There is a day appointed by God
of wrath and judgment. All the judgments we see by God's
hand in providence are appointed by Him from eternity and are
but foretaste of that judgment that awaits in the last day.
It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment. If you do not live in the awareness,
the conscious, deliberate awareness of divine judgment, of the fact
that one day soon you will stand before God Almighty in His holy,
holy, righteous justice, and you will be judged of Him. If
you do not consciously live in that awareness, You live deliberately
as a fool with your head buried in the sand, and it will take
you with astonishment. We will soon stand before the
great white throne and be judged by God in strict justice. To live in unbelief, to live
in contempt of and rebellion against the Lord Jesus Christ,
is to store up wrath to yourself against the day of wrath and
the righteous judgment of God. In that day, there'll only be
two groups, only two, two peoples, the just and the damned. That's all. The just and the
damned. If ever you come face to face
with the fact, that we must meet God in judgment. If ever reality
grips your soul, you will be forced to ask a question. You'll
be compelled to ask what Job asked long ago. How can a man
be just with God? How can I escape the wrath and
judgment of God Almighty in that great day when he consumes the
world in his holy terror. How can I be just with God? If you're not asking yourself
that question, you live in deliberate, willful naivety. Your head is
buried in the sand. If that question has become of
a matter of concern to you, if you would know how to escape
the righteous judgment of God, and the fury of his unmitigated
wrath in hell, read the book of Habakkuk, this little book
of three short chapters. Are you concerned about things
going on around you? Crime, violence, moral decadence
appear to utterly cover the earth. Ishmael's son, Ishmael's sons. They're called Islamic peoples
these days. Ishmael's sons seemed to hold
the world in a death grip of terror. Not just the United States,
the whole world. The whole world scared to death
to speak plainly concerning Ishmael's sons and the wickedness with
which they would attempt to destroy the earth. As you read through
the book of Habakkuk, if you want to understand what's going
on in our day, not just with regard to the grip that Ishmael's
sons have upon the nations of the world, But with regard to
the corruption and the vileness that we see all around us, if
you would understand these things, read the book of Habakkuk. Everywhere
you read in this prophecy of the Chaldeans, of the nations
that God will use to destroy Israel and Judah, read Ishmael
Sons. And you begin to understand something
of what's going on in our day. We don't know much about this
prophet Habakkuk. In fact, we know nothing about
him except that he lived about 600 years before the coming of
our Savior in his incarnation. During the days of Jeremiah,
this man Habakkuk lived and prophesied shortly after Jeremiah's prophecy
was finished. His name means embrace. or embraced
or embracer. And truly, he is one who was
embraced of God, one who embraced God and was an embracer of the
people of God. He embraced God's church with
his heart in her lowest estate and in her darkest day. He embraced
God's people with his heart and what he saw happening in his
day broke his heart in the darkest day of the history of God's church
up to that time. In her lowest state up to that
time, Habakkuk embraced her. The book of Habakkuk is as modern
as the 21st century. It's truly a prophecy for today.
I've been studying this book relentlessly since before we
finished the studies in the book of Malachi. And I believe God's
given me some understanding and I beg your attention. This book
is as contemporary as the morning paper. Habakkuk deals with the
questions men and women seek answers to in our day. Is God
really in charge of history? Why Is there so much evil in
the world? How can I believe in a personal,
gracious, loving God if he allows all these things to transpire
every day all over the world? What's the meaning of history?
Why is the world in such a mess if indeed God is? These questions
are all answered in this small, magnificent prophecy of Habakkuk. The Lord taught Habakkuk, and
Habakkuk teaches us that all the wheels of God's providence
and all the works of providence are but the wheels of God's chariot
of salvation. That's what he says in chapter
3, verse 8. He speaks of all God's providence. including the dark judgments
of Providence, especially the dark judgments of Providence.
The sending of the Chaldeans, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar
to come and destroy the nation and take them into captivity.
