Vars. 5, 6.-0ppressors and oppressed. I. Goo's JUDGMENT ON OPPRESSORS. Power great thing. Test of character. Few able to use it rightly. Even the" wise man" (Eccles. vii. 7) ma.y have his head turned, and act as if "mad." The "shepherds " false to their awful trust. Hence the people became the prey of oppressors. Merciless, avaricious, godless, neither fearing God nor regarding man. Such oppressors are found in various forms. Landlords and other "possessors" have need to take warning. The people were not made for the land, but the land for tho people. Property has its duties as well as its rights. "Unto whom much is given, of them shall much be required." "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" II. GoD's MER0Y FOR THE OPPRESSED. The Bible is on the side of the weak, and not the strong ; of the wronged, and not the wrong-doer. Prophet after prophet has spoken on behalf of the poor and the needy, and carried their cause to the throne of the Most High. God acts by means. "Feed:'' 1. With the gospel of love. 2. With tha law of righteousness. Binding on a.11. 3. With th6 hop6 of immortality. " We were weary and we Fearful, and we in our ma.rob Fa.in to drop down and to die; Still thou turneLlst and still Beokonedst the trembler and still Ga.vest the weary thy hand. If, in the pa.the of the world, Stones might have wounded thy feet, Toil or dejeotion have tried Thy spirit, of that we saw Nothing; to us thou wast still Cheerful and helpful 1rnd finu. 126 THE BOOK OF ~ECHARIAH. [oH, XI. 1-17,
Therefore to thee it we.e given Many to H&Ve with thyself. And at the end of thy day, 0 fe.ithful Shepherd, to come,' Bringing thy sheep in thy hand." (Matthew Arnold.) F. Vere. 7-14.-The true Shepherd. I. GoD's IDEA. OF ':fHB TB'O'E SHEPHERD, His character and service. Faithful and disinterested. Not a hireling. He is for the sheep, not the sheep for him. If his recomvense left to the free-will of the people, should be adequate and fair. "The workman is worthy of .his hire." But the wage should be given in more than material form. "Themselves." Their trust, sympathy, prayers, aod hearty co-operation in all good. " I seek not yours, but you," said Paul. II. MAN'S TREATME!\"T OF THE TRUE SHEPHERD, 1. Grossl.y wnjust. Remunera- tion mean and paltry. Not measured by the work done, but doled out by selfish and stupid hands. 2. Ba,sely insulting. Instead of just appreciation; m9ckery. Put on the level of a slave. Such remuneration worthy of scorn. ~way with it. 8. Darkly menacing. Take it or leave it. Nothing to us. Starve if you will. Murder isin their hearts. 4. Reveals the baseness of the heart. Indicates great social degeneracy. Fore- shadows the rejection of the Saviour (Matt. xxvii. 9, 10). Let us endeavour to be true io God's idea. "The Christian pastor, bow'd to earth With thankless toil, and vile esteem'd, Still travailing in second birth Of souls that will not be redeem'd: Yet steadfast set to do his part, And fearing most his own vain heart." (Keble.) F. Vers. 7-10.-The two staves. Acted parable. May be taken to illustrate the two great blessin;:s of Christ's kingdom. I. THE FATHERHOOD OF Goo. "Beauty" may indicate the covenant of peace, God's grace restraining, preserving, governing, "Broken." Sign of judgment and woe. "Ichabod ! " But as whole, emblem of the fatherly love and care of God, and the fairness and beneficence of his rule. IL BROTHERHOOD OF MAN. N.ational covenant. Union of Judah and Israel. One people under the rule of Jehovah. Fulfilled in part in the restoration; more perfectly, and in a spiritual sense, under the gospel of Christ. His kingdom is one. In him all the kindreds of the earth shall be blessed (Gal. iii. 28; Eph. ii. 14-22).-F.
Vers. 15---17.-The evil shepherd. I. CHABA.CTEB, Vain, Selfish. Hypocritical. Greedy of gain and popularity. Worthless for real good. Permitted, but not approved. II. OFFENCE. L Coldness. No" pity." His heart is not in his work. 2. Neglect. Takes no pains to seek out the poor and needy. Does not " visit." 3. Unfaithfulness. Ko warnings. False teaching. Making gain of godliness. God's ideal of the shepherd lost. God's benign purposes in the ministry of grace frustrated. Souls perish, and their blood calleth from the ground.
" The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed, But, swoln with wind and tho rank mist they draw, Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread: Besides what the grim wolf with privy paw Daily devours apace, and nothing fed : But that two-handed engine at the door Stand!! ready to smite once, e.nd smite no more." (Milton, ' Lycidas.') (Cf. Ruskin's exposition in 'Sesame and Lilies.') C!ll, XI, 1-17.] THE BOOK O.F ZECH.A.RIMI.