Monthly Archives: August 2023

A WORD ABOUT THE WORD

Apologetics, ,

A WORD ABOUT THE WORD

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. (1 John 1: 1-2)

There is no testimony more powerful than that of an eyewitness. He was there. He saw it happen and he relates the details of the event with a measure of accuracy as his eyes and ears took it in and his brain processed the information. Of course, not every eyewitness’s story is exactly the same. Each one saw it happen from a slightly different geographical position and each one interpreted the details through his grid of understanding.

Some eye witnesses are more observant than others. They will pick up details which others miss. Others think they saw this when they actually saw that. But when one puts all the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, a clear and a story begins to emerge. Most of the details correspond and overlap, making the story realistic and credible and can be accepted as an accurate account of what happened.

Why did the Holy Spirit orchestrate four gospels to be written? Some of the details in their accounts of Jesus’ life overlap; other bits differ slightly or even contradict, but the overall story is accurate and believable. Each of the gospel writers had a different purpose for telling His story and therefore it is understandable that they would have had different emphases and that they would have arranged their material differently.

Matthew presented Jesus as the King of the Jews, the fulfilment of prophecy and God’s promised Messiah. Chronology and details were not as important as his overall purpose and were fitted into the bigger picture. He was careful to record those parts of his information which highlighted Jesus’ identity as the King of the Jews. 

Mark’s message was that Jesus came as the Servant of Yahweh. He included nothing about His birth or early childhood. He told us much about Jesus’ actions and little about His teaching. A servant is busy doing the will of his master, rather than teaching others about him.

Luke, the doctor, focussed on Jesus’ humanity. He was very much the Son of Man. This aspect of Jesus was real but not the only meaning of His identity since Son of Man was also a Messianic title. The Holy Spirit featured prominently in Luke’s story because, as a human being, Jesus did nothing without the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was a real man, hungering, weary at times, eating and drinking and experiencing the whole range of human emotions.

When we get to John’s writings, which include his gospel, his letters and the book of Revelation, a much broader Jesus emerges, a man, yes, but much more than a man. John wrote in later years and had time to process the information he remembered about this Jesus. He could only reach one conclusion – He was indeed the Son of God.

He began his first letter to unknown recipients with words of affirmation and reassurance. What he had to say to them was based on eyewitness facts. He employed words which conveyed the activities of the senses – seen, heard, touched – sensory experiences which registered in his memory indelibly. Was it not John who leaned against Jesus at the supper table, hearing His hear beating in His chest, feeling the warmth of His body against his own?

Did he not see miracles happen; deaf ears opened, blind eyes seeing, paralysed limbs functioning again and even the dead coming back to life? Did he not hear the resounding cries of his dying Lord from the cross? Did he not look with horror on the one who was pierced with a Roman spear until the last drops of His blood spilled on the ground? Did he not hear the words of the Roman centurion who pronounced that his Master was dead? Did he not gaze in wonder at the gaping wounds in the hands and feet of his risen Lord?

No one could deny what he had seen and heard and, on the solid foundation of eyewitness facts, he made his declaration to his readers. If Jesus said what He said, and did what He did, and then He fulfilled His predictions about His own death and resurrection, who could contradict what He taught about Himself and His mission?

No other human being in history who created a religion around himself or out of his own imagination could back up the ramblings of his mind with indisputable historical fact. Many skeptics have tried to disprove the resurrection of Jesus on legal grounds and have come away convinced of the truth of the Biblical record.

The bottom line is: Jesus was the Son of God. He came from the Father. He was God’s complete and final Word to humanity. Everything He said and did confirmed His identity. He brought us life through His death and resurrection. Those who believe in Him have eternal life and, though they die physically, they live eternally in the fullness of God’s presence and glory. 

QUESTIONS

  1. How did John present Jesus in his gospel?
  2. Give some evidence for John’s claim that he was an eyewitness of Jesus’ glory.
  3. How do we know that the claims Jesus made about Himself are true and trustworthy?

