5
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
5
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
246. 'Beast' and 'wild animal of the field' mean affections. This becomes clear from what has been stated already in 45, 46, about 'beast' and 'wild animal', to which let the following quotation from David be added,
You shake down a shower of blessings, O God; Your heritage which is labouring, You strengthen; Your wild animals will dwell in it. Psalms 68:9-10.
Here also 'wild animal' stands for the affection for good, since it is going 'to dwell in God's heritage'. The reason 'beast' and 'wild animal of the field' are mentioned here, as also in Genesis 2:19, 20, but 'beast' and 'wild animal of the earth' in Genesis 1:24-25, is that the subject is the Church, that is, man when regenerate, whereas in Chapter 1 the subject is the time when the Church does not exist, that is, when man has yet to be regenerated; for 'field' is a term applying to the Church, that is, to man when regenerate.
14
The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
15
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,