Habakkuk 1:1-4NLT
[1] This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision.
[2] “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. [3] 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. [4] 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.”
In the interval, the prophet speaks to God and God speaks to the prophet.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 NLT
[17]”Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, [18] yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! [19] 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).
What a transformation! What happened to change Habakkuk from a miserable, lamenting, complaining prophet into a dancing, singing, joyful worshipper?
REVELATION!
Habakkuk started his journey at the bottom of his mountain. From his vantage point, he could see nothing but rocks, cliffs, and impossible terrain to climb. With his limited understanding, he could see no solution to his problem. Like any mountain he was trying to climb, the peak was covered in the mist and clouds of doubt and fear. How would he ever navigate the mess his beloved country was in?
How similar is our situation in our beloved land! God’s people look around at the devastation we are facing and wonder, “How will we ever climb this mountain?” We see nothing but problems, difficulties, and impossible situations created by the people who govern us and who are bent on dragging us to destruction. Where is God in all this? Has He washed His hands of us?
Unlike Habakkuk’s people in Judah, South Africans cannot claim a covenant relationship with God. Yet, within the population of this country, there is a people in covenant with God. Those who are in Christ by faith are part of the great kingdom of God over which Jesus rules in justice, righteousness, and peace.
When God crowned His Son king over the earth, He gave Him this promise,
Psalms 2:6-8 NLT
[6] “For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.” [7] The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. [8] Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession.”
So, the nations of the earth DO belong to Jesus. Despite their rebellion, and that includes South Africa,
1 Corinthians 15:25 NLT
[25]”… Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.”
South Africa, then, although not in covenant with God as a nation, belongs to Jesus by right of the Father’s decree. Jesus rules over this land as the Father’s coronation gift. This means that He is at work in South Africa to bring the nation under His authority.
What we see now is our view from the bottom of the mountain. Like Habakkuk, our perspective is limited and incomplete. We will only be able to understand what God is doing in our country from the top of the mountain by faith, from which we have a panoramic view of what God has done and is doing in all the nations.
Let’s examine what the prophet learned that changed his attitude to God and to the situation in his land.
First, Habakkuk learned that God responds to humility and honesty. He had a problem and he wasn’t afraid to voice it. He genuinely wanted to know why God was doing nothing about the terrible things that His people were doing.
God is never offended by honest questions as long as we approach Him with reverence and awe. He is our Father but He is also the Most High God.
Second, Habakkuk learned that God never forces His will on anyone. He gave us free will. He wants us to choose Him and His way by the way He applies discipline to guide us towards the truth.
God’s people refused to obey His Word, so He put pressure on them by allowing the Babylonian invasion and exile to teach them to obey Him through the consequences of their disobedience.
In this way, God’s people made their own choice to abandon their idols and turn back to Him, at least for a while.
Third, Habakkuk learned that God is holy, sovereign, and all powerful over the nations. He used the Babylonians to punish and train His people but He also held them accountable for their wickedness.God judged Babylon for their idolatry. They were puffed up with their own achievements and worshipped the gods to whom they attributed their success.
Fourth, Habakkuk learned that God is concerned as much with individuals as He is with nations. He gave the prophet instructions to write a timeless principle on tablets of clay that could be taken everywhere for people to read.
“The proud are puffed up but those who are righteous will live by their faithfulness.”
Every individual chooses his path in life and is accountable to God for his choices. No one escapes His scrutiny.
Revelation 20:11-12 NIV
[11] “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. [12] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”
Fifth, Habakkuk learned that what God had done in the past to save His people from their enemies was the reason he could trust Him to save them from Babylon. They had to endure the punishment of exile in Babylon but God would intervene again. Israel’s history was a promise of God’s faithfulness to His Word.
Habakkuk 3:2 NIV
[2] “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.”
We can also trust God to help us on the strength of what He has done for us in the past. Every time God answers our prayers, He adds another rock to the strong foundation of our faith in Him.
Sixth, Habakkuk learned that God is greater and more powerful than all the forces of evil ranged against Him and His people. Despite the worst that ungodly people do, He will achieve His ultimate purpose. The knowledge of His glory WILL cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. The whole earth WILL stand before Him speechless because He is on His throne in His holy Temple, from which He reigns, and where He is worshipped.
Seventh, Habakkuk learned that he could rejoice in the Lord and trust Him for grace to overcome even if the whole world collapsed around Him. He could conquer the highest peaks through the strength of the Lord and the feet of a deer.
Habakkuk’s lament became a song of praise when he shifted his focus from his circumstances to the God who shaped his circumstances to reveal His glory.
God holds nations and individuals accountable according to the God/god they worship. Habakkuk’s song revealed that the Lord WAS indeed the object of his worship. In the end, the prophet’s interaction came down to one simple question, “Who do you worship?”
God is perfectly capable of taking care of His business with the nations. We can trust Him to carry out His plans to His final purpose of displaying His glory to everyone everywhere.
Our business is to trust Him and to nurture our fellowship with Him because, in the end, we cannot answer for anyone else. We are responsible and accountable to Him for ourselves alone.