Pt. 5 Habakkuk 3.16-19 - The Prophet’s Praise - 090419AM@TBC

Review and Overview

1 Segway

Habakkuk

Though the Awana teams went to Summit without me,

Though I am not at New Life Ranch,

Though it rained yesterday while the Clements mowed,

Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord.

2 Background

A. Title - “an oracle” that was “a burden”   (1:1)

B. Timing   Manasseh, Josiah, or Jehoiakim

Clues (1:2, 5, 6 & 3:19)

1.5 a work, which you will not believe…utterly astounding...

1.6 Chaleans, which marches through the breadth of the earth

3.19 To the chief Musician.

p           Geography and History of Habakkuk’s Time

620 BC—Babylon (Chaldeans) becomes independent

612 BC—Babylonians and Medes destroy Nineveh

609 BC—Babylonians defeat the Assyrians at Haran

605 BC—Babylonians defeat Necho II of Egypt at Carchemish

605 BC—Jerusalem defeated and exile begins (Daniel)

597 BC—Jerusalem defeated (Ezekiel probably taken Ez 1.2)

588-86 BC—Jerusalem burned & temple 

2. Early in the Babylonian rise to power (625-612 BC)

C. Overview of Habakkuk series

1.1-11  “The Prophet’s Plea” -

1st prayer & God’s response

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1.12-2.4 “The Prophet’s Puzzle” -

2nd prayer & God’s response

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2.5-20  “Prophet’s Pronouncement” -

The five “woes” pronounced

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3.1-16  “The Prophet’s Prayer” -

Prayer in response to God

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3.16-19  “The Prophet’s Praise” -

The chorus or closing hymn

D. Review

1.

p 1.1-11  “The Prophet’s Plea”

1st prayer and God’s response

Habakkuk: Why don’t You do something about Judah’s wickedness?  (2-4)

God: I am going to use the Chaldeans to punish Judah.

(5-11)

"Q" by verse 1-

Underline "how long shall I cry for help" v. 2

"A" by verse 5 -

Underline "I am raising up the Chaldeans"  v. 6

Application:  Acts 13.40-41“Beware therefore”

Paul uses Habakkuk to warn against presumption and complacency. 

2.

p 1.12-2.4 “The Prophet’s Puzzle”

2nd prayer and response

Habakkuk: Why do You look and hold Your tongue?

God: The appointed time is coming. The Just shall live by faith.

"Q" by verse 1.12

Underline "Why do you … hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he. v. 1.13

"A" by verse 2.2

Underline "The just shall live by faith." v. 2.4

Application:  “The just shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38

3.

p 2.5-20  “Prophet’s Pronouncement” The five “woes” pronounced

Circle the word "Woe" in verses

Woe #1 - Ambition  v. 6

Woe #2 - Greed   v. 9

Woe #3 - Violence   v. 12

Woe #4 - Contempt for others   v. 15

Woe #5 – Idolatry/Self trust  v. 19

Application: God will certainly punish the sins of unbelief and  pride.

Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!”  Micah 1:5 & 7 (KJV)

4.

3.1-15  “The Prophet’s Prayer”

Prayer in response to God

---------------------------------

A. The Display of  God's Glory  3-6

B. The Demonstration of  God's Wrath  7-11

C. The Deliverance of  God's People  12-15

Note that:  v. 1-6   3rd person

                       v. 7   1st person

                       v. 8-15    2nd person

                       "Selah" in verses 3, 9, & 13

Application:     

The God Who worked in history is not finished.

Live confident of the ending. - Hebrews 10:35-38

5.

p3.16-19  “The Prophet’s Praise”

The chorus or closing hymn

--------------------------------------------

Habakkuk's hymn teaches four imperatives of faith...

I. Respect the Lord

II. Rest in the Lord

III. Rejoice in the Lord

IV. Rely on the Lord

Big Idea:     

Faith looks to the Lord even in spite of circumstances.

