Faith in God's Judgment ~ Bob Caldwell

Faith in God's Judgment Habakkuk 2:4 Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. The sins of Israel seem to have gone unchecked far too long. Violence, sin, and strife was running rampant, the Law of God was powerless to stop it and God (1:1-4). This left the prophet Habakkuk confounded by God's seeming indifference. However, God's answer troubles Habakkuk even more. God foretells of the complete destruction of Jerusalem. He is going to send Babylon to level Jerusalem and carry the Jews into captivity. To this, Habakkuk then asks God why He would use a pagan nation to punish Israel. It doesn't make sense. Why would He use idol worshippers to capture His people like mindless fish in a net? This would mean these pagans would worship their gods for the victory over Israel (1:12-17). God doesn't really answer this question. Instead, He asks Habakkuk and those who will see these prophecies unfold to walk by faith through this painful time in Israel's history. God strongly values this call to faith in the midst of judgment, so much so that He declares this faith is what causes a person to be just before Him apart from personal merit. In this statement God laid the groundwork for what would prepare for salvation by faith in and through Jesus Christ (Read Romans 1:17.). This principle of faith in God as the only thing that can justify us before Him cannot and should not be avoided by anyone. We are clearly told in the New Testament that whatever is not faith is sin (Rom. 14:23). The book of Hebrews declares that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Impossible means no possible. Without a simple and sincere faith in God, whatever we do is not acceptable to God. Although initially shocked, even to the point of trembling from head to toe, Habakkuk comes to a point of faith that is an example for us all. He affirms that although everything looks hopeless and bleak with no prospect of good he will stand in unwavering faith to God. He will joyfully praise God as the God of salvation no matter how badly things looked for Israel. In fact, he believes God will strengthen him to leap like a deer that bounds through the high hills of Israel (3:17-19). Although each situation varies, at times all of God's people will be overwhelmed by how little God seems to be acting for the good of His people. Or how fully His hand of chastisement can fall upon us in a moment of time. It is then that faith in God's own eternal counsel and judgment is vital. More than any self-righteous work of religion, this faith in God's character will be the only thing we will do to be justified in His sight.
Habakkuk 1:1-3:19 1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. The Prophet's Question 2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save. 3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. 4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. The LORD's Reply 5 "Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. 6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. 7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. 9 "They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand. 10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. 11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribingthis power to his god." The Prophet's Second Question 12 Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. 13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he? 14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them? 15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. 16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful. 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity? Habakkuk 2 1 I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. The Just Live by Faith 2 Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. 4 "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. Woe to the Wicked 5 "Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples. 6 "Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, 'Woe to him who increases What is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges'? 7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men's blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. 9 "Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster! 10 You give shameful counsel to your house, Cutting off many peoples, And sin against your soul. 11 For the stone will cry out from the wall, And the beam from the timbers will answer it. 12 "Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, Who establishes a city by iniquity! 13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the fire, And nations weary themselves in vain? 14 For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. 15 "Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressinghim to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness! 16 You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the LORD's right hand will be turned against you, And utter shame will be on your glory. 17 For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you, And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid, Because of men's blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. 18 "What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols? 19 Woe to him who says to wood, 'Awake!' To silent stone, 'Arise! It shall teach!' Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all. 20 "But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him." Habakkuk 3The Prophet's Prayer 1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth. 2 O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. 