Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets,... 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. (Habakkuk 2:2-3)
Biblical Truth
The name "Habbakuk" means the embracer or the wrestler. Habakkuk prophecied during a time that Judah was going through a very difficult period. He was "wrestling" with the fact that there was a lot of injustice in the land, and that God had told him to inform the people that He was going to allow a Babylonian nation to destroy them: How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. (Habakkuk 1:2-4*) O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal— surely you do not plan to wipe us out? O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins. But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they? I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.(Habakkuk 1:12-13, 2:1*) (Habakkuk 1:1-4, 12-17, 2:1)
God responds to Habakkuk in a way that let's him and all of us know God is not accountable to anyone. He is God and we can not manipulate Him to do things the way we want or feel they should be done: “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. “But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, ‘What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! (Habakkuk 1:5-6, 2:6*) (Habakkuk 1:5-11, 2:2-20)
Habakkuk finallly "embraces" God's word and God's plan, accepting that God has all wisdom and is above man, therefore He can do whatever He decides, whether we understand and agree or not: I have heard all about you, Lord. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! (Habakkuk 3:2, 16-19*) (Habakkuk 3)
It's hard to keep our faith, hope and trust in God when things aren't going the way we feel thy should, but we must remember: Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. All these people [Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, children of Isreal, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets] died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.(Hebrews 11:1-3, 13-16; Hebrews 11) And that same city is prepared for us also, who believe the Word of God! (John 14:1-4)
*New Living Translation
No comments:
Post a Comment