So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
Ver. 14. So the angel that communed with me] See the note on Zechariah 1:10 .
Cry thou, saying] q.d. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, speak ye to her heart and cry unto her, saying, that her appointed time is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, and so the quarrel is ended; for she hath received of the Lord's hands double for her sins. Nothing so much as I have deserved, saith she, Ezra 9:13; twice so much as she hath deserved, saith he. O sweet contradiction! O beautiful contention! The same Hebrew word signifieth to repent and to comfort, 1Sa 15:35 Isaiah 60:1. God's care is to comfort those that are cast down. His command to his prophet is, to cry comfort to the penitent with an extraordinary earnestness, from the God of all consolation.
I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy] Love is strong as death, zeal, or jealousy (for the same word signifieth both), is hard as hell, Song of Solomon 8:6. Non amat qui non zelat, saith Augustine. He loves not that zeals not. And Basil, venturing himself very far from his friend, and by some blamed for it, answered, Ego aliter amare non didici, I cannot love a man, but I must do mine utmost for him. When one desired to know what manner of man Basil was, it is said there was presented in a dream to him a pillar of fire with this motto, Talis est Basilius, Lo, such a one is Basil. It is certain that our God is a consuming fire. "Who would set the briers and the thorns," saith he, that is, the Church's enemies, "against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together," Isaiah 27:4. And yet he saith in the same place, "Fury is not in me." What will he do then when jealousy is in him as here? "Jealousy is the rage of a man," Proverbs 6:34, and hath these three properties:
First, it is exceeding watchful and quick sighted; hardly shall the paramour escape the husband's eye, and a wanton glance is soon noted and noticed. God is no less sensible and observant of the least indignity done to his dear spouse, his Hephzibah, be it but in a frown or a frump. Why is thy countenance cast down? saith God to that dog-bolt Cain, Genesis 4:6. Why dost lower upon my righteous Abel? What, will he force the queen also before me in the house? Esther 7:8. If David's enemies mow and make mouths at him, if they cry, Aha, aha, so would we have it, God will reckon with them for it, Psalms 40:15. If Edom say jeeringly to the prophet, Watchman, what of the night? watchman, what of the night? If Ammon clap but his hands at God's Israel, if he stamp with the feet, and rejoice in heart only, when it goes ill with the Church, "God will stretch out his hand upon him, and cut him off out of his country, and he shall know that he is Jehovah," Ezekiel 25:6,7; yea, that the Lord God of Israel is a jealous God. He will be jealous for his land, and pity his people, Joel 2:18 .
Secondly, jealousy is violent, it is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are coals of fire, Song of Solomon 8:6. The same word is elsewhere put for fiery thunderbolts, Psalms 78:48; also for a carbuncle or burning fever, Deuteronomy 32:24. Jealousy puts a man into a fever fit of outrage; arms him with fiery darts, yea, with lightbolts; makes him cast firebrands, be ready to take any revenge. Think the same of God in a way of justice. He will spit in the face of a Miriam, that shall but mutter against his Moses, Numbers 12:14; what, then, will he do (or rather, what will he not do) against Jezebel, Athaliah, Herodias.
Thirdly, jealousy is irreconcilable, implacable: Proverbs 6:34,35 "He will not spare in the day of vengeance, He will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou give many gifts." What would not Balak have given to have had his will upon Israel? What large offers made Haman! he would pay ten thousand talents of silver to those that had the charge of the business to destroy the Jews. Ahasuerus yielded; but so did not God. "We are sold (said Esther), I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain and to perish." But God never consented to the bargain, Esther 3:9; Esther 7:4. He had war with Amalek for ever, and laid his hand upon his own throne, as swearing to root him out, Exodus 17:16. And this proud Agagite Haman shall feel the force of his curse in his very bowels. Let the labouring Church but cry out, Help, O King, hear, O husband, give ear, O shepherd of Israel, the enemy is come into thy land, O Immanuel, and the stretching out of his wings filleth the whole breadth of it. Where is thy zeal (or jealousy) and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me? are they restrained? Doubtless thou art our Father, our Redeemer, or near kinsman, nay, our husband, Isaiah 8:8; Isaiah 63:15. Thy Church is unto thee a sister, a spouse; and canst thou hide thine eyes from thine own flesh? Isaiah 58:7, from her that is joined to the Lord, and is one spirit? 1 Corinthians 6:17; shall Abraham venture for the rescue of his kinsman, David of his two wives, and wilt thou do nothing for the dearly beloved of thy soul? shall she be given up into the hand of her enemies? shall the sword reach unto the soul? Genesis 14:14 1Sa 30:18 Jeremiah 12:7; Jeremiah 4:10. Let Christ but hear such words from the mouth of his spouse; and he will soon gird his sword upon his thigh, he will act Phineas' part and execute judgment; he will smite his enemies in the hinder parts (whip them, as men used to do boys), and so put them to a perpetual reproach; shame them for ever, as a company of punies or zanies, Psalms 78:66 .