For since the beginning of the world men have not heard,
nor
perceived by the ear
Not only the things unexpected, undesired, and undeserved, had
been done for the Lord's people of old; but there were other
things, unheard of and unseen, which God, in his secret counsels,
had prepared for them; and for which reason his appearance in his
providential dispensations was the more to be desired and
entreated. The Apostle Paul has cited this passage in ( 1
Corinthians 2:9 ) and applied it to Gospel times, and to
evangelical truths, which are not discoverable by the light of
nature; had there not been a revelation from God, the ears of men
had never heard them, nor the eyes of men ever seen them:
neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee;
and though there is a revelation made, yet, unless God gives men
eyes to see, and ears to hear, divine truths will remain unknown
to them; and those who have knowledge of them, it is but
imperfect; perfect knowledge of them is reserved to another
state. These are mysteries and, though revealed, remain so; the
modes of them being unknown, or the manner how they are is
inscrutable; such as the mode of each Person's subsisting in the
Trinity; and how the two natures, human and divine, are united in
the person of Christ. Moreover, under the Old Testament
dispensation, these things were not so clearly revealed as now;
they were the fellowship of the mystery hid in God, the treasure
of Gospel truths hid in the field of the Scriptures; they were
wrapped up in the dark figures and shadows of the ceremonial law,
and expressed in obscure prophecies; they were kept secret since
the beginning of the world, from ages and generations past, and,
not so made known, as now, to the holy apostles and prophets; a
more full and clear knowledge of them was reserved to Gospel
times. This may also include the blessings of grace, more
peculiarly prepared and provided for the church of Christ under
the Gospel dispensation, especially in the latter part of it, as
the promise of the Spirit; more spiritual light and knowledge;
peace in abundance, and such as passeth all understanding; and
particularly what will be enjoyed in the personal reign of
Christ, described in so pompous a manner, (
Revelation 20:1-21:27 ) and it may be applied to the glories
of the future state, which are such as the eye of man has never
seen, nor his ear heard; and, as the apostle adds, have not
entered into the heart of man to conceive of; and, as Jarchi
paraphrases the words here,
``the eye of any prophet hath not seen what God will do for him that waits for him, except thine eyes, thou, O God;''having cited a passage of their Rabbins out of the Talmud F15, which interprets the words of the world to come,
``all the prophets say, they all of them prophesied only of the days of the Messiah; but as to the world to come, eye hath not seen''Some read the words, "neither has the eye seen God besides thee who will do for him that waiteth for him" F16; that is, none besides thee, O Christ, who lay in the bosom of the Father, and was privy to all, ( John 1:18 ) : what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him;
``and since the world was, ear hath not heard the voice of mighty deeds, nor hearkened to the speech of trembling; nor hath eye seen, what thy people saw, the Shechinah of the glory of the Lord, for there is none besides thee, what thou wilt do to thy people, the righteous, who were of old, who wait for thy salvation.''