# commentaries

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<h4>Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us- The present tenses of <a href='B:400 4:10-12'>Mic 4:10-12</a> suggest that Micah was giving this prophecy whilst Jerusalem was surrounded by the Assyrian armies. And here too- "Now::. he has laid siege::.". Micah’s encouragement to gather troops was because he believed that God could give Judah the victory and they could then go out of Zion and thresh their enemies as the preceding verse required (<a href='B:400 4:13'>Mic 4:13</a>).</h4><h4>They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek- Micah foresaw that the Assyrians were to capture Jerusalem and abuse her "judge", Hezekiah. But thanks to his preaching, a remnant repented, and so this didn’t happen then (see on <a href='B:400 4:11'>Mic 4:11</a>); but the potential of establishing a Messianic kingdom didn’t come about. And so the prophecy was reapplied to the Lord Jesus, the true king of Zion, who was to be smitten with a rod in the cheek (<a href='B:470 27:30'>Mat 27:30</a>). This was clearly in view, hence "judge" and not "king" is used.</h4>


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<h4>But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come forth to Me that is to be the ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old- As noted on :1 and <a href='B:400 4:10-12'>Mic 4:10-12</a>, Micah was speaking of possibilities at his time. A ruler could have come forth who would have saved Israel and established a Messianic kingdom at that time. Not the Lord Jesus, but a ruler from Bethlehem, i:e. in the Davidic line. Clearly a pre-existent Divine being was not in view. That ruler didn’t then emerge, the potential wasn’t fulfilled, and so indeed it was reapplied to the Lord Jesus Christ. But there is no evidence here for the incorrect idea of His personal pre-existence. Bethlehem is mentioned to signal the fact that this individual would be in the Davidic line, and the Lord Jesus also was, on account of His mother Mary being in the direct Davidic line (<a href='B:490 1:31-35'>Luk 1:31-35</a>). The very fact He was the descendant of David puts paid to all fantasies that He personally pre-existed from beforeall time and somehow came down literally from Heaven to earth, like some Divine comet. His fulfilment of the Davidic seed is reflected in the statement that His "goings forth are from of old". He was the seed of Abraham, of David, of Jacob, and of Eve- the one promised in all those promises of a great, Messianic saviour seed / descendant. Hence the plural: "goings forth". His origins (NAB, NIV, RSV) were in all those ancestors. This plural is a&nbsp; problem for any attempt to interpret this as meaning that He was eternally existent. And He had origins [plural]; He was not uncreate, eternally pre-existent. He had origins, a concept inappropriate for a Divine being, seeing God is uncreate. And this ruler will accept Yahweh as "his God" (:4). The Trinitarian understanding of the Lord Jesus can’t cope with this; the Trinity is a wrong turning in theological thought and needs to be abandoned.</h4><p>The "ruler" was to come forth to "Me", God. This makes no sense if the Lord Jesus had existed eternally with God. The language is very similar to that of <a href='B:300 30:21'>Jer 30:21</a>, where the same word for "ruler" is used: "Their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall proceed from their midst; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach to Me: for who is he who has had boldness to approach to Me? says Yahweh". This was the Messianic ruler which could have arisen at the restoration; and he could have arisen even in Micah’s time as the Saviour of Judah from Assyria. None of these potentials worked out, and so the prophecy will come to its fulfilment in the final salvation of Israel by the Lord Jesus.</p><h4>From everlasting- "From everlasting" doesn’t have to mean that the ruler existed before time. He had "goings forth", or origins; that very fact means that He was not eternally existent, seeing He had a beginning. The idea of olahm here can simply be "from a long time ago", and other translations bear this out: "whose origins are in the distant past" (NET), "Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times" (NAB); "whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (NIV); "whose origin is from of old, from ancient days" (RSV); "whose going out has been purposed from time past, from the eternal days" (BBE); "whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days" (ESV). Other examples of where "from olahm" doesn’t mean ’from infinite eternity’ but rather ’from a long time ago, but within human history’ include <a href='B:10 6:4'>Gen 6:4</a>; <a href='B:50 32:7'>Deu 32:7</a>; <a href='B:60 24:2'>Jos 24:2</a>; <a href='B:90 27:8'>1Sa 27:8</a>; <a href='B:90 27:12'>1Sa 27:12</a>; <a href='B:220 22:15'>Job 22:15</a>; <a href='B:240 22:8'>Pro 22:8</a>; <a href='B:290 58:12'>Isa 58:12</a>; <a href='B:290 63:9'>Isa 63:9</a>; <a href='B:290 63:11'>Isa 63:11</a>; <a href='B:300 5:15'>Jer 5:15</a>; <a href='B:460 3:4'>Mal 3:4</a>. Most significantly, the Hebrew phrase here translated "from everlasting" is that used by Micah to mean "the days of old" (<a href='B:400 7:14'>Mic 7:14</a>), referring to days earlier in Israel’s history.</h4>


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<h4>Therefore He will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth- As noted on <a href='B:400 4:9-10'>Mic 4:9-10</a>, Micah prophesied in the time of Hezekiah, and this same figure of Zion in travail is used by him at the time of the Assyrian invasion (<a href='B:290 37:3'>Isa 37:3</a>). The labour pains at that time were to have issued forth in the rebirth of the nation, and perhaps in the ’birth’ or coming of a Messianic king for the revived kingdom. But that didn’t happen, although by grace, Zion was saved from her pains by the destruction of the Assyrian army by an Angel. <a href='B:290 26:17-18'>Isa 26:17-18</a> speaks of this: "Like as a woman with child who draws near the time of her delivery and is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so we have been before You, Yahweh. We have been with child, we have been in pain, we gave birth, it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen". And so the Divine intention was that she would "bring forth" to spiritual maturity in captivity (<a href='B:400 4:10'>Mic 4:10</a>). But until that time, God would "abandon" them. And yet that possibility also didn’t really come to fruit. And so the prophecies of the virgin daughter of Zion bringing forth were reapplied to the birth of the Lord Jesus, the individual who epitomized the true Israel as God intended (<a href='B:290 7:14'>Isa 7:14</a>; <a href='B:290 9:6'>Isa 9:6</a>). Remember that Isaiah was contemporary with Micah. This imagery would have been well understood between them. We marvel at how God tries so hard with people, and yet allows their freewill to be genuine; and yet His prophetic intentions will always come ultimately true.</h4><h4>Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel- At the intended restoration, Judah and Israel would be united. The "He" in view is the Messiah figure of :2. This figure could then have emerged from Bethlehem, but didn’t. The potential wasn’t used. The restoration is always presented as a time when Judah and Israel would together return, not just physically from captivity but in repentance to God. But this is yet to happen; they didn’t repent, and so the intended possible prophetic path didn’t happen and had to be deferred in fulfilment.</h4>


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<h4>He shall stand- Literally, stand up, perhaps a reference to the Messiah’s resurrection, or exaltation.</h4><h4>And shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth- The Messiah figure of :2 was to shepherd the reunited people of God (:3). "They will live" recalls the restoration prophecy of Ezekiel 36, the revival of the dry bones of God’s people in exile. But this prophecy didn’t then come true as they refused to spiritually revive; it was deferred to a far greater fulfilment, in the literal resurrection of Israel from their graves at the Lord’s second coming, when He will be great to the ends of the earth.</h4>


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<h4>He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land- A Messianic leader born in Bethlehem could have saved Judah in Micah’s time. But that didn’t happen. And so these words will have a latter day application. Micah 5 speaks of how “the Assyrian” will be in conflict with the Lord Jesus, the one born in Bethlehem who will become “great unto the ends of the earth” at His return to earth when His brethren ‘return’ to Him (<a href='B:400 5:1-4'>Mic 5:1-4</a>). The establishment of the Kingdom on earth and repentance of Israel will occur “when the Assyrian shall come into our land” and the Lord Jesus saves them from the invasion.</h4><p>And when he marches through our fortresses- This latter day Assyrian will “tread down our palaces”. This is likely an intensive plural for the great palace of Israel, the temple. The Lord Jesus uses this language in predicting that Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until “the times of the Gentiles” are fulfilled (<a href='B:490 21:24'>Luk 21:24</a>). These times of Gentile treading down of Jerusalem likely refer to the 1260 days / three and a half years of the final tribulation. The treading down of Jerusalem will therefore be by “the Assyrian”, and capturing Jerusalem is the great goal of militant Islam. This is the treading down of God’s people to be done by the little horn of <a href='B:340 8:10'>Dan 8:10</a>. The little horn is therefore “the Assyrian”; and a charismatic leader of the Islamists would fit the job description exactly.</p><p>Then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight senior leaders of men- Seven, even eight could be read as three, even four in Amos 1, 2. That is, a complete fullness of shepherds. The Messiah has just been called a shepherd in :4; perhaps the idea is that this latter day Messiah, the Lord Jesus, will have incorporated within Him many other shepherds. This would then refer to the believers and repentant Israel, who are "in" Christ. For we are to king-priests reigning over the earth at the Lord’s return (<a href='B:730 5:10'>Rev 5:10</a>). Or it may be that the Lord’s Messianic administration has seven leaders. "Senior leaders of men" is literally "poured out [as offerings] Adams"; appropriate to those who have given their lives to Christ.</p><h4>&nbsp;As in the prototype with Sennacherib, the destruction of Gog at the second coming will be by Angelic means under the command of Christ. The enigmatic <a href='B:400 5:5'>Mic 5:5</a> maybe refers primarily to Hezekiah’s influence of Angelic forces in leading to the destruction of the Assyrian invader. This would point forward to Christ’s use of the Angels to destroy Gog: "This man (Hezekiah/ Jesus) shall be the peace, when the Assyrian (Gog) shall come into our land::. then shall we raise against him seven shepherds (an Angelic title in <a href='B:230 80:1'>Psa 80:1</a> and <a href='B:290 63:9-11'>Isa 63:9-11</a>; cp. the seven eye-Angels of Zechariah and Revelation), and eight princes of men"- another Angelic reference, seeing that "the prince of Persia" in Daniel was an Angel. Maybe this implies that the Angels will use other nations as a means of defeating Gog. Perhaps it is to the seven Angel-spirits of Revelation and Zechariah that Micah refers: "When the Assyrian shall come into our land. . . shall we raise against him (in warfare, the Hebrew implies- cp. <a href='B:380 1:1'>Oba 1:1</a>) seven shepherds, and eight princes of men" (<a href='B:400 5:5'>Mic 5:5</a>). The only beings to fight the Assyrians were the Angels who slew them, seeing that the Jews scarcely fired an arrow in anger at them. Both "shepherd" and "prince" are Angelic titles&nbsp; (see <a href='B:230 80:1'>Psa 80:1</a>; <a href='B:290 63:9-11'>Isa 63:9-11</a> and <a href='B:60 5:14'>Jos 5:14</a>; <a href='B:340 10:13'>Dan 10:13</a>; <a href='B:340 12:1'>Dan 12:1</a> respectively). The Angels could be "princes of men" as those in Daniel were both princes of Heaven and also of human nations, e. g. Persia.</h4>


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<p>They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border- The deliverance from the Assyrian invader within the land borders of Israel will result also in dominating the land of Assyria. This never happened historically, although it had been potentially possible. But it will happen in a moment at the Lord’s return. "Marches" is literally ’to tread’; see on :5 And when he marches through our fortresses. Micah opened his prophecy by saying that Yahweh through the invaders would tread down Israel (s:w. <a href='B:400 1:3'>Mic 1:3</a>). But now in His grace He will rescue Israel from that judgment through Messiah.</p>


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<h4>The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from Yahweh, like showers on the grass- The dropping of dew was understood as the teaching of doctrine (<a href='B:50 32:2'>Deu 32:2</a>). The repentant remnant were to go out and teach the Gentile world. This is consciously alluding to the then-famous Messianic prophecy of <a href='B:230 72:6'>Psa 72:6</a>: “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth”. The blessings Messiah brings are to be articulated through the witness of those in Him. Those who have lived in Him will then shine as the brightness of the firmament (<a href='B:340 12:3'>Dan 12:3</a>). But the description of the Lord’s face shining as the sun draws on this; as if to say that our shining in the future Kingdom will be because we were and are in Him. We will shine forth then (<a href='B:470 13:43'>Mat 13:43</a>), as the Sun of righteousness Himself.</h4><h4>That don’t wait for man, nor wait for the sons of men- The idea may be that men must respond to the teaching and offer of salvation quickly, or else they will miss it, and it will be gone for ever. See on :15.</h4>


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<p>The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no one to deliver- The preceding verse :7 has spoken of the remnant teaching the nations, but that teaching would be as the dew which appears only briefly. If that teaching will be rejected, then judgment will follow immediately. And the once downtrodden remnant are described in the very language used of their invaders- young lions and a mature lion. This therefore means that the invaders will be treated by Israel as they treated Israel- unless they repent. This is exactly the outline picture of the book of Revelation; the seals of judgment upon Israel are the basis of the bowls of judgment then poured out upon those who judge Israel in the last days. The tearing into pieces by Israel will then bring about the destruction of the image of Daniel 2 into little pieces. Repentant Israel "in Christ" will be as the little stone which falls in judgment.</p>


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<h4>Let your hand be lifted up above your adversaries- Jeremiah quotes this phrase exactly in <a href='B:310 2:17'>Lam 2:17</a>, lamenting what Babylon had done to Judah and the temple. Now that was to be finally reversed. This is the same theme as in Revelation, as noted on :8. The repentant remnant will judge their abusers as they dealt with God’s people.</h4><h4>And let all of your enemies be cut off- This could be Micah’s statement of approval uponthe prophecy in :8 that finally, the repentant remnant of Jacob would destroy their enemies, after having first given them the opportunity to repent (see on :7). The phrase quotes what is repeatedly said about all David’s enemies being cut off (<a href='B:90 20:15'>1Sa 20:15</a>; <a href='B:100 7:9'>2Sa 7:9</a>; <a href='B:130 17:8'>1Ch 17:8</a>). Those enemies referred not only to Saul but to the nations around David; and it is the neighbours of Israel who are the continual focus of latter day prophecies.</h4>


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<p>It will happen in that day, says Yahweh, That I will cut off your horses out of the midst of you, and will destroy your chariots- Horses and chariots from Egypt were what Judah in Micah’s time had trusted in. However there is a purposeful ambiguity in :10-15; these words could refer to the pagan invaders, the "nations" of :15 (see note there), and yet also to the Jews of Micah’s time. They were acting like the Gentiles, and so would meet an identical judgment. All military technology which had seemed so invincible will be rendered useless; and we note an increasing dependence upon technological defence and deterrents in the Middle East situation.</p>


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<p>I will cut off the cities of your land, and will tear down all your strongholds- Again, as noted on :10, this could apply equally to Israel as well as to their enemies. It is a theme of the prophets that all human defences shall collapse (as <a href='B:290 2:15'>Isa 2:15</a>), and we are to live daily life in that awareness too.</p>


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<p>I will destroy witchcraft from your hand; and you shall have no soothsayers- There was recourse to these things in Micah’s time as the situation got more desperate before the Assyrian advance (also noted in <a href='B:290 2:6'>Isa 2:6</a>; <a href='B:290 47:12'>Isa 47:12</a>), although the historical record doesn’t mention it. The "soothsayers" may refer to the false prophets whom he has criticized in Micah 2. If Israel had been obedient to the commands about these things in <a href='B:50 18:10'>Deu 18:10</a>, there would have been no need for their day of judgment to have as it were made them obedient in these matters. And so we are left with a powerful logic- we either accept God’s ways now, or the condemnation process will lead us to accept them all too late. Hence John the Baptist offered his audience either fire now, or the fire of damnation at the last day.</p>


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<p>I will cut off your engraved images and your pillars out of your midst; and you shall no more worship the work of your hands- The essence of idolatry is to worship or trust our own works. And we can do this without any images or pillars in a literal sense. The invaders of those times liked to destroy the images of the gods of those they had vanquished, and God says that He will do this, through working with the invaders. But as noted on :12, if Israel had cut them off themselves, they wouldn’t have needed a day of condemnation through which it would be achieved. Pillars were acceptable when they merely marked a place of Yahweh’s appearance or worship (<a href='B:10 31:13'>Gen 31:13</a>; <a href='B:10 31:45'>Gen 31:45</a>), but as with nehushtan, the bronze serpent, those pillars became turned into idols (<a href='B:110 14:23'>1Ki 14:23</a>). The attraction was that they mixed Yahweh worship with the paganism of the flesh; and this is our abiding temptation. For Yahweh demands our all, and not worship of the gods of this world in the name of worshipping Him.</p>


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<p>I will uproot your Asherim out of your midst; and I will destroy your cities- The Asherim were what the Canaanites worshipped, and Israel had been specifically told to uproot their groves (<a href='B:20 34:13'>Exo 34:13</a>; <a href='B:50 7:5'>Deu 7:5</a>). If they had done that, as explained on :12, they wouldn’t have required the day of judgment to do it. We see too that if we allow weakness in one area, the problem is that it morphs and multiplies over time into things which will lead us totally away from God. Their "cities" are paralleled with their Asherim, the tree groves in the countryside. They likely considered that what they did in some lonely spot was somehow different to their normal city life; but all of life is to be sanctified to God, and so this mentality is directly attacked here- and we too need to take heed.</p>


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<p>I will execute vengeance in anger, and wrath on the nations that didn’t listen- The idea may be that the "vengeance" is upon Israel, but the surrounding nations will likewise share in it; see on :10. But they will have been given the chance to "listen" (see on :7), and are only judged after they refuse the final appeal by the repentant remnant.</p>


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<p>Listen now to what Yahweh says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear what you have to say- As often in the prophets, the analogy of a courtroom meeting is used. God invites His people to answer the case He makes against them through Micah. The case is to be made very public- shouted wide and loud enough for the mountains to hear it. Or pleading before the mountains could be a reference to the fact that the "high places" were literally on the uplands. It is the spirit of Gideon’s father, "let Baal plead" for himself, and Elijah asking Israel to witness a legal standoff between Yahweh and the false gods.</p>


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<h4>Hear, you mountains, Yahweh’s controversy- Remember that Isaiah was contemporary with Micah (<a href='B:400 1:1'>Mic 1:1</a>); and Isaiah likewise invites God’s people to reason or enter into judgment together with God (<a href='B:290 1:18'>Isa 1:18</a>). The whole idea of course begs the obvious conclusion from the start- God is right, and He will be proven right. Any thought of entering into judgment with God should of itself provoke our immediate capitulation and casting of ourselves upon His grace.</h4><p>And you enduring foundations of the earth- The LXX suggests "the valleys". But the allusion may be to the myth that the eretz / land of promise was upheld by foundations (<a href='B:10 49:26'>Gen 49:26</a>; <a href='B:50 33:15'>Deu 33:15</a>). As with the usage of the language of demons, God in His word does at times go along with wrong understandings, and reasons for a moment as if they are correct, in order to engage with people in their own terms of reference and understanding.</p><h4>For Yahweh has a controversy with His people, and He will contend with Israel- This continues the courtroom analogy. God is taking out a case against His people. And He is also the judge of all the earth, although He invites them to be the judges. He humbles Himself to simply present the evidence of His case. Man stands self-condemned before God, and the quicker we personally realize that, the better. The judgment of the last day is for those who have not condemned themselves in this life; see on <a href='B:530 11:31-32'>1Co 11:31-32</a>. God is moving toward us too in judgment, and the only thing to do is to repent and totally capitulate; see on <a href='B:490 14:31'>Luk 14:31</a>.</h4>


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<h4>My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you?- Some time later, in Ezekiel’s time, the people complained that they were suffering unjustly for the sins of their ancestors. This sense that God was somehow unfair was around in Micah’s time. Hence the usage of the courtroom analogy. To answer before God is an awesome idea; to reply to Him, the God of all grace, against the accusation that He has treated us unreasonably is a terrifying idea. As noted above, Yahweh is presented not as the judge but as the complainant, and we are left to judge. By implication, they were claiming God had sinned against man (<a href='B:300 2:5'>Jer 2:5</a>) and burdened them with commandments (<a href='B:290 43:23'>Isa 43:23</a>); and in those passages, God in the dock asks Israel to give evidence. Romans uses the same idea, of God in the dock accused by men. And we are left as the judges to immediately conclude that this is deeply wrong. God did not burden His people with legal requirements, because even in the period of the old covenant, He often states that He asks not for ritualistic obedience but for humble, faithful hearts. See on :6.</h4><p>The truth was that Israel had burdened / wearied God by their insincere rituals (s:w. <a href='B:290 1:14'>Isa 1:14</a>; <a href='B:290 7:3'>Isa 7:3</a>). Their attitudes implied that they considered that relationship with Him was a burden and wearisome (<a href='B:460 1:13'>Mal 1:13</a>). But this was a false accusation; God has not wearied man, but the other way around.</p><h4>Answer me!- "Answer me!" is literally, testify, provide evidence (<a href='B:40 35:30'>Num 35:30</a>). And the most hardened atheist and cynic cannot do so when actually in court with God. The bravado of words said over the coffee tables and tapped on social media will soon collapse.</h4>


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<p>For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam- This is cited as the parade example of the fact God loves His people and has poured grace upon them. With us too, the fact we were called out of this world, God intervening in our lives to engage us with the Gospel’s call, is really a parade example of His grace. This means we should never accuse God of being unfair. His grace in calling us is enough. Historically, God’s bringing up of His people from Egypt was all of Divine grace. The phrase is used of Abraham being brought up from Egypt after his deceit regarding his wife, which would usually have resulted in death (<a href='B:10 13:1'>Gen 13:1</a>); Joseph’s family were likewise brought up out of Egypt after having been released by the grace of Joseph-Jesus (<a href='B:10 45:25'>Gen 45:25</a>). And the bringing up of the nation from Egypt when they were still worshipping the idols of Egypt waslikewise of pure grace. The redemption of Israel from the house of bondage is the very phrase used in <a href='B:50 7:8'>Deu 7:8</a>, as the exemplification of the simple fact that "Yahweh loved you" and kept His side of the covenant when Israel broke it. Because of this redemption from bondage, Israel were to be obedient to the covenant (<a href='B:50 15:15'>Deu 15:15</a>; <a href='B:50 24:18'>Deu 24:18</a>). And not to complain that such a duty was in any sense an unreasonable burden.</p>


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<p>My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh- This again is an example of grace which should answer any complaint that God has been unreasonable or harsh toward Israel. Israel at Balaam’s time were still worshipping the idols of Egypt which they had taken with them out of Egypt. They were weak. But God’s answer to Balak was to inspire Balaam to reveal how God imputed righteousness to Israel. He had not seen any iniquity in them, and beheld them in their encampments as beautiful and without spot (<a href='B:40 23:21'>Num 23:21</a>; <a href='B:40 24:5-6'>Num 24:5-6</a>). They passed from Shittim to Gilgal, from the wilderness journey over the Jordan into the promised land, by absolute grace. Righteousness was imputed to them, as Paul would later put it in Romans. Here again was grace; and yet it was done as a ’righteous act’, which again is a big theme with Paul. God counts the sinful as sinless without infringing morality, ethics nor righteousness; because He held in mind the future work of His son.</p>


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<h4>How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God?- The high or "exalted" God is a phrase used only twice elsewhere. God was made high or exalted by His justice / righteousness, which was revealed above all in His redemption of His faithless people from Egypt (<a href='B:230 68:18'>Psa 68:18</a>; <a href='B:230 71:19'>Psa 71:19</a>).</h4><h4>Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?- This is one of the many Old Testament hints that the Mosaic sacrifices of themselves couldn’t reconcile sinful Israel with God. It is an answer to the complaint that God had burdened Israel with the law (see on :3). The reference to calves is an allusion to the calf worship of the ten tribes, which was presented as a form of Yahweh worship.</h4>


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<p>Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?-&nbsp; This again is an answer to the complaint that God had burdened Israel with the law (see on :3). Micah comes to the point where he would fain make sacrifice for Israel, even to the point of offering his firstborn son, so strongly did he take upon himself the sins of his people; he felt their sins as the sins of his very soul. But he tells Israel that even this will be no good; they must repent themselves. In all this, Micah came close to the spirit of the Father and Son. For the Father would give His firstborn for their sin. And the Lord Jesus likewise totally identified with the sins of Israel and all God’s people, whilst being personally innocent. "Disobedience" is the same word used in the contemporary prophecy of <a href='B:290 53:5'>Isa 53:5</a>; <a href='B:290 53:8'>Isa 53:8</a> of how the suffering Messiah would bear Israel’s transgression or disobedience, as God’s firstborn dying for their sin. In :4, allusion was made to how God redeemed Israel from Egypt- through the blood of the lamb representing the firstborns. Micah may be implying that he and indeed no man could offer his firstborn for Israel’s sin; but God could, and all man can do is to humbly respond as explained in :8. Perhaps he is making the same point by way of allusion to <a href='B:230 132:11'>Psa 132:11</a>, where Messiah is called the fruit of David’s body; and Micah is saying that the fruit of his body, therefore, would not suffice.</p>


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<h4>He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you- Instead of sacrifice and legalistic obedience (:7), this was what God required. In this sense, it was just untrue that the law of Moses was a burden upon Israel (see on :3). The implication is that God had already ’shown’ His people what was required of them. The same word is used of how Micah himself was to show or "declare" God’s requirements to Israel(<a href='B:400 3:8'>Mic 3:8</a>). Perhaps the idea was that Micah himself was the declaration of what God required of His people at that time. The voice of Yahweh which called to the city in :9 was that of Micah personally. As noted throughout this commentary, Micah was the declaration of God to Israel and yet he also totally identified with sinful Israel. This was the basis of his appeal to them; and in these things he pointed forward to the Lord Jesus, of human nature and yet Divine character. The parallel in Isaiah is when again God enters the courtroom with His people: "Learn to do well, seek justice, relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless, plead for the widow" (<a href='B:290 1:17'>Isa 1:17</a>). "Seek" is the same word here translated "require".</h4><p>But to act justly- This is the same phrase as in <a href='B:10 18:19'>Gen 18:19</a>; this was to be the lead characteristic of all the true seed of Abraham. And that is true of us to this day. <a href='B:290 56:1'>Isa 56:1</a> urges Israel to do this, so that the Kingdom’s re-establishment might be hastened. But there was not a man who did this in the lead up to Judah’s destruction (<a href='B:300 5:1'>Jer 5:1</a>; <a href='B:300 7:5'>Jer 7:5</a>). Had Judah done this, the Babylonian destruction would not have come (<a href='B:300 22:3'>Jer 22:3</a>; <a href='B:300 22:15'>Jer 22:15</a>), and a Messianic kingdom could have come, when Messiah would "act justly" (<a href='B:300 23:5'>Jer 23:5</a>; <a href='B:300 33:15'>Jer 33:15</a>). The people were being asked to act like Him in this life. And Micah, at the time of the Assyrian invasion, is saying the same; and it seems some did respond, and the planned destruction at the hands of Sennacherib didn’t happen. But finally, Judah was destroyed, and that is described as God acting justly (<a href='B:330 5:8'>Eze 5:8</a>). As noted earlier, the judgment process brings about what men ought to have done by their freewill decisions in this life. To "act justly" was to act in a way that no other nation did (<a href='B:330 11:12'>Eze 11:12</a>; <a href='B:330 11:20'>Eze 11:20</a>). True justice is the unique possibility of the true people of God. To "act justly" is the lead characteristic of the righteous (<a href='B:330 18:5'>Eze 18:5</a>; <a href='B:330 18:8-9'>Eze 18:8-9</a>; <a href='B:330 18:17'>Eze 18:17</a>; <a href='B:330 18:19'>Eze 18:19</a>; <a href='B:330 18:21'>Eze 18:21</a>; <a href='B:330 18:27'>Eze 18:27</a>; <a href='B:330 33:16'>Eze 33:16</a>; <a href='B:330 33:19'>Eze 33:19</a> and often in the prophets); and that is true of us God’s people to this day. It is the behaviour of those in the new covenant (<a href='B:330 36:27'>Eze 36:27</a>; <a href='B:330 37:24'>Eze 37:24</a>). Micah concludes, as one who has done justly, in appealing for God to do justly for him (<a href='B:400 7:9'>Mic 7:9</a>); and that justice is done on the basis of imputed righteousness.</p><p>To love mercy- This love of mercy, a love of being merciful, is the characteristic of God toward those in the new covenant (<a href='B:300 31:3'>Jer 31:3</a>). And it is for us, as it was for Israel then, to reflect our experience of this in our attitudes to those who need our mercy.</p><p>And to walk humbly with your God?- Walking humbly is the essence of it all. The humility which comes from realizing our sins will empower us too to "love mercy" and be just. The only other occurrence of the Hebrew word here translated "humbly" is in <a href='B:240 11:2'>Pro 11:2</a>: "With the humble is wisdom". And it is this wisdom which is spoken of now in :9.</p><h4>It is tempting to see a parallel between these three things [justice, mercy and walking humbly with God] and <a href='B:470 23:23'>Mat 23:23</a>, which also says that instead of legalistic obedience, God wanted "justice, mercy and faith". "Humility" here is therefore understood by the Lord Jesus as "faith". And the two are indeed connected; for to walk in humility is to walk in faith, for without humility there can be no true faith. One spiritual attribute strengthens and enables another.</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh’s voice calls to the city, and wisdom sees your name- The way of wisdom was to see in all the appeals to "the city", presumably Jerusalem, the articulation of God’s Name / character as declared in <a href='B:20 34:5-7'>Exo 34:5-7</a>. It was the wisdom which comes from the humility of :8 (<a href='B:240 11:2'>Pro 11:2</a>). And there is another allusion to Proverbs, in that wisdom’s "voice calls" to the city in <a href='B:240 8:1-4'>Pro 8:1-4</a>. The ’voice that calls’ is ultimately that of Messiah and His herald, appealing for Israel’s repentance (<a href='B:290 40:3'>Isa 40:3</a>; <a href='B:290 40:6'>Isa 40:6</a>; <a href='B:290 58:1'>Isa 58:1</a>). And yet the same ’voice that calls’ was the voice that called forth the invaders to come and judge Jerusalem (<a href='B:330 9:1'>Eze 9:1</a>).</h4><h4>Listen to the rod, and He who appointed it- The Assyrians were the rod of God’s anger against His people, appointed by Him (<a href='B:290 10:5'>Isa 10:5</a>); the appeal was to have the wisdom of humility (<a href='B:240 11:2'>Pro 11:2</a>) to perceive that it was God acting behind them.</h4>


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<p>Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a short ephah that is accursed?- "Are there yet:::?" suggests the people should have repented by this stage. They needed to urgently give away the results of their fraud, and no longer use false weights. The fact Micah’s message resulted in the Assyrian invasion being turned back by God means that at least some responded to his desperate, urgent appeal. "Accursed" is perhaps better "which provokes indignation" (s:w. <a href='B:450 1:12'>Zec 1:12</a>). God’s utter indignation was against the quiet, subtle dishonesty of those who made the ephah weigh to the slight advantage of the wicked. I say "slight" because anything too obviously dishonest wouldn’t have been credible. Here again we have a major message from a minor prophet. This kind of thing kindles God’s deepest ire.</p>


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<p>Shall I be pure with dishonest scales, and with a bag of deceitful weights?- As noted on :10, this kind of thing provoked God’s deepest fury, as it does today. The connection with the contemporary words of Isaiah is to <a href='B:290 1:16'>Isa 1:16</a> "Make you clean [s:w."pure"], put away the evil of your doings". Micah is saying that response to Isaiah’s opening call to repentance isn’t going to be possible if they continue with their deceitful weights. But more than that, Micah stands as representative of Judah: "Shall I be pure::.". Perhaps it was his willing representation of Judah which alone led to the aversion of judgment upon Jerusalem at Sennacherib’s time.</p>


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<p>Her rich men are full of violence, her inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their speech- The rich leaders and the ordinary inhabitants are paralleled; Judah was not to be judged simply because of the sin of the minority who were wealthy. The ordinary people were guilty in essence of the same sins. And speaking lies and deceitfully is paralleled with "violence". This is typical of the prophets- to juxtapose apparently minor, quiet sins with major ones; for it is the quiet, subtle sins which are such abomination to God. See on :10. Lying and deceit are likewise mentioned by Isaiah as major reasons for Judah’s judgment (<a href='B:290 32:7'>Isa 32:7</a>; <a href='B:290 59:3'>Isa 59:3</a>; <a href='B:290 59:13'>Isa 59:13</a>). It was the false prophets who spoke lies and deceit (<a href='B:300 29:23'>Jer 29:23</a>; <a href='B:450 13:3'>Zec 13:3</a>), but they spoke to a people who did the same.</p>


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<p>Therefore I also have struck you with a grievous wound. I have made you desolate because of your sins- This paradox is also used by the contemporary Isaiah; the wound was incurable, the people and nation had to die. And yet they could still repent and be healed. See on <a href='B:400 1:9'>Mic 1:9</a>. This was the urgency of Micah’s appeal; that an incurable illness could be cured. They had already been made desolate, the word of desolation had been spoken, in fulfilment of <a href='B:30 26:32'>Lev 26:32</a>; but in the gapbetween the pronunciation of judgment and the fulfilment of it, repentance was possible. This was the urgency and intensity of Micah’s appeal.</p>


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<h4>You shall eat, but not be satisfied- This continues the allusions to the curses for breaking covenant with God (<a href='B:30 26:26'>Lev 26:26</a>). Being never satisfied is the curse of the condemned (<a href='B:230 59:15'>Psa 59:15</a>; <a href='B:240 27:20'>Pro 27:20</a>; <a href='B:250 1:8'>Ecc 1:8</a>; <a href='B:250 4:8'>Ecc 4:8</a>). Yet the wicked experience this in this life; sin never satisfies them. And this will be their final experience at the last day. Whereas the righteous can live satisfied lives, looking back in satisfaction at God’s grace, at lives well lived. The life of endlessly seeking satisfaction without finding it is therefore living out our own condemnation.</h4><p>Your humiliation will be in your midst- They ought to have humbled themselves (:8), but if they refused, then they would be humbled through the process of condemnation. The humbling of flesh before God must be achieved; either now, or in condemnation.</p><h4>You will store up, but not save; and that which you save I will give up to the sword- This is so true of our present society. The culture of individualism, breakup of family and the care families have historically provided in old age, fear of the unknown, the need for funds to survive after we stop working::. this has all led to a mentality of storing up. They saved up ["that which you save"], but in another sense they didn’t ["but not save"]; because the ultimate end was decreed.</h4>


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<h4>You will sow, but won’t reap- The Lord likened His preachers to men reaping a harvest. He speaks of how they fulfilled the proverb that one sows and another reaps (<a href='B:500 4:37-38'>Joh 4:37-38</a>). Yet this ‘proverb’ has no direct Biblical source. What we do find in the Old Testament is the repeated idea that if someone sows but another reaps, this is a sign that they are suffering God’s judgment for their sins (<a href='B:50 20:6'>Deu 20:6</a>; <a href='B:50 28:30'>Deu 28:30</a>; <a href='B:220 31:8'>Job 31:8</a>; <a href='B:400 6:15'>Mic 6:15</a>). But the Lord turns around the ‘proverb’ concerning Israel’s condemnation; He makes it apply to the way that the preacher / reaper who doesn’t sow is the one who harvests others in converting them to Him. Surely His implication was that His preacher-reapers were those who had known condemnation for their sins, but on that basis were His humbled harvesters in the mission field.</h4><p>You will tread the olives, but won’t anoint yourself with oil; and crush grapes, but won’t drink the wine- This again continues the references to the curses for disobedience to the covenant (<a href='B:50 28:39'>Deu 28:39</a>). Dissatisfaction was the curse, and yet living a materialistic life is itself the life of dissatisfaction. Such people live out their own condemnation. Perhaps Micah was predicting that the destruction was to come within months from when he was speaking; they had trodden their grapes and sown their crops, but the invasion would come before the harvest or before the grape juice had fermented. Micah was therefore speaking very close to the intended Assyrian destruction of Jerusalem. The fact the Lord destroyed the Assyrian armies is therefore a testament to the effectiveness of Micah’s appeal for repentance; or perhaps to the power of his own intense mediation for Judah.</p><h4>The LXX adds: "And the ordinances of my people shall vanish away", looking forward to how :16 describes a set of ordinances or commands for idol worship which were established by Israel’s kings and followed by many in Judah.</h4>


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<h4>For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab. You live by their commands, that I may make you a ruin, and her inhabitants a hissing- Judah prided themselves on not following the sins of the ten tribe kingdom, but in reality, they did. The laws and commands of Omri were kept rather than those of Yahweh. Ahab and Omri had therefore issued specific commandments regarding idol worship, perhaps presented as part of Yahweh worship; and the people religiously kept them. Again we see that the fatal temptation is to justify sin in the name of righteousness, and in essence this is our problem too.</h4><h4>And you will bear the reproach of my people- LXX "the reproach of the nations". This would be in line with frequent predictions that the nations would "hiss" at condemned Judah and reproach her (<a href='B:330 34:29'>Eze 34:29</a>; <a href='B:330 36:6'>Eze 36:6</a>; <a href='B:330 36:15'>Eze 36:15</a> etc:).</h4>


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<h4>Misery is mine! Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vineyard: There is no cluster of grapes to eat Having just said that Israel would sow and not reap (<a href='B:400 6:15'>Mic 6:15</a>), Micah feels as if summer has come, and he has gone to gather the harvest, but there is hardly any. Just the equivalent of left over gleaning quality harvest. This may imply that the harvest had been done by someone else; perhaps he envisages himself as picking up the pieces of a tiny repentant remnant after it. Although there was no cluster of grapes, there were a few odd grapes here and there, the kind of thing left behind for gleaning by the poor. Or perhaps this speaks of the tiny remnant who did respond to Micah’s message, just a grape here and there; and that was enough for God to change His plans of destroying Jerusalem by the Assyrians.</h4>&nbsp;<p>The voice of the prophets didn’t go entirely unheeded. A tiny minority responded. Isaiah had his school of disciples, referred to in Isaiah 8. The books of the prophets were presumably written up (under inspiration) by their disciples, and the biographical sections added by them. So the very existence of the books of the prophets itself indicates they had some converts who hung on and valued their every word. And yet despite this, the prophets felt lonely men, despite the converts they made- Jeremiah “sat alone” (<a href='B:300 15:17'>Jer 15:17</a>). Not only was their perspective on human sinfulness so very different to that of their audience. They preached a message which was counter-cultural and attacked the very bases of the assumptions which lay at the core of individual and social life in Israel. They appeared to back Israel’s enemies. Their message was therefore rejected by the vast majority.</p><p>My soul desires to eat the early fig- But the lack of wider response was indeed a "misery" to Micah, just as human indifference to our message should not be met by our indifference to that fact. He really wanted their repentance. His desire for the early fig was a desire to see at least some spiritual fruit in Israel, and is alluded to in <a href='B:470 21:19'>Mat 21:19</a>; Micah’s character looked forward to the passion of the Lord Jesus in desiring spiritual fruit, however immature, like an early fig, but at least something.</p><h4>This leads to the reflection that Micah 7 is a prophecy shot through with Messianic allusion. <a href='B:400 7:4'>Mic 7:4</a> is alluded to in <a href='B:470 7:16'>Mat 7:16</a>. The Lord openly quoted <a href='B:400 7:6'>Mic 7:6</a> concerning himself and His men in <a href='B:470 10:35-36'>Mat 10:35-36</a>. There are many references to the Lord’s betrayal and arrest: "They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net" (7:2 = <a href='B:500 8:59'>Joh 8:59</a>; <a href='B:500 10:31'>Joh 10:31</a>; <a href='B:500 10:39'>Joh 10:39</a>; <a href='B:500 11:8'>Joh 11:8</a>). "The prince (Herod) asketh (for a sign, <a href='B:490 23:8'>Luk 23:8</a>), the judge (Pilate) asketh for a reward; and the great man (Caiaphas he High Priest) he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up" (<a href='B:400 7:3'>Mic 7:3</a>), i:e. hatch their plot together. Because of this, "the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh" (<a href='B:400 7:4'>Mic 7:4</a> = <a href='B:490 19:44'>Luk 19:44</a>). See on :5.</h4>


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<h4>The Godly man has perished out of the land- Isaiah uses the same word for "perish" to lament the same situation, where "the righteous perish and none lays it to heart" (<a href='B:290 57:1'>Isa 57:1</a>). Although it seemed that generally there were no good men left in the land, Micah like Elijah was overlooking the critical importance of the remnant of whom he has just spoken in :1, a grape here and there. But as noted on :1, the reference may here look forward specifically to the Lord Jesus the Messiah, "the Godly man".</h4><h4>And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net- The spiritual situation at the time of Hezekiah was very low indeed. An individual like Hezekiah with the help of a small minority might impose reforms and appear to redirect the majority toward Godliness, but often the real spiritual level amongst the congregation is very low indeed. It is not the leadership which are specifically criticized here; "every man" was at war with his brother. And our attitude to our brother is chosen as the litmus indicator of how "upright" we are. To hunt with the net implies they considered their brothers small game, small animals who couldbe caught with a net for their own gain.</h4>


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<h4>Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently- Evil had become a focus and obsession for them. This is the nature of sin; the apparently little things of falsifying weights led to a way of life focused upon it, with both hands (Heb:).</h4><p>The ruler and judge ask for a bribe; and the powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul- As noted on :1, this spirit came to its full term in the way the Jews condemned the innocent Lord Jesus. We note that even amidst the reforms of Hezekiah, the judiciary and leadership were utterly corrupt. Genuine spirituality was always in a minority; but that minority was significant enough in God’s eyes for the Assyrian army to be slain and Jerusalem saved from the intended destruction. Or, as I have suggested earlier, it was the single intercession of Micah and others which was acceptable to Him, just as likely God would have saved Sodom for the sake of one man, or even just Abraham’s intercession, had Abraham had the spiritual vision to perceive that.</p><h4>Thus they conspire together- There was a feedback between the sinful desires of the powerful, and the openness of the judges to bribes. The one encouraged the other, until society slipped into a headlong rush into sin. We earlier noted on Micah 2 that the desires of the people likewise led the false prophets to prophesy what the people wanted to hear. An upward spiral of spirituality in any group of people is so much harder to initiate and sustain, but it is possible; for the body of Christ makes increase of itself in love.</h4>


