Commentary on Obadiah, Verse and commentary 5, 6
Ver. 5.
If theieves come to thee, if robbers by night (how art thou cut off?) would they not have ſtollen till they had enought? If the Grape-gatherers come to thee, would they not leave thee ſome Grapes?
V. 6.
How are the things of Eſau ſearched out? How are his hid things ſought up?
The words do expreſſe the full ruine of Edom, for all his ſtrong habitation.
Thieves that rob an houſe by night, do not carry away all; and they that gather Crapes neerly, the Law requires to leave ſome cluſters for the poore, the fatherleſſe, and the Widdow.
But in the ſacking of Edom, Lev. 19.10there ſhould be a carrying away of all in ſight, and a curious ſearch for all hidden things; there ſhould be nothing left.
Neither men nor goods ſhould be concealed, but the eye of ſearch ſhould find them out all.
There ſhould neither be a ſatiety in their enemies, nor a compaſſion; neither fulneſſe, nor pitty ſhould exempt any from ſpoyle.
That maketh the Prophet ſo patheticall, that he interpoſeth this admiration, How art thou cut off?
In the Prophecy of Jeremiah, it is added for an interpretation of this Text,
I have made Eſau bare, I have uncovered his ſecret places, and he ſhall not be able to hide himſelf; his ſeed is ſpoiled, Jer. 49.10.and his brethren and his neighbours, and he is not.
This is not to be underſtood ſo as if the Nation and name of Edom ſhould ceaſe for ever upon this vaſtation, but for a time; for they were again to build, and were again to pluck down, as Malachy prophecyed.
But in the end there ſhould be nothing left of Edom, his very name ſhould be forgotten upon earth even as it is at this day; for who can ſay this is the ſeed of Eſau?
From hence. 1. We are taught that where God cometh to the ſpoyle, there is no ſecret and cloſe receptacle, either for the perſons or for the wealth and treaſures of men, but he will ſearch it out and lay it open; their bellies be full of hid treaſures, thoſe bellies will he rip up, and into thoſe ſecret parts, ſhall his ſearch penetrate, nothing ſhall be ſafe from it.
As in the fury of the warres of the Jews, we read that ſome of the Jewes having no other means left to preſerve ſomething to relieve their wans, ſwallowed certain pieces of gold to keep them from the hand of the enemy, which coming to the eares of the Roman ſouldiers, they ript up many of the Jewes bellies to ſeek for gold.
Edom dwelt in Mount Seir amongſt the rocks, and many of their dwellings were in roomes hewed out of the hard ſtone, yet all their ſecret cabines were ſearched and ſpoyled.
Iſhboſeth is not ſafe on his bed, nor Ehud, in his Parlour, Whither ſhall I flie from his preſence? ſaith David.
God himſelf hath ſpoken to this purpoſe, I will ſlay the laſt of them with the ſword, Amos 9.1.he that flyeth ſhall not fly away, and he that eſcapeth of them ſhall not be delivered.
Though they dig into hell, thence ſhall my hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, Ver. 2.thence ſhall my hand bring them down.
And though they hide themſelves in the top of Carmel,Ver. 3. I will ſearch and take them out thence; and though they may be hid from my ſight in the bottome of the ſea, Ver. 4.or go into captivity thence will I command the ſword and it ſhall ſlay them, and I will ſet mine eyes upon them for evill, and not for good.
Thoſe ſearchers of Edom be of Gods ſending, and they are his privie ſearch, he will bring to light things hidden in darkneſſe.
Ʋſe.
Truſt not to the ſecret treaſures of ungodlineſſe, not to the goods thou haſt ſayed up for many yeers to come; there is nothing ſo ſecret but ſhall be laid open.
Gods ſearch is not like Labans; he ſearched all the places but where Rahel ſate; but God leaveth no place unſought.
If the ſecret ſtore eſcape, fures, perſodiunt & furantur. Yet there is tinea & arugo, the moath and the ruſt, and if nothing elſe, Tempus edax rerum; time the conſumer of all things.
For ſo ſaith the Wiſeman, there is a time to gather, and a time to ſcatter.
Let us not be too much in love with theſe things that we poſſeſſe here; we know that when our Auguſtus Caeſar began his reigne here over us, all neighbouring and remote Nations offered him peace, and he accepted it, and turned all our ſwords into ſights; I need not ſpeak figuratively.
