Let us turn again to God's Word,
turning now to the Old Testament and the book of the prophet Habakkuk. One of the minor prophets there
at the end of the Old Testament Scriptures, the prophecy of Habakkuk. We speak of them as minor not
because they were any less inspired in their ministry and their writings
and the likes of Isaiah, or Jeremiah those lengthy prophetic books
but we just have a few chapters of course with regards to the
record of the ministry of these men and turning to Habakkuk and
I'll read the first four verses in chapter 2 Habakkuk 2 1 to
4 I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower, and
will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall
answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me and
said, Write the vision, and 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. Behold, his soul which is lifted
up is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith. And our text is found here at
the end of that portion, that last clause in verse 4, the statement,
the just shall live by faith. It is of course quoted some three
times in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul, and you may
have observed we have it in those three readings that we had earlier
in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, and I want to come to that later
if the Lord will. But looking at these words then,
in at the end of verse 4, And certainly in this chapter, in
this verse, this fourth verse, we do have a contrast being drawn. Behold, his soul which is lifted
up is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith. There at the beginning we might
say we have the description of the self-righteous. That one
who is proud and upright in his own sight. And we can think of
the Pharisees. How they consider themselves
to be so superior to so many others. Remember how the Lord
tells that parable in Luke 18 concerning two men who go to
the temple at the hour of prayer. The one was a Pharisee. so greatly
respected throughout Israel the other was a publican or a tax
gatherer he was in the employ of the occupying Romans much
despised by the people and often as he worked for the Romans so
he took advantage of his situation and was feathering his own nest
really at the cost of many others they were so despised those publicans
whereas the the Pharisees were so righteous. But how remarkable
are the words that the Lord Jesus speaks. He tells us of the Pharisee
in the manner of his prayer, I thank thee, that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican, as he looks sneeringly towards the publican. He's so
much better than that man. And he goes on to speak of all
that he does for the Lord. He speaks of how he fasts twice
in the week, how he gives tithes of all his possessions. He has
much to commend himself, he thinks. And the Lord says he spake thus
with himself in prayer. In a sense, surely that prayer
went no further than himself. It did not enter into the ears
of the Lord God of Sabaoth. And then, in contrast, the Lord
speaks of the publican. And though he felt so ashamed,
he stood afar off, and could not lift up his eyes to heaven.
He smote upon his breast, and he cried out, God, be merciful
to me, a sinner. And the Lord said, that was the
man who went to his house justified, rather than the other. And surely
we have these two characters here in this fourth verse. Behold
his soul, which is lifted up is not upright in him, but the
just shall live by his faith. And what I want to do this morning
is we really concentrate on what he said at the end of the verse
is to deal with two headings really first of all to say something
with regards to the justified sinner and then secondly to say
something with regards to the life of faith to begin as it
were with the doctrine in the first place and then to come
to the experience in the second place first of all the justified
sinner that we read of here, the just the references to the
justified person. And it's that great doctrine
again, isn't it? The doctrine of justification and justification
by faith. As we've said on previous occasions,
to justify is very much a judicial term. It evidently belongs to
the law courts. We certainly see that in the
Old Testament with regards to the responsibility of those who
were judges in Israel in Deuteronomy 25. There in the verse of that
particular chapter The duty of these men is spelt out if there
be a controversy between men and they come unto judgment that
the judges may judge them. Then shall they justify the righteous
and condemn the wicked. They are to declare those who
are innocent to be innocent, to be righteous, yes. The charge
is a false charge. They are to be careful then to
make righteous judgment. They are to condemn those who
are wicked. Those who are guilty are to receive
the condemnation that is just to them. Quite a plain statement
concerning the responsibility of those men raised to that office
of a judge. But the amazing thing is, of
course, and it comes out so clearly in the New Testament Scriptures,
In an epistle like that to the Romans where Paul declares God
justifies the ungodly. God justifies the ungodly, the
wicked man. The wicked man. How remarkable
that is, how can it be? Well, again in Romans Paul says,
doesn't he there at the beginning of chapter 5, therefore being
justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now I find that a very interesting
verse because I dare to say that the punctuation is not what it
should be really. We have to remember that when
it comes to the punctuation in our Bibles, in the Authorized
Version, we're not to imagine that the punctuation is part
of the inspired text. the punctuation has been introduced
of course in the translation to our English language but there
the comma in the Bible appears after the word faith after the
word justify rather after the word faith therefore being justified
by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
But really, surely the commas should be introduced previous
to that. It should come after the word justified. And then
we read the verse like this, therefore being justified by
faith. We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. And that indicates to us that
justification comes before faith. What is justification based on? Justification is accomplished
by imputation where the work of the Lord Jesus
Christ is accounted or imputed to the sinner and it's by faith
in that work of Christ that the sinner is then justified. Christ has come to stand in that
very low place of his people as we're told there in Galatians
chapter 4 when the fullness of the time has come God sends forth
his son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them
that were under the law that we might receive the adoption
of sons. He has come to stand in that
place of his people and for them to subject himself to the Holy
Lord of God. And how does he justify them
by for them obeying all the Lord of God both in his life and in
his death by his active and what is called his passive obedience.