Stand, Read text, 17-19 in unison from the screen

Habakkuk 3:1-16 (nkjv)

¹ A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.

² O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;

O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years!

In the midst of the years make it known;

In wrath remember mercy.

³ God came from Teman,

The Holy One from Mount Paran. 

Selah 

His glory covered the heavens,

And the earth was full of His praise.

⁴ His brightness was like the light;

He had rays flashing from His hand,

And there His power was hidden.

⁵ Before Him went pestilence,

And fever followed at His feet.

⁶ He stood and measured the earth;

He looked and startled the nations.

And the everlasting mountains were scattered,

The perpetual hills bowed.

His ways are everlasting.

⁷ I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;

The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.

⁸ O LORD, were You displeased with the rivers,

Was Your anger against the rivers,

Was Your wrath against the sea,

That You rode on Your horses,

Your chariots of salvation?

⁹ Your bow was made quite ready;

Oaths were sworn over Your arrows.

Selah  

You divided the earth with rivers.
¹⁰ The mountains saw You and trembled;
The overflowing of the water passed by.
The deep uttered its voice,
And lifted its hands on high.
¹¹ The sun and moon stood still in their habitation;
At the light of Your arrows they went,
At the shining of Your glittering spear.
¹² You marched through the land in indignation;
You trampled the nations in anger.
¹³ You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
For salvation with Your Anointed.
You struck the head from the house of the wicked,
By laying bare from foundation to neck.  

Selah  

¹⁴ You thrust through with his own arrows
The head of his villages.
They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me;
Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.
¹⁵ You walked through the sea with Your horses,
Through the heap of great waters.

Habakkuk 3

Response to who God is

¹⁶ When I heard, my body trembled;
      My lips quivered at the voice;
      Rottenness entered my bones;
      And I trembled in myself,
      That I might rest in the day of trouble.
      When he comes up to the people,
      He will invade them with his troops.

Read in unison from the overhead...

    ¹⁷ 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—
       ¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
      I will joy in the God of my salvation.
       ¹⁹ The LORD God  is my strength;
      He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
      And He will make me walk on my high hills.

   To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

1. Respect the Lord.    verse 3.16a

16a

¹⁶ When I heard, my body trembled;
^b My lips quivered at the voice;
^c Rottenness entered my bones;
^d And I trembled in myself,

The alarm pervades the whole body, belly, and bones, i.e. the softer and firmer component parts of the body; lives and feet, i.e. the upper and lower organs of the body.   

——C.F. Keil in the Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes

A.  ^a body trembled

my body

...it is used figuratively of the innermost thoughts and motives of man.

Ylt, kjv—belly trembleth; nasb—inward parts; nkjv, esv--body trembled(es); niv--heart pounded; nlt—trembled inside;

בטן   St# 0990  TWOT - 236a  beten    beh'-ten--belly, abdomen 1. as seat of hunger 2. as seat of mental faculties 3. of depth of Sheol (fig.)

trembled

רגז   St#07264 TWOT - 2112   ragaz  raw-gaza-- (Qal) to quake, be disquieted, be excited, be perturbed

Prov 18.8

       ⁸ The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles,
      And they go down into the inmost body.

"...that sinking feeling in the pit of your tummy when some crises faced you or you came to some place in life where there was a great emergency?"     —Through the Bible with  J.Vernon McGee

B. lips quivered

"...so frightened that you couldn't speak." 

—Through the Bible with  J.Vernon McGee

C. Rottenness entered my bones

^c Rottenness  bqr  St#H7538 TWOT-2213a Raqab raw-kawb'  rottenness, decay (always fig)

...takes away all the firmness of the body.

——C.F. Keil in the Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes

"...That means he couldn't stand up—he had to hold on to something." —Through the Bible with  J.Vernon McGee

Proverbs 12

       ⁴ An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
      But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 14

       ³⁰ A sound heart is life to the body,
      But envy is rottenness to the bones.

