“In wrath remember mercy” (vs. 1-2)—Habakkuk is strongly moved by the Lord’s response in chapter 2. The word “Shigionoth” (v. 1) apparently indicates some kind powerful emotional feeling as expressed in poetry or song, as chapter 3 is. Jehovah’s speech made the prophet afraid, but also revived his hope because of what the Lord had done before: “revive Your work in the midst of the years!” (v. 2). Or, as he says, “in wrath remember mercy”—when You punish Your people in Your wrath, remember Your mercies of former years.
God’s former interventions (vs. 3-15)—There is majestic, mighty language found in this portion of Habakkuk to describe Jehovah’s actions towards His people. “God came from Teman” (v. 3) introduces the thought. Teman is actually a city south of Israel, towards Sinai. So the indication here seems to be—and it’s a bit obscure—the mighty works of God in delivering His people from Egypt and giving them His law. All sorts of grandiose, vivid terms are used to describe God and His works: glory, works, praise, brightness, and power (vs. 3-4). He is awesome and all powerful, and “His ways are everlasting” (vs. 6-7). Verse 8, God’s wrath against “the rivers,” is perhaps a reference to the Nile or the Red Sea passage; He makes war as He pleases (v. 9). The mountains, sea, even the sun and moon trembled and revere Him (vs. 10-11). He crushes the nations in behalf of His people (vs. 12-13). The wicked are destroyed by their own devices (v. 14), and no obstacle can hinder Jehovah (v. 15). A lovely song describing the might and splendor of the Almighty.
Trusting God through every tribulation (vs. 16-19)—When Habakkuk heard of the coming punishment upon his countrymen, he “trembled” (v. 16). It would be a dark day for Israel, a day of great distress; “rottenness entered my bones.” Tribulation, trials, and chastisement come into the life of every child of God. But no matter how bad things are, there is always a reason to rejoice. Verses 17 and 18 are magnificent: “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--yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk says—and what a wonderful example this is to us—it doesn’t matter what happens in this life, how bleak and desperate things may be, how sorrowful, sad, distressing might be our surroundings and circumstances, we should always rejoice and find joy in the Lord. He is our strength, and “He will make me walk on my high hills” (v. 19)—restore us to the blessings of “the land flowing with milk and honey.” Indeed, tremble at the wrath of God; but rejoice in His mercy.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Habakkuk 2
The Lord’s 2nd answer (vs. 2-4)—As noted in the summary of chapter 1, verse 1 of chapter 2 really belongs with the previous division. Habakkuk asks his question, “how can Jehovah use a more wicked people to punish one more righteous?” and then awaits God’s answer. The Lord commands the prophet to “write the vision and make it plain on tablets” (v. 2), for He wants understood by all. Indeed, so “that he may run who reads it”—act on it quickly and surely. What the Lord says will surely come to pass and come soon (v. 3). The answer to Habakkuk’s question, though, is really not given; he learns a far greater lesson—“the just shall live by his faith” (v. 4). “Habakkuk, you let Me take care of it, your responsibility is to trust Me.” There are many, many times in our lives when we do not understand the will of the Lord; His ways are far above ours. We simply must trust in Him to do what is right for us; and if we do, in His infinite wisdom all will work out according to His will and for our good (Romans 8:28).
Five woes against Babylon (vs. 5-20)—Why God will use the more wicked Babylon to punish Judah is not answered, but the Lord does tell Habakkuk that Babylon’s day of doom will surely come. Such a wicked people must also face judgment. Verse 5 introduces the section and provides a partial catalogue of the sins of Babylon: drunkenness, pride, insatiable conquest of other peoples—“he enlarges his desire as hell, and he is like death, and cannot be satisfied.” Hell is never full and death cannot get enough victims—a vivid description of the unquenchable appetite of Babylon for the territory of others. Eventually, however, those same people will taunt and mock Babylon for its own fall (v. 6).
The five woes start in verse 6 and are as follows:
“Woe to him who increases what is not his” (v. 6), i.e., captures and plunders other peoples. Those oppressed will someday “awaken…and you will become their booty” (v. 7).
“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” (v. 9). Regardless of where the fortifications were built or how strong they were, there would be no escape (v. 10). Even the stones on the city walls will cry out against Babylon (v. 11).
“Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed” (v. 12). Babylon had done a lot of this, of course. God’s punishment is coming upon them (v. 13), and the news of His vengeance upon Babylon will fill the earth “as the waters cover the sea” (v. 14).
