Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk. I'll say like Brother Scott,
if you've got a Cambridge Chain reference, I mean a presentation
reference Bible, it's on page 1161. Habakkuk. Let's ask our Lord's blessing. Our Father, this evening we call
upon you, who is all of our strength, all of our hope, all of our peace.
Lord, I ask your blessing this evening, Lord, for the comfort
of your people. Lord, we need comfort. Our hearts
need to be settled. Speak, I pray. Teach us, Holy
Spirit, the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. For it is in His
name we pray. Amen. The prophet Habakkuk opens this word, this word from
the Lord, with this description, Habakkuk 1.1, the burden which
Habakkuk, the prophet, did see. The heavy toil that this man
that God had called to be a prophet, what he saw, what he beheld,
the Lord revealed to this prophet the sorrows that the church,
and the church being pictured by the nation of Israel. But
he saw the burden that the church was going to have to suffer going
through this world and the hatred and the resentment of those that
oppressed God's people. And it was a burden. to Habakkuk. Verses 2-4, chapter 1, O LORD,
how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? Even cry out unto
thee of violence, and thou wilt not save. Why dost thou show
me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling
and violence are before me, And there are that raised up strife
and contention. Therefore, the law is slapped.
Judgment doth never go forth, for the wicked doth compass about
the righteous. Therefore, wrong judgment proceedeth."
Habakkuk grieved over the sufferings that God's people must endure,
and he knew that the Lord was going to send destruction. He knew that God was going to
send an evil nation, unsympathetic group of people, a heathen nation. And the Scripture set forth that
this was a great question that Habakkuk had concerning The hurt
and the pain and the destruction of God's people were going to
suffer. Let's look at verses 6-11. For lo, the Lord told Habakkuk,
I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation which
shall march through the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling
places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful. Their judgment, their dignity
shall proceed of themselves. Their horses also are swifter
than the leopards. and are more fierce than the
evening wolves. And their horsemen shall spread
themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far. They shall
fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat, and they shall come all
for violence. Their faces shall sup up as the
east wind. They shall gather the captivity
as the sand. They shall scoff At the kings
and princes shall be a scorn unto them. They shall deride
every stronghold, for they shall heap dust, take it. Then shall
his mind change. He shall pass over and offend,
imputing this, his power, unto his God." The Lord told Habakkuk,
this is what I'm going to do for the rebellion of Israel.
I'm going to send this evil, fierce nation, a terrible people,
And they're going to come through the land. And they're going to
take it. And in that last verse, "...then
shall his mind..." He's talking about the king of the Chaldeans.
What he's going to do is he's going to come in changing his
mind. He said it's going to be more
fierce because in his mind, he's going to see the great destruction
that he has wrought, he thinks, by his hand. And he's going to
give all of the honor to the power of his God. He's going
to come in and He's going to say, our God beat your God. Your God was not able to save
you. And it grieved Habakkuk. Because
God had said, it's coming. In the past prophets that we
looked at, the Lord had said, if you will turn, if you will
turn. Habakkuk said, time's up. It's coming. This is it. But
I want you to look at verse 5. In the midst of this great chastisement
of the Lord, God was going to remember mercy according to His
everlasting covenant of grace. Verse 5. Behold, ye among the
heathen, and regard and wonder marvelously. For I will work
a work in your days which you will not believe. though it be
told you." Now, the interpretation of that verse right there is
found. You just hold your finger there
and mark your place and turn over to Acts chapter 13. Acts 13. The Apostle Paul gave
the interpretation of this great work that God was going to do,
and he's going to tell them, he said, now I'm going to tell
you what I'm going to do. And you're not going to believe
it. Here is the interpretation, Acts 13.38, Be it known unto
you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man the Lord
Jesus has preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. And by him
all that believe are justified from all things from which you
could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore,
lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets,
Behold, ye despisers in wonder and perish, for I work a work
in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though
a man declare it unto you." Now here is the interpretation. Paul said, when Habakkuk made
that prophecy under the inspiration of God's Spirit back in the Old
Testament, God told the people, the cause of your rebellion I'm
going to work a work in your midst, and I'm going to tell
you what I'm going to work, and you're not going to believe me.