D. I trembled in myself

This is reminiscent of King Belshazzer when he saw the hand writing on the wall.

Daniel 5

⁵ In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. ⁶ Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.

Job

Job 40  after God spoke to Job the first time...

 ¹ Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said:

 ² “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
      He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”

Job’s Response to God

   ³ Then Job answered the LORD and said:

 ⁴ “ Behold, I am vile;
      What shall I answer You?
      I lay my hand over my mouth.

 ⁵ Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;
      Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

Isaiah

Isaiah 6

⁵ So I said:
      “ Woe is me, for I am undone!
      Because I am a man of unclean lips,
      And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
      For my eyes have seen the King,
      The LORD of hosts.”

John

Revelation 1

¹² Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, …

¹⁷ And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.

"Reverence and awe have often been replaced by a yawn of familiarity.  The consuming fire has been domesticated into a candle flame … We prefer the illusion of a safer deity and so we have pared God down to a manageable proportions."

 —Donald McCullough in The Trivialisation of God

Application:

"fear of the Lord" 30 x's in the kjv

Proverbs 9.10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 

2. Rest in the Lord.    verse 3.16B

^e That I might rest in the day of trouble.
^f When He comes up to the people,
^g He will invade them with his troops.

A. The Fear of the Lord put Habakkuk's heart at ease in the face of uncertain times.

^e rest in

ylt--rest for;  kjv, nkjv—rest in; nasb—wait quietly for;  esv—I will quietly wait quiet for; niv, nlt—wait for (quietly, patiently)  asv—because I must wait

xwn  St# 5117 TWOT – 1323  Nuwach noo'-akh--to rest (Qal) to rest,

settle down and remain; to repose, have rest, be quiet

not to rest in the grave (Luther and others),

nor to bear quietly or endure (Ges., Maurer),

but to wait quietly or silently.

——C.F. Keil in the Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes

B. A coming time of trouble described.

^f When He comes up to the people,
^g He will invade them with his troops.

The nasb has the Chaldeans coming to invade Judah in view.

nasb—for the people to arise who will invade us.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The kjv and nkjv do a good job of translating the ambiguity of the Hebrew phrase.

kjv—when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops

nkjv—when he comes up to the people, he will invade them with his troops.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The esv and niv understand the phrase to refer to God punishing the Chaldeans.

esv—the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.

niv—the day of the calamity to come on the nation invading us

(ylt—at the coming up of the people, he overcometh it.)

"Even in the midst of absolute ruin and abject famine (which came when the Babylonians captured Jerusalem, Lam. 2:12, 20, 4.4, 9-10; 5.17-18), the prophet was prepared to trust in God.  He realized that inner peace did not depend on outward prosperity."

                    ——Ron Blue in The Bible Knowledge Commentary

Application:

The Lord gives rest to those who focus on Him.

Psalm 94

¹² Blessed is the man whom You instruct,

O Lord, And teach out of Your law,

¹³ That You may give him rest from the days of adversity,

Until the pit is dug for the wicked.

¹⁴ For the Lord will not cast off His people,

Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

2 Corinthians 4

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

3. Rejoice in the Lord.    verse 17-18

17

^a  Though the fig tree may not blossom,
^b  Nor fruit be on the vines;
^c  Though the labor of the olive may fail,
^d  And the fields yield no food;
^e  Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
^f  And there be no herd in the stalls—

18

  ¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
      I will joy in the God of my salvation.

