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records his declaration: "Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His
floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with
unquenchable fire" (Matt. 3: 12). Peter moreover designates the Lord as a Shepherd
when he speaks of His second coming, saying: "Feed the flock of God which is among
you . . . . . and when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory"
(I Pet. 5: 2-4).
The coming of Christ as the Redeemer, the mediation of Christ between His two
advents, and the second coming of Christ to rule and reign, are all associated with the one
title of Shepherd, and may be set out as follows:--
"THE GOOD SHEPHERD" (John 10: 11). The First Advent. THE CROSS.
"THE GREAT SHEPHERD" (Heb. 13: 20). The Present Session. THE CROOK.
"THE CHIEF SHEPHERD" (I Pet. 5: 4). The Second Advent. THE CROWN.
In prophetic vision Jacob saw "The Shepherd" (Gen. 49: 24); Israel's God is
addressed by the title "O Shepherd of Israel" (Psa. 80: 1); David, the type of his
Greater Son, was Israel's beloved Shepherd King, and Ezekiel prophesies of a reunited
Israel by saying, "They all shall have one Shepherd" (Ezek. 37: 24).
Let us consider a little more carefully the actual wording of this prophecy which sums
up the "comfort" of God's people, Israel:
"Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him:
behold, His reward is with Him, and his work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a
Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and
shall gently lead those that are with young" (Isa. 40: 10, 11).
When we speak of the "Second Coming" we may feel obliged at one time to
emphasize the teaching of the opening chapter of the Acts and say "This same Jesus", or
at another we may quote the Lord's own words and say, "The Son of man shall come in
the glory of His Father" (Matt. 16: 27), but we must never, never, forget that "This same
Jesus", this "Son of man", is "Lord", yea, Israel's "God" (Isa. 40: 10), and that "the
blessed hope" of the church of the mystery looks for the glory of "Our great God and
Saviour, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2: 11-13). He comes with strength, He comes to rule, He
comes to reward.
The metaphors of strength are varied; the one that supplies us with the "strong hand"
of Isa. 40: is derived from the figure of "binding", and so by an easy transition to that of
the exercise of strength which "repairs" and "recovers" (Psa. 147: 13; Ezra 1: 6;
Judges 9: 24; Isa. 35: 3). The word chazaq is used more than thirty times in Neh. 3:
to describe the "repairing" of the wall of Jerusalem. In the Prophet's mind this "strong
hand", with which the Lord will come, is primarily associated with the "restitution of all
things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets", and guarantees
the glorious oneness of this true and blessed unity among the peoples of the earth.
He Whose strength repairs, recovers and unites, is also the great Ruler, "His arm shall
rule for Him". The "arm" of the Lord is an ever-recurring figure in the O.T.