4 His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden. 5 Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet. 6 He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian trembled. 8 O LORD, were You displeased with the rivers, Was Your anger against the rivers, Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation? 9 Your bow was made quite ready; Oaths were sworn over Your arrows. Selah You divided the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw You and trembled; The overflowing of the water passed by. The deep uttered its voice, And lifted its hands on high. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; At the light of Your arrows they went, At the shining of Your glittering spear. 12 You marched through the land in indignation; You trampled the nations in anger. 13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people, For salvation with Your Anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked, By laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah 14 You thrust through with his own arrows The head of his villages. They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me; Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret. 15 You walked through the sea with Your horses, Through the heap of great waters. 16 When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered my bones; And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble. When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops. A Hymn of Faith 17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 1:1-3:19 v. 1 burden – The idea here is that the vision and message on Habakkuk's heart felt like a heavy burden. prophet – a spokesman for the Lord Habakkuk – His name means "embrace." We really don't know much about this prophet. But as he foretold of the Babylonian invasion, it is likely that Habakkuk ministered during or just before the reign of King Jehoiakim. The Babylonians attacked Jerusalem in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim, 605 BC. v. 2 how long – Israel was suffering under the cruel and corrupt hand of their evil and backslidden kings. And Habakkuk asked the age-old question of why God was not responding to his prayer for deliverance. v. 3 Why – Habakkuk couldn't understand why God is tolerating the cruel injustice being dealt to His people (v. 13) v. 4 the law is powerless – Because of the corruption which was in Israel at this time, justice has been perverted and the perfect law of God seemed powerless. v. 5 would not believe – Israel was refusing to believe the severity of judgment about to be sent their way. v. 6 I am raising up – Because of their sin, God Himself was raising up Israel's enemies against them. Chaldeans – the Babylonians v. 8 as the eagle – A picture of the great speed and precision with which the Chaldeans/Babylonians conquered their enemies. v. 9 gather captives like sand – It was the practice of the conquering Chaldean army to capture and bring home their defeated enemies like trophies. v. 10 deride every stronghold – No one and nothing could stand against the mighty Chaldean army. they heap up…seize – a description of building a seize ramp to infiltrate a resistant walled city v. 11 Ascribing…to his god – Unlike the backslidden Hebrews, the Chaldeans gave the credit of their victories to their god. v. 12 Are You not – Habakkuk is not questioning the nature and Character of YHWH. This is not a faithless verbal attack but rather a prayerful declaration of the Lord's might and power and faithfulness (v 13). v. 14 make men like fish – A phrase that is further explained in the next few verses. Habakkuk feels that the Lord has made his people as lower creatures to be caught and eaten by men. v. 16 sacrifice to their net – The Chaldeans worshiped their own military might. v. 17 Shall they…continue – Six of the 17 verses of this chapter are actually Habakkuk questioning God concerning the problem of evil. This is a query as old as man. Habakkuk 2 v. 1 stand my watch – Habakkuk uses symbolic language here of a military scenario. He waits and watches for the Lord's answer, as a lookout would stand guard on a watchtower. Rampart – a defensive wall to protect a city under attack v. 2 Write the vision – God's command here gives us clear illustration of one of the many ways we have received the inspired and trustworthy written word of God. tablets – This culture did not have paper as we know it; they wrote things down on tablets of stone, wood, or metal. Because of this, many ancient writings have survived to modern day. run who reads – The vision Habakkuk was about to receive was not to be for comfort but for dread. For this message is filled with warnings and woe. It was to be given in hopes that the reader might flee the wrath to come. v. 3 an appointed time – a yet future appointment the end – Not the end of time but rather the end of waiting for fulfillment. will not lie – Though it may take time to see this vision be fulfilled it will indeed be fulfilled. v. 4 the proud – All who suppose they can stand against the will of God. Also translated lifted up (KJV) or puffed up (NIV.) His soul – the center of a person's being; his heart just – one who is found right or "justified" before God faith – hnwma (Heb.) means firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness. This particular Hebrew word does not mean to merely believe in something. v. 5 transgresses by