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God as a Warrior

by Lance Ponder⁽⁸⁴⁾
http://fkiprofessor.xanga.com

Hab 3:9-11 You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah. You split the earth with rivers. The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear.

Just as water is a metaphor for people as a mass, mountains serve as a metaphor for powerful leaders. The reference to unsheathing a bow and calling arrows implies God dictates the overall direction of nations and individuals in a variety of ways. Habakkuk sees great leaders falling as an army sweeps in and those who are conquered surrender. Habakkuk uses a reference to God making the sun stand still for Joshua (Josh 10:12-13) to remind the reader that God is the supreme warrior of the universe. The water images here also remind us of the fury with which God dispensed with the evil of the pre-flood world. Habakkuk sees a similar recompense for the evil of Babylon as God would eventually bring down the Babylonian Empire in the blink of an eye.

Article submitted Tuesday, May 03, 2011 & read 137 times.

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» left by Marijo Phelps⁽¹⁸⁰⁾ (1 year 6 days ago.)

I enjoy your writing Lance and especially love these short, powerful and insightful ones!

We appreciate your comments!

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