Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Habakkuk 2:20

But the LORD [is] in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

20. The verse expresses the contrast between the idols and Jehovah. Isaiah 46.

holy temple ] i.e. the heavenly temple as in Psa 11:4. And “he who sitteth in heaven” is living and all powerful, watchful of the affairs of men (Psa 11:4), into which He may throw Himself at any moment (Psa 2:12).

Let all the earth keep silence ] The expression occurs again Zep 1:7; Zec 2:13. In the former passage reference is to the manifestation of Jehovah in “the day of the Lord,” the final judgment upon the earth, and in the other a similar idea appears to be expressed. The sense of the present passage is probably the same: the silence is that of expectancy and dread before the Revelation of the Lord.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

And now having declared the nothingness of all which is not God, the power of man or his gods, he answers again his own question, by summoning all before the presence of the majesty of God.

But the Lord – He had, in condemning them, pictured the tumult of the world, the oppressions, the violence, bloodsheddings, covetousness, insolence, self-aggrandizement of the then world-empire, and had denounced woe upon it; we see man framing his idols, praying to the lifeless stones; and God, of whom none thought, where was He? These were peoples ways. But the Lord, he joins it on, as the complement and corrective of all this confusion.

The Lord is in His holy temple – awaiting, in His long-suffering, to judge. The temple of God is where God enshrines Himself, or allows Himself to be seen and adored. God is wholly everywhere, the whole of Him no where. There is no contrast between His temple on earth, and His temple in heaven. He is not more locally present in heaven than in earth. It were as anthropomorphic but less pious to think of God, as confined, localized, in heaven as on earth; because it would be simply removing God away from man. Solomon knew, when he built the temple, that the heaven and heaven of heavens could not contain 1Ki 8:27 God. The holy temple, which could be destroyed Psa 79:1, toward which people were to pray Psa 5:7; Psa 138:2; Jon 2:4, was the visible temple 1Ki 8:29-30, 1Ki 8:35, 1Ki 8:38, 1Ki 8:42, 1Ki 8:44, 1Ki 8:48, where were the symbols of Gods Presence, and of the stoning Sacrifice; but lest His presence should be localized, Solomons repeated prayer is 1Ki 8:30, 1Ki 8:39, 1Ki 8:43, 1Ki 8:49, hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place 1Ki 8:32, 1Ki 8:34, 1Ki 8:36, 1Ki 8:45; hear Thou in heaven. There is then no difference, as though in earlier books the holy temple meant that at Jerusalem, in the later, the heavens? In the confession at the offering of the third years tithes, the prayer is, Deu 27:15, look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven; and David says, the Lord is in His holy temple, the Lords throne is in heaven Psa 11:4; and, Psa 18:6, Psa 18:9 : He heard my voice out of His temple – He bowed the heavens also and came down; and, Psa 29:9, In His temple doth everyone say, Glory. The simple words are identical though not in the same order as those, in which David, in the same contrast with the oppression of man, ushers in the judgment and final retribution to good and bad, by declaring the unseen presence of God upon His Throne in heaven, beholding and testing the sons of men.

In His Presence, all the mysteries of our being are solved.

The Lord is in His holy Temple – not, as the idols in temples made with hands, but revealing Himself in the visible temple (Jerome), dwelling in the Son, by Nature and Union, as He saith Joh 14:10, The Father who dwelleth in Me doeth the works; in each one of the bodies and souls of the saints by His Spirit 1Co 6:19, in the Blessed, in glory; in the Heavens, by the more evident appearance of His Majesty and the workings of His Power ; everywhere by Essence, Presence, and Power, for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; nowhere as confined or inclosed. Since then God is in Heaven, beholding the deeds of people, Himself Unchangeable, Almighty, All-holy, let all the earth keep silence before Him, literally, hush before Him all the earth, waiting from Him in hushed stillness the issue of this tangled state of being. And to the hashed soul, hushed to itself and its own thought, hushed in awe of His Majesty and His Presence, before His face, God speaks .

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Hab 2:20

But the Lord is in His holy temple.

The Lord in His holy temple

What comparison can be formed between an idol which is nothing, and the great God who made heaven and earth? What stronger proof can be given that man is far gone from original righteousness, and inclined to evil continually, than this,–he has chosen idols, and bowed the knee before them, in preference to that Being who is, and was, and is to come? Notwithstanding, however, the indifference and rebellion of His creatures, their neglect and contempt of His word, The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord, that is Jehovah, is self-existent. He is indebted to no other for His being, for He has life in Himself. He is accountable to no one. He is indebted to no one. In this vast temple of creation He dwells. Though God is everywhere present, He is present in some places in a more peculiar sense. The Lords throne is in heaven. In order that we may be worshippers in that temple which is above, it behoves us to be constant in our worship in the Lords temple here below. In a peculiar sense also the house of prayer is His temple. The Jewish temple was. Keeping silence indicates a sense of weakness and unworthiness, reverence and devout attention. It points also to the glory, majesty, and power of the Lord God omnipotent. God, indeed, permits us to speak to Him, whether with the voice of confession, of prayer, or of thanksgiving. Notwithstanding our own unworthiness, God does not reject our sacrifices. Keeping silence is indicative of fear. There is a fear of God without which there can be no religion; a fear which is the beginning of wisdom, and which is productive of much spiritual fruit. There is a fear of God which has respect chiefly to His power, greatness, or majesty. Such a fear is reasonable. But the fear is tempered with love, and thus it grows into reverence. It is the feeling entertained toward those who are our seniors in age or station, piety or virtue. This reverence of God is the perfection towards which we tend. Keeping silence before God betokens attention. It implies not merely the dread of Gods power and majesty, but attention to His words. God speaks to man in nature and in providence. But especially by His Word. He, in a sense, speaks to man by His ministers and through His sacraments. Let me urge upon you the solemn truth that the Lord is in His holy temple, and press upon you the sacred duty of drawing nigh unto Him constantly, and with reverence. If on His throne in the heavens He waiteth to be gracious, here in His temple He ordinarily dispenses His benefits. Let me impress upon you the importance of joining not only heartily, but with your voice also, in those parts of our service which are proper to a congregation. God waiteth to be gracious to us, and ought we not gladly to avail ourselves of every opportunity of hearing His voice and receiving His mercy (H. J. Hastings, M. A.)

God in His temple

I. Who it is to whom all eyes are to be directed. The Lord Jehovah. He is the God who seeth. Thou, God, seest me. The Lord our Righteousness. The Lord my Banner. The Lord my Shield.

II. What is included in his presence. God loves the tents of Jacob, He loves the dwellings of Israel, but He loves His own house above them all, as the place where He makes His honour to be known. Inferences–

1. See why it is that some of you have been attending Gods house for years and are none the better for it.

2. Though a minister may leave his people, he does not take God away from his flock. (Thomas Mortimer, B. D.)

The presence of God in His temple

This forms–

I. The grand element of its consecration. Consecration implies–

1. That there are subordinate elements in the dedication, or the setting apart of it as the house of God. A Church is sanctified by the Word of God, prayer, and praise, independent of all other ceremonies.

2. During the dedication we are to look and wait for demonstrations of the Divine presence therein. The cloud, at the consecration of Solomons temple, filled the house of the Lord. This was a visible and special token of the Divine Presence suited to the auspicious event. There were five permanent symbols of Gods presence in the temple.

(1) The Shekinah.

(2) The Ark and Mercy-seat.

(3) The Urim and Thummim.

(4) Fire from heaven.

(5) The spirit of prophecy.

These were shadows of good things to come in the spiritual temple.

3. Consecration of a church to the service of God should be accompanied with firm resolution and vigilant watchfulness, lest any exercises of common or unclean character be tolerated therein.

II. The presence of God in his temple demands the spirit of adoration, A spirit manifesting itself in reverence and godly fear. Our sole object in coming into the temple should be to worship God. When we attend to our duty in the house of the Lord we may reasonably expect the blessing of God to rest upon us.

III. The presence of the Lord in His temple justifies and encourages the exercise of expectation. Sinners may expect the blessing of regeneration and conversion. Warrants of expectation are Gods express promise, the atonement, and recorded instances of Gods gracious dealings.

IV. By the presence of God in His temple we have sweet and holy communion with Him. This is the highest honour that can be conferred upon sinful men; it is an indispensable qualification for the enjoyment of His presence in heaven. (William Roberts, D. D.)