The prophecy of Habakkuk and the fulfillment of that prophecy
as stated by Paul was this, that the Gentiles, those that oppress
God's people, It was the Gentiles that was
going to be coming in and was going to come through the land
and destroy the land. Fierce man. And give all the
honor to their gods. And the Lord told Habakkuk, you
tell the people, I'm going to work a work. And I'm telling
you what I'm going to do. And you're not going to believe
it. I'm going to come to you, and the gospel is going to be
first preached to you, the Jews. Because of your rebellion, I'm
going to send the Gentile nations to come through this land and
ravish this land. And by my eternal purpose, grace,
and compassion, because I chose to do so, I'm going to show mercy
to the Gentiles. I'm telling you that's what I'm
going to do. And you don't believe it, and I'll show you this is
so. Look at Acts 13, verse 42 to 48. When the Jews were gone
out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might
be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now you remember something.
Jews looked on Gentiles as dogs. Not even fit to walk on the ground. Not even fit to breathe the air. They were dogs. And when the
congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes
followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them
to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath day, came almost
the whole city together to hear the Word of God. But when the
Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy and spake
against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting
and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold and said, it was necessary that the word of God should first
have been spoken to you. But seeing ye put it from you,
and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn
to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded
us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that
thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And
when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified
the word of the Lord. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life, Believed. That was the work that God told
Habakkuk. You tell the people what I'm
going to do. I'm going to work this work in
the midst of you. And you're not going to believe
it. You're not going to believe it. God Almighty is going to
show mercy to those that have oppressed us, that hated us,
and we them. That's right. It's a marvelous
work that the gospel is preached to anybody. That's a miracle
of God's grace. I've said this before. It is
a miracle of God's grace that we're sitting here tonight. I don't know. I don't know of
another grace church that's been here this long. I don't know
of one. Maybe there is one. I don't know
of it. It is a miracle of God's grace that God Almighty would
send the gospel to the Gentiles. It's a marvelous work that any
believe it, because Almighty God has given them a heart to
do so. But for sure, whether it be the
Jews, or whether it be any Gentile, or whether it be anybody, it's
damning to the soul to reject the Lord Jesus Christ. But in
the midst of the announcement of that impending trouble that
Habakkuk was prophesying concerning, the prophet, while praying for
God's people, he speaks of the eternal excellency of the Lord's
nature, the certainty of His mercy to all that He's everlastingly
loved. Here's the message. The Jews
had the gospel preached to them. God was going to condemn them
in sending a Gentile nation. And not all of the Gentiles.
I know that. God was going to save. He judged
many of them just like He did the Jews. But as many as were
ordained to eternal life, Jew and Gentile, Paul revealed by
acts under the inspiration of God's Spirit, they believed.
I want you to look now back in Habakkuk. Back at chapter 1,
look at verse 12. Here's what the prophet sets
forth concerning the excellency of God's decision, God's will,
God's purpose, whatever you say. It's so. Look at verse 12. Are
thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? We shall not die, O Lord. Thou
hast ordained them for judgment. And Almighty God, Thou hast established
them for correction. Truly, the Lord is from everlasting. He is the eternal God who does
as He will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth. He is the God of covenant mercy. The holy God of His people. The Lord who is our righteousness.
And He will not uphold or defend or overlook rebellion against
himself. He said, Lord, Thou art of pure
eyes, verse 13, than to behold evil. Canst not look on iniquity? Wherefore, now I want you to
listen to the boldness I told some of the men in the study
before we came out here. The prophet Habakkuk asked a
question that to me is so bold, so forward. I'm thinking, but
for the grace of God. God wouldn't put a man in hell
immediately. for speaking that way. I think about when I was a kid
growing up, I had so much fear and respect to my dad. Man, I
tell you what, you better be real careful. When I spoke to
my dad, I better be real careful not only what I ask him, but
how I ask him. Am I right? I mean, I'm telling
you. I mean, it better be asked in the right manner. But I want
you to listen to the question of Habakkuk. When Habakkuk was
told by the Lord what God was going to do to the Jews, that
the Lord was going to show mercy unto the Gentiles, what a work! The Jews were not going to believe.
