12. That they may possess . . . remnant of Edom, and of all the
heathen--"Edom," the bitter foe, though the brother, of Israel;
therefore to be punished
(Am 1:11, 12),
Israel shall be lord of the "remnant" of Edom left after the punishment
of the latter. James quotes it, "That the residue of men might
seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles," &c. For "all the
heathen" nations stand on the same footing as Edom: Edom is the
representative of them all. The residue or remnant in
both cases expresses those left after great antecedent calamities
(Ro 9:27;
Zec 14:16).
Here the conversion of "all nations" (of which the earnest was
given in James's time) is represented as only to be realized on the
re-establishment of the theocracy under Messiah, the Heir of the throne
of David
(Am 9:11).
The possession of the heathen nations by Israel is to be spiritual, the
latter being the ministers to the former for their conversion to
Messiah, King of the Jews; just as the first conversions of pagans were
through the ministry of the apostles, who were Jews. Compare
Isa 54:3,
"thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles" (compare
Isa 49:8;
Ro 4:13).
A remnant of Edom became Jews under John Hyrcanus, and the rest
amalgamated with the Arabians, who became Christians subsequently.
which are called by my name--that is, who belong to Me, whom I
claim as Mine
(Ps 2:8);
in the purposes of electing grace, God terms them already called by
His name. Compare the title, "the children," applied by
anticipation,
Heb 2:14.
Hence as an act of sovereign grace, fulfilling His promise, it is
spoken of God. Proclaim His title as sovereign, "the Lord that doeth
this" ("all these things,"
Ac 15:17,
namely, all these and such like acts of sovereign love).
JFB.
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