The obedience of his life and the obedience of his dying. He
is obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. But what of that death of the
Christ? Well, when we come to the book of Revelation, there
in chapter 13, we're reminded that He is the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. Although actually He dies in
time, here upon the earth, but in the purpose of God He is slain
from before ever there was any creation. and His obedience you
see, His obedience is unto that death of the cross and there
it clearly indicates to us that in God's purpose the elect are
those who are justified from all eternity and in the fullness
of the time the Lord Jesus Christ comes to accomplish that work
whereby they are to be justified because he has stood in their
Lord place and the Lord is well pleased for his righteousness
sake. What has he done? He has magnified the Lord. He
has made it honorable. He has answered the Lord in all
its holy precepts by his obedience. He suffered all the dreadful
penalties by his sin atoning death there upon the cross and
the Lord is well pleased. In order for the sinner to stand
justified and righteous. There must be the perfect obedience
of every commandment of the Lord of God. Now, doesn't Moses say
as much in Deuteronomy? Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse
25, the last verse of the chapter, we read these words, "...it shall
be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments
before the Lord our God as he hath commanded us." Here is righteousness. It's by the observation, the
doing of every commandment in the sight of God just as he has
commanded. And James says, if a man obeys
all the law and yet offends in one point he is guilty of all
because the obedience is to be complete it's to be a perfect
obedience but alas none of us keep that holy law
of God we are all transgressors of that law of God it's the Lord
Jesus Christ alone who has come and by the obedience of his sinless
life and the oblation of that sin atoning death he has answered
every aspect of what is demanded by that holy law of God. And all that Christ has done
is imputed or accounted or reckoned to those whom the Father has
set his eternal love upon. Remember how Paul, again writing
there in Romans chapter 4, makes reference to the words of David
in Psalm 32? Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. For here is a righteousness without
works. The man has done no works himself,
but all that he has is that that has been imputed to him, it's
the work of another the blessed man to whom the Lord will not
impute sin because Christ has come to stand in that very law
place. It is then eternal in the in
the purpose of God it's a lamb slain from the foundation of
the world but then in the fullness of the time here upon the earth
Christ comes and accomplishes all that is necessary to honor
and to magnify the law for those that were given to him in that
eternal covenant. But we have to ask the question
how is this justification experienced? How do we come to enter into
the experience of this great blessing that was purposed by
God and procured by the coming of His Son into this world. Well
that's what Paul is speaking of there in Romans 5, therefore
being justified. The justification is accomplished,
being justified by faith. We have peace with God. That's
how it's experienced. And this is surely the message
that we see the apostles preaching in the Acts. Paul there at Antioch,
Antioch in Pisidia in chapter 13 of Acts, he says concerning
Christ by him, all that believe are justified from all things
that they could not be justified from by the deeds of the law. They couldn't justify themselves
by the deeds, by the works of the law No, they're justified
by believing in that work that Christ has accomplished. Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe. Now, coming to those passages
in the New Testament where the words of our text are quoted
those three times, that just shall live by his faith. And we have it there, of course,
in Galatians chapter 3, that remarkable epistle of Paul in
which he's dealing very much with the legalists, those who
were wanting to bring these Gentile converts, these Gentiles who'd
come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they were those who were
wanting to bring these men and women under the law and requiring
that the men should be circumcised. And Paul says quite plainly if
a man is circumcised he's a detitude of the whole law, but there's
no salvation in the law and Paul quotes the text, doesn't he?
