Lord
I have to speak to?” “Yes
this one.” He is a young man of
considerable mental ability
who is fast making his way in the world. A bright
future seems to be opening up before him. Sitting at his right hand I see
another I have to address. He is of a very different stamp of character. I
thought I heard him say just now
“Well
thank goodness
I’m no money grub. I
don’t care so much about getting on in life as seeing life.” His motto is
“begone dull care”; aye
by any means so long as it goes.
II. Why should I
speak to him? To this question three answers at once came.
1. Speak to him because danger awaits him. The very least we can do
for a man in peril is to arouse him to a sense of danger if he be ignorant of
it. Humanity itself will dictate this. Never mind frightening the crew
better
do that than all be lost
through want of warning.
2. I am bound to speak to you
because one wrong step will lead to
many.
3. Speak
for if you do not there are many that will. No one knows
the temptations that surround young men
but a young man. If there are but few
to lead him right
there are plenty to lead him astray. Godless companions
will. Then
too
he has the attractive preacher called the world
who like some
fair siren seated on a rock by the deadly pool
smiles but to deceive. “Speak
to him
” still my Lord says
“for if you do not Satan will.”
III. Why should I
run?
1. Be cause he is running. Sinners never creep to ruin. Slow as the
tortoise are we on the road to heaven; swift as the bounding stag to hell. The
road to perdition is downhill all the way. The natural heart which is so heavy
a load heavenward
lends a tremendous impetus to our downward course.
2. Because time is running. Time is a ship that never casts
anchor--an eagle that is ever on the wing--a shuttle that always flies--an
ocean that never ebbs.
3. Run
because opportunities are running.
4. Run
because death is running. The grim despot is after every one
of us
nothing can turn his course
he laughs all bribes to scorn
and every moment
he gains upon us; his scythe swings with the speed of the lightning flash
and
never grows blunt in its work.
5. Run
because hell is running. We read in the Book of Revelation
that death rode forth on a white horse and hell followed after
to every
impenitent sinner the two go together.
IV. And when I
catch him up
Lord
what shall I say to him? Son of pious parents
with many a
noble
amiable quality
let me say this word to you
“Your morality will not
save you.” Unless you are “born again
” you will be as much lost as if you
never possessed any. Young man
you who have had nought but evil example from
infancy
to you let me speak. Do not think that frees you from responsibility.
Your parents’ sins will not exonerate you from yours. If they led
you have
willingly followed. Remember
too
you can no longer plead ignorance as to the
way of salvation
for you have just heard it
if never before. Young man
so
occupied in getting on in this world
I will just ask you one question
and
leave you to give the answer. It is this
“What shall it profit a man
if he
gain the whole world
and lose his own soul
or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?” (A. G. Brown.)
What to say to a young man
1. Tell him he has a wicked heart.
2. He ought to become a Christian.
3. He should improve the season of youth.
4. He should beware of evil company.
5. He should attend to Bible reading and to prayer. (G.
Brooks.)
The young man’s mission
Zechariah is
of all the prophets
most remarkable for the simple
practical purpose with which he employs the grandest prophetic symbols. The
text is the speech of one angel to another angel in regard of a young man who
in symbolic action significant of Israel’s redemption and enlargement
was
going forth with a measuring line to take the length and breadth of Jerusalem.
Using the text simply as an accommodation
it may have a twofold direction.
I. To myself
as
preaching to young men. It is an earnest exhortation unto the Christian
minister to labour especially with young men. The conversion of young men is so
important--
1. Because
in most cases
if not converted while they are young
they will never be converted. Divine grace
in its very sovereignty
operates
according to the laws of our moral and intellectual nature. Youth is the most
favourable period for religious impressions.
2. Be cause of the peculiar power of young men to accomplish great
things for God and their generation. Young men are hopeful; young men are
brave; young men are fertile in invention: and thus young men are strong in all
qualities that secure earthly success. The foundations of all true greatness
must be laid in early life. The energy of youth is the world’s mightiest
influence; and that influence is especially needful in the Church.
II. To you
as young
men and Christians. The words set forth the means
objects
and manner of a
great Christian duty.
1. The means. “Speak.” Use that grand power of articulate utterance;
it is almost man’s finest gift. Language is reason
walking forth with
tremendous energy amid the vital interests of the race. Consider the wonderful
title of the Divine Son--the Word.
2. The objects of your labour. Consider some distinct classes of
young men with whom you are called earnestly to labour.
