388
though all men prove liars. This same prophet, who in the iith chapter predicts Israel s rejection of the Good Shepherd, and their consequent rejection of God for a time, graphically describes in the last three chapters, which deal with the last events of this age, Israel s restoration and conversion when the spirit of grace and of supplication shall be poured upon them, and they shall bitterley lament and repent of their great national sin, and look upon Him whom they have pierced.
And this is in accord also with the clear statements of the New Testament, which tells us that " all Israel shall be saved, even as it is written : There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob ; for this is My covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins."
And even in the generation of which the terrible words are written, " I will not deliver them out of their hands," there were "the poor of the flock" (vers. 7, 11) who did " give heed " and " knew the word of Jehovah," who (as we shall see) are none other than the remnant, according to the election of grace, which, blessed be God ! has never been wanting even in the darkest period of Israel s history.
We proceed to what may be said to constitute the heart of this remarkable prophecy, namely, the actual " feeding," or shepherding, of the flock which, through their own obstinacy, became " the flock of slaughter."
" So I fed the flock of slaughter, verily the poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves : the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands, and I fed the flock. And I cut off the three shepherds in one month ; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me. Then said I, I will not feed you : that that dieth, let it die ; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them which are left eat every one the flesh of another. And I took my staff Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. And it was broken in that day ; and thus the poor of the flock that gave heed unto me knew that it was the word of the