Habakkuk here calls this the wheels of the chariots of God's
salvation. They're instruments by which
the Almighty accomplishes the salvation of his elect. Habakkuk
declares, thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots
of salvation. In fact, though Habakkuk clearly
is a prophecy announcing God's judgment upon Israel and Judah,
it begins in chapter 1 verse 5 with a declaration and a promise
of God's salvation. Let's begin at chapter 1 verse
1. The burden which Habakkuk, the prophet, did see. the burden,
the heavy, heavy load. Oh 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. He's talking about the spoiling
and violence of Israel and Judah, the spoiling and violence of
God's chosen nation, the spoiling and violence of God's professed
people, the spoiling and violence of those who were called the
sons and daughters of the Almighty. And there are that raise up strife
and contention. Therefore, therefore, the law
is slight and judgment does never go forth. Justice never happens. Never happens. For the wicked
doth compass about the righteous. Therefore, wrong judgment proceedeth. Now, after making such a prayer
as that, Habakkuk has a promise that's really the theme of this
prophecy. Behold ye. God says, now Habakkuk, stop
and look. Look around you, take a careful
look. Pick up your paper. Pay attention. Pay attention.
Behold ye among the nations and regard and wonder marvelously. Look at these things now as I'm
about to tell you they really are. For I will work a work in
your days which ye will not believe though it be told you. Now, that
seems to be out of place. The very next verse takes up
with judgment again. And judgment is not God's wonderful
work. God calls judgment his strange
work. But what's he talking about? Turn over to the book of Acts.
Hold your hands here in a backet and turn to Acts chapter 13.
Acts chapter 13. This very text is quoted by the
Apostle Paul. And it's quoted by the Apostle
Paul as a declaration of the accomplishment of salvation by
Jesus Christ our Lord. In Acts 13, Paul's at Antioch
and he begins in verse 14, this sermon. After declaring the whole
history of Israel up to and including the crucifixion of our blessed
Savior, the Holy Spirit, speaking by the mouth of his servant Paul,
tells us through it all, through the whole history of Israel,
God was bringing this to pass. And Paul stood up in beckoning
with his hands, began to preach to the people about what God
had done. Skip down to verse 26, Acts 13.
Just for the sake of brevity, I'll just pick up some highlights
here. Men and brethren and children of the stock of Abraham and whosoever
among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation
sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem
and their rulers because they knew him not, nor yet the voices
of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have
fulfilled them. They have fulfilled the prophets. They fulfilled the prophets.
They read these prophets every Sabbath day. I mean, they went
to church just like you do. Every time the doors were open,
and somebody read to them from the prophets, and they didn't
have a clue what the prophets were talking about. And they
fulfilled the prophets in condemning the Lord of glory. They fulfilled
them in condemning Him. Down in verse 29. And when they
had fulfilled all that was written of Him, They took him down from
the tree. Down in verse 34. And as concerning that he raised
him up, that is the Lord Jesus. He's been speaking about David
who would see no corruption, but he said this is not talking
about David. This talk about another David. This David who
would fulfill all God's will. He says he said on this wise,
I will give unto you the sure mercies of David. That is the
sure mercies of this one whom David represented, the Lord Jesus. Down in verse 38, Be it known
unto you, therefore, many brethren, that through this man, through
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, is preached unto you the forgiveness
of sins. And by him all that believe are
justified from all things which he could not be justified by
the law of Moses. All right, now, look at verse
40. Beware, therefore. Take heed. Listen. Listen to what I'm telling
you. Lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets. It's spoken of in one prophet.
It's spoken of in Habakkuk chapter one and verse five. Behold, ye
despisers and wonder and perish. You who despise what God has
said, wonder and perish, stand in utter astonishment and perish. For I work a work in your days,
a work which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare
it unto you. Lord, who hath believed our report?
I'll tell you who. those to whom the arm of the
Lord has been revealed, and no one else. So Habakkuk begins
this prophecy of judgment by which he tells of the destruction
of Israel and Judah, them being carried away into Babylonian
captivity, which was but a prophecy in picture of the utter destruction
of the nation of Israel and all the tribes of Israel and of Judah
for the salvation of God's elect. Habakkuk is telling us that God
in history is destroying the nation of Israel and the nations
of the earth. And it destroys them with their
own enemies, the wicked of the earth. But he destroys them in
the saving of his elect so that the destruction of the nations
is the means by which God gathers his elect out of the nations.