And then Habakkuk said, Lord, concerning these people, that
you're going to send through this land, this people, Lord,
that you're going to chasten the nation of Israel by, and
this people that you're going to have mercy upon. Lord, I've
got a question. Here's the question, starting
in verse 13 to the end of the chapter, verse 17. He says, "...vowered
of pure eyes than to behold evil." and canst not look on iniquity. Wherefore, lookest thou upon
them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue, when
the wicked devour the man that is more righteous than he?" Do
you know what he's just asking? Well, how is it that you can't
even look on iniquity? Pillarized into old iniquity. How is it, Lord, that You can
look upon them that deal treacherously and hold Your tongue when the
wicked devour these Jews that are more righteous than they
are? Lord, You that make men, make
us men as fishes of the sea, creeping things, that have no
ruler over them. They take, Lord, what You've
done. They take up all of them with
the angle. They catch them in the net and gather them in their
drag. Therefore, they rejoice and they're glad. Therefore,
they sacrifice under their net and burn incense under their
drag because by them their portion is fat and their meat is plenteous.
Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually
to slay the nations? The enemies of God's people.
Those that come through and devour, spoil, pilferage. Lord, how is it that they can
come through and You don't say anything? You see what I'm saying? Man, what a question! But oh,
how marvelous! or the works of Almighty God
in the midst of this great iniquity that's going on, that the Lord
would give some a heart and leave others to themselves. Though
God's preachers declare this, that God Almighty shows mercy
and compassion on some and leaves others to themselves. When the
Pharisee Saul of Tarsus was called out of darkness, and the Lord
spoke to Ananias and said, Ananias, there's one Saul. I want you to go to Simon the Tanner's
house. Saul's there. Behold, he prayeth.
Ananias said, Lord, we've heard of this one. This is a bad fish
here. This is a bad apple in the barrel
right here. He said, he's a chosen vessel
unto me. Almighty God came into this world to save sinners. What was the difference between
the Chaldeans and any Jew? What was the difference? The
grace of God. That's it. No man, no woman has
ever been born in this world deserving the grace of God. The Lord says, I'm going to make
a statement to you. Something I'm going to do. You're
not going to believe it. The workers of iniquity, they
go about to devour God's people, give glory to themselves, thinking
that they've done God's service. And Habakkuk said, I've got this
question. How is it that you can let this
people These evil people come to and hold your thought, hold
your mouth. And they come to giving all their
glory and honor to themselves. And then after that question,
Habakkuk said in chapter 2 verse 1, he said, Now I will stand
upon my watch and set me upon the tower, and I will watch to
see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when
I am We're proved. Here's the heart of God's people. God's watchman. They listen for
God's words. What does God have to say about
this? I know this. His way are not our ways. His
thoughts are not our thoughts. I would never have thought concerning the miracle of God's
electing, predestinating grace. God's going to have mercy on
whom He'll have mercy. And you can bet this, by and
large, it's not the ones I thought it would be. Those that I thought
would be, it won't be. I'm going to stand, I'm going
to wait on my watch, and I'm going to see what God has to
say about this. Well, here's what the Lord said,
verses 2 and 3 of chapter 2. The Lord answered me and said,
Write the vision, make it plain upon tables that he may run that
readeth it. For the vision is yet for an
appointed time. But at the end, it shall speak
and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it,
because it will surely come. It will not tarry." Here's what
the Lord said to Habakkuk when Habakkuk asked him a question.