There in that passage in Galatians chapter 3 And verse 11, that
no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident,
for the just shall live by faith. And in the context he's addressing
these Galatian believers, he calls them fools. O foolish Galatians,
who have bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth,
crucified among you? This only would I learn of you,
receive ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing
of faith. He speaks of the law. there in
the immediate context verse 10 as many as are of the works of
the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is everyone
that continueth not in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them but that no man is justified by the law
in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith
and the law is not of faith but the man that doeth them shall
live in them he is dealing with our text this morning there then
very much in the context of the Lord of God and what the ministry
of the Lord is. The same apostle can say elsewhere
I was alive without the law once but the commandment came and
sin revived and I died. Oh the commandment came to that
man Saul of Tarsus who was a Pharisee who thought he knew everything
about the law who thought he was righteous concerning the
works of the law. Or the commandment came and sin
revived and he died. He came really to understand
the law and to believe the law for what it was. It's been observed
that there is but one faith, one faith and the difference
always lies wholly in the object of that faith. And Paul came
to a right understanding and a right belief in the law and
he saw what the ministry of the law was. And it's that ministry
of condemnation, that ministry of death. That's the purpose of it. We
know that what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who
are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all
the world become guilty before God. By the deeds of the law
shall no flesh be justified in his sight. By the law is the
knowledge of sin, Paul says. And there in that passage In
Galatians, that 12th verse in chapter 3, we have that statement,
the Lord is not of faith. What does that mean, the Lord
is not of faith? Well, the reference here is to
the object of faith, Christ. Christ is the object, the only
object of saving faith. And Gill remarks, Dr. Gill remarks,
the Lord does not consist of faith in Christ. The object is always the important
thing. And there's no salvation by looking
to the law in any sense. Oh yes, we're to believe the
law, we're to see that there's a ministry of the law. But it
is not for salvation. It's for condemnation. And that's the whole context
there in that passage in Galatians 3 where Paul quotes these words
from Habakkuk. Now, the other passage that we
were considering in Romans chapter 1, how different it is there
is he quotes the same text but he's very much quoting it in
Romans 1 in terms of the gospel because there in that opening
chapter he's defining the gospel that he was commissioned to preach
and to preach to the Gentiles, how he defines it. in the very
opening verses of the Epistle. We have that second verse which
is a sort of parenthesis, it's bracketed. If we read verse 1
and omit the second verse and go through to the third verse,
we can follow more clearly the argument of Paul. He says, Paul,
the servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God. then the parenthesis, and then
he defines the gospel. What is the gospel of God? Well,
it's concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made
of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to
be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness
by the resurrection from the dead. So he begins with the person
of Christ. Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Well,
He is of the seed of David. He's David's son. He's in David's
line. His genealogy is in David's line.
He's that one that was promised in the Old Testament. Not only
the seed of David, but also the seed of Abraham, also the seed
of the woman, back in Genesis chapter 3. So he speaks of the
reality of his human nature. He's a real man. But he's also
declared, or the margin says determined, literally the idea
is of him being marked out to be the son of God. How so? With power. According to the
spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. or the grave could
not hold him, because he who is man is also God, he's the
God-man. So, Paul is defining the Gospel,
and he's defining it in terms of the person of Christ, but
of course he goes on to speak also of the work of Christ, because
the resurrection in that sense is the completion of his work,
he's obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. But he
who died is the same who also has risen again." And then, when
we come to the 17th verse, where we finish the reading, we have
that statement again, that just shall live by faith. But look
at what Paul says in the context, I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek, for therein
Is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is
written, that just shall live by faith? Or what is revealed
in the Gospel? Righteousness. Justifying righteousness. It's the same apostle, of course,
who writes in Philippians 3, his great desire to be found
in Christ. Not having mine own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. The righteousness. which is of God by faith. It's the same apostle, isn't
it? Paul. Once a self-righteous Pharisee,
but now a humble believer in Christ as the Lord is righteousness. And of course, I'm sure many
of you are very much aware that it was this passage here in Romans
that was used of God to bring Martin Luther to see that great
truth, the great doctrine of justification by faith alone,
in Christ alone. So, the text is used in Galatians 3 to remind
us that there is a faith that has to do in many ways with the
Lord of God. We have to see what the real purpose of the Lord
is and believe it in that sense. But then, ultimately, saving
faith sent us in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. And then we have that third reading from the end of Hebrews chapter
10. Just turning briefly to that
passage also. And we have it there, of course,
at the end of the chapter, verses 38 and 39. Now, the just shall
live by faith. But if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who
draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving
of the soul. What is being said here with
regards to the life of the justified sinner? Well, his whole life,
his whole life is lived by faith. It's faith from day to day, moment
by moment. It's a continual life of faith.
