Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
Ver. 3. Therefore say thou unto them] These Jews, saith Cyrill, had neither seen their fathers' wickedness, nor heeded their calamities. Mittitur ergo ad cos Zacharias quasi paedagogus, Zechariah therefore is sent unto them as a schoolmaster or monitor; that by considering what had been, they might prevent what otherwise would be, and redeem their own sorrows.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts] A far greater Lord and potentate than that great King of Persia, who was now their sovereign. True it is that they had been commanded by a former king to desist from building the city, Ezra 4:12; Ezra 4:21. But there was no one word in that letter to forbid the building of the temple. There was also now another king set up, and of another family. They are therefore by this prophet and by Haggai called upon again and again to turn to the Lord, and to return afresh to their work, Ezra 5:1. Wherein, because they were sure to meet with many enemies, therefore here and elsewhere (eighteen several times in that eighth chapter) there is frequent mention made of the Lord of hosts, for their better encouragement. See Trapp on " Mal 3:17 "
Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts] This is the great doctrine of the Old Testament; as "Repent ye" is of the New. And this he purposely prefixeth as a preface and preparative to the other prophecies both of mercies and judgments, whereof the whole is fitly made up. Sour and sweet make the best sauce. Promises and menaces mixed make the most fruitful discourse; and serve to keep the heart in the best temper. Hence David's ditty was composed of discords, Psalms 101:1 "I will sing of mercy and judgment," and so be both merry and wise. But, to the words of the text:
Turn ye unto me, &c.] By sin men run away from God (whereby it appeareth that sin is the greatest evil, because it sets us furthest off from the greatest good), and by repentance they return unto him, Deuteronomy 30:2; Deu 30:8-10 Malachi 3:7 Jer 4:1 Hosea 14:1 Acts 26:18. Hence, Acts 3:19 "Repent, and be converted." Contrition is repentance for sin, 2 Corinthians 12:21 Revelation 9:20. Conversion is repentance for sin, Act 8:22 Hebrews 6:1. Hereunto is required first a serious search of our ways (for it is a metaphor taken from a traveller), "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord," Lamentations 3:40. I considered my ways, and then (seeing myself far wide) I turned my feet to thy testimonies, Psalms 119:59. Satius est recurrere, quam male currere, said that emperor in his symbol; It is better to stop or step back, than run on when out of the way; for here he that hasteth with his feet sinneth, Proverbs 19:2, the faster he runs the farther he is out. But as the deceived traveller (when once he finds his error) in his judgment he disliketh it, in his will he turneth from it, in his affections he grieveth at it, and is angry with his false guides, with his utmost endeavour he not only turns again to the right way, but makes the more haste that he be not benighted; so is it here, David not only turned his feet to God's testimonies, from which he had swerved, but he thenceforth made haste and delayed not to keep his commandments, Psalms 119:59,60. For this true conversion we are speaking of, this repentance never to be repented of, is an upright, earnest, and constant endeavour of an entire change of the whole man from all that is evil to all which is good. This is the doctrine of the gospel, Titus 2:11, and this is all the fruit, Isaiah 27:9. To turn from one sin to another is but to be tossed from one hand of the devil to the other; it is but with Benhadad to recover of one disease and die of another; it is but to take pains to go to hell. See this in Saul, John, Herod, Agrippa, and others, who gave but the half turn; turned not from east to west, but from east to north only; their change was not essential, but only gradual; it is not a thorough change for subject and object, but partial and temporal, as being but moral, or formal, or merely mental. It proceeds from conviction of judgment only, and not from aversion of will; from horror of punishment, not from hatred of sin; which they leave (haply) but loathe not; leave it, I say, for the inconveniences that follow it, for the fire that is in it, not for the filthiness that is in it. Now all these seeming converts, because they cast not away all their transgressions (all is a little word, but of large extent), are therefore