For the earnest expectation of the creature
Some by the creature understand the universe, all created beings
animate and inanimate, which having suffered much by the sin of
man, are introduced by a rhetorical figure, as waiting for
deliverance and a restoration to their paradisiacal estate; but
some part of the world is manifestly distinguished from them, (
Romans 8:23 )
, others think that angels are here meant, who being obliged to
minister to sinful men, are represented as groaning and longing
for the time when all the children of God shall be brought in,
that they may be dismissed from their service; but what is said
of subjection to vanity, of the bondage of corruption, and of
their groaning and travailing in pain, can never agree with such
happy spirits: others suppose that men in general are designed,
being by sin brought into a state of bondage and corruption,
subjected to vanity, attended with troubles, and liable to death,
and so groan under their present miseries for deliverance; but to
desire anything of a spiritual nature cannot be ascribed to men
in general; and besides, as before observed, some persons are
distinguished from them, ( Romans 8:23 ) , others
have been of opinion, that the new creature, or renewed persons,
are here intended, who being burdened with indwelling sin, groan
under it, long for deliverance from it, and are waiting for the
heavenly glory; but these cannot be said to be in a state of
bondage to corruption, for they are freed from the dominion of
sin, and are become the servants of righteousness. It is best of
all by "the creature" to understand the Gentile world. "The
creature" here, and "the whole creation", ( Romans 8:22 ) , must be
the same; now the phrase (pasa
ktisiv) , "the whole creation", or "every creature", as it
may be rendered, signifies the nations of the world, in
distinction to the Jews; see ( Mark 16:15 ) ( Colossians
1:23 ) ; compared with ( Matthew
28:19 ) and answers to (twyrb) , "the creatures"; by which name the Jews often
in their writings call the Gentiles, to distinguish them from the
Israelites. Take two or three instances, as follow,
``let your commerce (say they F7) be in a peaceable manner, (twyrbh Me) , "with the creatures"; what do "the creatures" say concerning him? such an one, blessed be his father who taught him the law, blessed be his master who taught him the law; woe (twyrbl Mhl) , "to the creatures", because they learn not the law; such an one who hath learned the law, they observe how beautiful are his ways, and how well ordered his works; of him it is written, saying, "and said unto me, thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified", ( Isaiah 49:3 ) ;''where the creatures and the Israelites are evidently distinguished from one another: again F8,
``woe (twyrbl Mhl) , "to the creatures", who know not, nor have they any regard for the service of their Creator; for it is a tradition, (says R. Isaac,) that "Bath Kol", or a voice, goes out every day from Mount Horeb, and says, woe (twyrbl Mhl) , "to the creatures", because of the service of their Creator.''And a little after,
``if (twyrbh) , "the creatures", knew the love with which the holy blessed God loves Israel, they would roar like young lions to follow after him.''Once more F9,
``all the prayer (twyrbh lv) , "of the creatures", is only for the earth; Lord let the earth be fruitful, Lord let the earth prosper; all the prayer (larvy lv) , "of the Israelites", is only for the house of the Lord, Lord let the house of the sanctuary be built.''
Now what "the creature", the Gentile world, is represented as earnestly waiting, and wistly looking out for, is
the manifestation of the sons of God;
which is made first at their conversion, and afterwards openly
and more fully at the appearance of Christ in the resurrection
morn. There is a manifestation of the sons of God, at conversion.
They that are the sons of God, are his sons before by divine
predestination, and through the covenant of grace; as such they
were given to Christ; and under this character, and as standing
in this relation, he assumed their nature, and died for them, in
order to gather them together; and indeed, this previous relation
is the ground and foundation of the Spirit of Christ being sent
down into their hearts, to manifest their adoption to them; for
before conversion, it is not manifested, neither to themselves
nor others, but then it is in some measure made known. This may
in a particular manner be applied to the Gentiles, and God's
elect among them. They were the sons of God before they were
manifested as such; they are spoken of in prophecy as in that
relation; see ( Isaiah 45:11
) ; and seemed to be designed chiefly, if not altogether, by "the
children of God scattered abroad", in ( John 11:51 John 11:52 ) . These
were not known, nor looked upon by the Jews, to be the children
of God; but when the Gospel came in among them, as the power of
God, it manifested them to be such: so that where it was formerly
said, "ye are not my people", there it is said, "ye are the sons
of the living God", ( Hosea 1:10 ) . But the
full manifestation of the sons of God will be in their
glorification at Christ's second coming; when they shall be
openly taken into God's family, and shall be owned by Christ in
this relation, before angels and men; they will appear in
themselves otherwise than now they do; they will be put into the
possession of the inheritance they are adopted to, and will have
that honour and dignity which belong to their character actually
conferred on them; so that they shall appear, not only to
themselves, but to all the world, to be what they are: now this,
in the whole compass of it, the Gentiles might be said to be in
earnest expectation of, and waiting for. They may be said, in
some sense, to expect and wait for the manifestation of the Son
of God himself, the Messiah, who is called "the desire of all
nations", ( Haggai 2:7 ) : for it
was promised, that "to him should the gathering", ( Genesis
49:10 ) , or, as some read it, "the expectation of the
people", or "nations be": they also waited for his law, his
doctrine, the everlasting Gospel, ( Isaiah 42:4 ) , and
when that was come among them, and became the power of God to the
salvation of many of them, this raised in them an earnest
expectation of many, of multitudes of the sons of God being
manifested among them, according to several prophecies of the Old
Testament, which largely speak of this matter; and they continue
to wait for the bringing in of the fulness of them in the latter
day, and for the ultimate glory, which all the sons of God,
whether Jews or Gentiles, shall enjoy together.