For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone [shall be] seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
Ver. 9. For behold the stone, &c.] Another title given to Christ, who is the foundation and chief corner stone of his Church; and another "behold," prefixed as a starry note, or a hand pointing to a remarkable matter. All the prophets pointed to Christ, who is therefore called the branch, the stone, that in these creatures (everywhere obvious), as in so many opticglasses, we may see him, and be put in continual remembrance of him: It being as necessary to remember Christ as to breathe, saith a father. See Psalms 118:22 Isaiah 28:16 1 Peter 2:6,8 .
That I have laid, and that I will engrave] The Church is God's building, and we are his workmanship, ποιημα , Eph 2:10 his artificial manufacture, created in Christ Jesus unto good works; there being not so much of the glory of God in all his works of creation and providence, as in one gracious action that a Christian performeth. As for the glorious work of our redemption by Christ, it was a plot of God's own contriving, a fabric of God's own erecting; it was the Lord's own doing, and it is justly marvellous in our eyes.
Upon one stone shall be seven eyes] That is, Christ shall draw all eyes and hearts to him; as the stones of the temple did the disciples' eyes, Mat 24:2 Mark 13:1 "Master," say they to Christ, "see what manner of stones and what buildings are here." Thus some sense it. I should rather by these seven eyes understand the Spirit in his various operations upon Christ, as Isaiah 11:2, for he received not the Spirit by measure, as others; but had as much of it as a creature could possibly have. See Trapp on " Rev 1:4 " where the Holy Ghost, for his manifold good gifts and perfect givings, is called The seven Spirits; like as he is also styled the seven golden pipes, Zechariah 4:2,3. There are those who by these seven eyes upon one stone understand the providence and wisdom of Christ in the government of his Church. He is indeed, as one saith, πλοφθαλμος, All-eye. Sic spectat universos quasi singulos; sic singules quasi solos: like a well drawn picture he eyeth all. Christ as he is a living, so he is also a looking stone; he looketh at the miseries and matters of his Church, and saith, as once, I have seen, I have seen the afflictions of my people ia Egypt, Exodus 3:7 .
Behold, I will engrave the graving thereof] Hae coelaturae dona et stigmata Christi repraesentaut, saith a Lapide. These gravings represent the gifts and wounds of Christ, in allusion to the polished corners of the temple. Caelum dictum eat quod caelatum, id est signatum sideribus, saith Varro. Heaven hath its name in Latin from its being enamelled and bespangled with glistering stars, as with curious workmanship, or costly furniture. Of the third heaven, the habitation of saints and angels, God is said to be by a specialty the builder and maker, or (as the Greek hath it) the cunning artificer, and public architect, Hebrews 11:10. A great deal of skill and workmanship he laid out upon it; but nothing so much as upon the human nature of Christ, wherein, as in a temple, dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, that is, personally, by virtue of the hypostatical union, Colossians 2:9 "For the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth," John 1:14; full, full to the very brim, full with a double fulness, vasis et fontis, of the vessel, and of the fountain. Hence, he was fairer, much fairer, double fairer (as the original importeth) than the sons of men, sc. with the beauty of wisdom and holiness: grace was poured into his lips, God had anointed him with the oil of gladness above his fellows, Psalms 45:2; Psalms 45:7. The priests in the law were consecrated first with oil, compounded and confected of divers precious spices; so was Christ with gifts and graces of the Spirit, Acts 10:38; Act 4:27 Isaiah 61:1; not by measure, as we are, Ephesians 4:7, but without measure, as much as a finite nature was capable of; particularly, he was furnished and polished with wisdom, as a prophet, against our ignorance; with holiness, as a priest, against our guilt; and with power, as a king, against our corruptions; these and all other endowments, he had, well heaped, pressed down, and running over, poured into his bosom. Next, as the priests under the law were also consecrated with blood, so was the Lord Christ with his own blood, when his Father engraved him with graving; or, as the Hebrew hath it here, opened him with opening in his bloody passion, baptized him in his own blood, stewed him in his own broth, as it were; when in a cold winter's night he sweat great clots of blood, which through clothes and all fell to the very ground. When after this they digged his hands and his feet, Psalms 22:16, and made his heart melt in the midst of his bowels, Psalms 22:14. Wounded he was in the head, to cure our vile imaginations; in the hands, to expiate our evil actions; in the heart and feet, for our base affections and unworthy walkings. Tormented he was for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, tanquam pulcherrima corporis caelatura, and by his stripes, or bloody weals, we were healed, Isaiah 53:5. Adam signifieth man red-earth, or bloody. Christ was man in his incarnation, and bloody all over in his passion. This death of Christ, therefore, look on (saith Master Bradford, martyr) as the very pledge of God's dear love towards thee; see the very heart of it as in an anatomy. See, God's hands are nailed, they cannot strike thee; his feet also, he cannot run from thee; his arms are wide open to embrace thee; his head hangs down to kiss thee; his very heart is open, so that therein look, nay, even spy, and thou shalt see nothing therein but love, love, love to thee, &c.
“ Cernis ut in toto corpore sculptus amor. ”
And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day] "I will remove," i.e. remit and pardon the iniquity, both guilt and punishment. "O that land," i.e. of the Church, that pleasant land, more dear to God than all the earth besides. "In one day," i.e. together and at once suddenly and in an instant. See Isaiah 66:8 .