And Habakkuk wisely said, I'm going to stand. I'm going to
wait. I'm going to see what the Lord
has to say concerning this. What is the answer, Lord, to
these that have come through and ravish this land. Lord, You've
purified them to behold iniquity. You by no means clear the guilty. Lord, how is this? I'm just asking
a question. And the Lord said, here's the
answer. You write this down. You write this down. Those that
read it, have something to hold on to, run with. He said, now
this vision is for an appointed time. What he's saying is that
God's salvation is for an appointed time. Salvation has an appointment. It's going to come. It's going
to be so. And here's the answer. Lord,
what is the answer? And here's the answer that the
Lord has for everyone concerning deliverance from judgment. Justice. Lord, here's my question
and here's God's answer. Verse 4, Behold, his soul which
is lifted up is not upright in him, but the just shall live
by his faith. You know, Habakkuk probably thought
he was going to get a different answer. Lord, how is it that
these can come through? Lord, my question is, how shall
these come through? What is the answer to this? Here's the answer of God. Those
that are lifted up, their soul lifted up in self, Jew, Gentile, he's not upright. but those that
Almighty God shows mercy to. Here's my answer to you. The
just shall live by his faith, by Christ's faith. Turn over to Galatians 2.16 again. We just looked at this last Sunday.
We would do well to read it again. Galatians 2.16, that a man is
not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not
by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified. Here's the answer. What is the
answer for God's show in mercy? Here's the answer. According
to His will and His purpose, the just shall live by His faith. His faith. Without faith, His
faith. It's impossible to please God. Thanks be unto God that it's
not my faith that I stand before the Lord. to be looked upon,
to be judged, His faith. By faith, we believe that His
faith has been imputed to us, robed us in His righteousness. There is surely a day of judgment
coming. And in that day, all that have
trusted in themselves to be righteous are going to perish. That's what verse 12 says of
Habakkuk 2. Woe to him that buildeth a town
with blood and establisheth a city by iniquity. Spiritually speaking,
woe to that man, woe to that woman that thinks that they have
built themselves a standing before God Almighty by iniquity, by
their works of self-righteousness. the rebels of Almighty God are
going to labor. Even in the midst of the fire
of God's judgment, and it's going on right now. Now think of this
right now. In the midst of God's judgment,
he that believeth not is condemned already. In the midst of God's
judgment right now, in this world right now, men are laboring and
thinking that they're building themselves a salvation before
God Almighty that's going to stand. Look at verse 13 of chapter
2. Behold, is it not of the Lord
of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire, and the
people shall weary themselves for very vanity? And all that
they're doing is vain, is what he said. Oh, but in the midst
of this awful judgment, The Lord is going to be honored
in the salvation of His elect. Even in the midst of what's going
on right now. Look at verse 14. For the earth
shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the
waters cover the sea. of this great judgment that's
going on. God Almighty is having mercy
on His people in the midst of what's going on. Men are thinking
that they're building themselves, are standing before God and Almighty
God in the midst of judgment to those that He's left to Himself. The earth is filled with the
knowledge of the glory of God. There are some that are sitting
here right now tonight that Almighty God has shown mercy to. And in
the midst of judgment all around us, God has mercy. False preachers. Directed by
Satan himself. He'll go about to spiritually
intoxicate the minds of men to keep them from the truth. That's the desire. Because they're
speaking from their Father the Devil. Who do you think motivates
false preachers? Look at verse 15 of chapter 2.
Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that putteth
thy bottle to him, and makest thou drunken also, that thou
mayest look on their nakedness. Verse 18-19, what profiteth the
graven image? I was reading that again today
and relating that. I'm telling you, somebody said,
well, I don't worship an image. I don't actually worship. A man that thinks that he has
a free will, he is the image that he's thinking. that he's
caused to talk. Now, you think about this. A
man thinking that he has the power to establish righteousness
before God, he is the idol that he's worshiping. Now, 1819. What
profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven
it? The molten image, the teacher of lies, the maker of his work
trusteth therein to make dumb idols. Woe unto him that saith
to the wood, Right here. This one. "...Awake! To the dumb
stone arise, and it shall teach. Behold, it is laid over with
gold and silver. There is no breath at all in
the midst of it." Men think by their own ability, I'm a walking,
talking child of God. I have made myself righteous
before God by my own free will. Men think that they can bring
life out of death. You say, well, that's talking
about a piece of wood right there. That's talking about gold and
silver. I'm telling you, man by nature
thinks that he is gold and silver before God. Look at verse 20, is in His holy temple. Let all
the earth keep silence before Him. When the Lord Jesus Christ
on the day of His crucifixion cried, it is finished. Salvation established for His
people. Redemption wrought by His precious
blood Let God be true. It is finished. Salvation is
of the Lord. Now what is the Word to all men? The Lord is in His holy temple,
and let all the earth keep silence before Him. Thus saith the Lord is the Word. Let the earth be quiet before
God. Hear His Word. With respect,
He is the Sovereign of all. Let us open not our mouths toward
Him endowed. Let us not think that we are
anything other than unprofitable servants, not adding any profit
unto the Lord. We are the objects of His mercy
and grace. Without Him, we can do nothing. The Lord has revealed to Habakkuk
what God's going to do. He's going to show mercy. He's
going to judge unbelief. And He's going to show mercy
to those that Habakkuk was drawn back with. Lord, how is it? And God told him, He said, the
just are going to live by faith. And now Habakkuk in praise under
our God, in chapter 3. And this whole third chapter,
really, I truly believe is a song. It's a song of praise. He says
in verse 1 and 2 of chapter 3, a prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet,
upon Shiga-onoth. I looked up that word Shiga-onoth,
and this is what it says. It is a prayer that is set to
music. A prayer. A song that is set
to singing. If the Lord gives a glimpse of
His sovereignty, and that's what He's done to Habakkuk. I'm going
to have mercy. I'm going to have compassion.
