QT 8/31/2022 Ps 27:13-14, Not being discouraged by a world of evil

Psalm 27:13–14 (RSV) —

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living!

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

yea, wait for the Lord!

 

NOTE: Life is hard. And while God is in ultimate charge, the bible tells us that the evil one is the ruler and prince of the earth. So, things will not always go the way we want them to go. We will face obstacles and false witnesses who serve (knowingly or unknowingly) the evil one. Someday things will change. God will establish the millennial kingdom on earth and then recreate the heavens and the earth. And then we will not face unfair and unjust practices. For now, we must believe that someday we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living -- but for now, we should not be surprised by the opposite.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I allow the world, people, events, injustices, and lies to steal my joy?
2. Do I believe I have a future and a hope that is much greater than the here and now?

 

PRAYER: Lord, help to let go of the injustices I have experienced. You have blessed me exceedingly and my future in heaven will make every experience on earth seem like a small bug bite. I say it again -- I trust you and believe you are working in my life for good.

QT 8/30/2022 Ps 27:4, Meeting with God each morning

Psalm 27:4 (RSV) —

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after;

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in his temple.

 

NOTE: David's desire was not to be a priest or a Levite or (in today's culture) a pastor. What David is seeking is available to every disciple of Jesus. The idea of dwelling in God's house is a close relationship with the inhabitants of the house. There is rest, peace, and safety in God's house. God's house and the person of God are beautiful. His house satisfies the soul. Although this is a poor comparison: I think of a rainy day, sitting in a comfortable chair with a favorite book. The room is warm and cozy. There is a grand fireplace on one end of the room with a fire giving off warmth. The room is full of built-in wooden book cases. The wood grain gives off the complexities of creation. There are at least two large windows in the room. You can see the storm but also the woods and mountains in the distance. Your best friend, Jesus, sits nearby, always ready to chat. And you are at peace. Yes, that is the picture in my mind. That and many other similar pictures of beauty and peace seen throughout creation fill my mind as I read these verses. While not as glamorous, my quiet time spot is a nice room, quiet, and alone with the Lord, reading his word as he opens my mind to truth. I dearly look forward to each morning.

 

PONDER:

1. Do you have a quiet place where you go to meet with God each morning?

 

PRAYER: Father, sometimes, my quiet spot has been getting into work super early to have some peace, quiet, and time alone with God in his word in a cubicle. It is not the best, but I am still meeting with you, and it is worth it. Thank you for the places you have given me over the years. I do not take those things for granted. Thank you!

QT 8/29/2022 Ps 26:8, The joy of knowing the Almighty

Psalm 26:8 (ESV) —

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house

and the place where your glory dwells.

 

NOTE: What is the habitation of God's house and where his glory dwells when we are on earth? It is not a building. There are grand and glorious buildings, but his glory does not dwell there. It is where his true followers fellowship together. It is not a place of religion, but a place of excited spirits, hearts eager to tell of his wonderful deeds. There is a sweet communion  of the faithful which is impossible to explain and even more impossible to experience without a changed heart. It can happen anywhere, but it happens so rarely. The wonder, the joy, the excitement, the rapture of the spirit of God moving among his children.

 

The opposite is the future of all those who never know true faith:

 

2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 (RSV) — 8 inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

 

PONDER:

1. Have you ever experienced it? Do you at least catch glimpses? You need a true relationship with God that only comes through the son.

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the other night. Thank you for the believers and their heart for you. Thank you for the glimpses of eternity that I get to experience. Thank you that I know you.

QT 8/25/2022 Ps 25:14-15, Fear is the starting point

Psalm 25:14–15 (ESV) —

14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,

and he makes known to them his covenant.

15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

 

NOTE: The Greek word for ESV's 'friendship' is sod and suggests a very intimate and close relationship. Where does this relationship start? Surprisingly, it starts with fear, but why? I think it is because we have to recognize God's holiness to truly be able to approach him. We can't approach God flippantly, but we do have access because of Jesus to enter the very throne room of God. Jesus' holiness translates into holiness in us, we are covered in his blood, and as a consequence have a relationship of love now. But still, fear is the starting point, and until a person recognizes their need (their unholiness) and put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, there is no possibility of friendship with God.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I truly believe that on my own, I am completely unworthy of any relationship with God? I NEED a savior.

