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1 In that day there shalbe a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid, and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem, for sinne, and for vncleannesse.
2 ¶ And it shal come to passe in that day, saith the Lord of hostes, that I will cut off the names of the idoles out of the land: and they shal no more be remembred: and also I wil cause the prophets, and the vncleane spirit to passe out of the land.
3 And it shal come to passe that when any shall yet prophecie, then his father and his mother that begate him, shall say vnto him, Thou shalt not liue: for thou speakest lies in the Name of the Lord: and his father and his mother, that begate him, shall thrust him through when he prophecieth.
4 And it shall come to passe in that day, that the prophets shalbe ashamed euery one of his vision, when hee hath prophecied: neither shall they weare a rough garment to deceiue.
5 But he shal say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman: for man taught me to keepe cattell from my youth.
6 And one shal say vnto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then hee shall answere: Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
7 ¶ Awake, O sword, against my shepheard, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hostes: smite the Shepheard, and the sheepe shalbe scattered: and I wil turne mine hand vpon the litle ones.
8 And it shall come to passe, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off, and die, but the third shall be left therein.
9 And I will bring the thirde part through the fire, and wil refine them as siluer is refined, & will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my Name, and I wil heare them: I wil say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
The Fountain for the remission of sins, The conviction of the false prophets. (1-6) The death of Christ, and the saving of a remnant of the people. (7-9)
1-6 In the time mentioned at the close of the foregoing chapter, a fountain would be opened to the rulers and people of the Jews, in which to wash away their sins. Even the atoning blood of Christ, united with his sanctifying grace. It has hitherto been closed to the unbelieving nation of Israel; but when the Spirit of grace shall humble and soften their hearts, he will open it to them also. This fountain opened is the pierced side of Christ. We are all as an unclean thing. Behold a fountain opened for us to wash in, and streams flowing to us from that fountain. The blood of Christ, and God's pardoning mercy in that blood, made known in the new covenant, are a fountain always flowing, that never can be emptied. It is opened for all believers, who as the spiritual seed of Christ, are of the house of David, and, as living members of the church, are inhabitants of Jerusalem. Christ, by the power of his grace, takes away the dominion of sin, even of beloved sins. Those who are washed in the fountain opened, as they are justified, so they are sanctified. Souls are brought off from the world and the flesh, those two great idols, that they may cleave to God only. The thorough reformation which will take place on the conversion of Israel to Christ, is here foretold. False prophets shall be convinced of their sin and folly, and return to their proper employments. When convinced that we are gone out of the way of duty, we must show the truth of our repentance by returning to it again. It is well to acknowledge those to be friends, who by severe discipline are instrumental in bringing us to a sight of error; for faithful are the wounds of a friend, #Pr 27:6|. And it is always well for us to recollect the wounds of our Saviour. Often has he been wounded by professed friends, nay, even by his real disciples, when they act contrary to his word.
7-9 Here is a prophecy of the sufferings of Christ. God the Father gave order to the sword of his justice to awake against his Son, when he freely made his soul an offering for sin. As God, he is called "my Fellow." Christ and the Father are one. He is the Shepherd who was to lay down his life for the sheep. If a Sacrifice, he must be slain, for without shedding of the life-blood there was no remission. This sword must awake against him, yet he had no sin of his own to answer for. It may refer to the whole of Christ's sufferings, especially his agonies in the garden and on the cross, when he endured unspeakable anguish till Divine justice was fully satisfied. Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. This passage our Lord Jesus declares was fulfilled, when all his disciples, in the night wherein he was betrayed, forsook him and fled. It has, and shall have its accomplishment, in the destruction of the corrupt and hypocritical part of the professed church. Because of the sin of the Jews in rejecting and crucifying Christ, and in opposing his gospel, the Romans would destroy the greater part. But a remnant would be saved. And if we are his people, we shall be refined as gold; he will be God, and the end of all our trials and sufferings will be praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.