3. The manner of their labour. “Run.” The extent of your influence
over others will depend not so much upon your talents as your discretion. Be
earnest
thoroughly in earnest--
Sympathy with young men
At the annual meeting of the Central Y.M.C.A.
at Exeter Hall
London
the recently consecrated Bishop of Sierra Leone said that he had been
connected with the Y.M.C.A. for about twenty years
and gave the following
reason for becoming a member and subsequently taking a great interest in young
men: “When I was quite a young man I had some papers put into my hand dealing
with infidelity. They troubled me considerably
and I did not know whom to go
to for advice and sympathy. At last I went to a minister of the Word
thinking
that surely he would sympathise with me. But instead of doing that and praying
with me
he took the papers and threw them into the fire and sent me away. This
discouraged me so much that I dared not tell my trouble to any one else
but at
length I took my difficulties to God
and He gave me an answer
as He has
always done when I have gone to Him with my troubles. That day I asked God to
give me a heart of love and sympathy for young men. The Y.M.C.A. extends a
mutual sympathy to young men which is most helpful and much appreciated.”
Speaking to young men
“Mr. Birch
who did much work in the Free Trade Hall in
Manchester
was on one occasion going from Cork to Dublin
and at a small
wayside station near the Curragh Camp he saw a number of young officers en
route for a ball in Dublin
who entered the carriage in which Mr. Birch was
travelling. Soon the cigars were produced
and one of them
looking at Mr.
Birch with a serio-comic face
said
‘I hope you do not object to smoking
’
and
without waiting for permission
they lighted up. Mr. Birch took out his
Bible
and said to the young man who had addressed him
‘Do you believe in
Jesus Christ?’ ‘Shut up!’ exclaimed the officer. ‘Because
’ continued Mr.
Birch
‘if you do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
you will be lost.’ ‘Do
you hear that old stupid?’ said another of the officers; ‘what shall we do to
him?’ Quickly the preacher of the Gospel turned to the second speaker
and
said
‘Do you believe in the Lord Jesus? for
if you do not
you will be lost.’
‘Sit on him
’ suggested one. ‘Shove him out of the window
’ proposed another.
‘That would not alter the fact
’ said the intrepid servant of God. Just then
the train began to slow down
and there was a general cry of ‘Oh
let us get
out! Let us change carriages!’ ‘Your getting
out will not alter the fact
’
again said Mr. Birch. Well
good-bye
old fellow! shouted the officers
as they
jumped from the carriage. ‘Good-bye
’ was the response; ‘but remember that does
not alter the fact. If you do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
you will be
lost.’ Four years had passed away
and the evangelist was travelling in
England
when a tall
military-looking gentleman entered the carriage. As soon
as he caught sight of Mr. Birch
he leaned forward
and said
‘Excuse me
but I
think we have met before. Do you remember
some years ago
a party of young men
entering the compartment of a train in which you were travelling to Dublin? I
was the young fellow who sat next you. We went to our ball that evening; but
despite all our gaiety
I was conscious of that awful
sentence ringing in my
ears
“If you do not believe in the Lord Jesus
you will be lost.” I drank
heavily that night
but the champagne did not revive me; and at an early hour I
left the ballroom
and went to my hotel
where
in the solitude of my own room
I knelt down and cried to God for mercy. Since that night I have been a
Christian
and have striven to bring those under my command to know and to love
the Saviour.’” (John Robertson.)
Verse 5
I will be unto her a wall of fire
Zion’s protection
I.
The
people that shall be thus defended. It is Jerusalem that is to be defended; and
that will include three things: the temple
the habitations of the people
and
the people themselves. The people of God are spoken of as the temple of God. Do
we belong to the temple of the Lord? If we belong to the temple of the Lord
the Lord Jesus Christ will be our only foundation. There are two things that
make the Lord Jesus the foundation--
1. As being the end of the law for righteousness. He brings in
everlasting righteousness.
2. As being the end of sin. He is spiritually
legally
properly
and
entirely the end of sin; His blood cleanseth from all sin. As is the foundation
in character
so the building must accord in character with the foundation. The
foundation is one of free grace. Therefore we are not only justified by grace
but saved by grace. The first feature given to this building is mercy. Then it
is a free-grace building. The third feature is certainty. We may be upon the
right foundation
and yet not rightly built. God’s people are spoken of as a
city; they have habitations which require to be defended. Take these
habitations as the truths of the Gospel
wherein God’s people dwell. Electing
grace; predestination; Christ’s righteousness; the atonement; God’s promises
may all be spoken of as habitations.
