Nehemiah 3:32

REFLECTIONS

I HOPE the Reader will not peruse this chapter, without gleaning much improvement from it, though the subject relates to nothing more interesting than the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem. But in the repairing the walls of Jerusalem, we must look beyond the mere letter of the word, and consider that Jerusalem is the city of the great King, and the people of it the nation whom God hath taken into covenant with himself. Were the walls of Jerusalem laid waste? Did the enemy enter in by her gates? Was she carried into captivity by the foe? Yes! all this was done. But by whom was it done, and for what cause? The prophet hath answered; He that scattereth Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock. Doth the enemy say, Is this Zion, whom no man looketh after? Let them know that the Lord doth look after Zion, and will comfort her waste places. For he hath said, I will make you a praise among all people of the earth, when I have turned back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.

But sweet as these considerations are, in reference to the Lord's mercy manifested to Israel of old, how infinitely more interesting do they become, if viewed through the gospel medium, and having their accomplishment in the recovery from the captivity of sin and Satan, the rebuilding the walls of the church of Jesus, and the bringing home the redeemed of the Lord to Zion, with songs of everlasting joy upon their head. Here the subject riseth to an higher degree of sublimity; and we may behold the several worthies in this chapter, headed by their high-priests, as the representatives of the church of Jesus, following the great and glorious High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, emerging out of all the ruins of the fall, and forming an holy temple to the Lord, through the Spirit. Even in the present day of grace, and beheld only with an eye to the recovery from the powers of darkness, and the dominion of sin in this life, the subject becomes beautiful and interesting. But looking forward to the eventual redemption from everlasting misery in the world to come, nothing can be more animating, nor delightful. Here it is the promise of God, by his prophet, receives its full accomplishment. In Jesus, and his finished redemption, when the Lord hath builded Zion, and made his glory to appear, Jehovah will indeed make every child of Jesus a praise among all people of the earth, in having forever turned back their captivity, and put a final close to all the oppressions the Israel of God hath sustained from all the enemies of her salvation, forevermore.