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And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Strange gods provoke the Lord.
A
26 -28.
The Lord hath not done all this.
'Done' = Heb. poal (see 'A' above).
The scattering of Israel.
'To cease' opposite to 'perfect' (in 'A' above).
B
29 -33.
The Lord shut up His people.
'Shut up' refers to the uncleanness of Israel.
(see 'B' above).
Their requital (see 'B' above).
Grapes of gall.
Their perversity (see 'B' above).
Sodom and Gomorrah.
Their numbers (see 'B' above).
'How should one chase a thousand?'
C
34 -43.
The Lord will vindicate His people.
He fulfils the meaning of His name.
His is righteous as well as faithful.
He is the portion of His people;
they are the lot of His inheritance.
He will be merciful unto His land and to His people.
A word or two of explanation with regard to some of the features thrown
into prominence by this structure, will enable the reader to appreciate the
light that it throws on the general trend of the Song.
The words, 'a God of truth', indicate much more than their ordinary
English meaning. The Hebrew word is emunah and is translated 'faithfulness'
18 times; also 'faith', 'faithful' and 'faithfully'. The word occurs just
forty -nine times in the Old Testament, a significant number indicating
perfection or completeness, and especially associated with the Jubilee when
all forfeited inheritances were restored. There is a marked contrast here
between the faithful Lord and His unfaithful people, for in verse 20 we read:
'they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith' (emun).
The word 'work' in the statement 'His work is perfect', is the Hebrew
poal. Now it is of interest to know that the last occurrence of emunah,
'faith', is in Habakkuk 2:4; and the last occurrence of poal, 'work', is in
Habakkuk 3:2, where a revival is referred to. This word 'work' is in
structural correspondence with the verb 'to work' (Heb. poal) in verse 27.
There, the Lord says that He would make the remembrance of them to cease from
among men, were He not apprehensive lest their adversaries should become
proud, and imagine that by their prowess they had destroyed Israel. The Lord
takes the full responsibility not only of Israel's blessing, but also of
their scattering and punishment. They are His people, even though under
judgment; it is His land, even though desolate. Even the 'lost sheep' though
lost are still His.
The work of the Lord is declared to be 'perfect'. The Hebrew word
indicates completeness, something finished; it looks forward, beyond failure
and dispersion, to the restoration and blessing with which the Song ends.
A title is given to the Lord in this opening section, which recurs
throughout the Song. The references to this title, 'the Rock', are as
follows:
'He is the Rock, His work is perfect' (verse 4).