A. The desperate results of God's judgment.

The nouns used in this verse represent the bases of Israel's agricultural economy.  Her prosperity was dependent on the nation's obedience to the covenant and on the Lord's consequent blessings. Such prosperity was forfeited by disobedience and disloyalty to the covenant, which was incurred the Lord's chastening through natural and military disasters (Lev 26:14-33; Deut 28.16-17, 22-24; 30-31, 38-42…)

——Carl Armerding in the Expositor's Commentary

Deuteronomy 28

¹⁵ “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

³⁰ “You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes. ³¹ Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them. ³² Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be no strength in your hand. ³³ A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually. ³⁴ So you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see. ³⁵ The LORD will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.
³⁶ “The LORD will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods—wood and stone. ³⁷ And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the LORD will drive you.
³⁸ “You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it. ³⁹ You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. ⁴⁰ You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off. ⁴¹ You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity. ⁴² Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

A. Fig tree not blossom, no fruit on vines.

1. Dried fruit was an important part of winter food.

2. Figs and raisins were two of the main fruits dried.

3. No grapes no wine to drink.

B. The labor of the olive shall fail.

1. From the olive they derived their cooking oil.

2. They also could preserve them.

3. The land abounds with olive trees.

^c  labor

ylt—work; kjv—labor; nasb—yield; esv—produce; niv, nlt—crop;

hX[m  St#4639 TWOT - 1708a Ma`aseh mah-as-eh' --deed, work, thing done, act, business, undertaking, enterprise, thing made

fail

Xxk  St# 3584 TWOT – 975 Kachash kä·khash'  (Piel) to deceive, deny falsely; to act deceptively; to cringe; to disappoint, fail

C. The field shall yield no grain.

1. The grain crops were basic.

2. The grain easily stored. 

3. Bread was their true staff of life.

D. The flock be cut off from the fold.

1. Everyone had their own flock of goats and sheep.

2. Even to the present day the size of the flocks is the measure of the Bedouin's wealth.

 St#H6629 TWOT-1864a  Tso'n tsone—small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks

cut off from the fold  gâzar "to be cut off or absent"

Folds and stalls are empty in consequence of the devastation or the land by the hostile troops and their depredations; "a prophetic picture of the devastation of the holy by the Chaldean war" (Delitzsch)

E. No herd in the stalls.

1. This just about completes the picture.

2. Without the goats and cows no milk.

Lamentations 2.  Jeremiah records the results of the invasion.

¹¹ My eyes fail with tears,
      My heart is troubled;
      My bile is poured on the ground
      Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
      Because the children and the infants
      Faint in the streets of the city.
       ¹² They say to their mothers,

      “ Where is grain and wine?”
      As they swoon like the wounded
      In the streets of the city,
      As their life is poured out
      In their mothers’ bosom.

B. Rejoicing and shouting for the God of my salvation.  v. 18

¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

"It is right and proper to voice appreciation of God's goodness when he bestows all that is necessary for life, health, and prosperity. But when these things are lacking to rejoice in God for his own sake is evidence of pure faith."   ——F.F. Bruce in The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expositional Commentary

Deuteronomy 30:1-10 promises restoration after the dispersion

"Even though the prophet felt weak physically, he was strong in faith spiritually." ——Thomas Constable

rejoice

 St#5937 TWOT - 1625 (16 x’s) `alaz  ä·laz'--(Qal) to exult, rejoice, triumph

joy  /C.F. Keil translates this "shout"

 St#1523 TWOT – 346 Giyl ghēl --(Qal) to rejoice; to tremble (from fear)

God of my salvation

Psalm 18
46 The LORD lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God who avenges me,
And subdues the peoples under me;
48 He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.

Psalm 25
2 O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
Let not my enemies triumph over me.
3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.
4 Show me Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.

Psalm 27
9 Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the LORD will take care of me.

Psalm 51 A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.


Psalm 88 A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” A Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 O LORD, God of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life draws near to the grave.
4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit;
I am like a man who has no strength,
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah

Micah 7
6 For son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
7 Therefore I will look to the LORD;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.