Now, the prophet says, behold this and wonder. wonder and believe
it, but you won't. You won't. This little prophecy
of Habakkuk is a magnificent piece of literature. The more I've read it, the more
impressed I am with it, the way that God the Holy Spirit has
arranged it. There's record that Benjamin Franklin, when he was
visiting one of his long stays in Paris, used to frequently
attend a reading society. Folks would get together a long
time ago and they would find pieces of literature and read
out loud to one another. Books weren't real plentiful.
And so they would find a fine piece of literature and read
them to one another. This society, pretty sophisticated,
considered intellectual folks, but about all of them, like Franklin,
Deist, or something worse, most of them mocked the Bible all
the time, derided it, like smart folks do today, you know. And
Franklin was asked on one occasion to give a reading. So he read
to them. He read Habakkuk, chapter 1,
verse 1, through chapter 3, verse 19. and the people were spellbound. They were astonished. They were
amazed at the reading. And enthusiastically, when it
was finished, where did you get that? Who is the author? Now, Franklin didn't believe
the Bible to be the Word of God, but he did use it as a book of
moral philosophy. And when he told them that he
had read to them the book of Habakkuk from the Old Testament
scriptures, They were just, that just can't be. That just can't
be. No, this is a book marvelously
designed by God, but its intent is not to show us the beauty
of literature. Its intent is to show us the
beauty of God's purpose in all things. The emphasis on this
book, or the emphasis of this book, is the salvation of God's
elect in the midst of judgment. And Habakkuk tells us in chapter
2, verse 4, the just shall live by faith. That statement is quoted
in the New Testament on three different occasions. Romans chapter
1, Galatians chapter 3, and Hebrews chapter 10. Three times that
exact statement is given again. The just shall live by faith. the just obtain righteousness
by faith in Christ. It is that which we obtain to
ourselves by righteous by faith in Christ Jesus and obtaining
that righteousness. We walk in that righteousness
by faith having received Christ Jesus the Lord as we received
him. So we walk in him and having
Obtain that righteousness, which is the righteousness of God given
to us by his free grace in Jesus Christ without works. We continue
in that unto the end. All who believe God continue
to believe God and they will not be moved away from the faith
of God's elect. No matter what. They they continue
to the end. The just shall live by faith. Now, the message of the prophet
then is the salvation of God's elect through faith in Jesus
Christ, the Lord. Remember, Habakkuk's name means
embrace or embraced or embrace. This is how we live in the darkest
of days. This is the only way we walk
with God in the darkest of days, believing Jesus Christ, clinging
to Christ, embracing Christ. In chapter one, the prophet prays
for Judah. He prays for Judah against whom
the Lord God has determined to send the Chaldeans, the Babylonians
in judgment. In chapter 2, we see the watchman
Habakkuk standing upon his watchtower receiving God's answer to his
prayer. And then in chapter 3, having God's answer to his prayer,
the prophet Habakkuk gives praise to God and sings in expressions
of faith not to be found comparable to this anywhere else. The meaning
of the word shiginoth is doubtful. Habakkuk gives this song upon
Shuganoth, we're told in chapter 3, verse 1. It's a word used
to speak of a stringed instrument, but the meaning of the word is
doubtful or ignorance. Habakkuk seems to be saying,
though I'm ignorant before him, I will bow to my God and worship
him and I will sing his praise upon the stringed instrument.
