Habakkuk was called of God to warn the Jews before He would send terrible judgment upon
them. Concerning this he carried a heavy
burden (oracle) on his heart. God help
us if we must speak judgment
without a heartfelt burden. In a vision Habakkuk saw his country delivered
into the hands of the Babylonians, and he wrestled with God on account of this. When he enquired of God concerning this, God was
seemingly quiet for a while, BUT THEN the Word came to Habakkuk.
God informed Habakkuk in 1:5-11, that He was indeed in the process of sending His instruments of
judgment – the Babylonians!
Habakkuk
was alarmed at this. In his mind the Babylonians were worse sinners – more morally and spiritually depraved than
Israel. So he argued with God concerning this (1:12-17) for he was
puzzled, because God’s answer
just did not make sense.
What was he to do now?
He decided to wait! He says:
“I
will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower, and look
out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my
complaint (2:1).
Habakkuk is withdrawing to
his observation station. He is resolved to say nothing until God clarifies the
matter. This is actually good counsel
for perplexed Christians. What do you do, when you cannot do anything? What do
you do when you are puzzled and troubled and perplexed and not sure of what God
is doing? What can you do when you don’t
understand God’s logic? While many people think that any way is right, the watchful and loving pastor often has to remind his people, “There
is a way that seems right to a man, but
its end is the way to death.” (Prov. 16:25).
Habakkuk chooses to wait. He says, “I will wait
and see what He will say to me.” Habakkuk is a model to us in this respect.
Troubled in heart, he doesn’t resort to pragmatic self -help. He resolves to wait for what God will
say on this matter. Remember, that God has already spoken in 1:5-11. He will surely speak again.
Let’s just think over this a little bit more: When God’s answer does not make sense, many Christians reason, “Well, then I
will just have to figure it out by
myself “ .
Many people in the Bible had tried this.
- Job and his 4 friends tried it – and ultimately they were all rebuked by God (Job 38ff).
- King Saul tried it, when the Philistines were threatening , and when Samuel did not arrive in time, and he chose to present the burnt offerings – something that he was not permitted to do. (1 Samuel 13)
- One of the disciples of Jesus tried it when he sought to defend the Lord Jesus Christ in the hour of betrayal. He drew a sword, cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest (Matt. 26:51ff). It was premature and unnecessary and unhelpful. Jesus had to rebuke him.
When we
do not like what we hear from God’s Word, we easily are tempted to get impatient. We start
looking for other solutions. The truth
is that we live in a complex
world. Sin makes things complex. The truth is that we are rarely able to see the whole picture. And what we think
ought to happen, and what God
decides will happen may not always be the same. Who among men understood
what God was doing with Job? His
friends said that he was being punished for his sin. But the Bible teaches us that God’s purpose was
not to punish Job, but to refine Job.
So, before we are tempted to
give quick answers or responses, or get angry with God, we have
to learn to wait upon God.
In our New
Testament context, where God has spoken
in Christ (Hebrews 12:1-3), and where the
revelation of His will is complete is complete, we
need to learn to sit prayerfully before our open Bibles,
and to learn and discern concerning
God’s ways with us. Our instant, restless society
finds this difficult. We want instant answers and solutions. We really need to
learn the value and importance of waiting on God
as we meditate prayerfully over His written Word, withdrawing
into quiet places as it were, and sometimes we need
to remain there until the
Lord has given us understanding and clarity concerning a course of action, though His written Word. It is seldom wrong to wait!
This is pertinent
counsel to people like myself, called to the pastoral ministry. How dare I
counsel you with mere human intuition or wisdom? Pastor’s
above all people (though not exclusively) need to
learn to understand the
value of
knowing the full counsel of the Word of God. Pastors are dealing with the soul (or the heart) which is by far the most complex
aspect relating to the human being. Being a medical doctor is difficult enough.
Making accurate diagnoses and applying
effective treatment for a sick body is a
science that requires many hours of intensive
study. But the soul is more
complex than the body. The soul is intangible.It is deep and it is hidden to the human
eye. The body is tangible. Cancer
and Covid19 have
tangible origins, and medical science is working hard to find a cure.
Working with the intangible soul is different. This is where the work of the pastor lies. He is called
to be a physician of souls. The procedure
for the cure of souls is not found in medical text books, although modern psychology aims to be a
substitute for biblical pastoral work,
but we know that it is a very ‘
iffy’ science.
The only effective medication and
treatment and balm for the cure of the soul is found within the realm of the holy Word of God. The Bible is the
definitive book that speaks authoritatively about
- man’s origin
- man’s unique relationship to God (being made in the image of God)
- the effects of sin upon that relationship.
- Idolatry (the replacement of God by other loves)
- The dishonouring of primary relationships such as father and mother
- murder, adultery, stealing, coveting.
So, how can I understand the depths of depravity, and the knock on
effects of that depravity into which the human soul has entered?
