Lesson 14A
Please note: this lesson is really long,
but I think you will find it interesting and
inspiring (and enjoyable!). I suggest
you divide it up into several sections -
actually I think you will enjoy every
bit of it!
Thoughts on Jehoiachin
By
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
In the 37th year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin from prison ...he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor...so Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king's table.
And for his allowance, a regular allowance was given by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.
(2 Kings 25:27-30)
(2 Kings 25:27-30)
Jehoiachin was not sent away from the king’s palace with provision to last him for months, but it was given to him as a daily supply. In this He provides us with a picture of the happy position of all the Lord’s people. A daily portion is all that a man really wants.
We do not need tomorrow’s supplies; that day has not yet dawned and its wants are as yet unborn. The experience that we may suffer in the month of June does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet; if we have enough for each day as the days arrive, we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy.
We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day’s supply of food and clothing; the more we have, the more we have to store, and we worry about it being stolen.
One cane helps a traveler, but a bundle of sticks is a heavy burden. Enough is not only as good as a feast, but it is all that the greediest glutton can truly enjoy. This is all we should expect; a craving for more than this is ungrateful.
When our Father does not give us more, we should be content with His daily allowance. Jehoiachin’s case is ours; we have a sure portion, a portion given to us by the king, a gracious portion. Here is surely ground for thankfulness.
Beloved Christian readers, in matters of grace you need a daily supply.
You have no store of strength. Day by day you must seek help from above. It is a very happy assurance that you are provided with a regular allowance.
In the Word through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God you will receive renewed strength. In Jesus everything you need is provided for you. So enjoy your continued allowance.
Never go hungry while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy.
-- Charles Spurgeon
LESSON 14
Now we are ready to go to Chapter 3, the great psalm Habakkuk wrote after his conversations with God. Some of this reminds us of Job.
Review: The main divisions of Habakkuk? (1) Habakkuk's 1st complaint, (2) God's answer to his 1st complaint, (3) Habakkuk's 2nd complaint, (4) God's answer to Habakkuk's 2nd complaint....and now (5) Habakkuk's psalm of praise and worship....such an easy outline...
I. Introduction and Habakkuk's 1st complaint (1:1-4)
II. God's Answer to Habakkuk's 1st Complaint (1:5-11)
III. Habakkuk's 2nd Complaint (1:12-2:1)
IV. God's Answer to Habakkuk's 2nd Complaint (2:2-20)
V. Habakkuk's Psalm/Prayer of Praise - Chapter 3
(1) LORD, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.
(2) Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath, remember mercy.
These first two verses set the stage and tone of the rest of the psalm.
Notice the humility. That is different from his attitude in the first verses of chapter 1, where he is challenging God.
That is not to say it is wrong to ever challenge God. He can handle it. I'm just noticing the difference at this point, after he has actually spoken with the Sovereign Lord of the Universe.
His words have a submissive, pleading tone.
Habakkuk began his oracle by asking God why He was so slow in dealing with the sin of his nation. Then God said He was going to send the Babylonians to punish Israel. Then Habakkuk challenged God: how can You, who are pure and holy, use a people even more sinful than we are to punish us?
There is no direct answer to this question. God is in charge and will do as He wills. In the meantime, no matter what the circumstances, the righteous people are to live by faith - faith that is acted out in obedience to God.
I just ran across a verse in Leviticus (18:5) that relates to this:
Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.
To obey means to "live by." To let them govern our lives. Obedience is, as we have already learned, "Doing what God says, when He says to do it, and with the right heart attitude."
Perfect Segue
Chapter 2 ended with that famous verse: But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."
That verse makes a perfect segue between chapters 2 and 3.
Read through the chapter (3) and concentrate on the visual images presented. It is pure Hebrew poetry, one of the finest examples there is. (Later I am going to relate a story about Benjamin Franklin and this chapter -- but that can wait til we get to the last verses.)
Back to Habakkuk's humility - he did, after all, get a glimpse of the Supreme Ruler of the Universe and did hear first hand what was going to happen. That would be enough to humble most of us. But there is something else, too, that I can't help considering.
He is no longer as concerned with Judah and its sin. Nor is he as concerned with the Babylonians and their sin.
He is now focused on God Himself. That is a dramatic difference. Re-read chapter 1 and consider the difference.
Seeing God had taken his mind off himself, his needs, his questions. He is no longer operating on a strictly human level.
Also, the part about the sin of the Babylonians being worse than the sin of Judah....
God Does Not Grade On a Curve
Now it appears he understands that in the presence of God, all are sinners to the ultimate degree. The tax collector's prayer: "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner."
God does not grade on a curve. At the foot of the cross we are all on a level playing field. No one is a step ahead of another. No one is favored. In comparison to God, we are all the vilest of sinners. I think Habakkuk saw that.
Habakkuk is now concerned with the glory of God and nothing else.
It's almost as if, when he was focusing on the sins of the Babylonians, he forgets about Judah's sin. Now the picture, which had been out of focus, is crystal clear.
Well, we're not perfect..but we're a lot better than they are...we don't see that attitude in Habakkuk any longer.
LESSON 14
Now we are ready to go to Chapter 3, the great psalm Habakkuk wrote after his conversations with God. Some of this reminds us of Job.
Review: The main divisions of Habakkuk? (1) Habakkuk's 1st complaint, (2) God's answer to his 1st complaint, (3) Habakkuk's 2nd complaint, (4) God's answer to Habakkuk's 2nd complaint....and now (5) Habakkuk's psalm of praise and worship....such an easy outline...