Gods house

The conception is partly Christian and partly pagan, partly true and partly false. We find it in the religions of ancient Greece and Rome. For every god there must be a temple or shrine, where that god would be sure to hear the prayers of his suppliants. Even in the purer worship of Israel the same idea prevails, God making His dwelling in the tabernacle, and especially in the awful holy of holies. To the unspiritual the thought would be narrow and misleading. It behoves us to take heed lest the very aids to worship should shut in our thought of God, and make it small and mean. The common idea that God is to be found especially in some building sacred to Him is right, after all. No idea can be universal in which there is not something good. While God is alike everywhere, practically to us He is most present where the soul can most feel Him. We know the power of association. True, God can be found everywhere; and worshipped anywhere. The place, the forms, the times of worship are things of comparatively small importance. Vain are all efforts, and vain all gifts, if we depend upon a place to draw near to God. The temple is holy, not because it has been made so by the skill of man, but because the Lord is in it. No less holy should be the home of every Christian. But Paul teaches that God is especially to be found in man in man we find in Christ. The real temple, where God most certainly dwells, is man himself. Only as we reverence man, then, can we worship God. Because of the life and work and death of the Son of Man, who was also Son of God, every man is to know himself a son of God. Does not this make all life sacred? What principles ought to guide us in worship?

1. That all men are brothers.

2. That we come hither seekers for truth. We are to ask, not what do others believe, what is it politic to believe, what did former generations believe,–but what is truth? What is Gods revelation of Himself to-day? (Walcott Fay.)

The presence of God in the Churches of His saints

The universe is the temple of Jehovah. The idea of the omnipresence of God is calculated to have a commanding influence over the mind, and consequently over the conduct. The feelings produced in a mind rightly affected by it are altogether of a religious nature. In no situation is the influence of this doctrine more felt than when the true Christian is engaged in the more immediate performance of religious duty. Wherever we are, the Lord is there. The text makes known the presence of the Lord in the place appointed for His worship. His presence has been peculiarly with the Church in all ages. The presence of God in His holy temple is felt by all true worshippers as the life of all the services which are performed. It is to be feared, however, that with all that is outwardly becoming, in many there is a total want of all that is inwardly required of those who would worship God. Bodily exercise profiteth little.

1. The Lord is in His holy temple, to receive the adoration of His people and hear their prayers. To worship God is the duty of every rational being.

2. The Lord is in His holy temple, that He may manifest Himself to His worshipping people in the way of gracious communication. In the performance of duty there is always a feeling in itself agreeable.

3. The Lord is in His holy temple, for the purpose of bringing back wandering sinners to Himself. This was the great purpose for which Jesus came from heaven to earth. Seeing that the Lord is in His holy temple, how unbecoming must everything like levity be in His presence! How utterly vain must hypocrisy be in the service of God! Let believers study to improve the privileges of the temple below, that by means of them they may be fitted for the more exalted service of the temple above. (Archibald Jack.)

The spiritual temple

Heaven is not merely the seat of royal power and grandeur; it is a temple, and as such is the seat of exalted and sacred worship, The Redeemer appears there ministering in His official character. His life there, no less than His death on earth, is necessary to our salvation. By the temple here is meant the Church of the living God. There are particular churches, there is the one Church universal. All who rest by faith on the atonement offered on the Hill of Calvary, and who exhibit by their holy life and conversation their attachment to the Saviour, are members of this Church. Take a survey of this spiritual temple.

I. Its foundation. It is built upon the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

II. Its materials. Countless myriads of saints. There is a beautiful variety, though at the same time a substantial sameness, in the precious stones of this grand superstructure.

III. Its sympathy. The unity of the Church of Christ, when her members are knit together in love, perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment, and keeping the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. What are the heavenly graces of the Spirit of Christ but the exercises of the mind in a state of moral order?

IV. Its design. A habitation of God through the Spirit.

V. Its purity. The spiritual temple, the members of the invisible body of Christ are sanctified worshippers, reflecting in the transforming light of the Holy Spirit, the glory and power of the Divine perfections. (J. C. Edwards, M. A.)

The Lord in His temple

I. A reason for consecrating. Where God is should be holy. God gave symbols of His presence–the Shekinah, Mercy Seat, etc., which were shadows of that which was to come. Consecration is the devoting anything entirely to the service of God, and demands–

1. Purity. There should be nothing unholy.

2. Sacredness. There should be nothing secular.

3. Perfectness. Nothing common so far as it is in the sphere of our power to exclude it.

II. A reason for adoration.

1. The object of going to gods house is to honour him. Hence we should

(1) Watch our motives;

(2) Watch our conduct;

(3) Watch our thoughts.

2. To worship Him.

3. To carry out our profession in the sight of the world, and let others take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus.

III. A reason for expectation. God is there–

1. To hear His people.

2. To bless His people.

3. To sanctify His people. The Bible is full of promises of this great truth and its reality.

IV. A reason for satisfaction How high an honour to meet with God! It is a preparation and a prelude to heaven. (Homilist.)

God in His temple

This sublime declaration and solemn precept of the prophet, may be considered as relative to the proper worship of God both in public and private. Indeed, these two kinds of worship are necessarily connected, one being always preparatory to the other. The knowledge of Cod must be first obtained, before we can have any idea of the worship that will be acceptable to Him. But how is this knowledge of God to be obtained? In vain do we seek for God in arguments and reasonings; the knowledge of His existence and attributes, collected from the works of nature, may satisfy our understandings, but cannot comfort our hearts. His own blessed revelation, without which we could never have known where to look for Him, directs us to our own hearts. There is His holy temple, in which He is to be spiritually worshipped–we must find, we must feel His presence there–till we do so, we cannot be said to have any true knowledge of Him. Every good and virtuous thought; every sensibility of meekness, humility, patience, resignation, and love; every little rising of conscience against the suggestions of vice; every little check or reproach thou feelest for an unworthy thought, or a shameful action,–all bespeak a present Deity, a God and Saviour, seeking to make Himself known to thee in His holy temple. It is true, the first appearances of the Divinity to the fallen spirit of man, are faint and shadowy, like the first feeble ray of morn that shoots athwart the gloom of night. But do thou observe the precept of the prophet in the text. Wait and watch in awful stillness; impose silence on the clamorous calls of every earthborn passion and appetite; stand in meek ness and humility, with thine inward eye turned towards these first emanations of Divine light, and thou shalt soon perceive the day dawn, and the day-star arise upon thy soul. By this awful silence, and waiting upon the Lord in His temple, we place ourselves, as it were, upon hallowed ground; and if I may borrow an image from ancient superstition, a magic circle of heavenly light and lustre is drawn round us,–nor will the dark malicious enchanter, who only rules in earth and hell, dare to approach its radiant limits. What does this awful silence mean when applied to public worship? Were we all pure spirit, unembarrassed with these gross vehicles of clay, there is no doubt but we might, even publicly, join in silent worship, and catch the fervours of devotion from each other, without the intervention of speech or corporeal sound. There is a communion which language cannot express, a worship that wants not the aid of words, nor is it to be defined by a harmony of sounds, in which we approach the sacred Author of unutterable love. There are times when the sanctified soul is constrained, as it were, to offer up the silent sacrifice of the spirit, and when the sacrifice of words must fail. When applied to public worship, the silence here enjoined means that reverential awe and profound submission, which, though due at all times and in all places, from the creature to his adorable Creator, seems to be more immediately so, when we assemble together in places dedi cated to His worship, which, according to His own declaration, He favours with His more immediate presence, and where His honour more particularly dwells. (Jacob Duche, M. A.)

God present in His holy temple

I. What the prophet here intimates. There are several senses in which we may understand this expression of the prophet, and all equally in accordance with the Word of God.

1. God dwelling in the temple of the universe–inhabiting all space: omnipresent.

2. In the person of Jesus Christ, in whom dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

3. In the congregation of His saints, wherever they meet together; but more especially in those buildings set apart for His public worship.

