Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · minor prophets · Zechariah · Chapter 45
CHAP. XLV.
ASke rain of the Lord in the time of the latter rain. Having spoken of the great plenty, that should be, now he shews the means, that must be used for V. 1.this, viz. Prayer for seasonable rain, and then it should follow accordingly, and the ground should be fruitfull. And he speaks of the latter rain, saith Gualter, because in those hot countries it was then necessary to make the Gualter.corne the more flowery, and the grasse to grow again after mowing. And for the producing of rain, the Lord would gather bright clouds together, or lightning clouds, as the word signifieth. Whereby we may see, that the good things of this life, which are needfull for us, and God hath promised, Note. are yet by us to be sought by Prayer, and to incourage us thus to seek them, he saith, that God being prayed to for it, clouds shall gather together, and rain shall follow, against those that say God will send what weather he pleaseth, whether we pray for it, or not. And the Prophet speaks of this, because that now the Temple was in building, which was the house of Prayer; and before they applyed themselves to this work, they had sowed much, and reaped little, as Hag. 1. therefore now God being more propitious upon their turning from their former negligence, he would have them to make use of this house by pouring out their prayers here for this great blessing. Mystically also, heavenly Doctrine is by rain set forth, as Esay 55. The Mystery.and Deut. 32. 1. and how we ought to pray for this, where it is said, Pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into his harvest; which labourers in Math. 9.harvest are also waterers, by distilling heavenly Doctrine, as the rain upon 1 Cor. 3.the ground of mens hearts; for which, unprofitable hearers are compared to ground, that receiving the early, and latter rain, bringeth forth bryars and thornes. Heb. 6.And as the rain cometh out of the clouds, so doctrine out of the Scriptures, out of which only the true men of God raise them, and not from unwritten Traditions, or Apocryphals, as Saint Paul saith, that he taught nothing but Acts 20.what the Prophets had foretold, and then the grasse by this means made to grow, is all manner of grace increasing in the heart.
Therefore they went away, as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. V. 2.After comfort, and instruction to the faithfull, here the Prophet sheweth the cause of the Jewes former suffering, viz. their serving of false Gods, and their being led by their prophets dreams, and divinations. For by this means they were carried away into captivity, as a flock of silly sheep, not able to defend themselves, but as wanting a shepherd to defend them, lying open to the violence of wolves, and lyons, such as the Caldees were unto them. And he aptly cometh here to inveigh against their former Idolatry, having, ver. 1. exhorted them to seek to the Lord, as convincing them by their grievous sufferings, whilst they sought to idols, that this was a dangerous vanity. For what followed hereupon, but their being made a prey, like sheep unto wilde and savage Beasts, God not vouch safing to be their shepherd, as otherwise Calvin.he would have been to save them from those great evills, thus Calvin.
Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the Goats, for the V. 3.Lord of hosts hath visited his flock, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battell. Here the Prophet proceedeth, to shew how full of wrath the Lord was against the diviners, and dreamers spoken of, ver. 2. whom he now calleth shepherds, because of the office in which they were. He was full of wrath against them, because that by their means the people came to such misery, through their seducing them, instead of leading them in the right way. For as the people thus mislead, shall perish; so above all others, such shepherds shall suffer Note. the fierceness of Gods wrath; and not only the shepherds, but the Goats, that is, wicked Princes and Rulers, by whose Authority and evill example the people are thus misled, and wronged: see also Ezek. 34. 17. where such Princes are likened unto Goats, hurting the sheep, and Mat. 25. In the next words he prophesieth comfort yet to come to the faithfull, and elect amongst them, for he saith, that he will visit them, and make them as goodly horses; upon which he rode out conquering, and of whom he had a singular care, as a great man of his fair horses, causing them to be well lookt to, and fed, as taking great delight in them; and not using them as Husband-men doe Asses, and Oxen, in carrying burdens, and doing their work, beating them, and pricking them with Goads: of such a fair Horse, highly esteemed of by Alexander, we read of in his History, called Bucephalus; and of another of Julius Caesars, that would suffer none to ride them but their Masters. This is not much unlike to that, which he had said before of bending Judah as his bow, and filling it with Ephraim, chap. 9. 13. and therefore we may well apply it likewise, and mystically to the conquering of the world, and subduing it to Christ, by his preachers, to set forth which also, a representation is made by a white horse, Revel. 6. 2.
