Habakkuk 2:1-20

God will always do right.  He may not fit into the schedule we would like and He may not do as we expect Him to do; but He will always do what is right.  One day this reality will become very clear to us.  In the meantime we are called to simply trust Him and understand that He knows best.  Habakkuk is confused about how God will use a wicked nation to judge the nation of Israel.  God’s answer assures him that despite his confusion, all is well.  God answers Habakkuk with two pieces of advice that all of us would do well to follow.

WALK IN FAITH: It is impossible to live in a way that is pleasing to God without faith.  That simply means that we will not always see everything that we want to see and we will not always understand all that we do see.  This is where faith comes in.  We have enough information to know what God wants us to do.  We do not need to see or know more in order to be able to live in a way that is upright and just.  The call of God on our life is to simply trust Him and know that He is always right.  We cannot trust our own emotions and cannot trust sinful men; but we can trust God.  The just have always had to live by faith and as long as we live on this sin-cursed planet, faith will be essential to living in a way that is pleasing to God.  God’s message to Habakkuk is the same as it is to us: don’t allow the circumstances and the apparent injustice of this world to shake your faith in God.


WAIT IN OBEDIENCE: When we have faith it requires us to wait.  God revels to Habakkuk that His willingness to use a wicked nation to judge Israel is not that same as Him approving of their wickedness.  God declares a set of woes on the lives of all men and on all nations.  He reveals to us that even though the wicked may prosper for a time; He will eventually judge them with complete justice.  It is not our position to question the wisdom or the timing of God’s judgment.  Our job is to make sure that we are not living in disobedience so as to come under the judgment of God.  God makes sure that Habakkuk understands that God will judge the proud who exalted themselves because of their military conquests.  They may prosper now but they will be judged in the future.  God will judge those who establish their kingdoms through the blood shed of other nations.  God will judge those who are merciless and treat their captives in barbarian ways.  God will judge those who worship idols instead of living in fear of Him.  God’s place at the throne of the universe is secure.  He is in His holy temple and is not threatened by the affairs of men.  We can trust in this truth and must make sure we do not allow injustice to become an excuse for disobedience as we wait for Him to do what is right.

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