4. Every true believer is himself a temple of the living God; a holy temple, filled with all the fulness of God.

II. Practical lesson. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. It behoves us at all times to cherish such feelings of reverence and submission as become the sinner in the sight of his God, and worms of the dust before the Creator of heaven and earth. In all circumstances of life a ready acquiescence and unmurmuring spirit should mark the Christians conduct. Attend especially to the disposition of heart and mind in which God should be approached in His holy ordinances. Here the King of kings invites rebellious subjects to meet Him; here He is present and ready to receive the humble suppliant, and to offer him a full and free pardon, and an incorruptible and heavenly inheritance, secured through the merits of His beloved Son. (J. L. F. Russell, M. A.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Hab 2:20

Let all the earth keep silence before Him.

Keeping silence

Habakkuk commends the power of God, that the Israelites might proceed with alacrity in their religious course, knowing it to be a sufficient security to be under the protection of the only true God, and that they might not seek after the superstitions of the nations, nor be carried here and there, as it often happens, by vain desires. Keep silence, then, he says, let all the earth. He shows that though the Israelites might be far inferior to the Babylonians, and other nations, and be far unequal to them in strength, military art, forces, and in short, in all things of this kind, yet they would always be safe under the guardianship of God; for the Lord was able to control whatever power there might be in the world. We now see what the prophet had in view; for he does not here simply exhort all people to worship God, but shows that, though men may grow mad against Him, He yet can easily by His hand subjugate them; for after all the tumults made by kings and their people, the Lord can, by one breath of His mouth, dissipate all their attempts, however furious they may be. This, then, is the silence of which the prophet now speaks. But there is another kind of silence, and that is, when we willingly submit to God; for silence in this respect is nothing else but submission: and we submit to God, when we bring not our own inventions and imaginations, but suffer ourselves to be taught by His Word. We also submit to Him, when we murmur not against His power or His judgments, when we humble ourselves under His powerful hand, and do not fiercely resist Him, as those do who indulge their own lusts. This is indeed a voluntary submission: but the prophet here shows that there is power in God to lay prostrate the whole world, and to tread it under His feet, whenever it may please Him; so that the faithful have nothing to fear, for they know that their salvation is secured; for though the whole world were leagued against them, it yet cannot resist God. (John Calvin.)

The teaching of silence

There is an eloquence that lives not in words. There is an appeal to the heart, ay, and to the reason too, in the language of silence. The child that wakes in the night and listens for a sound and hears none, realises loneliness, and vastness, and the sense of mystery, and cries out for fear. There is a voice in the silence of old associations, as we stand amid the relies of the past. There is a silence too amongst men that speaks most unmistakably,–the silence of deep feeling, whether of sorrow, or rage, or attention, or determination, when men have ceased to talk, because they feel words are out of place, and the time for work has come. The silence spoken of in the text is a silence created by a sense of the present majesty of God.

I. The presence of God. He has Himself declared His omnipresence. He condescended to dwell in the tabernacle and the temple. In the newer dispensation there were manifest declarations that God is among His worshippers of a truth. It is no relic of a bygone superstition to assert that God is in the midst of us. At the present day, with altered circumstances externally, are we to suppose the reality is changed? Because the temple gave way to the riverside or the catacombs, and they in turn to the Basilica and the Church, are we to think that God has failed His people or broken His covenant? Are we to imagine that God does not now draw near to hear the prayer addressed to Him, or that, while He is present everywhere else, He excludes Himself from those sanctuaries where His people specially desire His presence? We are here for a festival of parochial choirs. But in whose honour is that festival? Our own or Gods?

II. The work of music. Regard it as an influence. Which of us is altogether insensible to it? And as a means of expression. The influence of music must lead on to something further. If we feel it in any degree, we are bound to make it our own, and employ it till we realise something of the worth of music as a means of expression. When Mendelssohn, as a boy, had seen anything very beautiful, if he was asked to describe it, he would say, Oh, I cant speak it, I will play it to you, and would then sit down and draw out of the instrument tones that expressed the deep impression which the beautiful had made on him. We are not all so. Still we all have some such power in some degree.

III. What has this to do with silence? A great deal. For all great works great preparation is needed. For the true preparation of the music of the sanctuary, silence is necessary. The music we have been speaking of is the music of worship, and the music of hearts. Silence is the attitude of listening and attention. What is necessary in Gods house is silent reverence. And it is the condition of real work,–of most work with the hand, of all real work with the head. The silence of preparation is like a dam across a stream. In the silence of thought, in the silence of humility, in the silence of reverence, in the silence of deep feelings, in the silence of earnest determination, we prepare an offering of prayer and praise, which wells forth, not from the noisy utterance of our lips, without influence and without expression, but a strong deep flood from the heart itself, which flows, and will flow on and on for ever, which has God for its object, our own deepest interest for its subject, our whole life for its channel, and eternity for its end. (G. C. Harris.)

Sentiments for a great crisis

This prophetic book was written in troublous times.

I. The attitude of God towards the earth in the great crisis of its history. Some think by Jehovahs temple the prophet means the Church; others the universe; others heaven; others the temple at Jerusalem. We understand our text to speak of heaven as the temple of the Lord.

1. The fact that the Lord is in His temple speaks to us of the hiding of His purposes. To us, in this lower world, Gods face is often veiled. Our vision is not keen enough to pierce the mysteries of that temple into which He withdraws Himself.

2. Indicates the interest which He takes in human affairs. Though the Lord is hidden, He is not unobservant. It is our consolation to know that our Heavenly Father, though unseen, is all-seeing and all-pervading. And if God care for the most insignificant individual, must He not care much more when the fate of nations hangs in the balance

3. Intimates His infinite repose in spite of all external changes. No disquiet can be felt by the Almighty.

4. He is ready to interfere effectively at the proper moment. As a rule, He conceals His designs, until the time comes for action.

II. The fitting attitude of man towards God in eventful times. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. There should be–

1. The silence of humiliation.

2. The silence of adoration.

3. The silence of submission.

4. The silence of expectation.

5. The silence of quiet resolution–the resolution to follow implicitly the guidance of providence, and, at whatever cost, to do our duty to our country, the world, and to God.

The expressiveness of devout silence

Addison professes to have been wonderfully delighted with a masterpiece of music, when in the very tumult and ferment of their harmony all the voices and instruments have stopped short on a sudden, and after a little pause recovered themselves again as it were, and renewed the concert in all its parts. Methought this short interval of silence has had more music in it than any one same space of time before or after it. And he goes on to cite from Homer and from Virgil two instances of silence, which have something in them as sublime as any of the speeches in their whole works. (Francis Jacox.)

Silence

What is silence? You often use the word, but are you sure that you always use it correctly? or that you are able to discriminate between the literal and the metaphorical use of the word? Strictly speaking silence is the suspension of articulate speech, though by a metaphor we transfer the term to a cessation of any sound whatever. Thus, we read of the hushed silence which, in tropical countries, precedes the shock of the earthquake; and we have all been awed by the silence which fills up the intervals between the peals in the thunderstorm. But in these instances the word silence, which strictly means the pause of articulate speech, is not used in its primary and literal sense, but figuratively or metaphorically. The Psalmist calls the human voice mans glory; and so it is, as sharing with the possession of reason the glory of distinguishing between man himself and the coasts that perish. And our Lord warns us against the vain and idle use of this great gift, by the solemn declaration that by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned; and again, that for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. But if the faculty of speech be thus wonderful and sacred, and if a responsibility thus strict and awful attach to its right employment, must not something of the like sacredness, something of the like responsibility, belong also to that correlative power–the power of silence?

I. The silence of worship, of awe and reverence. The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him. When we come up to the house of prayer, to meet Christ upon the mercy-seat,–to hear His voice speaking to us in the read and spoken word,–to receive Him into our very souls in the Sacrament of His broken body and shed blood, we are bound to observe the silence of awe and reverence. Except when we open our lips to join in prayer or praise to God, our attitude within these hallowed walls should be that of silence, of those who are impressed with the sanctity of the place, and who know and feel that the Almighty God is indeed in their midst. Yes; and it would be well, could we put more of this holy silence into all our religious acts. Our religion shares too much in the faults of the age in which we live. It is too public, too outspoken, conducted too much as a business; and so the inner and contemplative element is too much lost sight of. Commune with thine own heart, and in thy chamber, and be still; this is the direction of the Psalmist, and it is a direction to which we shall do well to give heed in this busy, noisy, bustling generation. Do not suppose that it is only the clergy, or persons of retired life, or those who have given themselves up to the attainment of a higher sanctity, who must court the silence of prayer and meditation. It is even yet more necessary for you whose lives are spent amid the busy competition of trade, or professional enterprise, or manual labour,–whose thoughts from early morning till late night are almost uninterruptedly engrossed with the cares and riches and business of this life,–it is absolutely necessary for you if, while living in the world, you would live with God and for God, that you make a point each day of withdrawing yourselves, if it be but for a quarter of an hour, from the outer world, and retiring into yourselves, to meditate on your own spiritual state, and on Gods great love and goodness towards you. Devotion is possible even in the busiest life. Never plead worldly business as an excuse for irreligion, or for deficient fervour in religion. On the contrary, worldly business will be a great help to your religion if only you recollect that, in order to make it such, you must ever cultivate–educate that inner life of the soul which naturally aspires after God. And how will you cultivate and educate it? You can only do it by diligent seeking, and faithful use each day of a period of silence,–silence for prayer, for penitence, for communion with the Unseen and the Eternal.