How can I understand the ways of God with a
person in my congregation,
without a thorough knowledge of the
Bible? How can I make a distinction between what a man or woman brings upon themselves and the sanctifying work of God?
How can I help people without
the divine remedy prescribed in the Word of God for such sin?
Not without
being intimately acquainted with the word and the work of the Great Shepherd of our souls. The biblical pastor
will be a watchman (Ezekiel 33), and
the work of a watchman is to make known
and to repeat the Word of the Lord
to his people.
Pity the church that have
pastors who have fallen asleep
in their complacency, and who have no relationship with the Lord Jesus, and who therefore do not diligently feed the flock with the Word of
the Lord.
An unattended flock will
become easy prey for the wolves (Acts 20 :29ff). If it wasn’t for the fact that Jesus had watched and prayed for Peter, he
would have become Satan’s casualty, “Simon ,
Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,
but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” (Lk. 22:32)
GOD SPEAKS !
So then, as
Habakkuk waits we read these
words, “And the Lord answered me…”
(2:2a). God is faithful. He will give an answer. Here it is:
“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets ,so
he may run who reads it…”
Before God says
anything to Habakkuk, He wants to make
sure that these words won’t get lost. Habakkuk must write
these words down.
“Write the vision…”!
Now some 2,800 years after the writing of
these words, we read these words and we
are greatly helped by them as
we learn of the ways of God in this
world!
“Make it plain on tablets”
God’s word was to be
recorded on a tablet, so that there would be no uncertainty or ambiguity or reinterpretation of this message.
“So he may run who reads it”
The word which God gives to the prophet was to be read
in the whole land. A herald was sent
through the land to proclaim this
message from God.
Then
the Lord adds this word, “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the
end—it will not lie. If it seems slow,
wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay“ (2:3).
This vision was
still unfulfilled, but it is
coming – it hastens to the end. It would
happen in time just as God had told
Habakkuk.
And now follows an important
message to the remnant in Israel, those who would wait patiently for this time of
judgment, and who would keep
trusting in God.
What follows are
Habakkuk’s most famous words and quoted in Romans, Galatians and Hebrews. Theseare the words that turned around the life of the German Reformer, Martin Luther
THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY HIS FAITH.
“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but
the righteous shall live by his faith. (v.4).
There are only two
possible attitudes in this world with respect
to God and His Word. The first is
that of
unbelief, and the second is that
of faith. In the words of Habakkuk, either
our souls are puffed up or self – righteous (and therefore not upright), or our souls live in faith and dependence upon God and His
Word. This is the righteousness that God loves. The person who lives by his/her faith in God is righteous. The righteous person makes their decisions
based upon the Word of God. The person possessed by such faith accepts God’s rule.
Hebrews Chapters 10-12 expound and illustrate this truth in the lives of those that walk by faith in God.
There are two ways
in which we can choose to look at events (past, present, future) in this world.
- Some say that world events are simply random. Things happen. The survival of the fittest - the one who has the most money and the biggest army wins.
- The other view says that God is in charge of history - not fate, not money, not armies, not powerful people. God has the last word on everything, and when God says that Babylon will invade Judah, or when a Covid-19 virus will invade the world, then it will be so. No explanation needed. Faith means taking God at His word. It says,“Lord , I don’t understand it but I believe that what you are doing is righteous and good”. That is the faith of Hebrews 11. These men and women believed God, simply because God had spoken. This is the life that pleases God.
Right now Habakkuk is in the process of moving
from fear or frustration to faith.
This is the text on which the
rest of this prophetic book is hinged.
From this position, the prophet (and we) move into the position of understanding, and with that, he and we, move into the peace, hope and joy of the God
who controls the world in the midst of
some very terrible circumstances.
TWO ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A RIGHTEOUS PERSON LIVING BY FAITH
(i) You’ve got to
know the truth. You must have knowledge. Faith doesn’t begin or end in a vacuum. You need to know God in Christ. In order to have faith in Him you need to
know:
- Who is He?
- Why did He come?
- What did He teach?
- Why did He die?
- Why did He rise from the dead?
- Where is He now?
- What is He going to do in the future?
The less you know about Jesus, the weaker your faith will
be.
In who or what are you trusting right now? You must know him well.
(ii) You’ve got to
have personal trust. The righteous will live by his own faith.
You must have this faith personally.
True, saving faith moves from knowledge to trust. The longer you know Him, the easier
it is to trust Him. In order to trust Him , you must get into Him, if you know what I mean. Think of it this way. If you are on a cruise
ship that is sinking, what do you do?
You know you need to get to a lifeboat.
You know that you have to climb over the side and climb down the ladder and get
into the boat.
But even that knowledge is not enough.
You have to do it.
You
must personally get into the lifeboat. It is the only way to be saved from the sea.
So then, in waiting for God's answer, Habakkuk is really learning one big thing at this time. He is learning to trust God in this bad situation. And we shall learn with Him that He will not be disappointed. The answer is in the making and Habakkuk will be a changed man.
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