Much armour was turned into Utenſils for domeſticall uſes, and then there was no noyſe abroad of hoſtility, even then in the peacefull time of the Church and Common-wealth, the religion of Rome ſtirred up certain ſearchers, that digged into the bowels of the earth, and their hunger after Proteſtant bloud, brake through ſtrong walls, and there heaped up ſuch inſtruments of maſſacre, as would have ſearched our hidden things.
Thoſe theeves would never have had enough, thoſe Grape-gatherers would have left never a cluſter to relieve the poore Church; thy would have rooted up Vine and all, and have laid the Vineyard of the Lord of Hoſts deſert and waſte.
Theſe were Papiſts, the miniſters of hell, this was Religion falſely ſo called, the zeale of furies; ſuch theeves lurke in many ſeverall corners of the land; ſuch Grape-gatherers hide themſelves under the ſhade of our vine; let all that love the peace of Juruſalem take heed of them; our houſes, cloſets nay our ſellars are not ſafe from them; they will ſeek out our hidden things, if they can take advantage againſt us.
Againſt this Edom let us bend our forces; and the idolatry and ſuperſtition, and ignorance, and impoſture of that Religion, let us ſearch out and detect.
It is his Majeſties expreſſe command, that in every pariſh the ſworn men do ſearch for Recuſants, that forſake all our Churches, and for our own malecontent Profeſſors that love any Church better then their own.
He would ſeparate the clean from the vile, and the peaceable from the factious, Edom from Iſrael; for we hold nothing in ſafety, we can hide nothing out of ſight, ſo long as thoſe ſearchers and underminers be abroad; the peace and honour and ſafety of the Church is their prey they hunt after.
2. We are taught, what a fearfull thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God; when he plucketh his hand out of his boſome, he ſmiteth home, as he ſaith,
Affliction ſhall not ariſe the ſecond time; he calleth himſelf in his Law, a jealous God, his jealouſie burns like fire.
He can give Edom high and ſtrong mountains for his habitation, he can give him the fat of the earth, and the dew of heaven, and let him multiply on the earth exceedingly, he can forbeare him in his wickedneſſe and cruelty for a long time.
But when he cometh to execute judgment, his right hand will finde out all his enemies, he will not leave a place or corner unſearched, but he will cut off head and taile, branch and root, in one day, for his hand is not ſhortned, but is ſtretched out ſtill.
Why then doth the pride of our hearts deceive us flattering us that all ſhall be well with us, though we walk in the luſts of our own hearts; though pride diſguiſe us in our cloathing, though gluttony fill us up to the throats, though drunkenneſſe ſtagger us, and our oaths and blaſphemies fly up as high as heaven;
Hath God forgotten to be righteous, and is his judgment ſeat turn'd all to merciemercy, that we dare him with our crying ſins, and awake his vengeance with our abominable impieties?
Can we ſin the ſins of Edom, and not ſmart with their puniſhment? he hath a curious and ſearching eye, he hath looked upon our works, he hath ſet our ſins before him, our ſecret ſins in the ſight of his countenance.
Firſt, his eye ſearcheth out the ſins of men then his right hand ſearcheth out all his enemies; if he be angry, yea but a little, bleſſed are all they that put their truſt in him.
They ſhall ſay one to another, Come and ſee what deſolations he hath made in the earth: and as it is in my text, How are they cut off! but peace ſhall be upon Iſrael.
3. Out of the manner of ſpeech and phraſe of this Prophecie againſt Edom, I obſerve the uſe that all ages of the Church muſt make of the examples of Gods judgements upon other perſons, and Nations before us, recorded in Scripture or in ſtory regiſtred, for the benefit of after times. For,
1. He interpoſeth this clauſe of admiration, How art thou cut off! As declaring and admirable judgement to be executed upon them, enough to ſtrike all that ſee it, or hear of it with feare.
2. By a compariſon of diſſimilitudes he ſheweth that Thieves and Vine-robbers ſhall be mercifull men in compariſon of them that ſhall fight the Lords battails againſt Edom. For they ſhall leave ſomewhat behind them, theſe waſting depopulators of Edom ſhall leave nothing.
3. He ſaith not categorically and poſitively the things of Eſau are ſearched out, his hid things are ſought up; but in a more patheticall language of amplification, by way of queſtion, How are the things of Eſau, ſearched out! and reſuming the matter but with addition and amplification, How are his hid thing ſought up?
