Habakkuk 3:1, “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.”
What a wonderful passage of Scripture! We all deserve God's wrath for our
sins, but the Lord has shown us mercy in Christ. We find the wonderful and
remarkable truth in Habakkuk 3:1... “IN WRATH REMEMBER MERCY”! This is the
key verse in my opinion to the book of Habakkuk, along with the truth “the
just shall live by his faith” in Habakkuk 2:4.
A God of love does permit suffering in the world because of man's sin. Sin always brings God's WRATH! Yet, Jesus came into the world to become the Savior of ALL MEN, especially of them that believe, manifesting God's abundant MERCY toward sinful mankind. Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 1st Timothy 4:10, “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” Jesus is everyone's Savior, but not everyone has received Him as their Savior. John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
In this MP3 segment of the 'THRU THE BIBLE' series, you can learn all about Habakkuk (if the M3U streaming audio file doesn't play, CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE) from the mighty man of God, Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988). The following article is compiled from the things I've learned from Pastor McGee's presentation.
The writing of the book of Habakkuk is approximately 607 BC, written during the time of Jeremiah (the weeping prophet). The name Habakkuk means “love's embrace.” Habakkuk is a small but powerful book in the Old Testament. The 12 minor prophets (as they are commonly called) each proclaim a major tremendous truth. Distinguished for its magnificent poetry, Habakkuk opens in gloom and closes in glory, it begins with an interrogation point and closes with an exclamation mark. Habakkuk is a big “WHY”? Why God permits evil is a question that every thoughtful mind is faced with. Will God straighten out the injustice of this world? Habakkuk gives us the answer. Is God doing anything about the wrongs of this world today? Yes, He is!
The theme of Habakkuk is “FAITH”... THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY HIS FAITH! Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”
Habakkuk was a man with problems. Habakkuk 1:1, “The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.” The word “burden” here means “JUDGMENT.” The answer is prophecy! The prophet Habakkuk felt like his prayers weren't being answered and he expresses his frustrations to God. Habakkuk 1:2, “O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!”
In America today it appears that God is dead, that He is not around, doing nothing about wickedness. My friend, just because God is not interfering with the sinful affairs of men does not mean that He isn't doing anything. JUDGMENT IS COMING!!!
It would terrify most Americans if they only knew what is coming!!! The handwriting is on the wall. It may appear that God is doing nothing about sin today, as was seemingly the situation in Habakkuk's time...
Habakkuk 1:3-4, “Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.”
I read in the news recently that divorce has become a lucrative $50,000,000,000 racket in America. DIVORCE CORP (judges play god with people's lives while enriching their friends financially). The Bible (God's moral standard) has been denied in school children's lives since 1963 in the U.S., but our courts are quick to imprison them for life when they commit immoral crimes. WHEN KIDS GET LIFE! (over 2,000 U.S. kids under 18 are serving life in prison verses 12 worldwide). Americans murder their children, and the ones who aren't slaughtered physically by abortion are butchered morally in Godless government schools with evolution, humanism, atheism and immoral indoctrination. America hates its children! God's wrath is upon our wicked nation!
Habakkuk was upset, questioning why God hadn't done anything to stop the wickedness of Israel. The Babylonians were infamous for their brutal torture methods. God raised up the Chaldeans (Babylonians) against the Jews...
Habakkuk 1:5-7, “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.”
Americans have a form of insanity these days. Instead of depending upon God as we ought, Americans rely upon themselves, boasting arrogantly in sinful pride. May I say, Americans have a false sense of pride in this generation. Why would God use a nation that was more wicked than Israel to judge them? Babylon was wicked to the core, yet God used that nation as a whip to chastise Israel; and then afterwards God used Medo-Persia to judge Babylon. It may seem that God is complacent in America today concerning our sins, but He is still on His throne and he is raising up the New World Order against us. God is a holy God.
After learning what God was going to do about sin in Israel, Habakkuk became afraid. Habakkuk 3:2, “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” Yet we read the sweet words in Habakkuk 3:2... IN WRATH REMEMBER MERCY!!! Every believer deserves God's wrath at times. Psalms 6:1-2, “O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.” 2nd Corinthians 5:11, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”
| Jesus Christ Literally Arose from the Grave(needful Windows Media sermons by Pastor Jeff Owens)