This song begins with a prayer And it ends with a determined
commitment of faith. And everything in between is
praise to God. Look at it. Chapter three, verse
two. Oh, Lord. I have heard thy speech. And was afraid. Oh, Lord, revive. Preserve, keep alive thy work
in the midst of years and in the midst of years in this darkness. in this calamity, in this judgment,
make known in wrath, remember mercy. He heard God's pronouncement
of wrath and was afraid not for himself, but for his nation and
his people. And he prays for God's church
and kingdom, prays that God might revive and preserve it. He prays that God might be pleased
to keep alive his people in the midst of these things. He prays
that the Lord may be pleased to make himself known in the
midst of all this darkness, that he will shine forth brilliantly
in the light of his grace. And he prays that God might be
pleased in wrath to remember mercy. Now, here's the situation. Judah would soon be invaded by
the Chaldeans, the Babylonians. The invasion took place at the
end of the sixth century B.C. Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar
in 586 BC. And the Lord revealed this to
his prophets long before it actually came to pass. He told them plainly
how that Nebuchadnezzar would come and how that Judah would
be taken into captivity. But Habakkuk is right here at
the edge of this time. The instrument God would use
to punish his sinful people are a people more wicked even than
Judah and Israel, the Babylonians. And he doesn't call for repentance.
Amos did. Zephaniah did. But Habakkuk doesn't
call for repentance. It's too late for repentance.
Instead, he prophetically asserts the utter destruction of the
nation. Yet he declares the only way
to escape The only way of salvation, the only way by which to be preserved
in all this time is faith. The just shall live by faith. All right, now let me give you
just a brief overview of chapters 1, 2, and 3. Chapter 1, carrying
this heavy, heavy burden of the Lord, the burden God put upon
him, Habakkuk cries out, and declares that Judah is full of
violence, full of strife, full of contention, full of injustice,
that the nation has utterly cast away God's holy law. Therefore,
he says, judgment proceedeth not, or judgment proceedeth.
And then in verses 6 through 11, the prophet faithfully declares
the precise method of God's judgment. He tells the people that God
will use the Chaldeans, this vile, immoral, dirty, wretched
race of men, to execute His wrath against His people, at least
those who profess to be His people. And again, you look at this fifth
verse and you see that the Lord speaks of something done wondrously.
And I've already shown you clearly that it's talking about the salvation
of God's elect, and yet there's clearly an application to the
judgment that's coming. If you read Jeremiah's prophecy,
just about the same time as Habakkuk, Jeremiah was commanded of God
to tell the people how that Nebuchadnezzar would come, how the Babylonians
would come and carry them into captivity. And God said, they
won't believe you. They won't believe. And they
didn't. Even as they were being carried away, they said, God's
not doing this. This is not God's work. This
is not Jeremiah's deceived you. This is not God's work. Now,
look at verse 12 of chapter one. Here, the prophet of God speaks
with absolute confidence, assuring God's true people, those who
are true believers among all who profess to be believers,
assuring God's true Israel among those who are of the physical
seed of Abraham. He says, Art thou not from everlasting,
O Lord, my God, mine holy one? We shall not die. Let Nebuchadnezzar do as he will. Let the nation be destroyed.
Let the temple be cast down in ruins. Let the worship of God
be trampled in the streets. We will not die. How come? Because, oh God, you
are from everlasting and the gifts and callings of God are
without repentance. Read on. We shall not die, O
Lord. Thou hast ordained them for judgment. We will not die. You've ordained
them for judgment. Now, what's this? And O mighty
God. If you have a marginal reference,
it's always good to look at the marginal translations. The word
is, Oh, rock solid God. Oh, God, my rock. Thou has established them for
correction. In verses two and three, the
prophet cried beneath the heavy load and Weight of his burden,
O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? Why dost
thou show me iniquity and cause me to behold grievance? And then
at the end of chapter one, verses 13 through 17, he asked the Lord to explain
to him, to explain to him why he would choose to use the Chaldeans
to punish Judah. His question is, how is it that
you, O Lord God, you who are purer eyes than to behold iniquity,
how is it that you, the pure and holy God, will execute your
wrath upon Judah by people even worse than they? These were questions
not of a rebel, not of a reprobate unbeliever, but the questions
of a faithful man, a faithful man. A man, Allen, who believed
God just like you do. In the midst of the same darkness
and evil and corruption and violence you face every day. And he's
confused. He's just confused. Confused
by that which he is experiencing in God's providence. We might
not be honest enough to put these questions into verbal expression
as they're given by God's prophet here, but they're questions that
disturb us too. They're questions that have disturbed
God's saints through the ages. David had the same problem. He
said, I saw the prosperity of the wicked and I was envious.