We walk by faith and not by sight. He's spoken previously of those
who draw back to perdition. They never really had saving
faith. They never had it. But those who have that faith
that is truly the faith of God's elect, that saving faith, that
justifying faith, they persevere in all the ways of faith. Theirs
is a life of faith. Now, we do have in the Old Testament
examples of those who lived that life of faith, because even in
the Old Testament, although the Lord Jesus had not yet come in
the fullness of the time, but God's purpose was always to justify
the sinner by faith in Christ, be it faith to come or faith
looking back to Christ who has come. And we have these wonderful
examples. Of course we read of them there
in Hebrews chapter 11. We have those words at the end
of chapter 10 and then immediately we move into chapter 11 and what
is the record there? It's of those of faith in the
Old Testament. Sometimes you see we can make
the break too sharp from one chapter to the other. Chapter
10 immediately leads into chapter 11 there in Hebrews. And amongst
those of faith we read of a man like Noah. By faith, Noah, being warned
by God of things to come, moved with fear, built an ark to the saving of
his house by which he condemned the world that's what it says
and he became heir of the righteousness which is by faith all that Moses
is doing there rather Noah is doing there is the evidence that
he has that justifying faith he becomes heir of the righteousness
which is by faith. Paul wasn't very much a preacher
of righteousness. That's how he's described by
Peter in his second epistle, the second chapter. He preached
justifying righteousness as much as Paul preached justifying righteousness. And we have the record of course
of his life there in Genesis chapter 6 Noah found grace, it
says, in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of
Noah. Noah was just and perfect in his life and walked with God. How was he just? How was he perfect? He was a sinner. We have the
record of his sin. He's a drunkard at one point.
How can this man said to be a just man and a perfect man? It was
the righteousness of Christ. He was a justified sinner. Oh,
he was a sinner, yes, but justified, accounted righteous, by the righteousness
of him that was to come, even the Lord Jesus Christ. And as
with Noah, we have the same also with
regards to a man like Job, We read of Job, don't we, there
in the opening chapter of the book? The book is really made
up of those various cycles, those different speeches that are made
by his friends, his so-called friends, and he answers them
by turn. But the opening two chapters
set before us the historical context. and so we're introduced
to Job and what he said with regards to this man and there's
an emphasis upon it really Job in the opening verse of the book
there was a man in the land of Oz whose name was Job and that
man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and understood
evil And then the Lord speaks to Satan in verse 8, the Lord
says to Satan, hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is
none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that
feareth God and destueth evil. And then again in chapter 2,
the Lord says to him, this is after Satan under the sovereignty
of God, and God not the author of sin, but or what terrible
catastrophe has come upon Job, he's lost everything. He's lost
his children, he's lost all his possessions. And then in chapter
2, in verse 3, the Lord says to Satan, As thou considered
my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a
perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and astueth
evil, and still He holdeth fast his integrity, although thou
movest me against him to destroy him without cause." He is perfect
and he is upright. In what sense? Well, he's a justified
sinner. He's a justified sinner. What
does he say in the course of the book? How shall a man be
just with God is one of his questions. Another, he says, who can bring
a clean thing out of an unclean? How can sinful men and women
give birth to sinless children? They cannot. All are born dead
in trespasses and sins. Job, just like Noah, is innocent
and upright and just and all by faith. I know that my Redeemer
liveth, he says. and he shall stand in the latter
day upon the earth. He has faith in Christ who was
to come. And then of course, thinking
of examples in the Old Testament Scriptures, those men and women
of faith, justifying faith, Abraham. Why is he not the father of all
them that believe? He is the great pattern of justifying
faith and he's the one really that Paul speaks of in that fourth
chapter of Romans that we've already made some reference to
where Paul quotes the language of the 32nd Psalm. But what does he say there concerning
Abraham? He speaks of Abraham. Verse 3 of that chapter. What
saith the scripture, Abraham believed God's, and it was counted
or imputed unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of death. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness." Or the idea of works and grace,
they are mutually exclusive, one of the other. If salvation
is by grace, it's no more of works, Otherwise, grace is no
more grace. If it be of works, it's no more
of grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. Paul goes on to
say in chapter 9 of Romans, Here is Abraham, you see. He believed
God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. And what was
