the Third Week of Advent
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Bible Dictionaries
Reed
Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary
or We read of Ezekiel's reed, Ezekiel 40:3 which was six cubits and three inches; that is, about three yards and a little more of our English measure. But the word is not unfrequently used in Scripture figuratively. Thus Egypt, an account of her inability to Israel, is called a reed. (2 Kings 18:21) Humble believers in Christ are called bruised reeds; concerning which it is blessedly spoken of the Lord Jesus, "that he will not break the braised reed, nor quench the smoking flax"—meaning, that the tender and frail mind in the first awakenings of grace, though it be unable of itself to stand no more than the bruised reed Jesus will not break, but support; and the warmth of affection in the regenerated soul, though it hath no flame, and only sends forth the risings like the smoke of burning flax, Jesus will not suffer to be put out. It is in both a day of small things; but it is a day Jesus will not despise. He will raise the bruised reed to a great tree, like the cedar of Lebanon, and he will kindle a flame in the smoking flax, that by his perpetual quickening shall burn with great power and brightness for ever. (See Isaiah 42:1-25; Matthew 12:18-20) We read of a reed put into our Lord's hand, in the hall of Pilate, by way of mock royalty; but this it should seem to have been of the rod kind. (Matthew 27:29) How little, did they think that both the crown of thorns and the reed, were emblems of the Lord Jesus's character as the Messiah. Never was there any but Jesus crowned with thorns; for though all his people feel the briars and the thorns, yet it was he, and he only, on whom and in whom the sentence at the fall was to be completely fulfilled. "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee." (Genesis 3:18) And little did they think that when they had crowned him with thorns, and put the reed in his right hand, JEHOVAH had that day set him for his king upon his holy hill of Zion. What a beautiful observation the apostles made upon the whole of these events, Acts 4:24-31.
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Hawker, Robert D.D. Entry for 'Reed'. Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance and Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/pmd/r/reed.html. London. 1828.