II. The silence of preparation. Every great achievement, whether in the moral or the intellectual world, has been in a sense like Solomons temple,–it has risen noiselessly, silently, without sound of axe or hammer. Therefore is that great primary act in religion–the conviction of sin–invariably preceded by deep and solemn silence, while the sinner stands before God self-accused and self-condemned. Therefore, also, is silence ever present at all the more solemn passages of our life. Sorrow–real, genuine sorrow–is ever silent. A cry!–a tear!–what relief would these be,–but they must not intrude into the sacred ground of sorrow,–the sorrow of the just-bereaved widow or orphan. And so, too, sympathy with sorrow is ever silent. Idle words, or still idler tears,–these are for false comforters, like those that troubled the patriarch Job: the true sympathy is the sympathy of a look,–of the presence of silence, not of uttered consolation.

III. But I must name that last silence,–a silence that we must all experience, and for which, by silence, we must prepare now–the silence of death. What exactly the silence of death is, none but the dying can know. When that silence comes upon us, and come upon us it must, with a certainty to which no other future certainty bears the slightest resemblance, may it find us experienced in silence. May we have sought it, may we have profited by it, may we have practised it, while it was still ours to choose or to refuse. May we have known what it was, day by day, to be many times alone with that God who must then be alone with us, to judge or else to save. (C. H. Collier, M. A.)

The religion of silence

We all speak too much, and make too much noise. Every one has felt irritated sometimes, when in thoughtful mood he could not escape from peoples voices. A panorama of the Alps from a Swiss mountain-top may be spoiled even by the cries of Wunder-schon! No one can worship rightly, no one can even hear the call to worship, who does not often feel that he must be silent. This is the religious aspect of the modern demand for more leisure time. And one of the things we most of all need to learn and teach, is how to use the leisure that we are demanding, so that our silences may be blessed with sweet thoughts. For worship, there are three main uses of silence–

1. To get rid of evil voices that speak within us. Passion, selfishness, self-assertion, lust, fear, are voices that cry within the souls of most men more than they know. Their cries mingle with the other noises of life, and so escape notice. But when the soul is hushed for worship it can distinguish any such voice, will feel its wrongness, and be at pains to silence it. There are many thoughts we dare not allow when we realise ourselves in Gods holy temple. The silence which discovers and banishes these is a means of moral victory.

2. To let the still small voices be heard within. Often busy people feel that there are many things in their mind and heart which they can only half express, even to themselves. Wordsworth describes these in his Ode on Immortality. The reason why these are so inexpressible is often our want of silence rather than our spiritual incapacity. There are some scientific instruments so fine that to do their work they must be set at night in a quiet country-house far from traffic. The mind and heart and conscience are such instruments. All that is best in us of thought and feeling exceeds speech. When we try to speak out all that we want to say, we know how true it is that language is a means of concealing thought. But in reverent silence, thought and love and the sense of right and wrong, in finer shades than language can match, may be drawn out, and the soul attain a richer and fuller being in this temple of God than elsewhere.

3. To know God. For there is more to be had than the quickening of human nature to its fullest life. There is a Presence in the world; one whose thought we share, whose love we feel, and whose voice speaks in conscience. That which the finest spirits prize most in silence and loneliness is the real companionship they reveal. We Know ourselves alone, yet not alone, for the Father is with us. The holy temple is the place of revelation and communion for its silent worshippers. (John Kelman, M. A.)

.

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 20. The Lord is in his holy temple] Jehovah has his temple, the place where he is to be worshipped; but there there is no image. Oracles, however, are given forth; and every word of them is truth, and is fulfilled in its season. And this temple and its worship are holy; no abomination can be practiced there, and every thing in it leads to holiness of heart and life.

Let all the earth keep silence before him.] Let all be dumb. Let none of them dare to open their mouths in the presence of Jehovah. He alone is Sovereign. He alone is the arbiter of life and death. Let all hear his commands with the deepest respect, obey them with the promptest diligence, and worship him with the most profound reverence. When an Asiatic sovereign goes to the mosque on any of the eastern festivals, such as the Bairham, the deepest silence reigns among all his retinue, viziers, foreign ambassadors, c. They all bow respectfully before him but no word is spoken, no sound uttered. It is to this species of reverence that the prophet alludes, and with this he concludes the prophetic part of this book. What God has threatened or promised, that he will fulfil. Let every soul bow before him, and submit to his authority.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

But the Lord: what idols are. he had already showed, a doctrine of lies, impotent and lifeless statues; but the God of Israel is not like them. He is Jehovah, fountain of being, life, power, and salvation to his people; he can do all he will for or against a people.

Is in his holy temple, or palace of his holiness: he is in his temple and in heaven, every where at all times; though his people be in Babylon, yet he is where he doth hear, see, and discern their state, and whence he promised to relieve and help them.

Let all the earth; both Chaldea the oppressive, and Judea the oppressed, and Medes and Persians and all their confederates, let all these nations

keep silence before him; fear, submit, pray, wait for, and depend on him: let his enemies be silent, fear, make their peace, and prevent his displeasure; let his people be silent, reverence, hope, pray, and wait for him. who will arise and have mercy on them, and destroy their enemies; who will make it to be well with the righteous, and again will make it ill with the wicked; who will fully and satisfactorily solve the doubts and unfold the riddles of his own providence.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

20. But the LordJEHOVAH;in striking contrast with the idols.

in his holy temple“Hisplace” (Isa 26:21);heaven (Psa 11:4; Jon 2:7;Mic 1:2). The temple at Jerusalemis a type of it, and there God is to be worshipped. He does not liehid under gold and silver, as the idols of Babylon, but reigns inheaven and fills heaven, and thence succors His people.

keep silencein tokenof reverent submission and subjection to His judgments (Job 40:4;Psa 76:8; Zep 1:7;Zec 2:13).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

But the Lord [is] in his holy temple,…. Not in graven and molten images; not in idols of wood and stone, covered with gold and silver; but in heaven, the habitation of his holiness, the place of his residence, where he is seen and worshipped by the holy angels and glorified saints; and from whence he surveys all the children of men, and their actions; observes the folly and stupidity of idol worshippers; and hears and answers the prayers of his own people: or this intends his church, which is his temple, sanctified by him, and set apart for his service, worship, and glory: here he grants his gracious presence to those who worship him in spirit and in truth; and here he will appear as King of saints, in a most glorious manner, when these several woes before mentioned have taken place; as on Rome Pagan already, and in part on Rome Papal at the Reformation, so completely on it, and all worshippers of images hereafter. The word , here used, signifies that part of the temple, called the holy place, as distinct from the holy of holies; which was the proper seat of the divine Majesty, and a figure of heaven, as the holy place was of the church; and so he was, as it were, removed from the one to the other; hence the more observable and remarkable, and the greater reason for what follows; and this serves to illustrate and confirm the sense given:

let all the earth keep silence before him; stand in awe of him, and reverence him; be subject to him, and silently adore him; as all the inhabitants of the earth will when the above enemies of his are entirely removed out of it; there will be no more clamours and objections against the Christian religion by Jews and Mahometans, on account of image worship, which will be no more; no more wars, or rumours of wars, but a profound peace everywhere; no more persecutions of the saints; no more will be heard the cry of violence and oppression, all their enemies being destroyed; no more repining and murmurings among the people of God, through impatience and unbelief, all afflictions being at an end; there will be an entire silence of this kind everywhere; only the voice of the Gospel, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, will be heard. This is not the case now, nor was there ever as yet such a time on earth; this shows that the prophecy regards time to come.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

After having taught us that the Babylonians were deceived in expecting any help from their idols, and were deluded by Satan, Habakkuk now recalls the attention of the faithful to the only true God; for it would not have been enough to take away from the Babylonians the false confidence which they had in their idols, except the Israelites, on the other hand, trusting in the grace of the true God, were fully persuaded that God was on their side, as he had taken them under his protection.