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<h4>The best of them is like a brier. The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge- Even amongst sinners, God seems to grade them. There are better and worse sinners. This reflects His extreme sensitivity to sin and careful calculation of the meaning of every sin.</h4><h4>The day of your watchmen, even your visitation, has come; now is the time of their confusion- The watchman were the prophets; "the day" they had predicted of Yahweh’s judgment "has come" in Micah’s time. The word is used of Micah personally in :7, and we can imagine that he had the school of prophets centered around Isaiah in view (<a href='B:290 8:18'>Isa 8:18</a>). And yet by grace, the day of Jerusalem’s destruction was averted, thanks to Micah’s ministry. What was "now" was still changed. "Confusion" is only used elsewhere in the contemporary <a href='B:290 22:5'>Isa 22:5</a>, where it is the time when Zion’s walls should be broken down. That was effectively "now", but was changed. It did indeed come about in the Babylonian invasion, but that was a rescheduled fulfilment of the words of Isaiah and Micah.</h4>


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<h4>Don’t trust in a neighbour. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth!- As noted earlier in this chapter, those who were truly with the Lord were just a grape here and there on a harvested tree. Being part of such a tiny minority was a lonely experience. Micah implies that this minority were liable to betrayal by their family members, and perhaps he had had the same experience with his own wife (<a href='B:50 13:6'>Deu 13:6</a>) and relatives. Again we see that the judiciary and ruling classes even under Hezekiah were not only morally corrupt but abusive towards the righteous remnant. This is something not immediately apparent in the historical records.</h4><h4>The application to the Lord Jesus is clear. "Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (reference to Judas- <a href='B:230 55:13'>Psa 55:13</a>): keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom". This begins a reference to Samson’s experience with Delilah. "I will look unto the Lord (Samson first used the Yahweh Name when he cried in his final suffering)::. my God will hear me (cp."Hear me this once")::. rejoice not against me, O mine enemy (the Philistines mocking Samson): when I fall, I shall arise (Heb. elsewhere used about the resurrection); when I sit in darkness (Samson sitting in blindness in the prison), the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him (Samson’s thoughts, surely), until he plead my cause ("Remember me")::. will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then she that is mine enemy (Delilah, symbol of the Philistines to Samson) shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me (as Delilah did?), Where is Yahweh thy God? mine eyes shall behold her (is this Samson imagining the judgment, with restored eyesight?)". If these connections are valid- and it is hard to deny this- then Samson died full of vision of the resurrection, judgment and the final manifestation of his forgiveness which he would then receive. Paul likewise has plenty of these references in his final writings in 2 Timothy 4. One question remains: why are there these Samson references in a prophecy of the Lord’s betrayal? Surely Samson was a type of Christ. It could be that the Lord Jesus was being warned, prophetically, of how a particular woman could be his undoing, as she was Samson’s. The way the Messianic Proverbs warn the Son of God against a particular woman lend weight to this. Or it could be that in the same way as Delilah betrayed Samson, so Judas was to betray Jesus, and He would go through the same gamut of emotions. This would be why this prophecy of His betrayal is described in terms of Delilah’s betrayal of Samson</h4>


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<p>For the son dishonours the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house- These words are alluded to in the Olivet prophecy. The situation in Jerusalem in Micah’s time on the eve of the Assyrian invasion was to be that in the Jerusalem of both AD70 and the last days. And we wonder whether Micah’s own family had experienced this situation, with Micah divided even from his own wife (:5). We know that he was married, for he speaks of his firstborn son in <a href='B:400 6:7'>Mic 6:7</a>.</p>


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<h4>But as for me, I will look to Yahweh- "Look" is the same word as "watch[man]" in :4. Micah is saying that despite the overall lack of response to his message, even amongst his own family, he will focus on his prophetic ministry as a watchman.</h4><p>I will wait for the God of my salvation- Judah at that time had forgotten the God of their salvation (s:w. <a href='B:290 17:10'>Isa 17:10</a>), but Micah had not, and on this basis it seems God was prepared to accept him standing for Judah.</p><h4>My God will hear me- Micah expresses faith that God would hear him, strengthening the suggestion made that the averting of the Assyrian destruction of Jerusalem was due to his personal intercession.</h4>


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<h4>Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me- I have suggested on :7 and elsewhere that Micah personally was counted as God’s people, and his intercession on that basis was accepted, resulting in the salvation of Jerusalem at his time from the otherwise inevitable Assyrian judgment. And so "my enemy" refers to Israel’s enemy, Assyria. Micah expected the fall of Judah and the threatened darkness of judgment descending, but believed that just as he would be saved out of it, so would Judah. It was the Judah and Jerusalem specifically of Micah’s day who were to "fall" under Divine judgment (<a href='B:290 8:15'>Isa 8:15</a>; <a href='B:290 30:25'>Isa 30:25</a>). Indeed, they were to fall and not rise again (<a href='B:290 24:20'>Isa 24:20</a>). But Micah was confident that he would fall with Judah and rise again, and God accepted this and therefore Judah did rise again. We see foretold the power of the Lord’s rising again in resurrection, through which all identified with and in Him would thereby be justified. And yet finally Judah refused to make this identification, and so they did fall, as stated so often (<a href='B:330 5:12'>Eze 5:12</a>; <a href='B:330 6:4'>Eze 6:4</a> etc:).</h4><h4>The "darkness" was that of Divine judgment (<a href='B:290 5:30'>Isa 5:30</a>; <a href='B:290 59:9'>Isa 59:9</a>; <a href='B:310 3:2'>Lam 3:2</a>; <a href='B:360 2:2'>Joe 2:2</a>; <a href='B:370 5:18'>Amo 5:18</a>), because Judah themselves had preferred darkness to the light of God’s ways (<a href='B:290 5:20'>Isa 5:20</a>; <a href='B:330 8:12'>Eze 8:12</a>). It was through the work of Messiah that those who sat in darkness would see light (<a href='B:290 9:2'>Isa 9:2</a>; <a href='B:290 58:10'>Isa 58:10</a>; <a href='B:290 60:2'>Isa 60:2</a>), and Micah surely alludes to these words [remember Isaiah was contemporary with him]. Whilst not claiming to be Messiah, he interceded for Judah in the spirit of Messiah, and so his personal darkness [on account of association with God’s condemned people] was turned to light, and he was accepted as the representative of God’s people. The hope of Israel was to finally come out of the darkness of judgment (<a href='B:290 29:18'>Isa 29:18</a>; <a href='B:290 42:7'>Isa 42:7</a>; <a href='B:290 49:9'>Isa 49:9</a>), and Micah represented the people.</h4>


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<h4>I will bear the indignation of Yahweh, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me forth to the light. I will see His righteousness- As explained on :8, Micah was Judah’s representative. He was innocent, but he totally identified with their sin. In the metaphor of God having opened a court case against Israel, Micah as it were now stands up in court and gives his witness, and God both pleads his case as his advocate, and is also the judge. And on this basis, Micah and the people he represented were brought to light out of the darkness of Divine judgment (see on 8); and therefore the Assyrian army was slain by God in righteousness, so that Jerusalem did not fall as was otherwise inevitable. In all this we see a foretaste of how God would allow the salvation of His people through the work of the supremely representative and sinless Lord Jesus, who like Micah, totally identified with our sin and consequent condemnation. Therefore Micah as a sinner, by identification with Judah, could confidently ask for Yahweh to plead his case and give the judgment of acceptance, turning the darkness of condemnation into the light of salvation (see on :8).</h4><h4>&nbsp;There are an interesting set of allusions to David’s sin with Bathsheba in Micah 7, almost leading us to wonder whether Micah too had a femme fatale in his life- whom he speaks of in <a href='B:400 7:10'>Mic 7:10</a> as “she that is mine enemy…shame shall cover her”. He says that “I have sinned against the Lord” (<a href='B:400 7:9'>Mic 7:9</a>), using the very same words as David does in <a href='B:100 12:13'>2Sa 12:13</a>; and he marvels how God ‘passes by’ transgression (<a href='B:400 7:18'>Mic 7:18</a>), using the very same Hebrew word as is found in <a href='B:100 12:13'>2Sa 12:13</a> to describe how God “put away” David’s sin. And there are many references throughout Micah 7 to David’s Psalms of penitence. Could it be that David’s sin and repentance served as a personal inspiration to Micah, as well as being held up as the inspiration to all God’s people to repent and experience the sure mercies which David did?&nbsp;Micah saw David’s sin as the epitome of Israel’s, and his salvation by grace as their pattern.</h4>


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<h4>Then my enemy will see it, and shame will cover her who said to me, where is Yahweh your God?- I have suggested above that Micah is totally identified with God’s people, and their enemy was his. But we also saw hints in :5 and :6 that Micah’s own wife betrayed him. Perhaps this is why he speaks of Assyria as a woman, when Assyria is elsewhere personified by Micah as a male (<a href='B:400 5:6'>Mic 5:6</a>). "Where is::. God?" was the attitude of the faithless in Judah (<a href='B:460 2:17'>Mal 2:17</a>). And yet this was the attitude of Judah’s enemies (<a href='B:360 2:17'>Joe 2:17</a>), as exemplified in the blasphemous claims of Rabshakeh and Sennacherib in Micah’s time outside the walls of Jerusalem.</h4><h4>Then my enemy will see me and will cover herself with shame. Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets- To tread down in the streets was what Assyria was to do to Jerusalem (<a href='B:290 10:6'>Isa 10:6</a> s:w:; <a href='B:290 5:5'>Isa 5:5</a>; <a href='B:290 28:18'>Isa 28:18</a>; <a href='B:340 8:13'>Dan 8:13</a>). Micah imagined that this would happen to his wife, who like Job’s wife had mocked his faith in God. But we can also apply this to the Assyrians themselves, who would be judged as they had intended to judge Zion by the repentant remnant (s:w. <a href='B:450 10:5'>Zec 10:5</a>).</h4>


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<p>A day to build your walls! In that day, He will extend your boundary- Micah envisaged that Isaiah’s contemporary prophecies about the rebuilding ofJerusalem’s walls and the extension of Judah’s boundaries was to happen in his lifetime (<a href='B:290 54:2'>Isa 54:2</a>; <a href='B:290 60:10'>Isa 60:10</a>). He as it were had a vision of that day coming, and shouts out the message in joy. All this could have happened after the destruction of the Assyrian army outside Jerusalem, but Hezekiah and others were satisfied just by God’s immediate deliverance in this life, and shrugged off the great potentials possible. And that is true for many believers today.</p>


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<p>In that day they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain- After the Angelic destruction of the Assyrians, representatives did indeed come to Hezekiah from such places. But he was lifted up in pride and was drawn down to their level, rather than using this as the springboard for establishing a Messianic kingdom over the surrounding peoples. The reference to the territory from the Nile to the Euphrates recalls the promises to Abraham. The entire eretz promised to Abraham could have flowed to Jerusalem and received teaching, leading to them being incorporated into Yahweh’s dominion or kingdom. This looks forward to the prediction in :16,17 that finally some of the invaders would repent and come to Zion in acceptance of Yahweh and His Son.</p>


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<p>Yet the land will be desolate because of those who dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings- Micah appears to have foreseen, or had revealed to him, that Judah would not ultimately make good. Despite the power of his intercession and the response of a remnant to his message, the baton would be dropped by Hezekiah. The land would still be desolated, using the language of the curses for breaking covenant with Yahweh (s:w. <a href='B:30 26:33'>Lev 26:33</a>). Isaiah’s many threats of a desolated land would still come true in the end (<a href='B:290 1:7'>Isa 1:7</a>; <a href='B:290 6:11'>Isa 6:11</a>; <a href='B:290 17:9'>Isa 17:9</a> etc:). However we could understand that the land was indeed desolated at Micah’s time by the Assyrians and only Jerusalem remained unconquered.</p>


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<p>Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock of Your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the midst of fertile pasture land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old- And yet Micah returns to the great prophetic theme, after recognizing Judah’s sin and ultimate punishment (:13). The scattered remnant of the flock, wandering in forests [whereas sheep don’t usually live in forests] would be shepherded by Yahweh and herded together into a good pasture land, that of eretz Israel. And that would be a re-establishment of God’s Kingdom ["as in the days of old"]. Ezekiel 34 speaks of Yahweh as Israel’s shepherd at this time in terms which are applied to the Lord Jesus in John 10. Yahweh’s shepherding will be through the Lord Jesus.</p>


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<p>As in the days of your coming forth out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvellous things- I suggest that the "marvels" are not so much the miracles of the plagues, but the "marvellous things" done at Sinai when God entered into covenant with Israel after they had left Egypt (<a href='B:20 34:10'>Exo 34:10</a> s:w:), and when they crossed Jordan into Canaan (<a href='B:60 3:5'>Jos 3:5</a> s:w:). Yahweh will do the same when He enters into a new covenant with the redeemed, regathered, repentant remnant. In <a href='B:400 6:4'>Mic 6:4</a>, God reasoned that His bringing Israel forth out of Egypt was a parade example of His grace and desire to save. The marvel will preeminently be His grace in finally saving Israel. In the short term, the destruction of the Assyrians who had surrounded Jerusalem was a foretaste of these "marvellous things", and indeed that phrase is used of how God could save Jerusalem from besieging armies (<a href='B:300 21:2'>Jer 21:2</a>).</p>


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<h4>The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might- This is a consistent theme of the prophets; that the nations will be ashamed of all trust in human strength. And we should learn that lesson now, surrounded as we are by so many temptations to trust human strength.</h4><h4>They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf- Shame and laying the hand on the mouth all suggest repentance (<a href='B:220 21:5'>Job 21:5</a>; <a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>), which we have stated specifically in :17. A remnant of the invaders will apparently repent in the last days, as noted on :12. GNB "and cover their ears" would be another sign of capitulationand recognition of sin.</h4>


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<h4>They will lick the dust like a serpent- This is the language of <a href='B:230 72:9'>Psa 72:9</a> and <a href='B:290 49:23'>Isa 49:23</a> about God’s enemies bowing before Him when they do this. Their humiliation leads to their repentance. God’s hand in human life seeks to humble us, but in order that we may come to Him, and not for its own sake.</h4><h4>Like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their dens. They will come with fear to Yahweh our God, and will be afraid because of You- As noted above and on :12 and :16, even a remnant of Israel’s enemies will come to "fear Yahweh", to become His servants. They will recognize that all human might or ’strongholds’ ["dens"] is of no account; for in the lead up to this situation in the last days, human strength and military technology will be seen as of supreme meaning.</h4>


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<h4>Who is a God like You- No god or idol of any conceivable religion has the grace and forgiveness of the one true God.</h4><p>Who pardons iniquity- This is the Hebrew phrase usually translated ’to bear iniquity’ (<a href='B:20 28:38'>Exo 28:38</a>; <a href='B:20 28:43'>Exo 28:43</a> etc:). God forgives iniquity by as it were bearing or carrying it, as if taking the guilt Himself. For ’to bear iniquity’ also means ’to take guilt for iniquity’ (<a href='B:330 44:10'>Eze 44:10</a>; <a href='B:330 44:12'>Eze 44:12</a> etc:). This was done by Micah, as noted throughout Micah 6, 7. But God did this supremely in the work of His Son, who bore the iniquity of Israel so that God might thereby pardon it.</p><p>And passes over- The language of God’s Passover deliverance of Israel on account of the blood of the lamb, representative of Jesus (<a href='B:20 12:23'>Exo 12:23</a>), continuing the allusion to those events which began in :15.</p><p>The disobedience of the remnant of His heritage?- Not every Israelite or Jew will be saved. Micah’s marvel is at God’s forgiveness of the repentant remnant. "The remnant of His heritage" is the phrase used in <a href='B:120 21:14'>2Ki 21:14</a> of those who would go into captivity. Micah seems to have foreseen this, and yet looked ahead to their repentance and eternal restoration.</p><h4>He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because He delights in loving kindness- God’s grace and love only have depth and meaning because He also does feel great anger at sin. But within His personality, the pole of loving kindness eventually comes out as His dominant feature; His mercy triumphs over His necessary judgment. Quite simply, God loves being merciful and gracious, and asks that we have the same attitude (<a href='B:300 9:24'>Jer 9:24</a>; <a href='B:350 6:6'>Hos 6:6</a>).</h4>


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<h4>He will again have compassion on us- The salvation of Israel from Egypt was by grace, as they left Egypt with the idols of Egypt and tabernacles of their gods. As noted on <a href='B:400 6:4'>Mic 6:4</a>, God’s saving of Israel from Egypt was by grace alone, and "He will again" show that grace. This was the compassion which was to be shown when the remnant were regathered from captivity (<a href='B:50 30:3'>Deu 30:3</a>). It was tragic that the returning exiles were indifferent to this. The same amazing, saving grace is available to all now who wish to quit this world and enter the new covenant which the exiles then spurned.</h4><p>He will tread our iniquities under foot- As noted on :10, it was Judah and specifically Jerusalem who were to be trodden under foot for their sins. But Jerusalem was saved by grace in Micah’s time as a result of his intercession and identity with them, the just for the unjust. This looked forward to the far greater future salvation. God will make a difference between the sinners and their sins. Their sins rather than they personally would be trodden under foot, and thus the sinners themselves would be saved. And we are to maintain this same clear differentiation in our dealings with people, between sin and sinner.</p><h4>&nbsp;And you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea- This was the punishment of the Egyptians, and we have noted the Passover allusions on :15 and :18. The destruction of Israel’s enemies (cp. the Egyptians) is paralleled with the destruction of Israel’s sins. The allusion is also to <a href='B:50 9:21'>Deu 9:21</a>, where Moses "cast your sin, the calf which you had made" into the water. As noted above, their sin is differentiated from the persons. The sin was to be totally and permanently destroyed. It is only those who identify with their sins who will likewise be personally cast into the depths in condemnation (<a href='B:490 17:2'>Luk 17:2</a>). Like Paul in Romans 7, we are to recognize our sins, but not identify ourselves with them. And then the sins are dealt with by God, so permanently that they could be searched for and never found (<a href='B:300 50:20'>Jer 50:20</a>), and we as persons are saved.</h4>


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<p>You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old- "Mercy and truth" is a reference to the promises to the fathers; and it is here defined specifically as the total forgiveness of sin (:19). The same interpretation of the blessing embedded in the promises is found in <a href='B:510 3:25-26'>Act 3:25-26</a>. This is the final word of Micah’s prophecy; this is the essence of God’s purpose- the blessing of forgiveness by grace. The ultimate truth is of God’s saving mercy towards His people.</p>


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<h4>A divine word about Nineveh- Literally, "doom". The idea may be that the previous word against Nineveh through Jonah had not come about because of their repentance, but now, 150 years later, the word was to come true. For they had not maintained that peak of repentance.</h4><p>The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite- Layard, Nineveh and its Remains Vol. 1 p. 233, was certain that he had discovered the village of Elkosh near Nineveh. There is no definite evidence that it is the name of anywhere in Palestine. Jonah was buried in Mosul / Nineveh, implying he returned there after his repentance at the end of the book of Jonah and perhaps spent the rest of his days ministering to the converts there, some of whom we know from the Lord’s words shall rise in judgment to eternal life. It may be that Nahum continued Jonah’s work, despairing as the believing community there turned away over time. Or perhaps he was one of the captives taken there during one of the waves of Assyrian invasions. Nahum says little about Judah and when he rarely addresses them, he speaks as if from a distance. Aramaisms have been detected in his Hebrew at <a href='B:410 2:4'>Nah 2:4</a>; <a href='B:410 2:8'>Nah 2:8</a>; <a href='B:410 2:13'>Nah 2:13</a>. And the term taphsar in <a href='B:410 3:17'>Nah 3:17</a> is an Assyrian word. Nahum writes as if he was familiar with Nineveh, as would his audience be. If indeed he was prophesying in Palestine, we would wonder at exactly why all the detail was given to his first hearers, about a distant city they didn’t know. I note on <a href='B:410 1:13'>Nah 1:13</a> and often that Nahum may well have been prophesying at the time that the Assyrians attacked Judah and Jerusalem, having been taken into captivity himself by the Assyrians from the ten tribe kingdom some years before.</p><h4>In this case, we can marvel at his bravery in uttering this prophecy. It would have been unpopular with the Ninevites and seen as blasphemous of their gods and culture. And the Jews with Nahum would not have been inclined to believe him; because they lived there, and the destruction of Nineveh and Assyria by invaders would mean the loss of all they had, and an end of their world. Our message likewise is going to be unpopular with secular society, as well as with worldly Christian believers. For our world is likewise about to collapse around us.</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh is a jealous God and avenges- God had promised vengeance on the Assyrians in <a href='B:360 2:18'>Joe 2:18</a>. Although they were the rod in His hand and used by Him (Isaiah 10), they had overstepped their commission, both in what they did to the ten tribes and to the land of Judah during Sennacherib’s invasion.</h4><h4>Yahweh avenges and is full of wrath. Yahweh takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He maintains wrath against His enemies- This language is used of God’s people as well as the Gentile invaders. He "maintains" or keeps His wrath ifpeople&nbsp; are impenitent (<a href='B:300 3:5'>Jer 3:5</a>; <a href='B:300 3:12'>Jer 3:12</a>; <a href='B:400 7:18'>Mic 7:18</a>). There may therefore be a hint that if Nineveh repented as they had at Jonah’s time, even this detailed prophecy of judgment need not come about. There is a gap between His statement of judgment and His execution of it; in that gap, His wrath is kept, but it need not be executed if we repent. And that is the intensity of the moment both we and this world stand within.</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished- This is an appeal to the basic characteristics of God which are part of His essential Name (<a href='B:20 34:6-7'>Exo 34:6-7</a>). The slowness to anger refers to the gap commented upon on :2.</h4><h4>Yahweh has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet- This is the language of theophany. As the cherubim would come upon His people in judgment, as Ezekiel’s visions visualize, so they would upon Assyria. We see here what is to be a theme in Nahum; that the same Divine judgments upon His people were to come upon those who judged them. We see this in the structure of Revelation; the seals of judgment upon Israel are related to the bowls of wrath upon those who judge them.</h4>


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<h4>He rebukes the sea- The language of the Red Sea. The implication may be that the judgment of Assyria, the drying up of her waters, which represent Gentiles, was to issue forth in the return of the Israelites exiled in Assyria- people like Nahum. This was always the Divine intention- that both the ten tribes and Judah would return from captivity and re-establish His Kingdom upon earth in the form of Israel. But this didn’t happen; the exiles for the most part preferred to remain amongst the Gentiles, and didn’t repent. The same term is used in <a href='B:470 8:26'>Mat 8:26</a> for the Lord’s rebuking of the sea. This doesn’t make Him "God" in a Trinitarian sense, it means that He manifested God, just as Moses likewise rebuked the Red Sea, on God’s behalf, without being God Himself in person.</h4><h4>And makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan languishes, and Carmel; and the flower of Lebanon languishes- "The sea" would refer to Assyria, and "the rivers" to the peoples and mercenary armies which were part of the Assyrian empire. The idea may be that this was to happen because they had made Bashan and Carmel to languish; or the picture could be of Bashan and Carmel in time of drought, and this is applied to Assyria. Such a reference to a situation in the land of Israel could imply that although Nahum’s message was given in Assyria (see on :1), it was also published in Israel and Judah. They were to know that the Assyrian empire was going to dry up, just like Carmel in time of drought.</h4>


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<p>The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at His presence, yes, the world, and all who dwell in it- This is the language of the exodus from Egypt. God works according to the same hallmark, stamped upon all His actions and judgments over history. The nations ["mountains"] of the eretz promised to Abraham had trembled before the cruel Assyrians; but now they were to quake before God. The Assyrians were a fake Kingdom of God, offering their kingdom as if it were the actual Kingdom of God (<a href='B:290 36:16'>Isa 36:16</a> cp. <a href='B:400 4:4'>Mic 4:4</a>). And so God was to establish His Kingdom at the time of Assyria’s judgment. This was the intended path for the development of God’s purpose at that time; then, the repentant exiles of Israel and Judah would return to re-establish God’s Kingdom. But they didn’t repent, and so this scenario didn’t come true. But it will ultimately, in the judgment of the latter day Assyria, repentance of the Jewish remnant, and the return of the Lord Jesus to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. Then God’s "presence" will literally be on earth. The very same language is used of the quaking of the mountains after Gog is destroyed at the Lord’s second coming (<a href='B:330 38:20'>Eze 38:20</a>).</p>


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<h4>Who can stand before His indignation?- The words of <a href='B:230 130:3'>Psa 130:3</a> about the inability of sinners to stand before God’s wrath. God counted the Assyrians as sinners and responsible to His judgment. And yet the average Assyrian didn’t have a detailed knowledge of Him. The knowledge which makes responsible to judgment is therefore very basic. There are those who will respond to that same basic knowledge in humility and repentance, as Nineveh did at the time of Jonah. And this will be their eternal salvation, as the Lord Himself said of the men of Nineveh. The amount of theological knowledge required for responsibility to God is therefore apparently very low.</h4><p>Who can endure the fierceness of His anger?- Although Nahum was prophesying to the Assyria of his day, not every detail came true in his time. Yet his words will have their ultimate fulfilment in the destruction of the latter day Assyria, and so these words in this verse are used in other latter day prophecies (<a href='B:360 2:11'>Joe 2:11</a>; <a href='B:460 3:2'>Mal 3:2</a>; <a href='B:730 6:17'>Rev 6:17</a>).</p><h4>His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken apart by Him- This is the language of <a href='B:300 7:20'>Jer 7:20</a> about God’s wrath with Judah. What Assyria had done to God’s people was to be done to them; see on :3.</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh is good- All this talk of judgment to come must be&nbsp; understood beneath the simple principle that Yahweh is good; He is not unjust, and He goes on now to say that all His true people will be saved out of judgment.</h4><h4>A stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who take refuge in Him- This was perhaps comfort to the Jews in Nineveh, or the faithful remnant of those who had responded to Jonah previously, who were hearing Nahum’s message; see on :1. God knew them and is promising to preserve them from the judgment to come upon Nineveh. Assyria would seek for a stronghold in the time of their condemnation and not find one (s:w. <a href='B:410 3:11'>Nah 3:11</a>); because Yahweh alone was the stronghold in the day of judgment.</h4>


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<h4>But with an overflowing flood- Floods or waters refer to invading armies, but the allusion is also to how Assyria would be destroyed as the world of Noah’s day was. And that implied the survival of a remnant. In these judgments there is always the hint of hope for those who wanted to go God’s way. "There is perhaps a special allusion to the mode of Nineveh’s capture by the Medo-Babylonian army-namely, through a flood in the river, which broke down the wall twenty furlongs". But the language of "flood" is surely figurative, for <a href='B:430 2:13'>Zep 2:13</a> says that Nineveh would be made as dry as the wilderness</h4><p>He will make a full end of His adversaries, and will pursue His enemies into darkness- The Hebrew implies "make an utter end of the place thereof" (AV). But Nineveh still ’stands’ in the form of the city of Mosul. This may be an example of where Nahum’s prophecy didn’t have exact fulfilment; but it will have in the total destruction of the latter day Assyrian.</p><h4>But to die with no trace is a figure for judgment and need not be taken literally (<a href='B:230 37:36'>Psa 37:36</a>; <a href='B:340 2:35'>Dan 2:35</a>). It resembles the termination of many Assyrian inscriptions which record the defeat of a hostile chieftain: "And no one has seen any trace of him since". Again, what Assyria had done to God’s people was to be done to them; see on :3.</h4>


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<h4>What do you plot against Yahweh? He will make a full end- To plot against Yahweh is evidently futile. <a href='B:300 49:30'>Jer 49:30</a> cp. 50:45 develop the point, that Babylon had plotted against God’s people to destroy them, but God plotted / plannedBabylon’s total destruction. Attitudes to God’s people are attitudes to Him; how we treat them is how God will treat us. This is a theme enshrined in the New Testament, and should majorly control our whole attitude to all within covenant relationship with them. They are in our lives and we in theirs, in order to have an arena in which to work out the principles of love, tolerance and correct judgment.</h4><h4>Affliction won’t rise up the second time- Assyria in its then present form would not again afflict Judah. But Judah did suffer "affliction" many times again. Here we have another example of where the planned destruction of Nineveh could have been the ending of all Judah’s suffering, leading to the return of the repentant exiles and the establishment of God’s Kingdom in Israel. But this didn’t happen as the exiles didn’t repent. And Judah suffered affliction many more times. The fulfilment of these words has therefore been reapplied and rescheduled to the last days, when indeed Judah will never be afflicted again. "Affliction" is the word used of Jacob’s final and never to be repeated time of trouble in the last days (<a href='B:10 35:3'>Gen 35:3</a>; <a href='B:340 12:1'>Dan 12:1</a>). But the word is also used of the affliction caused by the Assyrian invasion of Judah in Hezekiah’s time (<a href='B:290 37:3'>Isa 37:3</a> and often in Isaiah). This could have been the final affliction which was never to be repeated. But Hezekiah let the baton drop, the repentance of the people was but symbolic, and they lost the kingdom vision. And so these words can only have their total fulfilment in the last days.</h4>


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<h4>For while they are entangled in thorns- The idea may be that they would be burnt like thorns, the curse of sin (<a href='B:100 23:6-7'>2Sa 23:6-7</a>).</h4><h4>And intoxicated with their drink, they will be consumed utterly like dry stubble- "Their drunken revelries are perhaps alluded to, during which the foe (according to Diodorus Siculus, 2) broke into their city, and Sardanapalus burned his palace; though the main and ultimate destruction of Nineveh referred to by Nahum was long subsequent to that under Sardanapalus". The LXX offers: "Because to its foundation it shall be dried up", alluding to the way Nineveh was captured as explained on :8.</h4>


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<p>There is one gone forth out of you, who devises evil against Yahweh, who counsels wickedness- This seems very relevant to the wicked devices of Sennacherib and Rabshakeh against Yahweh, counselling the Jerusalem Jews to accept the Assyrian offer of a kingdom like that promised by Yahweh, each man sitting under his own fig tree. Their campaign was specifically "against Yahweh" in that they compared Him with the other deities whose supposed power they had overcome; hence "What do you imagine against the Lord?" (<a href='B:120 19:22-23'>2Ki 19:22-23</a>). The latter day fulfilment will be in Gog, the leader of latter day Assyria, whose invasion of the land is described in the same language as that of Assyria. He too will "devise evil" against God’s people; the very same Hebrew phrase is translated "think an evil thought" in <a href='B:330 38:10'>Eze 38:10</a>. And yet the same phrase is several times used of how God devises evil against Israel’s enemies as well as against His people (<a href='B:300 18:11'>Jer 18:11</a>; <a href='B:300 26:3'>Jer 26:3</a>). The devising of evil by Assyria was in a sense God’s devising of evil; He works out His purpose through the thoughts and intents of human hearts. His activity on human hearts is thus intertwined with the thoughts which human beings themselves have; confirming them but never forcing them to act as robots programmed by Him against their will.</p>


text:
<h4>Thus says Yahweh: Though they be in full strength- Heb. ’at peace’. These words can apply to both Assyria and Judah in their self confidence. Assyria invaded Judah at the pinnacle of their power and confidence.</h4><p>And likewise many- We recall Hezekiah’s words to the people as the Assyrians approached in <a href='B:140 32:7'>2Ch 32:7</a>: "Be not afraid::. for all the multitude that is with him".</p><p>Even so they will be cut down- Heb. ’shaved’, as Assyria did to God’s people (<a href='B:290 7:20'>Isa 7:20</a>), so it was to be done to them; see on :3.</p><p>And he shall pass away- "They shall be cut down, when He (Yahweh) shall pass through," destroying by one Angelic stroke the Assyrian host, just as the Angel had passed through Egypt and done likewise.</p><h4>Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more- Elsewhere spoken to Judah if they were repentant (<a href='B:290 40:1-2'>Isa 40:1-2</a>; <a href='B:290 52:1-2'>Isa 52:1-2</a>). It’s difficult to tell whether Assyria or Judah are being addressed; the point being that both were threatened with the same Divine judgment, and both could have repented and averted it. Nineveh had earlier done this at Jonah’s time, and the implication of all these details of judgment is that they could do so again.</h4>


text:
<p>Now will I break his yoke from off you, and will burst your bonds apart- Surely a reference to the Assyrian’s yoke upon Judah (<a href='B:120 18:14'>2Ki 18:14</a>; <a href='B:290 10:27'>Isa 10:27</a>). The implication of "Now::." is that Nahum may have been contemporary with the Sennacherib invasion of Judah at Hezekiah’s time, having himself been one of those taken captive to Assyria from the ten tribes some years before. Some kind of Messianic kingdom could have been established then, but Hezekiah didn’t follow through on his potential, and the exiles didn’t repent. The intended scenario was that Nineveh would be destroyed and the exiles return in repentance; but that didn’t quite happen as it potentially could have done, although the prophetic word will ultimately come true in the last days.</p>


text:
<h4>Yahweh has commanded concerning you: No more descendants will bear your name- The idea is that his&nbsp; dynasty would become extinct, which is what happened when Sennacherib was slain by his sons at Hezekiah’s time, and they fled away from Assyria (<a href='B:290 37:38'>Isa 37:38</a>).</h4><p>Out of the house of your gods will I cut off the engraved image and the molten image- The Medes are recorded as delighting in destroying the idols of Nineveh. As the Assyrians had "cut off" the idols of other nations, so theirs were treated (<a href='B:120 19:18'>2Ki 19:18</a>). An engraving at Khorsabad shows a man cutting an idol to pieces. The Assyrian palaces of the kings were thought to be sacred, and thus the king’s house was also the house of their gods; Layard mentions this repeatedly. "Cut off" is then used about the Assyrians’ fate (:15). Those who worship idols are like unto them. The idols were to be cut off when the Assyrians were cut off; they were one and the same. And that is true for all forms of idolatry and idolators today. See on <a href='B:410 2:6'>Nah 2:6</a>.</p><p>I will make your grave- The Hebrew implies "’I will make it ["the house of your gods", Nisroch] your grave". And this truly happened: "As he (Sennacherib) was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god::. Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword" (<a href='B:290 37:38'>Isa 37:38</a>).</p><h4>For you are vile- The word is also translated "light"; as if weighed in the balances and found wanting (<a href='B:340 5:27'>Dan 5:27</a>).</h4>


text:
<h4>Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace!- The picture is of a herald speeding towards Judah with good news. It could be that Nahum had himself in mind, in that I suggested on :1 that his prophecy of Assyria’s destruction was given to him in Assyria, but the scroll or message was sent back to Judah. The good news was the destruction of the seemingly invincible Assyrians, and by implication, the re-establishment of God’s Kingdom in Israel under a Messianic figure. These words are quoted in <a href='B:520 10:15'>Rom 10:15</a> about the Lord Jesus. A Messiah figure, the prophetic word made flesh, could then have come to Judah. But the exiles didn’t repent and Hezekiah turned away from the things of God’s Kingdom. And so the prophecy was reapplied and rescheduled to the Lord Jesus as Messiah.</h4><p>Keep your feasts, Judah! Perform your vows, for the wicked one will no more pass through you. He is utterly cut off- This could be an appeal to Judah to return to relationship with God because of the great spiritual potentials which would be enabled by the destruction of the Assyrians. Or the reference may simply be to the way that now Judah [which had been mostly occupied by the Assyrian army] could now keep the feasts again because they had free access to the Jerusalem temple. "Pass through you" is the very term used of the Assyrian invasion in Hezekiah’s time (<a href='B:290 8:8'>Isa 8:8</a>; <a href='B:290 26:20'>Isa 26:20</a>; <a href='B:290 28:15'>Isa 28:15</a>; <a href='B:290 28:18-19'>Isa 28:18-19</a>). "Cut off" is the terms used for the destruction of the Assyrians at that time (<a href='B:290 11:13'>Isa 11:13</a>; But although the Assyrian army was destroyed in Hezekiah’s time, it was not true that the wicked would never again pass through Judah. This prophecy therefore has its final fulfilment in the last days. Nineveh did not fall when the Assyrian army was destroyed at Jerusalem; and yet that is the implication of Nahum. Hezekiah instead wanted to consort with the Babylonians and there was no repentance amongst the exiles; and so the prophecy must be fulfilled in the last days.</p><h4>These words are similar to <a href='B:290 52:7'>Isa 52:7</a>, referring to a similar deliverance from Babylon. The exiles in Assyria didn’t want to return, and yet the appeal is made some years later to those in Babylon. And again, the same potential was possible- the re-establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth in the form of Israel. But all these potentials came to nothing, and so the words are quoted in <a href='B:520 10:15'>Rom 10:15</a> with a subtle change of pronoun: “How beautiful are the feet of him that preaches the Gospel” becomes “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach”. We are the Lord Jesus to this world, because we are brethren in Him. The theme of Romans is the Gospel, and in this context Paul makes the point that because both Jew and Gentile are saved by the Gospel, therefore we should preach to both Jew and Gentile (<a href='B:520 10:9-18'>Rom 10:9-18</a>). In this context, Paul quotes from <a href='B:290 52:7'>Isa 52:7</a> and <a href='B:410 1:15'>Nah 1:15</a>, both concerning preaching to Israel: "How shall they hear without a preacher? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them (cp. ’he’ in the originals- our preaching is a manifestation of the Lord) that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings". The Nahum passage is in the context of preaching to Israel the good news of their ultimate freedom from the Assyrian invasion which was then imminent. We are in a strikingly parallel situation in these last days. <a href='B:520 10:16'>Rom 10:16</a> then goes on to quote <a href='B:290 53:1'>Isa 53:1</a>, which again refers to the preaching of the Gospel to Israel, and applies it to our preaching.</h4>


text:
<h4>He who dashes in pieces has come up against you. Keep the fortress! Watch the way! Strengthen your muscles! Fortify your power mightily!- The prophets continually decry all human strength, and so this is said not so much in sarcasm, but because God wants Nineveh to trust in its strength so that it would in due course repent upon seeing how worthless is any human strength. See on <a href='B:410 3:14'>Nah 3:14</a>.</h4><h4>But we could read this as following on from <a href='B:410 1:15'>Nah 1:15</a>, where a messenger comes to Judah with Nahum’s message that Assyria is to be destroyed. If indeed this was at the time of the Assyrian encirclement of Jerusalem, then <a href='B:410 2:1'>Nah 2:1</a> may be addressed to Zion, encouraging them to keep and not surrender the fortress of Zion, and to strengthen themselves in God.</h4>


text:
<p>For Yahweh restores the pride of Jacob, as the pride of Israel; for the destroyers have destroyed them, and ruined their vine branches- Clearly the destruction of Nineveh was intended to coincide with the restoration of Jacob, and the shooting forth of his vine branches with fruit upon them. This didn’t happen as it could have done in Nahum’s time. Jacob didn’t bring forth fruit, and his glory was not restored. The restoration of God’s Kingdom in Israel was deferred and rescheduled to the last days, when the latter day Assyrian will be destroyed and the repentant Jewish remnant bring forth spiritual fruit. The pride or excellency of Jacob refers to the land promised to Jacob and the patriarchs (s:w. <a href='B:230 47:4'>Psa 47:4</a>; <a href='B:370 6:8'>Amo 6:8</a>).</p>


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<h4>The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are dressed in scarlet, the chariots flash with steel in the day of his preparation, and the pine spears are brandished- The Assyrians were noted for their red shields and scarlet military uniforms. Now, that red colour was to be due to their own blood.</h4><h4>The destruction of Nineveh by chariots with flaming fire (2:3-5) suggests that the Medes were but representatives of the Cherubim chariots with Angels made as a flame of fire (<a href='B:230 104:4'>Psa 104:4</a>); thus the "worthies" of 2:5 are the Angels, and the work controlled overall by the "Lord of Hosts" (<a href='B:410 3:5'>Nah 3:5</a>)- of Angels. There are several other examples of human armies being described in Angelic language. Our worst enemies are under Angelic control. The Angel who destroyed the Assyrians outside the walls of Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s time was to then go to Nineveh and destroy their capital city. But as noted above, this didn’t fully happen as intended because the people of God didn’t bring forth spiritual fruit (see on :2).</h4>


text:
<p>The chariots rage in the streets, they rush back and forth in the broad highways. Their appearance is like torches, they run like lightning- As noted on :3, this is the language of the Angel cherubim; we note the similarity of language with the cherubim visions of Ezekiel ("appearance", "like torches", ’running’, "like lightning"). The Angel who destroyed the Assyrians outside the walls of Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s time was to then go to Nineveh and destroy their capital city. But as noted above, this didn’t fully happen as intended because the people of God didn’t bring forth spiritual fruit (see on :2).</p>


text:
<p>He summons his picked troops. They stumble on their way. They dash to protect its wall, and the protective shield is put in place- Missile shields and other such defensive technology is what the nations trust in today as well. Again the message is that the highest human might and technology, the "picked troops", are unable to defend against God’s judgment. These troops did not stumble on their way when they were sent against Judah by God (s:w. <a href='B:290 5:27'>Isa 5:27</a>), but now they would stumble. The lesson is that God elevates and brings down, and the greatest of men in secular terms are only given their power and glory for a time, to achieve God’s wider plan. See on <a href='B:410 3:13'>Nah 3:13</a>.</p>


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<h4>The gates of the rivers are opened- Various commentators give historical accounts of the fall of Nineveh to the Medes which involve the river being used to overthrow the city, as happened with Babylon. The simple point is that their defences were seemingly unbreachable, but they were breached very easily. And this is a lesson for all who trust in human defences and insurances.</h4><h4>And the palace is dissolved- Some claim that the king of Nineveh burnt the palace over himself. Seeing the palace was also the house of his gods (see on <a href='B:410 1:14'>Nah 1:14</a>), this was a significant recognition that his entire religious and spiritual life had been a failure. He died with his gods, becoming like that which he worshipped.</h4>