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

THE FOUNTAIN OF GOD’S LOVE

Christian Life, ,

THE FOUNTAIN OF GOD’S LOVE

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4:13-15

I have been circling around the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman once again. This story fascinates and inspires me because of the many layers it reveals of Jesus’ character and His way, as the Son of God, of dealing with an immoral woman.

Since this woman remains nameless, we can place ourselves in her shoes (sandals), and receive the same diagnosis and the same remedy today as Jesus gave her on that memorable morning.

Her body language spoke volumes of her demeanour, her defiant attitude, her seductive eyes, betraying the aura of a provocative and seductive temptress on the outside, but weeping inwardly of her loneliness and frustration.

She, of all people, should have been condemned and shunned by the Holy Son of God but, instead, Jesus peered deep into her soul, read her heart and gave her the perfect solution to her need.

“Woman, you are thirsty, but you are drinking polluted water at the wrong fountain.”

Thirsty for what? What was this “water” for which she was craving? It’s obvious that her longing was to be loved… loved for who she was, not for what she could do or give… loved despite her flaws and failures… loved unconditionally and unceasingly.

She longed for a love that was not fickle, would not grow tired of her or give up on her when her beauty faded and her body took on the condition and shape of increasing years.

She longed for the love that looked into her soul and recognised the growing beauty of wisdom and maturity, of inner peace and contentment, and faith in a love that would never fail her to the end of her days.

Five times she tried, but each time the fountain delivered only selfish, abusive or demanding water, only eventually to fail, leaving her thirstier and more desperate than ever.

Then Jesus came, a man who looked at her, not with lust but with compassion and kindness. There was warmth and understanding in His gaze. She was startled, repulsed because of her shame, yet drawn to Him at the same time by His genuine interest and His simple request.

“Why are you talking to me?” she burst out. She was anticipating yet another outburst of loathing and contempt from yet another Jewish man. Jesus ignored her outburst…He had a much more important issue to deal with.

He came straight to the point. “I can give you the love you crave, not the love of a man for a woman but the love of your Creator God for His beloved fallen daughter. This love will lift you up, wash you clean and recreate you in His own image, the image of pure love. This love will never give up on you, never fail you and never run dry.”

She was intrigued. “Where will I find this love? Is it possible that I can be loved like that?“

“I am this love,” He replied. “To receive this love, you must turn your back on all other loves. You must run from the polluted fountain which has never satisfied your thirst, and drink only at the fountain of my love for you.”

In that encounter with Jesus, she lost her guilt, her shame, her fear. She ran back to her village, her load gone, to share with the very people from whom she shrank, the wonder of a new love. She saw, beyond the human Jesus, the Messiah of God’s promise, the One who could satisfy her longing heart forever. Human love, feeble, frail, fickle, and failing, may come and go but divine love endures forever.

Every human heart, no matter what colour the skin that covers the outside, craves a love that is…

“… patient and kind… not jealous or boastful or proud or rude…does not demand its own way… is not irritable, and… keeps no record of being wronged…does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out…never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT

Jesus called this love “a fountain”, refreshing and quenching the thirst of everyone who drinks of it.

“On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!  Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

John 7:37-38 NLT

Why is Jesus the fountain from which we must drink? He is God, and God is love. It is God’s love alone that can satisfy the longing of our hearts.

Why?

Life is uncertain. We live in a fallen world, full of evil people and the uncertainties and insecurities of an unknown future. How can we live in peace, without fear, and secure in a love that will never fail us and will carry us through every test and trial to the end of our days? How can we endure the hardships, trials and tragedies that hit us out of the blue?

God’s love is our only guarantee. If God loves us, with a love that is utterly trustworthy, nothing can overtake us that is bigger than this love.

How do we know that God truly loves us?

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

1 John 4:9-10 NLT

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

John 15:13 NLT

How do we respond to this great love of God?