On whom I'll have compassion. Not who men say. Not who men
think. I'm the Lord. He does as He will
in the army of heaven. Does He have the right to take
and show mercy to the oppressors of God's people who before were
all Saul of Tarsus and me and you? Does God have the right
to do that? Yes, He does. Then Habakkuk sings
this song. And the Lord opened the eyes
of Habakkuk to see his glory and revealed his justice in wrath
and his mercies upon those that didn't know him, opposed him,
had no idea. In wrath he remembered mercy. And this is a song, a reminder,
and a remembrance of continued mercy. He said, and this is a
verse that I spent quite a bit of time on this one verse, and
I'll tell you what, if I do not err. I'll tell you what I believe
the verse means. I looked up these places. I looked
up everything that I could possibly look up on this third verse,
and I'll tell you what I think it truly means. God, in this
singing, He's singing a song is what He's doing. Let's read. Verse 2, I've heard
thy speech and was afraid. O Lord, revive thy work in the
midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make
known in wrath, remember mercy." And he continues singing, and
he said, God came from Timon, and the Holy One from Mount Paran,
Selah. This is the only book except
Psalms where that word Selah. Stop. Be quiet. Just muse upon this. His glory
covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. Mount Paran, I found out, according
to Deuteronomy 33.2, was near Mount Sinai. And it was the place
where the nation of Israel took their journey After Mount Sinai,
they went through into the wilderness of Paran. It was a three-day
journey from Mount Sinai, and there the people rested after
the law of God was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Moses came down
and there was people that made that golden calf Aaron had. And
Moses broke the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Went back up.
God wrote them again. They left after that. They went
to this place, the wilderness of Pharaoh. They were resting. But from that
place in the wilderness, we learn that every place in this world
that seems to be a place of rest, is nothing more than just another
wilderness. There is no rest in this world. The only rest that we have is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture sets forth in that
third verse, God came from Teman. The word Teman there, it means
the south. Came from the south. And from
what I can find, literally, God shall come from the south. Meaning,
I think, Bethlehem. South of Jerusalem. The same
Lord who was coming from the south in Timan. is the Holy One
from Mount Paran, the mountain, the wilderness right there. And
basically, this is what Habakkuk was setting forth. From the giving
of the law until the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world incarnate,
the Lord has led His people, kept His people. The Lord Himself,
the Anointed One, will keep and lead His people throughout. That is, as closely as I can
tell, the meaning of that third verse. And I pray that if I do
err, the Lord might be pleased to show me. But I do think that
it means that Habakkuk is setting forth. God is going to revive
His work. His people that have been oppressed
by those Chaldeans and everything else in this world, from the
giver of the law Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the
Deliverer who shall keep and save His people from their sins. But I know this, in sending judgment
into this world, and rightly so, The Lord Jesus Christ is
going to deal with sin. Look at verses 5-7 of chapter
3. Before Him went the pestilence,
and burning coals went forth at His feet. He stood and measured
the earth. He beheld and drove asunder the
nations, and everlasting mountains were scattered. The perpetual
hills did bow. His ways are everlasting. I saw
the tents of Kushan, Ethiopia, in affliction, and the curtains
in the land of Midian that did tremble. God Almighty is a just
God. And here's Habakkuk singing.