Distress is a common theme in the psalms, so I don't want to make too much of this, but it is interesting that a feeling of guilt and despair over sin (psalm 51 & 88), concern about enemies (18 & 25), or even fear of desertion by family (Psalm 27 & Micah 7) surround this title for God, "the God of my salvation." This title for God does not seem to express some lofty soteriological proclamation, but rather the gritty, real life urgency for God to intervene in the here and now.

As Habakkuk anticipates the coming judgment on Judah and Jerusalem by the fierce Chaldean hoard, he uses this title in his closing prayer of faith. The title is like a prayer in itself.  It is designed to express reliance on and hope in God to save.

 

Application:
Anybody can say, "The Lord gave" or "The Lord has taken away" but it takes real faith to say in the midst of sorrow and suffering, "Blessed be the name of the Lord. 

 —Warren Wiersbe commenting on Job

"Am I thankful to God regardless of what He gives or withholds?"      ——David C. McCasland in Our Daily Bread

Faith blesses God even when He takes away.

Job 1:20-21

²⁰ Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said:
      “ Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
      And naked shall I return there.
      The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
      Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
²² In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

4. Rely on the Lord.    verse 19

¹⁹ The LORD God  is my strength;
      He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
      And He will make me walk on my high hills.

   To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

A. strength

lyx  St# H2428 TWOT-624a  Chayil (khah'-yil ) strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army  used 100 x's in the sense of an army (of 243)

"This is the ultimate reason, from our standpoint, why God fills our lives with troubles and perplexities of one sort and another—it is to ensure that we shall learn to held Him fast"  

——J.I. Packer in Knowing God

2 Corinthians 12

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

These expressions are in the context of war and soldiering in the parallel passages of Psa. 18 and 2 Samuel 22.

Psalm 18

 ³¹ For who is God, except the LORD?
         And who is a rock, except our God?
 ³² It is God who arms me with strength,
         And makes my way perfect.
 ³³ He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
         And sets me on my high places.
 ³⁴ He teaches my hands to make war,
         So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

2 Samuel 22

 ³² “For who is God, except the LORD?
      And who is a rock, except our God?

 ³³ God is my strength and power,
      And He makes my way perfect.

 ³⁴ He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
      And sets me on my high places.

 ³⁵ He teaches my hands to make war,
      So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

B. deer’s feet

ykt—hinds; kjv, nasb--hinds feet; nkjv—deer’s feet; esv—feet like the deer’s;  niv--feet like the feet of a deer; nlt—surefooted as a deer;

"...the reference is to the swiftness of foot, which was one of the qualifications of a thorough man of war 2 Sam. i.23; 1 Chron. xxii.8), so as to enable him to make a sudden attack upon the enemy, and pursue him vigorously. Here it is a figurative expression for the fresh and joyous strength acquired in God."

——C.F. Keil in the Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes

I Chronicles 12.8

 Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:

C. my high hills.

The “high places” are called “mine,” to imply that Israel shall be restored to his own land, a land of hills which are places of safety and of eminence (compare Ge 19:17; Mt 24:16). Probably not only the safety, but the moral elevation, of Israel above all the lands of the earth is implied (De 33:29). 

——A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments.  Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

We shall be successful in our spiritual enterprises: "He will make me to walk upon my high places; that is, I shall gain my point, shall be restored unto my own land, and tread upon the high places of the enemy,’’ Deu. 32:13; 33:29 

——Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible : Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

Deut 32.

 ¹³ “He made him [Jacob] ride in the heights of the earth,
      That he might eat the produce of the fields;
      He made him draw honey from the rock,
      And oil from the flinty rock;

Deut. 33

 ²⁹ Happy are you, O Israel!
      Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
      The shield of your help
      And the sword of your majesty!
      Your enemies shall submit to you,
      And you shall tread down their high places.”

Application:

God can be trusted to do what is right.

