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The Wicked Kingdom Overthrown
v. 1. I saw, in a fifth vision, the Lord standing upon the altar, most likely that of the idolatrous sanctuary at Bethel, to which reference has just been made; and He said, Smite the lintel of the door, the prophet himself striking the blow against the supporting pillars, that the posts may shake, and cut them in the head, all of them, dashing down the pieces, as the building collapses, upon the heads of the whole people assembled about the national sanctuary; and I will slay the last of them with the sword, namely, the remnant which would succeed in escaping the downfall of the building. He that fleeth of them shall not flee away, though he may fancy himself safe, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered, not succeed in saving his life.
v. 2. Though they dig into hell, in the uttermost depths of the universe, thence shall Mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down, Cf Psa_139:7-8;
v. 3. and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, whose wooded heights were at the extreme western boundary of their kingdom, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from My sight in the bottom of the sea, in the nethermost caves of the ocean, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them;
v. 4. and though they go into captivity before their enemies, hoping to save their lives by surrendering to the foe, thence will I command the sword, wielded by those who hated them, and it shall slay them; and I will set Mine eyes upon them for evil and not for good, keeping them under observation without ceasing, so that escape would be an utter impossibility. The omnipresence and the almighty power of the Lord is further brought out.
v. 5. And the Lord God of hosts is He that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, Cf Psa_46:7; Psa_75:4, and all that dwell therein shall mourn, for the melting is done by the judgments of the Lord, who makes the invaders and conquerors of the land His instruments; and it shall rise up wholly like a flood, rather, "the whole of it riseth like the Nile,". and shall be drowned as by the flood of Egypt, the annual overflow of the Nile being once more made a picture of the overwhelming judgments of the Lord.
v. 6. It is He that buildeth His stories in the heaven, literally, "His upper chambers," to which one would have to ascend by steps, and hath founded His troop in the earth, firmly fixing the vault of His sky above; He that calleth for the waters of the sea and poureth them. out upon the face of the earth, either in tidal waves or in another deluge:. The Lord is His name. After this emphatic declaration of His almighty power and sovereignty the Lord shows the children of Israel that they may not rely upon the fact of their being His chosen people.
v. 7. Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto Me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Since they had broken the covenant, they stood no nearer to Him than the heathen. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, this being a deed for which He alone should receive credit, and the Philistines from Caphtor, from the island of Crete, and the Syrians from Kir? very likely a province of Assyria.
v. 8. Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, directed against it to work His punishment, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, namely, the sinful people as such, saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord, namely, the spiritual Israel, the true descendants of the patriarchs,
v. 9. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel, shaking them as in a colander, or sieve, among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. The nations of the world are the sieve by which Israel is cleaned of the chaff found in its midst of the godless people that claimed membership in the congregation of the Lord.
v. 10. All the sinners of My people, namely, those who persist in their godlessness and false security, shall die by the sword, which say. The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us, that is, precede or reach us. When God is once determined to punish the wicked, there is no power which may stop Him, and all the efforts of the godless to escape His wrath are futile.