V. 12. God is a righteous judge, and a God who daily prophesies.
16 Until now he has acted on his own behalf before God, has offered himself in judgment, has prayed and comforted himself. Now he acts against his adversaries; he afflicts them, exhorts them to fear God, preaches and prophesies evil to them. First of all, he makes the reproaches difficult by saying that God is just; therefore, he cannot let the evildoers go unpunished. Therefore the proud and the wicked have to fear him. Secondly, he threatens and is unwilling. He not only can, but also will
punish, and that in wrath. Third, he will also not pardon long, but will judge soon; as follows:
V. 13, 14: If they will not be converted, he hath sharpened his sword, he hath bent his bow, he hath aimed it. He has laid deadly projectiles upon it; he has prepared his arrows to destroy.
(17) Hereby he sets before them the wrath of God, which is present or threatening (as happened to Absalom), so that he may terrify them with it. But the stiff-necked wicked do not respect this. It does not help to threaten them. That is why he prophesied misfortune to them, which would surely come upon them.
V. 15. Behold, he hath evil in his mind, with mischief he is with child, but he shall bring forth a fault.
18) How it now goes at Bologna 1) and at the courts of the pope, the bishops and the princes.
1) At Bologna (Lononiae) it was decided that the emperor should subdue the Protestants with the sword. Cf. Walch, old edition, vol. XVI, 2068, ß 12.