This history once again prefigures powerfully the future times, how it would go both with Israel and also with Christendom. For when Levi and Simeon had committed that murder, and slain all the males of Shechem, and taken captive all their wives and children, having plundered and spoiled all, then Jacob was afraid of the people of the land, And then God called him from thence to go to Bethel, and make an altar there.
The inward figure stands thus:
2. When men, both the Jews and afterwards the Christians, were grown up in fleshly whoredom and unchaste life, and became wicked, then would God's spirit depart from them, and then they began a spiritual whoredom and idolatry, and were erroneous in their opinions, and would fall together by the ears, and say one to another, He deflowers his sister Dinah, that is, his worship and service of God. And would fall one upon another, and murder, kill, plunder, spoil and rob one another with wars, and bring their country to desolation and misery. And then when they should stick in such misery and trouble, they would attain the fear and trembling, as here Jacob, upon the murder which his children committed. For the Lord would touch their evil consciences, and call them again to repentance, as he did Jacob and his children, when he commanded them to come away from the place of this murder, and commanded Jacob to make an altar to him, viz. to the Lord, at Bethel, that is, in the lowliness of the fear of God.
3. So the spirit here signifies, that God would then again send them prophets and teachers, who would dissuade them from their idolatry and wicked life; as here Jacob exhorted his family that they should put away the strange gods, and the pride of their earrings from them. And then, when they had thus seen the anger of the Lord, which destroyed their land, and exceedingly devoured them for their whoredom, pride, and idolatrous life, then would they follow and obey the prophets who reproved them for it; and bring their idols and strange gods, viz. their idolatry, before God, and put it away from them; and would again seek the temple of God within them. And then would God again build up his altar in them, and they would again rightly offer sacrifice to him, viz. offer up their souls; and would cleanse their garments, that is, their hearts, as Jacob here commanded his people. This also would the prophets, and among the Christians the true apostles and teachers, command and direct.
4. And we see further here a powerful figure, how Jacob took their idols and earrings, and buried them under an oak by Shechem, where the murder was done. O you great and wonderful God! what does this signify? Nothing else but that these their errors and idolatry, together with their wars and contentions, should thus for a long time lie buried in the anger of God.
5. And seeing the spirit mentions an oak, under which these idols and pride are buried, the figure is clear to us. For an oak is of a magnetic attractive kind, and makes a tenacious 1 hardness in its property; moreover blackness, duskiness and darkness. This signifies that the former idolatry, sins and blasphemies, which they have committed, shall there, in the hungry wrath of the anger of God in turba magna, viz. under the great oak in spiritu mundi, viz. in the hidden mystery, stand still a long while.
1 Tough.
6. And what sin they shall commit anew, all that will this magnetic oak draw to it, and bring it to the treasure of the former idolatry and pride, till they become so great that the earth under the oak can cover them no more. Then shall these their old and new whoredoms and idolatries, together, be naked before the anger and judgement of God, and their measure be full.
7. And they would stink before God for these abominations, for the sake of which the spirit of God would hide its countenance from them, and take away from them the light of his countenance; so that they would run on in vain errors, and enter again upon the way of such whoredom, and with their evil zeal for Dinah their sister, which yet is but a deflowered whore, trample all under with murder and robbery.
This history once again prefigures powerfully the future times, how it would go both with Israel and also with Christendom. For when Levi and Simeon had committed that murder, and slain all the males of Shechem, and taken captive all their wives and children, having plundered and spoiled all, then Jacob was afraid of the people of the land, And then God called him from thence to go to Bethel, and make an altar there.
The inward figure stands thus:
2. When men, both the Jews and afterwards the Christians, were grown up in fleshly whoredom and unchaste life, and became wicked, then would God's spirit depart from them, and then they began a spiritual whoredom and idolatry, and were erroneous in their opinions, and would fall together by the ears, and say one to another, He deflowers his sister Dinah, that is, his worship and service of God. And would fall one upon another, and murder, kill, plunder, spoil and rob one another with wars, and bring their country to desolation and misery. And then when they should stick in such misery and trouble, they would attain the fear and trembling, as here Jacob, upon the murder which his children committed. For the Lord would touch their evil consciences, and call them again to repentance, as he did Jacob and his children, when he commanded them to come away from the place of this murder, and commanded Jacob to make an altar to him, viz. to the Lord, at Bethel, that is, in the lowliness of the fear of God.
3. So the spirit here signifies, that God would then again send them prophets and teachers, who would dissuade them from their idolatry and wicked life; as here Jacob exhorted his family that they should put away the strange gods, and the pride of their earrings from them. And then, when they had thus seen the anger of the Lord, which destroyed their land, and exceedingly devoured them for their whoredom, pride, and idolatrous life, then would they follow and obey the prophets who reproved them for it; and bring their idols and strange gods, viz. their idolatry, before God, and put it away from them; and would again seek the temple of God within them. And then would God again build up his altar in them, and they would again rightly offer sacrifice to him, viz. offer up their souls; and would cleanse their garments, that is, their hearts, as Jacob here commanded his people. This also would the prophets, and among the Christians the true apostles and teachers, command and direct.
4. And we see further here a powerful figure, how Jacob took their idols and earrings, and buried them under an oak by Shechem, where the murder was done. O you great and wonderful God! what does this signify? Nothing else but that these their errors and idolatry, together with their wars and contentions, should thus for a long time lie buried in the anger of God.
5. And seeing the spirit mentions an oak, under which these idols and pride are buried, the figure is clear to us. For an oak is of a magnetic attractive kind, and makes a tenacious 1 hardness in its property; moreover blackness, duskiness and darkness. This signifies that the former idolatry, sins and blasphemies, which they have committed, shall there, in the hungry wrath of the anger of God in turba magna, viz. under the great oak in spiritu mundi, viz. in the hidden mystery, stand still a long while.
1 Tough.
6. And what sin they shall commit anew, all that will this magnetic oak draw to it, and bring it to the treasure of the former idolatry and pride, till they become so great that the earth under the oak can cover them no more. Then shall these their old and new whoredoms and idolatries, together, be naked before the anger and judgement of God, and their measure be full.
7. And they would stink before God for these abominations, for the sake of which the spirit of God would hide its countenance from them, and take away from them the light of his countenance; so that they would run on in vain errors, and enter again upon the way of such whoredom, and with their evil zeal for Dinah their sister, which yet is but a deflowered whore, trample all under with murder and robbery.
No commentary for this page.
There is commentary on page 1.