Verse 9. - Thou preparest room before it. The "room" was made by the removal of the heathen inhabitants, who were first greatly weakened by Rameses III., and then driven out by Joshua. And didst cause it to take deep root; rather, and it took deep root, as in the Revised Version. And it filled the land (comp. Deuteronomy 11:24; Joshua 1:3). Possession was taken of the whole land, not at once (Judges 1:27-36), but slowly and surely; the furthest limits being reached in David's time (1 Kings 4:21, 24).
80:8-16 The church is represented as a vine and a vineyard. The root of this vine is Christ, the branches are believers. The church is like a vine, needing support, but spreading and fruitful. If a vine do not bring forth fruit, no tree is so worthless. And are not we planted as in a well-cultivated garden, with every means of being fruitful in works of righteousness? But the useless leaves of profession, and the empty boughs of notions and forms, abound far more than real piety. It was wasted and ruined. There was a good reason for this change in God's way toward them. And it is well or ill with us, according as we are under God's smiles or frowns. When we consider the state of the purest part of the visible church, we cannot wonder that it is visited with sharp corrections. They request that God would help the vine. Lord, it is formed by thyself, and for thyself, therefore it may, with humble confidence, be committed to thyself.
Thou preparedst room before it,.... By sending the hornet before the Israelites, and driving the Canaanites out of the land, Exodus 23:28 and so the Targum,
"thou didst remove from before thee the Canaanites;''
which made way and room for them: and thus the Lord prepared room for his interest, church, and people, in the Gentile world, in the first times of Christianity, by sending the Gospel into all parts of it, and making it successful, and still there is room, Luke 14:22.
and didst cause it to take deep root; which denotes the settlement of the people of Israel in Canaan, in church and state, as a body ecclesiastic and politic; so believers, being rooted in Christ, are grounded, settled, and established in him, and in a Gospel church state, and so become fruitful; see Colossians 2:7.
and it filled the land; with people, who, in the days of Solomon, were as the sand of the sea, 1 Kings 4:20 and so the Gentile world was filled with Christian converts in the first times of the Gospel; and the interest and church of Christ will fill the whole world another day, Isaiah 11:9.
Didst cause . . .--Rather, it struck its roots deep; literally, rooted its roots.
"thou didst remove from before thee the Canaanites;''
which made way and room for them: and thus the Lord prepared room for his interest, church, and people, in the Gentile world, in the first times of Christianity, by sending the Gospel into all parts of it, and making it successful, and still there is room, Luke 14:22.
and didst cause it to take deep root; which denotes the settlement of the people of Israel in Canaan, in church and state, as a body ecclesiastic and politic; so believers, being rooted in Christ, are grounded, settled, and established in him, and in a Gospel church state, and so become fruitful; see Colossians 2:7.
and it filled the land; with people, who, in the days of Solomon, were as the sand of the sea, 1 Kings 4:20 and so the Gentile world was filled with Christian converts in the first times of the Gospel; and the interest and church of Christ will fill the whole world another day, Isaiah 11:9.