And we ought carefully to observe this order; for we see that many boldly deride all the superstitions which prevail in the world, and at the same time daringly and with cyclopic fury despise the true God. How many are at this day either Epicureans or Lucianians, who prate jestingly and scoffingly against the superstitions of the papacy, but in the meantime they are not influenced by any fear of God? If, however, we are to choose one of two evils, superstition is more tolerable than that gross impiety which obliterates every thought of a God. It is indeed true, that the more the superstitious toil in their delusions, the more they provoke God’s wrath against them; for they transfer his glory to dead things; but yet they retain this principle—that honor and worship are due to God: but the profane, in whom there is no religion whatever, not only change God from what he is, but also strive as far as they can to reduce him to nothing. Hence I have said, that the order which the Prophet observes here ought to be maintained. For, after having overturned the false illusions of the devil, by which he deludes the superstitious, by setting before them a mere shadow in the place of the true God, he now sets up the true worship of the only true God. Then the Prophet has hitherto been endeavoring to subvert superstitions, but he now builds up: for except God, when idols are pulled down, ascends his own tribunal, and shines there as supreme according to his right, it would be better, at least it would be more tolerable, as I have said, that superstitions should be left entire.

He now says that God is in his own temple or palace: this word is often taken for heaven, but is applied to the sanctuary. Many consider that the reference is made to heaven; as though the Prophet had said, that the true God, who is the artificer and creator of heaven and earth, is not to be seen in a visible form, nor covered over with gold and silver, nor represented by wood or stone; but that he rules in heaven, and fills heaven with his infinite glory and this view is by no means unsuitable. But as he here specially addresses the Jews, it seems to me more probable that he speaks of the temple, where God then designed to be worshipped, and sacrifices to be offered to him for it would not have been sufficient to set God, the creator of heaven and earth, in opposition to the superstitions of all the nations; but it was also necessary to introduce the contrast between the God of Israel and all those gods who then had obtained a name and reputation in the world, as they had been formed by the will of men. The God of Israel was indeed the creator of heaven and earth; but he had made himself known by his law, he had revealed himself to men, so that his majesty was not hidden; for when we speak of God, we are lost except he comes to us, and in a manner exhibits himself to us; for the capacity of our understanding is not so great that it can penetrate above all heavens. Hence the majesty of God is in itself incomprehensible to us; but he makes himself known by his works and by his word. Now as the Israelites worshipped, and surely knew that they worshipped the only true God, the Prophet here rightly confirms them in the hope they derived from the teaching of the law—that God was their Father, inasmuch as he had adopted them. If any prefer to take the word for heaven, I do not object; and that meaning, as I have said, is not unsuitable. But as the Prophet seems to me to have a special vies to his own people, to whom he was appointed a teacher; it is more probable that the word, temple or palace, is here to be understood of the sanctuary.

If any raises the objection that there is then no difference between the God of Israel and the gods of the Gentiles, for he also dwells in an earthly habitation, the answer is obviously this—that though God is said to dwell between the cherubim, he has not been represented by an image, as though he had anything like to wood or stone, or possessed any likeness to human bodies. All these delusions were banished from the Temple; for he commanded his worshipers to look up to heaven. There was an intervening veil, that the people might understand that they could not otherwise come to God than through that celestial model, and the types of which they saw in the altar of incense, in the altar on which they sacrificed, in the table of the shewbread, in short, in all other services of the Temple. And there is another difference to be noticed; for though there was there the golden altar, though there was there the ark of the covenant, and the altar on which the victims were immolated, yet inscribed on all these typical representations was the word of God, by which alone true religion was to be distinguished from all false inventions. For whatever specious appearance of reason may therefore be in fictitious modes of worship, men have no authority to render them lawful; but so much reverence is due to the only true word of God, that it ought to overrule all other reasons. And besides, this word, as I have hinted already, did not retain the Jews in these delusions, but elevated their minds to heaven. We now then see that there was a wide difference between the Temple which was at Jerusalem, and the temples which the superstitious had then built for themselves throughout the world; for God ruled over the Jews, so that they could not have been deluded. And at this day, where the word of God shines among us, we can follow it with safety. And, further, God did spiritually draw to himself his own servants, though he employed, on account of their ignorance, certain outward elements. Hence the Prophet justly says, that God was in his palace or his Temple; for the Israelites knew of a certainty that they did not worship a fictitious God, since in his law he had revealed himself to them, and had chosen the sanctuary, where he intended to be worshipped in a typical, and yet in a spiritual manner.

He then adds, Let all the earth be silent before him. Habakkuk, no doubt, commends the power of God, that the Israelites might proceed with alacrity in their religious course, knowing it to be a sufficient security to be under the protection of the only true God, and that they might not seek after the superstitions of the nations, nor be carried here and there, as it often happens, by vain desires. Keep silence, then, he says, let all the earth. He shows that though the Israelites might be far inferior to the Babylonians and other nations, and be far unequal to them in strength, military art, forces, and, in short, in all things of this kind, yet they would be always safe under the guardianship of God; for the Lord was able to control whatever power there might be in the world.

We now see what the Prophet had in view: for he does not here simply exhort all people to worship God, but shows, that though men may grow mad against him, he yet can easily by his hand subjugate them; for after all the tumults made by kings and their people, the Lord can, by one breath of his mouth, dissipate all their attempts, however furious they may be. This, then, is the silence of which the Prophet now speaks. But there is another kind of silence, and that is, when we willingly submit to God; for silence in this respect is nothing else but submission: and we submit to God, when we bring not our own inventions and imaginations, but suffer ourselves to be taught by his word. We also submit to him, when we murmur not against his power or his judgements, when we humble ourselves under his powerful hand, and do not fiercely resist him, as those do who indulge their own lusts. This is indeed, as I have said, a voluntary submission: but the Prophet here shows that there is power in God to lay prostrate the whole world, and to tread it under his feet, whenever it may please him; so that the faithful have nothing to fear, for they know that their salvation is secured; for though the whole world were leagued against them, it yet cannot resist God. Now follows a prayer:—

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(20) But the Lord.And while all this false worship prevails, the true World-ruler abides, and His presence is in His temple at Jerusalem. To Him the prophets eyes are now turned. He ceases his denunciations of the invader, and finds solace in the glorious anticipations of the lyrical ode (Hab. 3:1-15) which follows.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

20. From the idols the prophet turns to Jehovah, to emphasize the contrast between the two (compare Isaiah 46).

His holy temple The interpretation of this expression suggested by Nowack, “in the midst of his people,” is not inappropriate, and yet it is more natural to understand it of the heavenly dwelling place of Jehovah (Isa 6:1; Isa 66:1), from which he watches the affairs of men and goes forth to manifest himself in judgment (Mic 1:2-3).

Let all the earth keep silence before him In the presence of the almighty and infinite God it is proper to wait in awe and reverence, to see what he may do (Zep 1:7; Zec 2:13).

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Hab 2:20. But the Lord, &c. “The God of Israel is not like these imaginary deities: he gives law to all the earth; and all creatures ought to continue in silence with the most profound adoration and respect before his tremendous presence: he is the sovereign arbiter of their life and their death; of their destruction and their preservation.” By his holy temple, is meant the heaven. Silence is a mark of respect and submission. In the eastern courts, there reigns among the guards, officers, and great men, attendant upon their princes, the most profound silence, in a grave, composed, and immoveable posture, which gives us some idea of the silence whereof Habakkuk speaks. Lord Baltimore, in his tour to the East, mentions a particular which will illustrate what has gone before. He informs us, that at the feast of the great Biram at Constantinople, the Grand Signor goes to the mosque of Sultan Ahmed. The cavalcade which issues forth from the Seraglio, on this occasion, is one of the finest sights in Europe. It confirms of the vizirs, bashaws, grandees, and all the principal civil and military persons in the city, who go to pay their respects to their emperor. They begin to come out at four o’clock in the morning, and continue so doing till about nine. When the Grand Signor appears, a deep silence is observed. The Janiffaries line the streets from the palace to the mosque; they are without any sort of arms; they stand with their hands across, and bow down to the Grand Signor and to the vizirs only, who return the salute:but how infinitely more worthy of reverence is the great JEHOVAH!