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<p>It is decreed: she is uncovered, she is carried away; and her handmaids moan as with the voice of doves, beating on their breasts- The reference may be to the queen of Nineveh (AV "Huzzab"), after her husband had committed suicide in the invasion (see on :6). They were the lion and lioness in the den of :11. But this woman clearly stands as symbolic of the city, which is presented as a prostitute in <a href='B:410 3:4'>Nah 3:4</a>. The woman who once lived in solitary confinement with her maids was now stripped naked and led away with her maids bemoaning her.</p>


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<p>Like water from a burst dam the people rush away from Nineveh. Stop! Stop! they cry, but no one looks back- This recalls Mosul, modern Nineveh, under siege in 2017 and the jihadists trying to stop the inhabitants fleeing. The flight of "waters" from Nineveh may suggests these were people from the various nations who had been exiled there; for waters often represent Gentile peoples in the Bible. This verse may be the equivalent of the call for God’s people to flee out of Babylon, and like Lot fleeing Sodom, not to look back. Again, the Divine intention was that His exiled people repent and return to the land, now that Assyria was suddenly destroyed. But this didn’t quite happen; because they didn’t repent, just as it didn’t quite happen as potentially possible when Babylon fell. The final fulfilment must be in the last days. See on <a href='B:410 3:7'>Nah 3:7</a>:par</p>


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<h4>Take the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold, for there is no end of the booty- This again, as suggested on :8, may be a call not simply to the Medes to pillage Nineveh, but to God’s people to treat her as Egypt. They were to take her gold and jewels as Israel had done from Egypt on Passover night, and make their way back to the promised land. Nahum 1 is full of language allusive to the Red Sea and the work of God at the fall of Egypt. As Egypt’s chariots were destroyed there, so were Nineveh’s to be (:13). They were to grasp the parallels and leave, taking with them the spoil of Egypt.</h4><h4>The glory of all goodly jewels- AV "the glory [of] the pleasant furniture", perhaps a reference to artifacts of Yahweh worship carried away from Judah.</h4>


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<p>She is empty, void, and waste. The heart melts, the knees knock together, their bodies and faces have grown pale- The allusion is to how Assyria had emptied and spoiled (:9) the land of Judah (s:w. <a href='B:290 24:3'>Isa 24:3</a>). Faces turned pale, melting hearts and knocking knees is the very language used of what Assyria did to Judah. What Assyria had done to Judah was now being done to her. We see this in the structure of Revelation; the seals of judgment upon Israel are related to the bowls of wrath upon those who judge them.</p>


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<p>Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion’s cubs, and no one made them afraid?- Lions were the iconic symbol of Assyria, and Nineveh was their den. The reference to lion and lioness may refer to the king and queen of Nineveh, mentioned in :7. "Where is::." Nineveh would suggest that it was to no longer exist. But it did, and still does in the form of Mosul. This may be an example of where Nahum’s prophecy didn’t have exact fulfilment; but it will have in the total destruction of the latter day Assyrian. See on <a href='B:410 1:8'>Nah 1:8</a>.</p>


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<p>The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with the kill, and his dens with prey- The exiles such as Nahum had been taken to Nineveh; "dens" is how their exile is described (<a href='B:290 42:22'>Isa 42:22</a> s:w:). The "prey" was the spoil taken from places like Judah (<a href='B:290 17:14'>Isa 17:14</a>; <a href='B:290 24:3'>Isa 24:3</a>). But it was a restored Judah who were to be the lion who took prey (<a href='B:10 49:9'>Gen 49:9</a> s:w:). Just as Assyria claimed that their kingdom was as the Kingdom of God (<a href='B:290 36:16'>Isa 36:16</a> cp. <a href='B:400 4:4'>Mic 4:4</a>), so they acted as the lion of Judah. They were an anti-Kingdom of God and their king as an anti-Christ, a pseudo Messiah.</p>


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<h4>Behold, I am against you, says Yahweh of Armies, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions; and I will cut off your prey from the earth- The destruction of her chariots is another connection with the destruction of the Egyptians; see on :9. Burning chariots was what a faithful Israel were to do to their enemies (<a href='B:60 11:6'>Jos 11:6</a>); again the implication was that Nineveh’s destruction was to coincide with the repentance of Israel.</h4><p>And the voice of your envoys will no longer be heard- This is surely a specific reference to the loud voice of Rabshakeh, the envoy of Sennacherib, outside the walls of Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s time. The word for "envoys", malak, is perhaps used about him in <a href='B:290 30:4'>Isa 30:4</a>, and certainly in <a href='B:290 37:9'>Isa 37:9</a>; <a href='B:290 37:14'>Isa 37:14</a>. But <a href='B:290 37:36'>Isa 37:36</a> then says that Yahweh’s malak, His Angel / envoy, went out and slew the Assyrian army. Again we see the potential for the fulfilment of the prophecy at Hezekiah’s time; but there was only a partial fulfilment because Judah did not repent as required, the repentant exiles didn’t return, and so the major fulfilment has been delayed until the last days.</p>


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<p>Woe to the city of blood! It is all full of lies and robbery- no end to the prey!- This language is repeatedly used about Jerusalem (<a href='B:300 26:15'>Jer 26:15</a>; <a href='B:330 7:23'>Eze 7:23</a>; <a href='B:330 9:9'>Eze 9:9</a>; <a href='B:330 22:2-3'>Eze 22:2-3</a>; <a href='B:330 24:6'>Eze 24:6</a>; <a href='B:330 24:9'>Eze 24:9</a>). Nineveh’s destruction for shedding blood, lying and stealing was to serve as a warning to Jerusalem. They were no better than their Gentile enemies. Situations we encounter in our lives are in order to help us see what will happen to us unless we too repent and change. See on :4.</p>


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<p>The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots- The reality of the Medes destroying Nineveh is portrayed here in great and vivid detail. The very noise of the horse whips is mentioned, and the rattling of the chariot wheels on cobblestones. The focus upon these minor details, just as in movies today, was to highlight the reality. But all this could have been avoided had Nineveh repented, as they did in Jonah’s time.</p>


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<p>The horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on their bodies- Often, Angels are described in terms of the men, empires or armies they control- the frequent descriptions of human armies in language which refers to Angels too provides proof of this (e. g. <a href='B:290 66:15'>Isa 66:15</a>; <a href='B:330 26:7'>Eze 26:7</a>; <a href='B:330 26:10'>Eze 26:10</a>; <a href='B:360 2:5'>Joe 2:5</a>; <a href='B:410 2:3-4'>Nah 2:3-4</a>; <a href='B:410 2:13'>Nah 2:13</a>). <a href='B:410 3:3'>Nah 3:3</a> speaks of how the Assyrians will come with the noise of wheels, as pransing horses, jumping chariots, and “the flashing sword”. This is all cherubim-Angel language (<a href='B:10 3:24'>Gen 3:24</a>). The Angels behind those nations and armies were manifested through them, and this there is the use of such similar language. In the same way, the description of the beasts are relevant to the nations they represent, and also to the Angels which control them. <a href='B:730 9:11'>Rev 9:11</a> provides another example. I have suggested that Nahum wrote at the time of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in the reign of Hezekiah. That invasion was destroyed by just one Angel, and the idea is that the entire Angel cherubim would move on from there to destroy Nineveh itself. This didn’t completely happen as planned, because the repentance of God’s people was required. But there was indeed a partial fulfilment, looking forward to that of the last days.</p>


text:
<p>Because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft- As explained on <a href='B:410 2:7'>Nah 2:7</a>, Nineveh was personified as her queen, Huzzab. Assyria appeared externally attractive to nations like Judah, offering them a fake kingdom of God if they gave in to her (<a href='B:290 36:16'>Isa 36:16</a> cp. <a href='B:400 4:4'>Mic 4:4</a>). But again, as noted on :1, Jerusalem was also likened to a prostitute, as was Babylon. Jerusalem was to learn that she was no better than Nineveh, and to be warned by Nineveh’s destruction; realizing that at the time of Sennacherib’s invasion, she had been saved by grace alone at the very last moment.</p>


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<p>Behold, I am against you, says Yahweh of Armies, and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame- This is again similar language to the judgment threatened upon God’s people (<a href='B:300 13:26'>Jer 13:26</a>). See on :4. The nakedness of the queen of Nineveh as she was led into captivity (see on <a href='B:400 2:7'>Mic 2:7</a>) was to represent the exposing of Nineveh and the Assyrians. The plural "kingdoms" may refer to the combined forces of the Medes and Babylonians. Once inside Nineveh, the shame of her behaviour was revealed to all.</p>


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<p>I will throw abominable filth on you, and make you vile, and will set you a spectacle- The punishment for a prostitute. Assyria would be revealed for who she really was. "Abominable filth" is a term always (27 times) elsewhere used of idols (<a href='B:50 29:17'>Deu 29:17</a> etc:). She was to be treated as an idol, because those who make idols are like unto them (<a href='B:230 115:8'>Psa 115:8</a>). All the idols of our world shall come to an eternal end, often a tragic end; and so shall we, if we worship them and trust in them.</p>


text:
<p>It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?- To die with no mourners was the worst death for a Middle Eastern person of those times. As noted on <a href='B:410 2:8'>Nah 2:8</a>, we may be intended to understand here a call to flee from Nineveh; for ultimately, everyone would flee from her. Again, the Divine intention was that His exiled people repent and return to the land, now that Assyria was suddenly destroyed. But this didn’t quite happen; because they didn’t repent, just as it didn’t quite happen as potentially possible when Babylon fell. The final fulfilment must be in the last days.</p>


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<p>Are you better than No-Amon, who was situated among the rivers, who had the waters around her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?- The allusion is to the previous dramatic victory of Sargon over No-Amon in Egypt; "the sea" would refer to the Nile. This city, like Nineveh, trusted in rivers and moats for her defence. But the Assyrians overcame this, and Nineveh’s similar defences would likewise be destroyed. What Nineveh / Assyria had done to others would be done to them. They too were not invincible.</p>


text:
<p>Cush and Egypt were her infinite strength. Put and Libya were her helpers- "Infinite strength" is of course only from a human perspective. We have here another example of how God understands how humans see things, and uses their language in appealing to them; the usage of "demon" language in the New Testament is another example. Assyria had conquered No-Amon, even though that city was confident that Egypt and other nations were "her infinite strength". Judah too was trusting in Egypt at the time of Hezekiah, when Nahum was prophesying. Again, Judah was to learn from the destruction of others who vainly hoped in Egypt. The only source of "infinite strength" is God; they treated human strength, Egypt, as God. "Helpers" is ezrah, and ’Hezekiah’ is a compound of this word- ’Yah is my helper’. Nahum’s words were an encouragement of Judah to trust in Yahweh’s help alone, as all human help had been already demonstrated to be worth nothing.</p>


text:
<p>Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity. Her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets, and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her senior leaders were bound in chains- This language is all used about what was to come upon Israel and Judah (<a href='B:290 51:20'>Isa 51:20</a>). As Assyria had done to them, so they would do to God’s people, unless they stopped trusting in Egypt. The simple principle is that what we do to others is done to us; not just because God likes poetic justice for the sake of it, but in order to help us realize how they felt, and thereby to come to repentance before God and unity and empathy with those we have sinned against.</p>


text:
<p>You also will be drunken. You will go into hiding. You also will seek a stronghold because of the enemy- The fortified palaces of the king of Nineveh were also the houses of his gods; and they provided no refuge when Nineveh was taken. It was a sad end- realizing that the entire spiritual narrative of their lives had been false. They would seek a place of refuge and hiding and not find it; their own teaching / narrative / worldview which they had given to others would itself make them drunk, unable to cope with the reality that they were being condemned and all their belief systems were unable to save them. This is the tragic picture of the condemned.</p>


text:
<p>All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater- Again, all human strength will be revealed as very fragile- a lesson for us all for all time. But first ripe figs is the image used to portray spiritual fruit upon God’s people (<a href='B:300 24:2'>Jer 24:2</a>; <a href='B:350 9:10'>Hos 9:10</a>). Once again, there is the idea that the destruction of Nineveh would coincide with spiritual fruit upon God’s people. This didn’t exactly happen, and although Nineveh was indeed destroyed, the intended potentially possible scenario didn’t happen; but it will, in the destruction of the latter day Assyrian and true repentance of Israel.</p>


text:
<p>Behold, your troops in your midst are like women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars- Elite soldiers and strong gates were the apparently invincible defences of Nineveh; again the message is that the highest human might and technology, the "picked troops" of <a href='B:400 2:5'>Mic 2:5</a>, are unable to defend against God’s judgment. We need to learn the lesson: all that seems a solid, invincible guarantee of our future will not save us. Only God in His Son, Yahoshua-Jesus, can save.</p>


text:
<h4>Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses- The prophets continually decry all human strength, and so this is said not so much in sarcasm, but because God wants Nineveh to trust in its strength so that it would in due course repent upon seeing how worthless is any human strength. See on <a href='B:410 2:1'>Nah 2:1</a>.</h4><h4>Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong- To produce bricks to repair the breaches made in their apparently invincible defences.</h4>


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<h4>There the fire will devour you- The fire of their brick kilns, making bricks to repair the breaches in their walls, would devour them. When the Medes took Nineveh, their king apparently burnt his palace over himself. He was devoured by the fire of his own trust in human strength.</h4><h4>The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. You have multiplied like grasshoppers, bred like the locust- There had been a population explosion in Nineveh, and some historians include overpopulation as a reason for Assyria’s decline. But numbers of human strength would not save them.</h4>


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<h4>You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies- It was the seed of Abraham who ultimately were to be more numerous that the stars of the skies. It was specifically Assyria’s actions against that seed which made them so accountable to judgment.</h4><h4>The grasshopper strips, and flees away- The language of Joel 1 concerning the waves of Assyrian incursions into Judah. What they had done to Judah was to be done to them. As noted on :10, this was not just because God likes poetic justice for the sake of it, but in order to help them realize how they felt, and thereby to come to repentance before God and unity and empathy with those they had sinned against.</h4>


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<p>Your guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, they flee away, and their place is not known where they are- The distinctly Assyrian word taphsar used here is one of many reasons to think that Nahum lived in Assyria and prophesied from there; see on <a href='B:410 1:1'>Nah 1:1</a>. The "guards" would have been from subjugated peoples, who would flee Nineveh. As noted on :8 and <a href='B:410 2:8'>Nah 2:8</a>, we may be intended to understand here a call to flee from Nineveh; for ultimately, everyone would flee from her. Again, the Divine intention was that His exiled people repent and return to the land, now that Assyria was suddenly destroyed. But this didn’t quite happen; because they didn’t repent, just as it didn’t quite happen as potentially possible when Babylon fell. The final fulfilment must be in the last days.</p>


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<p>Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down, your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them- Again, this is the language of Ezekiel 34 about the exiles of God’s people, scattered on the mountains without a shepherd. Assyria was to experience what God’s people such as Nahum had experienced. But as suggested on :17, this was not merely poetic justice; there was the inbuilt intention that as in Jonah’s time, Nineveh might yet repent.</p>


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<p>There is no healing for your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you; for whohasn’t felt your endless cruelty?- The suggestion may be that this time, unlike in Jonah’s time, Nineveh would not repent. There therefore would be no healing. Those who heard the report or news would rejoice; and I suggested on <a href='B:410 1:1'>Nah 1:1</a> that Nahum’s prophecy was first given in Nineveh but was published also in Judah. There was to be joy in Judah on hearing this news; the endless cruelty was to end. "Endless" was how it felt; but it would end. This is another example of God’s ability to use human language, even of it is technically incorrect (as in the language of demon possession in the Gospels). He knows how we feel and perceive things, and wishes to reach out to us in those feelings.</p>


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<p>The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw- According to :5,6, the Babylonians would be raised up and would invade Judah in the lifetime of Habakkuk’s audience. This would suggest that Habakkuk lived some time before the first Babylonian invasions of Judah, perhaps in the time of Manasseh or Jehoiakim.</p>


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<h4>Yahweh, how long will I cry, and You will not hear? I cry out to you Violence!- The impression we get is of Habakkuk constantly pointing things out to God- as if He were unaware! Jehoiakim’s reign (see on :1) was full of such violence (<a href='B:300 22:3'>Jer 22:3</a>; <a href='B:300 22:3-17'>Jer 22:3-17</a>). Habakkuk may be complaining about the violence threatened at the hands of the Babylonians. But he may be complaining that he has cried out to God about all the violence ongoing within Judah, and yet there has been no Divine intervention in the form of the sending of a Divine Saviour, Yah’s salvation.</h4><h4>And will You not save?- This is the Hebrew idea of ‘Jesus’. By the end of the book, Habakkuk is rejoicing in the God of his “salvation” (<a href='B:420 3:18'>Hab 3:18</a>)- the same word. We see therefore in this intriguing dialogue how a man begins with many questions about the justice of God, both in His actions within the community of believers and in the Gentile world… and how through the humbling struggle with God over these issues, he comes to realize that God is indeed his very own saviour God, even though there is no fruit on the vines, the promised blessings of the covenant aren’t realized in his life; yet for sure, God shall be His salvation ultimately in the Kingdom. And in a related way, we could say that through this path of struggle with injustice, Habakkuk finally comes to ‘Jesus’, to realizing that God does in fact save.</h4>


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<h4>Why do You show me iniquity, and look at perversity?- Habakkuk uses the same words to complain of what the Babylonians do (:13). The idea seems to be that he finds it unjust that sinful people are punished by equally sinful people. The injustices within Israel which Habakkuk complains of are those of the reign of Jehoiakim, who was punished by the predicted Babylonian invasion (<a href='B:300 22:3'>Jer 22:3</a>; <a href='B:300 22:13-17'>Jer 22:13-17</a>). Habakkuk was therefore contemporary with Jeremiah, and his struggle with God is similar to the way Jeremiah reasons (e:g. <a href='B:300 12:1'>Jer 12:1</a>; <a href='B:300 20:8'>Jer 20:8</a>).</h4><p>The complaint that God sees iniquity and perversity in Israel is perhaps an allusion to the way that God earlier did not behold these things in Israel (<a href='B:40 23:21'>Num 23:21</a>). Habakkuk was doing what many try to do- proving God wrong from His own book, accusing Him of moral inconsistency etc. Yet the prophets contemporary with Habakkuk had repeatedly and clearly explained that judgment was to come on Judah at the hand of the Babylonians- for very good reason. And Habakkuk, despite surely being aware of that, seeks to wriggle out of it by complaining that the Babylonians were no better, and just asking God to ‘sort it out’ somehow in a way that meant Judah would not be destroyed.</p><p>God’s oscillations of feelings, the sharp opposition between judgment and mercy, were felt equally by the prophets, who were breathing in God’s spirit. Consider all the oppositions and paradoxes which there were in the prophetic experience:</p><p>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Speaking for God against Israel, when they themselves were members ofIsrael</p><p>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Appearing to be on the side of their own peoples’ enemies</p><p>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Holding an understanding of Israel’s God that was contradictory to Israel’s own understanding of their God</p><p>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Understanding why judgment should come, and yet like Habakkuk crying out with the question “Why?” (<a href='B:420 1:2-4'>Hab 1:2-4</a>). After twice approaching God with this question, and each time being given fresh insights into the awful nature of the judgment to come as a response, Habakkuk ends up with a trembling body and lips that ‘quivered at the sound’… and yet, at the very same time, feels that he still “will rejoice in the Lord” (<a href='B:420 3:16'>Hab 3:16</a>; <a href='B:420 3:18'>Hab 3:18</a>). What a torn man he was.</p><h4>For destruction and violence are before me. There is strife, and contention rises up- He was mentally exhausted at all the insights he had been given into the perversity of God’s people, and yet also exhausted at the breadth of evil and destruction which he was being shown as the judgment for it.</h4>


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<p>Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth; for the wicked surround the righteous, therefore justice is perverted- The reference to "the law" suggests Habakkuk is complaining at the wickedness he was beholding within God’s people. Because the wicked within Judah surrounded the righteous, therefore Judah was to be surrounded by the wicked Babylonians. All Divine judgments are really reflections of prior human behaviour. Out of all the terrible sins in Habakkuk’s time (probably that of Manasseh, see on :1), typical of the prophets, Habakkuk focuses on lack of justice. The Hebrew terms for "justice" and "righteousness" are the same; to do justice is the essence of righteousness.</p>


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<h4>Look among the nations, watch, and wonder marvellously- This is God’s response to Habakkuk’s psychological exhaustion noted above. God is open to dialogue with man. God’s response to that injustice and sin in Judah would be to raise up the Chaldeans. We could infer that at Habakkuk’s time, they were still being prepared; hence he is bidden look and watch "among the nations", for out of them, the Chaldeans / Babylonians would be raised up (:6). Whatever historico-social reasons there were for the Babylonians coming to dominance, they were controlled by God’s hand in human history. He specifically developed that group of people to be the judges of His sinful people.</h4><p>For I am working a work in your days, which you will not believe though it is told you- These words are quoted in the New Testament about Israel’s disbelief in the Lord’s resurrection or ‘raising up’. Yet that isn’t the context here- rather is it of the raising up of the Babylonians as judges of God’s people. Words are sometimes quoted without attention to context; and that is hard for Western minds to accept, obsessed as they are with seeing logical connections in context, so called ‘intertextuality’. Context is not therefore ‘king’, the main key to correct interpretation, as is claimed by many who set out to explain ‘How to interpret the Bible’.</p><h4>Paul appropriates the words ofHab 1:5 LXX to his work of preaching: “I work a work in your days, which ye will in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you”. And so when we read of the men Barnabas and Saul being sent out on the work of the first missionary journey, we are to see an allusion back to <a href='B:420 1:5'>Hab 1:5</a> (<a href='B:510 13:2'>Act 13:2</a>; <a href='B:510 14:26'>Act 14:26</a>). And yet this passage goes on to say that the work would not be believed. Yet hoping against hope, they embarked on the missionary journey. Cyprus didn’t respond, initially- as they had expected. But soon their positive spirit was rewarded, and converts were made, against all odds. The raising up of the Babylonians was as it were grabbed hold of in the New Testament and presented as somehow similar to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, through which God’s sinful people would likewise be judged.</h4>


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<p>For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs- As explained on :5, the bitterness of the Chaldeans was raised up by God in order to be the ideally appropriate judges of His sinful people. Their whole psychological makeup was controlled by God, developing them to be the tool in His hand to judge Judah. But these words are used of the raising up of the Lord Jesus. Just as the Jews didn’t believe that their sin would be judged by the raising up of the Chaldeans, so they were to later disbelieve in the raising up of God’s Son in resurrection in order to bring judgment upon them.</p>


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<h4>They are feared and dreaded- The Hebrew idea is that they elicited dread or fear. And yet the same word is used throughout Deuteronomy of how an obedient Israel would not fear their enemies or invaders.</h4><h4>Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves- The GNB may be correct in offering "in their pride they are a law to themselves". They were not under Divine law in terms of the Mosaic law; and yet they were still judged for their actions in so far as they were responsible for their actions. This would suggest that the level of knowledge which makes men responsible to God is far lower than some might think; although the question of responsibility leading to resurrection and future judgment is maybe another question.</h4>


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<h4>Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves- These words are alluded to be Jeremiah when the Chaldeans had indeed arisen as a nation and were about to attack Jerusalem (<a href='B:300 5:6'>Jer 5:6</a>). The many allusions and quotations from Habakkuk made by Jeremiah are a way of saying that Habakkuk’s words had come true. Wolves hunt at night and so in the evening when they begin hunting they are hungry and at their most aggressive. But the same term is used of how Judah’s leadership were the same (<a href='B:430 3:3'>Zep 3:3</a>). Again, Divine judgment is appropriate to the sin. They would be made to feel how others felt when they had abused them.</h4><h4>Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar, they fly as an eagle that hastens to devour- This is the promised judgment of <a href='B:50 28:49'>Deu 28:49</a> for an Israel who had broken covenant with their God.</h4>


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<h4>All of them come for violence- "Violence" alludes to Habakkuk’s complaint that Judah was full of violence (:3). The eretz was full of such violence in Noah’s time, resulting in the flood (<a href='B:10 6:11'>Gen 6:11</a>; <a href='B:10 6:13'>Gen 6:13</a> s:w:). And so the injustice and secret sins of Judah (:4) were counted by God as actual violence (s:w. <a href='B:420 2:8'>Hab 2:8</a>; <a href='B:420 2:17'>Hab 2:17</a>; <a href='B:430 1:9'>Zep 1:9</a>), and were punished by violence. We need to think through the implications of our positions and actions; for just as God counts secret hatred as murder, so Judah’s injustice against their brethren was counted as actual violence.</h4><p>Their hordes face the desert- The pack of wolves were about to set off into the desert towards Judah. The implication surely was that Judah just about had time to repent and avert this. An alternative translation is as AV "they shall be as the east wind"; which is how the Babylonian invasion is described in <a href='B:300 18:17'>Jer 18:17</a>; <a href='B:330 17:10'>Eze 17:10</a>; <a href='B:330 19:12'>Eze 19:12</a>, coming in across the desert from the east.</p><h4>He gathers prisoners like sand- The seed of Abraham were as the sand; but they would be gathered and taken into captivity.</h4>


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<h4>Yes, he scoffs at kings, and princes are a derision to him- Judah trusted in their kings, assuming that having Davidic kings reigning on God’s behalf would be enough to save them, whereas the ten tribe kingdom only had usurpers as their kings. But being God’s people and having a leadership sanctioned by Him were not, and are not, enough for salvation. That would not avert Divine judgment.</h4><h4>He laughs at every stronghold, for he builds up an earthen siege ramp, and takes it- All human strength and military technology is no way to salvation. Whatever human strength we may trust in is as nothing before God’s judgment.</h4>


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<p>Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on further. He is indeed guilty; his strength is his god- The Babylonians were given the power to judge Judah, but as AV they would "offend, imputing this his power unto his god". There are times when we are indeed used by God; but that is so sign that we are personally acceptable with Him. And we can go beyond that, and assume that the abilities we were given are not from God but rather from our own strength, which we then glory in. Babylon was actually intended to show mercy to the Jews, but their pride in their own strength meant that they didn’t: "I was wroth with My people::. and given them into thine hand; thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke. And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever; so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it" (<a href='B:290 47:5-7'>Isa 47:5-7</a>).</p>


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<p>Aren’t You from everlasting, Yahweh my God, my Holy One? We also will not die! Yahweh, you have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock, have established him to punish- Habakkuk responds by arguing that "we", the righteous remnant, ought not to die; for Nebuchadnezzar would do all this evil in the name of "his god" (:11), whereas Habakkuk and the faithful believed in the one true God as "my God". And he struggles with how such an evil nation, attributing their success to their god (:11), could be used by Him. How is this reflective of the holiness of God? Habakkuk develops these complaints in the next verses. But the answer seems to be that Judah had indeed sinned grievously, and so this judgment would really come; but Babylon would themselves not go unpunished for their attitudes and actions. Habakkuk recognized Judah were sinful, and complains of it at the start of this chapter; but he like us didn’t realize how awful sin is, and the judgment which must come if we are not repentant.</p>


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<h4>You who have purer eyes than to see evil, and who cannot look on perversity- There can be no sinful beings in heaven, seeing that God is “of purer eyes than to behold evil” (<a href='B:420 1:13'>Hab 1:13</a>). In similar vein, <a href='B:230 5:4-5'>Psa 5:4-5</a> explains: “Neither shall evil dwell with you. The foolish shall not stand” in God’s heavenly dwelling place. The idea of there being rebellion against God in heaven by sinful angels quite contradicts the impression given by these passages. But the allusion may also be to how God had imputed righteousness to Israel and did not look upon their evil (<a href='B:40 23:21'>Num 23:21</a>). This of course looks forward to the basis of our salvation by grace in Christ, as Paul develops in Romans 1-8. But status alone will not save us from judgment; we must live out that status in reality.</h4><p>Why do You tolerate those who deal treacherously, and keep silent when the wicked swallows up the man who is more righteous than he- Habakkuk believed God’s threat of judgment at the hands of the Babylonians would happen, but he considers sinful Judah more righteous than the very sinful Babylonians. As noted above, Habakkuk failed to realize the seriousness of sin- any sin. He is the one who has just been complaining at the wickedness of Judah; and God is making him see the real implication of it. Or maybe he has in view the idea that the righteous remnant too would be swallowed up by the threatened invasion, and like Abraham pleading for Sodom, was therefore pleading that the judgment on the majority would therefore not come. See on <a href='B:420 2:4'>Hab 2:4</a>.</p><h4>But although the Babylonians would "deal treacherously", so had Israel (s:w. <a href='B:230 78:57'>Psa 78:57</a>), and so specifically had Judah (<a href='B:300 3:8'>Jer 3:8</a>; <a href='B:300 3:20'>Jer 3:20</a>; <a href='B:300 5:11'>Jer 5:11</a> s:w:); and God had ’tolerated’ them for so long. Habakkuk’s objections were stated in hot blood and in a moment of emotion, but thinking them through would lead to the conclusion that the enormity of God’s tolerance to Israel’s sin had not been appreciated by him as it ought to have been. Indeed the idea of being treacherous is an allusion to Jacob, as confirmed in <a href='B:290 48:8'>Isa 48:8</a>. If God had tolerated them so long, there was no basis for his objection that God tolerated and used the Babylonians. "Tolerate" is the same word as "look" in :3. Habakkuk beheld or tolerated sin in Judah; why should not God also use or ’look to’ a sinful nation like Babylon?</h4>


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<p>And make men like the fish of the sea, like the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?- Habakkuk objects that the Babylonians would treat men like animals, and the Jews did have a ruler over them- God. But this was how Judah had behaved to each other. They too did not perceive the meaning of persons, and had acted as if they had no ruler over them.</p>


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<p>He takes up all of them with the hook; he catches them in his net, and gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore he rejoices and is glad- The idea is that Babylon would drag off his net of fish to captivity in Babylon, rejoicing over them. "All of them" suggests that the various fish represented the nations of men; and Habakkuk objected to Judah being treated like any other Gentile nation. But the truth was that they had acted like the Gentiles, and even worse. The whole record is teaching the seriousness of sin, and how even a faithful prophet might not perceive that as he ought. See on <a href='B:420 2:5'>Hab 2:5</a>.</p>


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<p>Therefore he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense to his dragnet, because by them his life is luxurious, and his food is good- Habakkuk was irritated by the way that he knew the Babylonians would think their success against Judah was due to their idols (:11) and military strategies. Habakkuk speaks in the present tense as if he saw Nebuchadnezzar before him. But actually he was living at a time when the Babylonians had yet to ’arise’ (:6). Habakkuk believed in the prophetic word and saw it as already fulfilling; just as we are to view the promises of the life eternal as so certain of fulfilment that they are already fulfilled in a sense.</p>


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<p>Will he therefore continually empty his net, and kill the nations without mercy?- <a href='B:290 47:5-7'>Isa 47:5-7</a> criticizes Babylon for not showing mercy to Judah when they were intended to. Habakkuk had seen a prophecy of the Babylonian invasion, and perhaps he saw more than what is here recorded; perhaps he saw Nebuchadnezzar sacrificing to his idols and rejoicing in the luxuries he would take from Judah (:16). But he had not seen any vision of Babylon’s judgment. It appeared to go on "continually".</p>


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<h4>I will stand at my watch, and set myself on the ramparts, and will look out- As a watchman goes to an elevated place to watch, so Habakkuk was eagerly looking out for God’s response to his complaints. Perhaps he means that the next time the prophetic word comes to him, he will look carefully for answers. He sensed he would be reproved (:1 AV “What I shall answer when I am reproved”); but he was eagerly looking out for the answer. So often, complaints about the apparent injustice or inactivity of God are posed as questions but those ‘questions’ are effectively statements of discontent [‘Why does God allow suffering??!!’], and judgment upon God. There is no serious looking for an answer. But Habakkuk asks and is confident an answer will come, although he fully expects that answer to rebuke him. The rebuke however doesn’t come. God is not mad with man because we have questions. And He will respond to our sincere questioning of His behaviour, if it is made in the right spirit.</h4><h4>To know what He will say to me, and what answer I will get concerning my complaint- As noted on chapter 1, Habakkuk’s objections were gut reactions, and the answers are found within the objections. So the answer was really already there. But the original could be translated to the effect: "And what reproof I will receive". Habakkuk senses that God will reprove him, that his complaints are out of step with God’s way. And yet we see here the degree of intimacy possible between God and man.</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh answered me, Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he who reads it may run- "May run" could be an idiom for response to God’s word (as in <a href='B:340 12:4'>Dan 12:4</a>). All prophecy, including Habakkuk, has its final fulfilment in the last days. There are a number of hints that there will be a progressive growth in Biblical understanding amongst the latter day faithful. In the spirit of Daniel, Habakkuk was told that the full understanding of his vision concerning the latter day judgment of Babylon was "yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie", and at that time the one who reads and understands it will "run"- using the same idiom as in <a href='B:340 12:4'>Dan 12:4</a> concerning the latter day believers ’running’ in response to their understanding of God’s word (<a href='B:420 2:2-3'>Hab 2:2-3</a>). The Olivet prophecy repeatedly talks about ’seeing’ or (Gk:) understanding things and then acting upon this knowledge. The English translation somewhat masks this. Thus <a href='B:470 24:15'>Mat 24:15</a> "Whoso readeth" uses a Greek word which really means to recognize, distinguish- and he who recognizes, understands, let him "understand" or, better, meditate. Or again, "When ye shall see (Greek, to know, perceive) the abomination that maketh desolate::." (<a href='B:470 24:15'>Mat 24:15</a>).</h4><h4>But the literal meaning was that those who believed this prophecy would flee away and thus escape the Babylonian invasion; or flee out of Babylon because it was to fall. But that would only be perceived by those who lived well in the future (:3), because at the time, the Babylonians were yet to arise as a power (<a href='B:420 1:5-6'>Hab 1:5-6</a>).</h4>


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<h4>For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it speeds toward the end- The time of the establishment of the Kingdom on earth. Similar language is used in Daniel. Habakkuk had asked whether Babylon would continue abusing for ever (<a href='B:420 1:17'>Hab 1:17</a>). Apparently he had not seen any vision of her destruction. But he is comforted that in the future, his concerns of ethics, justice, theology and morality would all be finally resolved in the establishment of God’s Kingdom.</h4><h4>And won’t prove false. Though it takes time, wait for it; because it will surely come. It won’t delay- Quoted in the NT about the return of Christ (<a href='B:650 10:37'>Heb 10:37</a>). The answer to all Habakkuk’s concerns about injustice will finally be at the Lord’s return; see on :6. We wonder if these assurances were given because Habakkuk was doubting the reality of the visions he had seen. At the time, the Babylonians were yet to arise as a power (<a href='B:420 1:5-6'>Hab 1:5-6</a>). Only at the "end" would the while picture concerning Babylon become clear.</h4>


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<h4>Behold, his soul is puffed up- The individual in view is either a personification of Babylon, or its king Nebuchadnezzar. The following verses clearly speak of Babylon’s judgment. Typical of the prophetic perspective, Habakkuk sees the reason for his fall as being essentially because of his pride- when so many other issues could have been raised, such as idolatry and the murder of God’s people. This is what makes the prophets so relevant to us; for pride is the weakness which affects us all. And that is at the root of all other sin. "Puffed up" is a term only used elsewhere about the presumption of condemned Israel trying to enter the land when they had been barred from it (<a href='B:40 14:44'>Num 14:44</a>). As so often, a parallel is drawn between the sins of the worst Gentiles and those of Israel, both historically and at the time of the prophet.</h4><p>It is not upright in him- Babylon was "puffed up", lifted up in pride; but this was not being lifted up "upright" before God. Pride is the depths, and humility is exaltation. Such is the radical inversion of values in God’s way compared to man’s way.</p><p>But the justified one will live due to his faith- Will live eternally, according to how this verse is interpreted in the New Testament. <a href='B:650 10:38'>Heb 10:38</a> quotes it in this way; andnote that the preceding <a href='B:650 10:37'>Heb 10:37</a> is quoting the preceding verse here, <a href='B:420 2:3'>Hab 2:3</a>. Eternal life will be given at the Lord’s coming on the basis of faith. As noted on 2:6, the real answer to Habakkuk’s questions is that they will all have their resolution in the coming of God’s Kingdom on earth. "The justified one" may immediately refer to Habakkuk and the faithful remnant, about whom Habakkuk had expressed concern in <a href='B:420 1:13'>Hab 1:13</a>. God’s answer was that although they might indeed perish in the Babylonian invasion, they would be justified by their faith in Habakkuk’s prophecies and live eternally. Again we wonder if "his faith" is a hint that Habakkuk and the faithful were struggling to believe the prophecies he was giving.</p><h4>Paul’s quotation from <a href='B:420 2:4'>Hab 2:4</a> is in the context of human pride: “Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith”. Paul is interpreting this verse as talking about faith in righteousness being imputed to us, which leads to us being just or justified before God. The practical result of this is humility- for we realize through this process that we have absolutely nothing to be “puffed up” about. Our uprightness isn’t because of our own works but because of God’s righteousness being imputed to us by grace through faith.</h4>


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<h4>Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous- This may speak of Nebuchadnezzar, or as a personification of Babylon. His treachery was Habakkuk’s complaint in <a href='B:420 1:13'>Hab 1:13</a>. God now uses Habakkuk’s word choice, showing that He indeed knows that Babylon will be treacherous, and their leader will be identified with the wine he drinks, so that as wine is treacherous, so will he be. The Bible often demonstrates that God likes to use our words back to us, just as in building rapport in conversation it is helpful to repeat back to our conversation partner words and phrases which they have used. And God likewise is in dialogue with man.</h4><p>Again we note that God’s people had also been "treacherous" (<a href='B:460 2:10-11'>Mal 2:10-11</a>; <a href='B:460 2:14'>Mal 2:14</a>; <a href='B:460 2:16'>Mal 2:16</a> etc:). They would be deceived by the Babylonians, just as they had deceived others in their lives and had been deceitful toward God.</p><p>A proud man who doesn’t stay at home- He would go out from his homeland to conquer others.</p><p>Who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and can’t be satisfied- The way of the flesh is insatiable. Flesh cannot be satisfied. The wealthy man wants another billion, the owner of multiple homes or vehicles wants yet another. And thereby the parallel the grave and death, which likewise are never satisfied. The end of this unsatisfied life is the grave. By contrast, God’s way is presented as satisfying the believer, in this life and eternally (s:w. <a href='B:50 14:29'>Deu 14:29</a> and often). Not being satisfied was one of the curses upon Israel for breaking covenant (<a href='B:30 26:26'>Lev 26:26</a> s:w:). Again we see a parallel between the judgment of the Babylonians and that upon Israel. This was one aspect of God’s answer to Habakkuk’s issues- that Israel were no better than the Babylonians. This was the answer to his objection that Israel were being treated like all the other Gentile fish in the sea of nations (<a href='B:420 1:15'>Hab 1:15</a>).</p><h4>But gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself all peoples- The idea may be that he gathers "all nations" [around Israel] into confederacy with him, and heaps together people from all the nations as captives. But it was God who would gather all nations to Babylon, so that He might destroy them (<a href='B:290 13:4'>Isa 13:4</a>).</h4>


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<h4>Won’t all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say- Isaiah likewise predicts a taunt song being sung over Babylon by those she had once abused(Isaiah 14). Those nations who sung it would include Judah- or that was the intention. But when Babylon fell, the Divine intention was that the repentant exiles would flee Babylon and return to Judah, rebuilding and restoring God’s Kingdom there. But they didn’t repent, and instead became prosperous under the Medes and Persians, as the book of Esther witnesses. But finally this will come true in the fall of the latter day Babylon and repentance of the remnant of Judah. The prophecy was therefore rescheduled and reapplied, but will still come true in its essence.</h4><p>’Woe to him- Five woes are now pronounced upon Babylon, in that the word “woe” occurs five times, although in fact seven woeful things are mentioned in this chapter. The idea of seven woes coming upon Babylon is of course the message of Revelation, where such woes are presented as having their fulfilment at the time of the Lord’s return. The answer to Habakkuk’s questions about justice not being done is therefore that the Lord shall return, and woes shall be poured out upon the wicked. This is why these woes are interspersed with language appropriate to the Kingdom of God upon earth (:3 and 14 especially). On a far more extended scale, this is the broad approach taken in the book of Revelation too- woes upon Babylon interspersed with brief Kingdom visions.</p><p>Who increases that which is not his, and who enriches himself by extortion!- The criticism of Babylon is framed in language elsewhere used by the prophets about Judah. This was the answer to Habakkuk’s objection that Israel were being treated like all the other Gentile fish in the sea of nations (<a href='B:420 1:15'>Hab 1:15</a>).</p><h4>How long?’- This is the typical cry of the faithful, and this is perhaps Habakkuk’s interjection. For these chapters show him in dialogue with God.</h4>


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<h4>Won’t your debtors rise up suddenly- Initially fulfilled in the sudden overthrow of Babylon by Cyrus.</h4><h4>And wake up those who now make you tremble, and you will be their victim?- &nbsp;The GNB offers: "But before you know it, you that have conquered others will be in debt yourselves and be forced to pay interest. Enemies will come and make you tremble. They will plunder you!". I noted on :6 that the intended Divine program for Babylon didn’t exactly come about at this time, although it will in the last days, when the horns of the beast shall hate the whore of Babylon and destroy her (<a href='B:730 17:16'>Rev 17:16</a>).</h4>


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<p>Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you, because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell in it- Babylon’s responsibility before God was for what they had done to "many nations", but in particular to "the land" of Israel and "the city" of Jerusalem. "The remnant of the peoples" is of course intended to suggest the remnant of the exiles, who were to repent and plunder Babylon. But instead, they didn’t repent and the majority preferred to remain there and prosper under the Medes and Persians, as the book of Esther explains. The language here is very much that of <a href='B:290 14:12-14'>Isa 14:12-14</a> about Babylon; and that passage has a clear application to the latter day judgment of Babylon at the Lord’s return. Only then will all the angst about justice be answered.</p>


