And it shall come to pass in that day.— Every one must observe, that the present verse is similar to that preceding, though it contains something greater and more expressive. The allusion is, probably, to the trumpets blown at the Jewish festivals; and the sense of the metaphor or emblem is, that it should come to pass that the dispersed Israelites, especially in Egypt and Assyria, should be most clearly informed and invited by some public edict or proclamation, or some other manifest sign of liberty, to return to their own country, freely to live there, and perform the rites of their religion at Jerusalem. The first completion of this prophesy must be fixed at the time of the Maccabees; see particularly 2 Maccabees 1 : But certainly it has a much more extensive view, and refers to the times of the Messiah, and the great trumpet of the gospel, summoning to Jerusalem, as the seat of Jesus Christ, all the faithful, both Jews and Gentiles. See Hosea 11:10-11 and Matthew 24:31. Some have thought, and with great appearance of truth, that this remarkable prophesy will then have its full completion, when, the conversion of the Gentiles being perfected, the Jews shall embrace the religion of Christ. See Romans 11:25. The latter part of the verse may be read, And they shall come, who wander in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts who are in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship, &c.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, We have here,
1. The execution of judgment on the great enemy of God's people, called Leviathan, the serpent, the dragon, either Antichrist, Revelation 12:3 or Satan himself, or rather both. Though strong, furious, crafty, and poisonous, God's sword can reach him; and as he hath destroyed the persecuting powers of old, he will as surely destroy those that still rage, by the two-edged sword of his gospel expelling their poisonous errors, or by the sword of his judgments punishing them with everlasting destruction, Revelation 20:15; Revelation 20:15.
2. In the day of vengeance on his enemies, his grace and mercy to his church will eminently appear, and she shall sing for joy over her persecutors fallen, and the peace and comfort of the faithful shall be everlastingly restored, Revelation 15:1-4; Revelation 19:1-7.
(1.) The church is represented as a vineyard of red wine, a people ingrafted on Christ the living vine, and thence enabled to bring forth the choicest fruits of faith and holiness. I the Lord do keep it; though his church lies in the midst of a howling wilderness, where wicked men, more savage than beasts of prey, roam continually, and threaten to break through and spoil, yet it is safe under his protection, and flourishing under his care: I will water it with the dew of heavenly influences every moment, for every moment we need his gracious help; lest any hurt it, or lest he visit it, the enemy of souls, intent to deceive and destroy; I will keep it night and day, in prosperity and adversity, at all times, amidst every danger; he that slumbereth not, neither sleepeth, will preserve all those souls which live by faith on him. Note; The more we know of the riches and fulness of the divine promises, the more will our hearts be filled with thankfulness, and our lips with praise.
(2.) The people of God, as such, are assured of his favour. Fury is not in me; however terrible to his enemies, to the faithful God is all love, and their iniquities are cancelled by redeeming blood; no wrath remains against them, even their chastisements are the rod of mercy: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together, meaning either, that should he contend with them for their sins, his own people would be but as briers and thorns before the consuming fire without the atoning Blood; or rather, that when hypocrites and false teachers, like briers and thorns, spring up to trouble his people, he would step into his vineyard as a man of war, and quickly destroy and burn them up.
(3.) God directs them how to preserve an abiding sense of his regard to them. Or let him take hold of my strength; in times when his corrections are on his people, they need not be terrified, but apply to that Almighty Saviour the strength of God, who is the ever-living and all-prevailing advocate for faithful believers; that he may make peace with me, by pleading the Blood which he once shed for the redemption of the world; and he shall make peace with me; God, for his sake, will be perfectly pacified toward the believing soul, and comfort it with the confidence of his mercy.
(4.) The church shall have a great increase. He shall cause them that come of Jacob, the spiritual Israel of God, to take root, to be established and to spread their branches on every side; especially in the latter day of gospel-truth, when Israel shall bloom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit, as in the days of the Apostles, Colossians 1:6 and as it shall be more abundantly fulfilled hereafter.
2nd, Though God had intimated that sometimes afflictions would fall upon his faithful people, yet very different would his dealings with them be from his judgments on their enemies.
1. Respecting the measure of them. Though he should smite them, yet not as he smote those that smote him, his strokes on his people would be mitigated; and, however rough the wind blew for a season, he would say, Peace, be still. But their enemies would be utterly consumed, their fortresses destroyed, their country a wilderness, where cattle would feed. Like a withered tree they would be condemned to the flames; and this in just judgment, because they are a people of no understanding; and, being ungrateful and disobedient to their Maker, receive the reward of their deeds in utter destruction. This may primarily refer to the Jewish nation and their foes, but it has a more enlarged view to all the people of God and their enemies. Note; (1.) If we be God's children, we shall, because we need it, feel his gracious rod. (2.) Though involved in the same outward calamities, there is at all times a wide difference between those who are corrected in mercy, and those who suffer in wrath. (3.) They who obstinately reject God's warnings may expect in a judgment-day no mercy.
2. The end that God proposed in correcting his people, was their holiness and salvation. By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; and a gracious end this is, for which every faithful soul has reason to bless God, who can say, before I was afflicted I went astray. The particular sin here to be removed is idolatry: when he maketh all the stones of the altar, erected for idol-worship, Exodus 16:10-12 as chalk-stones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up. And after the captivity the Jews were so thoroughly cured of that idolatry, to which before they were so prone, that the least traces of it no longer appeared among them. Note; It is a blessed symptom for good, when our sin, our bosom sin, which did most easily beset us, is thus radically destroyed.
3. When God hath, for their good, corrected his faithful people, he will gather them together wherever dispersed, and however distressed. It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off, and collect his faithful ones, as fruits to be laid up in store, or as corn separated from the chaff, from the channel of the river (Euphrates) unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, every soul that cleaves by faith to Jehovah, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, which, if referred literally to the Jewish people, signifies the proclamation of Cyrus; by which they were restored to their own land from all places of their dispersion; but rather it refers to the collection of the faithful Israel of God, even those who yield to be saved by grace, and by the means of the trumpet of the everlasting Gospel, recovering those who were ready to perish, and the outcasts, like the wretched in Ezekiel, lying in their blood; outcasts from God's church, and perishing in their sins, till quickened and restored by the power of divine grace through the word of the Gospel, and brought to join the holy worship of the saints in God's church on earth, and to prepare for the everlasting service of God in glory. Note; (1.) Whenever the Gospel trumpet is blown, they who know the joyful sound will assemble thither. (2.) The Gospel is to the lost the trump of Jubilee, glad tidings of great joy. (3.) It is a mercy when we have liberty to worship God, and a greater to delight in the service, and to say of God's courts, Here would I dwell for ever.