REFLECTIONS.1st, We have here,

1. The prophet waiting in faith for an answer to his prayer. I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, as a watchman waiting for intelligence; and will watch to see what he will say unto me, with regard to the requests that he had made, and the difficulties that he was under; and what I shall answer when I am reproved, either for the boldness of his expostulations; or how he should silence the objections of others, who might, from these melancholy appearances, argue against the providence of God. Note; (1.) When we are in perplexity, and know not how to reconcile God’s providences with his promises, we must go up to the tower of prayer and meditation, and stand our ground there by faith against the assaults of temptation, looking to God for an answer of peace. (2.) When we have been with God in prayer, consulting his word, or reflecting on his dispensations, we must observe what God speaks unto us by any of these means, for our conviction, direction, encouragement, or consolation.

2. God answers him in mercy, and shews him the destruction of these merciless ravagers: for he never disappoints the expectations of his waiting people. For the comfort of the pious, he is commanded to write the vision, that it may be preserved, and handed down, unadulterated by tradition; and make it plain upon tables, which were then used for writing, and covered with wax, on which the letters were impressed; and this was to be done very plainly, and hung up in some conspicuous place, that he may run that readeth it, so legible that it might be easily read even by the most cursory look, or as one ran by it and but turned his head that way. And such should our preaching be, that the meanest capacities may comprehend it, never wishing to be admired as orators, but using all plainness of speech, that God’s word may be understood. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; though it be distant, the day of its accomplishment is sure: at the end it shall speak, and not lie; the Lord will not disappoint the faith and patience of his believing people; or he will speak, who is the faithful and true witness, the prophet come to lead us into all truth. Though it, the promise, or He, the Messiah, tarry long; or at least seem to do so to those who longed for his appearing; wait for it, or Him, the fulfilment of the promise, or the coming of the Lord; because it will surely come, it will not tarry; or, for he that shall come, will come, as the apostle quotes the words, Heb 10:37 applying them to the Lord Jesus, the great hope of his people, on whom they are called to stay themselves under every afflictive dispensation. And herein the truth of grace is to be proved, Behold, his soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in him: they who despise the vision, or distrust the promise, and, instead of waiting upon God, endeavour to shift for themselves, depending on their own devices, they shew the unsoundness of their hearts. But the just shall live by faith: they who trusted God, even in the midst of their calamities, should be preserved; and in their captivity, the expectation of the Messiah should support them; and by persevering faith alone they could be saved. The words are quoted thrice by the Apostle as a proof of the great doctrine of justification by faith only; and they teach us, (1.) That no man is justified before God, by any doings or duties of his own, but by faith in Jesus. (2.) The meritorious cause of our life of grace or glory is not our faith, but the object of it, Christ Jesushis righteous obedience unto the death of the cross.

2nd, Some commentators, supposing from the first part of this chapter which refers to Gospel-times, that the latter part goes on to describe the character of the succeeding enemies of the church, apply it to the Roman people, and especially their emperors, to whom no doubt the prophesy is very applicable; but I rather incline, with the generality, to refer it to Nebuchadnezzar and his successors in the Babylonian monarchy. See the Annotations.
1. Most heavy accusations are laid against this enemy of God’s people: drunkenness and sensuality; impious pride, even to expect adoration; covetousness insatiable, injustice and oppression, the blood of innocents; ambition which knew no bounds; these and the like were the crimes with which he stood chargeable before God. Therefore,
2. Repeated woes are denounced upon him; and, when he is fallen, he will be justly insulted by those nations over whom he lorded it before. Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb, pleased to behold his disgrace, and deriding his pride and presumption, and say, Woe, woe, woe unto him?

[1.] Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his, oppressing and plundering to increase his wealth: how long shall iniquity thus prevail, and the unrighteous prosper? and to him that loadeth himself with thick clay, the riches of the world being no better: and they who lade themselves with these by carking care and injustice, bring a heavy burden upon their souls, which will sink them into perdition and destruction. Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee? certainly they shall. The Persians and the Medes will spoil him of the thick clay on which he doated; and thou shalt be for booties unto them. As he spoiled others, so shall they spoil him, the just retaliation for the innocent blood which he had shed, the violence that he had committed, and the cities that he had destroyed, whose inhabitants he plundered. God keeps a strict account, and in the dreadful day of judgment the black catalogue will be produced against the proud oppressor and daring sinner, to his everlasting confusion.

[2.] Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, insatiable after wealth, and ever grasping at more: for covetousness brings its own curse along with it, and cannot be satisfied, robbing men of all the comforts in their families which they otherwise might have enjoyed: that he may set his nest on high, raise his family to higher honour and dignity in the world; that he may be delivered from the power of evil, secured from the power of his enemies, the great evil that he dreads; though, alas! these are vain pretexts to gloss over his covetousness; and his defences but feeble against the evils that he fears. Thou hast consulted shame to thy house, by cutting off many people, fixing, by such unjust and cruel conduct, a mark of indelible infamy on his family; and hast sinned against thy soul, exposing it to God’s wrath and damnation: for the stone shall cry out of the wall, if other witnesses of his guilt are wanting, and his frauds and deceits have been so managed as to escape the eye of men; and the beam out of the timber shall answer it, calling for vengeance upon the head of the unjust and the oppressor.

[3.] Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity, as Nebuchadnezzar had built or adorned Babylon with the spoils of conquered nations. Behold, is it not of the Lord of Hosts, that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? so fruitless will be all the endeavours of the Baby-lonians to preserve themselves from their enemies. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the seawhen in the fall of Babylon God will be glorified, and the fame of his judgments spread into all lands. And this verse seems to look forward also to greater events than the fall of Babylon, even to the times of the Gospel, when the kingdom of darkness shall fall before the word of Jesus, and the knowledge of his glory be diffused, till at last, by his power and grace, the very ends of the earth shall remember themselves and be turned to the Lord, and all flesh shall see the salvation of our God.

3rdly, The prophet, having given us an awful description of the woes denounced on account of oppression and wrong, proceeds to shew two other causes for these woes, namely, drunkenness and idolatry.
1. Drunkenness. Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, as Belshazzar did, when he made a feast for his thousand lords, Dan 5:1 that puttest thy bottle to him, urging him to drink; and makest him drunken also. Such are factors for hell, and enemies to mankind; and though it may be called hospitality, good cheer, and giving them a hearty welcome, thus to make the glass circulate, it is indeed among the most deadly wickednesses, and will provoke the heaviest wrath of God. Woe unto the drunkards from the palace to the cottage! wrath is gone forth against them: that thou mayest look on their nakedness; draw out their secrets, expose them to ridicule, or induce them to some foolish or indiscreet act or bargain; this being the malignant view for which men often ply their neighbours with liquor; but God will be the avenger of all such. Thou art filled with shame for glory; God will render such persons vile and abhorred; drink thou also; a cup of wrath is put into his hands; the cup of the Lord’s right hand shall be turned unto thee. The same vengeance which the Chaldeans had executed upon others shall return upon their own heads, when they shall be stripped naked to their shame, and, like drunkards, shameful spewing shall be on thy glory; they shall be rendered contemptible and loathsome, and all their riches and greatness be spoiled and defiled. The violence of Lebanon shall cover thee; either the same destruction as they had made in the temple of God; or this should rise up in judgment against them; or they should be hunted down as wild beasts in Lebanon: the spoil of beasts which made them afraid; once the terror of the country, but now destroyed; and this for the reasons alleged before, because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

Many apply this to Babylon mystical, the great whore that maketh all nations drunk with the wine of her fornication, whose end will be according to her works; see Rev 18:3-6.

