Zechariah 11

OPen thy doors, O Lebanon Either the Temple because built with Cedars of Lebanon, so the Temple is called, Ezek. 17.3. and Hab. 2.17. Or Ierusalem, or Iudaea whose boundary Northward this Mountain was, if all these do not fully suit with the Text and Context, perhaps this added may. Lebanon a high and great Mountain boundary between Iudaea and its Neighbours on the North, is here spoken to open its Gates, its Fortifications raised to secure the passages which through the hollownesses of the Mountain, the deep, and dismal straits lead into Iudaea, and would be first attempted by the Enemy that first invades the Northern parts of Iudaea. These Garri ons or Fortresses are foretold like to be easily taken as if they opened of themselves and the Romans would have easy entrance by this means into Iudaea., that the fire Either figuratively the rage of the Enemy, or the wrath of God, or literally Fire by the Enemy kindled in the Houses and Buildings in Iudaea, and in Lebanon it self. may devour thy cedars Palaces built with Cedars, or else figuratively Nobles, Princes, and eminent Men.. This Chapter is Minatory and foretells the ruine of Ierusalem and the Temple, this second Temple by the Romans, and the captivity of Jews under them for their rejecting of Christ, so the times of this chapter must be laid about the death of Christ and downwards.

Howl fir-tree Either mean men, or Houses, and Towns built with Firres. for the cedar is fallen The greater and better escape not, much less shall the meaner and worse.; because the mighty are spoiled Howl because the mighty Men, Cities, Fortresses, and Munitions are taken, sackt, and ruined; or else held by Enemies which is worse, and of defences, and safety to us are become our greatest annoyances, and dangers.: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan Oakes either literally as they were used in that country, for building Palaces, Cities, Towns and Fortresses, or else figuratively the great men of that Countrey, a Land very fruitful and pleasant, of which Nahum 1.4., for the forest of the vintage Either all strong places which were for guarding and defending the Vineyards. Or Ierusalem it self compared to a Forest in regard of the many and tall Houses in it, this best pleaseth most Interpreters. In short all are called to weep, and cry, and howl for the miseries that will come upon all sorts, high and low, on them and theirs; is come down is laid desolate..

¶ There is 'Tis as certain as if present, as sure all these shall howl, as if the things for which they do howl were already acted. a voice of the howling A most bitter, loud, passionate, and dismal howling. of the shepherds Literally thus, the Enemy having broken in has driven away, or eaten up their Flocks of Sheep, their Herds, and they undone, howl most bitterly on the Mountains where the eccho more doubles the horrour then the noise. Or figuratively Shepherds are Governours, Magistrates, and civil Officers, together with Priests and Prophets who are over the People as Shepherds over the Flocks., for their glory is spoiled What was their honour, their safety, their joy is spoiled, taken from them and given to others.: a voice of the roaring The dismall outcries. of young lions Of men in Authority among the Jews who should have been Shepherds to defend but were as Lions to tear and devour, and which lurkt in Ierusalem, and in the Cities of Iudaea wheres ever they could lie in wait to tear the peer and weak.; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled The great Forests on the Banks of Iordan called here the pride of Iordan, either because of the stately scituation of them; Or because the Prophet would keep the decorum of his Allegory he calls these the pride of Iordan, for that the young Lions were wont to walk proudly, to range over it without fear. So did these men-lions securely prey in Ierusalem and its fellow cities, but these are cut down, and now they must no more range through to seek a prey, so all from the North to the East of the Land of Canaan, is represented as made a spoil.

Thus says the LORD my God God the Father., Feed O Zechariah, feed, comfort, rule; but rather the Father speaks to Christ the Son, and appoints him who is the eternal Shepherd to feed his Sheep. the flock of the slaughter Appointed to the slaughter by different hands, and for different causes. It speaks of the people of the Jews who were killed by many hands, during 450 years they were a flock of slaughter to the Egyptians, Chaldeans &c afterward to the Romans, who ruined their Common-Wealth, slew their Citizens, and burnt their City..

Whose possessours slay them Either their own Governours, or the Romans who in right of conquerors are their possessours, which way ever they got them into their hands, they ruined them, destroyed them both in Body, and Estate,, and hold themselves not guilty think they do not sin in doing this, so low thoughts they had of this people, such extravagant thoughts they had of their own power and authority.: and they that sell them B tray their p rsons or liberty, or estate for profit, or sell them for slaves to Forreigners., say, Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich With profane ungodly hearts do give God thanks that they thrive by the most barbarous methods of cru elty and oppression, by bloody murthers, as if these were ways of his appointing to gain Wealth, as if he blest them.: and their own shepherds pity them not Who by Birth, call, and office were their proper Shepherds, the Governours of this poor People, the Princes, the Priests, had no pitty on them in their slavery, or blood; lookt on as unconcerned, it may be glad, that either they got a booty, or were rid of a disa fected subject..

