Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.
Ver. 7. If thou wilt walk in my ways, and keep my charge] That is, if thou wilt walk in all the commandments (moral) and ordinances (Levitical) blameless, as holy Zacharias did, Luke 1:6, and so approve thyself righteous before God, by taking heed to thyself first, and then to all thy flock, which is thy charge, the Holy Ghost's depositum, and the purchase of Christ's own blood, Acts 20:28. Godliness is the highway to happiness; the good old way that hath been ever beaten by all those saints that now find rest to their souls. The very first steps in this way are repentance from dead works, and faith toward God in Christ Jesus. By these, men return to God from whom they have departed; are brought near to him, and set in the way of his steps, Psalms 85:13 "We are his workmanship," saith the apostle, "created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them," Ephesians 2:10, not without good advice and due direction, Ephesians 5:15. Walk circumspectly, walk by rule and by line, Galatians 6:16. Lift not up one foot till you find sure footing for the other, as those, Psalms 35:6. Christians (and especially ministers) are funambulones, saith Tertullian; if they tread but one step awry they are gone, and may draw many with them.
Then thou shalt judge mine house, and shalt also keep my courts] i.e. Thou shalt rule in my temple, and wait at mine altar. The Pope and his prelates catch at the former, but let go the latter; where Christ saith, "feed my sheep," Bellarmine saith the meaning is, Rule like a king; Barenius, Take to thyself the supreme government of the Church. But a preaching bishop is a just wonder among them, a Vir portenti, as those priests in the next verse are called.
And I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by] i.e. Among the seraphims (as the Chaldee here interprets it), thou shalt walk arm in arm (as it were) with angels, Mat 22:30 Hebrews 12:22. He seems to allude to the walks and galleries that were about the temple. Heaven is the reward of walking in the way that is called holy; the end of men's faith, the salvation of their souls. Christ tells us that in his Father's house are many mansions for us, John 14:2 (such as have far better gardens and galleries than Mahomet fondly promiseth his sword-men in his fool's-paradise), and it is a part of his joy that we shall be one day where he is, attended with innumerable angels, John 17:24, who will be glad of our company. How much better cause have we than that heathen to cry out, O praeclarum diem, cum ad illud animorum concilium coetumque proficisear: et eum ex hac turba et colluvione discedam (Cic. de Senectute). Oh what a brave and bright day will be that day when we shall go to that congregation house of blessed spirits; and walk no longer in the way of this world, which is (like the land of Chabul) dirty and dangerous, like the vale of Siddim, Genesis 14:10, slimy and slippery, full of lime pits and pitfalls, snares and stumblingblocks, laid by Satan to maim or mischieve us! Oh happy they that walk humbly with God, who keepeth the feet of his saints, and hath charged his angels to bear them up in their hands, lest they dash their feet against a stone! Psalms 90:12. This while they are here; and when they go hence, to convey them through the air, whereof the devil is the prince, as through the enemies' country, into the heavenly habitations; and there to entertain and welcome them with sweetest varieties, felicities, eternities, fitter to be believed than possible to be expressed.