Lesson 13
Summary of Chapters 1-2
The folly of arrogance
Before we start Chapter 3, an inspiring psalm of praise to God, let’s remind ourselves of some of the great truths in Habakkuk 1 and 2.
1. HISTORY IS ENTIRELY UNDER GOD’S CONTROL
Even when it does not appear to be so, there is no power on earth that is not ultimately within the control of our Sovereign LORD, either in His permissive will, or in His direct will.
Verse 6 in the first chapter, “I am raising up the Babylonians.”
Ezra 1:1: “…the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, to make a proclamation throughout his realm…”
There are many other examples in Scripture.
It has always bothered me that there were several failed attempts to assassinate Hitler. They were well-thought-out plans, some initiated by his generals, that should have succeeded. They failed. Why? Why did God allow Hitler’s sin to grow to such a degree and so many people to suffer?
Maybe it was like the “Sin of the Amorites” (in the Old Testament) that God tolerated until it reached its ‘limits’ – maybe to remind the world that in spite of the best educated people, the finest museums and universities, the most provocative writers and artists – man’s heart is still evil. Education and wealth do not cure the sins of society.
Sin is a disease of the heart. It is not a social or economic disease.
Germany had an outstanding educational system, and boasted centuries of sophisticated culture.
But Germany displayed unimaginable horrors in is treatment of human beings. They surpassed the cruelty of ancient civilizations in ways we cannot even bear to think about.
We can search the animal kingdom and not find anything to compare to the evil harbored in the human heart.
Christ’s message is a message of comfort, healing and hope – for society to treat its people - all of them, old and young, the unborn, handicapped, the powerless….the ‘least of these,’ our brethren…with grace and love.
Have we learned that lesson?
I can just imagine Habakkuk, standing up on a wall and thrusting his fist into the air, “O LORD, How long?.....how long? …”
Many people said those exact words during the time of the Nazi regime –and Stalin’s and so many others….Hussein …Idi Amin….you can put in dozens of names here on this list….and perhaps that is what we are saying right now..."Oh LORD, how long?"
How should we be living in the meantime? – Right -- by faith in our faithful God!
And, as Chesterton said, loving the world enough to want to change it – we need to fix what we can!
2. HISTORY FOLLOWS A DIVINE PLAN.
History is going somewhere. There is a purpose.
Ancient philosophies and religions imagined history as a circle – year in and year out – the same – just year after year—an endless repetition of the previous year – flood time – seedtime – harvest – then a repeat. Like a wheel going round and round.
The Jews were unique in that they represented history as a straight line – a road – going somewhere – to a destination. No accidental detours. No senseless circling round and round and round ....but purposeful activity headed toward a conclusion....
This was a remarkable difference from the pagan world. The Jews' view of history came, of course, from God’s revealed Word.
Human history may, to non-believers, look like a wheel going around and around--it might look like it is just spinning its wheels in place, but they are not seeing the true picture. Human history is traveling on a specific road – a direct route to a God-directed destination.
3. HISTORY FOLLOWS A DIVINE TIMETABLE.
Look at the second chapter, verse 3: For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false, Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come…”
It will come as God directs…not early and not late…wait for it.
We need to look at the “delay” as gifts of God’s grace.
And how should we live in the meantime? Yes – but faith in our faithful God!
4. MAN’S HISTORY IS BOND UP WITH THE DIVINE KINGDOM
When we encounter troubled times and evil around us (as we often do) we should ask ourselves, “How is this related to the Kingdom of God?”
There is no reason for us to feel confused or bewildered. We should ponder the significance of the events and how they relate to the coming of God’s Kingdom. We should judge each happening with our eyes raised upwards, toward God, and lowered down to His Word.
Matthew 24: 4-6:
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pangs.
Remember, nothing has ever flowed into the stream of human history, that did not flow in the channel God dug for it. Nothing has ever happened that He did not allow. Nothing has ever surprised or dismayed Him.
So how should we live in the meantime – in between times – that’s right – THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH! Let’s all say it together:
THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH!
So WhatEVER Happened to…?
So what happened to Habakkuk and his contemporary prophets, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zephaniah, and Daniel?
Jeremiah preached God’s message of doom for about 40 years during the reigns of the last kings of Judah: Josiah, Jehoahaz (only a few months), Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. (Jeremiah would have seen the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC).
He is remembered for many things – but here are a couple:
He was called by God before he was even born (Jeremiah 1) and it was to him that God revealed the glorious “new covenant” of the future (Jeremiah 31).
He wept openly over the sins of Judah (Jeremiah 9) and predicted its downfall.
(By the way, there is no record that Jeremiah or Zephaniah had any converts! I don’t think Jeremiah even had any friends! I don’t imagine he was ever awarded the Mr. Congeniality crown.)
When the Babylonians took Jerusalem and deported most of its inhabitants, an official protected Jeremiah and allowed him to stay with the small remnant of poor and powerless who would remain to eke out a living in the ruins.
Some of this remnant wanted to flee to Egypt. Jeremiah prophesized against that but eventually was forced to follow them to Egypt (Jeremiah 42 and 43).
He wrote Lamentations as an elegy for the destruction of his beloved homeland.
Tradition says he was stoned to death in Egypt, probably by his fellow Jews. (Did I mention he didn’t have many friends?)
Ezekiel was another prophet at this time. He was taken to Babylon before the final assault on Jerusalem (586 B.C.), probably after Zedekiah’s rebellion in 597 B.C. He did not witness the final destruction of Jerusalem, but learned of it from the new groups of exiles arriving in Babylon after 586 B.C.
Like Jeremiah, he had been a priest, but lost his position when exiled to Babylon. It appears as if God graciously gave him a prophetic ministry in place of his priestly ministry.
Zephaniah- author of the book that carries his name. There are several Zephaniahs in this period of Jewish history. He tells us his prophetic messages were given to him during the reign of King Josiah.
Maybe some did heed his words and maybe he was part of the great revival movement during King Josiah’s rule (the revival is usually dated about 628 B.C.).
We know nothing about the end of his life.
Daniel was taken from Judah as a captive exile by the Babylonians when he was young, probably as a teen. The ‘chief official’ in Babylon gave him the name of Belteshazzar. He served in positions of authority under the Babylonians and later under the Persians.
He would have known of course about the capture and destruction of Jerusalem. He likely saw some of the temple treasures being brought from Jerusalem into Babylon. He probably strolled through the Hanging Gardens and marveled at all ways Nebuchadnezzar was rebuilding his capital city.
But Daniel also knew about the rise and fall of Kingdom (through those famous visions) and how God orchestrates human history. He was faithful to Yahweh, the God of his forefathers.
Did he hear Psalm 137 being sung by his countrymen around the city?
He was still living when the Persians took Babylon and we assume he, when an elderly man, died there in Babylon (but not in the lions’ den!) He had been reading Jeremiah's scrolls when he realized that the 70 years or prophecized exile were almost up.
Habakkuk’s final days were, as his early days, a mystery. Did he go to Babylon? There are no traditional stories or legends about his last years. We just don’t know. (No, he didn't open a fast-food restaurant for customers wanting his stew!)