For Their great sins have turned away Gods compassions from them, and men show no mercy where God withdraws his. I will no more pity the inhabitants The generality of the Nation, the body of this sinful people. of the land, says the LORD: but lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbours hand Leave to a turbulent, cruel, seditious and fraudulent temper one against another, to make parties each against other, to rob, imprison, banish or kill each other, as in the la ter times of their state 'tis known they did., and into the hand of his king The Roman Caesar called here the Jew his King, for that they had chosen him to be so. Or else the head of the Faction., and they shall smite the land Their King and his Armies shall destroy the Land, it may point to Vespasia and Titus who sackt Ierusalem, burnt the Temple, captivated 97000 persons, and slew 600000 at least, though Iosephus reckons 1100 thousand, and out of their hand I will not deliver them They shall never more be by my hand delivered, or I will cast them off for ever, and so their captivity under the Romans continueth to this day..

And Or but as the Heb. particle is sometime read, as for the grea est part they are so corrupt and obstinately disobedient I will cast them off; But I will feed, &c. O therefore, so then, because it is the Will of God that the Flock of slaughter should be fed, I will feed, &c. the French Version seems this way inclined. Ie me suis don mis a paistre les brebis exposees a tuerie. I am sent then to feed the sheep that are exposed to slaughter. I will feed the lock of slaughter Either by the violence of their Enemies, or by the monstrous negligence of their Shepherds., even you, O poor of the flock This is explicatory of the former, and by the ingemination of it shows us that God does in his charge to the Prophet Typically, and in his charge to Christ Antitype distinguish clearly between People, and People among the Jews, between those that were poor, and forlorn, and those that were Tyrannical, proud, cruel, and made a prey of them these are left out of the Pastoral charge, the other are taken care of.: And I took unto me two staves Thus he enters on the actual exercise of his office, and takes two staves to himself, at the meaning whereof we can but guesse. Two say some to signifie the twofold way of Christs Governing his people by lenity and severity. Or say others to note his singular care and diligence in his office, when other Shepherds, c n ent them elves with ne, Christ ta es two. Or what if hereby Christ would e provided with to guide the Flock, with an other to repel ch as would s aughter them to protect against violence nd to d rec such as are m k Chr st has his Golden Scepter f r his l yal and obedient subjects, and his Ir n rod for r fractory rebels, and v olent Enemies.; the one I called Beauty Or pleasantness, sweetness, and loveliness, this lay in the Holiness of his precepts, the excellency of his comforts, the glory of his reward. This is the first and answers to the character of the wayes of wisdom, Pr v. 3 17. They are pleasantness, the Ordinances of God, and the enjoyment of them are the Beauty of the Lord, and our beholding it a David, Psal. 27.4., and the other I called Bands Either alluding to the lines wherewith the portion of the Holy Land was meted out to every one according to their lot. Or referring to the obligations Christ layes on men, to hold together in Peace and Unity. The Beauty of Grace and Glory, the Bands of Love and Peace., and I fed the flock With these in hand the Shepherd undertakes to feed and rule this flock..

Three Put for many, a definite for an indefinite number. shepherds Negligent or greatly faulty. also I cut off Put out of ffice, or by discovering their faults made them lie hid and conceal themselves. in one month In a little time., and my soul lothed them Hated their treachery, and Idleness. and their soul also abhorred me n. Disgraced and turned out, they hated him, in which these Shepherds had too many of the Jews that sided with them, and that bore a hatred to the true Shepherd and to his impartial executing severity on the wicked Shepherds.

Then After that time of his patient, and vigilant fe ding the Flock, and after his cutting off the three unfaithful Sheph r and after the ill resentment he met with for it; when he deserved love, and thanks for it he is repaid with disdain, and hatred, by the people, as well as by the Shepherds, when he saw all this, Then &c. Thus they rejected Christ, the true Shepherd. said I, I will not feed you Next he rejecteth them, he will no more take care of them, or provide for them.: that that dieth, let it die That which is ready to dye, and will not be cured, but has rejected the Shepherds love, and skill, let it die, 'tis like that if ye believe not, ye shall dye in y r sins.: and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off Either the same repeated to confirm, and affect them more, or else it intends to leave them naked, and unguarded to their Enemy to cut them off by the sword, or Famine, &c.: and let the rest eat, every one the flesh of another Eitheir live to be besieged till hunger and famine make the living eat the dead, or cruelly kill that they may eat as threatned, Deut. 28.52. to 58. or else by seditions and bloody intestine quarrels destroy each other, all which happened to them in the siege of Ierusalem by the Romans..

