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"But the righteous will live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4 |
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Assyria captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 721 BC. When their dominance in that part of the world weakened, the Babylonians filled the void. The book of Habakkuk is about the impending doom of Judah of Babylon. It was written about 605 BC.
In 601 BC Nebuchadnezzar marched against Egypt but was forced to withdraw in order to regroup his forces and re-equip them. King Jehoiakim of Judah did not listen to the warnings of Jeremiah and stopped payments of submission to the Babylonians. In 597 BC Nebuchadnezzar sent troops to besiege Jerusalem. About 120,000 captives were taken back to Babylon and Zedakiah was appointed to rule over the population.
Egypt's renewed activity persuaded Zedekiah to switch sides. Nebuchadnezzar smashed the rebellion in 18 months in 595 BC. Jerusalem was looted, its walls dismantled, and the temple and palace were burned to the ground. The leaders of the anti-Babylon group were executed, except Zedekiah, who was blinded and taken to Babylon.
The book is interestingly written in the form of Habakkuk's prayers and God's responses.
Habakkuk questioned God's use of the wicked Chaldeans to punish the Israelites. Why would God use a people more wicked than Israel to punish them? Habakkuk waited before God for the answer. He felt God would rebuke him for questioning Him. God didnn't rebuke him, but explained that the Chaldeans will receive judgement in due time. He was using them to bring Israel to justice. Habakkuk is instructed to write the vision. Those who are proud will be brought down, but the just shall live by faith. Habakkuk 2:4 God is ruling from His holy temple.
Habakkuk praised God for His mighty works and steeled himself against the onslaught of judgment brought on by the invading Chaldeans.
Examing the life of Habakkuk, like other great men of the Bible, sheds light on the path of service God is leading us on. Proverbs. 4:18
HABAKKUK SEEKS AN ANSWER AND RECEIVES A BIGGER PICTURE WITH DIRECTIONS FROM GOD.
First, apathy did not plague Habakkuk. He cried to God about the sin of Israel.
We break the hold apathy has on us by praying to God about the problems around us and getting involved in peoples lives. God doesn't call everyone to be a prophet, but He does want us to be involved in the work He has prepared for us. (Ephesians 2:10)
Some would say, "Where is the time to pray?" Martin Luther was a busy man of the highest rank in the Lutheran church. He said he would first spend hours in prayer. Can we afford not to pray?
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Habakkuk 3:19
"The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds' feet,
And makes me walk on my high places."
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Our prayers are the force which can change us. That is what touches God. If we will pray and touch God He will give us His Holy Spirit. Prayer gives us the readiness that Luke 12:35 is talking about. Prayer is the forgotten part of the armour of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 6:10f)
But you might say, "I don't know how to pray." Prayer is talking to God. We open our hearts to Him and tell Him our needs and desires. He will instruct and build in our spirit to be able to serve. As we pray in obedience, God will teach us deeper levels of prayer.
Our actions should come out of our prayer time with our Lord. Prayer is the foundation of our obedience, but if there is nothing afterwards, there is something wrong. As faith without works is dead, so is prayer without obedience. The prayer of faith will save the sick. There must be faith with prayer, but how do we put into action what we have been praying about? Galatians 5:6 says, "faith works through love". We can move in faith when God gives us love.
If we touch God we will have the love of God and will be able to act from the love God has put into our hearts. This allows us not to only live for ourselves but to do things for others. What did Habakkuk do? He prayed to God abut the complaint of the unrightousness that was rampant in the land and God told him to write the vision and scribe it on the tablets so that the one who reads it may run. He prayed and then he wrote the book of Habakkuk. Along with that, he was a watchman for the nation of Israel. What would God have us to do? (Ephesians 2:10)
Pray and God will lead!
Habakkuk sought the Lord and waited on Him. (Habakkuk 2:1) This is a key to spiritual power. There is no substitute for waiting on the Lord and praying to Him. Isaiah 62:6,7 is a great verse showing us how to wait and pray for the Lord to intervene in a situation: "On you walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."
Jerusalem is a type of where we live. It could be a city, country, a family or your life with the Lord. It can be applied to any living situation and we can ask God to intervene.