2. Idolatry. Babylon was full of idols; but all the gold and silver lavished upon them, or the curious sculpture, profited the maker nothing at all. Though they cried before them, Arise to help us, and expected from them directions in their emergencies; yet it was folly, nay, madness, to expect a dumb stone, a lifeless log, to teach or awake to succour them. Such expectations could only be raised by the great teacher of lies, whom these idols effectually serve; and nothing but woe can be the consequence of trusting in these lying vanities. Babylon mystical, the church of Rome, copies close after her pattern in ancient days, and has multiplied her images of gold and silver, of the Trinity, the Saviour, the Virgin Mary, of saints and angels, crowding their churches with them; where miserable devotees are seen continually kneeling before the breathless image or dumb stone. Their crafty priests, indeed, represent these as laymen’s books; but God regards them with abomination, as teachers of lies. But the Lord is in his holy temple; not in idols of wood, or stone, or gold, but in heaven, beholding the hearts and ways of all the children of men; and in his church, where his special presence resides, comforting his believing people, and protecting them from their enemies. Let all the earth keep silence before him, paying him the worship due unto his name with reverence and godly fear, and never more ascribing his honour to graven images.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

DISCOURSE: 1224
GOD GREATLY TO BE FEARED

Hab 2:20. The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

TO any one who beholds the works of creation, one would suppose that there could not exist a doubt respecting the being of a God: and to any one that contemplates an idol of his own formation, one would suppose it absolutely impossible that he should ascribe to it divine attributes, or worship it as his God. Yet experience shews, that God is thus overlooked, and that idols are almost universally substituted in his place. The very people of God themselves, to whom he had so often manifested himself in the most stupendous acts, were ever prone to renounce him, and to place their trust in idols of wood and stone. But a dreadful woe is denounced against all who so dishonour God, and debase their own souls; and the declaration of God to the whole universe is this, The Lord is in his holy temple: let the whole earth keep silence before him.
Let us here contemplate,

I.

The majesty of Jehovah

Viewing him in contrast with senseless idols, let us contemplate him,

1.

As in the temple of the universe

[He is there as the Creator of all, the Governor of all, the Judge of all. Idols are the work of mens hands: but men themselves, together with every thing in the whole creation, are formed by God; who, by a single expression of his will, called them all into existence, and upholds them all by the word of his power. Behold the worlds and systems that are around us, every single star preserving its appointed course, and fulfilling the ends for which it was formed: who can behold them, and not acknowledge a God of infinite wisdom, and power, and grace? Or look at the smallest insect, that is scarcely visible to the naked eye, and can be distinctly seen only through the medium of a microscope; and say, whether the Deity be not as conspicuous in it, as in the universe itself? The whole of this is under his continual care. A poor senseless idol, so far from directing others, cannot even move itself, but is carried whithersoever the maker of it wills; and, instead of bearing others, is often itself, as the prophet well observes, a burthen to the weary beast. But Jehovah governeth all things, both in heaven and earth; insomuch that not a sparrow tails to the ground, or a hair from the head of any one of his saints, without his special permission. His very enemies, whilst they think to oppose him, do, in fact, accomplish his will: even the crucifixion of his only-begotten Son, though so horrible an impiety, did in reality fulfil his eternal counsels: nor was there any part of that awful event which was not predicted by God, and by him determined before to be done.

Nor is there so much as a transient thought in the mind of any man, but it is marked by him, and recorded in the book of his remembrance; and shall be brought forth at the day of judgment, as the ground of that sentence of condemnation or acquittal that shall be passed upon us. He appears, indeed, to be so far removed from us, that he cannot take cognizance of any thing that we do: but all things are naked and open before him; and with him is no darkness at all; but the night and the day to him are both alike. As for idols, they are unconscious of what is done even to themselves; and themselves are falling to decay, and may at any time be cast into the fire and be burnt. How unlike are they to Jehovah, who will assign to every one his proper doom; and himself exist for ever, the joy of his redeemed people, the terror of his prostrate enemies!]

2.

As in the person of the Lord Jesus

[It will be remembered by you all, that Jehovah dwelt, as it were visibly, first in the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple, in that bright cloud called the Shechinah, the symbol of the Divine presence. But yet more visibly, if I may so speak, did he dwell in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ: according as it is said, The Word was with God, and was God, and was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us. The expression here used has a direct reference to the tabernacle, which was a type of Christs humanity: He was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us, as in a tabernacle [Note: Joh 1:1; Joh 1:14. .]; and on that very account he is called the image of the invisible God [Note: Col 1:15]; that is, the person in whom the invisible God has condescended to make himself visible to mortal man. In this adorable Saviour dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily [Note: Col 2:9.]: and in him all the perfections of his Father shine forth, insomuch, that he is the brightness of his Fathers glory, and the express image of his person [Note: Heb 1:3.]. Behold, then, the incarnate Deity, sojourning on earth, to fulfil the counsels of eternal Wisdom, for the redemption of a ruined world. How contemptible are worthless idols in comparison of him! and how must every Dagon fall from its very base before him!]

Let us then contemplate,

II.

Our duty towards him

Well is it said, Let the whole earth keep silence before him. Truly, as surrounded by his majesty, and upheld by his power, and saved by his mercy, we must behold him,

1.

With reverential awe

[He is indeed greatly to be feared, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him. If the rocks trembled at his presence when he descended on Mount Sinai [Note: Jdg 5:5.], much more must his intelligent creation, and still more the sinners of mankind. In heaven, all his hosts, whether of sinless angels or redeemed saints, fall prostrate before him: and on earth, his most favoured people have never beheld his glory, or heard his voice, but they have fallen on their face, as Abraham did, with the profoundest awe, and in deepest adoration [Note: Gen 17:3.]. Even to a fellow-creature the most respectful reverence has been often shewn, and that, too, even by persons of the highest rank, through an admiration of his superior goodness and wisdom [Note: Job 29:9-10.]: what, then, must be due to the God of heaven, whether as riding on the heavens in his majesty, or walking on the earth in the multitude of his tender mercy?]

2.

With meek submission

[Many things, of course, occur, which we feel to be painful, and are unable to comprehend: for our God doeth whatsoever pleaseth him; nor will he give account to us of any of his matters. Nor should we for one moment rise against any of his dispensations. However dark or trying they may be, we should say, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good. In truth, his dispensations are frequently ordered for this very end, to humble us, and to prove us, as he proved Israel of old: and he says to us, Be still, and know that I am God [Note: Psa 46:10.]. This is our duty, whether we contemplate his majesty or his love; and in every event of life we must learn to say, Not my will, but thine be done.]

3.

With humble affiance

[Great as is our God, he has engaged to interpose in behalf of his people, and to order every thing for their good. On him, therefore, we should rely with perfect confidence; not doubting but that he will accomplish for us that which, on the whole, shall be most for our good. The example of David, in this respect, is most worthy of imitation: In the Lord put I my trust. How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? For, lo. the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? What? The Lord is in his holy temple: the Lords throne is in heaven [Note: Psa 11:1-4.]; and, as long as he is there to succour me, I fear not what men or devils can do against me. In relation to every concern, temporal, spiritual, eternal, this must be our frame: and this our song, If God be for me, who can be against me?]

4.

With unreserved obedience

[No authority must be regarded in opposition to his; no disposition be harboured that is contrary to his will. Of the angels it is said, They do his will, hearkening to the voice of his word. Thus should we be listening with deep attention to the manifestations of his will: and, when once we have discovered it, we should fulfil it with our whole hearts. Nothing should deter us, nothing should impede us: we should strive to do his will, with the readiness and constancy that it is done in heaven.]
From this subject we may gather ample matter,

1.

For reproof

[It is truly surprising, that, with all our knowledge of God, we should be so regardless of him, as not to have him in all, or any, of our thoughts. It is not too strong to say of the generality of those who are called Christians, that they are Atheists in the world [Note: Eph 2:12. The Greek.]. But what impiety is this! yea, and what folly too! If, indeed, we could withstand his power, there were some kind of excuse for us: but will our hands be strong in the day that he shall deal with us? or can we thunder with a voice like his? Alas! we must assuredly stand at his judgment-seat, and receive from him according to what we have done in the body, whether it be good or evil. I call you, then, to stand in awe of him, and to tremble at his presence: for, if you refuse to fear him now, oh! think what trembling will come upon you, when you shall be summoned to his bar, to receive your eternal doom. I pray you despise not this warning; but today, while it is called today, implore his mercy, lest he leave you to the hardness of your own hearts, and give you up to final impenitence.]

2.