Jude said: “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.”

Jude 1:20-21 NLT

Keep yourselves safe in God’s love!  When tragedy strikes, drink of that love. “In all things God works for our good…” When resources run out, drink at the fountain. When relationships fail, believe in the love of God. When children disappoint, take courage and hope in Jesus’ love.

When you wake in the morning, take a deep draught of God’s love before you drink your first cup of coffee.  Fall asleep at night secure in the arms of that great love. Navigate your day, whatever it brings, in that secure and unfailing love. Never allow a single thought to cross your mind that doubts that God is in charge.

God will never permit anything in your life that does not come through the filter of His love.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39 NLT

PETER AND THE CHARCOAL FIRES

Christian Life, ,

PETER AND THE CHARCOAL FIRES

“Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.”

John 18:18 NLT

“When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.”

John 21:9 NLT

I write this article because many of us have vivid memories of a “charcoal fire” experience like Peter’s. Why did John specifically record that Peter was standing by a charcoal fire when he denied his association with Jesus? Why did Jesus tie Peter’s denial to the crowing of a cock?

These were the triggers that awakened Peter’s memory to his terrible failure. Every time he heard a cock crow… every time he felt the warmth of a charcoal fire… humiliation would overwhelm him, threatening the bond he had with Jesus in those years of walking with Him, until…

Jesus met him on the beach beside a charcoal fire. Why did Jesus specifically make a charcoal fire upon which to cook breakfast for His disciples? Driftwood would have done the job. Was is to drive the pain of Peter’s failure deeper into his heart, to cement that act of betrayal so that their association would forever be ended, a barrier too high to surmount?

“No!” A thousand times, “No!” It would be so unlike Jesus to do that. It was, instead, the most beautiful act of pure love, to transform the environment of gut-wrenching failure into a moment of forgiveness and restoration.

Jesus changed Peter’s agony from humiliation and regret into the glorious reality of the cross – speaking forgiveness – by that truly kind gesture. The raw wounds in His hands and feet, a stark reminder of His suffering, spoke a silent message of forgiveness as He reached out and gestured Peter to come to Him.

A simple question ended the war in Peter’s heart. “Do you love me?” Peter’s confession of love for Jesus, more real in that poignant moment, overwhelmed his pain, lifted the burden of regret, and flooded his heart with gratitude and relief.

No longer would a charcoal fire be the sword through his heart, the reminder of the events of that terrible night.

What was the difference?

It was the accuser at the charcoal fire who roused fear in Peter’s heart. Fear, the enemy’s favoured weapon, drew the lie from his mouth, “I don’t know the man,” leaving him with a conscience writhing in torment.

It was Jesus, Prince of Peace, standing at another charcoal fire, speaking words of comfort and restoration, who finally brought Peter’s torment to an end.

Isn’t it always the presence of Jesus in the same situation where we fell into fear, guilt, and shame, who knows, forgives, and renews our love for Him?

Peter’s “charcoal fire” would never again be a reminder of his failure. His “charcoal fire”  encounter with Jesus, bringing forgiveness, restoration, and peace, would forever remind him of the grace and mercy that wipes the slate clean.

What if Peter had chosen to stay by the accuser’s charcoal fire in Caiaphas’ courtyard? What if he had never moved on to the charcoal fire on the beach in Galliee?

He would never have escaped the accuser’s voice. He would never have known the presence of Jesus and the peace of forgiveness. He would never have experienced Pentecost or the joy of leading thousands to faith in Jesus. He would never have become the great Apostle Peter.

And so with us. We can cling to our victim status, forever making our failures our “charcoal fire” resting place, forever wallowing in the lies of the accuser or…

We can revel in the presence of Jesus, turning our failures into opportunities, seeing His grace and forgiveness shining through. We can change our perspective, recognise His hand in all the details of our lives, putting us on a path to a life of unending gratitude expressed in our service to others.