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the salvation provided by Jesus on the cross. I know I am unworthy and undeserving of eternal life in the new kingdom. But Jesus is my savior. He died for my sins. His death gives me access to immeasurable riches in heaven.

QT 8/24/2022 Ps 25:9, Humility is the path to seek

Psalm 25:9 (ESV) — He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way.

 

NOTE: What does it mean to be humble? The root word suggests wretched, emaciated, to submit, and so on. It means that I cannot live the Christian life on my own abilities. I'm not that smart, strong, or sufficient. I am weak. I fail often. I struggle to do the right thing. And most importantly I must admit it. I think I understand Job's struggle. He was wise. His years had given him insight. People came to him for guidance. And he had many possessions that allowed him to fix most of his problems. But God wanted him to understand that he did not understand all the things he thought he did -- he needed God's wisdom. And he did not have the resources and power to stand up to all that life might throw at him -- he was weak. I don't want to learn this lesson the way Job learned it. I truly must take the spotlight off of myself. I need a quiet presence that communicates to others that they are important. I need to admit my failures. I need to ask God for his strength and his wisdom.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I boast of my accomplishments?
2. Do I find ways to slip my abilities into a conversation?

 

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for my pride. I am nothing without you. And I would be nowhere today without you. If I have accomplished anything, it is only because you have blessed me and enveloped me in mercy. Give me strength and a quiet presence to live like Jesus before others. I am who I am in Jesus and I don't need to be anything else.

QT 8/23/2022 Ps 24:3-6, There is no other way of salvation but through Jesus

Psalm 24:3–6 (ESV) —

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the Lord

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

 

NOTE: Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord or stand in his holy place? No one can. We are all unworthy. Everyone's hands are dirty. There is no one with a pure heart. There is no one whose heart has not been drawn to what is false. There is no one who has not sworn deceitfully. Paul, quoting another OT passage in Romans says, "there is no one who does good, not even one." That is the problem with all religion -- works will not earn you heaven. Comparing yourself to others will not earn you heaven. The only thing that could earn heaven is perfection, and we are not perfect; we are not holy. So is there no hope? If you seek him you will find him. If you seek Jesus, the man-God, you will find our substitutionary atonement. Jesus died in our place, and took our sins on himself, and gave us his righteousness -- his perfection. That is the ONLY way onto the hill of the Lord. That is the ONLY way to stand in his holy place. Jesus himself said, "I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me." Jesus is the only way.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I understand the ramifications of Jesus as the only way? There is no salvation in Buddha or Hinduism or Islam or any other religious ideal. There is no good, even sacrificing your body, that can earn salvation.

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray that as Christians we would not shrink back from telling the truth, even to our brothers in Christ who are often mistaken on this point. There is no other way of salvation outside of Jesus. There are not multiple ways. If Jesus is God, then his words are true. If he is not, then he cannot save either. Thank you for the verification of salvation that lives within my heart.

QT 8/22/2022 Ps 23:6, My everyday need, mercy

Psalm 23:1–6 (ESV) —

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

 

NOTE: It is a beautiful psalm. I, like many others, have memorized the whole psalm. One could write a commentary many pages long on just this psalm. Since 2012, I've had 5 quiet times in Psalm 23 covering the first five verses. I've never written a thought about verse 6, but as I sat here reading the passage, the first half of verse 6 felt like the message God had for me. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life …"  Now, 45 years after repenting of my sin and putting my faith in God, I can say that goodness and mercy has followed me these last 45 years. Yes, there have been many hard years, but they softened me and changed me, giving me compassion and love to those who are hurting. And mercy, well, I don't think I would be alive without his mercy. I've done stupid things. I am not worthy of his goodness and kindness, yet he continues to shower it upon my life. Oh, I have prayed A LOT for mercy because it is the one thing I know I need more than anything else. They say "grace" is getting things you don't deserve, but "mercy" is not getting the things you do deserve. I've received much grace and mercy these last 45 years, but mercy has been the most needful.

 

PONDER:

1. Do you realize how important mercy is to the Christian life? And even more importantly, do you realize why?

 

PRAYER: Father, I am so unworthy of your grace and mercy. I can understand Paul calling himself the worst of sinners many years into his Christian life. The more we come to know you, the more we see your holiness, and the more we see our unholiness. And our hearts cry out for mercy! Like Isaiah cried, “Woe to me! … I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

QT 8/19/2022 Hab 3:17-19, What is our trust based upon? Good things happening?