He's singing this song of praise. You're just. Look at verse 9
to 11. Thy bow was made quite naked according to the oaths
of the tribe, even thy words, Selah. Thou didst cleave the
earth with rivers. The mountains saw Thee, and they
trembled. The overflowing of the water
passed by. The deep uttered His voice and
lifted up His hands on high. The sun and the moon stood still
in their habitation at the light of Thine air as they went, and
at the shining of Thy glittering Spirit." The whole earth, Habakkuk
said, stood still when Almighty God sends judgment. The whole
earth has respect. Him who is the judge of all.
Oh, but in the wrath that Almighty God is surely going to sin. Still,
Habakkuk said he remembers mercy. Verse 8, was the Lord displeased
against the rivers? Whenever God sent blood, turned
the river in Egypt into blood, Was he mad at the rivers? That's
what he's asking. Was thine anger against the rivers?
Was thy wrath against the sea that thou didst ride upon thine
horses and thy chariots of salvation? Look at verse 12. Thou didst
march through the land in indignation. Thou didst tread the heathen
in anger. Thou wentest forth for the salvation
of thy people. Even for salvation with thine
anointing, thou woundest the head out of the house of the
wicked by discovering the foundation unto the next. See, Lord, you
went forth for the salvation of your people. All that you're
doing in judgment, setting forth that you are a just God and a
Savior from everlasting, Lord, you're God. Well, in closing,
The heavy-hearted prophet again reveals his respect for the God
of all power and justice and mercy. Habakkuk had said back
in verse 2 of that third chapter, Lord, I've heard thy speech. I was afraid. Lord, revive Thy
work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make
known in wrath. Remember mercy. Lord, I know
You're just God. And I know that anything You
do in wrath, in judgment, is deserved. I know that. But Lord,
I'm asking You, have mercy. Lord, according to Your everlasting
covenant of grace, Lord, have mercy. Let me ask you this this
evening. Can you not, in quoting the voice of the prophet,
say, Lord, I know whatever I get, I'd be deserving of. Lord, if
you put me in hell, I deserve it. I know what I am somewhat
by nature. But Lord, I'm asking for mercy.
I'm asking you to have mercy on me. Lord, I'm asking you to
have mercy on your people. I'm asking God to have mercy
on our young people, on our wives and husbands. Lord, remember
mercy. Look at verse 16. When I heard of what he had done,
walking through, in verse 15, through the sea with his nine
horses, the heap of great water. When I heard, Lord, of your judgment,
my belly, I trembled. My lips quivered at the voice. Rottenness entered into my bones. I trembled in myself that I might
rest in the day of trouble. When He cometh up unto the people,
He will invade them with His troops." My brethren, you who
are convinced of the just deserving of God's wrath, you're going
to admit As Daniel 10 says, our cumbliness, our beauty is turned
into corruption. We know this, but for the grace
of God, we would see the glittering sword of His justice. Thanks be unto Him who is our
only hope. There is mercy with the Lord.
The last three verses of this book, verses 17, 18, 19. Although
the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the
vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the field shall
yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from
the fold. There shall be no herd in the
stalls. What Habakkuk is saying is everything
else. can fall apart. Everything else
can fail. Yet, verse 18, I will rejoice
in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength,
and He will make my feet like hinds feet. He will make me to
walk upon mine high places to the chief singer on my stringed
instruments. that God Almighty might be pleased
to give me a heart like this. In the midst of what we see going
on around us, I can tell you just as sure, more sure than
I'm standing here. Everything that this world gets
in judgment is deserved. But here's what I know. But for
the grace of God, I'd be doing the same thing. If God shows
mercy to anybody, it is according to His good will and pleasure. Lord, everything else is going
to fail. But I know this. You are a merciful God. Lord,
I'm asking you in wrath, remember mercy. For Christ's sake.