We can become victors, overcomers who rise above our selfish misery through grace to sit with Jesus on His throne.

We can choose to live the truly abundant life Jesus promised us. It is not a life of wealth and prosperity, for these are as transient as this present age which is passing away.

It’s not about circumstances because these are always uncertain and changing.

It’s about love, joy, and peace in the heart, knowing that Jesus is always the same and He will never abandon us. It is a life of joyful partnership with Jesus, calling on His name in every circumstance and revelling in His presence, grace, comfort, and strength to see us through.

The choice is ours.

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”

Romans 5:17 NIV

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

Revelation 3:21 NIV

As Joshua said to the Israelites of old,

“So, fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly… Serve the Lord alone…. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve….  But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:14-15 NLT,

So I say to you today, “Choose whom you will serve…”, your own foolish failures, or the Lord Jesus who offers you forgiveness and a new life with Him.

LESSONS FROM HABAKKUK Concluded

Prayer, ,

LESSONS FROM HABAKKUK Concluded

Let me tell you what the Holy Spirit has revealed to me through His Word…

Some time ago I asked the Lord why He has not stopped the war in Ukraine, since many people around the world are praying. His response surprised me as much as His reply to Habakkuk’s question stunned him.

He took me to a verse in Genesis 15.

“In the fourth generation, your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

Genesis 15:16 NIV

God told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved in a foreign land for 400 years. After that, they would return to the Promised Land (and conquer it – understood) because God was giving the Amorites time to repent or to fill up His cup of wrath against them.

In a process of unfolding revelation, He told me that Russia’s cup of wrath is not yet full. He took me to the prophecy of Habakkuk and showed me the parallels between the prophet’s dilemma and the dilemma of the church in our day.

South Africa is not a nation in covenant with God but the church in South Africa, as part of His church through the ages, is a covenant “nation” spiritually.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

The church is God’s representative to the world in the New Covenant era as Israel was to the surrounding nations in their day. God’s attention is always on His covenant people since they are part of His plan for showing the world who He is.

“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV

When the church fails to live as citizens of God’s kingdom in this evil world, the Lord disciplines and trains us through hardship and suffering so that we might be a holy people, set apart for God. As, with Israel, He uses circumstances… including people and nations, to do His work of sanctifying us for His glory.

“Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:9-11 NIV

A short while after this encounter with Scripture, I had a mental picture, out of the blue, of a huge ship ploughing through stormy seas, then slowing down and turning around. The words came to me, “The juggernaut is turning around.” Juggernaut? I looked up the meaning of juggernaut – an unstoppable force.

I had no clue what this picture meant until I was riveted by a statement in a weekly newspaper called “The Daily Friend” which I receive by email. The articles are written by knowledgeable people who view current affairs with insight and discernment.

The article I was reading examined the reason for President Ramaphosa’s agreement with Minister Gwede Mantashe that an “Eskom 2” was a “good idea” and should be built to stimulate competition with Eskom1 as one option to deal with the energy crisis in South Africa.

What was underlying this ridiculous proposal to solve the problem of an already failing state enterprise? The writer’s conclusion, (that Gwede Mantashe is a “died-in-the-wool” communist whose sole purpose is to turn South Africa into a socialist state, to which President Ramaphosa agreed at this point), set alarm bells ringing.

This was not the president merely giving nodding approval to the suggestion, according to the writer, but a deep-seated conviction that this is the way to go for this country, underpinned by the SACP’s partnership with the ANC in government.

Imagine my surprise when I read this statement near the conclusion of this article…

“The ANC, which has always been under the tutelage of the SACP, is intent on turning the ship of state around (!!!!!!) and leaving this embarrassing period of state failure behind them….”

https://dailyfriend.co.za/2022/07/19/second-eskom-confirms-anc-is-ideologically-bankrupt/

Shortly after reading this, I learned that South Africa has become the headquarters of the news channel, “Russia Today” after other countries had refused them.

https://www.news24.com/channel/tv/news/russias-rt-channel-eyes-african-expansion-with-sa-headquarters-20220726

With South Africa’s sympathetic attitude and close links with Russia, is there every possibility that the “ship of state” is intent on leading South Africa towards becoming a socialist state? We have only to examine the new policies the government is proposing (e.g., EWC, NHI, BIG, etc.), and new legislation being inflicted on the people in South Africa to recognise that the ANC is moving us ever closer to absolute control over our nation.

