Study of Habakkuk: Faith and Justice Go Hand-N-Hand

The book of Habakkuk is not a book that I have heard mentioned very often. I am going to use some other scriptures to bring us up to the time of Habakkuk who was the eighth minor prophet in the Old Testament believed to have been a paid prophet in the king's palace or king's court. His name meant "embracer." He lived during the time of a great revival in Judah under the reign of King Josiah who had discovered the Book of the Law.  Josiah's father and his grandfather reigned over Judah but worshipped idol gods and did not follow after the one true God. King Josiah was just eight years old when he became king as we are told in 2 Kings 22:1. The next verse lets us know that he did right in the sight of the Lord.  During his 18th reign he sent a message to the high priest to start repairs on the temple, The House of the Lord.  It was during this time that the high priest found the Book of the Law and sent it to King Josiah.  He had Shaphan read it to him and when King Josiah heard the words of the book of the law, he rent his clothes and commanded the priest, Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asahiah to go and enquire of the Lord for him and for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that was found.  Verse13 "for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.  So they all went  to a prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum who dwelt in Jerusalem and she told them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.  But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.  Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto they fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.  And they brought the king word again. 2 Kings 23 King Josiah gathered all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem and went up into the house of the Lord, and every man in Judah and Jerusalem with him and read them the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.  The king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in the book and all the people stood to the covenant.  He then ordered the destruction and removal of any items, place, or priest that had to do with idolatry worship in Judiah and Jerusalem. King Josiah went to battle against the king of Assyria and was slain.  The next two kings were evil in the sight of the Lord and as the Lord had promised Josiah would not see the wrath to come to Judah for the evil wickedness that angered the Lord.  

Habakkuk was burdened with a heavy heart as he pronounced the coming judgement upon Judah. He had questions for God and God answered them in Habakkuk 1:5-6 Judgement was coming to judge Judah. "For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe.  Just to note here if you don't believe God can use anyone or anything even the wicked to do His work than the next part is going to blow your mind! God told Habakkuk to look around him as a nation would come that would be an instrument of judgment to Judah. Habakkuk could have never imagined of the coming judgement nor could he understand how God would use a nation more wicked than Judah and one that would worship their idol gods for the victory. This same reaction could still be seen today in Christians who pray and ask God for answers but then we tend not to like the way God answers as we do not understand his ways. In Habakkuk 2 God instructs Habakkuk to write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it.  That this 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. 4) Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. God told Habakkuk, "For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs." I am sure just as today people believe they are acting upon their own accord, but God is in control of all as he states in Job 12:23 He makes nations to rise and then fall, builds up some and abandons other. 24) He robs world leaders of their reason and sends them off into no man's land. The Chaldeans were a tribe of people who lived in southern Babylon, which is now southern Iraq in our time. Habakkuk is not prophesying to Judah itself as other prophets did.  He is writing to help the godly remnant in Judah to understand God's ways with regard to the sinful nation and it coming judgement.  He understands their concerns as he himself also questioned God using an even more evil nation to bring the judgement on the sinful state of Judah.  He wanted to let the just know to stay steadfast in their faith and not by their own understanding and to "rejoice in the Lord," Hab 3:18.

It is during the reign of King Jehoiakim who was anointed king when he was 25 years old and reigned for 11 years that Judah would see the judgement of Habakkuk's vision from God come upon them.  King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and after many months of destruction, the Babylonians were successful in conquering Jerusalem in 587 BCE.  Oh, I have read this before!  Daniel 1:1 reads In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.  2) And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: 3) And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; 4) Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.  6) Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:  7) Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshack; and to Azariah, of Abednego. The righteous was taken captive to but God's favor we in their lives at Babylon though many times evil tried killing them.  God uses bad situations to accomplish good things in the lives of his people.  Living in a place that was not their home brought the nation of Israel back together that had been divided.  People turned from worshipping strange Gods and turned their hearts back to our God.  They no longer had a temple and began to gather themselves in Synagogues in which they continued after they were able to return back to their homeland where they prayed and studied God's word.  

By studying this book of the bible we get a picture of how prideful sin turned the hearts of God's chosen nation from the one true God to idol worship that angered the Lord.  We being the spiritual children of God are witnessing this once again today that man's hearts are being turned from God to idol worship once again kindling the anger of God.  We that hold fast to our faith lean not on our own understanding and trust that God will work his plan against the evil of this day that was set before the beginning of time and rejoice in being called the redeemed.  Just like in the days of Habakkuk we once again see that evil pride thrives out in the open with their idol worship.  How long will God allow this evil to continue?  If you read the back of the book which is Revelations you know that we are living in this today and that it will not be long as another dispensation is close to the end and then God's justice will prevail. If you stay steadfast like Habakkuk we that remain faithful will be called out of this world to meet Jesus in the air in that great calling away.  The Redemption Plan is what makes God's spiritual nation today, "more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37. Lets go back to Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.  12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Being the children of God means that no matter what evil tries to destroy us here on this earth God will use it to do good for us, so we have nothing to fear.  God has not given us a spirit of fear, fear is from the enemy.  Habakkuk stated in 3:18, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will take joy in the God of my salvation." No matter the circumstances that surround you in this day just like Habakkuk in his day you can keep your faith in things to come that you have not seen yet.  Where does your strength come from  well just as Habakkuk our strength should come from the Lord our God.  

God Bless!  

Next Study: The Spiritual Act of Pruning

The Spiritual Act of Pruning (sylviasjournalandthouhts.blogspot.com)