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<p>Woe to him who gets an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!- Daniel records how Babylon / Nebuchadnezzar wished his house / family dynasty to be eternal; hence he made an image of gold in defiance of the image of Daniel 2, in which his house was to give way to other dynasties. He believed that "the nest" of Babylon was untouchable by "evil". Even though he had made "evil [s:w:] gain" for himself and his family dynasty ["house"]. "Gets an evil gain" is the same Hebrew word translated "to covet". The word means both to covet and to actually grab gain for oneself, reflecting how in God’s judgment the thought is as the act. The Lord of course developed this idea powerfully in the Sermon on the Mount.</p>


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<p>You have devised shame to your house, by cutting off many peoples, and have sinned against your soul- Instead of making his dynasty ["house"] wealthy and eternal (:9), by trying to do so, Nebuchadnezzar was thereby shaming them to eternal destruction. He cut off many peoples in order to remove all opposition and establish his house or family line. But by doing so, he sinned against himself, destroying himself and his family.</p>


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<p>For the stone will cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork will answer it- Buildings were made of two or three courses of stone followed by one of timber. Thiswas how Solomon’s palace was built (<a href='B:110 6:36'>1Ki 6:36</a>). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sinscommitted in private we tend to accept as irrelevant to us; yet <a href='B:420 2:11-12'>Hab 2:11-12</a> says that “the stone shall cry out of the wall” because of wickedplans hatched within the walls of that room. The innermost plans of Nebuchadnezzar for his dynasty (see on :9,10) were known by God. Rather than focus upon his idolatry and mass murders, the prophetic perspective instead zooms in upon his internal thoughts. For it is inwards thoughts which are of the essence, and which are the source of our actions.</p>


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<p>Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and establishes a city by iniquity!- The town in view is surely Babylon. But these words are those of <a href='B:400 3:10'>Mic 3:10</a> about the leaders of Judah: "They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity". Micah is quoting Habakkuk’s words about Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar about Judah. Micah learnt the lesson that this prophecy was trying to teach Habakkuk- that contrary to what he thought (see on <a href='B:420 1:15'>Hab 1:15</a>), Judah were as bad as Babylon. Whilst Habakkuk begins in chapter 1 by bemoaning the sins of his people, he had to learn that it’s not enough to just think ’Well yes we are all sinners’, but lament the apparently far greater sin of the Gentile world. He had to see that God’s people were no better, because sin is serious. Even ’little sins’ performed in secret. And this is the abiding challenge to us as the body of Christ today.</p>


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<p>Behold, isn’t it of Yahweh of Armies that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?- The GNB again is helpful in interpreting the sense: "The nations you conquered wore themselves out in useless labor, and all they have built goes up in flames. The LORD Almighty has done this". Babylon was to be burnt, and all the sacrifices in building it thereby rendered futile. However, the Divine intention to burn Babylon, the judgment for a whore (<a href='B:300 51:30'>Jer 51:30</a>; <a href='B:300 51:58'>Jer 51:58</a>), didn’t really come true when the Medes conquered Babylon. As noted on :6 and :7, the Divine intention didn’t come totally true at that time, because the Jewish remnant didn’t repent and generally didn’t want to restore God’s Kingdom in Judah. And so the prophecy will come true in the last days, when "Babylon" shall be burnt with fire (<a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a>).</p>


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<h4>For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh- That glory is defined in <a href='B:20 34:4-6'>Exo 34:4-6</a> as the characteristics of the Yahweh Name. When Babylon was burnt with fire (:13), then the eretz would be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh. Knowledge is used here in the Hebraic sense, not of academic knowledge, but of relationship with Him, on the basis of who He really is, His glory. But as noted on :6, this didn’t come about when the Medes conquered Babylon. They didn’t destroy it with fire, the Jewish remnant didn’t repent, and the eretz didn’t come into relationship with Yahweh. This shall happen in the last days. See on :20.</h4><h4>As the waters cover the sea- We surely are to read in an ellipsis here; ‘sea’ must stand for ‘the sea bed’. For the waters are the sea, and do not therefore cover it. The idea would therefore be that the knowledge of God will be both deep and widespread. The contrast is with Habakkuk’s questions against God in chapter 1. Goddoesn’t specifically answer them, apart from to say that He will indeed judge wickedness because He is intensely aware of what goes on in the world. His broader answer is that true knowledge / comprehension of Him, and of His awesome glory, will one day be both deep and universal. And it will involve a realization of His utter glory, rather than trying to shoot holes in His positions by the kind of petty questioning recorded in chapter 1.</h4>


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<p>Woe to him who gives his neighbour drink, pouring your inflaming wine until they are drunk, so that you may gaze at their naked bodies!- Latter day Babylon in Revelation is likewise condemned for making her neighbouring nations drunk with her teachings. We note that the focus is upon the Middle East- the neighbours of Babylon and Judah. And supremely in view is the way that Babylon had made Judah drunk with the wine of her idolatry. But as noted on :16, to drink from a cup of wine is also a symbol of Divine judgment. They were drinking judgment to themselves by partaking. And the end result of accepting Babylon’s "wine" was to lay in the naked shame of death, uncovered before all.</p>


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<h4>You are filled with shame, and not glory. You will also drink, and be exposed!- Note the present tenses. Babylon had yet to arise (<a href='B:420 1:5-6'>Hab 1:5-6</a>), but the future of Babylon is so certain, according to God’s prophetic word, that what is yet future is spoken of as a present reality. The same is true of promises of the life eternal in John’s Gospel. Being exposed and shamed is the language of a woman, especially a prostitute. It is the basis for the condemnation of the whore Babylon in Revelation 17, 18. Then, all too late, Babylon will be exposed for what it is. It is the wisdom of God’s people to perceive that now.</h4><h4>The cup of Yahweh’s right hand will come around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory- To be given a cup of the Lord is a double symbol; we either drink blessing or condemnation to ourselves. For the cup of the Lord is either “the cup of blessing” or of condemnation. This is why the breaking of bread meeting focuses our attention on the only two possible outcomes of our lives. The fact there is no third way inspires us to choose wholeheartedly for Him.</h4>


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<p>For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of the animals, which made them afraid; because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to every city and to those who dwell in them- God kept a careful note of all Babylon did to His land. Every animal destroyed was noted, and even every animal which was terrified and made to bolt by the Babylonian traumas was likewise noted by God; and how much more the human suffering. This again answers Habakkuk’s objection that God appears indifferent to human suffering. There will indeed come a day of reckoning- but not immediately. This again is typical of the prophetic perspective; to focus upon the apparently minor [making animals bolt] in order to reveal the depth of God’s appreciation of the more evidently apparent abuses. And all this was in response to Habakkuk’s complaint that God appeared unaware of human suffering. See on <a href='B:420 3:11'>Hab 3:11</a>.</p>


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<p>What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols?- The ultimate significance of Babylon’s fall was and shall be the declaration that all idols are powerless. We note the tendency of the former of the idol to trust in it- when he of all people ought to have realized that the idol was of his own human device. But this perversity is seen in us all. The woman who labours all her lifetime developing her business is then inclined to trust in its profits as her ultimate salvation; the man who builds his own house is tempted to make that house his idol. But again, the language of Habakkuk about the Babylonians is later applied to God’s people. The phrase "teacher of lies" is applied to the false prophets of Judah in <a href='B:290 9:15'>Isa 9:15</a>. Likewise the phrase "maker of::. images" is applied to the Jews in <a href='B:290 44:9-10'>Isa 44:9-10</a>. Isaiah learnt the lesson that this prophecy was trying to teach Habakkuk- that contrary to what he thought (see on <a href='B:420 1:15'>Hab 1:15</a>), Judah were as bad as Babylon. See on :12.</p>


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<p>Woe to him who says to the wood, ‘Awake!’ or to the mute stone, ‘Arise!’ Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in its midst- This woe upon Babylon was equally true for the people of Judah. The same language is used of their false prophets and idolatry; see on :12,18</p>


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<h4>But Yahweh is in His holy temple- This continues the answer to Habakkuk’s complaints of chapter 1, that God appears distant from the sin and suffering on this earth. But His apparent silence doesn’t mean that He is not watching nor judging; He is in his heavenly temple. And in awe of that, the earth should be silent before Him, rather than arguing back with Him as Habakkuk had done.</h4><h4>Let all the earth be silent before Him!- The same Hebrew word is used in calling for silence because of God’s presence (<a href='B:430 1:7'>Zep 1:7</a> “be silent at the presence of Yahweh”) and because He has arisen up in active outreach in the earth (<a href='B:450 2:13'>Zec 2:13</a> “Be silent all flesh before Yahweh; for He is raised up out of His hold habitation”). Although God appeared to be inactive in response to the injustices Habakkuk so struggled with, His presence is indeed active. And men should be silent before Him rather than make petty complaint about His injustice. The invitation to "all the earth" to be respectful of Yahweh is part of God’s intention that the fall of Babylon would coincide with the repentance of Judah and the spread of relationship with Him to the entire eretz. This didn’t happen at the time, but will come true in the latter day fulfilment; see on :14.</h4>


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<p>A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet, set to victorious music- We could infer from this that Habakkuk was a Levite involved in the temple worship songs. The preceding verse has spoken of Yahweh being in His temple and the earth being silent before Him (<a href='B:420 2:20'>Hab 2:20</a>). But Habakkuk now breaks that silence; maybe another reflection of his being out of step with God.</p>


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<h4>Yahweh, I have heard of Your fame. I stand in awe of Your deeds, Yahweh- This could be Habakkuk responding to God’s statements in chapter 2 of what He would do in judging Babylon. In faith, he speaks as if these future actions have already been done, and he praises God for them. But it could be that Habakkuk is still not totally persuaded by the answers given in chapter 2. He concludes in :17,18 that although the blessings he looked for immediately hadn’t come, yet he still rejoiced in God by faith. But he reflects here that although he cannot understand God’s current and prophesied future actions (as he explains in chapter 1), and he is not totally persuaded by God’s responses in chapter 2; yet he takes comfort from the hand of God in history. He realizes that God has worked justly in the past and saved His people from Gentile oppression at the Red Sea, and so He would surely do so again. The Messianic Psalms 22, 69 represent the Lord Jesus on the cross being in some crisis as to why God was not immediately saving Him, but taking comfort in His historical actions. Habakkuk is doing likewise, as should we.</h4><p>Renew your work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years make it known- GNB: "Now do again in our times the great deeds you used to do". But the idea of renewing or reviving "in the midst of the years" may mean that Habakkuk didn’t want to have to wait until the "end" appointed to see the destruction of Babylon (<a href='B:420 2:3'>Hab 2:3</a>). Knowing that God is open to dialogue, he asks if God can revive His work in the midst of the appointed years, i:e. at his own time. The element of renewal or revival would be in God openly acting as He had done historically, at the Red Sea and the conquest of Canaan- which is the content of the next verses. See on :6.</p><p>The LXX renders: "Thou shalt be known between the two living creatures, thou shalt be acknowledged when the years draw nigh; thou shalt be manifested when the time is come". This would be broadly saying the same as just suggested- that God’s glory would again be visible between the Cherubim, once "the time" of the end of <a href='B:420 2:3'>Hab 2:3</a> has come, and God is "acknowledged" by repentant Judah and the nations around her.</p><h4>In wrath, You remember mercy- God’s wrath differs from human wrath in that God is outside of time as we know it. He sees what shall be, and in no way does He lash out due to provocation. His wrath, as expressed in His judgments, always have mercy factored in. Habakkuk recognizes now that Judah have indeed sinned and deserve God’s wrath, but he asks that God "remember mercy" and perhaps ameliorate the planned Babylonian judgments, or limit their extent, intervening to save Judah "in the midst of the [appointed number of] years".</h4>


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<p>God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and His praise filled the earth- The idea is that despite Habakkuk’s reservations about God’s judgments, as expressed in chapter 1, he takes comfort inGod’s historical activity to save His sinful people. And he believes that therefore God can do the same for them, despite the threatened Babylonian judgments. GNB "God is coming again from Edom" suggests that there will be a revival of what God had historically done; as stated in :2. As His glory was revealed and the earth was filled with His praise, so it was the Divine intention that the judgment of Babylon would involve the repentance of Judah, God’s glory being revealed and the eretz, the peoples of the land promised to Abraham, coming to praise Yahweh. But Judah didn’t repent, and the judgment of Babylon didn’t involve these things. But the prophetic scenario will in essence be fulfilled at the time of the destruction of latter day Babylon. Israel at the time of the exodus and wilderness journeys were weak, and still took with them the idols of Egypt. God’s praise didn’t fill the earth at that time, although it was intended to. But this was the future which Habakkuk now envisaged and prayed for; a delivery from Babylon after the pattern of the deliverance from Egypt, but this time with God’s people repentant and the surrounding nations praising Him.</p>


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<p>His splendour is like the sunrise. Rays shine from His hand, where His power is hidden- This fits in with the picture of Christ’s return in <a href='B:460 4:2'>Mal 4:2</a>. This will be the time for the fulfilment of the prophecy of Babylon’s fall in fullness. This is the language of the lightning flashings of the cherubim alluded to in the LXX of :2 (see note there). Habakkuk is envisaging or praying for the open manifestation of God as it was previously. This was however not granted at his time; but he takes comfort that it has been in the past, and that although things with God haven’t turned out immediately as he expected, yet he would trust in Him (:18,19), confident that His saving pattern in history would ultimately continue. In this we see the value of reading Biblical history. Whatever our short term struggles with God about His present and future actions, His past history points forward to "the sunrise" of a new age ultimately. His power in this sense is "hidden" and yet still there.</p>


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<p>Plague went before Him, and pestilence followed His feet- As Egypt had been judged by plagues and this had been the path to Israel’s release from them, so Habakkuk foresees that the fall of Babylon will involve plagues upon her which will lead to Judah’s release from them. <a href='B:300 50:13'>Jer 50:13</a>; <a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a> likewise see Babylon suffering "plagues". But the fall of Babylon and her "plagues" at the hands of the Medes didn’t lead to the captives returning- because they didn’t repent, preferred to stay there and didn’t flee Babylon. But this will come true in the overthrow of the latter day Babylon (<a href='B:730 18:8'>Rev 18:8</a>). Historical Babylon wasn’t smitten by "plagues" as Egypt was.</p>


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<h4>He stood, and shook the earth. He looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled. The age-old hills collapsed- Habakkuk was aware that Babylon would have the eretz promised to Abraham under their control. But God had stood up and shaken the entire area when Israel left Egypt, and he saw this happening when they were released from Babylon. Hills and mountains represent peoples and kingdoms. But again as often noted, this didn’t happen quite on the scale planned; because actually Judah didn’t want to leave Babylon nor repent as required. But it will happen in the fall of the latter day Babylon. The original for "Tremble" is also translated ’to be released / unloosed’ (<a href='B:230 105:20'>Psa 105:20</a>; <a href='B:230 146:7'>Psa 146:7</a>; <a href='B:290 58:6'>Isa 58:6</a>). All the nations subject to the Babylonian empire, including Judah, were to be liberated and used that liberty to turn to Yahweh. But they didn’t. They preferred bondage to the Medes and Persians.</h4><h4>His ways are eternal- The idea may be that there is a style and hallmark to God’s actions which is eternal. As He had acted at the time of the exodus, so He would to redeem Judah from Babylon (see on :2).</h4>


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<p>I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction. The dwellings of the land of Midian trembled- Cush, the same word translated "Ethiopia", was the border of the Babylonian empire, later taken over by the Persians (<a href='B:290 11:11'>Isa 11:11</a>; <a href='B:190 3:9'>Est 3:9</a>). And it was Cush which was one of the areas, along with Egypt, that the Jews were to seek help from against Babylon, rather than trusting in Yahweh (<a href='B:290 20:5'>Isa 20:5</a>). Habakkuk sees Cush as falling along with Babylon. And at that time, the exiles in Cush were to return to Zion (<a href='B:430 3:10'>Zep 3:10</a>; <a href='B:290 11:11'>Isa 11:11</a>). But again, this didn’t quite happen as had been potentially possible. The great regathering of a repentant remnant will happen at the fall of latter day Babylon. And this will lead to the people of Cush and Midian also turning to Yahweh (<a href='B:290 60:6'>Isa 60:6</a>), as had been His intention at the fall of historical Babylon. In this sense we could read ’trembling’ as ’trembling in respect’.</p>


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<p>Was Yahweh displeased with the rivers? Was Your anger against the rivers, or Your wrath against the sea, that You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?- Perhaps we are to draw a distinction between mountains / hills, representing nations collectively; and rivers / waters, symbolizing individual people. Habakkuk began praying, but ends up having a vision within that prayer. And he finds himself saying things in that prayer under inspiration which are God’s perspective on his questions of Habakkuk 1 about the fairness of God and the problem of suffering. In this verse we learn that God was not angry against the individual Egyptians; but there was suffering amongst them as God as it were rode forth in His Angelic, cherubic horses and chariots to redeem His people from Pharaoh’s horses and chariots. This response is reframing the question of God’s fairness and the problem of suffering- in saying that all these things must be seen within the context of His purpose of redeeming His chosen people.</p>


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<h4>You removed the sheath from Your bow, You called for many arrows. Selah- The ISV seems to best capture the nuances of the original: "Your bow was exposed, and your arrows targeted by command". The NET says the arrows were ’commissioned’. In the context of answering Habakkuk’s complaints about the problem of suffering and evil, the idea may be that God’s arrows are not sent out at random. They are commissioned to hit specific targets. Hence "Selah", a pause for reflection. If apparently random people perish, we can perhaps assume that God knows that had they lived further, they would have refused His message. See on :14.</h4><h4>You split the earth with rivers- A quotation from <a href='B:230 74:15'>Psa 74:15</a>. The drying up of the Red Sea seems to have involved huge earthquakes and topographical changes throughout the eretz promised to Abraham- perhaps a way of softening up the tribes of Canaan for conquest. But Israel didn’t make use of that potential.</h4>


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<p>The mountains saw You, and were afraid. The storm of waters passed by, the deep sea roared and lifted up its hands on high- For "Waters", see on <a href='B:730 16:5'>Rev 16:5</a>. Mountains may represent nations and empires, and the seas the individual peoples. Before God and His people at the exodus, they were fearful and lifted up their hands- perhaps in surrender, or to God in prayer and submission. This happened no matter how loudly they roared or appeared powerful. And so the historical actions of God at the exodus were to assure Habakkuk that the visions he had seen of the Chaldeans judging Israel would also have their resolution, this storm of water would also ’pass by’.</p>


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<p>The sun and moon stood still in the sky at the light of Your arrows as they went, at the shining of Your glittering spear- This may not necessarily be a reference to the incident at Gibeon in Joshua’s time. The context is definitely about the exodus from Egypt rather than the conquest, developing the idea that the fall of Egypt was the release of Israel, just as the fall of Babylon was intended to enable the release of the exiles. The idea may be that God took especial notice of the flight of His arrows; sun and moon stood still as they flew. This again is in answer to the opening dialogue between God and Habakkuk, where Habakkuk expresses his concern with the problem of suffering and evil. God here reveals Himself as carefully targeting every arrow (see on :9), and as it were stopping the sun and moon for the arrows to pass; this was and is the extent of His passionate awareness of the result of His judgments. It’s not as if He indiscriminately drops a nuclear bomb upon a nation, and is indifferent to the fall out of suffering and the collateral damage to people and animals. As explained on <a href='B:420 2:17'>Hab 2:17</a>, He was intimately aware of every animal that suffered and bolted for fear because of the actions of the Babylonian military; and how much more was and is He aware of the effects of His judgments upon people, especially His chosen people.</p>


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<p>You marched through the land in wrath. You threshed the nations in anger- The past tenses could be prophetic perfects, i:e. speaking of that which is yet future in the past tense, so certain is it of fulfilment. As just explained on :11, God is not indiscriminately judging people and making them suffer for no reason. The imagery of threshing speaks of judgment; Armageddon is the threshing place. Those who are judged will be responsible to that judgment; God’s anger and wrath will have been provoked by how those people had treated His people. He is angry with abusers of His people. Judgment will come, as it has done from God historically.</p>


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<h4>You went forth for the salvation of Your people- As explained on :12, this part of the prayer merges into prophecy, so certain of fulfilment that it is expressed in the ’prophetic perfect’, as if it has already happened. Again we have the problem of suffering addressed; the threshing of nations in :12 was part of God’s going forth to save His people. The fall of Babylon, like the fall of Pharaoh’s Egypt, was in order for God’s people to exit to salvation. Tragically, they for the most part chose not to do this when Babylon fell historically, and so the prophecies have been rescheduled and reapplied.</h4><p>For the salvation of Your anointed- The idea could be that all God’s people are anointed, in that they were chosen for special rulership (<a href='B:540 1:21'>2Co 1:21</a>). This would have been great comfort to the exiles reading or hearing these prophecies in Babylon; they were chosen for something special, to rule the nations, when Israel were the head and not the tail. But the ideas behind "salvation" and "anointed" suggest in Greek ’Jesus Christ’. When historical Babylon fell to the Medes, the prophetic scenarios didn’t come very accurately true; because Judah didn’t repent and didn’t really want to quit Babylon. And so these prophecies were reapplied to salvation from a wider Babylon, in and through Jesus Christ.</p><p>You crushed the head of the land of wickedness. You stripped them head to foot. Selah- Crushing the rosh of the wicked could refer to the latter day conquest of a similar rosh by the Lord Jesus at His return, as spoken of in <a href='B:330 38:2-4'>Eze 38:2-4</a>. The reference would be to a standoff between the Lord Jesus as the seed of the woman, and the antiChrist personal leader of "the land of wickedness", latter day Babylon. Crushing the head recalls the struggle of <a href='B:10 3:15'>Gen 3:15</a>, in which the seed of the woman emerges finally triumphant in the last day.</p><h4>The ’stripping from head to foot’ may simple mean ’crushed both from the head down and from the foot upwards’. Or if read as it stands, it would refer to the sign of conquest- stripping the slain.</h4>


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<h4>You pierced the heads of his warriors with their own spears- "Spears" is literally ’rods’. The word is used in <a href='B:290 10:24'>Isa 10:24</a> of how Judah were to be beaten with the rod of Assyria which was the rod of Egypt. And that would continue the many allusions here to the exodus. The rodwould be grabbed from the hands of the abusers and used to slay their leaders. "Spears" or rods is the same word translated "arrows" in :9, where we are assured that God’s arrows go to the right target and do not cause indiscriminate damage. Now we learn that the arrows or rods used by God are actually the arrows or rods used by the abusers of Israel, with which they abused them just like the Egyptians beating them with rods. Those arrows or rods used to abuse Israel are grabbed from their hands and used against those who have been using them. This is far from the indiscriminate fear of the ’problem of evil’ with which this prophecy opens, and which is constantly addressed throughout it.</h4><h4>They came as a whirlwind to scatter me, gloating as if to devour the wretched in secret- Those slain in the judgments had come as whirlwind to scatter God and His people, thinking they could abuse "the poor" (AV) without facing any justice for doing so ("in secret"). Coming as a whirlwind to scatter is the language of Divine judgment; these people had played God, assuming they had some Divine right to act as they wanted against the very vulnerable, and not face judgment for it because they were somehow playing God. This speaks of many abuse scenarios, but particularly of the abuse of the weak by jihadist Islamists of the last days. This is how they will treat God’s people, and they will be judged for it. Habakkuk’s opening fears that abusers would somehow get away with it are here resoundingly answered.</h4>


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<p>You trampled the sea with your horses, churning mighty waters- The waters represent individual peoples. God’s riding forth to save His people inevitably churned the waters; Gentiles were affected. Israel’s salvation out of Egypt required the fall of Egypt, their potential salvation from Babylon required the fall of Babylon; Lot’s salvation from Sodom required the fall of Sodom (<a href='B:680 2:6-9'>2Pe 2:6-9</a>), just as Noah’s required the destruction of the world around him (<a href='B:680 2:5'>2Pe 2:5</a>; <a href='B:680 2:9'>2Pe 2:9</a>; <a href='B:670 3:20-21'>1Pe 3:20-21</a>). The picture is clear- out of the judgment of the Gentiles there emerges God’s redeemed, saved people who would otherwise have been overcome by those Gentiles. In Judah’s context, they would only go to Babylon for their sins; but God would destroy Babylon so that spiritually and physically they might emerge free, to restore God’s kingdom. It’s a tragedy that they didn’t do this; but the potential will finally be realized in the fall of latter day Babylon.</p>


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<h4>I heard, and my body trembled- What began as a prayer ended up in a Divine revelation. Whilst we don’t receive prophetic revelations in the way Habakkuk did, it’s true for us that intense personal prayer often leads to spiritual realizations and God opening our eyes to truths. Habakkuk believed what he had understood so deeply that his body trembled. Such trembling was to be the effect upon Judah when God’s judgments came (<a href='B:290 5:25'>Isa 5:25</a>; <a href='B:290 13:13'>Isa 13:13</a>; <a href='B:290 14:16'>Isa 14:16</a>; <a href='B:290 32:11'>Isa 32:11</a>). Habakkuk identified so strongly with his sinful people that he took all this deeply into himself, and felt as they would, although he had the personal hope of resurrection to blessing (:17). In this he looks ahead to the Lord Jesus, representative of sinful man, internalizing the judgment for our sins so deeply that He carried them for us, to rise again in triumphant resurrection.</h4><p>My lips quivered at the sound- "The sound" may be that of God’s word pronouncing judgment; or the sound of the invaders which he had heard. His lips quivered rather than his ears because he had to speak this forth to others. What a challenge to us, to speak forth God’s word of judgment and salvation with lips quivering at the reality of it all.</p><p>Rottenness enters into my bones, and I tremble in my place, because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble- This is an intimation that he must die and wait quietly in the grave [another evidence against heaven going] until the day of Jacob’s final trouble which would herald the Lord’s return, the resurrection and establishment of God’sKingdom in Israel (<a href='B:340 12:1-4'>Dan 12:1-4</a>).</p><h4>For the coming up of the people who invade us- This coming up could be the general arising of the Babylonians which was yet future to Habakkuk’s time (<a href='B:420 1:5-6'>Hab 1:5-6</a>), or their coming up upon Judah. Although Habakkuk would not personally experience it, he had to "wait quietly" in the grave, he still felt that he would be amongst those invaded ["invade us"] and suffer with them. This contrasts with Hezekiah who was delighted that judgment wouldn’t come in his day, and got on and enjoyed himself.</h4>


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<p>For though the fig tree doesn’t flourish, nor fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive fails, the fields yield no food; the flocks are cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls- The promised covenant blessings aren’t going to be experienced by Habakkuk in this life, and yet he accepts that finally he personally will be saved (:18) and rejoices in this. See on 1:2 Will You not save? His opening objections in chapter 1 to the way God is operating, and his struggle with the problem of suffering, are all now revealed as being a desire to have blessing right now. This is a natural human desire, reflected in the "How long?" question of all the faithful.</p>


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<p>Yet I will rejoice in Yahweh. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!- See on 1:2 Will You not save?. As noted on :17, Habakkuk had expected to see the covenant blessings of a Messianic Kingdom come in his lifetime. But he had been told like Daniel that he must quietly wait in the grave (:16), and Judah must be abused by Babylon before emerging from that abuse as a people ready for God’s Kingdom blessing. Habakkuk concludes by focusing upon his personal salvation, which he rejoices in. This perhaps is the answer to the problem of suffering articulated in chapter 1. Like Habakkuk we may not find the ideal explanation, and yet even without that intellectual satisfaction, we can still rejoice in our personal salvation.</p>


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<h4>Yahweh, the Lord, is my strength. He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and enables me to go in high places- Despite being still intellectually dissatisfied over the answers to the problem of evil with which he began in chapter 1, Habakkuk concludes full of joy at the prospect of being like a deer, able to climb any mountain in God’s strength. This is not spiritual selfishness, focusing upon ourselves and disregarding the wider suffering of others. As noted on "invade us" in :16, this was not how he was. But although the wider questions remain, these should not diminish our personal faith in salvation. That is the crescendo of this prayer which was turned into a temple song.</h4><h4>For the musical director, on my stringed instruments- As noted on :1, Habakkuk was apparently a Levite and he wanted his personal prayer to be sung by others. He knew that his questions about the problem of evil and suffering were those of every man. And he wished to share with others the simple, joyful truth of his personal salvation.</h4>


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<h4>The word of Yahweh which came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah- The detail is perhaps given because the "Hezekiah" could be king Hezekiah, although the generations would have been quite short. In this case, Hezekiah would have been a relative of king Josiah, in whose reign he was prophesying. Putting the listed names together here we have "Yahweh is strength He has spoken, He is great but blackness has come (to His people) because He has hidden His face". The fact Hezekiah had a son with the ’Yah’ Name in it might indicate that he did not totally lose faith in his last 15 years.</h4><h4>In the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah- ‘Top down’ leadership was never very effective in Israel; repeatedly there is evidence that the reforms of Judah’s good kings had little effect upon the people. They practiced idolatry at the very same time as the reforms took place, and publicly returned to it as soon as the King was dead. Zephaniah’s prophecy is full of exposure of Judah’s sins- which were going on at the very time of Josiah’s apparently sweeping reforms. The way that “all” in Asia turned away, after all Paul’s work there, is proof enough that one good leader, no matter how charismatic and sincere (as Paul was) will not necessarily develop a faithful community. God has always worked with individuals through direct personal relationship</h4>


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<p>I will utterly sweep away everything off of the surface of the earth, says Yahweh- "The earth" here is not the eretz but the literal ground or soil. The total destruction of everything on "the surface of the earth" at the time of the flood is in view. But "sweep" is the word translated "gather" in <a href='B:10 6:21'>Gen 6:21</a> concerning the gathering of animals, people and food into the ark to avoid that destruction. As always with the threats of judgment, there is the hint that a remnant would survive- if they responded.</p>


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<p>I will sweep away man and animal. I will sweep away the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and the idols along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the surface of the earth, says Yahweh- A cataclysm similar in nature to the flood is in view; see on :18. Such total destruction of even birds and animals from the "earth", the ground / soil, recalls the language of the flood. But something of this nature never happened; I suggest that God formulated the plan, but relented because of the intercession of the righteous remnant; or perhaps simply from pity for His own creation. We note that "man" and "idols" are mentioned as being swept away along with absolutely everything else. Perhaps the idea is that we get a picture of the huge collateral damage caused by human idolatry. This is the nature of sin- that it has such collateral damage to others, far beyond a man quietly bowing before an idol in a "high place" in some remote rural spot.</p>


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<h4>I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place: the name of the idolatrous and pagan priests- Zephaniah prophesied during the time of Josiah, who later in his reign tried to extinguish Baal worship. But there was a "remnant" of Baal still in the temple, from where Zephaniah was prophesying ("this place"). Judgment was to come on all because of this; so whether Zephaniah prophesied before or after Josiah’s reforms is irrelevant. Those reforms didn’t in fact extinguish Baal worship, not even from the Jerusalem temple (see on :1). "All" were to be judged for the sake of a remnant of Baal worship remaining in the temple, and pagan priests being allowed to operate there. Presumably these were priests of Yahweh who taught that Baal worship was an acceptable form of Yahweh worship; see on :5. Such attempt to do our own thing in the name of serving God has always been the toughest temptation for us all. It was not that the majority ("all the inhabitants") were punished for the sin of a minority. That majority empowered and enabled that minority, just as a population often get the leadership or teachers they themselves really want in their hearts; quite regardless of whether any system of democracy is used or not.</h4><h4>The AV and some other versions offer: "the name of the Chemarims with the priests", literally the black ones, perhaps a group of priests who wore dark clothing rather than the white clothing of the Levitical priests.</h4>


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<h4>Those who worship the army of the sky on the housetop- Clearly Josiah’s reforms were not as they appeared. The housetops of Jerusalem were full of worshippers of the stars, and this was tolerated within society. Hence the condemnation of "all" Jerusalem society in :4.</h4><h4>Those who worship and swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam- As noted on :4, the priests were advocating the worship of Baal in the name of Yahweh worship. It is this dualism which is the abiding temptation of every believer of all ages. <a href='B:120 23:10'>2Ki 23:10</a> records Josiah’s reforms specifically targeting Molech worship. But clearly the population wriggled around this by saying that their worship of Molech was in fact Yahweh worship; even though the Mosaic law mentioned the sin of offering children to Molech more than any other idol is mentioned (<a href='B:30 18:21'>Lev 18:21</a>; <a href='B:30 20:2-5'>Lev 20:2-5</a>). Such wriggling around plain Divine teaching is unfortunately something we are all adept at. "Molech" is formed from the same consonants in melech, "king"; hence the LXX speaks of those that "swear by the Lord, and them that swear by their king". They had two kings. But the Lord Jesus observed that no man can serve two masters. We cannot have two kings.</h4>


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<p>Those who have turned back from following Yahweh, and those who haven’t sought Yahweh nor inquired after Him-&nbsp;This was God’s perspective. As explained on :4 and :5, the people had not formally rejected Yahweh. But their claim to worship other gods in His Name was seen by Him as turning their backs on Him. <a href='B:330 8:16'>Eze 8:16</a> describes men within the temple having their backs toward the sanctuary as they worshipped the sun. They had turned their backs on Him, but claimed they had not. This is all helpful challenge to ourselves in our self-examination. To seek an inquire after Yahweh is to worship Him; but worship doesn’t mean we know it all. We are searching and seeking Him closer, and this is understood by Him as worship.</p>


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<h4>Be silent at the presence of the Lord Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh is at hand- The silence called for may be an appeal for repentance; a call to respect Him and no other king or god. Such times of literal silence in meditation, without distraction, will also elicit our repentance.</h4><h4>For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated Hisguests- The sacrifice in view was the total burning of Jerusalem. The guests had been prepared; be they Babylonians, Assyrians or whoever. As noted on :3, God had framed a cataclysm against His people and Jerusalem in particular. It never happened on the scale planned, because of the repentance of a remnant and perhaps simply His pity. All manner of possible futures are prepared by God, but may never happen because He is so open to change in His great respect of human freewill decisions.</h4>


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<h4>It will happen in the day of Yahweh’s sacrifice that I will punish the princes, the king’s sons- The ruling dynasty would come to an end. These words seem particularly relevant to Zedekiah and his sons at the time of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. But "the king" in Zephaniah’s context was Josiah who also had sons who were princes. This intended judgment was rescheduled and reapplied (see also on :4) because of the repentance of a remnant, perhaps in response to Zephaniah’s ministry. Again we see the openness of God to human repentance, His supreme sensitivity to man.</h4><h4>And all those who are clothed with foreign clothing- We noted on :4 that the Chemarim wore back clothing and served as priests; but likely many of the Levitical priests were serving both as priests to Yahweh as well as to other gods, especially Moloch and Baal. It was this dualism which so angered God.</h4>


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<p>In that day, I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit- The priests may particularly be in view, whose master was Yahweh and whose house, the temple, they had defiled by their idolatry. The leaping over the threshold was an imitation of the Philistine custom of not treading on the threshold, after&nbsp; the head and hands of Dagon were cut off on the threshold before the ark of Yahweh (<a href='B:90 5:5'>1Sa 5:5</a>). The idea is that the temple of Yahweh had been effectively turned into that of pagan gods- despite Josiah’s apparent reforms. This whole message is a stern warning against mere tokenism in repentance and reform, and challenges to the core all our self-examination and the results thereof. These priests were filling Yahweh’s house with the rewards of their violence and deceit. Typical of the prophets, Zephaniah focuses upon the apparently negligible (the personal gains arising from deceit) rather than what we might consider the more obvious issues of offering children to Moloch.</p>


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<h4>In that day, says Yahweh, there will be the noise of a cry from the fish gate- This was on the northern entry to Jerusalem, the point which the northern invaders (Babylon, Assyria) would reach first.</h4><p>A wailing from the second quarter- A reference to the ’second city’, "the city of David", original Jerusalem, being "the first". The second city was highly fortified, but there would be wailing from that too; for human defence cannot in any way stave off Divine judgment.</p><h4>And a great crashing from the hills- The hills which famously surrounded Jerusalem.</h4>


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<h4>Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone!- ’Canaanite’ and ’trader’ are related words in Hebrew. Maktesh was the market quarter; there appears to be a play on words between maktesh, ’crushed to powder’, and makdosh, a holy place. No longer was Jerusalem holy; it had already been crushed to powder in judgment. The prophets consistently criticize the Jews for deceitful business practices; we have just read of how deceit had lead to material gains which were stashed in the temple storerooms (:9). It was appropriate therefore to focus upon the destruction of the market quarter.</h4><h4>All those who were loaded with silver are cut off- Their wealth, acquired by deceit of their brethren (:9), burdened them down so that they were unable to flee.</h4>


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<h4>It will happen at that time that I will search Jerusalem with candles- The Lord may have had this statement in view when He spoke of how the Father searches as a woman searches with candles to find the lost (<a href='B:490 15:8'>Luk 15:8</a>). As with all the messages of judgment, there is the implication that the remnant are being searched for. The candle is used to represent the human conscience inPro 20:27. The purpose of the judgments was to elicit self-examination. Jeremiah perhaps alludes to this prophecy by urging the exiles to search themselves and repent (<a href='B:310 3:40'>Lam 3:40</a> s:w:).</h4><p>&nbsp;And I will punish the men who are settled on their dregs- The same figure is used in <a href='B:300 48:11'>Jer 48:11</a> to describe those who had not experienced captivity in foreign lands, likened to wine being poured out into different vessels so that it doesn’t become settled on its dregs. Yet again we see that exile was intended not only as judgment for its own sake, but to stir up the people to repentance and spiritual improvement.</p><h4>Who say in their heart, Yahweh will not do good, neither will He do evil- The state of the human mind, our self talk, is of critical importance to God. There was the idea that God was somehow distant, unresponsive to good or evil, and never going to openly act. They were not atheists, but God was felt to be so distant that He would not act. This problem of thinking that God exists but is inactive and unresponsive::. is an abiding temptation for all God’s people of whatever generation.</h4>


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<p>Their wealth will become a spoil, and their houses a desolation. Yes, they will build houses, but won’t inhabit them. They will plant vineyards, but won’t drink their wine- This is clear allusion to the curses for breaking the covenant in Leviticus 26. To live unsatisfied lives, never enjoying the work or wealth acquired, is the great curse of those who live after the flesh. The threat that "the men who are [present] tense settled::." (:12) and the reference to the king’s sons (:8) would imply that the threatened judgment was imminent. Those who had planted vineyards would not be there next harvest season. This situation was averted, it seems, by the repentance of a remnant in response to Zephaniah’s ministry- and that of other prophets contemporary with him.</p>


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<h4>The great day of Yahweh is near. It is near, and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of Yahweh- The judgment day of Yahweh is therefore not a fixed calendar date; for here we read that it is hasting, it was being brought forward in the Divine program, according to Judah’s sin and lack of repentance. The last day can likewise be hastened by spiritual development and prayer (<a href='B:680 3:12'>2Pe 3:12</a>). The actual date is not set, although the preconditions are; there is a final, unknowable algorithm which will be mixed with God’s basic pity and love to determine the day.</h4><h4>The mighty man cries there bitterly- Bitter weeping is the language of condemnation at judgment day. The man who trusted in his own might is pictured as already weeping. We too are to live as if future judgment is already upon us; for we live life every moment before the judgment presence of God.</h4>


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<p>That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness- Other prophets use the same language, perhaps borrowing from Zephaniah, who at this point doesn’t name the invaders because of the principle discussed on :14- that there could be different outworkings of these prophecies, in accordance with whether Judah repented. "Distress" is the word for "trouble", and is used of the time of Jacob’s trouble (<a href='B:10 35:3'>Gen 35:3</a>; <a href='B:300 30:7'>Jer 30:7</a>; <a href='B:340 12:1'>Dan 12:1</a>); and this time has a distinctly latter day application, when Zephaniah’s words will come fully true. The time of darkness and gloom is that of <a href='B:50 28:29'>Deu 28:29</a> [s:w:]- the punishment for unfaithfulness to the covenant.</p>


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<p>A day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements- We have here an intentional mixing of meaning. The trumpet was sounded as an alarm to prepare the cities for an invasion. But the day of the alarm is also the day of judgment (:15). In this we see the intensity of the prophetic message- the day of sounding the alarm was also the day of judgment. God had formulated and stated His judgments, they were as good as executed (see on :14); but in the gap between the statement and the execution of it, there was still the chance for repentance. And this was and is the intensity of the moments in which we live, just as Judah lived in them. Repentance and total surrender to God must be urgent, and our appeal for it and baptism of people upon their repentance must likewise be done with a speed appropriate to the urgency of men’s position before God.</p>


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<h4>I will bring distress upon men- "Distress" is the same word translate’siege’, the punishment for breaking the covenant (<a href='B:50 28:52'>Deu 28:52</a> s:w:). The "men" are therefore Israel and Jerusalem in particular; "men" is adam, alluding to Adam’s representation of Israel in his sin and resultant punishment, of being sent out of the eretz to the east, just as was to happen to Judah. But the men of Judah had themselves distressed or besieged the just (<a href='B:370 5:12'>Amo 5:12</a> s:w:); what they had done to their brethren was to be done to them. And that is a principle of Divine judgment which challenges us today.</h4><p>So that they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh- Walking like blind men suggests walking in a line with their hand on the shoulders of the blind man in front of them. This was a picture of Judah being led into captivity. And yet the very same term is used in <a href='B:290 42:16'>Isa 42:16</a> of how the blind will ’walk’ or be lead back to the restored Kingdom of God.</p><h4>And their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung- The sense of the Hebrew is that this would happen immediately- hence GNB "and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground". As noted on :8 and :13, the judgment was imminent. It was to happen right away. The day of the alarm being blown was the same day of judgment (:16). It only didn’t come in Zephaniah’s time because God graciously responded to the repentance of a remnant.</h4>