Habakkuk 3:17–19 (ESV) —

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,

    nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

    and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

    and there be no herd in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

19 God, the Lord, is my strength;

    he makes my feet like the deer’s;

    he makes me tread on my high places.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

 

NOTE: Each of these six events are painful and  each one increases the degree of the pain. The use of the "and" ties them all together. Basically, Habakkuk is saying that if his whole world: pleasures of food and drink, necessities of cooking, ingredients of cooking, current livelihood, and future were gone, he would still rejoice in God. This is a long way to travel from his questions directed to God at the beginning of the chapter. For a modern person, it might read differently:

 

Mana 3:17 Though the football season be cancelled

    nor internet be connected to the net,

the stove and oven fail

    and the refrigerator be empty,

my job be eliminated from the org chart

    and my 401k be lost in poor financial moves,

Hab 3:18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

 

I wonder if any of us could say those things. Well, my wife would not care about the football season, but she has her own pleasures. If life was affected on the level of pleasures, basic needs, and economic security, could we still speak as Habakkuk?

 

What do we do? I don't want to have to find out. So, I will live my life for God and be thankful for anything I have. Israel failed to live for God and was crushed for her sin.

 

PONDER:

1. Could we really say what Habakkuk said?
2. Is our faith in God truly that strong?

 

PRAYER: Father, these are lessons I prefer not to learn or live through, but the real lesson is that you are in charge and whatever happens is ultimately going to work for good in our life when it is placed in your hands. We need to be serious in our relationship with you.

QT 8/18/2022 Hab 3:14-16, Making a difference

Habakkuk 3:14–16 (ESV) —

14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors,

who came like a whirlwind to scatter me,

rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.

15 You trampled the sea with your horses,

the surging of mighty waters.

16 I hear, and my body trembles;

my lips quiver at the sound;

rottenness enters into my bones;

my legs tremble beneath me.

Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble

to come upon people who invade us.

 

NOTE: This is often ironic and unfortunately funny -- evil people lay traps that catch themselves (vs 14). And still, they berate themselves for the unintended consequences without every considering that an outside force could be influencing events. The point is that no matter how bad things seem, we really never know the outcome until long after the action or event. Instead of trying to one-up our adversaries, as believers, we need to do what is right and we need to love our enemies. In the end, God will accomplish his will among the nations.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I caught up in a war with political enemies or am I pushing back the gates of hell by engaging people with love and the gospel?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to love my so-called enemies. They are people created in your image. I want to be a positive difference in their lives that draws them, not repels them from the savior.

QT 8/17/2022 Hab 3:10-12, Are politics or people more important?

Habakkuk 3:10–12 (ESV) —

10 The mountains saw you and writhed;

the raging waters swept on;

the deep gave forth its voice;

it lifted its hands on high.

11 The sun and moon stood still in their place

at the light of your arrows as they sped,

at the flash of your glittering spear.

12 You marched through the earth in fury;

you threshed the nations in anger.

 

NOTE: Whether this refers to the Noah's flood singularly (as verse 10 suggests) or more generally toward God's actions throughout history, the point is clear -- God is in control. He acts to bring down nations and he acts to raise others. China may be more righteous than the USA now. We are falling. But I see God bringing us (the USA) down not through direct actions but by releasing us to our own folly and sin. In other words, we are destroying ourselves and God is allowing it. On both sides of the political spectrum is hubris. On one side more than the other is flat out lies supported by a media apparatus which has no moral boundaries. And that is the problem for the whole nation, there are no more moral boundaries.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I more concerned about politics or about moral decay?
2. Am I more concerned that a particular party is elected or that my neighbor responds to the gospel?

 

PRAYER: Father, gives us heart that are concerned about your will and not our convenience. Help us to see what is truly important. Help us to live for eternity and not for earthly pleasures.

QT 8/16/2022 Hab 3:7-9, Earth is not our reward

Habakkuk 3:7–9 (ESV) —

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;

the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?

Was your anger against the rivers,

or your indignation against the sea,

when you rode on your horses,

on your chariot of salvation?

9 You stripped the sheath from your bow,

calling for many arrows. Selah

You split the earth with rivers.