¶ And I took my staff, even Beauty Which I gave that name to, which was the Beauty and Glory of them, the Covenant of God with all the blessings of it, his presence with them, his love to the nd his protection of them, and his blessing on them. and cut it asunder, that I might break Signifie and declare that they had rejected God and his favour, and refused his Covenant, and that now God would hold it for null'd, and not obligatory to him. my covenant This somewhat illustrates the staff Beauty, which while unbroken the Covenant between God, and the Jews was whole, and unbroken; and 'tis to be noted, Christ calls it his Covenant, for he was the Mediator of it, to bring us to God in duty, and holy walking, and to reconcile God to us in Mercy, and Grace, which is the most Beautiful, and sweetest object we can see. which I had made with all the people Here again all the people that is the generality in distinction to the poor and meek, the little remnant with whom the Covenant stood firm, though the body of the Nation were rejected, and cast off, for God nor Christ have neither of them ever cast away his people, Rom. 11.1, 2. whom he foreknew..

And it was broken The Covenant was abrogated by the Jews obstinate refusal of it, and the Mediator of it. in that day It is not to be wondred 'twas done in one day at last, for the unthankful, unbelieving, Jew had been through many Generations breaking it, now a day does it, when it came to that, Not this man but Barabbas, and we have no King but Caesar, and cr cifie, crucifie him.: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me Who knew the Messiah, believed in him, and obeyed him, observed his Doctrine, Miracles, and Life., knew that it was the word of the LORD Saw, and owned God in all this. That he had justly cast off the Nation of the Jews for their sins, their bloody murther of the Lord of Life, and refusing his Government hey saw God would by the Roman power punish the Jews and lay wast their Land, City and Temple for this their and other sins.. All which was both according to his wise counsel and express word, these understood what among others this Prophet had 490 years before written of these things.

And I said unto them Upon parting, Christ seems after the manner of men to mind them of his pains and care for them, and would have them reckon with him., If ye think good He puts it to them whether they thought he deserved ought at their hands and what it was., give me my price Though I need not your money or pay, I deserve more then you will give, and therefore do in this as liketh you., and if not, forbear, So they The Rulers of the Jews, the High Priest, Chief Priests and Pharisees. weighed Which was the manner of paying money in those days. for my price thirty pieces of silver Which amounts to thirty seven shillings six pence, the value of the Life of a slave, Exod. 21.32. this was fulfilled when they paid Iudas Iscariot so much to betray Christ, Matth. 26.15. and 27.9..

And the LORD God the Father with detestation of so vile an affront and undervalue of his son said said unto me to Zechariah in this Theatre personating Christ sometimes., Cast it unto the potter As being so little 'twould hardly purchase any thing but what was cheapest among them, a little earthen ware.: a goodly price that I was prized at of them In an Irony God upbraids the Shepherds of his people who prized the great Shepherd no higher., And I took Zechariah who in this part now emblematically does what Iudas will with horrour do when he has sold innocent blood, and betrayed it. the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD Or rather cast them into the house of the Lord for the potter, all which the Jewish Rulers act over in their prosecuting Christ unto death..

Then So soon as I saw what value they put upon me, or presently after the casting them off from the Covenant, and unchurching them. I Ch ist did it really, the Prophet did it in the Type. cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands Took no further care to keep them in civil peace among themselves, but left them to their seditious humours, and in humane animosities. Religion which is true, is the best bond of peace, Friendship, and Love, when the Jews cast off Religion, and murthered their Lord, next they fall to murthering one another., that I might break Declare it broken, leave them to show 'twas broken. the brotherhood That Friendship which had been among them. between Judah The two Tribes. and Israel The remnant of the ten Tribes which fell into most unnatural seditions after the death of Christ, till the taking of Ierusalem by the Romans..

¶ And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee O Zechariah. yet the instruments Put on the garb and personate once more a shepherd quite different from him thou hast represented. of a foolish shepherd This foolish people have rejected the wisest and best Shepherd; let them see, what one they will choose, in seeing what part thou now actest..

For lo, I will raise As a just punishment of their sin, refusing Christ, the wise and good Shepherd, his Government they would not accept to their Salvation, that they choose shall be to their ruine. up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off Or that are hidden, it is a foolish Shepherd, who seeks not out those that are lost to bring them home., neither shall seek the young one Which are aptest to perish through weakness,, nor heal that that is broken But leaves it to die of its wounds., nor feed that that standeth still Either not able to go forward, or hungry stops to eat, but the Shepherd will not wait while this is done.: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat Will Feast on the fa est of the Flock., and tear their claws in pieces And with cruelty extort all from them, tear off their skin to the very nailes, in brief a sluggish, negligent, covetous, riotous, oppressive and cruel government shadow'd out by a foolish Shepherd is the punishment of the sins of the Jews..

Wo to the idol shepherd To every one of them that are but the Images of Shepherds, worthless, and useless. that leaveth Casts off the care of the Flock, Ier 23.1. Ezek. 34.2. the flock: the sword Of the enemy. shall be upon his arm To break his strength., and upon his right eye Blind and befool his counsels.: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkned Power and Policy shall fail him, such shall be their Governours..