Which queſtions do put it upon us to take the judgement of God upon Edom into a ſerious conſideration.
It is a queſtion amongſt great learned Divines of former ages which was the greateſt miracle that ever Chriſt wrought whileſt he lived upon earth.
St. Ierome anſwereth, ſome thinke the rayſing of Lazarus: others the giving ſight to the blind: others the voyce that was heard at his Baptiſm: others his tranſfiguration: but he for his own judgement, he thinks that the whipping of men that bought and ſold in the Temple, twiſe by him performed, was the greateſt of all his miracles.
For that a man ſo weak in his own perſon, ſo deſpiſed of men, ſo oppoſed by the Merchants of the Temple, ſhould play Rex in the Temple, and ſhould there execute judgement, and ſubdue the hearts of ſo many men, who thought they did well, and had ſome colour to defend what they did. And that they ſhould without reſiſtance ſuffer the laſh, and abandon the place.
St. Origen doth admire this miracle of his juſtice, as declaring him to be God, as David ſaith. God is known by executing judgement, Quo domantur hominum ingenia, Whereby the wits of men are ſubdued.
Therefore when the Judgements of God are preached, let men feare. The doctrines of Paul were ſoft and gentle, when he ſpake of righteouſneſſe, and temperance; but when he ſpake of the Judgement to come, Felix trembled, but it is probably thought, that that laſt doctrine of judgement to come, put him into that quaking and ſhaking fit, and made the earth to quake within him.
Therfore the Prophet David having ſhewed what ſearch God maketh for ſin, addeth,Pſa. 50.22
Now conſider this, you that forget God leaſt I teare you in pieces and there be none to deliver.
His judgements are over all the earth, it is a meditation for the Sabbath, it is proper for the day.
And David ſaith, Thou haſt made me glad through thy worke. Pſa. 92.4.One of his works is of judgement.
When the wicked ſpring as graſſe, Ver. 7. Ver. 9.and when all the workers of iniquity flouriſh, it is that they ſhall be deſtroyed for ever.
For loe thine enemies O Lord, loe thine enemies ſhall periſh, all the workers of iniquity ſhall be ſcattered.
This is matter of comfort for the Church of God, it is joy in the tabernacles of the righteous; for they ſay the right hand of the Lord, bringeth mighty things to paſſe.
It ſerveth alſo to mingle ſome trembling with their joy, and ſome fear with their faith, to keep it from overgrowing to preſumption; therefore the Elect of God upon conſideration of the ſevere judgements of God, do feele in themſelves a renewed fear of the Majeſty of God, which humbleth them as Habacuk confeſſeth.
When I heard, my helly trembled, my lights quivered at the voyce, rottenneſſe entred into my bones, and I trembled in my ſelfe, that I might reſt in the day of trouble.Hab 3 16.
This is the ſweet fruit of that conſideration, for it prepareth reſt for the ſoules of them that feare the Lord.
Therefore let fortunes and times delicate minions, the daughters of eaſe, and plenty, which ſtudy nothing but trimme and bravery, and waſt the pretious moments of time, which ſhould be ſpent in the contrite repentance of their ſins, in the curious dreſſe of their bodyes,
Let them read the judgement of God upon the daughters of Sion; ſee how fine they were, and how God threatning them with the ſcab with diſcovery of their nakedneſſe,Iſa 3.16. with ſtinke, with baldneſſe, with deveſting, with ſack-cloth.
Let the drunkards of our time, heare what God threatned Ephraim, Iſa 28.3.The Crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim ſhall be trode under foot.
Let the Schiſmatical reſiſters of authority, which deſpiſe Moſes their King,Num. 1….1 and Aaron their Prieſt, and think much to be ſubject to the Ordinances which are ſet down, remember Miriam the ſiſter of Moſes, who reſiſting Moſes, was puniſhed with a Leproſie and though Aaron beſought God for her, could not be healed till ſhe had been ſhut out of the Camp ſeven dayes.
Read and ſtudy holy Scriptures; whatſoever is there written, is for our learning; our God is the ſame, and his years fail not; he hath the ſame eye that once he had, to find out ſinners: he hath the ſame hatred that once he had to ſin, he hath the ſame Juſtice that once he had to cenſure it, and the ſame right hand to execute his wrath.
All Scriptures will tell you that he doth it ſeverely; his ſword is ſharp, and his arme is ſtrong: O Lord be mercifull to mee a ſinner.