Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.
Ver. 3. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth] Here the prophet turneth himself to the better sort; for upon those hypocritical halters aforementioned he had but lost his sweet words; he did but wash a blackamoor. We read not in Scripture of any hypocrite' s conversion; and what wonder? for whereas after sin conversion is left as a means to cure all other sinners, what means to recover him who hath converted conversion itself into sin? This made our Saviour say to his disciples concerning the Pharisees, those cankered hypocrites, "Let them alone," Matthew 15:14, and himself weary of wasting words upon them, called to the multitude and said, "hear ye and understand," Zephaniah 2:10. In like sort this prophet here, "Seek ye the Lord"; for it is past time of day with them to seek him; therefore they shall go with their flocks and their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them, Hosea 5:6. Concerning seeking the Lord see. See Trapp on " Amo 5:6 " See Trapp on " Amo 5:8 "
All ye meek of the earth] This is the character, the distinctive note of a true Christian; who, as he is sure to be afflicted (affliction and meekness grow both upon the same root in the holy tongue), so by affliction he is meekened and mortified, his flesh is crucified with the affections and lusts; and so he is fitted to seek the Lord, to lie at his feet and say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. These meek and lowly ones (ταπεινοι, Septuag.) are they whom God will teach, Psalms 25:9, beautify, Psalms 149:4, solace, Isaiah 29:19; Isaiah 61:1, save: God will save the humble person, Job 22:29. Now meekness and humility are a pair of twin sisters, never asunder (Sorores collactaneae) sisters nourished at the same breast. See how they go coupled, Matthew 11:29, and the Seventy render this text, all the lowly of the earth, that are as low as the earth in your own eyes and esteem (ταπεινος, quasi, εδαφεινος, solo aequatus).
Which have wrought his judgment] i.e. Have been doing at it, qui fecistis praecepta etsi non prefecistis, who aim at perfection though ye cannot attain to it, who think upon his commandments to do them, Psalms 103:18, having respect to them all, and wishing well to the work, Psalms 118:5,6, which God graciously accepteth as a working his judgment, and yet would have you to abound more and more. Wherefore,
Seek righteousness, seek meekness] i.e. Further measures of holiness and degrees of grace. Let him that is holy be holy still, let him persevere, grow, and advance forward toward the high prize proposed unto him, taking for his motto that of Charles V, Plus ultra, further yet, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2 Corinthians 7:1 1 Timothy 6:11, "But thou, O man of God" (that is, O godly man, as the life of God is put for a godly life, Ephesians 4:18; see 2Ki 4:9), "fly these things" (what things? heterodoxies, 1 Timothy 6:3,5, and love of money, 1Ti 6:9-10), "and follow after" (Gr. persecute, pursue, alacriter et acriter) eagerly and briskly "righteousness," this is the totum hominis, whole of man, Ecclesiastes 12:13, the bonum hominis, good of man, Micah 7:8, and by way of distribution comprehendeth, as to God, "godliness and faith"; as to men, "love, patience, meekness."
It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's wrath] Possibly ye may, probably ye shall be; pardon of sin ye shall be sure of; mitigation also of sorrow, if not prevention; saved ye shall be, or more gently handled, or so inwardly calmed, that ye shall be able to call your souls to rest when others are at their wits' ends. You shall be safe under the cover of God's wings, and in the hollow of his hand; when others, that are without God in the world, shall be as a naked man in a storm, an unarmed man in the field, or as a ship at sea without anchor, subject to dash and split against rocks and quicksands.