He said, Lord, I was like a beast before you. I said, I've washed
my hands in innocence. He said, I've cleansed my hands
for nothing. It's vain to serve God. I saw
them, they prosper and I suffer. Their families are all sitting
around the table at Thanksgiving and my family's plotting to kill
me. Their eyes bug out with fatness and I have trouble all my days. And then he said, I would have
said this, but I would have offended against the generation of your
children, Lord. And I dare not speak openly what I felt in my
soul. I dare not speak openly the burden
that's crushing my heart. And then I went into the house
of God. And I understood their end. Oh
God, forgive my brutishness. Forgive my animal-like unbelief. Forgive my animal-like behavior. doubting, questioning the goodness
of God. Nevertheless, I am continually
with thee. Thank God his faithfulness to
us does not in any way depend upon our faithfulness to him.
Thank God his steadiness does not depend upon the steadiness
of our faith. His purpose does not depend upon
the steadiness of our faith in him. but altogether on himself,
and therefore nothing ever moves him. We must admit, when we struggle
with these things, the struggle is sinful, it's evil, it arises
from unbelief. The earth is filled with glaring
iniquity. The wicked do seem to prosper,
the righteous do seem to suffer. Now Habakkuk, resolves to wait
on God's answer. That gets us to Chapter 2. We
would be wise to do the same. Wait for God to answer and lay
God's answer to heart. Habakkuk here stands on the wall
on his watchtower to await God's answer and the Lord gave it to
him in the form of a vision. He doesn't really tell us what
the vision is though. He doesn't really tell us what
God showed him. But it must be assumed that the
rest of this prophecy is the result of that vision because
God commanded him to write the vision and make it plain. Chapter
2, 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. 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. Look at verse
four. Behold, his soul, which is lifted
up, is not right in him. But the just shall live by faith. God, let not my soul be lifted
up against you. Oh, God, let me never be lifted
up against your providence. Let me never be found kicking
against the pricks of your providence. The first thing we learn here
is that God's running everything exactly on schedule. Divisions for an appointed time.
All these things that I've told you, the Lord says to Habakkuk,
they'll come to pass exactly at the time I have appointed. Now, our measure of time and
God's measure of time are never the same. Never the same. We
measure everything by our passions. God measures everything by his
purpose. The Jews in unbelief fell in
idolatry and they were cast off by God because they refused to
believe. They refused to live by faith.
They stumbled over the stumbling stone. going about to establish
their own righteousness, they refuse to submit themselves to
the righteousness of God by faith. That is the righteousness of
God that's in Christ Jesus, the Lord, who is the end of the law
for righteousness. The just, however, live by faith. And yet, when the fullness of
time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law. And
you can count on it. Not a single promise will fail. Wait, it will come. It will not
tarry. A thousand years, that's nothing. That's nothing. Well, we've been
waiting for this for a long time. Well, that's nothing. A thousand
years, that's just as a day to God. We are so constricted in
our thoughts by these things. so constricted in our actions.
I like punctuality. It's proper that men and women
should be punctual in all things. But when we think about God and
time, don't think about the two together. God is the creator
of time, the possessor of time and the ruler of time. And he
sets a time for all that he's purposed. And he is always on
time. Now, as I showed you at the beginning
of the message, this statement made by God to Habakkuk is repeated
three times in the New Testament. It's first stated in Romans chapter
1 and verse 17. Turn there, if you will. Paul declared he's not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, for it's the power of God to salvation.
And then he says in verse 17, for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the
just shall live by faith. This book reveals the gospel
wherein the righteousness of God is declared. the righteousness
of God freely given to sinners in Jesus Christ the Lord, and
all who believe God obtain that righteousness, believing God. That is, the righteousness is
made sure to them. Our faith doesn't cause God to
make us righteous. Our faith is not the cause of
righteousness. But by faith, we obtain witness,
as Abel did, that we are righteous, believing God. Look in chapter
3 of Galatians. Galatians chapter 3 verse 11. The Spirit of God says, but that
no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. No man is
justified by keeping the law. I wonder how many ways that needs
to be said. No man is justified by the law in the sight of God.
