Verses 1-8 Here is a prophecy of the wars of the Lord, all which are both righteous and successful. All nations are concerned. And as they have all had the benefit of his patience, so all must expect to feel his resentment. The description of bloodshed suggests tremendous ideas of the Divine judgments. Idumea here denotes the nations at enmity with the church; also the kingdom of antichrist. Our thoughts cannot reach the horrors of that awful season, to those found opposing the church of Christ. There is a time fixed in the Divine counsels for the deliverance of the church, and the destruction of her enemies. We must patiently wait till then, and judge nothing before the time. Through Christ, mercy is exercised to every believer, consistently with justice, and his name is glorified.
I. Here is the trumpet sounded and the war proclaimed, v. 1. All nations must hear and hearken, not only because what God is about to do is well worthy their remark (as ch. 33 13), but because they are all concerned in it; it is with them that God has a quarrel; it is against them that God is coming forth in wrath. Let them all take notice that the great God is angry with them; his indignation is upon all nations, and therefore let all nations come near to hear. The trumpet is blown in the city (Amos 3 6), and the watchmen on the walls cry, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet, Jer 6 17. Let the earth hear, and the fulness thereof, for it is the Lord's (Ps 24 1) and ought to hearken to its Maker and Master. The world must hear, and all things that come forth of it, the children of men, that are of the earth earthy, come out of it, and must return to it; or the inanimate products of the earth are called to, as more likely to hearken than sinners, whose hearts are hardened against the calls of God. Hear, O you mountains! the Lord's controversy, Micah 6 2. It is so just a controversy that all the world may be safely appealed to concerning the equity of it.
Come. Both Gentiles and Jews are admonished of the world’s end before judgment. (Worthington)
He prophesieth of the destruction of the Edomites and other nations which were enemies to the Church.
1. Whom he makes war against (v. 2): The indignation of the Lord is upon all nations; they are all in confederacy against God and religion, all in the interests of the devil, and therefore he is angry with them all, even with all the nations that forget him. He has long suffered all nations to walk in their own ways (Acts 14 16), but now he will no longer keep silence. As they have all had the benefit of his patience, so they must all expect now to feel his resentments. His fury is in a special manner upon all their armies, (1.) Because with them they have done mischief to the people of God; those are they that have made bloody work with them, and therefore they must be sure to have blood given them to drink. (2.) Because with them they hope to make their part good against the justice and power of God they trust to them as their defence, and therefore on them, in the first place, God's fury will come. Armies before God's fury are but as dry stubble before a consuming fire, though ever so numerous and courageous.
Here we have a prophecy, as elsewhere we have a history, of the wars of the Lord, which we are sure are all both righteous and successful. This world, as it is his creature, he does good to; but as it is in the interest of Satan, who is called the god of this world, he fights against it.
Away. These strong expressions denote great misery, chap. xiii., and Joel ii. 10., and Ezechiel xxxii. 27. (Calmet) — Book. Hebrew, “roll.” (Haydock) — Some thence foolishly inferred that the destiny of every one might be read in the heavens. (Huet.; Eusebius, pręp. vi. 11.; Philoo. xxiii.; Pic. Astrol. viii. 5.) — The prophet only means that the heavens shall be devoid of beauty, (Calmet) and covered with darkness. (Haydock)
Heaven. Casting down the rebel angels. (St. Jerome) — The resolution to destroy the Idumeans, for their cruelty to the Jews, has been taken long ago. All these expressions allude to the last judgment. (Calmet) — Idumea. Under the name of Idumea or Edom, a people that were enemies of the Jews, are here understood the wicked in general, the enemies of God and his Church. (Challoner) — Assaradon fell upon Edom two years after Sennacherib’s death. (Calmet) — No strong place like Bosra, shall rescue any from destruction at the last day. (Worthington)