Matthew Henry writes,
V. The garb in which he appeared, the figure he made, and the manner of his life,
v. 4. They, who expected the Messiah as a temporal prince, would think that his forerunner must come in great pomp and splendour, that his equipage should be very magnificent and gay; but it proves quite contrary; he shall be
great in the sight of the Lord, but mean in the eyes of the world; and, as Christ himself, having
no form or comeliness; to intimate betimes, that the glory of Christ's kingdom was to be spiritual, and the subjects of it such as ordinarily were either
found by
it, or
made by it, poor and despised, who derived their honours, pleasures, and riches, from another world.
1. His
dress was
plain. This same John had
his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; he did not go in
long clothing, as the
scribes, or
soft clothing, as the courtiers, but in the clothing of a country husbandman; for he lived in a country place, and suited his
habit to his
habitation. Note, It is good for us to accommodate ourselves to the place and condition which God, in his providence, has put us in. John appeared in this dress, (1.) To show that, like Jacob, he was a
plain man, and mortified to this world, and the delights and gaieties of it.
Behold an Israelite indeed! Those that are
lowly in heart should show it by a holy negligence and indifference in their attire; and not make the putting on of apparel their adorning, nor value others by their attire. (2.) To show that he was a
prophet, for prophets wore
rough garments, as mortified men (
Zech. xiii. 4); and, especially, to show that he was the Elias promised; for particular notice is taken of Elias, that he was a
hairy man (which, some think, is meant of the hairy garments he wore), and that
he was girt with a girdle of leather about his loins, 2 Kings i. 8. John Baptist appears no way inferior to him in mortification; this therefore is
that Elias
that was to come. (3.) To show that he was a man of resolution; his girdle was not
fine, such as were then commonly worn, but it was
strong, it was a
leathern girdle; and blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he comes, finds with
his loins girt, Luke xii. 35; 1 Pet. i. 13.
2. His
diet was
plain; his
meat was
locusts and
wild honey; not as if he never ate any thing else; but these he frequently fed upon, and made many meals of them, when he retired into solitary places, and continued long there for contemplation.
Locusts were a sort of flying insect, very good for food, and allowed as clean (
Lev. xi. 22); they required little dressing, and were light, and easy of digestion, whence it is reckoned among the infirmities of old age, that the
grasshopper, or
locust, is then
a burden to the stomach,
Eccl. xii. 5.
Wild honey was that which
Canaan flowed with,
1 Sam. xiv. 26. Either it was gathered immediately, as it fell in the dew, or rather, as it was found in the hollows of trees and rocks, where bees built, that were not, like those in hives, under the care and inspection of men. This intimates that he ate
sparingly, a little served his turn; a man would be long ere he filled his belly with locusts and wild honey:
John Baptist came
neither eating nor drinking (
ch. xi. 18)-- not with the curiosity, formality, and familiarity that other people do. He was so entirely taken up with spiritual things, that he could seldom find time for a set meal. Now, (1.) This agreed with the doctrine he preached of
repentance, and
fruits meet for repentance. Note, Those whose business it is to call others to mourn for sin, and to mortify it, ought themselves to live a serious life, a life of self-denial, mortification, and contempt of the world. John Baptist thus showed the deep sense he had of the badness of the time and place he lived in, which made the preaching of repentance needful; every day was a
fast-day with him. (2.) This agreed with his office as Christ's
forerunner; by this practice he showed that he knew what the
kingdom of heaven was, and had experienced the powers of it. Note, Those that are acquainted with divine and spiritual pleasures, cannot but look upon all the delights and ornaments of sense with a holy indifference; they know better things. By giving others this example he made way for Christ. Note, A conviction of the vanity of the world, and everything in it, is the best preparative for the entertainment of the kingdom of heaven in the heart.
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