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<h4>Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh’s wrath- There is the vain hope in human beings that wealth can purchase all things, even salvation. Only in the day of judgment will some people learn this; it is for us to learn it before then.</h4><p>But the whole land will be devoured by the fire of His jealousy- Fire was the result of jealousy in the practice of husbands burning adulterous wives. As found in Hosea, God like Hosea had emotions. Judah’s unfaithfulness to Him meant that He felt like burning them for ever; but His love for them was yet greater than that legitimate rage and fury. And so He relented, just as Hosea did of his plans to destroy Gomer. Likewise the whole land was not devoured; always a remnant was saved and in wrath God remembered mercy.</p><h4>For He will make an end, yes, a terrible end, of all those who dwell in the land- As explained above, God intended to make a total end of everyone in the land of Judah; but He didn’t. A remnant was saved, and far from everyone was slain. As explained on :3, God had prepared a cataclysm similar in nature to the flood, intending to destroy all animal and bird life, and certainly every human being. But such is His sensitivity to the prayer and spirituality of a minority that this didn’t happen, just as Nineveh was not in fact destroyed after 40 days- because there was repentance. "A terrible end" is literally ’a hastened end’; as explained on :14, the day was being hastened, speeded up; and yet a stop was put to that accelerated program by the likes of Zephaniah and the minority who responded to him. Such is God’s sensitivity to every thought and act of spirituality and repentance.</h4>


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<p>Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, you nation that has no shame- Although judgment was so closely upon them that it had effectively arrived, Zephaniah calls the people to repentance. He calls those who "had no shame". He means that those who had not repented should gather together and repent. Shame is associated with condemnation; to have no shame means they had not yet been condemned. To repent means that we bear shame for what we have done; we realize that what we have done or been condemns us, we feel that condemnation ahead of judgment day, and repent; and thereby the verdict is changed. Paul develops this idea throughout Romans 1-8.</p>


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<p>Before the appointed time when the day passes as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Yahweh comes on you, before the day of Yahweh’s anger comes on you- Zephaniah had clearly stated that that day had already come; see on <a href='B:430 1:14-16'>Zep 1:14-16</a>. But still there was a desperate, last moment opportunity for repentance. This was and is the intensity of the appeal. The day of judgment would be one of threshing and winnowing, when the chaff would be blown away. They were the chaff and needed to become the wheat.</p>


text:
<p>Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the land, who have kept His ordinances. Seek righteousness; seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of Yahweh’s anger- As explained on chapter 1,God’s purpose is open ended. The day of judgment was being brought closer at an accelerated speed because of their lack of repentance (<a href='B:450 1:14'>Zec 1:14</a>); but the Divine intention was that they would repent. He had planned the cataclysmic destruction of absolutely all people in Judah; see on <a href='B:430 1:3-4'>Zep 1:3-4</a>. But "it may be" that the righteous remnant would be spared and hidden. And <a href='B:290 26:20'>Isa 26:20</a> suggests that this possibility was as it were agreed by God. There was to be no assumption that the remnant would be spared destruction; it would be by grace. Although they were already righteous and humble, they were to even more intensively seek those things. A truly spiritual person will never consider they have arrived at a position of enough righteousness or humility. That itself would not be humble.</p>


text:
<p>For Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron will be rooted up- "For::." warns God’s people that their neighbours were to be judged by the same invaders. And their level of responsibility was far less. There are many word plays here, e:g. between the Hebrew for "Gaza" and "forsaken", "Ekron" and "rooted up", as if Zephaniah intended this to be memorized. In the era of mass illiteracy, such devices would have been necessary. If these four Philistine cities were to be judged, then Judah should be the more aware that they were even more responsible and would be judged the more. Israel should have driven out the Philistines; they ought to have made those cities to be forsaken by the Philistines, they should have desolated and rooted them up. But although they didn’t do so, Divine judgment all the same would come upon the Philistines. Judah are also hereby warned not to consider that they were somehow superior to the Gentiles. They had acted as Gentiles, worshipped their idols and intermarried with them; they were no better.</p>


text:
<p>Woe to the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Yahweh is against you, Canaan, the land of the Philistines. I will destroy you, that there will be no inhabitant- The "seacoasts" are a very small geographical area. This prophecy has never had such a fulfilment- but God’s word will come true. The final victory in the area, however, will be by a "remnant" of Israel, suggesting the majority perish in the last days, just as required in Zechariah 14. The fate of Gaza is connected with that of Ashkelon (:4), which is currently in Israeli hands. It would appear that this city must briefly be taken by the Palestinians / Philistines. We note too that the Palestinians / Philistines in Gaza are connected with the people of Cush [:12; North African Moslems, many of whom are attracted to Islamic jihad at this time], Moab and Ammon [Jordan / Kurdistan], and a latter day Assyria [which is reforming in the form of Islamic jihadism]. The connection between these groups and Hamas in Gaza is clearly established. The destruction of the ’coastlands’, the Gaza Strip, is prophesied as being due to a direct Divine ’intervention’; and that surely speaks of the return of Christ to save the remnant of Israel. The ’remnant’ is a term used in Bible prophecy not merely with reference to a numerical minority within Israel, but specifically to the righteous, repentant remnant. The picture seems to be of Israel being crushed militarily until a remnant remain, who repent and turn to Christ. And then He appears for their salvation and the final destruction of their enemies. It’s not good news for secular Israel, whatever short term military victories they may achieve in their own strength.</p>


text:
<p>The sea coast will be pastures, with booths for shepherds and folds for flocks- Instead of the intensive agriculture required by the large urban populations, the land would be used for grazing. This suggests a very sudden change, with the majority of the Philistine inhabitants slain or deported. But this didn’t happen under either the Assyrians nor Babylonians; rather did the Philistines only gradually become subsumed into the Persian empire. This then was the prophetic potential, the Divine ’Plan A’; but the whole scenario didn’t work out as planned. A remnant in Judah did repent, and so the scenario of mass cataclysm upon the whole area planned by God in <a href='B:430 1:4'>Zep 1:4</a> didn’t come about, and thereby indirectly the Gentiles within the land were saved from the planned destruction.</p>


text:
<p>The coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They will find pasture there. They will lie down in the evening in the houses of Ashkelon, for Yahweh their God will visit them, and restore them- Again the prophetic potential didn’t come about; most of the Jews didn’t want to return from exile, most of those who did still wouldn’t repent, and so this picture of returned Judean captives pasturing their flocks in the ruins of Ashkelon didn’t happen as planned. So much Divine potential is wasted; so much is possible, but human short termist thinking precludes it.</p>


text:
<h4>I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the insults of the children of Ammon, with which they have reproached My people- God is intensely aware of every word said and thought even by Gentiles. And He is particularly sensitive to what is said or felt against us His people. This should stop us in our tracks in any hard thoughts or words against any who are God’s children.</h4><h4>And magnified themselves against their border- God had given bounds to the Gentile nations in relation to Israel (<a href='B:50 32:8'>Deu 32:8</a>). Any attempts to break Divinely imposed limits may appear to initially succeed, but will incur His judgment. And again we have here a challenge for all time.</h4>


text:
<p>Therefore as I live, says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, surely Moab will be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them, and the survivors of My nation will inherit them- The prophetic potential was that the returned, repentant exiles would pasture their flocks in the deserted Philistine cities (:7); Moab and Ammon would be struck with Divine judgment in a form as dramatic as that upon Sodom, and then the Jews would plunder them and inherit their territory. This didn’t happen when the exiles returned from Babylon, just as the temple system they could have built in Ezekiel 40-48 didn’t happen. In essence, the possession and judgment of Judah’s neighbours will come true in the last days, but perhaps not in every literal detail. We notice the language of nettles, recalling the judgment upon the land for Adam’s sin.</p>


text:
<p>This they will have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Yahweh of Armies- We likely would have chosen many other reasons for the condemnation of Moab and Ammon before coming to "their pride". But this is typical of the prophetic perspective; God focuses on things like pride and injustice as the worst sins imaginable. And indeed they are. Thinking ourselves greater than God’s people is a sin worthy of condemnation. We see these Gentiles being condemned for doing so; but in our church lives we continually interact with God’s people. Our attitudes to them are so critically important in God’s eyes. We note that the people of God in this context were spiritually weak and under Divine judgment; but all the same, Moab and Ammon are condemned for their attitude towards them.</p>


text:
<h4>Yahweh will leave them awestruck, for He will starve all the gods of the land- There would be famine which would reveal all the fertility gods and the Baals to be frauds. Most of the idols were connected with fertility, and famine and drought revealed them as powerless and not in fact existent. We marvel at God’s saving passion- He wished to convert even those Gentiles who had mocked and abused His beloved people.</h4><h4>Men will worship Him, everyone from his place, even from every border of the nations- Those who had once tried to push back those borders (:8) will now respect them, and worship Yahweh once they accept that their idols were as it were dead. This scenario could have occurred when the captives returned; but it didn’t. Most of the exiles preferred to stay in captivity, they didn’t repent, and neither did the Gentiles around them. But this will happen in the last days.</h4>


text:
<p>You Cushites also, you will be killed by My sword- God’s sword was Babylon and Assyria (<a href='B:290 10:5'>Isa 10:5</a>), and Ethiopia ["Cush"] was destroyed when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Egypt (<a href='B:300 46:2-9'>Jer 46:2-9</a>; <a href='B:330 30:5-9'>Eze 30:5-9</a>). Those whom Judah had relied on instead of Yahweh would be permanently destroyed; with the implication that Judah would be left with none but Yahweh to trust in.</p>


text:
<p>He will stretch out His hand against the north, destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as the wilderness- The northern enemy is here clearly defined as Assyria- not Russia. The making of Nineveh so dry would imply God changed the microclimate around Nineveh after the Medes sacked Nineveh. Or the reference may be to the destruction of the complex system of irrigation upon which Nineveh’s fertility depended. But Jonah offered Nineveh a way out of this desolation, and for a time they responded. So again we see the openness of God’s plan with people and nations. It has been pointed out that "the Hebrew verbs are not in the simple future, but in the imperative or optative mood,"Let him stretch out his hand,"etc:; as though the prophet were praying that the enemies of his people might be overthrown". And so we have an insight into the way God takes so many factors into account before acting in this world. The faithful had prayed forNineveh’s destruction, and yet Jonah offered them repentance and some of them prayed for the sentence of destruction to be voided.</p>


text:
<h4>Herds will lie down in the midst of her, all the animals of the nations- The literal animals who would live in the ruins represented the wild nations. Perhaps in view are the Scythian hordes who also ransacked Nineveh along with the Medes.</h4><p>Both the pelican and the porcupine will lodge in its capitals- Unclean animals.</p><h4>&nbsp;Their calls will echo through the windows. Desolation will be in the thresholds, for He has laid bare the cedar beams- The desolated thresholds recalls the condemnation of Judah for fearing to step on thresholds (<a href='B:430 1:9'>Zep 1:9</a>), in that they followed the pagan fear of stepping on thresholds.</h4>


text:
<h4>This is the joyous city that lived carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me- We bear the Name of Yahweh / Jehovah, by reason of our baptism into it. His Name is declared as His character- merciful, truthful, judging sin, patient etc. (<a href='B:20 34:5-7'>Exo 34:5-7</a>). He who will be who He will be, manifesting His characteristics as He does so, must have His way in us too. Babylon and Nineveh were condemned for having the attitude that “I am, and there is none beside me” (<a href='B:290 47:8'>Isa 47:8</a>; <a href='B:430 2:15'>Zep 2:15</a>). Their self-perception was a parody on the Name and being of Yahweh: He alone can say “I am, and there is none else” (<a href='B:290 43:11'>Isa 43:11</a>; <a href='B:290 44:6'>Isa 44:6</a>; <a href='B:290 45:6'>Isa 45:6</a>; <a href='B:290 45:21'>Isa 45:21</a>) and seek to be who He is. He alone can seek to articulate the characteristics that make up His Name onto the lives of others, and onto the things that comprise His Kingdom. We are not to be who we are; to ‘just be yourself’; to ‘just do it’, as foolish slogans and adverts encourage us. We are here to show forth His mercy, truth, judgment of sin, patient saving of the weak etc:, not our own personality. We are, in the very end, Yahweh manifested to this world, through our imitation of the Lord Jesus.</h4><p>The language here applied to Nineveh is used later about Babylon in Isaiah, as noted above. This could simply be because God’s judgments have a similar theme and reason to them. But we could also consider that there were different prophetic scenarios which could have come about, as discussed on <a href='B:430 1:3-4'>Zep 1:3-4</a>. The intention to destroy Nineveh was as it were reapplied to Babylon. The focus was to move from Nineveh to Babylon. This refocusing and reapplication of Bible prophecy is common, as God’s purpose adjusts to human behaviour; especially to repentance or lack of it.</p><h4>How she has become a desolation, a place for animals to lie down in! Everyone who passes by her will hiss, and shake their fists- Note the confusion of tenses; she "has become::.", but the judgment is yet future ("will hiss::."). This is God’s perspective, speaking of those things which currently are not as if they are (<a href='B:520 4:17'>Rom 4:17</a>); and the life and thinking of faith adopts that perspective, rejoicing in what is not yet as if it is.</h4>


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<h4>Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, the oppressing city!- This section could be applicable to both Jerusalem and Nineveh, which is the subject of the preceding verses. The relevance to Nineveh would be in that she had repented at the preaching of Jonah, so deeply that the Lord Jesus says that some of those Ninevites will be resurrected to salvation in His Kingdom. But the Ninevites had let it slip, and as explained in commentary on Nahum, the community of believers there had declined, despite having been joined by some captives from the ten tribes.</h4><h4>Jerusalem was the oppressing city exactly because they had oppressed Gentiles and other vulnerable people (s:w. <a href='B:330 18:12'>Eze 18:12</a>; <a href='B:330 22:7'>Eze 22:7</a>; <a href='B:330 47:8'>Eze 47:8</a>; <a href='B:300 22:3'>Jer 22:3</a> and often). And yet the same word is used of how Gentiles oppressed them. Again we see that all Judah’s judgments were in essence what they had done to others. Maarah, "rebellious", is a word play on Moriah. Such literary devices were important in an illiterate society, where the words of the prophet would be repeated and reflected upon</h4>


text:
<p>She didn’t obey the voice. She didn’t receive correction. She didn’t trust in Yahweh. She didn’t draw near to her God- This would be relevant to Nineveh, who had initially responded to the voice of God through Jonah, but now had slipped back into their old ways. We note the parallels between trust, obedience, receiving correction, and drawing near to God, which is an idiom for serving Him in the sanctuary. God had drawn near to His people (<a href='B:50 4:7'>Deu 4:7</a>), but they would not respond. It is the scene of love unrequited, tragically so, seeing the colossal love of God was on offer. Judah "didn’t receive correction" and this was the reason for giving her up to the Babylonians (<a href='B:300 5:28'>Jer 5:28</a>; <a href='B:300 7:28'>Jer 7:28</a>; <a href='B:300 17:23'>Jer 17:23</a>; <a href='B:300 32:33'>Jer 32:33</a>; <a href='B:300 35:13'>Jer 35:13</a> all use the very same phrase); :7 says that God tried to correct Judah so that she would not have to be given up to her enemies, but she refused to accept it. And yet in His grace, the punishment of destruction was also an attempted&nbsp; correction. This is why there were waves of invasions before the final onslaught, both in the Assyrian and Babylonian contexts. God’s desire to teach us is amazing. And life gets more messy, with more collateral damage, the more we refuse to hear.</p>


text:
<p>Her princes in the midst of her are as roaring lions, her judges are as evening wolves; they leave nothing until the next day- Lions were the symbol of Assyria, and the same language is used of Assyria / Babylon as it is of Judah. They acted like Gentiles, and so were treated as Gentiles. Hence the dual application of this passage to both Nineveh and Jerusalem. These words are quoted specifically concerning the prophets, the religious leadership of Judah, in <a href='B:330 22:25'>Eze 22:25</a>. This is how God sees false teaching, when it is designed to abuse and get gain. They are pictured here as totally destroying Judah, ’leaving nothing’. As explained on <a href='B:430 1:3-4'>Zep 1:3-4</a>, God had planned a total cataclysm upon Judah which would wipe out the entire area, including all people and animals. But this was ammended, presumably because of the repentance of a minority, and the way that within His personality, the pole of His grace and pity is finally stronger than that of His anger and judgment.</p>


text:
<h4>Her prophets are arrogant and treacherous people- We would likely have focused upon the actual false prophecies of the prophets; God focuses upon their arrogance. This is typical of the prophetic perspective, which sees pride as the cardinal sin, and all the more obvious sins and errors as arising fundamentally from that.</h4><h4>Her priests have desecrated the sanctuary; they have done violence to the law- It was the Babylonians and Romans who desecrated the sanctuary, but here the priests are described as having done this. Their actions were the judgment; sin is its own judgment and punishment. <a href='B:290 43:28'>Isa 43:28</a> quotes these words in saying that "therefore have I desecrated / profaned the princes of the sanctuary". What they had done was done to them. There could therefore be no complaint on an ethical level concerning God’s judgments of His people. These are the priests commented upon in <a href='B:430 1:4'>Zep 1:4</a>; <a href='B:430 1:8'>Zep 1:8</a>. Whilst professing obedience to the law, they taught breaking it by their legal ’get rounds’ of Josiah’s reforms. Again, as noted on <a href='B:430 1:1'>Zep 1:1</a>, we understand how Josiah’s reforms were got around; the law which he personally tried to uphold was ’taken away violently’ by the priests. The taking away of the Law in the Lord’s death was simply doing what effectively the Jews had already done.</h4>


text:
<h4>Yahweh in the midst of her, He is righteous- Yahweh’s presence remained within the temple until the Babylonian invasion; this is symbolized in Ezekiel by the visions of the cherubim of glory departing from Zion and accompanying the captivesto Babylon. God doesn’t operate ’guilt by association’; He remained in the midst of a sinful people for generations. His righteousness was not infringed by doing so. It is a very presumptuous attitude which claims that because God finally acted, therefore so should we in quitting association with the weak and sinful people of God. In terms of the individual sinners within Judah over those generations of patience, He remained patiently trying to correct them until throughout their lives. And who really can claim to have exercised the awesome patience of God before drawing a line and telling a fellow believer: ’That’s it, you’re out, I’m gone’. There may be short term discipline within the family of the local congregation, just as Yahweh tried to correct His people, but that isn’t the same as a breaking of fellowship. the Jews thought that Yahweh’s presence in their midst was their guarantee of salvation (<a href='B:400 3:11'>Mic 3:11</a> s:w:), just as many assume that their membership of a Christian group means that somehow all shall be eternally well with them.</h4><h4>He will do no wrong. Every morning He brings His justice to light. He doesn’t fail, but the unjust know no shame- Court decisions were typically announced in the morning, as in the Lord’s trial. Despite their injustice, Yahweh’s justice was declared by simply allowing them to continue living day by day. And yet they had done wrong, and deserved justice. As explained throughout Romans 1-8, God’s grace operates in such a way that those who justly deserve judgment are not immediately judged. Day by day they are allowed to continue living, with the intention that this goodness of God should lead them to repentance (<a href='B:520 2:4'>Rom 2:4</a>). It was the same at this time; but the unjust would not repent, they refused to know shame, to realize and feel the shame of condemnation ahead of time, and to repent. For this is what repentance is all about; perceiving that we are worthy of the shame of condemnation, and changing that verdict by throwing ourselves in repentance upon God’s grace. We need to imagine how it would be to appear at the judgment seat and be condemned. And in awe and deepest gratitude accept the change of verdict which there is in Christ.</h4>


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<p>I have cut off nations, their battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that no one passes by. Their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant- The nations around Judah had been judged by the hoards of Scythians, Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans. The Olivet prophecy taught the same- that there would be a time of war and domination of other nations before it came to Israel. God’s people were intended to learn from that, to perceive that they were no better than the Gentiles, and deserved the same judgment. It was likewise God’s plan to so destroy Judah that not a man would be left, literally (<a href='B:430 1:3'>Zep 1:3</a>); only by grace was that plan changed.</p>


text:
<h4>I said, Just fear Me. Receive correction, so that her dwelling won’t be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her- The AV is correct: "I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction". We have here a classic example of the willful self-limitation of God. Just as He can limit His omnipotence, so He can limit His omniscience in order to fully enter into our experience and to engage with us in genuine relationship. Just as an educated, wealthy woman may self-limit in order to enter into a legitimate relationship of equals with an uneducated, simple man from a backward village in a developing country. Therefore God expresses shock, anger, disappointment, dashed hopes and expectations. "Surely they will reverence My Son::." is the greatest example (<a href='B:480 12:6'>Mar 12:6</a>). God had appointed total destruction of Judah; see on <a href='B:430 1:3'>Zep 1:3</a>. But He was ’certain’ that they would respond to all His repeated initiatives to correct and teach them. Hence His anger, disappointment and ’frustration’ when they did not.</h4><h4>But they rose early and corrupted all their doings- Judah abused God’s amazing patience and entrance into their lives and limitations. They purposefully, intentionally corrupted themselves in unfaithfulness to Him; the kind of tragedy played out in the Hosea : Gomer relationship.</h4>


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<h4>Therefore wait for Me, says Yahweh, until the day that I rise up to seize the prey- God here likens Himself to a lion, the symbol of Babylon and Assyria.</h4><h4>For My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, even all My fierce anger; for all the land will be devoured with the fire of My jealousy- God returns to His "determination" of <a href='B:430 1:3'>Zep 1:3</a>, to bring a cataclysm upon Judah which would totally eradicate all life from the area, including all the Gentile nations in the eretz promised to Abraham. But even then, He relented, such is His grace.</h4>


text:
<p>For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on the name of Yahweh, to serve Him with one neck- As with the situation at the flood, God considered that a total destruction of the entire area was going to be necessary in order to produce a purified people; see on <a href='B:430 1:3'>Zep 1:3</a>. And that purified people would be comprised "of the peoples" dwelling within the area He would cleanse by literal fire (:8). As is true today, unity between the peoples would be achieved by a common consent to put their necks under His yoke. The Lord Jesus ultimately will fulfil this intention, seeing that He is the yoke which alone brings about unity between those who come beneath it in order to serve Yahweh; see on <a href='B:470 11:30'>Mat 11:30</a>. It would be a reversal of Babel, when all the eretz was of one lip (s:w. <a href='B:10 11:1'>Gen 11:1</a>). There is implied here a psychological change, brought about by the working of the Holy Spirit in the spirit of men; hence the GNB: "Then I will change the people of the nations, and they will pray to me alone". This is the work of the new covenant.</p>


text:
<p>From beyond the rivers of Cush, My worshippers, even the daughter of My dispersed people, will bring My offering- It is doubtful whether the Jews were ever dispersed beyond those rivers, presumably referring to the great river of Cush [an intensive plural], the Nile- referring to what is now South Sudan, "beyond" or at the limits of that river. This was part of the potential scenario which never quite came about because of God’s grace and the intercession of a minority. But "the daughter of" the dispersed Jews could refer to a group similar to but not identical with them- perhaps to be fulfilled in Africans turning to the Lord Jesus and coming to Zion when the Kingdom is established on earth. We already have a spiritual foretaste of that in the conversions to Christ in those areas.</p>


text:
<h4>In that day you will not be ashamed for all your doings in which you have transgressed against Me- The total removal of shame is the sign of forgiveness so deep that it involves the psychological action on the mind of the forgiven, so that they feel no shame any more. This is the work of the Spirit promised in the new covenant. The process of judgment reveals all our "doings", our sins; and yet we are left able to see them all tabulated, as it were- and yet we are without shame, so confident are we that they have all been dealt with.</h4><h4>For then I will take away out of the midst of you your proud exulting ones, and you will no more be arrogant in My holy mountain- Again, for all the sins committed on Mount Zion, it is pride and arrogance which was seen as the worst. A difference is made between those who "transgressed against Me", and those who were "proud exulting ones". The idea of the original is that they were proud about "My holy mountain"; they were proud of the externalities of their religion, but would not exalt [s:w. "be arrogant"] God Himself (<a href='B:290 13:3'>Isa 13:3</a> s:w:). This is intensely relevant to those who were raised as Christian believers and socialized into their denomination and all its symbols of faith, rather than grasping the wonder of who God really is on a personal level. The same Hebrew words are used here as in <a href='B:290 13:3'>Isa 13:3</a>, where the faithful are those who exult in God’s pride or highness.</h4>


text:
<p>But I will leave in the midst of you an afflicted and humbled people, and they will take refuge in the name of Yahweh- This appears to be a flashback explaining how the situation in :11 is arrived at. The tiny remnant were intended to repent and be humbled, and turn to God, the only "refuge" from the tribulation. But this didn’t happen after the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions, nor after the Roman one. So the prophecy is rescheduled to the latter day tribulation, which will elicit this humbled and repentant people out of Judah. There may be a parallel with :5, where Yahweh Himself is "in the midst of you"; manifest through the humbled and afflicted. We noted on <a href='B:430 1:3'>Zep 1:3</a> that God had intended to bring upon Judah a cataclysm as total as the flood. There are allusions to the flood narrative throughout Zephaniah. "Leave" here is the same word used in <a href='B:10 7:23'>Gen 7:23</a> of how only Noah and the chosen animals "remained alive". This was how small the minority was to be. But the people were urged to be "humbled" before the tribulation came (<a href='B:430 2:3'>Zep 2:3</a> s:w:); but they would not, and so they had to go through the tribulation in order to be humbled. And it is the same for God’s people in the last days; whether or not they pass through the tribulation depends upon whether they have responded to His word in the lead up to it (see on <a href='B:730 3:10'>Rev 3:10</a>). Again, God’s plans are in this sense open ended.</p>


text:
<h4>The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity, nor speak lies- This quotes :5, which states these things about God who will be in the midst of Israel. Yet as noted on :12, it is the humbled and afflicted remnant who will be left "in the midst". The remnant will have taken refuge in the Name of Yahweh (:12), which refers to His characteristics. They will have the Name counted to the, just as we do through baptism into that Name. All that is true of God, His righteousness, is counted to us.</h4><h4>Neither will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they will feed and lie down, and no one will make them afraid- They will be so at peace with God, without fear of men, that they will no longer need to be deceitful. Out of all their many sins, having a deceitful tongue might be thought to be well down the list. But typical of the prophetic perspective, this is focused upon. These words are alluded to in <a href='B:730 14:4-5'>Rev 14:4-5</a>, where they are applied to the latter day repentant Jews.</h4>


text:
<h4>Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem- The mention of "Israel" rather than Judah suggests the final reunion of God’s people when they repent and marvel together at the extent of their forgiveness. For common experience of grace, repentance and forgiveness is what binds together. Disunity is caused by a lack of personal experience of these things.</h4><h4>These words in the LXX are applied by Gabriel to Mary in <a href='B:490 1:28-31'>Luk 1:28-31</a>. The teenage, poor village girl Mary is set up as the representative and epitome of all Israel / the people of God should have been. She was the seed of David, the daughter of Zion from whom Messiah came. The “highly favoured…blessed” woman (<a href='B:490 1:28'>Luk 1:28</a>) is the daughter of Zion of <a href='B:360 2:21-27'>Joe 2:21-27</a>; <a href='B:430 3:14-17'>Zep 3:14-17</a>; <a href='B:450 1:14-15'>Zec 1:14-15</a>; <a href='B:450 9:9'>Zec 9:9</a>. She “rejoiced” as the daughter of Zion was to rejoice at the coming of her king. She was the “servant Israel”, the “handmaiden” (the female form of “servant”) who was now “helped” by God (<a href='B:490 1:54'>Luk 1:54</a>). The daughter of Zion had not responded as she ought to have done; and so Zephaniah’s words were reapplied and rescheduled, to be fulfilled both in the last days and in Mary and her Messianic child.</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh has taken away your judgments- To "take away" judgments means to not carry out legal judgments; the same phrase is translated to "decline from::. sentences / judgments" in the sense of not carrying out judicial decrees (<a href='B:50 17:11'>Deu 17:11</a>). Here again we have an Old Testament version of Paul’s argument in Romans. The judgment is and was to condemnation; but it has been taken away, it will not be carried out, because as explained on :13, God has imputed righteousness to His repentant people who have identified themselves with His Name, just as we are baptized into that Name and abide within it.</h4><p>He has thrown out your enemy. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is in the midst of you- God has stated that He was right then in the midst of them (:5). Yet here, the time in view is clearly that of the Messianic Kingdom of the future, seeing that in practice the remnant refused to fully repent and accept their king. The Kingdom age will therefore be but a literal manifestation of the spiritual situation which there already is amongst God’s people, for whom He is already their King in their midst, and they His dominion or kingdom.</p><h4>You will not be afraid of evil any more- This must therefore speak of the last days.</h4>


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<h4>In that day it will be said to Jerusalem, Don’t be afraid, Zion- This is the same message to Zion as recorded in Isaiah 40. Zion will be assured that she need not fear God’s judgments any more; for she really has been forgiven. The preachers of that message will be us, and indeed we ought to be telling Jewish people right now.</h4><h4>Don’t let your hands be weak- The words spoken to the returned exiles as they rebuilt Jerusalem (<a href='B:150 4:4'>Ezr 4:4</a>; <a href='B:160 6:9'>Neh 6:9</a>). But those exiles did not finally restore the temple nor the kingdom as intended; the temple commands of Ezekiel 40-48 were not fulfilled in that they were not obeyed. Weak hands were a result of fear of Divine judgment to come (<a href='B:330 7:17'>Eze 7:17</a>; <a href='B:330 21:7'>Eze 21:7</a> s:w:). But the reassurance of the new covenant and of God’s gracious forgiveness meant that they need not have fear nor weak hands.</h4>


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<p>Yahweh your God is in the midst of you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will calm you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing- They needed calming from their fear of judgment for their sins. His strength and might are particularly manifest in His desire to save, even the most sinful. Any review of His majesty in creation must be taken further to this very personal conclusion; that all that might and power are nothing compared to His might and power to save and transform sinners. ’Rejoicing over with joy’ is the language of the groom rejoicing over the bride (s:w. <a href='B:290 62:5'>Isa 62:5</a>; <a href='B:290 65:19'>Isa 65:19</a>). God presents Himself as in love, with all the giddiness of emotion when finally the intended climax of commitment is reached with the beloved. He is presented as He Himself singing as an expression of that joy. Zion, the beloved, is presented as the young woman who needs calming before the expression of all this love, fearful and nervous. And this is on one hand the only appropriate response, for we who are so unworthy to become the object of such love. This rejoicing over Judah to do them good could have come about at the restoration from Babylon (s:w. <a href='B:300 32:41'>Jer 32:41</a>), had the returning exiles entered into the new covenant. It was indeed tragic that they did not.</p>


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<p>I will gather those who mourn with longing for the appointed feasts, you will no longer suffer reproach- They could have gathered themselves before the traumas of captivity (<a href='B:430 2:1'>Zep 2:1</a>); but chose not to. And so the tribulation had to come, so that they would desire to be gathered. Again the primary reference is to the captives, unable to keep the feasts in captivity but longing to do so, mocked as they sat by the rivers of Babylon. But when they were "gathered" through the decree of Cyrus allowing them to return, relatively few did; and as the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and Malachi make clear, those who did return were not very penitent and had their own selfish agendas rather than any desire to re-establish God’s Kingdom. So much potential was wasted. And so the prophecies of the restoration, which form a large part of the prophets, became reapplied and rescheduled to those who wish to appropriate them to themselves in Christ now, and to the remnant of Judah who will repent in future, around the time of the Lord’s return.</p>


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<h4>Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you- The restoration from Babylon didn’t lead to this; Judah’s lack of repentance meant that the intended scenario didn’t happen as planned. But as noted on :18, it will happen in the last days.</h4><p>And I will save those who are lame, and gather those who were driven away- The allusion is to limping Jacob being regathered to his own land after "the time of Jacob’s trouble" in the last days (<a href='B:340 12:1'>Dan 12:1</a>). Jacob, like Judah and Israel, was driven away for his own deceit and sinfulness. And yet the focus is upon the joy of restoration, rather than mentioning the past sins. The language of "driven away" is used of the exiles who were once driven away being regathered (<a href='B:160 1:9'>Neh 1:9</a> s:w:); but they refused to realize the huge potential for restoration.</p><h4>I will give them praise and honour, those whose shame was once in all the earth- The gift of such honour alludes to the gift of imputed righteousness, covering the shame associated with condemnation, which we have alluded to above.</h4>


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<h4>At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you- The repeated emphasis upon "at that time" (as in :19) is to underline the point that Judah’s triumphant return will coincide with the time of judgment upon their enemies. The fall of Babylon was supposed to be the signal for Judah to return of their own will. But they didn’t; and so as soon as Cyrus was established over Babylon, in the first year of his reign, he was moved by God to make a decree urging the Jews to return, offering them material incentives to do so. The fact the majority still didn’t return is a tragic example of men refusing to go the way God’s grace wishes them to. And so the prophecies will have their rescheduled fulfilment in the salvation of the repentant remnant at the fall of latter day Babylon.</h4><h4>For I will give you honour and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes, says Yahweh- This ’giving’ is the gift of grace, of imputed righteousness, as noted on :19</h4>


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<h4>In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month- The many restoration prophecies had stated that the Jews would return from Babylon after Babylon had fallen and restore God’s Kingdom in Judah under a Messianic ruler. Ezekiel 40-48 contains commands more than predictions of how a temple system would be rebuilt, with a "Prince" who was also a priest as the Messianic leader. They would repent and enter a new covenant which would replace the old covenant. Tragically, most of the Jews preferred the soft life of Babylon, and those who did return were impenitent and are revealed by Haggai, Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah as seeking their own personal gain from emigration to Judah. And so the prophecies were rescheduled and reapplied. There is an element to which they will come literally true in the last days when latter day Babylon falls, a remnant of Judah repent, and the Lord Jesus returns to earth to re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth based in Israel. But they are also reinterpreted in many New Testament passages which allude to the restoration prophecies, being reapplied to Christian believers entering the new covenant and coming out of ’Babylon’ in a more spiritual sense.</h4><p>Some exiles did return and began rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. But they were several times interrupted by seemingly invincible opposition from the local peoples and the king of Persia. But through the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, the exiles were encouraged to keep on keeping on, and against all odds, a temple was rebuilt (<a href='B:150 5:1'>Ezr 5:1</a>; <a href='B:150 6:14'>Ezr 6:14</a>). So we should not read Haggai and Zechariah as merely droning on against the Jews and not getting very far. It was due to their inspired words that the discouraged, spiritually weak people of God were inspired to rise up and do the work of God’s Kingdom, and succeed with every man’s hand against them. In this is their abiding value to us. There is however the repeated theme of wasted potential- so much could have happened at that time, even the re-establishment of God’s Kingdom in the form of the kingdom of Israel, replete with a Messianic ruler. But it didn’t, because of short termist, self-satisficing attitudes, a failure to look beyond the immediate and personal to a far bigger picture.</p><p>The Word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet- Literally, ’by / in the hand of’, a classic statement of Biblical inspiration.</p><p>To Zerubbabel- Haggai is addressed specifically to two men, Zerubbabel and Joshua [’Jesus’], who could have been the Messianic rulers at the time of the restoration. They both let the baton drop. It’s a sad story of not using huge potential which is there in God’s plan for men. He is also called Sheshbazzar in <a href='B:150 1:8'>Ezr 1:8</a>; <a href='B:150 5:14'>Ezr 5:14</a>; <a href='B:150 5:16'>Ezr 5:16</a>;&nbsp; Sheshbazzar was probably his Chaldean name; just as Daniel was called Belteshazzar.</p><p><a href='B:290 53:2'>Isa 53:2</a> speaks of Messiah, in a restoration context beginning in Isaiah 52, as ‘growing up’, the same word used to describe the ‘coming up’ from the dry ground of Babylon. This potential Messiah was Zerubbabel, but one wonders whether when he failed to fulfil the prophecies, there was the possibility that another man could have fulfilled his role. Nehemiah ‘came up’ from Babylon, and was “the servant” who ‘prospered’ Yahweh’s work (<a href='B:160 1:11'>Neh 1:11</a>; <a href='B:160 2:20'>Neh 2:20</a>), just as the servant prophecies required (<a href='B:290 53:10'>Isa 53:10</a>; <a href='B:290 48:15'>Isa 48:15</a>); and he was thereby the redeemer of his brethren (<a href='B:160 5:8'>Neh 5:8</a>). He encouraged the singing of praise on the walls of Zion (<a href='B:160 9:5'>Neh 9:5</a>; <a href='B:160 12:46'>Neh 12:46</a>), surely in a conscious effort to fulfil the words of <a href='B:290 60:18'>Isa 60:18</a> - that Zion’s gates in Messiah’s Kingdom would be praise. He was “despised” as Messiah would be (<a href='B:160 2:19'>Neh 2:19</a>; <a href='B:290 53:3'>Isa 53:3</a> s:w:). He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, as Messiah would (<a href='B:160 2:12'>Neh 2:12</a> cp. <a href='B:450 9:9'>Zec 9:9</a>); and <a href='B:160 2:16'>Neh 2:16</a> sounds very much like “of the people there was none with me” (<a href='B:290 63:3'>Isa 63:3</a>). The Gentiles round about came to sit at Nehemiah’s table to eat and drink (<a href='B:160 5:17'>Neh 5:17</a>), just as Isaiah had prophesied could happen on a grander scale at the restoration of the Kingdom. One wonders if the potential fulfilment of the Messianic prophecies was transferred to&nbsp; him? And yet Nehemiah returned to Babylon at least once, and there is no record that on his second visit he stayed on, but rather, the implication seems to be, he returned again to the service of Babylon. The total lack of Biblical information about his later life may reflect this disappointing decision. This train of thought enables us to appreciate the joy and pleasure which the Father had when finally His beloved Son lived up to all that He sought and expected.</p><p>And yet according to Jewish tradition, Nehemiah’s real name was Zerubbabel, the branch (Sanhedrin 38a)- perhaps the same Zerubbabel as mentioned in Haggai and Zechariah. The Hippolytus Chronicle 7:3:37 even claims Nehemiah was a direct descendant of David and in the direct kingly line. His name, ‘comfort of Yahweh’, invites us to see him as the potential fulfilment of the <a href='B:290 40:1-2'>Isa 40:1-2</a> prophecy about a Messiah figure arising to the exiles, giving them God’s comfort. At the time of Judah’s redemption, while the temple had been trodden down by her enemies, the promised Messiah figure of <a href='B:290 63:1-3'>Isa 63:1-3</a>; <a href='B:290 63:18'>Isa 63:18</a> was to come from Edom and Bozrah - both code names for Babylon. The words "Bozrah" and "Babylon" have similar root meanings (’high / fortified place’). And he was to lament how the people of Judah were not with him- "of the people there was none with me". But this is the very spirit of Nehemiah, when he returns to Jerusalem from Babylon and looks around the ’trodden down’ city at night, not telling the people of the Jews about his inspection- i:e. the people were not with him (<a href='B:160 2:11-16'>Neh 2:11-16</a>).</p><h4>Son of Shealtiel- The Salathiel of <a href='B:470 1:12'>Mat 1:12</a>; <a href='B:490 3:27'>Luk 3:27</a>. He was directly in the Messianic line and could have therefore legitimately been the king of Judah. His father is called Pedaiah in&nbsp; <a href='B:130 3:17'>1Ch 3:17</a>; <a href='B:130 3:19'>1Ch 3:19</a> - presumably he was adopted by his uncle Salathiel on the death of his father.</h4><p>Governor of Judah- Sheshbazzar / Zerubbabel was the one given the temple vessels, appointed "governor" of Judah and who laid the foundation of the temple (<a href='B:150 5:14-16'>Ezr 5:14-16</a>).</p><h4>And to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying- The Divine intention was that Zerubbabel was to be the king in the line of David, and Joshua [’Jesus’] the high priest.</h4>


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<h4>This is what Yahweh of Armies says: These people say, ‘The time hasn’t yet come, the time for Yahweh’s house to be built’- They reasoned that “the time” of which Jeremiah spoke hadn’t come- even though the temple had miraculously been enabled to be rebuilt, for no human benefit at all to Cyrus (<a href='B:290 45:13'>Isa 45:13</a> “not for price nor reward”). They felt that all the prophecies were “marvellous” in the sense of something incapable of concrete fulfilment in their experience (<a href='B:450 8:6'>Zec 8:6</a>). This is why they are rebuked them for saying “the time is not come…that the Lord’s house should be built”. They didn’t want the prophecy to be fulfilled, because it would mean ‘going up’ from their ceiled houses- both in Babylon and in the farmsteads they had built in Judah- to build the temple.</h4><p>The context of this, according to <a href='B:150 5:1'>Ezr 5:1</a>, was of the people losing heart in the rebuilding because of the opposition from the Samaritans and the temporary ban on the work from Babylon. They argued: ’We’ll do God’s work if we get the chance, but this ban is clearly a sign from God not to go ahead’- when really it was their self-satisfaction with their "ceiled houses" (:4) that made them give up so easily. But the Angels were eager to go ahead! The paltry excuses for shirking the Lord’s work today are no better. As ever, they stem from the apathy born of materialism, but are wrapped up in pseudo-spiritual reasoning.</p><h4>The exiles asked for ‘deliverance’- but they redefined ‘deliverance’ as meaning being allowed to live prosperously in the land of their captivity (Bar_1:12 cp. 2:14), rather than being delivered from Babylon and returning to Judah. In a way, the book of Esther shows how God heard this prayer. But the book of Esther therefore has a sad ending, with the Jews prosperous, loved and respected, and even further away from returning to the land. Indeed, Bar_2:21 records them misquoting <a href='B:300 27:12'>Jer 27:12</a> about the need to obey the King of Babylon during their captivity, and understanding this as meaning they were to remain in Babylon! Bar_6:2 is perhaps the most serious example of misquoting and wilfully misunderstanding God’s word. Here, Baruch [as Jeremiah’s scribe] changes the prophecy of <a href='B:300 29:10'>Jer 29:10</a>, that Israel were to be 70 years in Babylon and then return: “When you reach Babylon you will be there many years, a period seven generations long, after which I will bring you back”. The 70 years are turned into seven generations. This was precisely the mindset spoken against in <a href='B:440 1:2'>Hag 1:2</a>, whereby the Jews reasoned that the time had not yet come to rebuild the temple. “The time” referred to the time spoken of by Jeremiah- but Baruch had re-interpreted the 70 years as meaning seven generations. And yet all this was done with a surface-level reverence for God’s word- the exiles considered themselves blessed because they had God’s law (Bar_4:4). Indeed, much of Baruch is a condemnation of idols and a demand to worship Yahweh.</h4>