The wall protects your spiritual soul. If our walls can be broken down easily, the enemy can easily get at us. (Proverbs 25:28) The Christian life of faith is a battle. (2 Timothy 4:7) We must fight in prayer for the things God is asking of us. (Habakkuk 2:1)
The parable of the unrighteous judge encourages us in our attitude toward prayer. The woman sought legal protection from her opponent. The judge didn't want to bother with her, but the persistence of the woman brought action from the judge, for he was tired of listening to her. Won't the Lord give to us the things we need if we come to Him with our requests? (Luke 18:28) and (Matthew 7:7) also speaks of this. We should be seeking every avenue for an answer to get the solution.
Ask God questions about what is going on and wait for His answer until it comes.
Habakkuk asked the age old question, why do the righteous suffer while those more wicked go in apparent prosperity? Jeremiah asked a similar question and God’s answer is revealing. "If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?" (Jeremiah 12:5) God is testing us to make us stronger. If we lack strength in the test, how can we serve Him in the real battle? Job had a severe test in his life, but God allowed it so Job could have a deeper relationship with God. The suffering we go through enables us to comfort others who are suffering. (2 Corinthians 1:3,4)
Judges 3:1 talks about God leaving enemies to harass the people of God so they will always learn war. Christians are in a war of the spirit. It doesn't make any difference where we are in the Lord, we still have the ability to pray. Look at the prophet Elijah. He was a man like us. That in itself says alot. Many times we think because someone was great in the Bible they are on a different plane than we are. We have a purpose God has called us to. God works wonders if we press into it. Why was Elijah great? He was committed to prayer. He spent time praying on a mountain. There is not much you can do up on a mountain. One of the things that really captivates you there is the greatness of the creation of God. This will lead to praise, which is always a good way to start in prayer. I think Elijah spent a lot of time praising God as he brought his requests to Him. As we spend time with God, we learn to listen to His still small voice. This is the key. Cultivate an ear for direction from God. Devote yourself to prayer.
Opposition forces us to God. The key is to seek God and do His will each day, no matter what the pressure. The problem is, we aren't able to do that if there isn't a goal involved. Instead of having a goal to get out of trouble, we should have a goal to serve the living God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Author and Finisher of the faith. He is a God of compassion and feeling. Reach out to others in compassion from your experience of suffering.
People are afraid God will punish them for questioning Him. God did not reprove Habakkuk! Job questioned God in his pain and learned from his experience. God never judged him for it. "Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose." (Psalm 25:12) God wants us to seek Him for answers.
A quiet time with the Lord in the morning can be our greatest learning experience. (Psalm 5:3;) 130:5,6 Moses questioned God about confronting Pharaoh, but went on and obeyed. (Exodus 3:11) Gideon questioned God about how he was going to lead the Israelites out of bondage to the Midianites. (Judges 6:13,15)
We can question God on how to do something He has told us to do, but we should not question Him if we should do it.
Habakkuk 2:2-4 is the first time the word "faith" is in the Bible. God tells Habakkuk to write the vision God has given him. Why? So those who read it may run. But what does He mean by run? Does He mean to run from the Chaldeans? I don't think so. The reason why is because God talks about faith afterwards. Faith is referred to in the New Testament as running the race of faith. Paul said that he had finished the course (of faith).
At the end of the book, Habakkuk wasn't planning to run. In fact he was planning to wait and serve God in the midst of disaster. Where would he run to anyway? Would he run to the Egyptians? God told the Israelites through Jeremiah they were to give in to the Chaldeans and not to run to Egypt. God wanted them to run to Him for refuge, and the only way they could do this was by faith. God gives us a revelation of faith to live a life of discipline (running) for His purposes.
God speaks of the vision He gave Habakkuk. He said though it tarries, wait for it, because it hastens towards the goal. God's word is like that. It will come in its appointed time. This is part of faith. Look at what God has promised and then expectantly wait for Him to bring it to pass.
God goes on to say in the next verse to live by faith and not have pride in your heart. There is a struggle between pride and faith. There are two opposing forces. One is the force of the world system. The other is the force of the Kingdom of God. The world system is based on the assumption of living for "Number One". In the world system, self is the motivating factor for doing things. They want to get rich, have an easy life and enjoy the good life.
The kingdom of God is operated on the basis of faith, not deduction, but faith out of a loving relationship with our Father and His son and Holy Spirit. If faith in God is in our life, we will have the freedom from fear of man and will be able to reject pride. This allows us to hear from Him and gives us the ability to believe His word from our hearts.