Out of him came the corner, out of him the nail, and the battel-bow, and oppressour V. 4.together. To shew further that out of Judah, called his goodly horse, should come all things necessary to an happy being, he saith here, Out of him shall come the corner; that is, the Prince, as the Corner stone, joyning the two Kingdomes of Judah, and Israel, before divided, whereby they should be greatly strengthened. Out of him the nail; that is, one upon whom all the glorious vessels of Gods House should be hanged, as it was said of Eliakim, I will Esai. 22.make him as a nail in my house, and they shall hang all the glory upon him. Out of him the battel-bow, and the exactour: that is, warlike prowesse to subdue, and bring under, all enemies, and to make them pay Tribute unto him, which being partly fulfilled in Judas Maccabeus, were all most perfectly accomplished in Christ, the chief Corner stone, and the most glorious Eliakim subduing all peoples farre and wide, and exacting by his Spirit from them, the tribute of Praise and Prayer, and of liberall contributions to his Church.
And they shall be as mighty men, that tread down their enemies as the mire in the V. 5.street; that is, as they before spoken of, likened to a fair Horse, should subdue peoples unto Christ by the Word, so through the power of God, obstinate unbeleevers, here called enemies, who persecuted them, should be cast down before them, to be trodden upon as mire in the street, that is, most base, which was done in the dayes of Constantine the Great, who overcame all his enemies, after his embracing of the Christian Faith.
And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and save the house of Joseph, &c. that V. 6.is, both Kingdomes, making of them united together again a mighty Nation, the fulfilling whereof, is yet to come, when they shall be converted. Then also, he saith, that he will bring them again to place them, their sinnes, which were the cause of their casting off, and casting out of Canaan, being removed, they shall inhabite there again. And Ephraim, that is, the Kingdome of the ten Tribes, of which there was least hope, because they never returned out V. 7.of their captivity, shall through this blessing of God conferred upon them be made as joyfull, as they that drink wine liberally.
And I will sow them, and they shall remember me in far Countries, &c. A further V. 9.amplification of the same favour, shewing how they should come to this happinesse, viz. by being made as seed sown, very populous in the time of their exile, and then be turned to the Lord after a long time, with this their numerous issue, return home into their own land. And ver. 10. he sheweth expresly, by naming some parts of their land, Lebanon, and Gilead, whither they V. 10.should be brought back.
And he shall passe through the sea with affliction, and shall smile the waves in the V. 11.sea, &c. Because he had spoken of Aegypt, and their being brought from thence, he alludeth to the History of their being brought from thence of old, through the Red sea, being smitten by Moses with his Rod, and divided, and through the great river Jordan, hereby intimating, that nothing should hinder their return, how mighty obstacles soever should stand in the way. Some by Judah Lyra. Gualter.understand the Jewes; and by Joseph, and Ephraim, the Gentiles converted to the Faith, and that no locall motion is meant, when he speaks of their bringing to their place, but onelyonly their coming in to the Church, because the land of Canaan, since the Jewes expulsion thence, lyeth under the curse for ever. And yet they apply that which is here spoken in part to that which God did for the Jewes in the time of the Maccabees, in which they grew so strong, and mighty, and had their dwelling by their many Victories so greatly established. And for bringing them out of Egypt & Assyria here spoken of, and their being sown & increased, this is spoken in opposition to their carrying down into Aegypt by Ishmael, Gedaliah being slain; after which many miseries were there indured by them, & great slaughters made of them in the time of Ptolemee Lathurus, who slew 30000 of them, and made the survivours to eat of the flesh of them, that he had killed. Now this being done to them in Egypt, that remained of Judah, after the City and Temple destroyed; it is well known, that the Assyrians carryed away those of the Tribes, for which he names them now together, promising a multiplication of them again after all this, and that the pride of Aegypt and Assyria should be pulled down, which was done as touching Assyria, when Alexander subdued both Persians, and Assyrians; and as touching the Aegyptians, when the Romans subdued Aegypt in the dayes of Cleopatra, their last Queen, with whose love Anthony had been long intangled; but at length, that she might not come into Caesars hands, who was the Conquerour, she slew her self. But because thus the things here prophefied of, were but done in part, their perfect accomplishment is to be looked at in Christ, no Ephraim, or Joseph, having this any way made good unto them before his coming. And touching the Israelites coming to their proper place again after their conversion; nothing can be certainly said, but of their conversion in the end it may, being properly understood according to Rom. 11. A redeemer shall come to Zion, and turn iniquity from Jacob, and so all Israell shall be saved, as hath been touched before. And for this case we pray for the conversion Note. of the Jewes, as nothing doubting, but that it shall be in Gods good time, although it may yet seem never so improbable to mans reason, in regard of their aversnesse from Christ to this day.