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<p>Then the Word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet, saying- We may at times wonder whether anything, even God’s word, has the power to shift human complacency. But at least some responded to Haggai: "the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet" (<a href='B:150 6:14'>Ezr 6:14</a>). Haggai was addressed specifically to Zerubbabel and Joshua, the elders; and initially they did respond.</p>


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<h4>Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste?- As explained on :1, this prophecy was&nbsp; addressed specifically to Zerubbabel and Joshua, the elders. We can conclude that they particular were living in luxurious houses, focused upon their house rather than God’s. And that is an abiding challenge to us all, especially noting that the Hebrew idea of "house" refers to a family as well as a building.</h4><h4><a href='B:290 60:7'>Isa 60:7</a> prophesied that God would “glorify the house of my glory”. But this was in fact a conditional prophecy, capable of fulfilment through the freewill efforts of the returning exiles. For they were empowered by Artaxerxes “to beautify [s:w. “glorify”] the house of the Lord” (<a href='B:150 7:27'>Ezr 7:27</a>). All their efforts to glorify / beautify the house, therefore, would have had God’s special and powerful blessing behind them. But was the house ultimately glorified? No- for Israel would not. They got sidetracked by beautifying their own homes, building “cieled houses” for themselves (<a href='B:440 1:4'>Hag 1:4</a> AV). The word for “cieled” or "paneled" occurs in <a href='B:110 6:9'>1Ki 6:9</a>; <a href='B:110 7:3'>1Ki 7:3</a>; <a href='B:110 7:7'>1Ki 7:7</a> to describe the roofing of the first temple- which they were to be rebuilding, rather than building their own houses. The glory would have entered the house of God’s glory as it did at the inauguration of the first temple (<a href='B:140 7:1-3'>2Ch 7:1-3</a>). Ezekiel prophesied that ultimately the glory would fill the temple as it had done then (<a href='B:330 43:4-5'>Eze 43:4-5</a>). But God’s prophesy of this in <a href='B:290 60:7'>Isa 60:7</a>, that He would glorify His house, meant that He was prepared to work through men to glorify it. The fulfilment of Ezekiel’s vision of the cloud of glory entering the temple again could have been fulfilled if the exiles had done what Artaxerxes empowered them to do- to glorify the house of glory. And so the fulfilment was delayed. The glory of the temple the exiles built was tragically less than the glory of the first temple; and so it would only be in the last day of Messiah’s second coming that the house shall truly be filled with glory (<a href='B:440 2:3'>Hag 2:3</a>; <a href='B:440 2:7'>Hag 2:7</a>; <a href='B:440 2:9'>Hag 2:9</a>). And the lesson ought to be clear for us, in the various projects and callings of our lives: it becomes crucial for us to discern God’s specific purposes for us, and insofar as we follow His leading, we will feel a blessing and power which is clearly Divine.</h4>


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<h4>Now therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies says: Consider your ways- "Consider" is a key word in Haggai (s:w. :7; 2:15,18). To ’set our heart upon’ (Heb:) our "ways" is difficult- self-examination doesn’t come easy to any of us. Ultimately the exiles didn’t go in God’s ways, their "thoughts" and "ways" of thinking were not God’s- when they should and could have been (<a href='B:290 55:8-9'>Isa 55:8-9</a>; the later chapters of Isaiah are a lament that the returned exiles would not go in God’s way). The root cause for the failure was right in the heart- they were not spiritually minded, God’s passion for His Kingdom was not theirs. The spiritual intention of the exile had been that Judah would consider their "ways" (<a href='B:330 20:43-44'>Eze 20:43-44</a>; <a href='B:330 36:31'>Eze 36:31</a>). They hadn’t done this, and therefore those who returned did so from motives of personal improvement rather than spiritual desire for the things of the Kingdom- as :6 now laments.</h4>


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<h4>You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it-</h4>&nbsp;<p>In the context of the restoration from Babylon, Ezekiel and <a href='B:450 8:12'>Zec 8:12</a> prophesied: “For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I willcause the remnant of this people to possess all these things”. But we know that in reality, Judah were not obedient to the heavenly vision of Ezekiel, and therefore Judah’s agriculture was not blessed in this way; the vines cast their fruit, and the fruit of the ground was destroyed (<a href='B:440 1:6'>Hag 1:6</a>; <a href='B:440 1:11'>Hag 1:11</a>; <a href='B:460 3:10-11'>Mal 3:10-11</a>). The reason was that <a href='B:450 8:12'>Zec 8:12</a> was conditional- upon <a href='B:450 8:16-17'>Zec 8:16-17</a>: “These are the things that ye shall do [i:e. to bring these prophecies about]; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD”. But Judah abused each other, and didn’t fulfil the conditions for the prophecy.</p><h4>They were gathered back [although they resisted this in that many preferred to stay in the soft life of Babylon], but they hardly dwelt safely or confidently in their land as the prophecies of the restoration had foreseen. They planted vineyards, but received a poor harvest due to their lack of attention to God’s house; their enemies destroyed their fruits, and their vine “cast her fruit before the time” (<a href='B:440 1:6'>Hag 1:6</a>; <a href='B:460 3:10-11'>Mal 3:10-11</a>). Haggai and Malachi criticized Israel for this, saying it could be rectified by their obedience: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (<a href='B:460 3:10'>Mal 3:10</a>). Yet in Nehemiah’s time, Judah refused to pay tithes properly; but even then, if they had thoroughly repented, the Kingdom conditions were still possible. Such was God’s desire to continue working with His hopeless people.</h4>


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<p>This is what Yahweh of Armies says: Consider your ways- See on :5. "Ways" can refer to literal roads. Judah were commanded to return from Babylon in <a href='B:300 31:21'>Jer 31:21</a>: “Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities”. The same command to flee from the land of the north [Babylon] is to be found in <a href='B:290 48:20'>Isa 48:20</a>; <a href='B:300 51:6'>Jer 51:6</a>; <a href='B:450 2:6'>Zec 2:6</a>; and they were to “get thee up to the high mountain” (<a href='B:290 40:9'>Isa 40:9</a>), using the same word about Judah ‘going up’ from Babylon to Israel. "A woman shall compass a man" (<a href='B:300 31:22'>Jer 31:22</a>) suggests that the woman, Judah, were to take the initiative with God by mapping out the roads they would take back to Zion- the suggestion could be that the 70 year period of captivity could have been shortened had Judah taken the initiative.</p>


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<h4>Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house- &nbsp;The majority of Judah remained in Babylon. And the majority of those who did return, only did so in order for purely personal benefit- of having their own house and land. They ‘went up’ to the land, but not to Zion. With reference to <a href='B:290 40:9'>Isa 40:9</a> [ “get thee up to the high mountain”]Haggai exhorted them: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Ye looked for much [i:e. they expected the promised Kingdom blessings], and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house”. Their focus was on their own lands and farms rather than the glory of Zion (as <a href='B:160 13:10-11'>Neh 13:10-11</a>). They stood related to the things of God’s kingdom, but never ventured beyond their own personal self-interest. They would not accept that God manifestation rather than human salvation and pleasure was the essential purpose of their God.</h4><p>Haggai’s prophecy can be dated quite precisely- it was given August-September 520 BC. This was harvest time. And at this very labour intensive season, where all hands had to be ondeck out in the fields, the prophet called for a dedication of labour to building up God’s house. Yet Judah were too concerned with their own harvests than the harvest of God’s glory. They were asked to do something counter-instinctive- to take time out from harvest, and spend that time on building up God’s house. And they failed the challenge. But it wasn’t that they were simply lazy. <a href='B:440 1:8'>Hag 1:8</a>, a prophecy given 18 years after the decree of Cyrus, orders the people to go up into the hills of Judah and get wood with which to build the temple. And yet according to <a href='B:150 3:7'>Ezr 3:7</a>, the decree of Cyrus 18 years earlier had resulted in cedar wood being brought from Tyre and Sidon, enough for the temple to be built. Where had the wood gone? Is the implication not that the leadership had used it for their own "cieled houses" (<a href='B:440 1:4'>Hag 1:4</a>)? It all seems so petty minded. But this is what we are tempted to do, time and again- build up our own house and leave God’s house desolate and in a very poor second place.</p><p>I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, says Yahweh- The idea of God ‘accepting’ or taking pleasure in Israel is found in <a href='B:330 43:27'>Eze 43:27</a>; when the temple was built and the sacrifices offered, “I will accept you”. If Judah resumed building the temple according to Ezekiel’s plan, “I will take pleasure” in it, God offered. They should be more committed to building the temple “that I may appear in my glory” (RSV). The glory of Yahweh as described at the end of Ezekiel could have appeared in Haggai’s time- but this wonderful possibility was held back by Israel’s petty minded, self-satisficing laziness. The same word is used in <a href='B:330 43:27'>Eze 43:27</a> - then, when the temple of Ezekiel was built, Yahweh would “accept / take pleasure in” His people and temple. But because they built and served Him with such a mean spirit, He did not “accept” them at that time (<a href='B:460 1:10'>Mal 1:10</a>; <a href='B:460 1:13'>Mal 1:13</a> s:w:). Note how <a href='B:440 1:8'>Hag 1:8</a> describes the need to go up onto the mountain and build the temple- as if to recall attention to Ezekiel’s opening vision of the temple as built on a mountain. But Judah would not, and therefore the Kingdom blessings of corn, new wine and oil, as well as fruitfulness on the mountains, were all withheld (<a href='B:440 1:11'>Hag 1:11</a>).</p><h4>Haggai’s criticism of the returnees is more understandable if we understand that most of them were the poor, who hadn’t ’made it’ in Babylon. It would be fair to infer that only the poor Jews returned from Babylon. The record in <a href='B:150 2:64-70'>Ezr 2:64-70</a> speaks of 42,360 people returning, along with 7,337 servants and 200 singers, making a total of 49,837. And yet only 8,100 animals went with them to transport them. This means that many would have walked. They carried 5,400 vessels for use in the temple- so the picture could be that their more wealthy brethren laded them with goods, but only the poor returned. Further, the list of towns of origin in Ezra 2 suggests it was mainly those who had originally lived in peripheral villages who returned, rather than the inhabitants of Jerusalem and larger cities.</h4>


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<h4>You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away- The people expected "much" harvest, and were disappointed at the poor yields in Palestine. This would confirm the suggestion that many of those Jews who did return from Babylon were amongst the poor in Jewish exile society, and returned in home for personal betterment- rather than because they wished to obey the call of the prophets and establish God’s glory in the land. That’s a sober warning for all of us who may go through an external appearance of zeal for our God, whilst having very selfish and human motives underneath. Why, e:g:, does a young woman so zealously attend church? Is it to worship God and build up His family::. or because she perceives it as a potential meeting place with ’Mr. Right’? And so the examples could be multiplied.</h4><h4>Why? says Yahweh of Armies, Because of My house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house- Haggai’s words are full of implication that these men couldhave achieved so much, and yet chose not to rise up to their potentials. <a href='B:440 1:9'>Hag 1:9</a> takes on particular significance when read in this light: "My house lies desolate whilst you run about, each man [i:e. Zerubbabel and Joshua] to his own house. It was those two who preferred to dwell in their"cieled houses"whilst God’s house lay desolate (<a href='B:440 1:4'>Hag 1:4</a>). The reference to"cieled houses"would be only relevant to the upper classes- it would hardly be applicable to all the returned exiles. If this line of interpretation is correct, then we can understand these two men as focusing more on their own homes than on God’s house, and fulfilling the great potential possible if it had been built according to Ezekiel’s specifications.</h4>


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<h4>Therefore for your sake- Perhaps specifically the selfishness of Zerubbabel and Joshua led to a drought which affected many. This is the problem with sin- it affects others, and we learn from the account of Adam and Eve.</h4><h4>The skies withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit- This is exactly the language of <a href='B:110 8:35'>1Ki 8:35</a>, which said that in such case, the people were to repent and pray towards the temple in Zion! But they didn’t want to build that temple, they wanted rather to build up their own glory and homesteads. All things could’ve worked so wonderfully together for good; but they didn’t want to participate in the program God had arranged, and so instead a downward spiral kicked in.</h4>


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<p>I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on that which the ground brings forth, on men, on livestock, and on all the labour of the hands- These are all aspects of the promised Messianic Kingdom which could have come about at the restoration (e:g. <a href='B:360 2:19'>Joe 2:19</a>; <a href='B:360 2:24'>Joe 2:24</a>; <a href='B:300 31:12'>Jer 31:12</a>). The very same sequence of words occurs in <a href='B:160 5:11'>Neh 5:11</a>; <a href='B:160 10:37'>Neh 10:37</a>; <a href='B:160 10:39'>Neh 10:39</a>; <a href='B:160 13:5'>Neh 13:5</a> - instead of giving those things to Yahweh, the Jews stole them from each other, and jibbed about paying them as tithes to Him. And thereby they precluded the possibility of Yahweh richly blessing all His people with those very same things in a Kingdom setting. As with all those who are rejected from God’s purpose, they effectively rejected themselves from His Kingdom by their behaviour, rather than Him rejecting them Himself.</p>


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<h4>Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Yahweh, their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as Yahweh, their God, had sent him; and the people feared Yahweh- see on <a href='B:300 23:18'>Jer 23:18</a>; <a href='B:300 23:22'>Jer 23:22</a>. This was a commendable humility, for it is hard for leaders to repent. It seems that they didn’t maintain this level of intensity of repentance, but all the same, God responded positively to them at that time, in response to their&nbsp; repentance of that moment.</h4><h4>Even amongst those who returned to the land, only a minority wished to take their spiritual possibilities seriously. The returned exiles are called"this people"(<a href='B:440 1:2'>Hag 1:2</a>; <a href='B:440 2:14'>Hag 2:14</a>) or"the people of the land"(<a href='B:440 2:4'>Hag 2:4</a>), but only"the remnant of the people"actually responded to the call of the prophets like Haggai who encouraged them in the work and vision of what was possible.</h4>


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<h4>Then Haggai, Yahweh’s messenger- An example of malak referring not only to supernatural beings ["Angels"] but to men; references to ’sinning Angels’ must be understood as referring therefore to men and not heavenly beings. Haggai is presented as the mediator, taking the message of repentance to God, and Him sending Haggai back to he people with a message. The Messiah figure was to be accompanied by a messenger,"the messenger of the covenant"(<a href='B:460 3:1'>Mal 3:1</a>); and Haggai could have been that to Zerubbabel, whilst he was willing to live up to the call to be the Messianic figure of that time. But he failed, and so the prophecies of the restoration with their Messianic figure and his messenger were reapplied to the Lord Jesus, who was heralded by John the Baptist as the"messenger".</h4><h4>Spoke Yahweh’s message to the people, saying, I am with you, says Yahweh- The allusion is to the repeated promises that"I will be with you"in leaving Egypt and going in to possess the promised land and establish God’s Kingdom there (<a href='B:40 14:43'>Num 14:43</a>). This is what could have happened had the exiles left Babylon and returned to the land wishing to fulfil the restoration prophecies.</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest- In response to their desire to respond to the call for repentance, God stirred up their spirit / mind. He can work directly on the human heart, giving us attitudes and ideas; and He does so especially in response to our desire for this. Here we have a classic Old Testament example of the work of God’s Spirit on human hearts, which becomes such a characteristic of New Testament Christianity. The same word is used of how He stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to allow the exiles to return (<a href='B:150 1:1'>Ezr 1:1</a>), and also the spirits of the exiles who decided to return (<a href='B:150 1:5'>Ezr 1:5</a>). Although their motives were on one hand not right, God also worked on their hearts. Human motivation is complex, but God worked there, confirming them as needed. It seems that the stirring up of spirit occurred when they left Babylon, and now again once they had flagged. It is similar to the New Testament idea of being filled up with the Spirit, as if there are moments of filling and refilling. And this stands true to our spiritual experience.</h4><h4>And the spirit of all the remainder of the people; and they came and worked on the house of Yahweh of Armies, their God- As noted on :12, only a remnant of the people left Babylon and of them, only a remnant repented.</h4><h4>Even with Ezekiel’s prophecies behind him concerning “the prince”, Zerubbabel was easily discouraged in the rebuilding, and needed the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah to encourage him again. He kept the feast of tabernacles (<a href='B:150 3:4'>Ezr 3:4</a>) but without dwelling in booths (<a href='B:160 8:17'>Neh 8:17</a>)- i:e:, half heartedly. He could have been Messiah, perhaps- he may well have been age 30/33 at the time of the restoration (<a href='B:470 1:12-13'>Mat 1:12-13</a>). When Judah returned, they could have entered into the new covenant, featuring “nobles [an intensive plural, meaning ‘the great noble’]… and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them” (<a href='B:300 30:21'>Jer 30:21</a>). Zerubbabel the Governor could have fulfilled this; but he flunked out. Yet God lifted up his spirit a second time (<a href='B:440 1:14'>Hag 1:14</a> cp. <a href='B:150 1:5'>Ezr 1:5</a>); he was given a second chance, such was God’s enthusiasm that he should achieve what was potentially possible for him. But again, he failed. He saw the glory of Babylon as more attractive than the hard work required to bring about Yahweh’s eternal glory in Zion. It is noteworthy how God worked through this man’s failures, and desired to give him (and all Israel) further opportunities. See on <a href='B:450 5:11'>Zec 5:11</a>; <a href='B:450 11:17'>Zec 11:17</a> for evidence of Zerubbabel’s return to Babylon.</h4>


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<p>In the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king- It took 23 days for the whole process of appealing for repentance, repentance and then Divine stirring up of the minds of Zerubbabel. This seems to connect with how an Angel&nbsp;caused the 21 day - year delay in the rebuilding (<a href='B:340 10:12-13'>Dan 10:12-13</a>; <a href='B:450 3:1'>Zec 3:1</a> etc. ); that was maybe representing the apathy of the Jews as well as the opposition of the Samaritans in the court of Heaven. The two Angel chariots sent to overcome this opposition (see notes on Zechariah 6) would therefore have tried to influence the Jews to be more genuinely committed to Zion’s cause. Part of their work was in the inspiring of Haggai’s words (note the many references to"the Lord of Hosts"in Haggai). Again, the context of <a href='B:150 5:1'>Ezr 5:1</a> must be remembered- Haggai prophesied to encourage the people during the 21 year cessation of the rebuilding (details in Ezra 4).</p>


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<p>In the seventh month, in the twenty-first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet, saying- As noted on <a href='B:440 1:14-15'>Hag 1:14-15</a>, this allowed about a month for the Spirit of God to stir up the spirit of Zerubbabel and Joshua in response to their repentance. But despite that work of the Spirit on their hearts, they still needed to be called to respond to it (:4).</p>


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<p>Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remainder of the people, saying- As noted on <a href='B:440 1:14'>Hag 1:14</a>, only a remnant ["remainder"] returned from Babylon, and out of them, it seems only a remnant were responsive to the Spirit once they returned to Judah. But from this minority of a minority, God was prepared to work- even though there had not been the wholesale repentance and return which He envisaged, still He was eager to work with a handful of people. And yet tragically even they appear to have not responded in the long term to God’s possibilities which He had set up for them. This is encouragement to keep on and on working with people, adjusting to whatever their dysfunction throws back at us, ever seeking the extension of the principles of God’s Kingdom and His glory through whatever we have left to work with.</p>


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<h4>‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Isn’t it in your eyes as nothing?- Some very old exiles would have remembered the temple from 70 years ago in their childhood, before the deportation. But the chronologies vary; Daniel 9, 10 would suggest that the 70 year period was extended, hence Daniel’s concern that the period had ended but still there was no restoration. So Haggai may mean ’Who is left who saw the previous temple? Nobody. And how do your eyes see it? As nothing, compared to the importance of your own houses?’.</h4><h4><a href='B:290 60:7'>Isa 60:7</a> had prophesied that God would “glorify the house of my glory”. But this was in fact a conditional prophecy, capable of fulfilment through the freewill efforts of the returning exiles, if they wished to glorify that house. For they were empowered by Artaxerxes “to beautify [s:w. “glorify”] the house of the Lord” (<a href='B:150 7:27'>Ezr 7:27</a>). All their efforts to glorify / beautify the house, therefore, would have had God’s special and powerful blessing behind them. But was the house ultimately glorified? No- for Israel would not. They got sidetracked by beautifying their own homes, building “cieled / paneled houses” for themselves (<a href='B:440 1:4'>Hag 1:4</a>). The word for “cieled” occurs in <a href='B:110 6:9'>1Ki 6:9</a>; <a href='B:110 7:3'>1Ki 7:3</a>; <a href='B:110 7:7'>1Ki 7:7</a> to describe the roofing of the first temple- which they were to be rebuilding, rather than building their own houses. The glory would have entered the house of God’s glory as it did at the inauguration of the first temple (<a href='B:140 7:1-3'>2Ch 7:1-3</a>). Ezekiel prophesied that ultimately the glory would fill the temple as it had done then (<a href='B:330 43:4-5'>Eze 43:4-5</a>). But God’s prophesy of this in <a href='B:290 60:7'>Isa 60:7</a>, that He would glorify His house, meant that He was prepared to work through men to glorify it. The fulfilment of Ezekiel’s vision of the cloud of glory entering the temple again could have been fulfilled if the exiles had done what Artaxerxes empowered them to do- to glorify the house of glory. And so the fulfilment was delayed. The glory of the temple the exiles built was tragically less than the glory of the first temple; and so it would only be in the last day of Messiah’s second coming that the house shall truly be filled with glory (<a href='B:440 2:3'>Hag 2:3</a>; <a href='B:440 2:7'>Hag 2:7</a>; <a href='B:440 2:9'>Hag 2:9</a>), and even that may require a reapplication and reinterpretation of the concept of God’s house. And the lesson ought to be clear for us, in the various projects and callings of our lives: it becomes crucial for us to discern God’s specific purposes for us, and insofar as we follow His leading, we will feel a blessing and power which isclearly Divine.</h4>


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<h4>Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel!’ says Yahweh. ‘Be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest! Be strong, all you people of the land’, says Yahweh, ‘and work- We noted on :1 that a month had passed since the Spirit of God began working on their hearts. But they still needed to be stirred up to actually use that potential power- to be"be strong::. and work". The Corinthians likewise were given the Spirit, as 1 Corinthians 1 makes clear, but they were"not spiritual"&nbsp; (<a href='B:530 3:1'>1Co 3:1</a>) and needed exhortation to live according to the spiritual potential given them. And we are all in this position.</h4><p>"Be strong::. and work"[Heb. ’do’] is a phrase designed to recall previous usages in the context of returning to the promised land and building the temple. David often used it in encouraging Solomon to establish the Kingdom and build the temple (<a href='B:130 28:10'>1Ch 28:10</a>; <a href='B:130 28:20'>1Ch 28:20</a>); it was the prophetic word to king Asa, encouraging him to re-establish temple worship and a spiritual revival (<a href='B:140 15:7'>2Ch 15:7</a>), and to Joshua in encouraging him to re-enter the land and overcome all opposition from the local tribes there (<a href='B:60 1:7'>Jos 1:7</a>; <a href='B:60 23:6'>Jos 23:6</a>); and particularly of being strong and working in rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple (<a href='B:150 6:22'>Ezr 6:22</a>; <a href='B:160 2:18'>Neh 2:18</a>; <a href='B:160 6:9'>Neh 6:9</a>). They were to accept that God was willing and eager to strengthen their hands in the work; but they had to make use of it.</p><h4>For I am with you’, says Yahweh of Armies- The repeated title"Yahweh of Armies"would have been understood as a reference to Yahweh as captain of armies of Angels. God makes His Angels spirits; they were a vehicle for the work of the Spirit at that time, as the book of Daniel demonstrates. All that Angelic working was behind every effort Judah would make to rebuild the temple. But they didn’t use it."I am with you to save you from Babylon"(<a href='B:300 42:11'>Jer 42:11</a>) focuses God’s presence upon His salvation- Jesus. The prophetic potential became reapplied and rescheduled to us, in that the ultimate term of"I am with you"is in the Lord Jesus and the gift of the Spirit to enable us to extend and establish the work of the Kingdom (<a href='B:500 7:33'>Joh 7:33</a>; <a href='B:500 13:33'>Joh 13:33</a>).</h4>


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<h4>This is the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, and My Spirit dwelt among you. ‘Don’t be afraid’-"My Spirit (Angel- <a href='B:230 104:4'>Psa 104:4</a>) remaineth among you"(AV), just as the same Angel was with them “when ye came out of Egypt”. And with us too. God encourages those rebuilding Jerusalem to have faith because the Angel is still among them:"Yet now be strong. . . and work: for I (the Angel) am with you, saith the Lord of Hosts (Angels): according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt (the Angel made that covenant) so My Spirit (Angel) remaineth among you; fear ye not". Similarly&nbsp;&nbsp; Nehemiah&nbsp; recounts&nbsp; the&nbsp; past&nbsp; activities&nbsp; of&nbsp; God’s&nbsp;&nbsp; Angel (<a href='B:160 9:19-24'>Neh 9:19-24</a>) as a stimulus to faith in God bringing them through immediate problems. See on <a href='B:10 24:40'>Gen 24:40</a>; <a href='B:10 24:56'>Gen 24:56</a>.</h4><h4>But as mentioned on :4, the Spirit was not simply an Angel; it was articulated through the work of God’s Spirit on the human spirit or mind. The word of covenant when they came out of Egypt was the entire old covenant; the phrase is thus used at the time of the exodus (<a href='B:20 24:8'>Exo 24:8</a>; <a href='B:20 34:27'>Exo 34:27</a>; <a href='B:50 29:1'>Deu 29:1</a>). But throughout Deuteronomy, the second statement of the covenant, there was the repeated encouragement:"Fear not"(<a href='B:50 1:21'>Deu 1:21</a>; <a href='B:50 3:2'>Deu 3:2</a>; <a href='B:50 20:3'>Deu 20:3</a> etc:). The context is always of not fearing the local tribes of Canaan, and of being assured that it was simply God’s good pleasure to give them the Kingdom. That essential desire of God was true in Haggai’s time as it had been in Moses’, and it abides true for us. As He sent the Angel before them and amongst them, so His Spirit was and is active in the hearts and circumstances of all who wish to be in His Kingdom and do the work of that Kingdom.</h4>


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<p>For this is what Yahweh of Armies says: ‘Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land- In a"short time", God would yet once more (GNB) shakes the heavens and earth as He had done at Sinai when Israel had previously entered the land and taken the Kingdom (s:w. <a href='B:230 68:8'>Psa 68:8</a>). The potential was that soon after Haggai’s words [in"a little while"] there would be direct Divine intervention involving earthquakes and the shaking of all nations (:7) to support the re-establishment of God’s Kingdom in Israel under the Messianic rulership of Zerubbabel. This is also foreseen in Zechariah 14, where the earthquake is seen as creating a new plateau upon which a new temple could be built. This plateau was also see in the opening of the Ezekiel 40-48 vision of the commandments as to how to build the new temple complex. But it didn’t happen then. Judah didn’t repent, and Zerubbabel beat it back to Babylon. These words have therefore been reapplied and rescheduled, to the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross and to the final literal establishment of the Kingdom at His second coming; in this context they are quoted in <a href='B:650 12:26-28'>Heb 12:26-28</a>.</p>


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<h4>And I will shake all nations- This is the equivalent of Daniel’s image of the nations being ground to powder and replaced by the mountain of God’s Kingdom which cannot be shaken (:22; <a href='B:340 2:44'>Dan 2:44</a>; <a href='B:650 12:27'>Heb 12:27</a>). Then the prophecy of <a href='B:330 38:20'>Eze 38:20</a> could have come true, that all the nations within the eretz would"shake"(s:w:). These prophecies could have come true then, but they were rescheduled. The nations in the land and also the Medo Persian empire would be shaken to destruction soon, and so the exiles should not fear them and resume the rebuilding of the city and temple. This is powerful encouragement to us, who are to live as if we are on the eve of the Lord’s return. But the Hebrew here is"I am shaking", whereas the shaking of :6 is in a future tense. The idea is that God was already working among the nations to bring about the re-establishment of His Kingdom which was then potentially possible.</h4><p>The precious things of all nations will come- This could mean that they would all donate their wealth to the new system of worship in Jerusalem. Or the phrase could be translated"the desire of all nations", referring to Messiah. We note that the same word is used of Saul, the anointed [’messiah’] king of Israel (<a href='B:90 9:20'>1Sa 9:20</a>). This prediction would then be directly relevant to Zerubbabel, the intended Messianic ruler.</p><p>And I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh of Armies- Just as Solomon’s temple was filled with glory (<a href='B:110 8:10-11'>1Ki 8:10-11</a>; <a href='B:140 5:13-14'>2Ch 5:13-14</a>; <a href='B:140 7:1-2'>2Ch 7:1-2</a>). Haggai sought to inspire the people when they had flagged in their zeal for the Lord’s house; and the method he chose was to remind them that they could bring about Messiah’s Kingdom if they wholeheartedly worked with God to allow His ideal intentions to come to pass. Note the stress on this house- but that temple they built wasn’t filled with glory, the vision of Ezekiel about the glory returning and entering the temple wasn’t fulfilled- and Solomon’s former temple was more glorious than that of the second temple. Why? Because they didn’t get on and build it and glorify it as they were intended to.</p><p>If"the desire of all nations"does refer to Messiah coming with an earthquake and glory filling the temple, then this is a prophecy of what could have happened at that time, but it has been deferred to the second coming of the Lord Jesus. This is exactly the picture we have in Ezekiel 43, of a Messiah figure entering the temple in glory. But in Haggai’s context, he is encouraging the Jews of his time that this is what really and truly could have happened then and there, had they been obedient:&nbsp;&nbsp; The cherubim visions of Ezekiel 1, 9, 10 are applied in the New Testament to the glorified Christ (<a href='B:730 2:18'>Rev 2:18</a>; <a href='B:670 4:17'>1Pe 4:17</a>; <a href='B:680 2:4-9'>2Pe 2:4-9</a>). This surely implies that they were ultimately fulfilled in the Messiah; and perhaps we are to understand that they could have had fulfilment in a Messiah figure at the time of the restoration.</p><p>It was God’s plan that the light of His glory would enter into Zion at the restoration; but Israel had to act as if they believed this, and likewise show forth glory: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee” (<a href='B:290 60:1'>Isa 60:1</a>). He eagerly prophesied that “strangers shall build up thy walls… in my favour have I had mercy upon thee” (<a href='B:290 60:10'>Isa 60:10</a>)- not ‘I am prepared to have mercy upon you’, nor ‘I will have mercy…’. God had had mercy upon them, and invited them to respond to it.</p><h4>Perhaps Nehemiah was some kind of potential Messiah- for the surrounding Gentiles ‘came up’ to him and shared in the luxurious temple meals (a common Kingdom prophecy- the same Hebrew words are used for the Gentiles ‘coming up’ to the temple in <a href='B:290 60:5'>Isa 60:5</a>; <a href='B:290 60:11'>Isa 60:11</a>; <a href='B:300 16:19'>Jer 16:19</a>; <a href='B:440 2:7'>Hag 2:7</a>; <a href='B:450 8:22'>Zec 8:22</a>). Those meals could have been the Messianic banquets. &nbsp;See on <a href='B:460 1:10'>Mal 1:10</a>.</h4>


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<p>The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine’, says Yahweh of Armies- This may be in answer to the feeling of the exiles that ’We can’t afford to do this work on God’s house. We need to sort out our own houses first’ (<a href='B:440 1:4'>Hag 1:4</a>). Such reasoning is often encountered amongst believers. God’s response is that all the silver and gold on the planet is His. He would provide. And indeed He had done, through the generous provision of Cyrus for all the material needs connected with the rebuilding project. The reference could also be to the"precious things"of :7 which the nations will bring; they are already His, and to give wealth to Him is only to accept that we do not own it. For we ’give’ to Him what is already His."The silver and the gold"could refer to all the silver and gold [wealth] that there is. This would imply an urgency to the rebuilding- if all the wealth of the surrounding world was to enter the temple as a store house for it, then the temple must be rebuilt to store it. By being slack to rebuild the temple (<a href='B:440 1:4'>Hag 1:4</a>) and not doing so according to the specifications in Ezekiel 40-48, the Divine purpose with it could not therefore come about. Petty human short sightedness therefore precluded the fulfilment of so much Divine potential.</p>


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<h4>‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former’, says Yahweh of Armies- As noted on <a href='B:440 1:8'>Hag 1:8</a>, God would have appeared in glory at the restoration of the temple. The glory of God and His presence was to appear in the temple; but if the Jews wouldn’t rebuild the temple, then it wouldn’t. In common with Ezekiel, Zechariah and Isaiah, Haggai speaks here of the possible glory that could have been at the restoration, but which has now been postponed until the second coming. Compare this with what actually happened- the old men wept because the new rebuilt temple was nothing like the former temple; see on :3. The glory of the restored temple was prophesied as being far greater than that of the former; <a href='B:290 60:17'>Isa 60:17</a> alluded to this in prophesying that “For brass [in Solomon’s temple] I will bring gold, and for iron [that was in Solomon’s fixtures] I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron”. But it simply didn’t happen, because God’s people were satisfied with a small, inglorious temple so that they could get on with building their own “cieled houses” (<a href='B:440 1:4'>Hag 1:4</a>; the same word is used in describing how the temple of Solomon was “covered”, or cieled, with cedar).</h4><h4>‘And in this place will I give peace’, says Yahweh of Armies- Peace with God, forgiveness through grace. When the foundation stone of the temple was laid, there should have been excited acclamation: “Grace, grace unto it” (<a href='B:450 4:7'>Zec 4:7</a>). But instead the old men wept when the foundation was laid, knowing that the temple was nothing compared to what it ought to be (<a href='B:150 3:12'>Ezr 3:12</a>). This would have been possible in Haggai’s time, had they built the temple according to the specifications in Ezekiel 40-48. But it was reapplied and rescheduled to fulfilment in the Lord Jesus, and His second coming. God’s promise of peace"in this place"couldn’t come about if Judah would not rebuilt the"place". This is the urgency of the appeal.</h4>


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<p>In the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the Word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet, saying- The wonderful potentials mentioned in the preceding verses were precluded by Judah’s unspirituality, and Haggai now addresses that. In the two months since that prophecy (:1), there had been little progress.</p>


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<h4>Thus says Yahweh of Armies: Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying- Haggai is addressed to Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest. Perhaps they were being asked to ask this question. The answer of the priests is given in :12 and :13 so we assume this was literally asked and answered. But in :12 Haggai asks the question, so perhaps this is addressed to Haggai. It is a common Divine method to ask a question in order to elicit a conclusion within the conscience of the questioned person.</h4>


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<h4>‘If someone carries holy food in the fold of his garment, and the garment touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food, will it too become holy?’. The priests answered, No- The questions of :12 and :13 lead up to the bald statement in :14 that the Jews are"unclean"and their work for God unacceptable. This hard statement is in juxtaposition to all the wonderful Messianic and Kingdom prophecies of the preceding verses, uttered just weeks previously. The questions of :12 and :13 add up to this: Uncleanness can be passed on easily, whereas holiness is not passed on. Just a scrap of sanctified food caught up accidentally in the fold of a robe doesn’t make that garment holy, and if that garment then touches the things offered in sacrifice to God, they are not thereby made holy. This was the essence of the argument being used by the Jews. They considered their unclean offerings were made clean through the most contorted and unrealistic path of reasoning. They thought they could be acceptable to God because of some legalistic, theoretical ’acceptability by association’, even though the Mosaic lawdidn’t support such reasoning. The mentality is seen today, in those nominal believers who imagine that their external association with some organized religion or denomination somehow guarantees their acceptability with God.</h4>


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<h4>Then Haggai said, If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, will it be unclean? The priests answered, It will be unclean- As explained on :12, the Jews were thinking that they were acceptable to God by some quasi spiritual, pseudo logical path of reasoning whereby a fragment of holy bread could pass on to them personal acceptability before God. But the reality was that this wasn’t support by God’s principles in the law. What the law emphasized instead was that uncleanness spreads. And they were unclean (:14).</h4><h4>Judah in the new temple would not “defile” Yahweh’s Name any more (<a href='B:330 43:7-8'>Eze 43:7-8</a>) e:g. by touching dead bodies (<a href='B:330 44:25'>Eze 44:25</a>); but they were lazy to keep the uncleanness laws, they did defile Yahweh by touching dead bodies and then offering the sacrifices (<a href='B:440 2:13-14'>Hag 2:13-14</a> s:w:), just as Israel previously had been defiled by touching the dead bodies of their kings and then offering sacrifices (<a href='B:330 43:7'>Eze 43:7</a>); but now, Judah thought they were above God’s law, and therefore did exactly the same things which had caused the temple to be destroyed in the first place. The promise that Yahweh would dwell in the new temple was conditional on them not touching dead bodies (<a href='B:330 43:9'>Eze 43:9</a>); but <a href='B:440 2:13'>Hag 2:13</a> makes it apparent that they did this very thing at the time of the restoration.</h4>


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<h4>Then Haggai answered, ‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me’, says Yahweh; ‘and so is every work of their hands. That which they offer there is unclean- The specific work of their hands was surely their partial rebuilding of the temple and offer sacrifice there, but not according to the specifications in Ezekiel 40-48. Their work was so compromised by their wrong attitudes that what they built was therefore unclean. The reference may also be to the animals and crops raised by ’the work of their hands’ (:17) which they then offered as sacrifices; but this was rejected by God as unclean.</h4>


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<h4>Now, please consider from this day and backward, before a stone was laid on a stone in Yahweh’s temple- Every day counted. Haggai asked them to look back through the few months during which he had given his prophecies about the great possibilities for re-establishing the Kingdom with God’s abundant blessing. Even during those days, they had been guilty of not responding, and so the drought had not been lifted.</h4>


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<h4>Through all that time, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty, there were only twenty- Blessings of good harvests, corn and wine, were all part of the blessings promised for obedience to the covenant. But throughout the days Haggai had been appealing to them, their last harvest had been eaten away by disease and plague ("blight, mildew, and hail", :17). These words may be addressed specifically to Zerubbabel and Joshua (see on <a href='B:440 1:1'>Hag 1:1</a>). They had lost their harvests, because of refusing to respond to the call of Haggai.</h4><h4>This verse gives very precise commentary on the state of the harvests in Judah after the return- grain stores were 50% below the norm, and the amount of wine produced was 60% less than expected. Surely these figures were well known to the people- for they had presumably worked them out, and Haggai is quoting their figures back to them. Notice how the people had worked out the yield of wine which they expected. The implication would seem to be that they returned to Judah expecting material prosperity, good harvests and personal wealth; hence their bitter disappointment when they didn’t get it. This, then, would appear to have been their motivation for the return- rather than obedience to the words of the prophets or a desire to see God’s Kingdom established in His land.</h4>


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<p>I struck you with blight, mildew, and hail in all the work of your hands; yet you didn’t turn to Me’, says Yahweh- This striking of the harvest had been over the two months or so since Haggai had prophesied and encouraged them to live up to their potential; see on :16. They had returned to the land, but not to God. They were still impenitent, blaming their situation on the sins of the fathers and of the Gentiles around them. The afflictions mentioned were the very punishments mentioned for committing unfaithfulness to the covenant, and which would climax in being removed from the land (<a href='B:50 28:22'>Deu 28:22</a>; <a href='B:110 8:37'>1Ki 8:37</a>). They had returned to the land, but were doing the very things which had led to them being expelled from the land, and experiencing the same judgments which they had in the lead up to the exile (<a href='B:370 4:9'>Amo 4:9</a>).</p>


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<p>‘Consider, please, from this day and backward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, since the day that the foundation of Yahweh’s temple was laid, consider it- They were being asked as in :15 to think back over the days since the rebuilding program began. Although they had apparently worked to rebuild the temple, day after day had been of drought and pestilence. Their work for God had been"unclean"(:14) because their motives were impure, as noted on <a href='B:440 1:4'>Hag 1:4</a>. But there is a purposeful ambiguity with the word translated"backward"; it can also mean"upward"or effectively ’forward’. In this case, as suggested on :19, Haggai was urging them to repent that very day, and see the changes that would happen in the weather and the fertility of their land."Consider::."was therefore an appeal for repentance. This appeal was repeated in the eighth month (<a href='B:450 1:1'>Zec 1:1</a>; <a href='B:450 1:4'>Zec 1:4</a>; <a href='B:450 1:6'>Zec 1:6</a>); and there was apparent response to that appeal (<a href='B:450 1:6'>Zec 1:6</a>). But now in the ninth month, it was apparent that the repentance was only nominal.</p>


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<p>Is the seed still in the barn? Yes, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree haven’t brought forth. From this day on I will bless you’- The original could imply that God had promised blessing upon them, from the first day the rebuilding program started (:18). But it hadn’t come. Their harvests were so small that it was as if they had never even sown anything, and the seed was still in the barn; and the fruit trees had not born anything. We see here how God can promise things which are conditional even if the conditions aren’t highlighted; and so the promised blessing will not come about automatically. Or the original could equally suggest that although indeed there had been no harvests, from that very day on"I will bless you", because God through Haggai hoped for their immediate repentance that day.</p>


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<p>The Word of Yahweh came the second time to Haggai in the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying- This must be the same 24th day of the ninth month which has been twice mentioned (:10,15). As expounded above, on that very day Haggai had begged for repentance, and invited them to make a note of the day and to see how God’s blessing would be poured out afterwards, whereas before that it had been withheld. Haggai had declared this day a watershed. And now we have a prophecy which seems to assure Zerubbabel that he would in fact be made the Messianic ruler. Perhaps he did repent that day, and so God eagerly went ahead in the following prophecy and assured him that he could indeed achieve the Messianic potential he had.</p>


