Wonderful sorrow.
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations," etc. There is much that is striking in the apparent connection of this passage with that before. Just when God shall be seen by his people to be "seeking" and bringing about (see Zechariah 12:9) the overthrow and destruction of their many enemies, they, on the other hand, will be seen to be overwhelmed with sorrow of heart. Their souls, as it were, will be plunged into darkness at the very breaking of day. The very thing they have hoped for seems close at hand; and, lo! they are as men in despair. Equally remarkable, next, with the time of this sorrow, is its character. So we shall find, whether we consider
I. ITS PECULIAR ORIGIN. To what is it due? Not to those causes which bring about the ordinary "sorrow of the world" (2 Corinthians 7:10). On the contrary, being sorrow which is "according to God" ( κατὰ θεὸν, 2 Corinthians 7:10), it has the "things of God" as its cause. In other words, it is occasioned:
1. By the action of God on the hearts of his people. He "pours on" them:
2. By the consequent thoughts of God's people about him.
II. ITS PECULIAR MAGNITUDE. Wide waters are generally shallow; deep waters are seldom broad; but here we have both.
1. Peculiar depth. On the one hand,
2. Peculiar diffusion. We find this sorrow described as pervading not the city only, but all the "land." We find it affecting every separate "house" amongst the houses of Israel, whether in Church or state (Levi and David [?]), whether well known or only little known (David and Nathan), whether with good antecedents or evil ones (Levi and Shimei; see Deuteronomy 33:8; 2 Samuel 16:5-13); also affecting every "family" of every separate "house;" also every adult member of every family, whether male or female. At once, therefore, in this tempest of sorrow, they were all united, yet all "apart." Even so, with their separate roots, are the "trees of the wood," when all moved by one wind (see Isaiah 7:2).
We see, in all this, something:
1. To give us comfort and hope. Without attempting to dogmatize on such a subject, we cannot but see, from this analysis of the passage, what it seems to foretell, viz. the future conversion of the whole people of Israel to belief in the gospel of Christ.
2. To give us instruction and warning. Equally great, for example, ought to be our sorrow for sin (Romans 3:9, Romans 3:29). Equally, also, ought it to be founded on our thoughts about Christ (John 16:9; Acts 9:4, Acts 9:5; Matthew 25:40, etc.). And equally, finally, can we only hope to receive it as a gift from above (Acts 5:31; 2 Timothy 2:25).
HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH