SOLomon viewing the fleeting shadow of the things of time and sense cries: “Vanity of vanities.” All these are vanity and vexation of spirit, but it is not in vain to trust in the Lord: “For they that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever.” Such is the picture which our text presents to our view, the consideration of which we may notice under three principal heads:—
I. First then, the trying circumstances of the Prophet.
The Prophet Habakkuk, on this occasion, supposes himself to be deprived of all creature comforts. The figtree, the vine, the olive, the corn, the flock, the herd—all these were to be cut off (for we have reason to believe that it was more than a mere supposition—that it was a fact). A sudden calamity was to be befall the land of Judah and Israel—an uncommon famine was soon to set in upon the people—the inhabitants were soon to be reduced to utter destitution. The Chaldeans are the instrument to be employed to bring about the impending calamity. They are soon to invade the Jewish territories “in troops”—they are efficient under the control of God in His over-riding Providence to accomplish His will in subduing the people whom He had so long and so highly favoured, and in reducing them to utter deprivation.
What is the cause of this sudden calamity?
The Lord does not willingly grieve the children of men, nor does He grieve them without a cause. There is a cause. Sin is the cause. Sin is the cause of every calamity and suffering. Sin was the cause of the sufferings of angels, of men, and even the sinless Son of God. Angels were cast into endless torments because of sin—men became liable to all the miseries of this life and to the pains of hell for ever because of sin. The Old World was destroyed by flood because of sin. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone because of sin. The spotless Son of God suffered, and died on the cursed tree because of sin. The calamity in Habakkuk’s time was caused by the same great evil. Yes, Judah and Israel have forsaken God—the fountain of living waters—they joined themselves to idols—they worshipped the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. “Shall I not visit them for these things, saith the Lord?” He will assuredly visit them in His righteous displeasure; for they are very guilty in His sight. They practiced iniquity. They provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. He must show forth His displeasure against sin—punish the transgressors, and chasten His own children on account of their sins. The sin of Judah and Israel is then the cause of the coming devastation.
The Prophet anticipates sharing in the general deprivation.
God’s people are subject to trials, deprivations and providential adversities in common with the wicked. Yea, they are foretold that in the world they shall have tribulation. They are made to undergo sore and fiery trial and to experience severe adversities when the workers of iniquity are allowed to enjoy their ease and to prosper in the world. It is meet that they should be so dealt with by their all-wise Father in order that they should be the more weaned from the things of time and sense—to seek all their happiness in Himself. They knew such all-wise dealing was in order that they might be made more and more partakers of His holiness, and made meet for their glorious inheritance.
The Prophet is deeply impressed in his trying circumstances.
He trembled—his voice quivered—rotteness entered into his bones. He heard the voice of the Lord announcing coming judgment and trial, and he trembled. Ah, it were good if all the people of Judah and Israel trembled in like manner at the voice of the Lord. They had much cause to tremble at that voice; for it was against their sins the voice of the Lord was caused to be heard by the Prophet. The voice of the Lord crieth unto the city—the iniquitous city—but it is the wise man that heard it—wisely considers it, and is duly affected by it. God’s people hear the voice of the Lord denouncing sin, and threatening judgment, and they tremble while the wicked harden their heart at the message of the Lord, and persist in transgression. Providential adversities have a two-fold effect—the effect of softening or that of hardening the hearts of the children of men. When sanctified, men are duly and deeply affected by them, but otherwise they are hardened under them. This two-fold effect is accounted for by the fact that they have to do with two distinct parties—God’s people, and the wicked—the former are softened under them, while the latter are hardened—just as gold is melted by fire, but clay is hardened.
But here it may be asked why did the Prophet tremble?
Was it because he was soon to be deprived of his means of sustenance—of all his earthly comforts? This was a sad thing indeed. God’s people cannot live without the necessaries of life any more than others. They feel the want of these comforts in a measure, at least, like other men. But we presume to say that this deprivation was not the cause of the Prophet’s trembling. There was a greater cause. The principal cause of his earthly trembling was not his own earthly discomfort, or even that of the Jewish people whose temporal and spiritual good he had so much at heart, but the awful fact that God was provoked to anger—that the people whom God had chosen for Himself out of all nations rebelled against their God—refused to listen to His word, and to walk in the way of His commandments. For this great sin they were soon to be delivered into the hands of their enemies. The Lord’s cause was near and dear to the Prophet. Seeing that cause apparently put down by the enemies of the Lord and of His people, how could he but tremble? This was what made the man of God—Eli—tremble, and die, and this was what made the Prophet tremble on this occasion. Also he stood in holy awe at the great majesty of God. God is terrible in judgment. Who can stand before Him when He riseth up to judgment? Oh! it is better to tremble at His great majesty now than to tremble at His awful presence when He cometh forth to shake terribly the earth. Then, earth, sea, and the heavens shall shake, and flee before His awful presence. Ye that are at ease in Zion, tremble now in mercy at the voice of the Lord, lest ye tremble hopelessly then in judgment!