“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor” (v. 15). Babylon was a very debauched, shameless society (vs. 15-16), and “the cup of the LORD'S right hand will be turned against you, and utter shame will be on your glory” (v. 16). The same violence Babylon used to conquer others will be used on her (v. 17).
“Woe to him who says to wood, 'Awake!' To silent stone, 'Arise! It shall teach!'” (v. 19). Idolatry was a sin that plagued nearly all ancient peoples, and Babylon was no different. “The molded image” was “a teacher of lies”; the idols were “mute” and untrustworthy (v. 18). Rather, they should have listened to Jehovah, for “the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him" (v. 20).
Few empires were ever more deserving of punishment than Babylon. But God, in His infinite wisdom and purposes, used these wicked people to punish His own. We must not think that we are safe just because other appear more vile than we.
Five woes against Babylon (vs. 5-20)—Why God will use the more wicked Babylon to punish Judah is not answered, but the Lord does tell Habakkuk that Babylon’s day of doom will surely come. Such a wicked people must also face judgment. Verse 5 introduces the section and provides a partial catalogue of the sins of Babylon: drunkenness, pride, insatiable conquest of other peoples—“he enlarges his desire as hell, and he is like death, and cannot be satisfied.” Hell is never full and death cannot get enough victims—a vivid description of the unquenchable appetite of Babylon for the territory of others. Eventually, however, those same people will taunt and mock Babylon for its own fall (v. 6).
The five woes start in verse 6 and are as follows:
“Woe to him who increases what is not his” (v. 6), i.e., captures and plunders other peoples. Those oppressed will someday “awaken…and you will become their booty” (v. 7).
“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” (v. 9). Regardless of where the fortifications were built or how strong they were, there would be no escape (v. 10). Even the stones on the city walls will cry out against Babylon (v. 11).
“Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed” (v. 12). Babylon had done a lot of this, of course. God’s punishment is coming upon them (v. 13), and the news of His vengeance upon Babylon will fill the earth “as the waters cover the sea” (v. 14).
“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor” (v. 15). Babylon was a very debauched, shameless society (vs. 15-16), and “the cup of the LORD'S right hand will be turned against you, and utter shame will be on your glory” (v. 16). The same violence Babylon used to conquer others will be used on her (v. 17).
“Woe to him who says to wood, 'Awake!' To silent stone, 'Arise! It shall teach!'” (v. 19). Idolatry was a sin that plagued nearly all ancient peoples, and Babylon was no different. “The molded image” was “a teacher of lies”; the idols were “mute” and untrustworthy (v. 18). Rather, they should have listened to Jehovah, for “the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him" (v. 20).
Few empires were ever more deserving of punishment than Babylon. But God, in His infinite wisdom and purposes, used these wicked people to punish His own. We must not think that we are safe just because other appear more vile than we.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Habakkuk Introduction and Chapter One
Introduction—We know virtually nothing about the prophet Habakkuk. There have been some legends that have been told about him, the most interesting of which is that one day he was “on his way to the field with a bowl of pottage, was taken by an angel, carried to Babylon and placed in the lions den, where Daniel ate the pottage, when Habakkuk was returned to his own place.” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “Habakkuk”). There is a musical notation at the end of chapter 3 which has led some to conclude that he was a member of a Levitical choir. None of this is known for certain. We can pretty well date his book, however, as near the end of the 7th century B.C., soon before the Babylonian onslaught into Judah. This would make Habakkuk a contemporary of Zephaniah and Jeremiah.
Chapter One
Habakkuk’s dilemma (vs. 1-4)—Like all godly men, Habakkuk was concerned with the increasing degeneracy and debauchery among the people of his country. And, indeed, as Judah got closer to Babylonian captivity, corruption and iniquity were more rampant. Habakkuk had asked God about it (v. 2), but so far received no answer. He mentions the sins of plundering, violence, strife, and contention (v. 3), and there were no restraints—“the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds” (v. 4). A pretty clear statement of the wickedness in Judah at the time. When people ignore the law (“the law is powerless”), then sin, anarchy, and chaos are not far behind.
“God, when are you going to do something about this wickedness? How long are You going to put up with it?” That’s what Habakkuk wants to know. A lot of people in America would like to know the same thing about this country.
