And by the river on the banks thereof, on this side and
on
that side
On each side of the river, on the banks of it: shall grow
all trees for meat;
such as bear fruit, that may be eaten, and is good for food: by
these "trees" are meant truly gracious souls, converted persons,
real Christians, true believers in Christ; who like trees have a
root, are rooted in the love of God, in the person and grace of
Christ, and have the root of the matter in them, the grace of the
blessed Spirit; and who also is their sap, of which they are
full, and so grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ; grow
up in him, and grow upwards and heavenwards in their affections
and desires, and in the exercise of faith and hope: they are the
trees of the Lord, trees of righteousness, good trees, that bring
forth good fruit; and are often in Scripture compared to trees
the most excellent, as palm trees, cedars, olives, myrtles and
wherever the Gospel comes, these trees arise, and are watered and
made fruitful by it; sometimes in lesser, and sometimes in
greater numbers, as in the first times of the Gospel, and as they
will in the latter day; see ( Psalms 92:12
) ( Isaiah
61:3 ) : whose leaf shall not fade;
as the leaves of trees in autumn do, and drop off and fall; to
which some professors of religion are compared, who bear no
fruit, only have the leaves of a profession, and this they drop
when any trouble or difficulty arises, ( Jude 1:12 ) ( Matthew
13:21 ) , but true believers, as they take up a profession on
principles of grace, they hold it fast without wavering; their
root, seed, and sap, remain, and so never wither and die in their
profession; see ( Psalms 1:3 ) ( Jeremiah
17:8 ) : neither shall the fruit thereof be
consumed;
which are the graces of the Spirit, and good works flowing from
them: the graces of the Spirit are abiding ones, as faith, hope,
and love; these never die, are an incorruptible seed, a well of
water springing up unto everlasting life; and good works, which
are fruits meet for repentance, and evidences of faith, and by
which trees are known to be good, always continue to be wrought
by believers, in the strength and grace of Christ, from whom they
have all their fruits of every kind, ( Hosea 14:8 ) ( Philippians
1:11 ) : it shall bring forth new fruit according to
his months;
or, "first fruits" F15; that is, everyone of these trees,
or every true believer, shall be continually in the exercise of
grace, and the performance of duty; they shall be constant and
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; they shall
never cease from yielding fruit, or doing good; they shall still
bring it even in old age; see ( Psalms 92:14
) ( Jeremiah
17:8 ) : because their waters they issued out of the
sanctuary;
because the waters, which issued out of the sanctuary, ran by
these trees, and watered them, and made them fruitful, and
therefore called their waters: the fruitfulness of these trees,
true believers, is not owing to themselves, to their free will
and power; to their own industry, diligence, and cultivation; but
to the supplies of grace they receive by means of the Gospel, and
the doctrines of it; which bring forth, or cause to bring forth
fruit, wherever they come with power, ( Colossians
1:6 ) : and the fruit thereof shall be for
meat;
not for saints themselves, who live not, neither on their graces,
nor their works; though indeed they do eat the fruits of their
doings, ( Isaiah 3:10 ) , that
is, enjoy good things, consequent on their works, through the
free favour and good will of God; but for meat for others; for
their fruit, which appears in their words and actions, are very
beneficent to others; their fruit is a tree of life, ( Proverbs
11:30 ) and their lips feed many, ( Proverbs
10:21 ) , with knowledge and understanding; with the Gospel,
and the doctrines of it; and with the comfortable experience they
have of its truths and promises: yea, their fruit are meat and
food for Christ himself; who comes into his garden, and eats his
pleasant fruits, feeds and feasts, and delights himself with his
own grace in his people, and the exercise of it, ( Song of
Solomon 4:9 Song of Solomon
4:10 Song of Solomon
4:16 ) ( 5:1 )
: and the leaf thereof for medicine;
or, "for bruises" F16; for the healing of them, which is
only done by the blood of Christ; who is the only physician, the
sun of righteousness, that rises with healing or pardon in his
wings; and the whole language of this passage is borrowed from
hence by John, and applied to Christ the tree of life, ( Revelation
22:2 ) and the Gospel professed by true believers directs to
him for healing, or for the remission of sin, and is the means of
applying it, ( Psalms
107:20 ) and a cheerful constant profession of Christ and his
Gospel, which is the Christian's leaf, does good like a medicine,
both to the Christian himself, and to others; who are animated
and encouraged thereby to go on with pleasure in the ways of God.