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This is The Dwelling Place

from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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Today we'll be looking at the Book

of Habakkuk You may notice that

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it's similar to the Book of Job.

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Habakkuk questions how a good

and righteous God can stand

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by allowing evil to reign.

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Throughout Habakkuk's questioning of

the Lord His faith deepens, and as

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he learns to look to God's power and

strength, he's reminded to worship not

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because of blessings or circumstances,

but because of who God is Habakkuk

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needed to hear it over 2,000 years

ago, and you and I need that reminder

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to cling to God's goodness as well

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This minor prophet is

unique from the others.

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Instead of God giving a message for

Habakkuk to deliver to the people, this

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book invites us into a series of exchanges

between God and Habakkuk that point us

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to perseverance and endurance in our

faith Like many of the minor prophets,

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we don't have a lot of details about him,

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But because of some of the musical

notations within the text, it's possible

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that he was a Levitical musician

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Habakkuk means to embrace

or one who embraces.

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And at the beginning of this book, it

certainly doesn't seem like Habakkuk wants

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to embrace God's plans for the people.

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But his honesty and the relatability

of his questions is what makes his

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surrender at the end so powerful

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Jeremiah and Ezekiel were Habakkuk's

contemporaries, which means he

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also wrote about the time that

the Chaldeans were attacking Judah

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And just keep in mind that the

Chaldeans are the same as the

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Babylonians at this point in history.

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This minor prophet is unique

because God didn't send him

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to speak directly to a people

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instead, these exchanges with the Lord

were most likely shared so he could

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encourage anyone in Judah whose heart

was still devoted to the Lord The

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main themes in this book are God's

sovereignty and justice how He requires

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believers to live by faith, and how

He provides salvation for His people

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Remarkably, there is one verse

in Habakkuk that is quoted three

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times in the New Testament.

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We'll dig into which verse it was

and why the New Testament writers

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understood Why it was such a crucial

element in the believer's life

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the first of the three chapters begin

with Habakkuk's complaint before the Lord.

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You might find the phrasing similar

to Psalms that we've studied

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together It begins, "The oracle

that Habakkuk the prophet saw."

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O Lord, how long shall I cry

for help and you not hear?

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Or cry to you, "Violence,"

and you will not save?

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Why do you make me see iniquity?

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And why do you idly look at wrong?

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Destruction and violence are before me.

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Strife and contention arise.

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So the law is paralyzed, and

justice never goes forth.

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For the wicked surround the righteous,

so justice goes forth perverted

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just what exactly were the iniquities?

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It feels as though We've been

reading for months about the

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idolatry and child sacrifices

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arrogance and abominations the nations

of Judah and Israel were committing

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We don't know if Habakkuk was

seeing these in person or if God

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was giving him visions like we'll

encounter in the Book of Ezekiel

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But Habakkuk is burdened that God

isn't intervening When injustice

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and wickedness is prevailing

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Those are strong words that the law

is paralyzed and justice is perverted

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And in contrast to the Book of Job where

we wait almost 40 chapters for God's

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response, right away in chapter one, God

begins to correct Habakkuk's perspective

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Look among the nations and see.

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Wonder and be astounded, for I

am doing a work in your days that

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you would not believe if told.

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For behold, I am raising up the

Chaldeans, that bitter and nasty nation

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who march through the breadth of the

earth to seize dwellings not their own

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Perhaps you're familiar with that

verse, "I am doing a work in your

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days you would not believe if told."

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And many times people point to it

as an inspiring, hopeful verse.

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But that's not the tone

of God's words here.

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The work that God is doing is to

bring the Chaldeans as His tool for

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discipline and judgment upon Judah.

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But Habakkuk knows how truly

wicked the Babylonians are

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And he questions how God can use

such wicked people to judge a

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nation more righteous than they.

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in 1:12 and 13

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The prophet questions the Lord,

" Are you not from everlasting,

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O Lord my God, my Holy One?

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We shall not die.

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O Lord, you have ordained them

as a judgment, and you, O Rock,

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have established them for reproof.

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You who are of purer eyes than to

see evil and cannot look at wrong,

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why do you idly look at traitors and

remain silent when the wicked swallows

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up the man more righteous than he?

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It's a complex reality that our God

is completely pure and no evil dwells

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within Him, yet He is fully aware of

every sin that occurs on the earth.

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Michael Rydelnik explains that this

verse is sometimes incorrectly cited

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to state that the Father turned away

from the Son at the crucifixion,

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a more faithful interpretation

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is to understand it to mean that

God does not approve of evil.

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The Godhead could not be separated

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And God the Father was faithful To

allow Jesus to lay himself down as the

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only acceptable sacrifice for our sins

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Habakkuk says he will wait for the Lord

to answer because he can't comprehend how

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God could use such evil people to judge

Judah, even if they are acting wickedly

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Most of chapter two is God's response.