How does this tie in with Habakkuk’s interaction with God?

God claimed responsibility for raising up the Babylonians. His purpose was to punish His people for their disobedience to His covenant, and to bring them back, through their suffering, to faith in Him.

He also had to deal with Babylon. Their wickedness, cruelty, and oppression of God’s people may have been the final drops in God’s cup of wrath which they would drink when the Medes and Persians overthrew Babylon in one night (see Dani 5).

I present my conclusions in the form of questions since I have no right to put words in God’s mouth or claim to speak for God. I can only conclude, on the strength and authority of God’s Word, that He might be using similar tactics as He did in Habakkuk’s day to bring His church back to Himself or, at least, to refine the remnant of His faithful ones who will survive the troubled times we are living in.

Since God is sovereign in all human affairs, can it be that He has raised up the ANC to purify His church and restore the simplicity of faith in and obedience to Jesus as Lord?

What if the ‘ship of state’ is turning us back to communism – the scourge that Russia let loose on the world – with its avowed intent to rid the world of faith in God and in Jesus as Lord, and to control the world and its wealth by oppressing the poor. Is that not Putin’s intention – to restore Russia’s rule over its once vast empire by bringing its former member-states to their knees?

Russian and Chinese communism’s attempt to destroy the church failed. It produced, instead, a purer and more powerful witness to Jesus. Perhaps this shaking may just be what the church in South Africa needs to sift out the counterfeit church and refine the bride in preparation for the Bridegroom’s return.

I claim no prophetic gift or office. I ask only that you consider what I have offered you and heed the message that faithfulness to Jesus and His ‘law’ of faith in Him and love for one another (1 John 3:23) is our only hope of survival despite all attempts to nullify our faith and drive us to deny our allegiance to Jesus as Lord.

How did Habakkuk respond to God’s startling and terrifying revelation of His ways?

Did he “pray against” the invasion by the Babylonians? Did he “take authority” over the devil and his attack on God’s people? Did he “identify” and “pull down” altars and strongholds? Did he organise “prayer walks” and mass prayer meetings to deal with the situation he was enduring?

“No!” to these reactions which are so often typical of the current “prayer” movements.

Habakkuk reflected on the coming destruction of those who harmed God’s people. He remembered God’s great deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He remembered how God’s power over nature destroyed the enemy and opened the way for His people to escape. If God did that for His people, then He could do it again. His prayer, in response to all that God had revealed to him, was simple.

“I have heard all about you, Lord. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy.”

Habakkuk 3:2 NLT

Armed with a renewed confidence in the sovereignty, power, and wisdom of God, Habakkuk ends his encounter with the Lord in a song expressing his profound faith in God despite absolute disaster. The Babylonian army may come and destroy everything but… accompanied by wild music and dizzy dancing, the prophet expresses his confidence in God’s grace to see him through the test.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments).

Habakkuk 3:19 NLT

Is it possible, then, that God’s message to Habakkuk is His message to us today? It is not our mandate or role to try to direct the political affairs of state by interference or prayer. Our role as members of Jesus’s church is to be faithful to Him, to live in obedience to His word and the leading of His Spirit, and to trust Him that He is working, in all things, for our good, to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29).

All the signs of South Africa becoming a socialist state under the present government are there. Communism’s ultimate goal, as demonstrated in the history of Chinese and Russian communism, is to destroy the church and annihilate God’s people.

