Habakkuk was one of the minor prophets. We don’t know much about him and his life except for what is in his short book. He prophesied about the Babylonians and the destruction of Jerusalem. He was not only a prophet, but a poet. His book is a conversation between him and God.
Habakkuk 1-2 – Habakkuk’s Questions
Habakkuk saw the violence and injustice around him in the nation of Judah. He wanted to know where God was and why He didn’t set things right. He saw trouble and sin everywhere which distressed him so much that he cried out to God for answers. (Habakkuk 1:1-4)
God answered telling him not to worry about it and to look at the surrounding nations who will become His instrument of judgment on Judah. God told him that the judgment would come and it would be terrible and dreadful. He was raising up the Babylonians as an instrument of His judgment. (Habakkuk 1:5-11)
God’s answer prompted Habakkuk to ask a second question. How could this be? Why would God use such a treacherous nation as Babylon who was more evil than Judah. Then he remembered truths about God in Hab. 1:12-13a – He is everlasting, He is holy, His eyes are too pure to look on evil, He can’t tolerate wrong. He wanted to know why God tolerated such treachery. Then Habakkuk waited for God’s answer.
God welcomes our questions. We can ask Him the same type of questions. When we see injustice and immorality and violence, it’s only natural that we pray for God to do something about it. Why does He allow us to see sin in ourselves and in others? Maybe He allows us to see the sin in ourselves to keep us humble and submissive or to make us value salvation even more. We’re allowed to see the sin in others perhaps to show us what we might have been ourselves. Or so we won’t fall into sin and to even to hate sin. Also to admire the grace of God when He saves sinners.
Principle: God welcomes honest questions of His people.
In Habakkuk 2:1 he expects God to answer and he waits patiently. That is a great example for us. We should wait and let Him work.
Habakkuk described two different ways people respond to God. Some are ‘puffed up’ with pride and self-will or they are righteous and live by faith. (Hab. 2:4; rom 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb 10:38) Believers are justified by faith and live awaiting for eternity. They humbly look to God for salvation. God calls us to trust Him. People will live by faith in God or they refuse Him. Proud people defend their actions and want to rule their own lives.
You can be proud no matter your status in life. A rich man is proud of what he has; a poor man can be proud of his honor; a talented man can be proud of what he can do; a man of talents can be proud of his hard work; a religious man can be proud of his religion; an unbeliever can be proud of his unbelief; a learned man can be proud of his intelligence. Pride is a universal sin. God hates pride. It can be dangerous among the people of God.
Habakkuk used the phrase ‘woe’ five ties upon Babylon to indicate God was really serious and will not decrease His standards when it comes to His holiness. Woe to aggression, woe to greediness, woe to violence, woe against inhumanity, and woe against idolatry. To summarize his message – God will always do justice by punishing the wicked and bring deliverance to the righteous. (Hab. 2:6-20)
The truth God declared speaks to Habakkuk’s confusion and to us today. “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” – Habakkuk 2:20. God is holy and above all. He is in charge so we should let Him do what He does best.
Habakkuk 3 – Habakkuk’s Prayer
(Habakkuk 3:2) Habakkuk plead to God for revival. He knew how God once worked and how His people responded and he wanted to see that again. Revival is the work of God and not of man. We can also pray for God to revive us. Check your conduct – does it glorify God; check your conversation – is your speech pure and do you talk about Jesus with others; check your communion – are you living a growing, abiding life with Jesus.
We remember times in our lives when God seemed more real than at other times. It seemed His power was more evident. We want God to do what He did then. It all starts with remembering. We need to remember what God has done. That’s what Habakkuk did. When confused about what’s going on in our lives or in the world, we need to remember. Go back and remember who you know God to be and what’s He’s done. Then we need to accept what God is doing and trust Him for what He’s going to do in the future.
In Habakkuk 3:3-15 Habakkuk remembered the acts of God as he remembered God’s power on behalf of His people. Habakkuk confessed his weaknesses in verse 3:16. He shook with fear under God’s power as he waited for day of calamity to come. He realized that he was nothing and God was everything. In Habakkuk 3:17-18 he praised God unconditionally and declared that no matter what, he will rejoice in the Lord and be joyful in God his Savior.
He said in the last verse, “The Lord God is my strength. He makes me like a deer that does not stumble so I can walk on the steep mountains.” – Hab. 3:19. The point is this – if you trust is in God, He will give you stability in those slippery moments of life. He will give you the ability to stand when everyone else is falling apart.
Nothing has changed for Judah. The people have still forgotten God. Violence still reigned in Jerusalem. The wicked still oppressed the righteous. The Babylonians were still God’s appointed instrument for judgment. Hard times were coming and there was nothing anyone could do about it. But Habakkuk changed on the inside. He realized God is in control and that he could completely trust God. God would make all things right in due time. The wicked will be punished and those who were righteous will be rewarded. If we remember that our God is in control, then we can relax and stop worrying.
Principles:
This week’s attribute of God is He is Sovereign. He controls all things. No one can stop His plans. He can be trusted when we can’t understand His ways.
Next time we will continue our study of Kingdom Divided with various Scriptures. Hope to see you here. – I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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