II. The defence.
Notice the forms under which the Lord represents Himself as round about His
people: all indicative of two things
destruction to the adversary
safety to
the friend. The Lord is round His people as a hedge; and as mountains; and as a
guard of fire
such as men use to protect from wild beasts.
III. The glory in
the midst. He is in the midst
the living God
the life-giving God. He is the
glory in the midst by being the temple in the midst. (James Wells.)
Protected by God
In one of the great cities of the Continent the regalia are not
kept behind iron bars as in the Tower of London
but lie upon an open table. It
might appear that any ruthless hand could wrench any jewel or diamond from the
glittering array; and yet no man dare put out his hand to take one
because
that table is charged with a strong current of electricity. You cannot see the
protection
but there it is. And so if a man will only live in daily and hourly
communion with Christ
the devil can no more touch him than a thief can touch
those jewels. (F. B. Meyer.)
The wall and glory of Jerusalem
In this chapter is a vision of a man with a measuring line in his
hand
to show that the Lord was now in readiness to build and restore the city
and temple. Two great discouragements the people met with--danger and scorn.
The Lord here
by a gracious promise
fortifieth them against the fear of both.
Against the fear of danger
by promising to be their protection; and against
the fear of scorn
by promising to be their glory. The Lord is to His people
whatever good they want. “I will be a wall.”
1. A wall of partition
to separate the Church from the world.
2. A wall of conjunction
uniting the parts together in one common
interest.
3. A wall of protection and defence. The Lord doth as a wall protect
His Church--
His protection is like that of a wall. It is near
adequate
and
impregnable. Consider the city walled
the subject of His defence. The Church
is His property
His rest
His peculiar treasure. The Lord is the glory in the
midst of His people--
1. By His spiritual residence and gracious presence with them.
2. By His holy ordinances.
3. In glorious privileges and immunities belonging to every citizen
of the New Jerusalem.
What folly
then
and what wickedness
to oppose the Church of
God
briars to contend with flames! We need not make use of carnal wisdom and
sinful means for protection. Envy not the glory of the world. Above all
hold
fast God and His presence. God will be with you while you are with Him. If God
be thus your glory
let your glorying be in Him alone. (T. Hannam.)
The glory in the midst of
her--
Inward glory and outward defence
Speak of the bearing of the text upon our individual lives.
1. If we choose
we may have the Divine glory in the deepest heart of
us. The “glory” of the Old Testament was that material but supernatural symbol
of the Divine presence which gleamed above the mercy seat in the most holy
place. That little house on the temple hill was nothing in sanctity in
comparison with the temple of the Christian heart. The true habitation of God
is man. Spirit dwells in spirit in a profounder sense than it does in space
or
in the material creation. Have you got the glory in the centre of your being?
We may all have the indwelling of the glory of God if we will.
2. If God be for glory within
He will be a fiery rampart round. He
is not only a wall
but a wall of fire. His protection is not merely of the
passive sort which shields from evil
but active and preserving.
3. If God is a wall of fire round about us
we do not want any other
walls. God is everything that we need
and do not find anywhere else; and
having Him
we do not want anything else. But the lives of most of us do not
much look as if we believed that the only necessary thing was God
and that
having Him
we required nothing else. Let us cast all our self-confidences
down
and rest ourselves on Him
and Him alone. (A. Maclaren
D. D.)
The city without walls
Zechariah was the prophet of the returning exiles
and his great
work was to hearten them for their difficult task
with their small resources
and their many foes
and to insist that the prime condition to success
on the
part of that portion of the nation that had returned
was holiness. And that
exuberant promise was spoken about the Jerusalem over which Christ wept when He
foresaw its inevitable destruction. When the Romans had cast a torch into the
Temple
and the streets of the city were running with blood
what had become of
Zechariah’s dream of a wall of fire round about her? Then
can the Divine fire
be quenched? Yes. And who quenched it? Not the Romans
but the people that
lived within that flaming rampart. “If God spared not the natural branches
take
heed lest He also spare not thee.”