Unless God rescues us from the present regime with its hidden and not-so-hidden agendas, the church in South Africa will be shaken as never before. Whether we stand or not will depend on our commitment to be faithful to Jesus, no matter what.

Communism or not, God is sovereign. He will use whatever is necessary to transform us into true children of God. His perfect family is His goal.

LESSONS FROM HABAKKUK

Prayer, ,

LESSONS FROM HABAKKUK

As a young student at Bible College, perhaps one of the most significant lessons I learned then, and am still learning today, comes from a short prophetic book in the Old Testament, the prophecy of Habakkuk.

There are many parallels between Habakkuk’s times and our own. Society in his day was out of control. Despite God’s covenant with Israel, choosing them above all the nations to be His own people, they were no different from their wicked, idolatrous neighbours.

They despised God’s instructions on how to live in harmony with one another and with their neighbours. Instead, crime was rife, law and order had collapsed, the rich oppressed the poor, and the justice system had failed to stop the rot.

Habakkuk was desperate. The situation was intolerable. It seemed to him that God was either deaf to his cries or powerless to do anything to intervene. He was sitting on His hands, perhaps even indifferent to the mess His own people were in.

When we read the opening verses of Habakkuk’s prophecy, we could be reading today’s newspapers.

“How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.”

Habakkuk 1:2-4 NLT

How often do God’s people cry out to the Lord to intervene in a situation like Habakkuk’s, but God is seemingly doing nothing! All we see is that sin is escalating everywhere in the world, and not only in our own country. The whole world has gone crazy!

(Despite what is happening around us now, and the apostle Paul’s warning of a state of meltdown in society that will characterise the end times, there are many so-called “prophets” who happily and confidently predict a great and worldwide revival before Jesus comes. Who is telling the truth? Jesus Himself said that the love of most will grow cold).

God’s response to the prophet’s complaint was both startling and frightening. “I am doing something that, if I told you what it is, you would not believe me. I am raising up the Babylonians.”

The threat of Babylonian invasion may have seemed remote to Habakkuk at that time, but God alerted him to the reality that the Babylonians were coming, and they would inflict great suffering on God’s people.

Perhaps what troubled Habakkuk the most was that God claimed responsibility for raising them up and letting them loose on His own people.

How could God use such a vicious and cruel nation to punish His own people who were, to the prophet, “more righteous” than the Babylonians? Doesn’t God hate sin? Wasn’t He too pure to condone evil? Why would He use Babylon’s wickedness to punish His own people?

Habakkuk was determined to get answers from God, so he declared his intention to wait until God answered him (most probably to his own satisfaction, since God’s response up to this point provoked more questions than provided answers).

“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.”

Habakkuk 2:1 NLT

Eventually, God answered Him, but again, not in the way the prophet expected. Yes, the Babylonian army would invade Judah. Yes, they would destroy Jerusalem and take God’s people into captivity. Yes, God’s people would suffer at the hands of the invaders but….

God’s focus is on those who remain faithful to Him throughout all the times of hardship.

“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God… “

Habakkuk 2:4 NLT

God is never indifferent to the suffering that ungodly people inflict on those who are faithful to Him. His cup of wrath guarantees that the wicked, be they individual or nations, will be made to drink that cup to its dregs.

Habakkuk finally got the picture. God uses situations that force people to make choices that separate the godly from the ungodly. He never imposes change on people. He uses circumstances and situation to drive them into a corner so that they must choose for good or evil. (Hebrews 12)

Change comes from within, and change happens when we recognise the evil of our ways and return to the standards of God’s word.

And so, when Habakkuk finally understood how God works, though His way might be painful and difficult through hardship and suffering, his faith in God became stronger and more resilient. Justice would be served on those who inflict hardship on others. The prophet rejoiced in God’s grace to endure when everything around him failed and fell apart.

“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 3:17-19 NIV

How, then, can we understand and participate with God in prayer in what He is doing in our world today, as Habakkuk did in his day?

To be continued….