The threatened calamity prompted the Prophet to earnest and importunate prayer.
He was a man of prayer—eminently so. Prayer was his life—he communed with God at the throne of grace, and God also communed with him there. He wrestled with God in prayer—he poured out his heart before Him. He acknowledged his own, and his people’s guiltiness and sin; he owned that they justly deserved to be dealt with in wrath. He pleaded God’s favour for himself, and on behalf of the guilty people. His only plea was God’s mercy: “In wrath, remember mercy.” He continued in prayer till God bowed down His gracious ear, and till He spoke peace and comfort to His trembling soul. This leads us to consider—
II. The Prophet’s comfort.
Adversity led the Prophet to prayer, and prayer led him to comfort. How many have been relieved of their heavy burden, and delivered from their distresses, and comforted in soul at the throne of grace! “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God.” “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the Lord of my salvation.” Here we remark—(1) The holy resignation of the Prophet to God’s will. We are not informed that the threatened judgment had been averted; on the contrary, we infer from the language of the Prophet that it was to be put into force. Though stripped of all earthly comfort the Prophet says: “I will rejoice.” What resignation! Yet such a resignation is essential to true comfort. The reverse state of mind deprives us of such comfort when we enjoy it, and incapacitates us to receive comfort when we need it. How many, then, are under providential afflictions, because of loss of property, and other adversities, distracted in their minds, and disquieted in their hearts for want of holy resignation to God’s will! The Prophet was resigned to God’s will in his calamitous circumstances, and therefore his soul was prepared to receive comfort, and in a suitable frame to rejoice. Temporal adversities are hard for flesh and blood to bear. It is not an easy matter to be resigned to God’s will when all visible things seem to be against us. Grace, and only grace, can make us resigned then. The grace that enabled the Prophet in the midst of adversity so say: “I will rejoice in the Lord”—the grace that enabled holy Job, in similar circumstances, to say: “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” These men were resigned to the will of the Lord. Oh, let us seek grace to imitate them! But our highest and noblest example in this respect is Christ. “Not my will, but thine, be done,” was the noble expression of His resigned soul in “the hour of darkness”—in the hour in which all creation refused to comfort Him—in the hour of His great sufferings. (2) We notice the Prophet’s faith. Could he rejoice in the Lord without faith? Impossible—none can. The Prophet had faith—not only faith in being, but faith in exercise. God’s people, though possessed of faith, cannot always rejoice. When faith is not in exercise they look more to themselves, to their dangers, to their difficulties, than to God. They take a gloomy view of their covenant God—of His all wise providence, and of His mysterious dealings with them—they cannot rejoice. Thus was it with Jacob when he said in his haste, and in his unwarrantable pre-judgment: “All these things are against me,” and thus also was it with Peter walking on the Sea towards his Saviour. Whenever he took his eye off Christ through unbelief, and fixed it upon the waves under his feet he immediately began to sink. Jacob could not rejoice, Peter could not rejoice when their faith was not in exercise. None of God’s people can rejoice when their faith is not in exercise. The Prophet’s faith was in living exercise. The Holy Spirit of God breathed upon his trembling soul at the throne of grace. He recovered strength—he was now strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Faith enabled the Prophet to look, not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, and to rise above the things of this world towards the Lord as his sure portion. He rejoiced in the Lord by faith. (3) We notice the Prophet’s love to God. Without love he could not rejoice in the Lord any more than without faith. Abraham was willing to part with his son—his only son—willing to sacrifice him because he loved the Lord. Paul suffered the loss of all things, for his love to the Lord, and the Prophet on this occasion manifests that the object of his love is not the world, but God. “If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him.” Those whose hearts are in the world cannot rejoice when the world—the object of their love—fails them, but God’s people can, and will rejoice in the Lord then; for they love the Lord—He is their chief joy. Oh, let us test ourselves by this! Is the Lord the chief object of our love? Could we suffer the loss of all things because we love Him? Can we say with the Psalmist: “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.” (4) The Prophet’s hope is no less remarkable. He rejoices in hope—in hope of the glory of God. God must be glorified in all His creatures—in all His works—in all the vissitudes, and events of His providence. He will be glorified in the destruction of the wicked as well as in the salvation of His people. The overhanging cloud threatening Judah and Israel is dark, but it is not all dark. There is a bright as well as a dark side. The holy Prophet views the dark side, and he trembles, but viewing the bright side he rejoices. The present dispensation is apparently gloomy and discouraging, but the Prophet looks through it with the eye-glass of “the hope of glory,” and sees that it will end in a glorious issue. God will be glorified thereby. Knowing, believing, and hoping this the Prophet rejoices—he rejoices in hope of the glory of God.
(To be continued.)