I. “I will be a
wall of fire round about her.” I need not dwell on the vividness and beauty of
that metaphor. These encircling flames will consume all antagonism
and defy
all approach. But let me remind you that the conditional promise was intended
for Judea and Jerusalem
and was fulfilled in literal fact. So long as the city
obeyed and trusted God it was impregnable
though all the nations stood round
about it like dogs round a sheep. The fulfilment of the promise has passed
over
with all the rest that characterised Israel’s position
to the Christian
Church
and today
in the midst of all the agitations of opinion and all the
vauntings of men about an effete Christianity and dead churches
it is as true
as ever it was that the living Church of God is eternal. If it had not been
that there was a God as a wall of fire round about the Church it would have
been wiped off the face of the earth long ago. If nothing else had killed it
the faults of its members would have done so. The continuance of the Church is
a perpetual miracle
when you take into account the weakness and the errors and
the follies and the stupidities and the narrownesses and the sins of the people
who in any given day represent it. It does not become any Christian ever to
have the smallest scintillation of a fear that the ship that bears Jesus Christ
can fail to come to land
or can sink in the midst of the waters. But do not
let us forget that this great promise does not belong only to the Church as a whole
but that we have each to bring it down to our own individual lives and to be
quite sure of this
that in spite of all that sense says
in spite of all that
quivering hearts and weeping eyes may seem to prove
there is a wall of fire
round each of us
if we are keeping near Jesus Christ. Only
we have to
interpret that promise by faith and not by sense
and we have to make it
possible that it shall be fulfilled by keeping inside the wall
and trusting to
it. As faith dwindles
the fiery wall burns dim
and evil can get across its
embers
and can get at us.
II. A Glory “in the
midst” of us. The one is external defence; the other inward illumination
with
all that light symbolises--knowledge
joy
purity. There is even more than that
meant by this great promise.” For notice that emphatic little word “the”--the
glory
not a glory--in the midst of her. Now
you all know what “the glory”
was. It was that symbolic Light that spoke
of the special Presence of God
and
went with the children of Israel m their wanderings
and sat between the
cherubim. There was no “shekinah”--as it is technically called--in that second
Temple. But yet the prophet says
“the glory”--the actual presence of
God--“shall be in the midst of her
” and the meaning of that great promise is
taught us by the very last vision in the New Testament
in which the seer of
the Apocalypse says
“the glory of the Lord did lighten it” (evidently quoting
Zechariah)
“and the Lamb is the light thereof.” So the city is lit as by one
central glow of radiance that flashes its beams into every corner
and
therefore “there shall be no night there.” Now
this promise
too
bears on
churches and on individuals. On the Church as a whole it bears in this way--the
only means by which a Christian community can fulfil its function
and be the
light of the world
is by having the presence of God
in no metaphor
the
actual presence of the illuminating Spirit in its midst. The same thing is true
about individuals. For each of us the secret of joy
of purity
of knowledge is
that we be holding close communion with God.
III. “Jerusalem
shall be without walls.” It is to be like the defenceless villages scattered up
and down over Israel. There is no need for bulwarks of stone. The wall of fire
is round about. The more a Christian community is independent of external
material supports and defences the better. Luther tolls us somewhere
in his
parabolic way
of people that wept because there were no visible pillars to
hold up the heavens
and were afraid that the sky would upon their heads. No
no
there is no fear of that happening
for an unseen hand holds them up. A
Church that hides behind the fortifications of its grandfathers’ erection has
no room for expansion; and if it has no room for expansion it will not long
continue as large as it is. It must either grow greater or grow
and deserve to
grow
less. The same thing is true about ourselves individually. Zechariah’s
prophecy was never meant to prevent what he himself helped to further
the
building of the actual walls of the actual city. And our dependence upon God is
not to be so construed as that we are to waive our own common sense and our own
effort. We have to build ourselves round
in this world
with other things than
the “wall of fire
” but in all our building we have to say
“Except the Lord
build the house
they labour in vain that build it.” “Except the Lord keep the
city
the watchers watch in vain.” But yet neither Jerusalem nor the Church nor
the earthly state of that believer who lives most fully the life of faith
exhausts this promise. It waits for the day when the city shall descend
“like
a bride adorned for her husband
having no need of the sun nor of the moon
for
the glory . . . lightens it.” (A. Maclaren
D. D.)
Verses 6-9
I have spread you abroad
etc
Soul-exile
This is a call of Jehovah to the Jews in Babylonian captivity to
return to their own land.
These words may illustrate the moral exile of humanity. The point suggested is
the reluctance of the exile to return. This reluctance is seen--
I. In the
earnestness of the Divine appeal. “Return
” is the word. “Flee from the land of
the north.” It is the land of corruption and tyranny.
II. In the potency
of the Divine reasons. Reasons for return are--
1. The greatness of their separation.
2. The tender interest of God in them.
3. The opposition of the Almighty to their enemies.
Conclusion--Why should sinners he so reluctant to return to God?
What made the Jews so reluctant to break away from Babylon? Was it indolence?
Was it love of the world? Was it old association? Do not all these act now
to
prevent sinners from coming out of moral Babylon? (Homilist.)