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<h4>Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, ‘I will shake the heavens and the earth- The repetition of"I will"is as if to say that the promise of major Divine intervention and the re-establishment of the Kingdom promised in :6 (see note there) would not come about, whereas its fulfilment had been in question. This would fit the suggestion made on :20 that Zerubbabel repented and so the Divine program and possibilities with him resumed.</h4><h4>The day when heaven and earth would be shaken was the day when the second temple was to be filled with glory as Ezekiel had said. Then¸ there would be major war between the Gentile nations, and Zerubbabel would be some kind of Messiah figure. But none of these things happened. Their fulfilment was delayed until the last days, when all nations who come against Jerusalem will slay each other, and “my servant” the Lord Jesus will be proclaimed as Messiah. Then, in our time of the end, the heavens and earth will be shaken (<a href='B:650 12:26-27'>Heb 12:26-27</a>). It could have happened while the second temple was standing- but it didn’t, thanks to Israel’s indolence</h4>


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<p>I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow the chariots, and those who ride in them. The horses and their riders will come down, everyone by the sword of his brother- <a href='B:440 2:6-7'>Hag 2:6-7</a> clearly stated that very soon the desire of all nations would come to the temple, and Yahweh would fill the temple with His glory, just as He had when the first temple was built (this is another proof that the temple of the restoration was to be based upon the pattern of Solomon’s). This was to be brought about by Yahweh shaking all nations, with the result that in a great battle, they would kill each other; and then Zerubbabel “my servant” (a Messianic title) would be the King of God’s Kingdom. But this didn’t happen “soon” after those words were spoken. Indeed, they are quoted in Hebrews 12 as now having relevance to our last days. “I will overthrow…kingdoms” is the language of <a href='B:340 2:44'>Dan 2:44</a> - perhaps it could have been that four kings arose after Nebuchadnezzar and then Babylon would have been destroyed. Thus <a href='B:340 2:42'>Dan 2:42</a> speaks of the singular Kingdom being divided, as if referring to the Kingdom of Babylon / Nebuchadnezzar. Thus the image stood complete when the stone hit it- the whole dynasty of Nebuchadnezzar was to be destroyed. But this didn’t happen, and so other interpretations of the image prophecy became possible, each fitting perhaps less accurately than the intended fulfilment would have done. Likewise <a href='B:440 2:22'>Hag 2:22</a> continues by saying that in that “overthrow”, “the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother”. This is the language of <a href='B:450 14:13'>Zec 14:13</a>; that prophecy also could have had a fulfilment at the restoration, but it is now deferred until the last days. That same passage&nbsp; also envisages an earthquake around Mount Zion, preparing a plateau upon which the temple could be built, as required in the temple plans of Ezekiel 40.</p>


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<h4>In that day, says Yahweh of Armies, will I take you, Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel’, says Yahweh, ‘and will make you as a signet ring, for I have chosen you’, says Yahweh of Armies- Setting as a signet ring effectively means Divine appointment as the king of Judah, as in <a href='B:300 22:23-25'>Jer 22:23-25</a>. The re-established kingdom could have had a Divinely appointed Messianic king in the line of David, Zerubbabel. Just a few months later, <a href='B:450 3:8'>Zec 3:8</a> speaks of"My servant the branch", a clear reference to Zerubbabel,"branch of God", as the Messianic ruler figure. God says He will do this; but it seems Zerubbabel didn’t want it, and the people weren’t ready or willing for it. And so the prophecy in essence is reapplicable to the Lord Jesus, the"My servant"of Isaiah’s prophecies.</h4><p><a href='B:340 9:25'>Dan 9:25</a> appears to identify “the anointed one, a prince” with the restoration of Jerusalem after the return. The Masoretic punctuation of <a href='B:340 9:25'>Dan 9:25</a> actually suggests that ‘Messiah the prince’ appears after the first seven of the seventy weeks- perhaps there was the possibility 49 day-years after the command to rebuild Jerusalem for a Messiah to have appeared? This would’ve fitted Zerubbabel perfectly. <a href='B:490 3:27'>Luk 3:27</a> describes Zerubbabel as the head / chief / leader. The term Rhesa is incorrectly rendered in many versions as a name. Perhaps Luke’s point was that the Lord Jesus was the final Messiah, after the failure of so many potential ones beforehand. ‘Zerubbabel the chief’ would then be a similar rubric to “David the king” in Matthew’s genealogy (<a href='B:470 1:16'>Mat 1:16</a>). Zerubbabel was the ‘head’ of the house of David (<a href='B:150 4:3'>Ezr 4:3</a>; <a href='B:440 2:23'>Hag 2:23</a>; <a href='B:450 3:8'>Zec 3:8</a>; <a href='B:450 6:12-13'>Zec 6:12-13</a>), as was his descendant Hattush (<a href='B:150 8:1-3'>Ezr 8:1-3</a> cp. <a href='B:130 3:22'>1Ch 3:22</a>). As the grandson of Jehoiachin, Judah’s exiled king, Zerubbabel would’ve been the legitimate king of Judah. Potentially, <a href='B:350 1:11'>Hos 1:11</a> could have come true: “Judah and… Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head [Zerubbabel?]; and they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel” (RSV). And perhaps as head of the house of David, Zerubbabel was intended to be the “David my servant” who would be the one king and one shepherd who would lead Israel back to the land from exile (<a href='B:330 37:22'>Eze 37:22</a>; <a href='B:330 37:24'>Eze 37:24</a>). Significantly, <a href='B:160 7:7'>Neh 7:7</a> describes Zerubbabel as being at the head of twelve leaders of the returning exiles, who are called “the people of Israel” (cp. <a href='B:150 2:2'>Ezr 2:2</a>).</p><h4>Zerubbabel like his people simply didn’t live up to it; and the prophecies came to be fulfilled finally in Jesus. He could have been Yahweh’s signet ring (<a href='B:440 2:23'>Hag 2:23</a>), His specially favoured son- but he baulked at the height of the calling. These things remain a continual challenge to we who likewise have so much Spirit-enabled potential.</h4>


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<h4>In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying- See on :7. The many restoration prophecies had stated that the Jews would return from Babylon after Babylon had fallen and restore God’s Kingdom in Judah under a Messianic ruler. Ezekiel 40-48 contains commands more than predictions of how a temple system would be rebuilt, with a"Prince"who was also a priest as the Messianic leader. They would repent and enter a new covenant which would replace the old covenant. Tragically, most of the Jews preferred the soft life of Babylon, and those who did return were impenitent and are revealed by Haggai, Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah as seeking their own personal gain from emigration to Judah. And so the prophecies were rescheduled and reapplied. There is an element to which they will come literally true in the last days when latter day Babylon falls, a remnant of Judah repent, and the Lord Jesus returns to earth to re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth based in Israel. But they are also reinterpreted in many New Testament passages which allude to the restoration prophecies, being reapplied to Christian believers entering the new covenant and coming out of ’Babylon’ in a more spiritual sense.</h4><h4>Some exiles did return and began rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. But they were several times interrupted by seemingly invincible opposition from the local peoples and the king of Persia. But through the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, the exiles were encouraged to keep on keeping on, and against all odds, a temple was rebuilt (<a href='B:150 5:1'>Ezr 5:1</a>; <a href='B:150 6:14'>Ezr 6:14</a>). So we should not read Haggai and Zechariah as merely droning on against the Jews and not getting very far. It was due to their inspired words that the discouraged, spiritually weak people of God were inspired to rise up and do the work of God’s Kingdom, and succeed with every man’s hand against them. In this is their abiding value to us. There is however the repeated theme of wasted potential- so much could have happened at that time, even the re-establishment of God’s Kingdom in the form of the kingdom of Israel, replete with a Messianic ruler. But it didn’t, because of short termist, self-satisficing attitudes, a failure to look beyond the immediate and personal to a far bigger picture.</h4>


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<p>Yahweh was very displeased with your fathers- That may sound obvious; but as Ezekiel 18 explains, the mentality amongst the exiles was the fathers had been punished too severely, and they their children were unfairly suffering the results."Very displeased"translates a Hebrew phrase meaning ’with intense, fiery anger’. And yet even that is described in :15 as God being only"a little angry"compared to the anger He felt against the nations combining to attack Zion (:15 LXX). The comparison is intentional. God is indeed very angry with His people when they turn from Him; but that anger must be seen in context. The fact Judah had so sinned and incurred God’s wrath didn’t mean that He was therefore insensitive to their abusers; His anger with their enemies was so much greater. And so in a strange way,"the wrath of God is [or reflects] the love of God". Who would a man be more angry with? His wife because she cheated on him repeatedly and is exposed; or a bunch of hoods who rape her after her infidelity has been exposed? The man who truly loved his wife would be more angry with the rapists, and so it was with God</p>


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<h4>Therefore tell them: Thus says Yahweh of Armies: ‘Return to me’, says Yahweh of Armies, ‘and I will return to you’, says Yahweh of Armies- The triple repetition of"Yahweh of Armies"/"Lord of Hosts"clearly points towards the Angels, through whom God was practically manifest in Judah’s history. ’Turning’ back to God has the implication of patching up a marriage:"If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again?::. yet return again unto Me, saith the Lord"(<a href='B:300 3:1'>Jer 3:1</a>). This is similar to <a href='B:300 31:32'>Jer 31:32</a> and <a href='B:460 2:14'>Mal 2:14</a>, where again God, through the Angel, implies He would be justified in divorcing Israel. <a href='B:460 3:7'>Mal 3:7</a> seems a parallel passage:"Even from the days of your fathers (cp. <a href='B:450 1:2'>Zec 1:2</a>; <a href='B:450 1:4-5'>Zec 1:4-5</a>) ye re gone away from Mine ordinances (given by an Angel), and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts"(Angels).</h4><p>Judah thought they had returned to God by having literally returned to Judah. But here we see the difference between the external and true spirituality. The literal return was to be part and parcel of the return to God which He so earnestly sought. But they had only externally returned, but not internally. Hence this appeal to"return". So easily we can think we have repented when in fact we simply went through a motion of so doing.</p><h4>Time and again in the context of the restoration it is emphasized that God would return to His people if they returned to Him (also <a href='B:460 3:7'>Mal 3:7</a>). And they didn’t return to Him- most chose not to return to the land, and those who did for the most part did not return to their God in their hearts. The whole basis of Israel’s covenant relationship with God was that if they were exiled from the land for their sins, they must repent and then God would return to them (<a href='B:50 30:1-10'>Deu 30:1-10</a>). Yet God graciously states to the exiles:"I am returned unto you"(<a href='B:450 1:16'>Zec 1:16</a>; <a href='B:450 8:3'>Zec 8:3</a>). Here was grace indeed. Passages like <a href='B:330 36:24-31'>Eze 36:24-31</a> therefore speak as if God’s grace to the exiles was effectively a new covenant- which has in essence been extended to us. Having stated the conditionality of His ’returning’ to His people, and recognizing they hadn’t fulfilled their part of the conditions- God all the same returns to them, such was and is His almost desperate desire for relationship with His beloved people. This is a lesson for us in our relationships with others- to continue our acceptance and ’return’ to them, even if they don’t fulfill their part of the deal. For this, day by day, is how our God deals not only with us but with His weak and wayward people as a whole.</h4>


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<h4>Don’t you be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: Thus says Yahweh of Armies, ‘Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings’ - This appeal to repent in the eighth month follows on the appeal to repent made in the seventh month (<a href='B:440 2:1'>Hag 2:1</a>). But as noted on <a href='B:440 2:18-20'>Hag 2:18-20</a>, by the ninth month it was apparent that the apparent response to Zechariah’s appeal in :6 was only nominal. The"fathers"in view may have been the generation before them in exile in Babylon, who had refused to repent. Or they could be those of previous generations who had refused the multiple appeals for repentance (<a href='B:140 36:15'>2Ch 36:15</a>). The appeal was to repent of ways and doings- individual acts of sin as well as a general direction of life and thought.</h4><h4>But they did not hear, nor listen to me, says Yahweh- There seems no semantic difference between the terms"hear::. listen"(also in <a href='B:450 7:11'>Zec 7:11</a>). Just as returning to God was more than physically returning to the land, so hearing God was and is far more than literally hearing or reading His word</h4>


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<p>Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?- The reference may be to the false prophets, in the spirit of <a href='B:300 37:19'>Jer 37:19</a>:"Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?". They would contrast with the prophets who were"My servants"(:6). Their fathers died, many of them in the Babylonian invasion. The words of judgment had come true upon them; and now Zechariah’s generation were tempted to think that such judgment could not overtake the returned exiles. But they and the false prophets who appeared at the return from exile were just as liable to judgment as the generation who went into exile. We have a human tendency to assume that ’this shall not happen to me’. But it shall, unless we repent.</p>


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<h4>But My words and My decrees, which I commanded My servants the prophets, didn’t they influence your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘Just as Yahweh of Armies determined to do to us, according to our ways, and according to our practices, so He has done with us’- We can read this as saying that the prophetic words to their fathers were responded to in repentance. But this would contradict the argument of :5; and in any case, it was historically not the case. The opposite was true."Influence"is also"overtake (AVmg:), as if the threatened judgments did indeed come upon their fathers. For all their token repentances, they did not really repent, and so the Babylonian judgment had come. So I suggest the rhetorical question is asked as to whether their fathers really repented; with the expected negative answer, as to the questions in :5.</h4><h4>The remained of the verse would then be a statement about the response of the people to Zechariah’s words. "They repented", but they go on to state what was merely axiomatic, that God had done to them what He had planned to do. This again hints at a lack of total repentance. This was all in the eighth month (:1). But as noted on <a href='B:440 2:18-20'>Hag 2:18-20</a>, by the ninth month it was apparent that the apparent response to Zechariah’s appeal in :6 was only nominal.</h4>


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<p>On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying- As noted on :6, the repentance of the exiles was at best tokenistic. But God’s response was to assure them of the huge potential power available to them, and His purpose to all the same bring about the restoration of His Kingdom. It was over to them as to whether they wanted to be a part of that, both then and eternally. "Shebat" is Chaldee, reflecting how the Jews had very quickly assimilated with Babylonian language and ways in their exile. But the Hebrew equivalent means "shoot", the month of the shoot. And the shoot was intended to be Zerubbabel, the potential Messiah, whose name meant ’shoot of God’. Allusion may also be intended to how the mountains of Israel were to "shoot forth" (<a href='B:330 36:8'>Eze 36:8</a>) when the exiles returned; rather than suffering the drought of God’s displeasure which existed now the exiles had actually returned, as we see reflected in Haggai who was contemporary with Zechariah. The same allusion to the potentials possible is found in the meanings of the names Berechiah [’knee of Yah’, i:e. His blessing] and Iddo [’timely’]. The time for Yahweh’s blessing had come, if Judah responded to the message of ’Zechariah’, ’Yah has remembered’. He had not forgotten His plan to restore His Kingdom in Judah with a Messianic ruler, as might have appeared through the years of exile. He was now ’remembering’ it, but Judah needed to do their part in bringing about what was potentially possible.</p>


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<h4>I had a vision in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in a ravine- The man is defined in :10,11 as an Angel. The red, speckled and white horses behind him (1:8; <a href='B:450 6:2-7'>Zec 6:2-7</a>) would therefore also appear to be ridden by Angels- indeed they are called "the four spirits (Angels; <a href='B:230 104:4'>Psa 104:4</a>) of the Heavens" in <a href='B:450 6:5'>Zec 6:5</a> (see note there). The visions in this chapter serve the same function as the cherubim visions of Ezekiel- to assure the returning exiles that there had been and still was a huge system of careful, attentive Divine operation goingon in the land and people of Judah, orchestrated by God’s Spirit through the Angels.</h4><p>Myrtle trees were associated with the feast of booths, at the time of harvest. The harvest that year had been very bad, as Haggai explains. The vision was received in the 11th month, literally ’shoot month’, when harvest should have been forthcoming (:7).</p><p>The valley could refer to the Euphrates valley where Babylon and other cities of the exiles was situated. On this reading, we would interpret the situation as one of peace, with the lesson that the various marauding enemies of Judah had been Angelically controlled, and were now at rest, so that the exiles could rebuild the Kingdom.</p><p>"Myrtle trees" is "the [two] mountains" in the LXX, connecting with the later prophesy of <a href='B:450 6:1'>Zec 6:1</a>, where again horses and chariots appear from between two mountains. This is all the language of theophany and the cherubim of Ezekiel’s visions, which speak of God’s potential activity at the time of the captivity and restoration. Zechariah sees the same Angel chariots emerging from between two bronze mountains (<a href='B:450 1:7-11'>Zec 1:7-11</a> LXX, AV "myrtle trees"; <a href='B:450 6:1'>Zec 6:1</a>), perhaps designed to recall the bronze pillars of the temple (<a href='B:110 7:15-22'>1Ki 7:15-22</a>). The rebuilt temple was intended to be the point from which the Angel chariots would go forth; but that didn’t happen at the very limited restoration from Babylon, and so the first four seals of Revelation 6 are full of allusion to this Zechariah vision- it was not left unfulfilled because of Israel’s indolence, but rather was reapplied to the latter day events of which Revelation speaks.</p><p>And behind him there were red, brown, and white horses- Zechariah 1 opens the prophecy with a vision of three kinds of horses- red, white and speckled. These represented the powers which had subdued the land of Judah and left it in the desolate state it was at the time of Zechariah. It’s tempting to interpret them as Assyria, Babylon and Medo-Persia; or perhaps Babylon, Media and Persia. Or it could refer to the surrounding nations-&nbsp; Straight away, we read of four horns, representing the powers who had desolated God’s people; and how they would be destroyed by the carpenters, surely looking forward to the carpenter Messiah. And the vision of Zechariah 6 has four and not three kinds of horses- red, black, white and speckled. This may be Zechariah’s way of saying that because of Israel’s inability to fulfil the required spiritual preconditions, the longer version of the prophetic program was going to come into play. Although as always, there is the distinct message of hope, that finally God’s triumphant purpose with Israel shall come to realization. However we should note that the LXX here has four groups of horses: "behind him were red horses, and grey, and piebald, and white".</p><h4>The first four seals and the four coloured horsemen of Revelation 6, are based upon the horsemen of judgment in Zechariah 1, which vision is repeated in Zechariah 6 but with the difference that the four horsemen go out to judge the nations who have performed these judgments upon Israel, e:g. “the north country”. The four horsemen of Revelation 6 inflict punishments and judgments which are full of Old Testament allusions to prophecies concerning how God would judge His people, and Zechariah 1 and Zechariah 6 are obvious source passages. The focus of the four horsemen is upon God’s people in their land, and especially the city of Jerusalem, in the last days; and this is the focus of Revelation also.</h4>


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<p>Then I asked, ‘My lord, what are these?’. The angel who talked with me said to me, I will show you what these are- An Angel is called adon, demonstrating that adon or "Lord" doesn’t mean ’God Himself’. The Lord Jesus is indeed Lord, but is not God Himself; for the term is used about others who were not God, such as this Angel here. If Zechariah had not wanted to understand, would the explanation have been given? It is a desire to understand God’s word which is so critical, rather than intellectual or exegetical prowess and background knowledge of languages and history.</p>


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<h4>The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered- LXX: "The man that stood between the mountains", i:e. those of <a href='B:450 6:1'>Zec 6:1</a>; see on :8. The Angel who rides the red horse followed by others was the one speaking with Zechariah.</h4><h4>They are the ones Yahweh has sent to go back and forth through the earth- The horses represented the Angels who had controlled the various nations who had devastated the eretz promised to Abraham. It is Yahweh’s "eyes" who go back and forth in that earth (<a href='B:450 4:10'>Zec 4:10</a>); it is through them that He ’sees’ what happens there (<a href='B:10 18:21'>Gen 18:21</a>; <a href='B:140 16:9'>2Ch 16:9</a>; <a href='B:340 4:17'>Dan 4:17</a>). Similar language is used by the Satan-angel in the book of Job; see on <a href='B:220 1:7'>Job 1:7</a>; <a href='B:50 11:12'>Deu 11:12</a>. Job was a real enough story, but I suggest it was re-written under inspiration in the exilic period, as encouragement that the adversaries of God’s suffering people [Job] were under Angelic control. And despite personal failure and lack of help from the accepted religious leadership [the friends], Job as the people of God would be fully restored in the end. The various waves of invaders and desolators had been used to bring the eretz to a position of peace, so that Judah could rebuild God’s temple and Kingdom in Israel (:11).</h4>


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<h4>They reported to the angel of Yahweh who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked back and forth through the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and in peace- Myrtle trees have been seen as a symbol of peace. The idea was that there was peace in the Persian empire and in Judah at this time. As noted on :10, the various waves of invaders and desolators (represented by the horses of various colours and significance) had been used to bring the eretz to a position of peace, so that Judah could rebuild God’s temple and Kingdom in Israel.</h4><p>The horses of Zechariah 1 are those nations who have trampled up and down the earth / land of Israel, subduing it until it is quiet. The chariots / horses of Zechariah 6 are the Angel cherubim representatives of those nations, who are sent out against them in judgment. Such judgment is portended in Zechariah 1 also, where straight after the vision of the horses we read of the four horns who have abused Israel being cut off by the carpenter Messiah of Israel. There is an Angel stationed with the horses in the valley from which they emerge, as if to show that the judgments upon the land were Angelically controlled; Israel was not at the hands of chance human evil, indeed the horses report back to the Angel. This sets the scene for the horses / chariots of chapter 6 going out in judgment against those nations. The land lying still and at rest is explained further in <a href='B:450 1:11-12'>Zec 1:11-12</a> - it was because the cities of Judah were lying in ruins after the horse powers had trampled over them. This all looks forward to how Jerusalem shall be trodden down in the last days, after the pattern of how the Babylonians trod it down (<a href='B:290 5:5'>Isa 5:5</a>; <a href='B:290 28:18'>Isa 28:18</a>; <a href='B:290 63:18'>Isa 63:18</a>; <a href='B:490 21:24'>Luk 21:24</a>)- which is when this prophecy will have its final fulfilment. We can look, therefore, for the three or four entities which trod down the land and people of Israel to have their latter day equivalent, and a like judgment from Heaven. And this is what Revelation 6 is explaining in more detail- in a latter day context. The immediate message in Zechariah’s time was therefore that a future treading down of the land and Jerusalem was to happen, but the silver lining of that cloud was that this would finally lead to the eternal restoration of Israel. This is exactly the same style as in Ezekiel 38; we noted in studying the context of that prophecy that it was given at the time when news of Jerusalem’s fall had come to the rebellious captives in Babylon amongst whom Ezekiel was sitting. They were being told that another even worse desolation was to happen, patterned after the events they were now hearing of, and yet from this would come the eternal restoration of Israel in God’s Kingdom on earth. But not immediately.</p><h4>Yahweh had promised that He would lead His people on that wilderness journey from Babylon to Zion just as He had earlier led His people from Egypt to the same promised land. <a href='B:300 31:2'>Jer 31:2</a> had encouraged them that Israel “found grace in the wilderness” before, and they would do again, “When I go to cause [Israel] to go to their place of rest” (RV). God had promised in <a href='B:300 31:9'>Jer 31:9</a> that He would bring Israel on their journey from Babylon to Judah along the fertile crescent- He would “cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble”:&nbsp; This is why Isaiah’s prophecies of the restoration from Babylon are shot through with allusion to the exodus and wilderness journey (e:g. <a href='B:290 43:2'>Isa 43:2</a>; <a href='B:290 51:10'>Isa 51:10</a>; <a href='B:290 63:11'>Isa 63:11</a>). <a href='B:300 31:2'>Jer 31:2</a> had prophesied of the returning Jews: “The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest”- just as <a href='B:450 1:11'>Zec 1:11</a> describes the land being “at rest” when they returned to rebuild Zion. My point is that Yahweh didn’t give up with His people because many chose to remain in Babylon, and those who did make the journey didn’t believe His promises of protection very strongly. He zealously worked with whatever they could present Him with. And the conditions for Judah to enter the new covenant of Jeremiah 31 had been prepared by the work of the Angels; the land was now at rest and in peace. But the exiles sadly wasted all this Divine potential, so that the offer of a new covenant was recalculated and offered to the Gentiles through the work of the Lord Jesus. The prophecy will come true in the last days, when after the desolation of the eretz byAngelically permitted and controlled invaders [as explained in Revelation], the eretz will again be cleansed, at peace and the Kingdom can be eternally established upon it.</h4>


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<h4>Then the angel of Yahweh replied, O Yahweh of Armies, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah- We have an example here of how Angels pray for more knowledge. They "earnestly desire to look into" spiritual things and seek for signs of the times as much as we do. If we are to made like Angels, this opens up a window into what the nature of eternity will be like. In this particular case the Angel was representing those of God’s people such as Ezra and Daniel who were asking God “how long?”. And in response to that, the Angel seeks to persuade other Angels [“Yahweh of hosts”] to act. See on <a href='B:340 8:15'>Dan 8:15</a>. The way the Angel prays to the "Lord of Hosts" is interesting, as this title refers to His Angelic hosts. Do we have here one Angel asking another Angel or group of Angels? Angels have the same problems grappling with time periods as we do!</h4><p>Against which You have had indignation those seventy years?- The way prophetic words can be rescheduled in fulfilment is demonstrated by the elastic interpretation of Jeremiah’s prophecy of 70 years exile. They came to fulfilment at the time of Daniel’s prayer in <a href='B:340 9:2'>Dan 9:2</a>; but also at the fall of Babylon and edict of Cyrus (<a href='B:140 36:22-23'>2Ch 36:22-23</a>; <a href='B:150 1:1'>Ezr 1:1</a>); and yet also in the second year of Darius (<a href='B:450 1:1'>Zec 1:1</a>; <a href='B:450 1:12'>Zec 1:12</a>). This latter period would have been timed from the actual destruction of the temple (<a href='B:120 25:2'>2Ki 25:2</a>; <a href='B:120 25:8-9'>2Ki 25:8-9</a>); whereas the captivity began before that. And the predicted restoration didn’t happen as prophesied. But it will ultimately happen- at the Lord’s return. Another suggestion is that the seventy years have been rescheduled as seventy jubilees, meaning that the Lord returns to establish the Kingdom at the 70th jubilee. But this is problematic, because Judah has not lain waste for 70 jubilees, and at this time is inhabited by Jews and prosperous.</p><p>"Indignation" translates a strong word, meaning to foam at the mouth. See on :2. God’s anger with Israel was indeed intense. But the same word is used in <a href='B:40 23:8'>Num 23:8</a>: "How shall I defy, whom [i:e. Israel] Yahweh has not defied?". Israel in covenant were counted righteous by grace, and so the wrath of God was not upon them. But they had broken that covenant, and so that wrath was indeed upon them. <a href='B:400 6:10'>Mic 6:10</a> makes the point that it was the apparently minor issues such as having dishonest weights which provoked this intense wrath (s:w:). This is how seriously God views what we might pass off as surface level sins.</p>


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<h4>Yahweh answered the angel who talked with me with kind and comforting words- The enquiry of the Angel was reflective of the "How long?" enquiry of the faithful remnant. In response to them, the consolation of Zion would be forthcoming from God. There is &nbsp;a highly significant connection here with Isaiah 40, the start of Isaiah’s prophecies concerning the restoration, repeated in Isa 57:8 [s:w:]. Nehemiah means ’Comfort of Yah’; ’Nehemiah ye, Nehemiah ye My people’. The Angel spoke comfort to Jerusalem through the words and work of Nehemiah. The ’comforter’ prophecy was refused by the returned exiles, and was reapplied to John the Baptist heralding the coming of the Lord Jesus; and now the promise of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, reflects a reapplication of this comfort to those who now flee Babylon and commit themselves to the things of the Kingdom.</h4>


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<p>So the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of Armies: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy-&nbsp; "Jealous" being the same Hebrew word translated&nbsp; "zealous", we see the tremendous zeal of God through the Angels for the restoration. Hence the ability of Ezra and Zerubbabel to achieve so much, seeing that they worked with the Angel, the eye of their God upon them for good whilst they wished to work with Him (<a href='B:150 5:5'>Ezr 5:5</a>). The pathetic, half hearted response of the Jews due to their obsession with materialism as decried by Haggai, Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah must have been so ’frustrating’ for the Angels, who were willing to provide so much power and success for those who would whole-heartedly commit themselves to the work. How many similarities with the new Israel? God’s enthusiasm to work with His people was to be’proclaimed’ by Zechariah, literally ’cried out’. God so wishes to work with us in the Kingdom work, and will overcome all obstacles.</p>


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<h4>I am very angry with the nations that are at ease- LXX "And I am very angry with the heathen that combine to attack her: forasmuch as I indeed was a little angry, but they combined to attack her for evil". This idea of combined attack recalls the historical banding together of the Jews’ enemies against the temple project as recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah. The historical record doesn’t reflect the intense anger of God against the likes of Sanballat. But here we see the depth of His feelings against any who work against the work of building His Kingdom and house. May we not be amongst that group, through our exclusive policies and church politics. These prophecies all have their final fulfilment in the last days, seeing Judah at Zechariah’s time failed to respond in order to enable their fulfilment. The combining together of the surrounding nations against Judah at a time when they are apparently at peace (:11) is the scenario of Ezekiel 38, and perhaps this was the intended primary fulfilment of <a href='B:330 38:11'>Eze 38:11</a>.</h4><h4>For I was but a little displeased, but they added to the calamity- God’s huge displeasure with Judah was indeed fierce, but it was only a fraction of His anger against her abusers. See on :2; <a href='B:450 8:2'>Zec 8:2</a>.</h4>


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<h4>Therefore thus says Yahweh: I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built in it, says Yahweh of Armies- "I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: My house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of Hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem". As the Jews literally returned to Jerusalem, the Angel too physically returned to "My house"- where He used to live. To some limited degree the Angel must have literally been in the temple- as Ezekiel 40 prophesied would happen. The Angel cherubim which departed from Zion in Ezekiel 1, 10 would return. However, in the same way as the temple described by Ezekiel was not built on the scale intended by the Angels because of Israel’s apathy, so maybe the Angelic presence too was greatly diminished to what it could have been. The presence of the temple Angel in Luke 1 indicates that He was there to some degree.</h4><p>God had stipulated that He would return if Judah returned to Him (:3). But He took the initiative and returne to them; such is His grace and earnest desire to rebuild relationship with His sinful people. And yet a far greater level of Divine ’return’ was promised if they indeed repented (see on <a href='B:450 2:10'>Zec 2:10</a>). This is to be our pattern in building relationships with others; forgiving and accepting the impenitent in the hope they will be led by God’s goodness to repentance.</p><p>And a builders’ line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem’- <a href='B:290 54:2'>Isa 54:2</a> bids the returning exiles to “enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords!”. Yet Isaiah so often uses the idea of ‘stretching out’ the Heavens with reference to His creation of His new Kingdom (<a href='B:290 40:22'>Isa 40:22</a>; <a href='B:290 42:5'>Isa 42:5</a>; <a href='B:290 44:24'>Isa 44:24</a>; <a href='B:290 45:15'>Isa 45:15</a>; <a href='B:290 51:13'>Isa 51:13</a>; <a href='B:290 65:17-18'>Isa 65:17-18</a>). <a href='B:450 1:6'>Zec 1:6</a> cp. 12:1 show that to stretch out Jerusalem is parallel with stretching out the ‘heavens’. The ‘singing’ of the heavens refers to Judah’s intended joy at the restoration (<a href='B:290 49:13'>Isa 49:13</a> cp. 48:20). Israel were being told to peg out their tent as wide and far as they could; because this would be the extent of their Kingdom. The Kingdom would be as ‘large’ for them as they had vision for in this life. And sadly they gave up on the rebuilding plans to focus upon their own houses, as Haggai laments.</p><p>The Lord of Hosts stretched the line upon Jerusalem by the Angel surveying and measuring Jerusalem as described in Ezekiel 40-48. But the prophecy was reapplied in Revelation 11 to mean that the Angels would measure Jerusalem unto destruction in the last days, because they failed to fulfil these prophecies.</p><h4>The exact dimensions of the temple given in Ezekiel recall <a href='B:450 1:16'>Zec 1:16</a>; <a href='B:450 2:11'>Zec 2:11</a>, where the Angel accurately measures Jerusalem in preparation for the rebuilding of the temple. In the same way as it is possible to argue that Christ’s second coming in AD70 was described in detail but was postponed to the last days because of Israel’s lack of spiritual response, it may be that Ezekiel’s visions of the temple were what should have been achieved during the&nbsp; restoration, but were re-interpreted and reapplied in later fulfillment.</h4>


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<h4>Proclaim further, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of Armies: My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem’-As noted on 13: , this was the same “comfort to Zion” of <a href='B:290 40:1'>Isa 40:1</a>. But Israel would not follow God back to Jerusalem, and those who did generally were consumed with their own petty self interest. And so the prophecies and promises of “comfort to Zion” were re-interpretted and fulfilled in a spiritual sense in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. God had gone ahead of them- He had returned to Zion already, and bid Israel follow Him there.</h4><h4>Haggai and Malachi lament the effects of the famine in Judah which was affecting the exiles. The cities of Judah were not overflowing with prosperity; but the tragedy was that they could have done. The choosing of Jerusalem is always associated with God’s respect of the covenant with David (<a href='B:110 11:13'>1Ki 11:13</a>; <a href='B:110 11:32'>1Ki 11:32</a>; <a href='B:110 11:36'>1Ki 11:36</a>; <a href='B:110 14:21'>1Ki 14:21</a>; <a href='B:120 21:7'>2Ki 21:7</a>; <a href='B:120 23:27'>2Ki 23:27</a> and often). Zerubbabel was in the direct line of David and could have been established as a Messianic king in the restored Kingdom of God; but it seems this didn’t work out, and he returned to Babylon.</h4>


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<p>I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, four horns- Daniel 2, 7 envisaged the passage of four kings / kingdoms until a brief confused period leading to the open establishment of God’s Kingdom or mountain in eretz Israel. The sequence of four could have had its conclusion at the time of the restoration. The little horn of Daniel 7 grows out of the fourth kingdom, represented by the fourth beast. But in Daniel 8, a very similar horn grows out of Greece, the third kingdom. We can therefore conclude that the antichrist figure of Daniel 8 would have appeared as an outgrowth of the Greek kingdom, and been destroyed by Messiah’s coming. But this didn’t happen, and Antiochus Epiphanes became but an incipient fulfilment of the antichrist of the last days. Zechariah, like Daniel, contains many conditional prophecies- “And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God” (<a href='B:450 6:15'>Zec 6:15</a>). <a href='B:450 9:13'>Zec 9:13</a> appears to be another such conditional prophecy, similar in reference to that of Daniel 8 about the possibility of Messiah’s coming at the time of the Greek empire. God says He will place Ephraim within the bow of Judah, to be fired at her enemies; and He would “raise up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece” (<a href='B:450 9:13'>Zec 9:13</a>), leading to the final salvation of God’s people, the establishment of Messiah’s Kingdom, and her Messianic king coming unto her (<a href='B:450 9:9'>Zec 9:9</a>). But this didn’t come true; the resistance of the Maccabees was not based on true spirituality, and the Romans took over control of the land from the Greeks. No Messianic Kingdom was established. This would explain the purposeful ambiguity of interpretation which there is in the image of Daniel 2; a good case can be made for the sequence Babylon-Media-Persia-Greece, and yet also for the sequence Babylon-Medo Persia- Greece-Rome. Daniel 8 predicts the breakup of the Greek empire after Alexander’s death into four horns, out of which a little horn arises (<a href='B:340 8:8'>Dan 8:8</a>). The only other prophetic reference to four horns is again here in Zechariah when we read of how the four horns who had scattered God’s people were to be cut off by the carpenters (<a href='B:450 1:18-19'>Zec 1:18-19</a>):&nbsp; The carpenters surely look forward to the carpenter Messiah. He could have appeared and cut off those four horns; but He did not, and so another prophetic sequence was allowed, in which another [fourth] beast arose, this time with ten horns, not just four. And in Revelation we find this developed further, in that seven heads also appear on the beast, and a whore rides the best, sitting upon [another?] seven hills / kingdoms. The number and ferocity of the enemies of God’s people seems to increase over time. If Israel had repented earlier, then all this would have been unnecessary. The three horses of Zechariah 1 thus become four horses in Zechariah 6. The fact the four cherubim chariots are sent out in judgment of those same coloured horses speaks of how all earthly entities have their representative Angels in Heaven. &nbsp;See on <a href='B:450 1:12'>Zec 1:12</a>.</p>


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<h4>I asked the angel who talked with me, What are these? He answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah- "Four horns. . . which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem". The number four is associated with the four cherubim Angels- the four types of Angel-controlled punishment often presented in the prophets. The horns were the powers which scattered Judah, but they refer also to the Angels. The simple takeaway is that all evil in the lives of God’s people is under His strict control. Thus the four horns here would equate with the four living creatures of the cherubim and also of Daniel, and therefore&nbsp; the four nations of Daniel 2. <a href='B:340 8:8'>Dan 8:8</a> provides an example of these links: "When he was strong, the great horn was broken (see the link between horns and the cherubim- Angels in <a href='B:420 3:3-5'>Hab 3:3-5</a>; the Angel behind Alexander); and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of Heaven". This would therefore describe the division of Alexander’s Kingdom between four Angels- the "notable ones" or "winds", each of whom controlled one of Alexander’s succeeding generals. His Kingdom was "divided toward the four winds of Heaven" (<a href='B:340 11:4'>Dan 11:4</a>)- the Kingdom was not literally scattered throughout the world, but divided to four Angel-winds.</h4><h4>Israel, and Jerusalem- It was God’s purpose to regather not only Judah but also the ten tribe kingdom of Israel. But very few of the ten tribes wished to return; so again, the fulfilment of the Kingdom prophecies and acceptance of the new covenant was precluded by God’s people not wanting to respond to it, preferring rather to cling on to the shell of their religion rather than experiencing it for real for themselves.</h4>


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<p>Yahweh showed me four carpenters- The horns who dominated the land were Angelically controlled, but so was their destruction. But the LXX here and in :21 reads differently: "And the Lord shewed me four artificers:&nbsp;And I said, What are these coming to do? And he said, These are the horns that scattered Judah, and they broke Israel in pieces, and none of them lifted up his head: and these are come forth to sharpen them for their hands, even the four horns, the nations that lifted up the horn against the land of the Lord to scatter it. The idea could be that the preparation of Judah’s enemies had been in Angelic hands, and so their restoration likewise was.</p>


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<h4>Then I asked, What are these coming to do?- Zechariah assumed that this was a prophecy of future desolation of the land, but was told that the horns were the powers which had already scattered Judah.</h4>&nbsp;<p>He said, These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head- Judah was"scattered", throughout the territories controlled by Babylon and later Persia. A man who cannot lift up his head is a man in penitence (<a href='B:490 18:13'>Luk 18:13</a>). The Divine plan was that the exile would elicit repentance amongst the Jews; but this didn’t happen. Only when it occurs in the last days will the Kingdom be re-established.</p><p>But these have come to saw them off, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it- See on :20. The sawing off of animal horns was done to make the beast powerless and no longer dangerous. No longer would Judah need to fear the beasts of the nations. The"horns"are therefore assumed to be on beasts; we therefore have here a repetition of the four beasts of Daniel 7. And the point is that there were Angels appointed to do this for each of the horns; and those same Angels were powerful to restore Judah.</p>&nbsp;<p>The four carpenter Angels"frayed"the horn Angels which had scattered Israel. The Hebrew for ’fray’ means ’to hasten (with anxiety), to frighten’. Thus one group of Angels hastens the fulfilment of other Angels’ work; hence in&nbsp;&nbsp; :12&nbsp; an&nbsp; Angel&nbsp; prayed&nbsp; to&nbsp; the Lord of Hosts (Angels) encouraging them to end their indignation because the 70 years were ended. Similarly the Comforter Angel says that Jerusalem has"received of theLord’s hand (Angel) double (i. e. too much?) for all her sins"(<a href='B:290 40:2'>Isa 40:2</a>), and that her warfare (’appointed time’) has ended, or expired. The phrase"appointed time"is the same word translated"host", used concerning the Angels, thus indicating that the period of the captivity was under Angelic control. Thus <a href='B:340 10:1'>Dan 10:1</a> also points out that"the time appointed was long"- implying too long, seeing that"the thing was true"?. This helps us to explain Angels being in some ways in opposition to each other in Daniel, e. g. the Angel prince of Persia withstanding another Angel in His action because of the need to execute a certain time period first. Again, the simple takeaway comfort was and is that all experience of evil is under careful Divine control, mediated at that time through Angels; and it is used to propel forward God’s saving purpose.</p><h4>However, we can understand the word translated"saw::. off"as also meaning to prepare or even ’create’. Those horns / enemies of Israel were all prepared by God’s Angels, and those same Angels were powerfully at work now to restore Judah.</h4>


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<h4>I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand- To measure is a double symbol, of measuring unto destruction (as in Revelation 11), and also measuring to build up. According to the response of God’s people, so His purpose with Jerusalem would be of either destruction or redemption. The"man with a measuring line"is the Angel of <a href='B:450 1:16'>Zec 1:16</a>; cp. <a href='B:330 40:3'>Eze 40:3</a>; <a href='B:330 47:3'>Eze 47:3</a>; <a href='B:730 21:15-17'>Rev 21:15-17</a>.</h4><h4>If the measuring is taken as judgment, as in <a href='B:730 11:1'>Rev 11:1</a>; <a href='B:470 7:12'>Mat 7:12</a>; <a href='B:530 4:21'>1Co 4:21</a>, then we have an Angel beginning to prepare judgements on Jerusalem, but in :3 being interrupted by another Angel who describes God’s plan to restore Jerusalem, and quickly correcting the impression made on Zechariah by the first Angel. There, the angel is told to run back and tell Zechariah that"Jerusalem shall yet be inhabited":&nbsp;&nbsp; We see here the conflict between God’s judgment and His grace, reflected in the situation amongst the Angels in the court of Heaven; and His mercy rejoices against judgment.</h4><h4>Ezekiel’s temple prophecies begin with a man / Angel with a measuring reed, measuring Jerusalem and the temple. This recurs here, where the Angel again measures the temple and then promises that Yahweh will be a protecting wall of fire around the city, meaning that the Jews should fearlessly return from Babylon (2:5-10). There follows a description of God’s Kingdom on earth, with God Himself dwelling in Zion and all nations converting to Him. Yet the Jews returned with fear from Babylon- or some of them did. And they fussed so much about building a wall to protect them, in studied disregard of God’s promise here. God helped them build the wall- He was still so keen to work with them. And He later encouraged them that “I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth [s:w. used about Judah’s return from captivity, <a href='B:150 2:1'>Ezr 2:1</a>; <a href='B:150 6:21'>Ezr 6:21</a>]: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more” (<a href='B:450 9:7-8'>Zec 9:7-8</a>).</h4>


