And [he shall be] as the light of the morning, [when] the
sun
riseth, [even] a morning without clouds
That is, such a ruler that rules in righteousness, and in the
fear of God; he is the light and glory of his people, who guides
and directs them, makes them cheerful and comfortable; his
administrations are pleasant and delightful, and promise a
growing and increasing happiness to them, like the morning light
and rising sun; and there are no clouds, nor forebodings of dark
times, affliction and distress, coming upon them, but all the
reverse: and with Christ these metaphors well suit, who is the
true light that shines, ( John 1:9 ) ; the morning
star, ( Revelation
22:16 ) ; the dayspring from on high, ( Luke 1:78 ) ; the sun of
righteousness, ( Malachi 4:2 ) ; and
light of the world, ( John 8:2 ) ( 9:5 ) ; his going forth or
appearance in human nature, at his incarnation, was as the
morning, ( Hosea 6:3 ) ; the first
discovery him to Adam, after sin had brought a night of darkness
on the world, was as the dawn of the morning; and this light like
that of the morning increased, fresh and clearer discoveries of
him being made to the patriarchs afterwards; and though as yet
the sun was not up, and it was not a morning without clouds, yet
the discoveries then made brought joy with them, as to Abraham
and others, and were a sure sign of the sun rising. When Christ
appeared in the flesh, the sun of righteousness then arose, and
scattered the darkness of the night, both in the Jewish and
Gentile world; introduced the light of the Gospel to a greater
degree than it was under the legal dispensation, and made the
Gospel day; which was not only like the morning light, growing
and increasing, but was as a morning without clouds, without the
darkness of the ceremonial law, the shadows of which now
disappeared; and without the storms and tempests of the moral
law, its curses being bore and removed by Christ; and without the
frowns of divine wrath, reconciliation and satisfaction being
made by him: and this is all applicable particularly to the
government of Christ, which is delightful and grateful to his
people, serviceable and beneficial to them, under which they
enjoy great peace and prosperity; and which will more and more
increase, and stilt be more glorious and illustrious, see (
Psalms 72:7
Psalms 72:8 )
( Isaiah
30:26 ) . A learned writer F9 has observed, that in an
ancient manuscript the word "Jehovah" is inserted and read thus,
``and as the light of the morning shall arise Jehovah the sun,''which clearly points to Christ the sun of righteousness; and be it an interpolation, it gives the true sense of the words: a glorious, beautiful, and illustrious person is described in Ovid F11 by the same figure as here:
[as] the tender grass [springing] out of the earth by clear
shining
after rain;
which springs up the faster, and is more flourishing after a
shower of rain, and when upon that the sun breaks out and shines
clearly: or "from clear shining from rain" F12; that
is, the springing of the tender grass out of the earth is owing
partly to the rain which falls in the night, and partly to the
sun rising in the morning, and the clear shine of it: this may
denote the fruitful and flourishing estate which a good and
righteous ruler over men is the happy instrument of bringing his
people into; and may be applied both to the incarnation of
Christ, when he grew up as a tender plant, or as the tender
grass, mean in his original and descent, weak in himself as man;
and yet this fruit of the earth was excellent and comely,
beautiful and glorious, and the springing of it owing to the
favour and good will of God, and his coming was as the latter and
former rain to the earth, ( Hosea 6:3 ) ; and to the
government of Christ, and the benefits of it to his church and
people; who flourish under it the light of his grace and favour,
and through rains of Gospel doctrines they are blessed with: or
"than clear shining, than rain"; Christ is more beneficial to his
people, who are comparable to grass for their meanness, and
weakness, and number, than the sun and rain are to the grass in
the field.