GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading   : Habakkuk 3

Theme                    : Habakkuk’s Worship

Recalling God’s Greatness (1-15). Habakkuk strengthens his faith in God by remembering God’s greatness that He has revealed in the past. Habakkuk’s faith is not blind, but grounded firmly in God’s revealed character and power that He has demonstrated throughout history. He remembers God’s revelation and glory at Mt. Sinai, Teman, and Mt. Paran (Deut. 33:2-4) when God disclosed Himself. This same glorious and powerful God will execute His divine justice like a mighty warrior.

Worshipping God’s Greatness (16-19). Habakkuk grieves greatly because of the coming, horrific destruction (v.16). Yet, he understands that this destruction is not the end for him and his people. In this, Habakkuk rejoices and lives by faith in God. The same God who promises to bring death and destruction, is the same God who promises to bring life and fruitfulness. In the end, God will restore Habakkuk and the nation of Israel to the Promised Land (tread on my high places, cf Is. 58:14). This will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom and the new heavens and new earth. Habakkuk can rejoice even in the toughest times because of this eternal perspective (2 Cor. 4:17).

Praying the Scripture

1. Habakkuk did not stay in his bewilderment even though not all of his questions were answered by God. He moved forward in his worship, love and zeal for God because what God has revealed about His power and character is sufficient for Habakkuk. This is how we ought to live as Christians (Rom. 1:17) when we do not have all our questions answered by God. We must move forward in our worship and love for God, not by blind faith, but by the firm foundation of His revealed truth. Let’s pray that we will not be paralyzed in our puzzlement.

2. As pilgrims on earth, believers ought to seek a greater country (Heb. 11:10), not this world, no matter how great is our country. If we lose our perspective of our eternal home, then we will easily be discouraged and sad in this world because there will always be disappointments in this fallen world (Job 5:7). Let us always keep our eternal home in perspective so that we can rejoice in God even in tough times. This does not mean we can be lazy and just wait for heaven to come like some Thessalonians (2 Thes. 3:10). It means when suffering and trouble come, we can still rejoice because we know this is not the end, heaven is. Even when our loved ones die, we can rejoice because we will see these Christians in heaven (1 Thes. 4:13).

Scripture Reading   : Habakkuk 1:12-2:20

Theme                    : The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

Prophet’s Second Lament (1:12-17). Habakkuk is stunned by God’s answer. God’s answer did not fit his understanding of God’s character and justice. God is a righteous God, who cannot look at evil meaning accept and tolerate evil. How can such righteous God use Babylonian, which is more evil than Judah, to punish Judah? And how can God let Babylon kill and conquer other nations forever? Habakkuk waits for God to answer a second time.

God’s Second Comfort (2:1-20). God graciously answers His servant. Even though God will use Babylon as the rod of His anger, He will not allow Babylon to kill forever. They are responsible for their sins. He will destroy Babylon because of their wickedness. They are already sinful, God simply channels their sinfulness (Prov. 21:1). For glory, Babylon seeks to conquer continuously, but such endeavor will not bring everlasting glory, value, meaning or joy. Like death, they are never satisfied. In contrast, only the glory of God, which will cover the whole earth, has everlasting value and meaning. The way of Babylon, like the way of the world, only brings emptiness and judgment from God (cf. Ps. 1). How the idolatrous and evil Babylon plundered others, it will receive the same treatment at the end. The proper behavior of God’s people is to live by faith. A faith that is grounded in the truth of God’s character and power. A faith that results in faithfulness to God (Is. 7:9). Even though God did not answer all of Habakkuk’s questions, He has given enough answers to enable him to live by faith.

Praying the Scripture

1. We will not understand everything about God and how He will unfold His plans in the world because it is His glory to concealed some things (Deut. 29:29). But what God has revealed about His character, power and plan for the world (Ex. 34:6-7), that we can fully understand and trust (Prov. 3:5-6). God has given us enough answers in the Bible regarding every area of life so that we can move forward and live for Him with zeal (2 Pet. 1:3) and not be paralyzed in bewilderment. God has called Habakkuk to live by faith in His character and power, and God calls all of us to live by faith also (Rom. 1:17). It is our faith in God that triumphs over Satan and all the evils of the world (1 John 5:4; Eph. 6:16). It is not our faith that has power, it is the object of our faith that has power: God Himself (Luke 17:5-10). Faith is a commitment to God, faith is trusting His word.

2. The pursuit of Babylon for everlasting greatness, value, meaning and joy will end in vanity, meaninglessness and destruction. All pursuits, apart from God, are empty (Eccl. 1:2-11). Only pursuits that are centered on the eternal God will have everlasting greatness, value, meaning and joy (Eccl. 12:13-14). All our Christian endeavors have everlasting value, meaning and joy because it will be remembered forever by our eternal God. So let us “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).

Scripture Reading   : Habakkuk 1:1-11

Theme                    : Lament of Habakkuk

Habakkuk was written between 640–615 b.c., just before the fall of Assyria and the rise of Babylon (Chaldean). He is from Judah and his message is for Judah. This book is about Habakkuk’s bewilderment at the way God is working in this world. God responses by answering some of his questions and by not answering other questions. Ultimately, God commands Habakkuk to live by faith in God’s power and character when he is puzzled.

Prophet’s First Lament (1-4). Habakkuk cries out to God because of all the sins and injustice surrounding him. Once again, Judah has abandoned God and His laws. As result, there is rampant crime and injustice in the society. Habakkuk wonders why God is not doing anything about evil in Judah.

God’s First Comfort (5-11). God tells Habakkuk that He is doing something about it. Habakkuk cannot see it but God will punish Judah by raising up the Chaldeans, i.e. Babylonians, as the rod of His anger to punish Judah. The Babylonians are a strong, prideful, merciless people who will rule the middle east. Their very standard of righteousness is themselves. They worship their own physical and military power. This is their glory.

Praying the Scripture

1. It is righteous to ask God in a humble, reverent manner when we are puzzled just as Habakkuk humbly asks God. Our asking must be rooted firmly in our understanding of God’s character and power (Matt. 7:9-11). Asking in a proud, licentious fashion and distrusting God’s character is sinful, as the Jews had done in the wilderness and was punished by God (Ex. 16:3). We also must understand that, although God has revealed much to us, He is not required to answer all our questions. When He does not answer, our job is to trust and obey (Deut. 29:29), not to stay in bewilderment, not to dampen our zeal, and not to suspect God.

2. This mindset of trust and obedience is important when it comes to our puzzlement at how God is sovereignty in salvation and yet humans are responsible. God has not revealed this mystery. Our job is not to try to understand the incomprehensive or to be paralyzed in our bewilderment, but to believe in both of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility as the Bible teaches us, and to obey God by having compassion on unbelievers and share the gospel with them with zeal. Pray that God will enable us to live a life of faithful obedience that is not hindered by unanswered questions. We trust in God’s character and His Word, which He has proven overwhelmingly to be true and righteous. Blessed be His name!