it that he believed? He believed the promise. He believed
the promise. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief. The promise that he was going
to have a son, Isaac. the true seed of Abraham, and
Isaac really the type of the Lord Jesus, because Abraham's
seed is Christ. Thy seed which is Christ, we
read in Galatians. But here we have it, you see,
his faith centers in the promise, being fully persuaded that what
God had promised he was able also to perform, and therefore
it was imputed to him for righteousness. the just shall live by faith this is how sinners are justified
only by that blessed object of their faith the Lord Jesus Christ
the seed of Abraham who has come and stood in that low place of
his people and lived as their surety died as their substitute
And they're looking to Him and they're trusting in Him. It's a great text. It's a significant
text. Four times, four times these
words appear on the page of Holy Scripture. And nowhere in our
Bible will we find any idle words. You know that. Men have to give
account for all their idle words, says the Lord Jesus. God doesn't
speak idle words. Surely if God repeats himself
time upon time upon time, we do well to mark and inwardly
digest what God is saying. It is that great doctrine by
which Luther says the church either stands or fall. And the church, of course, is
the people of God. We either stand or we fall by this doctrine. Justification by faith. And so
turning secondly, to the life of faith. Look at what the text
says. The just shall live by his faith. We can easily misquote
it, can't we? It doesn't say the just shall
live by faith. Well, that's a truth. That's how Paul sometimes quotes
it there in the New Testament. Coming to what we have here in
the text this morning, it is personal. It's the personal pronoun. It's his faith. It's your faith. It's my faith. That's how you
live. If you're a Christian, no other way of living. What
a blessed way this is to live, because where does this faith
come from? By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God. It's God's gift, it's God's
favour if we have this faith. that the prophet is speaking
of in the text. It's that that has come from
the good and the gracious God. He has granted it. And how has
he granted it? Why, in Colossians 2, I think, he speaks to the
apostle of faith of the operation of God. This is the work of God. that ye believe on him whom he
hath sent. It's God's work. It's the sovereign operation
of the Spirit of God as well as the gift of God. All this
faith. Now look again at the context
here. What is the Prophet doing? He's
praying. He's very much praying. I will
stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower and will watch
to see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when
I am reproved And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision,
and 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, and will not tarry. Behold, his
soul which is lifted up is not upright in him, but the just
shall live by his faith. Yeah, the commentators. say here
that really the whole reference is to the promise of the coming
of Christ. Well, that's the vision. It's
Christ. But the point I want to make
is the significance of the praying. The praying. He prays to God,
he cries to God. And why is it that he is thus
praying and looking and watching? because of the sinful state of
the land. Historically, it was the sinful
condition of the lands. He's amongst those who would
sigh and cry because of all the abominations that were done in
the lands. We go back into chapter 1. 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. For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans,
the Neo-Babylonians, the great empire that would come under
Nebuchadnezzar. Lo, I raise up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation which are marred through the
breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are
not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful.
their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses are swifter than
the leopards and are more fierce than the evening wolves." And
so it goes on. Oh, it was a terrible situation
that this man confronted on every hand. He cries to God. He's crying because of the abominations
that are all around him. They are sinful people, these
Jews who are living in the land, they're ripe, they're ready for
the judgments of God. And isn't that how God answers
him? He's going to send these Chaldeans and he's watching.
But how are these things going to work out ultimately? He must continue to persevere
in watching and praying over this whole business. And so he
continues in prayer. Whatever circumstances might
come upon him, he's living the life of faith. There's lovely
verses at the end of the book, Although the fig tree shall not
blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines, The labour of
the olive shall fail, The field shall yield no meat, The flock
shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in
the stalls yet. I will rejoice in the Lord. I
will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength, and
he will make my feet like hind feet, and he will make me to
walk upon my high places. To the chief singer on my stringed
instruments." It's his prayer, isn't it? Chapter 3, but it's
really a psalm. in the form of a prayer to God.