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He tells Habakkuk to be patient, that his

plans will not be thwarted, and that the

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Chaldeans will one day be judged as well

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as God compares the prideful man to

the righteous man, He proclaims, " the

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righteous shall live by his faith

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this powerful phrase is quoted in

Hebrews, Romans, and Galatians.

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Let's read it in context in each of

those portions So we can understand

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the necessity of this truth

and its relevance for our lives

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Beginning in Hebrews, " For you

have need of endurance, so that

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when you have done the will of God,

you may receive what is promised.

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For yet a little while, and the coming

one will come and will not delay.

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But my righteous one shall live

by faith, and if he shrinks back,

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my soul has no pleasure in him."

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But we are not of those who shrink back

and are destroyed, but of those who

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have faith and preserve their souls.

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here we're reminded

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That God is coming, and He will

help us endure well for Him

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But were strongly warned if we don't walk

in faith God will not be pleased with us.

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In Romans 1:16 and 17, Paul writes, " For

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for

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it is the power of God for salvation

to everyone who believes, to the

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Jew first and also to the Greek.

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For in it the righteousness of God

is revealed from faith for faith.

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As it is written, 'The

righteous shall live by faith.'"

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Paul is confident of the gospel

message for all who call upon Christ

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Because he's aware that faith is the

requirement for salvation, not works

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and in Galatians three he writes

again, " For all who rely on works

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of the law are under a curse.

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For it is written, ' Cursed be

everyone who does not abide by

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all the things written in the

Book of the Law and do them.'

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Now it is evident that no one is

justified before God by the law, for

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the righteous shall live by faith."

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Consider God's part in

bringing you salvation and

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how all that's required of you

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Is faith.

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It's incredible So when God calls His

people to patient obedience, we can

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trust what He's doing and stand firm,

no matter how devastating circumstances

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are around us, Because he's also the

God that laid down His Son for us.

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Of course, Habakkuk wasn't offered

that clarity that we now have

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but he's reassured as God explains

to him why the Chaldean- why

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the Chaldeans will be judged.

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There are five woes issued,

and each of them contains

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three verses and five stanzas

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The format of this is in part what

may point to him being a musician.

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Should you and I really care about

why God wanted to judge an ancient

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people thousands of years ago?

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Absolutely.

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We want to know exactly what

honors God and what He abhors

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Their patterns of sin and the

goals of their wickedness may be

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rightfully convicting for us today.

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The first woe is because they were

oppressing and harming people in

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order to make themselves rich.

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Secondly, they were guilty of coveting.

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Third, they used forced labor,

even killing, so they could live in

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extravagant homes Fourthly, they forced

others to become poisoned or drunk so

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they could easily become their victims

And finally, they worshiped idols,

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After God explains that Habakkuk just

needs to be patient, judgment is coming,

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In chapter three, Habakkuk gives a lengthy

prayer recounting the power of the Lord

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And I'm going to read it in its

entirety because it reminds me

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of that phrase that might sound a

little cliche but is full of wisdom.

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" Don't tell God how big your problem is.

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Tell your problem how big your God is."

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Habakkuk rightfully declares

the power and might of the Lord.

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And even though at the end of the

chapter he is physically and emotionally

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terrified, he commits to walk by

faith regardless of his circumstances

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We're told this prayer is a shigiyonoth.

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This word is only used one other time

in scripture, and it's in Psalm 7.

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The Moody Commentary says that it

was a musical notation, and that it

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likely meant an energetic, passionate

song with rapid changes of rhythm.

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O Lord, I have heard the report of

you and your work, O Lord, do I fear.

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In the midst of the years revive it.

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In the midst of the years make it known.

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In wrath remember mercy.

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God came from Teman, from the

Holy One from Mount Paran.

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His splendor covered the heavens,

and the earth was full of his praise.

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His brightness was like the light.

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Rays flashed from his hand,

and there he veiled his power

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Before him went pestilence, and

plague followed at his heels.

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He stood, and measured the earth: he

looked, and shook the nations: then

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the eternal mountains were scattered,

the everlasting hills sank low.

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His were the everlasting ways.

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I saw the tents of Cushan in

affliction: the curtains of

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the land of Midian did tremble.

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Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?

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was your anger against the rivers, or

your indignation against the sea, when

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you rode on your chariot of salvation?

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You stripped the sheath from your

bow, calling for many arrows.

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You split the earth with rivers.

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The mountains saw you and writhed.

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The raging waters swept on.

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The deep gave forth its voice.

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It lifted its hands on high.

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The sun and moon stood still in

their place at the light of your

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arrows as they sped, at the

flash of your glittering spear.

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You marched through the earth in fury.

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You threshed the nations in anger.

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You went out for the salvation

of your people, for the

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salvation of your anointed.

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You crushed the head of the house of

the wicked, laying him bare from thigh

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to neck you pierced with his own arrows

the heads of his warriors who came like

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a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing

as if to devour the poor in secret.

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You trampled the sea with your

horses, the surging of mighty waters.

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I hear and my body trembles.

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My lips quiver at the sound.

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Rottenness enters into my bones.