Verse 7
Deliver thyself
O Zion
that dwellest with the daughter Babylon
Separation from the world
the duty and privilege of a Christian
Zechariah prophesied at Jerusalem after the return of the Jews
from their captivity in Babylon; and one great object of his ministry was to
stir them up to a more lively sense of the peculiar duties and privileges which
their deliverance brought with it.
In the text he is addressing that part of the nation which were still remaining
in the land of Chaldea. As their dispersion had been the effect of God’s
righteous displeasure
so the way now opened for their return was no less
clearly an evidence of His returning mercy and favour. But many were unwilling
to return; the real cause of their so deciding was their indifference to
religion
their distrust of God’s Word
and their backwardness to obey Him and
to show themselves His servants. To them came the admonition of the text. Can
we make application of this passage to present times
and point out its
spiritual sense? The world is now
to Christians
what Babylon was then to the
Jews. By the world
is meant this world
in respect to its moral state; to its
habits
maxims
and practices; to its principles
fashions
and ways: the world
as it is now corrupted through the depravity of man. By Christians is meant all
who are so called; all who
by name and profession
are Christians. They are
born and grow up in the midst of the world’s sin and iniquity. From their
earliest infancy they are surrounded by its examples
exposed to its
allurements
and made familiar with its practices. What they are taught to
admire and covet most
are the things of the world. But they belong
not to the
world
but to Christ. They are professedly the subjects of that spiritual
kingdom which Christ has established in the world. They cannot possess and
enjoy their privileges while living in the world. The Jews must return home to
Judea before they could rejoice as Jews. And what must Christians do
if they
would rejoice as Christians? They must arise
and turning their backs on the
world
must comply with the proclamation of the Gospel. “Come out and be
separate.” It is one part of the salvation of the Gospel
that it “delivers us
from this present evil world.” If persons would sincerely come to Christ for
deliverance
He would surely set them free. The persons with whom we would
plead are those who
under the garb of a Christian profession
manifestly
retain a worldly spirit
and by their conformity to the fashions and follies of
the world
betray its influence over their hearts. Consider--
1. The inconsistency of such a state with your profession of
Christianity.
2. The shamefulness of it.
3. The danger of your present state. If you walk not as a Christian
now
you will never be owned as a Christian at last.
4. The happiness which will result from complying with the admonition
in the text. (E. Cooper.)
Verse 8
He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye
The Divine interest in His people
1.
While
we disown the reference of the former portion of the vision to Gospel times
and to the spiritual or New Testament Jerusalem
we are very far from disowning
the applicability to the latter of what is said in the former. Whatever sayings
are here respecting the extension
the security
and the glory of the literal
Jerusalem are equally true of the spiritual and heavenly.
2. The people of God may now
as well as of old
and even more
emphatically
appropriate the Divine assurance
“He that toucheth you
toucheth
the apple of His eye.” He identifies Himself with His people
and His own
interests with theirs. What a spring of consolation to believers in every hour
of darkness!
3. We ought to be earnest in persuading God’s people to “come forth
”
and “flee” from the mystical Babylon. (Ralph Wardlaw
D. D.)
A figure of speech with a gracious meaning
It is expressive of--
1. Intimate union.
2. High appreciation.
3. Earnest attention.
4. Intense sympathy.
5. Watchful care. (G. Brooks.)
The Church and unjust criticism
In a religious paper there appeared a symposium on “The Church and
the Kingdom of God”--In it we are told that “one of the most dangerous of
current heresies is the identification of the kingdom of God with the Church.”
“The kingdom of God can never embody itself in an institution.” “I am
reluctantly coming to believe that Christianity
as it is organised
is the
most serious obstacle in the way of the realisation of the Christianity of Christ.”
Similar criticisms fill the air everywhere. These strictures must be met.
1. The first thing to be said in reply is
that although the kingdom
of God is spiritual
nevertheless it and the external organisation which we
call the Church are practically identical. There is very little of the real
spirit of the kingdom outside of that institution. When men become imbued with
the spirit of God’s kingdom they are generally ready to go into the Church. The
reason they stay outside is because they have not caught that spirit. Where are
the much-talked-of philanthropies
charities
establishments
colleges
seminaries
asylums
homes
refuges
founded by men or societies outside of the
Church of God? When sceptics and other devotees of the world give a thousandth
part as much for the advancement of morality
and the elevation of mankind
as
members of the Church give
then it will be time enough to lampoon the Church.