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<p>Then I asked, Where are you going? He said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length- As noted on :1, measuring is a double symbol- measuring in judgment, and in upbuilding. Jerusalem was being measured as it was; the idea here may be that God was assessing the spiritual condition of Jerusalem, and if they were indeed repentant, then the city would be built up into the capital of the restored Kingdom of God in Israel. Ultimately, God’s desire to push through His Kingdom purpose with Israel at this time didn’t work out. But these prophecies shall come ultimately true, when the new Jerusalem is built and the Angel then finds the length, breadth and height to be"equal"(<a href='B:730 21:15-17'>Rev 21:15-17</a>).</p>


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<p>Behold, the angel who talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him- See on <a href='B:290 37:36'>Isa 37:36</a>. As explained on :1, the Angel measuring Jerusalem for judgment is as it were interrupted by another, who is told to run back and tell Zechariah that in fact Jerusalem will be reinstated by God, even though Judah were lacking in their spiritual dimensions.</p>


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<h4>And said to him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it- As explained on :1, the ’running’ [back] was in jubilation at the good news; Jerusalem had been measured, and although spiritually wanting [as Haggai and Malachi make clear], yet by grace it would be built up and the promised conditions of the restored Kingdom would come about. This was by grace alone. The fact the exiles refused to respond was indeed tragic. We note that Zechariah was a"young man"; God so often uses youth in His service. The language of blessing here is that of <a href='B:330 36:4'>Eze 36:4</a>; these things could have come to pass if Judah had truly accepted the new deal offered them in the new covenant. But they didn’t, and so such prophecies are delayed in fulfilment until the last days. “Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded”. They were happier to settle outside of Jerusalem and concentrate on building up their own farms in the villages and small towns of Judah, rather than sense the importance of Zion. <a href='B:160 11:1-3'>Neh 11:1-3</a> suggests that so few wanted to live in Jerusalem because of the persecution there, that they had to draw lots to get at least a tenth of the total population to live there- in what should have been the capital. If more had returned from Babylon, if more had lived in Jerusalem, then Yahweh would have been a wall of fire to them, and then the Kingdom conditions described in the rest of Zechariah 2 would have come about. Although the restoration prophecies speak as if the increase of Zion’s population was to be unconditional, <a href='B:330 36:37'>Eze 36:37</a> implies that this would only happen if they prayed for it: “Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock”. But they got on with building their own homes and farms outside Jerusalem, they blessed those who had the courage to live in Zion itself, but didn’t earnestly pray for the fulfilment of the prophecies. They figured that the time for their fulfilment hadn’t come, as Haggai laments; instead of praying for their fulfilment.</h4><p>The Jews were asked to leave Babylon so that Jerusalem would have an"abundance of peoples", in language evidently appropriate to the Messianic Kingdom. And yet they for the most part remained in Babylon, and thus showed they didn’t want to do their part in making that prophecy of the Kingdom come true in their experience.</p><p>Jerusalem could have been a city without walls, with God’s protection (2:4-6). But Israel lacked faith, and therefore God came down to their lower level and allowed them to build a wall, and worked with them in thIsa. The exercise of building that wall was a display of great faith and zeal on Nehemiah’s part; yet in fact the work he did was a result of Israel’s limiting God by their lack of faith, even though Nehemiah himself had faith. Indeed the whole failure of Israel became"riches for the world."(<a href='B:520 11:12'>Rom 11:12</a>)&nbsp; Nothing is ultimately wasted or lost. Nothing can be done against the Truth (<a href='B:540 13:8'>2Co 13:8</a>).</p><h4>So the Jews built a wall and appointed human guards over them (<a href='B:160 4:15'>Neh 4:15</a>; <a href='B:160 4:22'>Neh 4:22</a>), even though Yahweh Himself had promised to be their wall and their guard (<a href='B:450 2:4-5'>Zec 2:4-5</a>). And <a href='B:450 12:8'>Zec 12:8</a> had repeated it: “In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David”. But they didn’t want to believe it, as they cowered in fear from those who “came to fight against Jerusalem” (<a href='B:450 4:8'>Zec 4:8</a>), whom Zechariah prophesied would be destroyed by Yahweh. And yet He graciously worked with them in their plan to build a physical wall, just as He worked through their desire for human kingship and a physical temple in earlier days, even though it was not His ideal intention.</h4>


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<h4>For I’, says Yahweh, ‘will be to her a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory in the midst of her- This is the situation foreseen in Ezekiel 48, where God’s presence and glory would be in Zion because the cherubim which had departed in Ezekiel 1 would return there. Ezra had recognised this promise, that God would be a wall to them (<a href='B:150 9:9'>Ezr 9:9</a>). Note how this prophecy is introduced by an Angel with a measuring reed measuring out the rebuilt Zion (<a href='B:450 2:1'>Zec 2:1</a>), just as we have in Ezekiel 40. But Judah disbelieved the promise of a Divine wall of fire, and insisted on building a physical wall to protect them; and the record in Nehemiah has plenty of reference to their setting up of bars and gates in their fear (<a href='B:160 3:3'>Neh 3:3</a>; <a href='B:160 3:6'>Neh 3:6</a>; Neh 313-15). By doing so they disallowed the fulfilment of <a href='B:330 38:11'>Eze 38:11</a>, and thereby precluded what was prophesied as subsequently following. If they had trusted Him and paid their tithes, their cattle would have multiplied, and the Scythian tribes would have come down to seek to take them, as <a href='B:330 38:12-13'>Eze 38:12-13</a> foretold. But as it happened, their cattle were diseased and their agriculture not blessed because of their dilatory attention to Yahweh’s house that lay waste (<a href='B:440 1:11'>Hag 1:11</a>). So therefore there was no invasion, and no victory against the nations, and no Kingdom established at that time.</h4><p>The reference to fire has reference to the Angels’ part in the restoration and protection of Zion. As the Angel had been a pillar of protecting fire to Israel previously, He would be to them instead of a physical wall as they started rebuilding Jerusalem amidst great opposition, with no physical wall to protect them. The Angelic language continues:"Thus saith the Lord of Hosts (Angels)::. I will come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee"(2:8,10 AV)- i:e. the Angel and the associated shekinah glory would physically return to Jerusalem. The primary fulfilment of this was in the return from Babylon- the Angel led them back across the deserts, physically moving with them, to enter Jerusalem; as foreseen in the cherubim visions of Ezekiel. This would explain the restoration from Babylon in terms of the wilderness journey and the Angel’s guidance of them then- because this very same Angel was involved in leading them through a different wilderness, back to Israel.</p><h4>Joshua didn’t live up to the conditional prophecies made about him in Zechariah. Ezra and Nehemiah seem to have taken over the priestly and kingly work of Joshua and Zerubbabel respectively. Nehemiah’s record concludes on the negative note that Judah had forsaken Zion (<a href='B:160 13:11'>Neh 13:11</a>)- even though God promised to come and dwell in the midst of Zion! Nobody wanted to live in Jerusalem because of the persecution there; the Levites even went and lived outside it where they had “fields”, because they weren’t given their tithes (<a href='B:160 13:10'>Neh 13:10</a>). Lots had to be drawn to get people to live there (<a href='B:160 11:1'>Neh 11:1</a>). It became a ghost town, when it should have been inhabited as a town without walls for the multitudes of returned exiles joyfully dwelling there (:5). It was God’s intention that ten men (a reference to Israelites of the ten tribes?) would take hold of the skirts of a Jew (i:e. one of Judah) and come with him to worship in the new temple (<a href='B:450 8:23'>Zec 8:23</a>). But in fact the opposite happened. So few wanted to live in Jerusalem, that the rulers had to cast lots to force one in ten Jews to go and live in Jerusalem (<a href='B:160 11:1'>Neh 11:1</a>). And the ten tribes didn’t really unite with Judah, but went off and got lost in the Gentile world.</h4>


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<h4>Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north’, says Yahweh- By Zechariah’s time there had already been ample opportunity for the people to return from captivity. But most remained there. A greater return was required for the restoration prophecies to come true, but that depended upon whether they wished to quit their idolatry and comfortable life which arose especially after the history of Esther. Fleeing is the word so often used of fleeing into a city of refuge(Numbers 35 etc:). The implication would be that indeed Judah had sinned in the land of the north, but they were to flee to Zion as the ultimate city of refuge, protected by a wall of Divine fire."Come!"translates the word usually used for"woe"or"alas". The idea was that if they remained in the land of the north, they were under threat for their lives. But when Babylon fell, the Jews prospered under Cyrus [consider how the Jews came to popularity at the end of Esther]; so much so that he eagerly encouraged them to return to their homeland:&nbsp; The threat was therefore of spiritual death; that was the danger, and it came true for them. Thus <a href='B:300 51:6'>Jer 51:6</a> urges flight from Babylon"and deliver every man his soul"(<a href='B:300 50:6'>Jer 50:6</a>).</h4><h4>‘For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the sky’, says Yahweh- <a href='B:450 1:21'>Zec 1:21</a> made it clear that it was the Angelically controlled"horns"who had scattered Judah. Again God assures His people that it was He who had done this; all that had happened to them had been under His direct control, and was all part of His wider purpose in preparing them for the wonders of the restored Kingdom of God on earth. The"four winds"connect with the four horns; and God makes His Angels spirits or winds (<a href='B:230 104:4'>Psa 104:4</a>). The number four recalls the four living creatures of the cherubim Angels.</h4>


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<h4>‘Come, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon’- As noted on :6, the need to"escape"was not from literal extermination, but from spiritual death there. “Come out from among them and be separate” (<a href='B:540 6:17'>2Co 6:17</a>) is picking up this language (also of <a href='B:290 48:20'>Isa 48:20</a>; <a href='B:290 52:11'>Isa 52:11</a>; <a href='B:300 50:8'>Jer 50:8</a>) concerning the return of the exiles from Babylon. The edict of Cyrus for the Jews to return to the land is in a sense pointing forward to God’s command to us to leave the spirit of Babylon, the Gentile world, and go up to do His work. The returned exiles are us. Those who left Babylon did so of their own freewill (<a href='B:150 7:13'>Ezr 7:13</a>), and yet providential events stirred up their spirits to do this (<a href='B:150 1:5'>Ezr 1:5</a>); and the way was prepared in miraculous way. And so it is for us, in our exodus from this world and from the flesh. In spiritual terms, Judah in Babylon were as captives in the prison cell, waiting to be released and return to their land, according to Isaiah’s images. And these pictures are picked up and applied to all who know the redemption and restoration of Christ.</h4><h4>"The daughter of Babylon"is contrasted with"the daughter of Zion". ’The daughter of’ means having the characteristics and spirit of the father or mother. The daughter of Zion, identifying with Zion, could not dwell with the daughters of Babylon- unless she had become a daughter of Babylon herself. The fact most of the exiles chose to remain in captivity speaks sadly so much of their sense of identity.</h4>


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<h4>For thus says Yahweh of Armies: ‘For honour He has sent me to the nations which plundered you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye- The GNB is closest to the correct sense here:"Anyone who strikes you strikes what is most precious to me. So the LORD Almighty sent me with this message for the nations that had plundered his people". Verse 9 then becomes Zechariah’s message to the Gentiles, which presumably he actually took to them. As explained on <a href='B:450 1:2'>Zec 1:2</a>, God’s great anger with Judah was less than His anger against those who had plundered them. Even in their suffering and punishment, God’s people were still the apple of His eye."The apple of His eye"speaks not only of God’s extreme sensitivity toward His people; this phrase was a Hebraism for a man’s wife. Who would a man be more angry with? His wife because she cheated on him repeatedly and is exposed; or a bunch of hoods who rape her after her infidelity has been exposed? The man who truly loved his wife would be more angry with the rapists, and so it was with God.</h4><h4>Isaiah had prophesied that God would not rest until Zion be restored. Watchmen would be set upon Zion’s walls who would give Him no rest until the walls be rebuilt (<a href='B:290 62:1'>Isa 62:1</a>; <a href='B:290 62:6-7'>Isa 62:6-7</a>). At this time, Zion was felt by God to be the “apple of his eye” (<a href='B:450 2:8'>Zec 2:8</a>). This prophesy started to be fulfilled straight after the Babylonian invasion when Jeremiah urged the desolated people to pray: “O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease” (<a href='B:310 2:18'>Lam 2:18</a>). The prayerful remnant were to give themselves no rest; and thus was fulfilled the prophecy that God would have no rest. Sincere prayer according to God’s will would have meant that there was a strange mutuality between the Father and those who prayed to Him. Both He and they would consider Zion to be the apple of their eye; and thus the prayers would ultimately be answered and Zion was restored. And yet despite this fervent prayer, God still attempted to restore Zion. Such was His grace and desire to bring about His saving purpose even with those who were indifferent to it.</h4>


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<h4>For, behold, I will shake My hand over them- An idiom for direct Divine action.</h4><p>And they will be a spoil to those who served them- This repeats the message of <a href='B:300 50:10'>Jer 50:10</a>, which uses the same word for"spoil":"Chaldea shall be a prey: all who prey on her shall be satisfied". When Babylon fell, the Jews were intended to spoil her and take that spoil to the promised land, just as they had done with Egypt on Passover night. The prophecies that the Gentile rulers of Judah will be their servants clearly show that Judah wasn’t intended to remain a mere subject kingdom of the Persian empire. So much was possible- but they chose to remain, to take the easier option- which is always to remain within the structures we are safe and familiar with.</p><h4>And you will know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me- See on :11.</h4>


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<h4>Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the middle of you’, says Yahweh- God had already returned to Zion by grace even though they had not returned to Him (<a href='B:450 1:3'>Zec 1:3</a>; see on <a href='B:450 1:16'>Zec 1:16</a>), and yet He promises a far greater’return’ if His people rejoice at that prospect and repent. He did the same in <a href='B:450 1:3'>Zec 1:3</a>:"‘Return to me’, says Yahweh of Armies, ‘and I will return to you’". God’s glory would have dwelt not only in the temple but in the whole city of Jerusalem, according to Isaiah’s prophecies. But there is no evidence that the shekinah glory ever actually returned to the rebuilt temple let alone was visibly present over the whole rebuilt city of Jerusalem.</h4><h4>Bar_1:12 records the exiles praying “that we may live long under the protective shadow of [the] king of Babylon”. This is in sad contrast to Daniel’s prophecies that the sheltering tree of Babylon was to be cut down! There ought to have been an urgency about the need to flee from Babylon. <a href='B:450 2:10'>Zec 2:10</a> speaks of the need to"flee"and"escape"- the language of crisIsa. And the call"Ho!"means quite literally"Hey!!". The urgency to flee was spiritual rather than physical- for there’s no evidence that when Babylon fell to the Persians, the Jews were punished. Indeed they appear [from Esther] to have prospered even more. Hence the urgent appeal was to flee from the spiritual crisis which they faced in Babylon. And yet they didn’t perceive the danger, just as so many today don’t. For the call to leave Babylon is applied in New Testament passages like 2 Corinthians 6 to our call to leave the world in which we live. The urgency of ’fleeing’ from Babylon was understood by Nehemiah, when he referred to those who had returned to the land as those who has"escaped"from Babylon (<a href='B:160 1:2'>Neh 1:2</a>)- even though they had returned with every blessing from the authorities. He perceived as few did the vital danger of remaining in the soft life of Babylon. Ezra likewise had referred to the Jews in Babylon as those"in bondage::. bondmen"(<a href='B:150 9:9'>Ezr 9:9</a>)- when historical records, as well as the book of Esther and the fact Nehemiah the Jew was the king’s cupbearer, show that the Jews were very far from being servants in Babylonian society. Yet Ezra perceived the spiritual poverty and servanthood of remaining in that affluent society.</h4>


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<h4>Many nations shall join themselves to Yahweh in that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in the middle of you- The Divine intention was that the Gentile nations in the land would be joined to Yahweh in repentance along with the repentant Jews. But instead, the Jews copied the pagan ways of those nations (as latter Isaiah, Ezra and Nehemiah demonstrate), and became arrogantly exclusive of them personally. And so the fulfilment of this prophecy was precluded by the behaviour of the exiles, and it has been rescheduled to the last days. That Yahweh Himself would dwell in the rebuilt temple is stressed here in Zechariah; it would be the fulfilment of <a href='B:330 48:35'>Eze 48:35</a>, that the name of the rebuilt Zion would be"Yahweh is there". But Judah didn’t build the temple according to the preceding specifications in Ezekiel 40-48; and so Yahweh’s intimate presence was not found there.</h4><p>The implication is that many nations as well as Judah would join themselves to Yahweh. <a href='B:300 50:4-5'>Jer 50:4-5</a> had described the possibility after the fall of Babylon:"In those days, and in that time, says Yahweh, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall go on their way weeping, and shall seek Yahweh their God. They shall inquire concerning Zion with their faces turned towards it saying, Come, and join yourselves to Yahweh in an everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten". But Israel and Judah did not then reunite, they did not accept the new covenant offered. The Gentiles’ envisaged ’joining themselves to Yahweh’ is that spoken of in <a href='B:290 56:6'>Isa 56:6</a>, where it is stated that this would involve their keeping the sabbath. Sabbath keeping is now not required for those in Christ; we are therefore reading of a situation envisaged as happening at the time of the restoration which never actually came about. It was a scenario also envisaged in <a href='B:290 14:1'>Isa 14:1</a>:"For Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with the house of Jacob". But instead, Hezekiah joined himself with the spirit of Babylon, rather than the other way around.</p><h4>And you shall know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me to you- The implication would be that the Jews viewed this young man (:4) Zechariah sceptically, perhaps disliking his message of union with God on an equal footing to Gentiles. But he would be vindicated when the Kingdom prophecies were fulfilled, with the implication being that his generation would live to see this joining of the Gentiles to Yahweh and His presence in a restored Zion. All these things were rescheduled and reapplied to Jew and Gentile being joined together in Christ under the new covenant, to come to literal fulfilment at His second coming.</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh will nherit Judah as His portion- The allusion is to <a href='B:50 32:8-9'>Deu 32:8-9</a>, where Israel are God’s personal portion and inheritance:"When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For Yahweh’s portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance". The metaphor reflects how intimate is His relationship with them, and how passionate His hope for them. Despite the other nations being joined to Him (:11), Judah would still be His special portion.</h4><p>In the holy land- The idea is that the land would be made holy, cleansed by God’s forgiveness; not that it is holy of itself.</p><h4>And will again choose Jerusalem- As explained on <a href='B:450 1:17'>Zec 1:17</a>, the choosing of Jerusalem meant the re-establishment of the Davidic throne in the person of Zerubbabel. But this possibility didn’t happen when it could have done. The latter chapters of Ezekiel stress how Israel were to “inherit” the land; yet the same word is used in other restoration prophecies, about Messiah causing Israel to “inherit” the land again after their return from “the north country” (<a href='B:450 2:12'>Zec 2:12</a>; <a href='B:450 8:12'>Zec 8:12</a>; <a href='B:290 49:8'>Isa 49:8</a>; <a href='B:300 3:18'>Jer 3:18</a>). When Judah returned from the “north country”, then Jerusalem would be the universally recognized “throne of the Lord” (<a href='B:300 3:17-18'>Jer 3:17-18</a>). The Kingdom could have come when Judah returned from Babylon. It was therefore potentially possible for the returning exiles to inherit all the land outlined in <a href='B:330 47:13-21'>Eze 47:13-21</a> and share it out between the 12 tribes. But they grabbed every man for himself, his own farmstead, his own mini-Kingdom. They had no interest in the wider vision, nor in subduing extra land; and the majority of the Jews didn’t even want to inherit it; they preferred the soft life of Babylon, the Kingdom of men rather than the Kingdom of God. And thus the Kingdom made possible was never actually fulfilled at that time.</h4>


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<h4>Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh- The idea of silence before Yahweh is of repentance. This was an invitation to the Gentile nations to repent, and this bring about the joining of the nations to God spoken of in :11.</h4><h4>For He has roused Himself from His holy habitation!- This implies that God had been dwelling with His people throughout the exile, and was now as it were rousing from that and going out visibly into the world again. This didn’t happen at the restoration, although it could have done. But the point to note is that Yahweh was still within His temple, physically broken down as it was. He didn’t need a nicely built temple to inhabit His people; just as He had explained when David first wanted to build a temple. And that principle is true today. God dwells in people quite independent of any visible, religious structures.</h4>


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<h4>He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh- The altar was rebuilt before the temple in Ezra’s time. Perhaps we are to envisage Joshua standing before Yahweh in that he was present before His appointed place of worship. The prayers offered by Joshua the high priest were represented by an Angel presenting his case; whilst the satan Angel opposed Him, representing whatever groups in opposition to those prayers. <a href='B:450 3:8'>Zec 3:8</a> clearly tells us that the characters of verses 1 and 2 are “men of sign” (A:V. margin), i:e. we have to interpret them and see them as representative of others.</h4><p>A theme of Zechariah’s early prophecies is the opposition between groups of people, individuals or Angels who want to rebuild the temple and restore Israel, and adversaries to them. Thus in chapter 1 there are the carpenters opposed to the horns, and the Angel who wants to measure (judge) Jerusalem being countermanded by the Angel who decrees that Jerusalem is to be inhabited in chapter 2. This is continued in chapter 3:1 by the vision of Joshua and satan standing before the Angel. It is suggested that this ’satan’ is an Angel (we are familiar with satan Angels from <a href='B:130 21:1'>1Ch 21:1</a> and <a href='B:40 22:22'>Num 22:22</a> at least); this is because groups of people, even evil ones, have their viewpoint represented or brought to the notice of the court of Heaven by a satan Angel- a ’devil’s advocate’, as it were! Although as I have laboured at length in The Real Devil, Angels themselves don’t sin. The satan Angel"resists"the Angel representing Joshua. The resisting was during the 21 year period when the temple rebuilding was suspended(<a href='B:150 4:24'>Ezr 4:24</a>). This corresponds to the 21 days (years), during which the Angel prince of Persia resisted Gabriel’s work of rebuilding (<a href='B:340 10:13'>Dan 10:13</a>). Taking this further, this 21 day-year period is the same as the three weeks (21 days) which Daniel spent praying for the rebuilding to commence. Somehow the period Daniel spent praying was over-ruled; there is a sense of time in the court of Heaven, and probably will be in the Kingdom too (e:g. <a href='B:450 14:16'>Zec 14:16</a>), even if we are ourselves outside of that dimension. His prayer was answered from the first day he prayed (<a href='B:340 10:12'>Dan 10:12</a>), but despite one Angel being eager to answer it, another opposed it on account of representing those humans who opposed it. For God never treats people as puppets, never forces, but works along with human freewill and respects it, even if it is contrary to His will.</p><p>The returned exiles were very influenced by Persian and Babylonian thinking and language. It has been shown that the Babylonians believed that each person has a god who accuses them (Rivkah Scharf Kluger, Satan in the Old Testament (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1967), pp. 134,135). As elsewhere, Zechariah and the prophets allude to contemporary beliefs and deconstruct them, i:e. they show the truth about these matters as Yahweh wished His people to understand them, just as Moses alluded to creation myths in order to show what was false and to explain the truth about some of the matters they touched upon. So here Zechariah is making the point that the truth is that in the court of Heaven, Angels represent human beings and organizations and their positions and accusations against God’s people; and it is God who judges those accusations, and sends forth His Angels to implement His subsequent judgment of the cases upon earth. Paul may have this in mind when he exults that if God and Christ are on our side, we now have no accusers – for they are the only ones who can bring valid accusation against us. And even if we have accusers, the fact that they are our justifiers means that effectively, no such accusation is of any power (<a href='B:520 8:33-34'>Rom 8:33-34</a>).</p><p>And Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary- Zechariah speaks of the Angels in the time of the exile and restoration from Persia “running to and fro in the earth” on God’s behalf (<a href='B:450 1:10-11'>Zec 1:10-11</a>; <a href='B:450 4:10'>Zec 4:10</a>). The ’satan’ in Job likewise does thIsa. The references to ‘wandering about on the face of the earth’ have great similarities with the language used to describe the Persian empire’s spies, called “The King’s Eye” – a kind of agent of the King who wandered around picking up information and reporting back to him. But of course, “The King’s Eye” was on the King’s side and not working against him! Satan’s walking / running “to and fro in the earth / land” and reporting back to God about an individual is thus very much taken from the Persian idea of the King’s “evil eye”, “the eye of the King”, a kind of agent provocateur, a secret police–type agent, travelling around the Kingdom and reporting back to the King about suspect individuals. The implication of course was that God and His Angels, and not the Persian King and his agents, were the ones really in control of the land. It’s maybe significant that the Septuagint translates “going to and fro” in <a href='B:220 1:7'>Job 1:7</a> with the word peripatei – and we find the same word in <a href='B:670 5:8'>1Pe 5:8</a> about the adversary of the early Christians ‘going about’ seeking them – a reference to the agents of the Roman and Jewish systems. I have elsewhere demonstrated that much of the Hebrew Bible was rewritten [under Divine inspiration] in Babylon, to bring out relevant issues for the Jewish exiles in Babylon (See my Bible Lives Chapter 11). This includes the book of Job. It can be understood as an allegory – Job, the suffering servant of the Lord, becomes a type of Israel, the suffering servant of Isaiah’s later prophecies. &nbsp;I have traced the similarities between Job and Israel, and Job and the “suffering servant”, in Bible Lives Sections 3-1-3, 3-1-5 and 3-3-7. There are many links between Isaiah’s prophecies and Job – a glance down the margin of most reference Bibles will indicate that. Just as the returning exiles faced‘satans’ in the form of local Arabic opposition, so did Job. The <a href='B:450 3:1-2'>Zec 3:1-2</a> passage uses the word ‘Satan’ to describe this opposition to the returned exiles. Note that both Zechariah 3 and Job 1 use the idea of a Heavenly court. As God put a fence around Job (<a href='B:220 1:10'>Job 1:10</a>), so He was a “wall of fire” to the returning exiles (<a href='B:450 2:5'>Zec 2:5</a>). And his final triumph and restoration, by God’s grace, was intended as a prototype for Judah in captivity. J:B. Russell mentions a Babylonian document consisting of a dialogue between a sufferer and his friend (J:B. Russell, The Devil (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1977) p. 87). Perhaps the re-writing of the book of Job during Judah’s captivity in Babylon was intended as a counter to this, explaining Yahweh’s perspective on suffering. More documentation of this in Rivkah Kluger, The Satan of the Old Testament (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1967). This view is confirmed in other research by Harry Torczyner, The Book of Job (Jerusalem: Kiryat–Sefer, 1981) pp. 38–45. Note that Torczyner also interprets the Satan as being in God’s service, and not in opposition to Him: “The figure and role of the Satan derives from the Persian secret service::. We now understand that there are in God’s service, as in that of any earthly king, secret roving officials, who go and come and report to him on the doings of his subjects”.</p><h4>The Angel in this vision of the court of Heaven was a satan / adversary by reason of representing the Samaritan opposition to the rebuilding of the temple. “The people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building” (<a href='B:150 4:4'>Ezr 4:4</a>), i:e. they acted as Satan – adversaries – to the Jews. They are actually called “the adversaries of Judah” in <a href='B:150 4:1'>Ezr 4:1</a>. They wrote “an accusation against the (new) inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem” to the king of Persia (<a href='B:150 4:6'>Ezr 4:6</a>). The Hebrew word for “accusation” is related to that translated “Satan”. The implication is that the inhabitants of the land, the Satan, were complaining to God, manifested in the angel, that the new Jewish high priest was not really valid, as he did not wear the proper clothes (they had probably been lost during the captivity). The angel tells Satan, “The Lord rebuke you”, and proceeds to clothe Joshua with a set of priestly clothes and a mitre (vs. 4,5), thus showing God’s acceptance of him. The inference behind the complaint was that God had not really chosen Jerusalem for the Jews to rebuild, and that therefore they were going ahead with their plans without God behind them. But the angel says that “the Lord::. has chosen Jerusalem”, in the same way as He had chosen Joshua to be high priest. Thus Joshua represented Jerusalem.</h4><p>But it is possible that the"Satan", the adversary to the rebuilding, was the Jewish false prophets and the resistance to the rebuilding program noted on Haggai 1. In our notes on <a href='B:300 24:1'>Jer 24:1</a> we suggested that the two baskets of figs placed before the Angel in the temple laid the basis for this vision. The baskets represented the faithful and apostate Jews. The Joshua Angel would&nbsp; have&nbsp; represented the faithful Jews eager to rebuild Jerusalem, whilst the satan Angel would represent the apostates whose very existence militated against God answering the prayers of the rest of Israel. Does the same principle apply to Israel after the spirit- that the apostasy and apathy of some hinders the answering of the common prayers of the others? And our common prayer is surely for the second coming and the greater restoration of the true temple.</p><h4>At the time of the restoration, the Jewish opposition to Yahweh’s prophets argued that Israel had been rejected by God and that there could be no High Priest any more. A convenient excuse to get on with building their own houses rather than God’s (<a href='B:440 1:3-4'>Hag 1:3-4</a>). It seems to me that it is the Jews who are the ’satan’ who is rebuked in the court scene of <a href='B:450 3:1-10'>Zec 3:1-10</a>. I have elsewhere traced the connections between the ’satan’ concept and apostate Jews (see"The Jewish Satan"in The Real Devil). This view was rebuked in the vision; but the point is that it was the Jews who were the satan / adversary to the prophets and the faithful minority. <a href='B:290 58:1-2'>Isa 58:1-2</a> is a criticism of Judah in exile and also of those who did return to the land- they sought God daily, and yet abused their brethren (<a href='B:290 58:6'>Isa 58:6</a>), just as recorded in <a href='B:160 5:15'>Neh 5:15</a>. If they had ceased from their sins,"Then shall your light break forth as the morning", if they had fed the hungry etc:, then would’ve been fulfilled the Messianic Kingdom prophecies of the light of Zion rising above the Gentiles etc. (<a href='B:290 58:10'>Isa 58:10</a>; <a href='B:290 58:12'>Isa 58:12</a> cp. <a href='B:290 60:1'>Isa 60:1</a>).</h4>


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<h4>Yahweh said to Satan, Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Yes, Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!- This passage is alluded to in <a href='B:720 1:9'>Jud 1:9</a>."Michael the Archangel"there is the"Angel of the Lord"or"Yahweh"here.</h4><p>The Angel-Lord (<a href='B:720 1:9'>Jud 1:9</a>)&nbsp; says&nbsp; that despite the sins of the bad figs in Israel and the opposition of the Samaritans, His choice of rebuilding Jerusalem will stand. <a href='B:720 1:8-10'>Jud 1:8-10</a> lends support to this line of interpretation. Jude says that Michael the Archangel did not"bring a railing accusation"against the satan Angel, nor did He"despise dominion"(another Angel-ruler) or"speak evil of glories"(AV:"dignities"; the same word is in <a href='B:720 1:24'>Jud 1:24</a>"the presence of His glory"- the Angels). This marked lack of aggression which Jude emphasizes shows that there was no conflict between the Angels, as may be wrongly inferred from the severity of the English word"rebuke". Our demeanour generally, especially with each other when it is necessary to have divergent opinions, or to correct others’ ways of executing God’s purpose as they see it, should be done in the same mutually loving spirit. Notice how <a href='B:720 1:8'>Jud 1:8</a> links the satan of Zechariah 3 with a"dominion"- a ruler or ’prince’. The satan Angel who resisted the Joshua Angel for 21 days&nbsp; is"the prince of Persia"in <a href='B:340 10:13'>Dan 10:13</a>."The Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?". Another allusion in Jude (v. 23) interprets this:"Others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh". The implication is that God through the Angel just about decided in favour of saving Jerusalem out of the ’fire’ of eternal punishment (cp. <a href='B:300 17:27'>Jer 17:27</a>) for her sins- He had"compassion, making a difference"(v. 22). The"garment spotted by the flesh"must connect with the"filthy garments"worn by Joshua as he came into the Angel’s presence.</p><h4>Isn’t this a burning stick plucked out of the fire?- Jude continues his allusion to the passage when he writes of"Pulling them [weak believers] out of the fire"of condemnation for sin (<a href='B:720 1:23'>Jud 1:23</a>). The idea is that Jerusalem had been saved from condemnation for the sake of God’s grace in hearing a faithful minority; a condemnation Jerusalem rightly deserved.</h4>


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<p>Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel- Joshua was without a mitre on his head (:5 implies). He was not qualified to be High Priest; and"filthy garments"Biblically speak of sin and lack of acceptance before God. Clearly :4 uses the symbol in this way. In His zeal to bring about the restoration of His Kingdom with a High Priest and Messianic King, i:e. Joshua and Zerubbabel (see on <a href='B:440 1:1'>Hag 1:1</a>), God wanted to demonstrate that He would make Joshua acceptable to Him; and the arguments against him by the adversaries, the ’satan’, whether they be Jewish or Gentile, would be overcome by His acceptance of Joshua. It would have jarred all religious sensibility to hear or read that a man in filthy garments could stand before God. But God permitted this, and changed Joshua. And in essence He is willing to do the same with sinners to this day.</p>


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<h4>He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying- These persons have not been mentioned specifically; but we are to understand that this is a vision of the throne room, the court of Heaven, and it is Angels who are addressed. Those who stood before Joshua are his"fellows"(:8); his priestly helpers were also represented by Angels in the court of Heaven; and the words of :8 are applied to the Lord Jesus in <a href='B:650 1:9'>Heb 1:9</a>, in demonstrating that He was greater than Angels, above His Heavenly"fellows".</h4><p>Take the filthy garments from him. To him he said, Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich clothing- See on <a href='B:490 19:24'>Luk 19:24</a>. Joshua was representative of the remnant; they too would be forgiven and cleansed by grace. The same Hebrew phrase is in <a href='B:400 7:14'>Mic 7:14</a>:"Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of His heritage?".</p><h4>Although all was done by God to make Joshua a legitimate High Priest, he disappears from the scene. He didn’t live up to his potential. The prophecy was reapplied to another Joshua-Jesus, the Son of God, Mary’s Son. The clothing of Him in glory is the theme of Revelation 4, 5, which describe the important part that the Angels had to play in welcoming Christ into Heaven on His ascension, and in giving Him then His full reward and glory. Verse 8 about Joshua is quoted about the Lord Jesus in <a href='B:650 1:9'>Heb 1:9</a>.</h4>


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<h4>I said, Let them set a clean turban on his head. So they set a clean turban on his head, and clothed him- Zechariah apparently interjects in the course of what was revealed to him, as the prophets often do. For they were not mere machines of transmission, they were themselves passionately involved. He was concerned that Joshua lacked even the high priestly mitre. It was as if this was no barrier for God to accept Joshua as high priest, because the new covenant package He was offering the exiles was not exactly the same as the Law of Moses. Thus the legislation of Ezekiel 40-48 differs in many points from the Mosaic ordinances, although similar to it in outline terms. But God as it were takes on board Zechariah’s cultural and legalistic concerns, and so the vision is added to. A clean mitre is placed on his head.</h4><h4>And the angel of Yahweh was standing by- Does this mean that the Angel commanded other Angels to arrange Joshua’s forgiveness and to end his being"polluted from the priesthood"(due to lack of proven ancestry and the high priestly garments, cp. <a href='B:150 2:62'>Ezr 2:62</a>; <a href='B:160 7:64'>Neh 7:64</a>)?</h4>


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<p>The angel of Yahweh protested to Joshua, saying- As noted on <a href='B:440 1:1'>Hag 1:1</a>, the whole prophecy of Haggai was an appeal to Joshua and Zerubbabel to live up to their potential as the priest and king of the re-established Kingdom of God in Israel.</p>


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<h4>Thus says Yahweh of Armies: ‘If you will walk in My ways, and if you will follow My instructions, then you also shall judge My house-"My house"refers to the Angel dwelling again in the temple. For it is the Angel speaking here. I submit that the prophecies could have had their fulfilment in Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel, or some other Messianic figure at that time. Everything was made possible to enable this- Joshua, who couldn’t prove his Levitical genealogy, was given “a place of access” amongst the priesthood, those who “stood” before the Lord (<a href='B:450 3:7'>Zec 3:7</a> RV). Ezra thanked God that they had returned and that they had “a nail in his holy place” (<a href='B:150 9:8'>Ezr 9:8</a>), a reference surely to a Messiah figure whom he felt to be among them, the “nail in a sure place” of <a href='B:290 22:23'>Isa 22:23</a>. According to <a href='B:470 1:12'>Mat 1:12</a> and <a href='B:490 3:27'>Luk 3:27</a>, Zerubbabel was the Prince of Judah, and the rightful heir to David’s throne. But due to his weakness, the fulfilment was deferred to Jesus.</h4><h4>And shall also keep My courts- The"courts"are so often mentioned in Ezekiel 40-48. But Joshua didn’t. He didn’t keep the courts, but allowed Tobiah the Ammonite to set up his office for subversion in the temple chambers. Likewise Zerubbabel was to hold a measuring line in his hand and rebuild the temple (<a href='B:450 4:10'>Zec 4:10</a>), just as the Angels had held the same measuring line over the temple in Ezekiel 40 and <a href='B:450 2:1'>Zec 2:1</a>.</h4><h4>And I will give you a place of access among these who stand by- The"places to walk"is the same word in <a href='B:330 42:4'>Eze 42:4</a> about the walkways in the prophesied temple. Those who stood by were the Angels (:5); the offer of places to walk among the Angels is the same idea as being"made equal unto the Angels"in <a href='B:490 20:35-36'>Luk 20:35-36</a>.</h4>


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<h4>Hear now, Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you; for they are men who are a sign- The priestly helpers of Joshua were represented or signified by Angels in the court of Heaven. These words are applied to the Lord Jesus in <a href='B:650 1:9'>Heb 1:9</a>, in demonstrating that He was greater than Angels, above His Heavenly"fellows". For Joshua didn’t live to his potential, or at best, Judah rejected him; and so the prophecy was to be fulfilled in another Joshua, the Lord Jesus.</h4><p>For, behold, I will bring forth My servant, the Branch- see on <a href='B:450 4:14'>Zec 4:14</a>. The reference is to Zerubbabel, ’branch of God’, who could have been the Messianic ruler at that time; see on <a href='B:440 2:23'>Hag 2:23</a>. According to Ezekiel, the prince-Messiah offers sacrifice for his own sin, and has children, to whom He will pass an inheritance. And he has to be warned not to oppress the people(<a href='B:330 46:18'>Eze 46:18</a>). It is a more comfortable interpretation, surely, to see him as primarily referring to Zerubbabel or Joshua the High Priest (<a href='B:330 44:3'>Eze 44:3</a>). But all this huge potential wasn’t realized. <a href='B:340 9:25'>Dan 9:25</a> appears to identify “the anointed one, a prince” with the restoration of Jerusalem after the return. The Masoretic punctuation of <a href='B:340 9:25'>Dan 9:25</a> actually suggests that ‘Messiah the prince’ appears after the first seven of the seventy weeks- perhaps there was the possibility 49 day-years after the command to rebuild Jerusalem for a Messiah to have appeared? This would’ve fitted Zerubbabel perfectly. <a href='B:490 3:27'>Luk 3:27</a> describes Zerubbabel as the head / chief / leader. The term ’Rhesa’ is incorrectly rendered in many versions as a name. Perhaps Luke’s point was that the Lord Jesus was the final Messiah, after the failure of so many potential ones beforehand. ‘Zerubbabel the chief’ would then be a similar rubric to “David the king” in Matthew’s genealogy (<a href='B:470 1:16'>Mat 1:16</a>). Zerubbabel was the ‘head’ of the house of David (<a href='B:150 4:3'>Ezr 4:3</a>; <a href='B:440 2:23'>Hag 2:23</a>; <a href='B:450 3:8'>Zec 3:8</a>; <a href='B:450 6:12-13'>Zec 6:12-13</a>), as was his descendant Hattush (<a href='B:150 8:1-3'>Ezr 8:1-3</a> cp. <a href='B:130 3:22'>1Ch 3:22</a>). As the grandson of Jehoiachin, Judah’s exiled king, Zerubbabel would’ve been the legitimate king of Judah. Potentially, <a href='B:350 1:11'>Hos 1:11</a> could have come true: “Judah and… Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head [Zerubbabel?]; and they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel” (RSV). And perhaps as head of the house of David, Zerubbabel was intended to be the “David my servant” who would be the one king and one shepherd who would lead Israel back to the land from exile (<a href='B:330 37:22'>Eze 37:22</a>; <a href='B:330 37:24'>Eze 37:24</a>). Significantly, <a href='B:160 7:7'>Neh 7:7</a> describes Zerubbabel as being at the head of twelve leaders of the returning exiles, who are called “the people of Israel” (cp. <a href='B:150 2:2'>Ezr 2:2</a>). See on <a href='B:450 6:12'>Zec 6:12</a>.</p><h4>And perhaps there were other possibilities apart from Zerubbabel. It could have been Eliashib- but despite his apparent enthusiasm, he didn’t even build the wall outside his own house (<a href='B:160 3:20-22'>Neh 3:20-22</a>), and arranged for his grandson to marry Sanballat’s daughter (<a href='B:160 12:10-11'>Neh 12:10-11</a>). Or it could be that"the Branch"here refers to Joshua himself. It is evident from <a href='B:330 44:3'>Eze 44:3</a>; <a href='B:330 46:3'>Eze 46:3</a> that the promised Messiah figure was to be both a king and a priest- which would fit Joshua. Here he is described as a crowned High Priest, called “the branch”, who would build the temple and reign as “a priest upon his throne”. But this didn’t happen. Because Zechariah concluded this prophecy with the comment: “And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord” (<a href='B:450 6:10-15'>Zec 6:10-15</a>). Joshua-Jesus didn’t live up to it. And Zerubbabel never ruled in Jerusalem- he returned to the soft life in Babylon after the temple was rebuilt. But the prophecies only suffered a deferral. They will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the branch</h4>