 

NOTE: These verses are not easily understood. In a literal sense, we see God's wrath coming. Third parties are in fear lest they get caught up in the march. God uses real armies of real nations (evil nations) to execute his wrath as he also uses forces of nature, the rivers. In all cases, God is in charge. But what about the innocents who die because of the few (the rich, the powerful, the evil)? Does God not care for them? Certainly he does and Jesus made a point of God's care for children. But if life is all there is, then this argument about 'innocent" children might be valid, or if Heaven was less than earth, the argument might be have a point. The problem is the misconception and logic used by people to describe heaven. Before sin enter the earth, God designed man and woman to live forever on a beautiful planet with purpose and work that was meaningful. They enjoyed relationships. They grew and learned about their surroundings. That was "eternity" for man before sin. The new heaven and the new earth will be similar. It will be without sin; it will be beautiful; it will be fulfilling; it will have relationships; it will have purpose; and it will be with God. No innocent (if such a thing exists) will miss out by dying early. No one deserving of better (if that person exists) will get less than they deserve. And, in my opinion, the only persons where the argument might hold is babies and young children.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I truly believe our reward is in heaven and not on earth?
2. Do I believe that this earthly planet is not my retirement home?
3. We have a mission and we need to be about it. The reward will come later

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for your ultimate control. Continue to work your will. Help me to be about your will. Help me to know where I can have the most impact for the gospel.

QT 8/15/2022 Hab 3:4-6, Money in the bank

Habakkuk 3:4–6 (ESV) —

4 His brightness was like the light;

rays flashed from his hand;

and there he veiled his power.

5 Before him went pestilence,

and plague followed at his heels.

6 He stood and measured the earth;

he looked and shook the nations;

then the eternal mountains were scattered;

the everlasting hills sank low.

His were the everlasting ways.

 

NOTE: Habakkuk started out his prayer with a request for mercy (vs 3) and now for the next 14 verses, he describes God in terms of a theophany, a manifestation of his presence in earthly terms. It is hard to adequately describe God. We have words but they fail to capture the immensity of God or the extremes of his character, such as his holiness. The prophet tries to describe his power by imagining the most powerful manifestations in nature -- brightness that exceeds the sun; power that can kill like a pestilence or plague (unseen but deadly). God stands and measures the entire earth, and shakes it -- mountains that have stood for time are scattered and the hills disappear. The tense is strange. Most of the verbs are in perfect tense. It is as if the prophetic is describing something in the future in such an exact sense as to think of it as having already been accomplished -- also called the "prophetic perfect" by some commentators or another as "money in the bank." The prophecies are true and they are coming. There is a day of judgment. It is a sure thing. A person may mock it, but that does not change its' unalterable truth. In fact, mocking it is exactly what Satan wants the world to do. He does not want people to believe the truth lest they repent and turn to God.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I absolutely confident in the future that God has already determined? Is it "money in the bank" in my mind?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me answer the mocker in gentle terms yet in a way that causes them to think. Who is the fool -- the person who believes truth but does not see it yet or the person who does not believe because cannot see it? Gives us the faith to stand up to truth. We have seen it because we have seen the Holy Spirit change us.

QT 8/12/2022 Hab 3:2, We must know his word to know his plan

Habakkuk 3:2 (ESV) —

2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you,

and your work, O Lord, do I fear.

In the midst of the years revive it;

in the midst of the years make it known;

in wrath remember mercy.

 

NOTE: This is a very interesting prayer. The only requests in the whole chapter is in the first verse: to see your plan unfold (revive it), to tangibly see you work (make it known), and to show mercy even though we only deserve wrath. Everything else in the chapter is a reminder of who God is and what God has done in the past. In Romans, Paul writes:

 

Romans 15:4 (ESV) — 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

 

God has given us his word to build our faith. His word provides everything we need, not the world's clever sayings or worldly proverbs. What we need is in the word. It is not only the history of his works. It is the teaching that provides the foundation to understand his works.

 

2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV) — 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

 

We have what we need. The Holy Spirit lives within us to remind us of truth and to provide strength. But if we are not daily consuming the word of God, we will be weak and sterile in our faith.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I dig into God's word every day? Or do I snack on what others say?