Faith justifies us.   Romans 1:16

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Faith frees us.   Galatians 3:10-12

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” ¹¹ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” ¹² Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
¹³ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), ¹⁴ that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Faith preserves us.   Hebrews 10:38-39

³² But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: ³³ partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; ³⁴ for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. ³⁵ Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
       ³⁷ “ For yet a little while,
      And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
       ³⁸ Now the just shall live by faith;
      But if anyone draws back,
      My soul has no pleasure in him.”

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Psalm 73

 ²¹ Thus my heart was grieved,
         And I was vexed in my mind.
 ²² I was so foolish and ignorant;
         I was like a beast before You.
 ²³ Nevertheless I am continually with You;
         You hold me by my right hand.
 ²⁴ You will guide me with Your counsel,
         And afterward receive me to glory.
 ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but You?
         And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
 ²⁶ My flesh and my heart fail;
         But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

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Prayer:

Our Father, thank you for this revelation of the great truth we find running throughout the Scriptures, that you are the God of history. No event takes place but that is in your program and all things are moving in relationship to your divine kingdom. What you have said will occur will occur, and the record of the past corroborates it, and all the twistings and maneuverings of men will not prevent it. Lord, help us to lift our eyes to you in the midst of our problems and remember the God of our salvation, the God who is our strength, and thus find the answer right in the midst of affliction. We ask that you will make us to live this way -- not somehow, but triumphantly. We ask in Christ's name. Amen.

—-Ray Steadman

Title: Habakkuk: History is in God's Hands
By: Ray C. Stedman
Series: Adventuring through the Bible
Scripture: Habakkuk
Date: August 28, 1966

Copyright © 1966 Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church.

http://www.pbc.org/files/messages/3142/0235.html

I. Saved by faith - Faith Justifies Us.  Romans 1.16-17

Context: Paul had just emphasized his desire to preach and his confidence in/boldness about the gospel because it was the power of God to salvation.

“Righteousness of God” in the sense of being the righteousness that belongs to or comes from God.

God’s righteousness, his justification comes to us through faith.  Rom. 5.1 Therefore, having been justified by faith…

“faith to faith” - like translated in the NIV 1.17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”  It is faith from the beginning to faith at the end.

Faith is the condition of salvation. This was the great truth that Martin Luther discovered in this passage that helped move him from confidence in his works to faith in Christ’s work alone.

"He saith not, from faith to works, or from works to faith; but from faith to faith, i.e. only by faith." (Poole)

"Perhaps what it conveys is the necessity of issuing a reminder to the believer that justifying faith is only the beginning of the Christians life. The same attitude must govern him in his continuing experience as a child of God." (Harrison)

Transitional Statement: This is an "echo" of Paul's message in Galatians 3.

II. Living by faith - Faith frees Us (from the law). Galatians 3.10-12

Context: Galatians were saved by faith, but the Judizers were trying to persuade them to live the Christian life of sanctification by keeping the laws. Paul just reminded them that those who are living under the law are under a curse because they cannot keep all the law.

v. 10 alludes to Deuteronomy 27.26. The problem with trying to keep the law is that we can not do it all perfectly.

Paul’s point here is that we continue in our Christian faith the same way that we started it—by faith, dependence on the Lord.

Transitional Statement: It is also important to continue in our walk of faith to the end.

III. Finishing  by faith - Faith Preserves Us.  Hebrews 10.35-38

Context: Paul tells them to remember when they were “enduring a great struggle with sufferings”, and he wanted to encourage them to continue to hold onto “the promise.”

Draw on your past experience to gain strength to endure for the future.

Look toward the future reward to be your consolation and give you patience like Moses. Hebrews 11:

24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

v. 36 endurance nkjv (or patience av) 5281 ὑπομονή [hupomone /hoop·om·on·ay/] n “abiding through”—patience--Greek, "waiting endurance," or "enduring perseverance": the kindred Greek verb in the Septuagint, Habakkuk 2:3, is translated, "wait for it" (compare James 5:7).

Similar idea (different Greek word) to Hebrews 12.1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance [or patience] the race that is set before us,