Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Habakkuk 3:16-19
Day 216 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith)
continues as I pause in my study of Jeremiah to look at Habakkuk, whom my commentary* refers to as a "contemporar[y]" of Jeremiah. Although the MacArthur Bible Study Commentary (for purchase) indicates that "as with many of the Minor Prophets, nothing is known about [Habakkuk] except that which can be inferred from the book". MacArthur agrees with LaGard Smith that Habakkuk was a contemporary of Jeremiah and further describes how Habakkuk "prophesied during the final days of the Assyrian Empire and the beginning of Babylonia's" rise.
LaGard Smith* writes that "Habakkuk, poses the profound theological question which must nag at anyone who is seriously listening to the prophets. It may even be a question which the various prophets themselves have considered. Certainly Habakkuk is concerned about it. The question is this: How can a righteous and holy God use a wicked nation like Babylonia to bring punishment against God’s own people, rebellious and sinful though they may be? Are not the ruthless Babylonians and the other oppressors of Judah merely acting on their own in great arrogance and with no thought whatever of achieving any divine purpose? How then can God permit these unrighteous nations to succeed in their evil oppressions? And the question stretches beyond even the present conflicts to other related issues. How can God permit the wicked to prosper, often at the expense of the righteous? How can a righteous God permit evil to exist at all?"
*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
On the latter question, we know that sin exists because of Adam and Eve's sin in the very beginning - what is referred to as The Fall (Genesis 3). LaGard Smith* writes that God addresses the "central question" by responding to Habakkuk that "evil, wherever it is found, always bears within it the seeds of its own destruction. Judah’s sins have condemned it to inevitable destruction. The particular agency by which that destruction comes is of no consequence." LaGard Smith* summarizes a key point for this morning: "[o]nly in righteousness is there life; sin always brings death".
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
Believers concerned about justice can have peace and take comfort that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16) and also have peace and take comfort in knowing that God's justice is perfect.
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who comforts me and gives me peace - during good and bad times. Thank You Jesus! I know You never leave or forsake me. Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such a God. I sin...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
