Commentary on Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah and Malachi John Calvin
JOHN CALVIN
the duties of love freely flow from within as from a fountain. As to the word peace, it may be explained in two ways: either as in the former instance when he mentioned the judgment of peace in the sense of judgment rightly formed, and thus to love peace is to love good order; or it may be taken for God's blessing, as though the Prophet said, ``If ye wish to be in a good and prosperous state, observe integrity towards one another; for God will ever be present by his blessing, provided ye be sincere and faithful. 243 Ye have in a manner sought a curse for yourselves, and dried up as it were the fountain of God's blessings by your wickedness and your frauds. If then truth reign among you, all felicity shall accompany it; for the Lord will bless you.'' I shall not proceed farther now.
Prayer
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou invites us so kindly and graciously to thyself, we may not be refractory, but with every evil affection subdued, offer ourselves to thy service; and since thou requires nothing else from us but to observe what is right towards one another, --- O grant that we may be mindful of that brotherhood which thine only-begotten Son has consecrated by his own blood, and call on thee as our Father, and prove by the whole of our conduct that we are thy children; and may every one of us so labor for one another, that being united in heart and affection, we may with one consent aspire after that blessed life, where we shall enjoy that inheritance which has been prepared and obtained by the blood of thy Son, and through him laid up for us in heaven. --- Amen.
Lecture One Hundred and Fifty-first
Zechariah 8:20-22
20. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
20. Sic dicit Iehova exercituum, Adhuc quando venient populi et incolae urbium magnarum (vel, multarum;)
21. And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also.
21. Et venient incolae unius ad alteram, dicendo, Eamus eundo ad deprecandam faciem Iehovae, et quaerendum Iehovam exercituum; ibo etiam ego.
22. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.
22. Et venient populi magni et gentes robustae ad quaerendum Iehovam exercituum Ierosolymae, et depreceandam faciem Iehovae.
The Prophet here extends his discourse still farther; for he promises not only the 243It is better to regard "peace" here in its ordinary meaning, as opposed to strife and contention, as "truth" is to falsehood an deceit. They were to "love truth" and not falsehood, and also "peace" and concord, and not discord and contention. The [{,[{וvau, at the beginning of this sentence has been variously rendered: ``only'' by Jerome and Drusius; ``therefore'' by Calvin and Blayney; ``but'' by Newcome and Henderson. But there is no need of all this. Let the whole passage be rendered in a perceptive form, and it may have its usual meaning as a copulative, as in the following manner,--- Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, --- Let the fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, And the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth month, Be to the house of Judah For exultation and joy, And for cheerful seasons; And love ye truth and peace. ``Exultation,'' ,[{]}ששוזis the outward expression of joy; the most obvious thing is mentioned first, as often is the case in Scripture, and then the source from which it proceeds, even joy. ``Cheerful'' is literally
--- good seasons, or festivals, or solemnities. ``The Hebrews,'' says Grotius, ``were wont to call those days good which were appointed for rejoicing.'' This passage contains the answer to the inquiry mentioned in chapter 7:3; but the answer refers not only to one fast but to all the fasts which the Jews had instituted. --- Ed.