2. Spirit in this world needs body through which to work. Man is a
spirit
but he can do nothing here without a body. It is so with God’s kingdom;
it is a spiritual kingdom
but it must be embodied in an institution for its
propagation. When one becomes so spiritual that he wants soul to work
without body
and God’s kingdom to advance in the world without a temporal
organisation
he is altogether too ethereal for this mundane sphere. He ought
to take on his wings and go. What if Jesus does use the word “church” only
twice? He founded the Church
and evidently instructed His disciples to rear it
with scrupulous care. And if Churches are “in a struggle to keep themselves
going
” what of it? Would that prove they were utterly useless? That sort of
talk will not help on God’s kingdom. The work is slow
it is true; that is
partly
at least
because it is a prodigious undertaking. To cleanse this
planet from sin. What audacity for finite beings to attempt such an infinite
enterprise! But the Church is accomplishing much when it merely exists in this
world. But it really looks as if the Church was doing something more than
simply existing. Who can measure the influence of the Church upon society
business
legislation? If politics is so bad with Christianity
what would it
be without it? Who can measure the abysmal depths to which all Christian
governments and peoples would plunge without the upholding and preserving
influence of the Church? (F. B. Perry.)
Verses 10-13
I come
and I will dwell in the midst of thee
The restorer of Israel and Judah
Note that the name of “the Lord
” or “Jehovah
” is applied to two
distinct persons; to Him who sends
and to Him who is sent.
Note also that in this prophecy the future restoration of the Jews is spoken
of
as well as their settlement at Jerusalem after the Babylonish captivity.
The words of the text evidently relate to the future restoration. A period is
yet to come
of glory to God
and of prosperity to the people of Israel and
Judah; and that the Son of God
the Messiah
will dwell among them
acknowledged and honoured as the Lord of hosts. Note some of the circumstances
which will mark that season of the fulfilment of God’s promises to His people.
1. The conversion of the people of Israel and Judah.
2. The restoration of all the tribes to their own land.
3. The people of God will be restored to their native land in the
midst of wars and tumults. Their return will be preceded by violent
convulsions
and by a season of disaster and tribulation
such as the world has
never yet witnessed.
4. The first and most remarkable circumstance in the condition of
God’s people after their settlement in their own land
is His immediate
presence among them.
5. God will make a new covenant with them. It will involve a much
higher degree of religious knowledge.
6. The pardon of sin is mentioned as one of the promises under the
new covenant.
7. The consequence of this abundant pardon and superior know ledge is
the greater practice of virtue. This superior degree of purity and holiness in
the people of God
is the gift of God Himself
the effect of that abundant
effusion of the Spirit which will adorn the Church under His own immediate
care.
8. The advantages will not be confined to Israel
but will flow out
to other peoples.
9. Jews and Gentiles being united as one body of faithful
worshippers
a pure and holy service will be paid to God in Jerusalem. The
people will enjoy all worldly and spiritual blessedness. Let us seek to attain
a share of these coming blessings. (T. Bowdler
A. M.)
The joy of the Divine presence
1 No difficulty or strait can take away from the Church the true
cause of her joy
nor excuse her for not rejoicing in it
for when the Jews are
now a contemptible handful
deserted by their brethren
vexed by their enemies
and some of themselves conspiring against them
yet she is called to this duty
“Sing and rejoice.”
2. The Lord’s own presence in and with His people
is His choice and
matchless gift
which He is willing to give before any other thing
and which
as He will not disdain to bestow in His people’s lowest condition
so it is a
gift that should occasion much joy and refreshment to them.
3. As the Lord’s presence with His own chosen people is perpetual
and will bring intimate familiarity and love; so Himself will be at all the
pains to make up this union
He will not
by sin putting Him
as it were
away
for a time
be provoked to stay away
and will have this communion still upon
the growing hand till they come to full fruition
for He will dwell constantly
and familiarly “in the midst of thee.”
4. It is the great ground of the Church’s encouragement
and the
fountain of all other manifestations of God
that the Son of God became man
that her Redeemer is God
that He came and dwelt in our nature
and was like us
in all things without sin; and that we may tryst with God in the man Christ
and know our tender-hearted Surety to be also God over all blessed forever
and
able to save to the uttermost. This incarnation of Christ is it which this
promise ultimately points at as the ground of their joy. “Sing
for I come
and
I will dwell in the midst of thee
saith Jehovah.” (George Hutcheson.)
The joy of the millennial Church
The words point to the bright periods when messiah’s kingdom shall
so extend as to embrace “many nations.” Three remarks are suggested concerning
this joy.