Now Paul is talking here in Galatians about sanctification. He's not
confusing sanctification and justification. He's clarifying
them. He's telling us both are in Christ
Jesus. And he tells us you can no more
be sanctified by the law than you can be justified by the law.
And it's evident that no man can be justified by the law.
And if you can't be justified by you loving God with all your
heart, soul, mind and being, and loving your neighbor as yourself,
You're a fool to imagine you can be justified by getting water,
dunked in some water, or having water sprinkled on your face.
You're just a fool to imagine such a thing. If you can't be
justified by keeping the law, you're a fool to imagine you
can be justified by eating the bread and wine at the Lord's
table. If you can't be justified by obeying the law, you're a
fool to imagine that you can be justified by somehow doing
some religious work. No, man's not justified by works,
and he's not sanctified by works. Sanctification and justification,
that is, holiness and righteousness, are in Christ Jesus, and Christ
is made of God unto us, righteousness and sanctification. All right,
turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 38. Now, the just shall live by faith.
But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in
him. Man departs from Christ, he's gone. He's gone. Demas, Deotrephes, Judas, Simon
Magus, Ananias and Sapphira. The scriptures are full of examples,
full of examples, warnings, warnings. Any man draws back. Oh man, I
know he's saved. I know I, I, it don't matter
what's, what's happened since I was there when it happened.
I, I, I had this experience. I had this vision. Oh, now I
know he hadn't been church in 20 years. Any man draw back?
Any man draw back? Have no pleasure in him. We don't.
But we, that is we who are gods, we who are born of the spirit
and taught of the spirit, we who truly believe God are not
of them who draw back. unto perdition, but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul. When the night's darkest,
faith pierces through the darkness as God enables us by his grace
to believe him. Seeing the light of God's promise
and the light of God's grace in Christ, faith refuses to quit. Faith is like Habakkuk's name. Faith hangs on. Faith cleans. Somebody asked, what do you do
when you get to the end of your rope? Well, you tie a knot and
hang on. That's all. That's all. What
do you do when you got no evidences and you got no feelings? And
you can't see what's going on. And you can't understand what's
happening around you. And everything's confusion and
darkness. What do you do? You cling to
Christ. You just cling to Christ. Now, let's go back to Habakkuk
again. Chapter 2, verse 14. Judgment's coming. Every proud
rebel shall be destroyed. But even in the midst of these
providential calamities, in the midst of these acts of divine
judgment in time, when the great and final day of wrath shall
come, those who live by faith have their eyes on one who is
the anchor of their souls. And we know he's in his holy
temple. Verse 14, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge
of the glory of the Lord. as the waters cover the sea.
Certainly, that's true with regard to the new creation. When Christ
makes all things new, this earth shall be filled with the knowledge
of the glory of God. Everybody is going to see God's
glory in everything. It's equally true of this gospel
age in which the gospel of God's free grace is preached in all
the world. Still, there's more. If you have
a marginal reference again, You'll see the words of verse 14 might
be translated like this. The earth shall be filled by
knowing the glory of God. That is to say, we who believe
God, we who live by faith, knowing the glory of God in Christ, see
the fullness of God's purpose in all things throughout the
earth. We know that's God's hand. That's God's hand. That thing
happened by the finger of God. That took place because God purposed
it. That took place because God ordained
it. God's will is done on earth, even as it is in heaven. And
so we wish it to be. This is God's purpose. We know
that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are called according to his purpose. Chapter 3. This prophecy closes with Habakkuk's
great prayer of praise and faith. He gives it to us, describing
God's majesty, declaring the wondrous history of God's dealings
with his people. bringing them out of Canaan,
which portrayed the Lord God bringing greater blessedness
than that to his chosen in Christ Jesus. By the by the hand of
the wicked, God will destroy the nation of Israel. He will
destroy Judah. But in destroying those nations
and in destroying the nations that destroy them, the Lord God
will save the true Israel of God. He will save his holy nation. He destroys the political civil
nation, but he will save his own elect. Hebrews chapter one
speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ being the brightness of the father's
glory, and Habakkuk seems to behold Christ in the midst of
all this. Three times in verses three,
nine and 13, he uses the word Selah in this prayer He exclaims,
Selah, Selah. As you know, this is used frequently
in the Psalms, but it's not used anywhere else in Scripture except
in Psalms. Anywhere else. Only places used right here in
Habakkuk, chapter three. He uses it three times. The word
is a long pause. Someone said it means listen
to the divine light. Oh God, help me to listen to
the divine light, the light given in Holy Scripture, the light
given in what's just spoken. Chapter three, verse one, a prayer
of Habakkuk, the prophet upon Shuganoth. Oh Lord, I've heard
thy speech and was afraid. Oh Lord, revive, preserve thy
work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make
known in wrath, remember mercy. It was upon Mount Sinai, we're
told in verses three and four, that the whole earth was full
of the glory of God. And so it is now. As God came
down on Sinai and the earth was filled with his glory, everything
shown the glory of God. So it is today. When you pick
up your newspaper in the morning and you read something else shocking,
Everybody's discussing the economic chaos of our nation, the economic
chaos of the world, the seeming deliberate attempts of the current
White House to destroy the nation. Deliberate. The fellow's not
that big a fool. Just deliberate, deliberate attempt.
And you get disgusted, and you're angry. You see the perversion
of justice everywhere, and you just get angry. Quit getting
angry. Quit getting angry. I'm talking
to Don Fortner now, you listen in if you want to. To get angry
is to get angry with God. Quit getting angry. What's going
on? God's accomplishing his purpose. And that which we perceive as
being evil and hard and cruel is God showing forth his glory. What's he doing? He raises up
nations and he tears down nations, this one included, for the saving
of his elect. Several years ago, I was on radio,
123 stations around the country played my messages that I preached
here, shortwave stations all over the world. There was a fellow
by the name of Eugene. I know his last name, but I can't
pronounce it. He was raised in Poland. He heard the message
somewhere out on the West Coast on basic Bible doctrine, and
God got him. God got him. He called his fiancée
up. She was raised in Siberia. She
lives living in Chicago. I think the thing was about an
hour and two or three minutes, and he said, you got to hear
this. So he puts the phone up on the
recorder, said, listen. They discussed the message a
little bit, and God got her. They wound up getting married,
moved down to Orlando and attended church where Brother Greg Elmquist
was pastor for a while. Wound up in Huntersville, North Carolina,
down close to Charlotte. And I finally got to meet him
when I went down to preach several years back. Met their two boys,
about eight and nine, maybe 9, 10, 11 years old. And before
I left, I said to him, you boys won't understand what I'm telling
you now, but I hope you will come to understand it. They were
born in this world in the union of a man raised in one Soviet
bloc country and a woman raised in another Soviet bloc country,
and when God broke down the whole system of those two countries.
They immigrated to this country, met each other, got married. I said, God Almighty turned this
world upside down so you could hear the gospel of his grace. He turned the world upside down,
turned everything on its heels, and you know, you remember how
quick it happened? You remember just how quick it happened? Like
that. Like that. The second most powerful nation
in the world emptied. Like that. How come? Because
God is saving his people. Behold, the glory of God fills
the earth. The glory of God fills history. The glory of God is to be observed
everywhere in all things. Listen to how Habakkuk was affected
by this. O Spirit of God, make me so to believe God. Make
me so to believe God. Verse 17 of chapter 3. Although the fig tree shall not
blossom, Neither shall the fruit be seen 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, and there shall be
no herd in the stalls." What's he talking about? The
banks will all be shut down. Your money's going to all be
gone. Your field's going to be withered up with drought. Your
cattle are all going to die when there's nothing. I've got nothing. I've got nothing. Nothing that
in this world men cherish. Yet, while I rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength. He will make my feet like hinds
feet. He'll make me to skip around
this world like an animal that's free of care and doesn't have
a clue that anything's going on around him. He'll make my
feet like hind's feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine
high places to the chief musician upon the stringed instruments. the wonder of God's providence. Amen.