to be reckoned among those fools of the people that pass on and are punished, Proverbs 22:8, those enemies of God, that instead of turning again (turning short again upon themselves with the prodigal, and returning to the Lord with Ephraim), go on still in their trespasses till their hairy scalp be wounded, Psalms 68:21, till evident and inevitable judgments be incurred, till iniquity prove to be their utter ruin, Ezekiel 18:30. Wherefore now "Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts." Add not to all your other sins that of impenitence, for which there remains no more sacrifice (as Herod added to all his former abominations the beheading of the Baptist), but "Turn you, turn you, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" And for this, consider these ensuing particulars. 1. Who you are that are required to return; weak and worthless creatures, the slime of your fathers' loins, dust and ashes, altogether unable to avert or avoid God's judgments; beaten rebels you are; and have therefore no help left, but to fall down before God and implore his mercy. Turn and live; except ye repent ye shall all perish. 2. Next, see who it is to whom ye are required to return: not to some tyrant, or implacable enemy, that having gotten us into his hands, will deal cruelly with us (as the Duke of Alva roasted some to death, starved others, and that even after quarter), but to "the Lord your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and quickly repenteth him of the evil," Joel 2:13. He will surely both assist such as have but a mind to return (why else doth he bid us turn, which he knows we cannot do without him? and why doth he bid us pray to him to turn us? when we bid our children ask us for this or that, it is because we mean to give it them). He will also accept us with all sweetness, as he did Ephraim, Jeremiah 31:19,20, and the prodigal, Luk 15:20-24 The father met him, Luke 15:20, so he will do us, Isaiah 65:24. The prodigal came, the father ran, Tantum velis, et Deus tibi praeoccurret (Basil); he fell on his neck, as Jacob did on his dear Joseph's, he kissed him, when one would have thought he should have kicked him, or killed him rather, for his former riotousness. He calleth for the best robe, and for the gold ring, and for the fatted calf Filius timet convitium, Pater adornat convivium (Ambrose), "Let us eat, and be merry," saith he, "For this my son was dead" (given up for dead, "free among the dead," Psalms 88:5, free of that company), "and is alive again: he was lost, and is found." Of himself he left his father and ran riot; and yet he is called the lost son, in the best sense. Hunger drove the wolf out of the wood; and yet he is accepted, as if not necessitated. 3. Thirdly, take notice from what you are required to turn. "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, ye house of Israel?" Ezekiel 33:11. It is your sin only that you are to part with, and why should ye be so fond of it? if you look upon it, either in the author of it, the devil, John 8:44, or in the nature of it, as it is an offence against God (your rightful Lord, your bountiful benefactor), and a breach of his law, which is holy and just and good; or in the horrid effects of it (as upon other creatures for man's sake, so especially) upon man himself, whom sin hath excluded from the possession of the lower paradise, and the possibility of the higher, into an eternity of all extremities, after many a little hell here beforehand; or (lastly) in the ransom of it, Christ's blood and bitter sufferings, that soul of sufferings which his soul then suffered when God made our sins to meet upon him, Isaiah 53:6. Oh think on these things sadly, seriously, fixedly, and copiously, and you will soon see cause enough to turn to him from whom these children of Israel had deeply revolted, and were therefore grievously plagued, they and their fathers, that they might return to him that smote them, Isaiah 31:6. Which because they did not, but stood stouting it out with God (which was their manner from their youth), therefore were the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind, to devour Israel with open mouth: and for all this his anger was not turned away, but his hand was stretehed out still, Isaiah 9:12,13. Besides the hindrance and hurt they did to others by standing out: "For if ye turn again to the Lord, your brethren shall find compassion," said Hezekiah to his people, moving them to repent, 2 Chronicles 30:9. And should not we lend them this friendly help.