The Lord’s answer (vs. 5-11)—Jehovah tells the prophet that He is, indeed, about to “work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you” (v. 5). He is going to use the Babylonians (“Chaldeans”) to punish Judah (v. 6). The rest of this section is a vivid description of the power of Babylon—“a bitter and hasty nation” (v. 6). They had conquered many other peoples (v. 6). “They are terrible and dreadful,” (v. 7), and then perhaps the most striking portrayal: “Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves” (v. 7). They make their own laws, judge others by their own standards, create their own gods; they pay no attention to the righteous dictates of God. They are fast, they are fierce (v. 8), they are violent, “they gather captives like sand” (v. 9), no world power scares them, they take anything they want (v. 10). And all their sins they attribute to their god (v. 11). The Babylonians were, indeed, an unusually perverse and wicked people, and were known throughout the ancient world for such.
Habakkuk’s 2nd dilemma (vs. 12-2:1)—Jehovah’s answer didn’t compute to Habakkuk at all. “Ok,” the prophet says, “you have appointed Judah for judgment, and marked them for correction, but will not obliterate them completely” (“we shall not die”—v. 12). The problem for Habakkuk was the agent God was going to use. In one of the great passages in the prophetic writings, he says, “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?” (v. 13). “God, we’re bad, but we aren’t as bad as those people (the Babylonians). How can You use them, who are more wicked than we, to punish us?” A singular question indeed! In the rest of the chapter, Habakkuk uses an illustration of a fisherman and a net; in effect, Babylon is sweeping the seas and capturing all the fish. The last statement in verse 17 explains his allegory: “And continue to slay nations without pity?” The Babylonians were doing that. How can the Lord use such people as they? The ways of God were simply beyond the prophet’s ability to understand. So he asks.
Chapter 2, verse 1 really belongs at the end of chapter 1. It records the end of Habakkuk’s speech. He will “watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.” He greatly anticipated the Lord’s response to his question. The answer he received wasn’t what he expected.
Chapter One
Habakkuk’s dilemma (vs. 1-4)—Like all godly men, Habakkuk was concerned with the increasing degeneracy and debauchery among the people of his country. And, indeed, as Judah got closer to Babylonian captivity, corruption and iniquity were more rampant. Habakkuk had asked God about it (v. 2), but so far received no answer. He mentions the sins of plundering, violence, strife, and contention (v. 3), and there were no restraints—“the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds” (v. 4). A pretty clear statement of the wickedness in Judah at the time. When people ignore the law (“the law is powerless”), then sin, anarchy, and chaos are not far behind.
“God, when are you going to do something about this wickedness? How long are You going to put up with it?” That’s what Habakkuk wants to know. A lot of people in America would like to know the same thing about this country.
The Lord’s answer (vs. 5-11)—Jehovah tells the prophet that He is, indeed, about to “work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you” (v. 5). He is going to use the Babylonians (“Chaldeans”) to punish Judah (v. 6). The rest of this section is a vivid description of the power of Babylon—“a bitter and hasty nation” (v. 6). They had conquered many other peoples (v. 6). “They are terrible and dreadful,” (v. 7), and then perhaps the most striking portrayal: “Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves” (v. 7). They make their own laws, judge others by their own standards, create their own gods; they pay no attention to the righteous dictates of God. They are fast, they are fierce (v. 8), they are violent, “they gather captives like sand” (v. 9), no world power scares them, they take anything they want (v. 10). And all their sins they attribute to their god (v. 11). The Babylonians were, indeed, an unusually perverse and wicked people, and were known throughout the ancient world for such.
Habakkuk’s 2nd dilemma (vs. 12-2:1)—Jehovah’s answer didn’t compute to Habakkuk at all. “Ok,” the prophet says, “you have appointed Judah for judgment, and marked them for correction, but will not obliterate them completely” (“we shall not die”—v. 12). The problem for Habakkuk was the agent God was going to use. In one of the great passages in the prophetic writings, he says, “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?” (v. 13). “God, we’re bad, but we aren’t as bad as those people (the Babylonians). How can You use them, who are more wicked than we, to punish us?” A singular question indeed! In the rest of the chapter, Habakkuk uses an illustration of a fisherman and a net; in effect, Babylon is sweeping the seas and capturing all the fish. The last statement in verse 17 explains his allegory: “And continue to slay nations without pity?” The Babylonians were doing that. How can the Lord use such people as they? The ways of God were simply beyond the prophet’s ability to understand. So he asks.
Chapter 2, verse 1 really belongs at the end of chapter 1. It records the end of Habakkuk’s speech. He will “watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.” He greatly anticipated the Lord’s response to his question. The answer he received wasn’t what he expected.
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