I. It is
righteous. It is not only Divinely authorised
but commanded. “Sing and
rejoice
O daughter of Zion.” Often we are informed by religious teachers that
joy is a privilege
but seldom told that joy is a duty. It is as truly a sin
against heaven to be spiritually gloomy and sad
as to be socially false and
dishonest. “Sing and rejoice
O daughter of Zion.” Similar commands are found
elsewhere on the pages of Holy Writ. “Break forth into joy
sing together” (Isaiah 52:9). “Cry out and shout
thou
inhabitant of Zion” (Isaiah 12:6). Gratitude is joy; and ought
not gratitude to fill every soul? Admiration is joy; and ought not every soul
to be filled with admiration of the Divine excellence? Love is joy; and ought
we not to love all creatures with the love of benevolence
and the Creater with
the love of adoration?
II. It is
reasonable. But here are reasons suggested for this joy. What are they?
1. The presence of God. “Lo
I come
and I will dwell in the midst of
thee
saith the Lord.” The highest happiness of an intelligent creature
is the
presence of the object it supremely loves. “In Thy presence is fulness of joy.”
2. The increase of the good. “Many nations shall be joined to the
Lord in that day.” Is not this a good reason for joy--to see the clouds of
error in the human sky breaking
dissolving
vanishing
and the Sun of Truth
rising
spreading
and penetrating the whole earth with its lifegiving beams?
Is not this a sublime reason for lifegiving joy--“Many nations shall be joined
to the Lord
” as the branches are joined to the roots of the tree
as the members
of the body are joined to the head?
3. The restoration of the Jews. “For the Lord shall inherit Judah His
portion in the holy land
and shall choose Jerusalem again.”
III. It is
reverential. “Be silent
O all flesh
before the Lord: for He is raised up out
of His holy habitation.” “The Lord is in His holy temple
let all the earth
keep silence before Him.” The profoundest emotions of the Soul are always mute.
Superficial feelings are noisy and chattering. The shallow stream rattles
amongst the hills. The deep river rolls by unheard. Deep joy is silent as the
stars. It is so with the godly soul. In the presence of the supremely
beautiful
it is filled with a joy that cannot speak. If we are loyal subjects
of the great spiritual empire
we might well be happy. (Homilist.)
Verse 12
The Holy Land
Those holy fields
There is no place on the face of the globe so attractive as
Palestine.
There is no abatement of the interest which the peoples of the world have
always taken in it.
I. What makes it
attractive? How comes it that this land has such a hold upon the hearts of men
of varying religions and different races? Is it because of the excellence of
its government? Is it because of the might and power of its arms? Is it because
of its size
its colossal proportions?
II. Its connection
with Jesus Christ. The Holy Land is endeared to the hearts of men
because the Son of God walked its streets
and made it forever sacred by His holy
life and sacrificial death. There the Lord Jesus Christ
the Son of God
made
known to perishing man the love of God for a lost world.
III. The holy land
is striking and interesting in many of its aspects. Its climate is the most
remarkable in the world. Its position is not less striking. In ancient days it
was believed to be the very centre of the earth. And so it is higher and better
sense. It was there the great mystery of the Incarnation was enacted. Mount
Calvary is the central point of the world’s religious life and thought. If ever
that universal brotherhood of man
for which the world longs
is to be
realised
it will come in proportion as men climb Mount Calvary
and meet in
love at the Cross of Christ. (Charles Leech
D. D.)
Verse 13
Be silent
O all flesh
before the Lord
for He is raised up out
of His holy habitation
Flesh silenced by God’s arising
1.
The
vision itself. The man with a line in his hand.
2. The interpretation of the vision. Jerusalem shall be built
and
the city shall be inhabited.
3. A threefold apostrophe that the Lord infers from this--
I. A proposition.
“The Lord is raised up out of His holy habitation.” The expression “habitation
of His holiness” is used two ways in Scripture. It is sometimes put for heaven;
sometimes for the temple
the place of God’s presence among His people
manifested in ordinances. How is God said to be “raised up”? It is such a
rising as is after an awaking out of sleep. But how can God be said to sleep?
The cessation of acts of providence is God’s sleep. The putting of them forth
is God’s arising
awaking. The meaning of the sentence is this
--When the Lord
doth appear for His people as a return of their prayers
when the Lord ariseth
gloriously for them
for their deliverance
and their enemies overthrow
then
it is said
“The Lord is raised up out of His holy habitation.” Two
observations--The great comfort of the saints in all their straits and
difficulties lies in this
when they see God ariseth for them. Experiments of
God’s rising in acts of providence are great grounds to His people to stay
their faith
that God will go on
He will bring His work to perfection. Open
this under three heads--
1. There is a time when God seems to sleep.
2. The great labour of the saints in all their straits is to awaken
God
that God may arise. We knock at heaven’s gate; we environ God; beleaguer
God by our prayers; we as it were wrest mercy out of His hands.