And I will turn to you, saith the Lord of hosts] And should not such a favour from such a Lord melt them and make them malleable? Should not the goodness of God lead them to repentance? Romans 2:4. Should they not rend their hearts because God is gracious? return unto him because he will multiply pardon? repent because his kingdom is now at hand? fear him the rather, because with him there is mercy? draw nigh to him, who thus draws nigh to them? make haste home, with the prodigal, where there is bread enough? Surely nothing worketh so much as kindness upon those that are ingenuous, Isa 55:7 Mat 3:3 Psa 130:4 James 4:4. Those Israelites at Mizpeh drew water, and poured it forth before the Lord, upon the return of the ark. There is no mention of their lamenting after the Lord, while he was gone; but when he was returned and settled in Kirjathjearim, 1 Samuel 7:6, David argues from mercy to duty, Psalms 116:8,9; Ezra, from deliverance to obedience, Ezra 9:13,14 "The love of Christ constraineth us," saith Paul; his grace that bringeth salvation teacheth us to deny ungodliness, and to live up to our principles, 2Co 5:14 Titus 2:14 "I beseech you, by the mercies of God," saith the same apostle, as not having any more prevailing, more heart-attaching, attracting argument in the world to press them with, Romans 12:1. I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with mercy have I drawn thee, Jeremiah 31:8. And again, I drew them with the cords of a man, with bands of love, Hosea 11:4, that is, with reasons and motives of mercy befitting the nature of a man, with rational motives; to neglect mercy is to sin against humanity; not to convert by kindness, is to receive the grace of God in vain; nay, it is to heap up wrath against the day of wrath. A son, feeling his father's love, creeps nearer under his wing. A Saul, sensible of David's courtesy in sparing him, when he might have spilt his blood, was strangely mollified and melted into tears. Shall God offer to turn to us, and we refuse to turn to him? Shall he beseech us to be reconciled, and we go on in our animosities and hostilities? Doth he offer to pour out his Spirit even upon scorners, and to make known his words unto them, and all this that they may turn at his reproof, Proverbs 1:23; and shall they yet turn their backs upon such blessed and bleeding embracements? Had God given us but one prophet, and forty days' time only to turn unto him (as he dealt by Nineveh, that great city), surely we should have repented long ago, in sackcloth and ashes. But how justly, alas, may he complain of us, as he did once of Jezebel, Revelation 2:21. I gave them time to repent, but they repented not. I have striven with them by my Spirit, and wooed them by my word. I have heaped upon them mercies without measure; and all to bring them back into mine own bosom. I have also smitten them with blasting and mildew, with judgments public and personal; and yet they have not turned unto me, saith the Lord, Amos 4:9. Ah sinful nation, &c. If any ask, What can we do toward the turning of ourselves to God? I answer:
First, you must be sensible of your own utter inability to do anything at all toward it, Jer 10:23 Joh 15:5 Philippians 2:12. Non minus difficile est nobis velle credere, quam cadaveri volare (Beza). It is no less hard for us to be willing to believe than for a dead carcase to fly upwards.
Secondly, know that yet it is possible, feasible, by the use of these means that God hath appointed; who also hath promised to make it both possible and easy to us. He bade Moses fetch his people out of Egypt; but himself effected it. He bade the Israelites go and blow down the walls of Jericho; they obeyed him, and it was done; so here.
Thirdly, as our liberty in external acts is still some (as to come to the public ordinances, to set ourselves under the droppings of a powerful ministry, and there to lie, as he did at the pool of Bethesda, waiting the good hour), so must our endeavours be answerable. The Bereans brought their bodies to the assembly, took the heads of St Paul's sermon, compared them with the Scriptures, Acts 17:11,12, and yet they were unconverted.
Fourthly, make much of the least beginnings of grace, even those they call repressing; since they prepare the heart for conversion. See Luke 11:32 .
Fifthly, pray, Turn us, O God, and we shall be turned; draw us, and we shall run after thee. And here remember to be earnest. Ask, seek, knock, as the importunate neighbour that came to borrow two loaves, or as the widow that came for justice, and would not away without it, Luke 18:1. He that beareth the young ravens that cry only by implication, will he be wanting to his weak but willing servants?
Lastly, wait for the first act of conversion, the infusion of the sap of grace, which is wholly from God; our will prevents it not, but follows it; and whensoever the Spirit breathes into you, turn about, like the mill; when God hath tuned and doth touch you, do you move and make melody; resigning up yourselves wholly to him, and putting yourselves out, God into possession. Thus if you turn to him he will turn to you. "The Lord is with you while ye be with him; if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you," 2 Chronicles 15:2. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh in this text with so much affection and earnestness; see that ye slight him not, that ye shift him not off (as the word signifieth, παραιτησησθε, Heb 12:25); for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that thus speaketh from heaven, sc. by his blood, word, sacraments, mercies, motions of his Spirit, crosses. When physic, that should remove the disease, doth co-operate with it, then death comes with the more pain and speed. The stronger the conviction of sin is the deeper will be the wrath against it, if it be not by repentance avoided. No surfeit more dangerous than that of bread; no judgment more terrible than that which grows out of mercy offered and despised.