Chapter 18 opens with a call to a distant land that is to serve God’s purpose in the last days, helping to regather Israel. Verses 4-6 appear to be parenthetical, so that verse 7 is connected with verse 3. Both verses 2 and 7 speak of a people “scattered and peeled [or ravaged]”, who without a question are those we now know as Jews. Our chapter indicates that, when in the last days God gives the signal for their regathering, there will be a distant people with ships who will do what they can to help them. But the parenthetical verses show that, though God overrules this, He is not directly acting in it. He retires, as it were, saying, “I will take My rest”, observing what is taking place, but ultimately bringing disaster upon it all, as we saw in the previous chapter.
And yet, in spite of all this, the scattered and ravaged people will be recovered and brought as a present unto the Lord. Verse 7 does not tell us how this is to be accomplished after the failure of the earlier attempt. When we read Matthew 24:3131And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31), we find the Lord shedding light on this matter. The people who will be brought thus as a present to the Lord will be “His elect”, and not just an assortment of patriots and fugitives, as we see at present. And they will be brought “to the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts, the mount Zion.” Alas! Jerusalem as it is at present cannot be designated thus. It is the place where Jews are reassembling, hoping to display the greatness of their own name, while still rejecting their Messiah.
The Jew has yet to discover the meaning of “the mount Zion”; namely, grace flowing out from God, rather than merit through law keeping, achieved by themselves. The Apostle Paul realized this, as we see at the end of Romans 11. They have been shut up in unbelief, “that He might have mercy upon all.” The contemplation of this over-abounding mercy to Israel moved Paul to the doxology, concerning God’s wisdom and ways, with which that chapter closes.
The copyright for this material is assigned to Scripture Truth Publications. Used by permission.