 

PRAYER: Father, give us a heart to know you fully. Open our mind to understand your truth. Build up our faith so that we do what is right. And have mercy on us, we need your mercy.

QT 8/11/2022 Hab 2:18-20, Most so-called Christians worship idols

Habakkuk 2:18–20 (ESV) —

18 “What profit is an idol

when its maker has shaped it,

a metal image, a teacher of lies?

For its maker trusts in his own creation

when he makes speechless idols!

19 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;

to a silent stone, Arise!

Can this teach?

Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

and there is no breath at all in it.

20 But the Lord is in his holy temple;

let all the earth keep silence before him.”

 

NOTE: The whole theory of idols is quite fascinating and the practice is much more common than we think. My definition of an idol is anything that we have substituted for the revealed God. So, if we don't like his command against homosexual activities and substitute our own version, we have created an idol. When we have fashioned something into an idea or object we are comfortable with, but opposes what God has revealed about himself or has commanded, we have created our own idol that we trust in. It is a lie because it does not represent the one true God. There is no life in our idol, but we think we are more comfortable with a god that does not judge or a god that is not powerful enough to stop all calamities or a god that does not care about certain sins or a god that has many different standards for different people. What can you learn from your own idea of God? If it violates what God has revealed, it is worthless, and speechless, because it only teaches lies.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I worship the one true God or do I worship an idol?

 

PRAYER: Father, as a culture, most so-called Christians worship idols. They have created their own image of who you are and so they worship a lie. Father, reveal to us, reveal to me our sin and misconceptions of you. Cleanse us in your word from the lies that creep into our lives. May we never worship our image of you, but rather the you that is revealed in your word.

QT 8/10/2022 Hab 2:12-14, We, like Babylon before us, do not believe that the Most High rules

Habakkuk 2:12–14 (ESV) —

12 “Woe to him who builds a town with blood

and founds a city on iniquity!

13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts

that peoples labor merely for fire,

and nations weary themselves for nothing?

14 For the earth will be filled

with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

 

NOTE: Over these last two years, we have seen neighborhoods burn to the ground -- all that work and effort lost in a moment. War can devastate a country, a city, our neighborhood. But, we burned our own neighborhoods that we labored  to build. So, do we "labor merely for fire" -- to see the inferno at the end or to enjoy a few marshmallows? Obviously not. No one builds something to see it burn. It is not God's idea either, although he allows it so that we see our need for him. Everything we do and believe in this worldview we live in, is based on a lie that we control our own destiny. I've been studying Daniel and the theme of the book is that the Most High God rules. Nebuchadnezzar thought it was his strength and skill that brought him to power but it was God who raised him up. Everything this world does and believes nowadays is the same Babylonian mistake to think that God is not in charge. Whether it is evolution, or two sexes, or the basis of marriage, or the idea of sin, or the existence of Satan. Maybe that is why God uses the image of Babylon to convey life in the tribulation.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I truly believe that the most High rules?
2. Or do I fret and worry because evil appears to be winning?

 

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for my lack of faith. I do believe you rule and the people in charge are the people you allowed to be in charge. We have brought this upon ourselves because we have forsaken you. We need to repent of our sins and return to you before it is too late.

QT 8/9/2022 Hab 2:9-11, Let God build your house

Habakkuk 2:9–11 (ESV) —

9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,

to set his nest on high,

to be safe from the reach of harm!

10 You have devised shame for your house

by cutting off many peoples;

you have forfeited your life.

11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,

and the beam from the woodwork respond.

 

NOTE: The first phrase "gets evil gain for his house" is communicating the idea of an unjust gain that he uses to increase his house. So an example would be a measure that is slightly off, but allows the seller to increase his profit against the buyer. Over time, his unjust gains are invested into making his house bigger. But his house is built upon shame, taking advantage of others in order to increase his holdings. God says that the even the inanimate objects will witness against you in judgment. While the verses are directed against Babylon, it is not just Babylon, it was Israel too, and it is us today. We must do the right thing in all circumstances even if it seems to cost us or affect our next promotion. God is our judge, not our boss or our neighbors or our self. We seek to please God. And our witness is affected by our honesty.

 

PONDER:

1. When was the last time I blurred the truth for my own gain?
2. When was the last time I failed to speak up for fear of a greater cost upon my finances?