But now, he's speaking there, you see, whatever comes, whatever
calamities before, whatever situation he's in, he's going to live this
life of faith. He's living by the faith of the
Son of God, who would come, who loved him, and who gave himself
for him. And isn't the reality of faith
seen in prayer? It's a very remarkable evidence
of faith, is prayer. Shall not God avenge his own
elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long
with them? Oh, they cry, and they call,
and they seek, and he bears long with them, and he seems to delay,
they have to wait upon him. But that's the life, you see.
That's the life of faith. Shall not God ultimately avenge
his own elect? Of course he will. Of course
he will. God will avenge. God would avenge
the Chaldeans for all their cruelty and for all their idolatry. The
Prophet would not stand upon his watch and look in vain. Oh God would deal with those wicked men who had
come and destroyed the temple of the Lord. And really, we see
this in what follows here in the book, from verse 5 following. Yea, also because he transgresseth
by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, when large of
his desire is ham. and is as death, and cannot be
satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth
unto him all people." Isn't this Nebuchadnezzar? He was such a
proud, arrogant man. There he was at Babylon, the
hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the world. Oh, and how proud he was, and
how God humbled that man. and took away his reason and
he became like one of the beasts of the field remember how we
read of him there in the book of Daniel because he's transgressive, he's
proud he's arrogant he's going forth destroying nations and
so right through from that fifth verse verse 10 it says thou hast consulted
shame to thy house by cutting off many people and the sin against
thy soul and he speaks at the end of his idolatrous ways or
how he looked at his idols verse 18 what profiteth the graven
image that make that the maker thereof hath graven it, the molten
image, and the teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth
therein to make dumb idols. Woe unto him that saith to the
wood, Awake! to the dumb stone, Arise! it
shall teach. Behold, it is laid over with
gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst
of it. But the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth
keep silence before him. Oh, you see, God will avenge
himself upon the enemies of his people, and he'll avenge himself
upon the enemies of all those who are living that life of faith,
who know what it is to believe in Christ as the Lord their righteousness. Or the Lord will overcome all
their enemies. And what are the enemies of these? Why, sin. self, sinful self,
the world, the devil. Well, there are many enemies,
you see. But ultimately, as in the Lord Jesus Christ vanquished
all the enemies of all his people. But here we see the importance of these prayers, this watching.
I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower, and will
watch and see what he will say unto me." He said, we pray, we
expect an answer to our prayers. We read much of these watchmen,
Isaiah speaks of them, doesn't he? There in Isaiah 62, and verses
6 and 7, we have similar words to what we have here in Habakkuk
2. I have set watchmen upon thy
walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor
night. Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence. Give
him no rest till he establish, till he make Jerusalem a praise
in the earth." We might think of the watchmen here as those
ministers, those preachers upon the walls of Zion, proclaiming the great message
of salvation, but I think really it's speaking more particularly
not of the proclamation of the gospel, but the praying over
the gospel. There at the end of verse 6 we
have an alternative in the margin, ye that make mention of the Lord,
keep not silence, we might think in terms of those who are preaching,
proclaiming the message of the gospel, the Lord our righteousness,
ye that make mention of the Lord, but the margin gives this, ye
that are the Lord's remembrances, Isn't that what prayer is? Are
we not to pray to God as those who would remind God and seek
to remind Him of His Word and to surround Him with His promises
and to plead all these exceeding great and precious promises?
Why has God given us His Word if we're not going to make use
of it in a proper sense? Watch and pray that ye enter
not into temptation, says the Lord Jesus. are we on our watchtower? The apostle says watch and be
sober I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower and
will watch to see what the Lord will say unto me and what I shall
answer when I am reproved again the margin sometimes is so instructive
the margin says that the Hebrew is literally or argued with upon
my reproof or arguing I will answer when I am reproved
doesn't the Lord say there in Isaiah 1 come now let us reason
together or let's reason, let's argue the thing out though your
sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow Though they
be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. It's all the work
of the Lord Jesus, isn't it? The only way in which our sins
can be purged away is by His obedience unto death, the punishment
that's been visited upon Him. The only way in which we can
be accounted righteous is by the life that He has lived. Well,
this is the privilege then of the believer, to live this life,
this life of faith in the Son of God, who's also the Son of
Man, who's the Lord's, our righteousness. The just shall live by his faith. May the Lord bless his word.
Amen.