In yrophetic ,ision Habakkuk beheld the impression made upon the neighbouring nations through which Jehovah passed on his march from Teman to t.he Red Sea-tho Cushitcs or African Ethiopians on the west "in affliction," and the Midianitee towards the east, "trembling." A different interpretation makes Cushnn tho Mesopotamian king, Cbushan-Hishathaim, who oppressed Israel eight years in the time of the Judges (Judg. iii 8-10), and Midian the last enemy who seduced Israel into sin when on the borders of the promised land (Numb. xxv. 17), and came up against them after they had settled in it (Judg. vi. 4-11). In this case the prophet selects the judgments exl'cuted upon these-upon the first hy Othniel, upon the second by Gideon-as typioal of the inflictions that would fall upon Jehovah's enemies at his future coming. Learn: 1. The sovereignty of God over men and kings. 2. 'l'he duty and wisdom of recognizing God's hand in the movements of nations and in the phenomena. of nature. 3. The impossibility of defeating the ultimate realization of God's purposes whether of judgment or of mercy. ' Ver. 8.-.An ideal theophany: 8. The terrible wrath of the Deity. I. ITS VISIBLE MA~'TFESTATIONS. The prophet conceives Jehovah as "a warlike hero equipped for conflict," depicts him as marching forth against his enemies, and throwing all nature (especially its rivers and seas, emblems of the earth's populations) into consternation, and inquires of him what had been the cause of his vehement displeasure. The form of the question su11:gests that Jebovah's anger had not been directed against inanimate nature, but that the commotions visible in the rivers and the seas were only symbols of his wrath against men. II. lTs SECRET DESTINATION, It was aimed at a threefold purpose. 1. The destroc- tion of his enemies. Of these the rivers and seas were merely emblems (ver. 14). 2. The wlvation qf his people. J ebovah's horses and chariots were horses and chariots of salva- tion (ver. 13). "The end of God's armies, his visitations and judgments, is the salvation of his elect, even while they who are inwardly dead perish outwardly also" (Pusey). 8. TJ,e vindu:ation of his own honour. His bow had been (and was to be) made quite bare, i.e. drawn from its scabbard in fulfilment of the oaths he had given to the tribes -first to Abraham, then to Isaac, next to Jacob, and afterwards to Da.vid-that he would deliver them from the hand of their enemies (Luke i. 73--75); or, accepting the marginal translation, because "sworn were the chastisements [literally, 'rods'] of his wordt ,:.f. because the threatenings be bad uttered against his people's enemies (Deut. mii. 40-42) were as sure as the promises of deliverance bestowed upon his people themselves. Learn : 1. That the wrath of God is as much a reality as the love of God is. 2. That the destruction of God's enemies is as sure as is the salvation of his friends. 3. That in both God will be glorified. Vers. 9-16.-.An id«il thecphany: 4. The glorious interposition o/ the Deity. L NATORE's HOMAGE TO THE JUDGE. (Vers. 10, 11.) Jehovah's presence on that great and terrible day will be attested by a succession of marvels, 1. Wonders in the earth. (1) 'l'be cleaving of the earth with rivers (ver. 9) may point to the bursting forth of waters from the deep places of the earth, which are again opened as at the Flood (Gen. vii. 11) through violent convulsions, or to the <?verflowing of t~e land by the agitated and swollen waters, as also happened on the occasion o_f that appalhn~ catastr?p~e (Gen. vii 11, 1~, 19). (2? The trembling of the_ m_ounta.ms, which writhe as 1f !n pain may contam an allus10n to eartbqnakes and similar cataclysms. 2. Wonders in tl~ ;,,.,a. "The tempest of waters passed by, the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high" (ver, 10). These words possibly allude to what occurr~d both in the Flood and in the dividin:,( of the Red Sea and the Jordan. 3. Wonders in the slcy. " The sun and moon stood still in their habitation : at the light of thine arrowH they weut at the shining of thy glittering spear" (ver.11), as they did in the time of Josh~ when Jehovah fouoht for Israel against Gibeon (Josh. x. 13). Compare the <lesni],~ion in the Apocalypse of the great day of the wrath of the Lamb (Rev. vi. 12-16). II. Tr-rn WRATHFUL PROCEDURE oF 1'HE JUDGE. 1. Marching through the land in indig,,ution. The lan<l referred to is in the foreground Chaldea, and in the back- OH, III, 1-19,] 'rHE BOOK OF HABAKKUK. 61
ground the whole earth, which, no less than Babylon, will have become an object of Divine displeasurn, 2. Threshing the nations in anger. Not the Chaldean people only, but nil the peoples who, like them, shall have become the oppressors of God's heritage, all the nations that have not known or served God, will experience the strokes of his anger, 3. Woonding the head of the house of the wicked, laying bare the foundation even to the neclc, 'fhe wicked one is first the Chaldean king, the head of the Chaldean power, and lastly that wicked one whom Christ will destroy with the brightness of his coming (1 Thess. iv. 8). The image is that of complete destruction (see Exposition). 4. Piercing with his own staves the head of his warriors or hordes. 'rhese were the Chaldean troops, whom the prophet saw coming up against himself an<l Israel as a whirlwind to scatter them, as highway murderers lying in wait to devour the poor secretly, but whom he also beheld falling upon and destroying one another, wounding themselves with their own swords ( cf. 1 Sam. xiv. 20; 2 Chron. xx. 23, 24-). So will God's enemies in the end consume and devour one another. 5. Overcoming every obstacle that might be B'U[>posed to hinder his purpose, viz. the execution of wrath upon his foe~, or the deliverance of his people. III. THE MEBOIFUL PURPOSE OF THE JUDGE, This was (and always will be) the salvation of his people and of his anointed, i.e. of his people Israel and Judah with their Davidic king, then of his believing Church with its anointed Head. If God executes judgment upon the ungodly, it is because otherwise the salvation of the godly cannot be secured. LESSONS. 1. The certainty of a day of judgment. 2. The terrifying aspect to the wicked of the glory of God. 3. The infinite fierceness of the wrath of the Almighty. 4. The ability of God to execute his purposes both of judgment and salvation. 5. The graciousness towards believers of all God's interpositions.