The Watchman’s Answer To The Question, What Of The Night?
The Watchman’s Answer To The Question, What Of The Night?
A Sermon
Preached at a Wednesday’s Evening Lecture, in GREAT EAST-CHEAP, Dec. 27, 1750
The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: If ye will enquire, enquire ye; return, come—Isaiah 21:11, 12.
There are several prophecies in this book, both in the preceding and following chapters, which are called burdens; which contain sad and heavy judgments, grievous calamities and distresses, that should come upon nations; and foretell the ruin and destruction of kingdoms and states, and which may be the reason why they are so called; though it must be owned, that there are some prophecies which bear this name, that [5397] bring good tidings of good things, yet more rarely. There are no less than three prophecies of this name in this chapter. The words of the text are one, and there is one before them, and another after them. The chapter begins with the burden of the desert of the sea, or plain of the sea; which describes the city of Babylon, afterwards named; and which was built on a plain, and in a watery place, by the river Euphrates; and it is usual with Jewish writers, inspired or uninspired, to call any confluence of water a sea; whose destruction is foretold as what would be by the Medes and Persians; and these are mentioned by name, verse 2, as well as signified by a chariot with a couple of horsemen, verse 7, and its ruin is declared in express words, verse 9, and the whole is delivered out in such a manner, as may easily be accommodated to mystical Babylon, who is represented as in a wilderness, sitting upon many waters, agreeable to verse 1, whose destruction will be by the lion of the tribe of Judah, see verse 8, and which is expressed by the self-same words as are in verse 9, and that for the comfort of the Lord’s people, verse 10. [5398]
The prophecy in our text is called the burden of Dumah; whether it respects the Arabians, particularly the Dumean Arabians, or whether the Edomites or Idumeans, is a matter of question: some think the former, because Dumah was a son of Ishmael, (Genesis 25:14) and of him Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it here; and there was a place in Arabia called Dumatha: [5399] but others are of opinion, that the latter, the Edomites, or Idumeans, are intended; and the Septuagint version renders the words the vision of Idumea; and the Arabic version calls them a prophecy concerning Edom and Seir; and so Jarchi by Dumah understands Edom: and the rather the Edomites may be thought to be here meant, since a distinct prophecy concerning Arabia follows after; and because mention is made of Seir, which was inhabited by the Edomites (9) he calleth to me out of Seir; or there was a cry out of Seir; one called from thence to the watchman, and asked him a question, to which he returned an answer, and also gave some advice. Now let it be observed, that this prophecy may refer to the time when Edom should be a possession, and Seir also should be a possession for his enemies; that is, be possessed by the Jews, as is foretold (Numbers 24:18) they would and which was fulfilled before the coming of Christ, when the Jews and Idumeans were mixed together; and the latter, at least many of them, embraced the Jewish religion, [5400] and so had knowledge of the Messiah and his coming; and perhaps some of them savingly believed in him; and these, some one or more of them, or however, the Jews that were in Seir or in Idumea, may be thought to be here inquiring after him, when he would come and put an end to the then present night of darkness, and make the morning of the gospel-dispensation; and it may be further observed, that as Esau and Edom may be considered as a type of antichrist, the Edomites may represent the antichristian party. Jerome [5401] says, that some of the Hebrews read Roma for Duma here, and suppose that the Roman empire is designed; and certain it is, that nothing is more common with them, than to call the Roman empire, and Rome itself, Edom, and the Romans or Papists, Edomites. [5402] Now, as in the darkest times of Popery, there were some that rose up as witnesses to the truth, there were others that embraced it; who doubtless inquired of the witnesses, the watchmen, when the night of popish darkness would be over, and gospel-light break forth; and it is easy to observe, that a little before the destruction of Babylon, God will have a people in her, whom he will call to come forth out of the midst of her, that they partake not of her sins, nor of her plagues; (Revelation 18:4) and these, sensible of the state of darkness they are in, may be supposed to be inquiring after latter-day-light and glory. These short hints may serve to give us a little light into this obscure passage; and which will open more and more as we go along, considering the following thing:
I. Who the watchman is that is here applied unto.
III. The Watchman’s answer to it, The morning cometh, and also the night.