The bread for their soul shall not come into the House of the Lord
The bread for their soul shall not come into the House of the Lord.
The bread for their soul.] That is; When they are seeking God even for their very lives. By bread, is to be understood, their oblations more generally, not only bread, but their oblations, as (Malachi 1:7) "You offer polluted bread upon mine Altar": it's taken generally for all kind of offerings upon God's Altar. So, the bread for their souls, that is, those offerings that they did offer for their very lives.
Now from there the note is this: That it's a sad thing when a creature would seek to God for his very life, yet then God rejects him and his offering too. Before these people they did reject the voice of the Lord at the Temple, and they kept others from going to the House of the Lord, they thought sacrifices elsewhere would serve the turn as well; but now they shall be far enough from bringing any sacrifices to the House of the Lord though they should desire to do it for their very souls. Thus many who in the time of their prosperity do neglect the worship of God and slight it, and think there is no great matter in it, but afterwards when they see their very lives, their souls lie at the mercy of God, then they would fain seek God for their lives, they see they are undone if God be not merciful to them, yet then God rejects them, their offerings then for their souls shall not come into the House of the Lord, that is; will not be accepted of God. When a man is crying for an alms, but for a piece of bread, to be rejected is something; but when a man is crying for his soul, then to be rejected, and by God himself, this is more grievous.
Secondly, the bread for their soul, that is, the bread they have to maintain their lives withal, if they would offer that to the Lord, it should not come into the house of the Lord to be accepted; for by bread for their souls, may be meant, the bread that they have to maintain their lives, for so we find the Scripture calls the soul, the life of a man, in (Matthew 6:24) "Is not the life more worth than meat?" The words in the original are, Is not the Soul of man? It is here the bread for the soul, that is, the very bread that they have to maintain their lives, their necessary bread that they have to live on; although they should be willing to offer that to the Lord, it shall not come to him. Now this is as if the Prophet should say to them, Now you cannot be brought to them to offer your superfluity to God, but your condition shall be such as if you would offer the necessary bread you have to preserve your lives, if you would offer that to God, God will not accept of it: As if a man were so poor that he were ready to starve, and yet for all that such a man would say, Well, though I starve, yet I will offer this I have to live on, and I would offer this to God rather than have it myself, now you would think this should be an argument of a great deal of devotion. But the case shall be now, that though you would seek God with such earnestness, yet the heart of God shall be so hardened against you as they will not be accepted.
Those who in time of prosperity are loth to deny their ease, and loth to lay out any thing of their superfluity for God, but time may come that though they should be willing to bite off their very nails, and pluck out their eyes, and tear their very flesh in indignation for their sin in respect to God any way, yet this God shall not vouchsafe to have regard to. Therefore this learn by it, to seek God while he may be found, and not to stand upon your own terms with God in the day of your prosperity, and to say, I cannot spare this and that for him; but if we deny God now what is his due, though we would give to him hereafter that that our lives lay upon, yet it shall not be accepted.
3. Bread for their souls: that is, they shall have no more bread than will serve for their very life from hand to mouth, they shall have nothing to bring to the House of the Lord, they shall be so put to it, when they are in captivity, they shall be kept so strictly, as to have nothing but bread and water, nothing but from hand to mouth; they shall be far enough from having any thing to offer to the Lord, to be accepted of him; if they should think of bringing any thing to the House of the Lord, alas! what have they? Nothing but a little bread for their soul.
From where the note is this, To have no estate to offer to God in his service, in the ways of his public worship is a great affliction. It follows.