3. The consolations of the saints must needs be very great from the
arisings of God for them in His providential dealings. When the Lord doth
arise
whatsoever standeth in opposition must fall. When God ariseth
He
overruleth the spirits of men
so as they shall effect and accomplish the end.
When God ariseth
He hath abundance rise with Him. When
by our spiritual eyes
can we discern that God is raised up?
1. Prayer is God’s way by which He is raised up.
2. When the Lord defeateth the counsels of the enemy
turns their plots
upon their heads.
3. When the Lord takes away the heart of His enemies.
4. When the Lord acteth the spirits of His people unto high and noble
and invincible resolutions.
5. When the Lord goes on in ways of mercy
and draws out His loving
kindness. The experiments (experiences) which the saints have of the rising of
God are a sure pledge to their faith that He will go on; He will not leave the
work till He hath brought it to perfection. The inference is
--then “be silent
all flesh before Him.” Some men keep silence in policy
because they would not
discover themselves till a convenient time. But all the people of God that
would approve themselves
must keep silence in duty. There is a silence of
shame
and a silence of fear and astonishment. The Lord says to these Jews
silence your doubtings
and silence your frettings. (W. Strong.)
God raised up out of His holy habitation
I. The sense of
the phrase. Expressions concerning the locality o! the Divine presence arose
out of the circumstances of His dwelling in the tabernacle of Moses; of His
resting when the camp rested
and marching before them when they advanced. When
God thus arose
He came forth from His holy habitation. When God is spoken of
in human language
local and bodily ideas must enter into it. The conception of
our minds
as to the operations of God
are aided by such phraseology. It may
be applied generally to the dispensations of providence. When wickedness
prevails
when error spreads
when the Church is wasted
then the Almighty is
represented as shutting His eyes
turning away His face
withholding His hand
and resting in His holy place. But when He makes Himself manifest in judgment
or mercy
when He has nations to punish or to bless
when His Church calls for
protection and help
then He is “raised up out of His holy habitation
” and
“all flesh” is commanded to “keep silence” before Him.
II. The occasions
which procure this interposition of God.
1. He is raised up by the incorrigible vices of men. When wickedness
abounds
for a time He appears to disregard it
or He interposes by gentle
corrections; but there is a limit to His patience and forbearance.
2. Pride and oppression raise Him up out of His habitation. “Those
kingdoms that walk in pride He will abase.” Every power that is opposed to the
laws of God must be overthrown; and the more proud and oppressive it is
the
more certain
speedy
and marked is its downfall.
3. God is raised up for the manifestation of His truth. To every
people God originally gave a saving system
and all nations might have
preserved it. That they have not
is a proof of human depravity. Had it not
been for special interpositions from God
the truth would have wholly perished;
and with it all the hopes of the world must have ended forever. Here is the
mercy of God.
4. God is raised up by the prayers of His saints. Prayer moves Him
that moves the universe. Everything encourages prayer. That which is our
privilege is made our duty. You know the efficacy of prayer. It is prayer that
calls down His visitations
interests Him in your cause
and secures to you
grace to help in every time of need. Nor less essentially is it connected with
every plan for the spread of His Gospel
and the prosperity of His Church.
5. The performance of His promise to Messiah raises God up from His
holy habitation. He had said
“I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine
inheritance.” This decree is not yet fully accomplished. God has been raised up
partly to accomplish it; but He will ere long put forth His power in a still
more glorious manner. Even now is He raised up for this purpose.
III. The impression
these extraordinary dispensations should make. Silence is commanded; but
silence in such a case is the result of powerful mental impression.
1. It is the effect of deep and intense interest.
2. Reproof produces silence.
3. Satisfaction produces silence. All flesh
as well as the Church
is commanded to keep silence before God.
IV. But is the
whole to issue in emotion? Certainly not. God is raised up out of His place
to
raise us up from ours. We are to be fellow helpers to the truth. It is our
encouragement that God is “raised up out of His holy habitation”; and this will
render us inexcusable if we refuse to cooperate. If God is thus raised up
we
have many encouragements to exertion. We have the Divine sanction. Prayer must
be heard. We shall not want cooperation. We cannot want success. We shall be
inexcusable
if we refuse to espouse His cause. (R. Watson.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》