 

PRAYER: Father, speak to us today and in life. Show us where we are telling white lies or hiding truth in order to gain financially. May we be honest in all of our doings. And may we trust you to build our house not us.

 

Psalm 127:1 (ESV) —

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

 

We want you to build our house. Help us to stop laboring in vain.

QT 8/8/2022 Hab 2:4 7-8, Walking by faith or by sight

Habakkuk 2:4, 7-8 (ESV) —

4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

but the righteous shall live by his faith.

…

7 Will not your debtors suddenly arise,

and those awake who will make you tremble?

Then you will be spoil for them.

8 Because you have plundered many nations,

all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,

for the blood of man and violence to the earth,

to cities and all who dwell in them.

 

NOTE: How do we respond to evil? For the believer, we walk by faith. It does no good moaning and complaining. We must believe in what we cannot see but what we have heard -- that God is in control, he is working his will, and he will judge the evil in the world.

 

For the evil, your theft, your lies, your deceit, your selfishness is not forgotten. It will return upon your head -- not because of some stupid thing like karma -- but because God has promised. If it is not other evil stealing from you in this life ("Evil's inherent tendency is to self-destruct" (Heflin)), it will be God's judgment upon you at the end of life. Eternity is a terrible judgment for 70 years of frolic.

 

PONDER:

1. How do I walk? By faith or by sight?
2. Do I have faith or do I have religion? One will leave you with false hope.

 

PRAYER: Father, it is so discouraging to live in this world and see all the evil, hatred, lying, and theft. People have forgotten to be human. They believe they are animals and so they are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Father, are very special. We are made in your image. We have the capacity for so much good. But sin and Satan has clouded our minds. Open our eyes to see truth. Have mercy on us.

QT 8/4/2022 Hab 1:14-17, Trusting and asking the hard questions

Habakkuk 1:14–17 (ESV) —

14 You make mankind like the fish of the sea,

like crawling things that have no ruler.

15 He brings all of them up with a hook;

he drags them out with his net;

he gathers them in his dragnet;

so he rejoices and is glad.

16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net

and makes offerings to his dragnet;

for by them he lives in luxury,

and his food is rich.

17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net

and mercilessly killing nations forever?

 

NOTE: This is a rather sophisticated argument in the Hebrew. Barker explains it best:

 

The argument thus runs: God, you made us like helpless fish without a leader; the enemy Babylonians took advantage of the situation; the natural result is his rejoicing, his self-worship because he is so prosperous so that we must ask if he is allowed to keep this up forever. (Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, p. 315). Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

 

It is a fair question, and it does not suggest that Habakkuk did not believe in God's sovereignty, in fact, he almost blames God's sovereignty. This is really another form of the question, 'God, why do you allow evil to triumph?' Heflin suggests that we have two routes now:

 

Habakkuk has two alternatives now. “He can allow his doubts to be either destructive or creative. He can use his doubts, struggles, and agonizing questions to turn from God and to renounce his faith. Or he can keep his hold on God, trusting him for an answer.”

 

I think this is the threshold of faith. I don't like the term blind faith because I have seldom found faith to be blind. I have tremendous resources to stand upon, the most important being Jesus -- his life, his miracles, the historical records, and the resurrection. I have more personal resources / experiences as well, but in this area of evil, there is a certain sense of blind faith. God has allowed evil in the world in response to our rebellion. My eyes can only see the physical world, not the unseen world. And so faith is required to believe that God is bringing about good in my life, even when I think my definition of good is clearly better in my understanding than God's. But I will believe by faith that evil will be judged in his time and according to his standard.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I willing to let go of my definition of "good" to receive by faith God's definition of good?
2. Can I wait upon God's timing or must I have things in my timing?
3. Can I be honest with God to ask any questions and to pour out my complaints to him? Habakkuk could do both (ask questions and trust by faith).

 

PRAYER: Father, speak to us. Reassure us. Give us those tangible reminders of your goodness. But also give us the strength to trust when those moments seem so far apart.

QT 8/3/2022 Hab 1:12-13, Going to God with our struggles

Habakkuk 1:12–13 (ESV) —

12 Are you not from everlasting,

O Lord my God, my Holy One?

We shall not die.

O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment,

and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.

13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil

and cannot look at wrong,

why do you idly look at traitors

and remain silent when the wicked swallows up

the man more righteous than he?

