LESSON 8
Make sure everyone gets the message
While Daniel was in Babylon , Habakkuk was back in Jerusalem
trying to absorb God’s response to his 2nd complaint. Look again at chapter 2 verse 2.
God cautions, “Make it plain” and that a herald should “run with it” so the message would be available to everyone.
A few decades later, Cyrus’ proclamation telling Jews they were free to return home was to be sent “throughout his realm and put in writing” (2 Chronicles 36:22-23).
Messages like this were sent by heralds -- runners on foot or on horses. Often it was a relay. One horseman or runner would take the message to the next “station,” and then the “baton” would be passed to a new runner or a new horseman. It was similar to our Pony Express, except probably using more riders.
Ancient kingdoms used this method to send all important messages, particularly military information.
THE ORIGINAL MARATHON RUNNER
Serving in these positions was a demanding job. Remember the Athenian runner named Pheidippides? In 490 B.C. he ran from the battlefield at Marathon to Sparta asking for aid (about 150 miles round trip) and then he fought in the battle, and then ran to Athens
Then he fell dead. It is really a dramatic story – true or untrue —
– he delivered his news and then keeled over.
I don’t mean to make light of this accomplishment – I mean, we still honor him today each time we run modern marathons. But it really does make a great story! Delivering his important message and then collapsing would make an appropriate climax to a play!
And the story was re-enacted for many years on the stage.
(Sometimes messengers bringing bad news were killed – we still say today, “Don’t shoot the messenger!”)
Messengers were very important. Delivering the latest news was critical for governments large and small.
In 1 Samuel 4:10-18 we read about a Benjamite runner who ran from the battle with the Philistines (when 30,000 Israelites were killed, including Eli’s two sons, and the Ark taken) to Eli, who at age 98, when he heard the Ark was taken, fell and broke his neck. But I guess that is another “By the way.”
Well, back to Habakkuk. It made sense to record the message because it needed to be delivered to many people, and there would be a delay in its fulfillment -- there would be no need to record a prophecy that was going to happen immediately.
Writing a prophecy was a safeguard against its being lost or “conveniently” forgotten.
Look at verse 3 – “the revelation awaits an appointed time” – God’s time schedule – not a random act – appointed time…it will not prove false...though it linger...wait for it…it will certainly come…
How much more certain could God have made it?
An Important “By the Way”
Verse 4 requires much careful attention.
Look how it is written – and remember, God is speaking. The beginning of verse 4 talks about the evil Babylonians, as does verse 5. But right there in the middle – and it is clearer in the NIV translation where the words are placed between dashes – but the righteous shall live by his faith – this phrase is parenthetical – a sort of “by the way” phrase.
Right in the middle of telling how the evil civilization lives, the way the righteous live is inserted. It serves as a comparison between the way the ungodly live and the way the godly live.
This is surely the most important “by the way” in Scripture.
A paraphrase might be: The Babylonians are arrogant and have evil desires – by the way, God’s people do not live that way, they live by faith – and they are greedy and their desire for cruelty and conquest is never satisfied…
THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY HIS FAITH
Faith is a noun. (Remember? A noun is a person, place or thing). It cannot be made into a verb – there is no verb form. It is only a noun, reminding us, in English, at least, that it is something given to us, and we cannot in any way achieve it, or earn it, or God’s salvation, by our deeds (our verbs).
In this context it is a very big word. It means more than “believing.” The person described here is not merely one who has faith, but one who is faithful to live the way God wants him to live.
“Faithfulness” would work, too. When we say God is faithful, we mean He is trustworthy, dependable, sure. When applied to believers it means we regard God as absolutely trustworthy and also that we commit ourselves completely to Him by our obedience. Our “faith” is validated by our “faithfulness.”
The faithfulness God requires of us is not to be trivialized. It is required--not suggested, not recommended, not preferred--It is required.
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does The LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
(Micah 6:8)
Faith is a noun. But it is validated and demonstrated as a verb.
In the Book of James in the New Testament we find the question still being posed:
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” James 2:14)
A key word in that verse is “such” – is it truly faith if someone claims to believe in God’s message and yet disobeys Him?
We used to say: Yes, faith alone saves a person, but saving faith is never alone!
Martin Luther, who made this verse famous, said, “So this is now the mark by which we all shall certainly know whether the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is effective in us: if we take upon ourselves the needs of our neighbor.”
GOD’S UNCHANGING ETERNAL PURPOSE
In the Old Testament God’s people were saved because they trusted in God’s faithfulness. And they demonstrated that faith by obedience. It is the same today. We are saved by trusting in Jesus Christ and relying on God’s faithfulness. And we demonstrate it by living as He wants us to. God’s eternal purpose has never changed.
Now we look at verse 5.
In verse 5 God describes the Babylonian’s thirst for power and conquest. It is insatiable. They are inflamed by wine and bring death to those who oppose them, and even to those who do not.
The wording is interesting: Because they are so greedy they are never satisfied, and that’s the reason they are cruel and evil. Because of their greed. (And we know God does not like greed!)
In summary of this section of God’s answer to Habakkuk, we can say that pride and greed lead to destruction. God’s faithful people are to live differently, because they know God is faithful to His word and they obey His instructions about how to treat people, human beings made in His image. In time of crisis, we live by our faith in God’s sovereignty and overruling love in all circumstances.
The answer did not change the circumstances. The Babylonians would still pillage and destroy the Promised Land. They were still cruel and heartless.
And the worst was yet to come. Judah would be under their control and Jerusalem
But God is not finished with His message to Habakkuk. And God is not finished with His peopole!
Stay on board..……hear God’s answer to Habakkuk’s other question. (That was, ‘What’s going to happen to Babylon
Lesson 8a
MESSENGERS IN AMERICAN HISTORY
In our nation’s early days newspapers printed in New York and Philadelphia
Usually the newspaper would be read in the village square and the villagers would crowd close to hear everything. Many people could not read or write and so one educated person might be selected to read the latest news loudly for all to hear.
Usually the newspaper would be read in the village square and the villagers would crowd close to hear everything. Many people could not read or write and so one educated person might be selected to read the latest news loudly for all to hear.
One such small village was Waxhaw on the border between North and South Carolina Philadelphia
In the mid 1770’s current events seemed particularly interesting. Things seemed to be stirring in Philadelphia
One summer day they waited and when the messenger arrived on his horse he called out for someone to step forward and read the news. It was exciting, he said. A young boy, aged 9, stepped up and volunteered to read. So he read the news that hot summer day in 1776.
Included in the paper that week was a copy of the newly authored Declaration of Independence. He proudly read it and some of the crowd cheered; others were stunned.
That young boy was Andrew Jackson, and years later, when he recounted the proudest moments of his life, he mentioned being elected President of the US and the day he defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans, but topping it off was that summer day in July, 1776, when he was privileged to read the Declaration of Independence to his friends and family in that small village when he was just 9 years old.
We still honor our own modern-day heralds – our United States