To live by faith is to trust God to back up what He has promised. It is living in the confidence that God will care for us and provide for us. To live by faith is to live in relationship with God. We aren't living by principles, but by the instructions to our inner being. To live by faith is not academic. What I mean by academic is faith is not a deduction of what the Bible says. It is what has become alive in our hearts and has become real within us by meditation and prayer. (John 15:7)
Habakkuk sees the judgment of God coming. What does he do? Does he run? Does he turn his heart against God? He didn't deserve the punishment that was coming, yet he was going to get it, along with the rest of the nation. Israel.
What does Habakkuk do? He steels his heart to trust the Lord no matter what comes. He braces for the coming storm by declaring his allegiance to the Lord, putting his trust completely in the Lord no matter what. How can we follow the example of Habakkuk in steeling our hearts for the disasters that could come our way? How do we prepare ourselves to trust God no matter what happens to us? Seek God for direction and live by the revelation of faith He give us.
Habakkuk said if there would come economic disaster it wouldn't make any difference; he would praise the Lord and count on Him to be his strength. Praise moves us from ourselves to the spirit and allows the Holy Spirit to flow through us. God is enthroned upon the praises of His people.
To make a decision to follow the Creator and Father of our faith is never a step to be regretted in the long run. Rewards will be given out according to righteousness.
He realized the source of his strength and didn't turn away from it. He embraced it and stayed with Him through thick and thin.
We usually think of praise when there are times of peace and happiness. Habakkuk shows us that he praised and worshipped God as the menacing clouds of the marching Chaldeans were moving ever closer.
NOTES ON PRAISE,
DETERMINATION AND EVIL LEADERS
What Is The Benefit of Praise and Worship?
Brings you into His presence.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm
110:4)
It allows God's power to come into your life.
God is enthroned upon the praises of His people. (Psalm
22:3)
Rejoicing in God brings strength.
The joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.
(Philippians 4:4)
Praise is ministering to God. (Psalm 50:23)
Offer a sacrifice of praise to God. (Hebrews 13:15) Minister unto the Lord. (Psalm 29:2)
Praise creates a highway for God to reach you. Or for us to reach God. (Isaiah 43:18,19)
Praise is a statement of faith and it builds faith.
Worship and praise prepares us to receive the Word of God.
It puts your mind on the Lord.
Praise puts our problems into perspective.
Praise frees us to cast our cares on the Lord. (1 Peter
5:7)
It resists Satan and brings us closer to God. (James 4:8)
Used to defeat the enemies in the Old Testament (2 Chronicles 20:20-23) (Jehosephat)
It is a weapon of spiritual warfare. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
It lifts up your countenance. (Psalm 42:18)
Put on the mantle of praise for the spirit of fainting. (Isaiah 61:3)
Allows the Holy Spirit to move in you. (2 Kings 3:15) (Elisha)
Determination To Follow God Unwaveringly
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego won't bow down to the image that was set up. (Daniel 3:14-18)
Daniel - Daniel prayed openly three times a day even when it was outlawed. God protected him in the lion's den. (Daniel 6:7-10)
(Amos 7:10-17 )
Amos did not fear Amaziah's rebuke.
(Romans
8:31-38) The faithfulness of God.
(Philippians 3:7-16)Commitment to serve God.
Obedience to God. ( Acts 5:17-32)
(1
Peter 4:1) - Preparation for the long haul.
(1
Corthians 9:24-27) Buffeting the body.
(Psalm
73) Commitment to serve God even in the apparent prosperity of the wicked.
God uses and raises up evil leaders to fulfill His purposes:
(Daniel 4:25) Nebuchadnazzar
(Daniel 4:17) God is ruler over mankind, sets over them rulers and lowliest.
(Daniel 5:21) God set over man the ruler He wants.
(Psalm
62:11) Power belongs to God.
Jer. 27:5-7 God gives to who He wants. God gave Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom.
Daniel 5:18,19 God raised Nebuchadnezzar up and lowered him.
God raises the poor to inherit a seat of honor. 1 Sam. 2:8
Isa. 41:2
Rom 13
Ezra 1:1,2
Daniel 2:21
Daniel 2:37
Eventually there will be justice. Though it looks like some people get off while others have to pay, God will bring all to justice.
--- Scott McCrae
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