 

NOTE: Habakkuk struggled with God over how he could use a wicked nation like Babylon to chastise and nearly destroy his people. But Babylon was God's chosen instrument to bring about his will. There are a number of things to comment about these verses. One, Habakkuk had a close relationship with God--why? Because he could be honest with God in his conversations. He did not put on a mask and stoic face and just say, "God is in charge." He knew God, and his relationship allowed him to be absolutely honest with God. He was like Moses who questioned God and shared his fears with God. It is okay to take our doubts and struggles and questions to God, he is not so small that they could bother him. Second, when it comes to nations of the world, are there any righteous ones? Is using a wicked nation any different from using a slightly less wicked one? Are they not all wicked? Remember we rebelled against God's rule in the garden. Our world is experiencing the results of that rebellion where man seemingly rules his life. God has not let go of his sovereignty but he does allow us to feel the consequences of our rebellion. Actually God's use of Babylon ultimately results in salvation for Nebuchadnezzar and the establishment of a godly group of wise men who would be the first foreigners to visit Jesus, the newborn king.

 

PONDER:

1. What is our prayer life like? Do we pray monotonously or do we have real conversations with God, like we would have with an earthly friend?

 

PRAYER: Father, Habakkuk's prayer is so real. I pray all believers could understand and appreciate the ability to go to you with our honest fears and struggles and complaints. May we see you as our confidante. May we grow deeper in our relationship

QT 8/2/2022 Hab 1:6, 10-11, Why prayers are seemingly not answered

Habakkuk 1:6, 10-11 (ESV) —

6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,

that bitter and hasty nation,

who march through the breadth of the earth,

to seize dwellings not their own.

…

10 At kings they scoff,

and at rulers they laugh.

They laugh at every fortress,

for they pile up earth and take it.

11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,

guilty men, whose own might is their god!”

 

NOTE: I think this is why Nebuchadnezzar was so surprised when he threw the three men into the furnace. The Babylonian's strength was their god. They were cruel and vicious. No god had ever prevented their success. But as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, the one true God is able to deliver, but if he chooses not to deliver, it is not because he is not capable. This is also our answer to why God does not seem to answer our prayers. It is not that he is not capable, but rather has chosen not to. And if he has chosen not to answer, there is a reason that we must trust.

 

Isaiah 43:2 (ESV) —

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

 

Rather than protecting us from the flood or the fire, he provides in the midst of the flood and the fire.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I pray to avoid the pain or do I pray for help to endure the pain?

 

PRAYER: Father, I do not like the pain. I want to avoid the pain. And I am so thankful for the times you have protected me from the pain. But I also know that in the times that I have gone through great pain, you carried us through it. I won't say I liked it, but I do know that I learned much more going through it than having avoided it.

QT 8/1/2022 Hab 1:2-4, Faith in the fire

Habakkuk 1:2–4 (ESV) —

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,

and you will not hear?

Or cry to you “Violence!”

and you will not save?

3 Why do you make me see iniquity,

and why do you idly look at wrong?

Destruction and violence are before me;

strife and contention arise.

4 So the law is paralyzed,

and justice never goes forth.

For the wicked surround the righteous;

so justice goes forth perverted.

 

NOTE: In my study of Daniel, Constable mentions that Daniel's friends were not saved from the fire but rather they were saved in the fire. We have a tendency to believe that answers to prayer must follow our syllabus. Yes, it is true that God does not intervene when we want him to, but how can we be so sure that our plan is the best. Faith is believing that God is answering our prayers, not in our manner, but for our good, and for his larger purpose. Pain and suffering is not because God does not exist, but because we rebelled in the garden and chose to be our own gods. We were warned. Pain and suffering, rather than showing God's lack of power, shows us our rebellion and our inability to solve life's problems by human means. We make poor gods.

 

PONDER:

1. We make poor goods, but great complainers -- do I truly have faith that God is working to bring about good in all things for those who know him?
2. Have I recognized unanswered prayer as God's best for us?
3. Do I see eternity as a lesser good than life on earth?

 

PRAYER: Father, it is hard to watch a child suffer and see no answer to our prayers. I saw that 30 years ago, and 30 years later I see the answer. I am a fool who thinks himself wise. My pride is my greatest problem still. I don't need to look good or right. I need to let go of self and what I think is best, and trust you.