For encouragement

[God is, indeed, in his holy temple, ready to hear the weeping suppliant, and mighty to save his repenting people. To the Jews of old, access was denied, yea, was denied even to the high priest himself, except on one day in the year, to the more immediate presence of their God: but for you the way into the holiest is made clear; so that you may come with boldness and confidence to the very throne of God, whenever a sense of your necessities, or of his mercies, inclines you to approach him. When your Redeemer died, the vail was rent in twain, in order to represent to you this delightful truth. In Christ, your God is reconciled unto you: in Christ, he is ever nigh unto you, and ever ready to impart unto you all the blessings of grace and glory. Nay: He will make even your own hearts his temple; and will dwell in you, and manifest himself unto you. To you, then, I will rather reverse the direction in the text, and say, Keep not silence; but rather plead with him, and give him no rest, day or night [Note: Isa 62:6-7.], till he grant you the desires of your heart. Be not straitened in yourselves; for ye are not straitened in him. However wide you may open your mouth, he will fill it, and will give you exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or think. In reference to his dealings with you, indeed, you must keep the most reverential silence: for his ways are in the great deep; nor are his thoughts at all in unison with ours. But I again say, in reference to all your own necessities, you can never ask too much, nor ever expect too much. Only look to him as your God; and you shall surely find him a God unto you.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

There is somewhat very striking in this scripture. Silent adoration is a solemn service. The Lord himself gave direction concerning those humblings, and silent waitings of soul. Isa 41:1 . And it must be confessed that there is somewhat very awful and solemn in such a frame of mind before the Lord, Ecc 5:1-2 .

REFLECTIONS

I could dwell long, and with delight, in meditating the blessedness of what is here suggested, in the privilege of a gracious soul waiting constantly on God; and the Lord’s grace, as manifested to those waitings. For certain it is, never did a child of God begin the sweet employment, and first call upon the Lord, before the Lord called upon his redeemed. For what the Apostle John saith, is founded in the unerring wisdom of Jehovah; if we love him, it is because he first loved us. I could dwell much on this blessed and precious point, and under God the Holy Ghost gather many delightful improvements from it. But I must leave all these, and every other subject, to mark what is here said of the Lord Jesus, and to follow him wheresoever he goeth. Reader! what a sweet thought it is, and peculiarly so in the present awful times of degeneracy; that the promise is absolute; the earth shall be filled, with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Jesus shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied. His glorious person shall be the one object of adoration, love, and praise, to all the Church, and to all the earth. Men shall be blessed in him, and all nations shall call him blessed. Who but must join in the earnest cry, Lord hasten thy kingdom, and cut short thy work in righteousness. Bring on that promised era, when the seventh angel shall sound his trumpet, and great voices shall be heard in heaven, and that glorious proclamation shall be made: the kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Amen.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Hab 2:20 But the LORD [is] in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Ver. 20. But the Lord is in his holy temple ] It is not enough to condemn superstitions; but we must know and serve the true God in a true manner. Cicero wished that he could as easily find out the true religion as disprove the false ones. Cambyses destroyed the Egyptian idols, rather in scorn of all religion than hatred of idolatry. Lucian jeered the heathen gods; and yet was an enemy to Christianity. Erasmus was no Papist, nor yet good Protestant. Henry VIII despised the old religion, and yet envied the new. There are many (said he in parliament) that are too busy with their new Sumpsimus: a and others that dote too much upon their old Mumpsimus. b Hence it is that the prophet here to those dunghill deities of the heathens, those dead idols, opposeth the living and only true God. Jehovah, saith he, “is in his holy temple”; that Essentiator who hath his being of himself, and gives being to all things else, , as St Paul elegantly expresseth it, Act 17:25 . He is in his holy temple, sc. in heaven, by his power and glory, and in his Church on earth, by his grace and goodness. The use of which doctrine followeth.

Let all the earth keep silence before him ] Heb. sc. Or be still, all the earth, &c. Reverentiae causa silete, tremble at his judgments, trust in his promises, wait upon him in his ordinances, walk before him in obedience, speak not of him or to him, but as knowing your distance, your infancy. In speaking of God our best eloquence is silence, saith Mr Hooker. In speaking to him, quanta cum reverentia, quanto timore, quanta humilitate, accedere debet e palude sua procedens et repens villa ranuncula, saith Bernard: with what reverence and godly fear, with what humility, should a poor small frog, creeping out of his mud, draw near unto this great God, before whom angels appear with greatest self-abasements! What abhorrence then and self-annihilation can be sufficient to accompany our approaches to this great God of heaven? And how should the enemies of the Church stand in awe, and even quake before him, wriggling into their holes, as worms do when it thundereth, and being all hushed, as sheep are before the wolf, birds before the hawk, all the beasts of the field before the lion when he roareth.

a A correct expression taking the place of an incorrect but popular one (mumpsimus). OED

b One who obstinately adheres to old ways, in spite of the clearest evidence that they are wrong; an ignorant and bigoted opponent of reform. D

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

holy. See note on Exo 3:5.

keep silence = Hush! Be still! So Zep 1:7. Zec 2:13.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

the Lord: Psa 11:4, Psa 115:3, Psa 132:13, Psa 132:14, Isa 6:1, Isa 66:1, Isa 66:6, Jon 2:4, Jon 2:7, Eph 2:21, Eph 2:22

let all the earth keep silence before him: Heb. be silent all the earth before him, Psa 46:10, Psa 76:8, Psa 76:9, Zep 1:7, Zec 2:13

Reciprocal: Jos 10:12 – stand thou 2Sa 22:7 – out 2Ki 2:5 – I know it Job 37:14 – stand Job 40:4 – I will Psa 4:4 – be still Psa 8:2 – still Psa 18:6 – heard Psa 50:2 – Out Isa 23:2 – still Isa 36:18 – Hath Isa 41:1 – silence Isa 47:5 – silent Jer 8:14 – be silent Eze 24:17 – Forbear to cry Mic 1:2 – the Lord from Act 17:29 – we ought 1Co 8:4 – we know Rev 8:1 – silence

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Hab 2:20. Silence is defined as “hush” in the lexicon. The servants of God are everywhere encouraged to sing and speak their praises of Him which would not seem like silence. The thought is to show a contrast with the foolishness of idolatry and the wisdom at an intelligent Deity. An idol is only a teacher of lies and should not be listened to. The Lord is in his rightful place, the temple, and on the throne of the universe. Therefore when He speaks it is the truth and all the earth should be hushed and with reverent ears receive the divine words.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Hab 2:20. But the Lord is in his holy temple But Jehovah, the true God, is not like one of these, but lives for ever in his holy temple, the heavens, from whence he beholds and governs all things, and is the fountain of being, life, power, and salvation to his people. Let all the earth keep silence before him Or, as the LXX. render it, stand in awe, or fear before him. The consideration of his infinite perfections, his self-existence, independence, supremacy, immensity, eternity; his omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence; his unspotted holiness, his inviolable truth, and impartial justice; and especially his sovereign authority and dominion, should strike all men with a reverential awe, and should dispose them to the most perfect submission toward him; particularly when they see him executing his judgments in the world, as he would shortly do upon the Chaldeans. The expression is taken from the reverent behaviour which young persons, servants, and others are wont to manifest by keeping silence in the presence of their superiors. Or, it alludes to such a silence as is kept in courts of justice, when a judge pronounces the sentence.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

In contrast to lifeless idols stands the living and true God. Yahweh lived in His heavenly temple, not in the works of human hands. Therefore all the earth, everything in it, should be quiet before Him out of respect and awe (fear; cf. Hab 2:1; Hab 3:16). There is no need to try and coax Him to come to life or to speak (cf. Hab 2:19).

"This contrasts with the frenetic activity of man to create ’speaking’ gods, and the tumultuous cries of worshippers to make dumb idols respond. Lifeless idols approached in clamour are silent, while the living God, approached in silence and reverence, speaks." [Note: Baker, p. 68.]

The implication of Yahweh’s majestic sovereignty is that He would take care of Babylon; the Israelites did not have to concern themselves with that (cf. Hab 3:16).

"God sometimes uses evil people to accomplish His larger purpose in life. But He never condones evil, and those who do evil He holds accountable for their actions." [Note: Charles H. Dyer, in The Old Testament Explorer, p. 806.]

 

"The verse provides a bridge to the next major section of the prophecy in that it turns to the positive, looking at God, after the negative, attention to Babylon’s sin." [Note: Baker, p. 68.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)