shoulder, (the key of the house of David, ch. xxii. 22.) but he shall bear the burthen of it. The Father shall devolve it upon him, so that he shall have an incontestable right to govern; and he shall undertake it, so that no doubt can be made of his governing well, for he shall set his shoulder to it, and will never complain, as Moses did, of his being overcharged; I am not able to bear all this people, Numb. xi. 11, 14.
Glorious things are here spoken of Christ's government, v. 7.
First, That it shall be an increasing government; it shall be multiplied, the bounds of his kingdom shall be more and more enlarged, and many shall be added to it daily; the lustre of it shall increase, and it shall shine more and more brightly in the world. The monarchies of the earth were each less illustrious than the other; so that what began in gold ended in iron and clay, and every monarchy dwindled by degrees: but the kingdom of Christ is a growing kingdom, and will come to perfection at last.
Secondly, That it shall be a peaceable government, agreeable to his character as the Prince of Peace: he shall rule by love, shall rule in men's hearts; so that wherever his government is, there shall be peace; and as his government increases, the peace shall increase; the more we are subject to Christ, the more easy and safe we are.
Thirdly, That it shall be a rightful government; he that is the Son of David, shall reign upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, which he is entitled to; God shall give him the throne of his father David, Luke i. 32, 33. The gospel-church, in which Jew and Gentile are incorporated, is the holy hill of Zion, on which Christ reigns, Ps. ii. 6.
Fourthly, That it shall be administered with prudence and equity, and so as to answer the great end of government, which is the establishment of the kingdom; he shall order it, and settle it, with justice and judgment; every thing is, and shall be, well managed, in the kingdom of Christ, and none of his subjects shall ever have cause to complain.
Fifthly, That it shall be an everlasting kingdom; there shall be no end of the increase of his government, it shall be still growing; no end of the increase of the peace of it, for the happiness of the subjects of this kingdom shall last to eternity, and perhaps shall be progressive in infinitum—for ever. He shall reign from henceforth even for ever; not only throughout all generations of time, but even then when the kingdom shall be delivered up to God, even the Father, the glory both of the Redeemer and the redeemed shall continue eternally.
Lastly, That God himself has undertaken to bring all this about; The Lord of hosts, who has all power in his hand, and all creatures at his back, shall perform this, shall preserve the throne of David till this Prince of peace is settled in it; his zeal shall do it; his jealousy for his own honour, and the truth of his promise, and the good of his church. Note, The heart of God is much upon the advancement of the kingdom of Christ among men; which is very comfortable to all those that wish well to it; the zeal of the Lord of hosts will overcome all opposition.
8. The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. 9. And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, 10. The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. 11. Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; 12. The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 13. For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts. 14. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. 15. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. 17. Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is a hypocrite and an evil-doer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 18. For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest; and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. 19. Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. 20. And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: 21. Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Here are terrible threatenings, which are directed primarily against Israel, the kingdom of the ten tribes, Ephraim and Samaria, the ruin of which is here foretold, with all the woful confusions that were the prefaces to that ruin, all which came to pass within a few years after; but they look further, to all the enemies of the throne and kingdom of Christ the Son of David, and read the doom of all nations that forget God, and will not have Christ to reign over them. Observe,
I. The preface to this prediction; (v. 8.) The Lord sent a word into Jacob; sent it by his servants the prophets; he warns before he wounds; he sent notice what he would do, that they might meet him in the way of his judgments, but they would not take the hint, took no care to turn away his wrath, and so it lighted upon Israel; for no word of God shall fall to the ground. It fell upon them as a storm of rain and hail from on high, which they could not avoid. "It has lighted upon them; it is as sure to come as if it were come already; and all the people shall know by feeling it, what they would not know by hearing of it." Those that are willingly ignorant of the wrath of God revealed from heaven against sin and sinners, shall be made to know it.
II. The sins charged upon the people of Israel,