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My legs tremble beneath me.

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Yet I will quietly wait for the day of

trouble to come upon people who invade

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us Though the fig tree should not

blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the

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produce of the olive fail, and the fields

yield no food, the flock be cut off from

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the fold and there be no herd in the

stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

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I will take joy in the

God of my salvation.

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God the Lord is my strength.

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He makes my feet like the deer's.

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He makes me tread on my high places

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Even when there is no evidence of what

God is doing, even when you are working

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diligently and faithfully for your family,

and it just doesn't seem to be making a

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difference, you can rejoice in the Lord.

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You can take joy in the

God of your salvation.

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He is your strength.

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As Galatians tells us, " Do not grow

weary, for in time you will reap

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a harvest if you do not give up."

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And you may have never wanted anyone

to tell you you could be like a

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deer, but Habakkuk wasn't referring

to just any deer, but most likely

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to the remarkable Nubian ibex.

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These creatures were created to

need the minerals from the salt

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that forms on the side of cliffs

when water hits them because God

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specially designed the underside of

their hooves to have these incredible

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suction cups, they're able to scale

astounding, staggeringly steep heights.

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I encourage you to search out that phrase,

hinds feet on high places, or search for

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the Alpine or the Nubian So you can see

this incredible display of what Habakkuk

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was referring to when he said That God

can make our feet like the feet of a deer.

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It's nearly impossible to watch

the clips without thinking,

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" How are they doing this?"

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And that's exactly how radical we want

our faithful endurance to be in the Lord.

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We want others to look in and

say, "How are they doing this?"

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Because we know it has nothing to do with

us, but everything to do with the strength

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we receive from dwelling with the Lord.

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this weekend I had to travel out of

state, and I had the blessing of catching

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up with one of my dearest friends.

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The circumstances the Lord has

called her to be faithful in

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are ongoing and relentless.

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There are so many things she'd love

to do for her family, but the Lord

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has ordered her days and her time

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To be filled with caregiving But as

I look at her life, I am inspired.

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I see how God is making her strong.

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She's accomplishing something

through Him that she could never

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have done in her own strength.

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and just like as I watch

these deer, I could say of my

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friend, " How is she doing this?"

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Her faithfulness is a testimony

to how Christ transforms us

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to walk in sacrificial love.

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And I'm sure that if I watched

your life, I could say the same

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of you, because motherhood is a

call to constant faithfulness.

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It's a call to be consistent even

when we don't see fruit Whether

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it's potty training or just trying

to get our child to stay seated in

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the chair at the table for dinner

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Just cooking the 19,000 meals that

are required before a child reaches

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18, this is constant faithfulness.

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Whether it's physically, emotionally,

spiritually, mentally, we are making

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constant deposits into our children

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And like Habakkuk, God is asking

us to walk in faith that He's going

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to produce something through it

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But in all of it, we must cling to God,

the Lord, our strength and our salvation.

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if you feel discouraged that your life

really doesn't look like an agile deer

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Proudly leaping from height to height.

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you might be encouraged by an

allegorical novel by Hannah Hurnard

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called Hind's Feet on High Places.

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It's been a very long

time since I read it,

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But I remember this unique story,

which is based on the verses we

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just read, being really encouraging.

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It Might be a refreshing read for you

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And one final note about these verses

that are so beautiful, revealing

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Habakkuk's choice to walk in unwavering

faith even when there's no visible

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evidence to show how God is moving

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I wanted to say the people aren't

receiving the covenant blessings

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that God had promised in Deuteronomy

He told them that the land would be

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fruitful for them if they honored God

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This lack of fruitfulness

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has come about because of their sin.

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And now the enemy is going to come and

carry them away just as God forewarned.

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But even in the midst of their sin,

God is faithfully working to bring good

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for His people and this also encourages

me in my parenting and persevering

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Because I can trust God to be working

in my own sinfulness and in the

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stubbornness and strong wills of my kids

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That regardless of the cause

of the lack of the harvest

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we can trust in the God who

entrusted our children to us.

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Heavenly Father, we come before

you grateful that you are so

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mysterious and incredible, and always

working in ways we cannot understand

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or see, but that you're also so

committed to reveal yourself to us.

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Lord, your Word says that the righteous

shall live by faith, and we long to have

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faith in all circumstances We thank

you that you are the God that gives us

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strength for today and bright hope for

tomorrow it's our desire that the

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watching world would look upon us and

wonder how we're doing what we're doing.

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It's not for our glory, But that

we would have an avenue to point

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them to the love of our Savior

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help us to be diligently to

lovingly discipline and direct our

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kids to live lives of perseverance

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To understand that the Christian life

isn't one of quick yeses and easy

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answers, but a life of being refined

and purified as we wait upon you.

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We pray against the temptation

for instant gratification, and

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instead that our families would

be characterized by holiness,

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selflessness, and faithful endurance.

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Jesus, thank you for the opportunity

to honor you with our faith.

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It's in your name we pray.

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Amen