wine – an excessive drinker, a drunkard (Prov. 20:1) does not stay at home – a picture of a person who is not content with what he has; one who is never satisfied (v. 5) gathers to himself all nations…all peoples – This vision is painting a picture of the craving of Babylon. They were a seemingly unstoppable force defeating and capturing nations and peoples. v. 6 a proverb against him – The Lord is telling Habakkuk that there will come a day when the lessons learned from Babylon's prideful fall will be used as proverbs and a riddle. v. 7 booty – the spoils of war v. 9 Woe – A cry of serious affliction or misfortune. There are five "woes" in this chapter (2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19). v. 11 the stone…the beam – The stones and beams used to build the buildings in Babylon were taken from the plunders of war. These will soon testify against them. v. 12 bloodshed – the murder of the innocent iniquity – the sin of Babylon's greedy conquests v. 13 LORD of hosts – A phrase meaning, "YHWH, ruler over all" (This includes angels, sun, moon, stars, armies, and peoples of the earth, etc.). labor to feed the fire – All their work will be turned to ashes. v. 14 glory of the LORD – the splendid honor of His glorious reputation v. 16 uncircumcised – a person who has not entered into covenant relationship with the Lord v. 17 the plunder of beasts – The Babylonians conquered with brutal destruction and wiped out all forms of life, even needlessly killing off the wildlife of a nation by overly excessive bloodthirsty hunting for mere sport. v. 18 the image…idols – The Lord is pointing out the great folly of worshiping manmade gods. (2:19, compare with Jer. 10:3-5, 50:2; 1 Cor. 12:2). v. 20 His holy temple – A comparison between the foolish, manmade idols that the Babylonians would keep in their homes with the Lord of host who fills the whole earth and dwells in the heavens (Ps. 11:4). keep silence – holding tongue as an act of holy reverence to the One True God Habakkuk 3 v. 1 Shigionoth – Shigionoth (Heb.) means doubtful. A musical phrase descriptive of a wild passionate song with rapid changes of rhythm. v. 2 afraid – In context this means Habakkuk was full of reverence, awe, and astonishment. In wrath remember mercy – Habakkuk is petitioning the Lord here asking that He might, in the midst of punishing the guilty in His anger, remember to be merciful also. v. 3 Teman – a mountain in the south not far from Mount Sinai, where God appeared to Moses Mount Paran – The desert area where the Law was given to the Children of Israel before they entered the Promised Land (Num. 10:12, Deut. 33:2). Selah – a technical musical term used often in the psalms; it means to pause and meditate on what was just sung v. 4 His brightness – an expression to describe God's glory v. 5 pestilence – disease and plague; refers to the Lord's divine punishment v. 6 measured the earth – A picture of the Lord's omniscience and power. He is able to, in an instant, scrutinize the earth and fully comprehend its summation. v. 7 tents of Cushan – refers to the dwelling places of the Midianites curtains – the walls of their tents v. 8 chariots of salvation – More poetic language used by Habakkuk in this wild song. Here the prophet is specifically focusing upon the Lord's mighty power and wrath, which ultimately brought salvation to His people during the events of the exodus. v. 9 Oaths…Your arrows – The Lord's blows of wrath were backed up with His pledge of destruction. v. 12 indignation – righteous anger v. 13 Anointed – This word literally means "Messiah." But Moses and Joshua were used by God during the Exodus as messiahs of their time and saviors of the people. v. 14 like feasting on – More poetic language describing the circumstances of the Exodus. The Egyptians rejoiced as they chased after the fleeing Hebrews, thinking that they would eat up Children of Israel like a delicious meal. v. 17 fig tree…fruit…fail – Habakkuk paints a picture of economic doom and crop failure. His point will be shone in the next verse. No matter what evil may befall him he will "joy in the God of his salvation." v. 19 like deer's feet – Through the circumstances of Habakkuk's gloomy situation he has learned to have a sure-footed confidence in God. high hills – Meaning he is brought safely over the mountains. Chief Musician – This song was evidently delivered to a choir director to be sung in unison and accompanied by stringed instruments.
"Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith." –Habakkuk 2:4 How wonderful it is, God, to see evidence of the New Covenant in the Old Testament. We pray today for faith—in the sacrifice Jesus made for us and in our assurance of eternal life when we accept that His death paid a debt that we owed to You.
New Beginnings Bistrita Sebi Covaci, who is ten years old and living with our family, writes, "This summer I went to the Black Sea with my sister, Cosmina and another Romanian family. It was very hot and there were lots of waves. I swam under the waves. I stayed at the Black Sea for six days. I also went camping and for the first time I got to sleep in a tent! Chris swam in the water with us kids and threw me over his head so that I could do flips. I jumped on the trampoline, played the drums for worship, and prayed during devotions. I was nervous, but I did it!" Prayer Points for Sebi's adjustment to living with the Andersons for suitable Romanian house parents for New Beginnings Bistrita for guidance raising these Romanian children alongside of our own