The Prophet confirms in these words what he had before taught
respecting the restoration of the Church; for it was a thing difficult
to be believed: when the body of the people was so mutilated, when
their name was obliterated, when all power was abolished, when the
worship of God also, together wit... [ Continue Reading ]
We also see that the Prophet Haggai speaks in the same manner of the
second temple, — that the glory of the second temple shall be
greater than that of the first, (Haggai 2:3) He, however referred, no
doubt, to the prophecy of Ezekiel; and Ezekiel speaks of the second
temple, which was to be built a... [ Continue Reading ]
There follows now another indignity still greater; for they cast lot
on God’s people, — _On my people they have cast lot, and
prostituted a boy for a harlot, and a girl have they sold for wine,
that they might drink. _By these words the Prophet enhances the injury
done them; for the Jews had been re... [ Continue Reading ]
God expostulates here with Tyre and Sidon, and other neighboring
nations, and shows that they vexed his people without cause Had they
been provoked some excuse might have been made; but since they made
war of their own accord, the wrong was doubled. This is what God means
these words. _What have ye... [ Continue Reading ]
Let us now proceed: He says that their _silver _and their _gold _had
been taken away by the Syrians and the Sidonians. All who were the
neighbors of that people, no doubt, derived gain from their calamity,
as is usually the case. They were at first ill disposed towards them;
there was then a new tem... [ Continue Reading ]
It follows, _And the children of Judah, and the children of Jerusalem,
have ye sold to the children of the Grecians _(14). There is here
another complaint subjoined, — that the Syrians and Sidonians had
been sacrilegious towards God, that they had cruelly treated God’s
afflicted people. In the last... [ Continue Reading ]
The Prophet declares here more fully and expressly, that God had not
so deserted the Jews, but that he intended, in course of time, to
stretch forth his hand to them again. It was indeed a temporary
desertion: but it behaved the faithful in the meantime to rely on this
assurance, — that God purposed... [ Continue Reading ]
The Prophet describes here a wonderful change: the Syrians and
Sidonians did sell the Jews; but who is to be the seller now? God
himself will take this office, —_I, _he says_, will sell your
children, _as though he said, “The Jews shall subdue you and reduce
you to bondage,” — by whose authority? “I... [ Continue Reading ]
Some think these words were announced lest the people, being terrified
by their evils, should become wholly dejected; and they elicit this
meaning, — that God placed this dreadful spectacle of evils before
their eyes, that the Jews might prepare and strengthen themselves for
enduring them; that thou... [ Continue Reading ]
He afterwards adds, _Beat your plowshares into swords. _When Isaiah
and Micah prophesied of the kingdom of Christ, they said, ‘Beat your
swords into pruninghooks, and your spears into plowshares’, (Isaiah
2:4.) This sentence is now inverted by Joel. The words of Isaiah and
Micah were intended figura... [ Continue Reading ]
At length he concludes, _There will Jehovah overthrow thy mighty ones.
_Though the Prophet uses the singular number, “_thy _”, he no
doubt refers to the whole earth; as though he said, “Whatever
enemies there may be to my people, I will cut them down, however
strong they may be.” We now perceive tha... [ Continue Reading ]
The Prophet proceeds with the same subject, — that God will at
length become an avenger of the wrongs of his people, when they shall
be unjustly harassed by profane men. We indeed know that God does not
immediately succor his servants but rests as though he did not regard
their troubles; but this he... [ Continue Reading ]
As God defers his judgments when miserable men groan under their
burdens, the Prophet uses a form of speech, which represents God as
not delaying, but, on the contrary, as hastening to judgment, though
this be not perceived by carnal minds; for these two things well agree
together — God waiting his... [ Continue Reading ]
The Prophet confirms the same truth; but he multiplies words, because
the devastation of the Church might have taken away all hope from
God’s servants; for who could have said that the Church could be
restored when it was so miserably wasted, yea, almost reduced to
nothing? For the people were so sc... [ Continue Reading ]
I have already explained this verse in chapter 2 : the Prophet, as we
then stated, describes in these words the terrible judgment of God, in
order to shake off the indifference of men, who carelessly hear and
despise all threatening, except the Lord storms their hearts. These
figurative expressions... [ Continue Reading ]
The Prophet explains here more clearly his object, or the end for
which he had hitherto spoken of God’s judgment; for what we have
heard served only to spread terror: but now the Prophet shows that his
purpose was to console the faithful, and to give some relief to their
troubles and sorrows. This i... [ Continue Reading ]
This is a confirmation of the preceding doctrine, _ye shall know, _he
says, _that I am your God. _The Prophet intimates that the favor of
God had been so hidden during the afflictions of the people, that they
could not but think that they were forsaken by God. His word ought
indeed to be sufficient... [ Continue Reading ]
The Prophet here declares that God will be so bountiful to his people,
that no good things will be wanting to them either in abundance or
variety. When God then shall restore his Church, it will abound, he
says, in every kind of blessing: for this is the meaning of this
language, _Distill new wine s... [ Continue Reading ]
But he afterwards joins, that the Egyptians and Idumeans would be
sterile and dry in the midst of this great abundance of blessings, for
they were professed enemies to the Church. Hence God in this verse
declares that they shall not be partakers of his bounty; that though
all Judea would be irrigate... [ Continue Reading ]
God here testifies that his redemption would not be for a short time,
but that its fruit would be for a long, period, yea, perpetual: for it
would be but a small thing for the Church to be redeemed, except God
kept it safe under his own power. This second thing the Prophet now
adds, — that _Judeah s... [ Continue Reading ]
The beginning of the verse is in various ways explained. Some make a
stop after _cleanse _thus, “I will cleanse, yet their blood I will
not cleanse;” as though God had said, that he would forgive heathen
nations all their other wrongs, but could not forgive them the great
cruelty they had exercised... [ Continue Reading ]