The Pulpit Commentary — Habakkuk — Section 14

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AU'rHORS. Ver. l.-Tlie title. Thie introduces ue to the writer and his work. Note- I. His NAME. Habalclcuk ; i.e. "One who embraces" - a name singularly approprio.te in its significance to the man who " rested in the Lord, and waited patiently for him" through the dark days, Luther applied the name to the prophet's regard for his people, "em bracing them, taking them to his arms, cc-mforting them, and lifting tbem up as one embraces a weeping child, to quiet it with the assurance that, if God will, it shall be better soon." Jewish tradition bas identified him with the son of the Shnnammite woman (2 Kings iv. 18), and with the watch- man sent by Isaiah to the watch-tower (xxi.) to look towards Babylon. But with these and other merely fanciful and utterly unreliable traditions the silence of Scripture very favourably contrasts. It makes him known to us through his teaching. It is the message rather than the messenger that is presented to us here; yet through the message we get to know the man so intimately that he becomes to us quite a familiar presence. II. His OFFICE. "Habakkuk the prophet." This title clearly indicates that he had been appointed to the prophetical office. Many men in Old Testament times uttered certain prophecies, as for instance Moses, David, Solomon, Daniel, but we do not find the· title "the propbet " appended to their names, it being given simply to such as were specially chosen and set apart to this office. The closin~ words of the book (eh. iii. 19) have led some to regard him as belonging to one of the Levitical families, and as appointed to take part in the liturgical services of the temple; but of this we cannot speak with any degree of certainty, though probably it was so. III. His PROPHECY. This is described as "the burden which Hauakkuk tbe prophet did see." The phrase is peculiar, but the meaning is clear. He saw a vision of coming events, in which solemn Divine judgments would be executed both against his own people and their oppressors; and the scene of impending woe oppressed his 'spirit and lay as a heavy weight upon his soul Still, dark as the outlook was, and 1 oppressed in heart as he felt himself to be amidst the mysteries of life viewed in rela- ,tion to the Divine government, he maintained throughout unswervingly his trust in ,God; and which so clearly pervaded his spirit and so repeatedly revealed itself in his expressions as amply to justify the representation that he is "eminently the prophet of reverential, awe-filled faith." Viewed from a literary standpoint, his prophecy may well exite our profoundest interest. Critical writers with one consent bear testimony lto the beauty of his contributions to these sacred oracles. Ewald calls the book i" Habakkuk's Pindaric Ode." Delitzsch says of it, "His language is classical througb- out, full of rare and select words and turns, which are to some extent exclusively his 'own, whilst his view and mode of presentation bear the seal of original force and finished beauty." Pusey observes, "Certainly the purity of his language and the sublimity of his imagery is, humanly speaking, magnificent; his measured cadence is impressive in its simplicity." But valuable as this composition is in this respect, its 1 great charm consists in the spirit of holy trustfulness which it breathes. As we ponder over its contents we feel at every st~ge our lack of confidence in our God reproved, and are impelled to cry, "Lord, we believe: help thou our unbelief" (Mark ix. 24); "Lord, increase our faith" (Luke xvii. 5).-S. D. H. Vers. 2-4.-The elegy. In this brief and plaintive strain we have- , I. AN EARNEST HEART REFLECTING UPON TIIE PREVAILING INIQUITY. Whatever m'-'y have been the exact date of this prophecy, it is clear that the writer stood connected with the close of the kingdom of Judah, the eve of the Captivity, and that he presents to us, in a few graphic touches, a vivid description of the depravity then prevailing in the land. He bitterly laments over: 1. The insecurity of property. "Spoiling and violence are before me" (ver. 3). 2. The strifes of parties and factions. "And there are that raise up strife and contention" (ver. 3). 3. Laxity in the adminis!ration ef the Law. "'l'he Law is slacked, and judgruont doth never go forth" (ver. 4). 4. The good sufferin!J unjustly at the hands of the evil. "'l'he wicked doth compass about the righteous" (ver. 4). 5. The openness_ and audacity of wrong-doers 12 THE BOOK OF HAHAKKUK. [cH, I, 1-17,