I. Introduction and Habakkuk's 1st complaint (1:1-4)
II. God's Answer to Habakkuk's 1st Complaint (1:5-11)
III. Habakkuk's 2nd Complaint (1:12-2:1)
IV. God's Answer to Habakkuk's 2nd Complaint (2:2-20)
V. Habakkuk's Psalm/Prayer of Praise - Chapter 3
(1) LORD, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.
(2) Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath, remember mercy.
These first two verses set the stage and tone of the rest of the psalm.
Notice the humility. That is different from his attitude in the first verses of chapter 1, where he is challenging God.
That is not to say it is wrong to ever challenge God. He can handle it. I'm just noticing the difference at this point, after he has actually spoken with the Sovereign Lord of the Universe.
His words have a submissive, pleading tone.
Habakkuk began his oracle by asking God why He was so slow in dealing with the sin of his nation. Then God said He was going to send the Babylonians to punish Israel. Then Habakkuk challenged God: how can You, who are pure and holy, use a people even more sinful than we are to punish us?
There is no direct answer to this question. God is in charge and will do as He wills. In the meantime, no matter what the circumstances, the righteous people are to live by faith - faith that is acted out in obedience to God.
I just ran across a verse in Leviticus (18:5) that relates to this:
Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.
To obey means to "live by." To let them govern our lives. Obedience is, as we have already learned, "Doing what God says, when He says to do it, and with the right heart attitude."
Perfect Segue
Chapter 2 ended with that famous verse: But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."
That verse makes a perfect segue between chapters 2 and 3.
Read through the chapter (3) and concentrate on the visual images presented. It is pure Hebrew poetry, one of the finest examples there is. (Later I am going to relate a story about Benjamin Franklin and this chapter -- but that can wait til we get to the last verses.)
Back to Habakkuk's humility - he did, after all, get a glimpse of the Supreme Ruler of the Universe and did hear first hand what was going to happen. That would be enough to humble most of us. But there is something else, too, that I can't help considering.
He is no longer as concerned with Judah and its sin. Nor is he as concerned with the Babylonians and their sin.
He is now focused on God Himself. That is a dramatic difference. Re-read chapter 1 and consider the difference.
Seeing God had taken his mind off himself, his needs, his questions. He is no longer operating on a strictly human level.
Also, the part about the sin of the Babylonians being worse than the sin of Judah....
God Does Not Grade On a Curve
Now it appears he understands that in the presence of God, all are sinners to the ultimate degree. The tax collector's prayer: "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner."
God does not grade on a curve. At the foot of the cross we are all on a level playing field. No one is a step ahead of another. No one is favored. In comparison to God, we are all the vilest of sinners. I think Habakkuk saw that.
Habakkuk is now concerned with the glory of God and nothing else.
It's almost as if, when he was focusing on the sins of the Babylonians, he forgets about Judah's sin. Now the picture, which had been out of focus, is crystal clear.
Well, we're not perfect..but we're a lot better than they are...we don't see that attitude in Habakkuk any longer.
And I am touched by that last line of serve 2: "in wrath remember mercy."
It is as if Habakkuk is reconciled to God's plan and now simply asks for God to remember His mercy.
It is as if Habakkuk is reconciled to God's plan and now simply asks for God to remember His mercy.
The Quality of Mercy....
One of my favorite sections in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice are these lines:
The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blessed:
It blesses him that gives and him that takes...
Such beautiful words! I'm so glad Shakespeare knew the message of the God's mercy - it is not strained...ever...it falls softly on us...and when we extend it to others, it blesses both of us - the one to whom I show mercy and also to myself...
I find several things in these first two verses of chapter 3 that help me understand effective prayer:
(1) Approaching God with humility, (2) adoration and worship, and (3) prayer for God's Kingdom work. (See Projects for more on this idea)
Two Prayers
Back to the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee prayed:
"God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get."
The tax collector, aware of his sin, did not even look up into heaven, but simply prayed, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."
The tax collector is the "just" and "righteous" man -- he lives by his faith.
He also, like Habakkuk, is saying, "In wrath, remember mercy." And this is the man who goes home justified.
John Newton, before he died, had severe memory problems. He told a friend one day, "I do remember two things clearly: (1) I am a great sinner and (2) I have a great Savior."
Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.
FUN PROJECTS FOR LESSON 14
1. Read Job 42:1-6. How does this compare to Habakkuk's words in chapter 3:1-2?
2. More of the quote from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice:
The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath; It is twice blessed;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes;
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than a crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty.
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But mercy is above this sceptered sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings.
It is an attribute of God Himself,
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.
When does earthly power most resemble God's power?
What does a prayer for mercy teach us? What parable did Christ give us that demonstrates this - or the lack of it?
What adorns a monarch better than his crown?
What is more powerful than the monarch's scepter?
Where does mercy originate?
When we pray for mercy for ourselves, what does that teach us to do?
3. Words from James Montgomery Boice about Habakkuk's Prayer and Kingdom work:
"...effective prayer is prayer petitions that are in accord with God's desires...After Habakkuk had approached God humbly and had recognized His true worth and great deeds, he was ready to make his petitions.
"Notice how Habakkuk prays that God's deeds, not his own deeds or desires, might be renewed. This is what "them" in the phrase 'renew them in our day' refers to.
"Usually when we pray to God for some specific project, we are asking God to renew our own work. It is like building a castle of dominoes. So long as the structure goes up unhindered we do not need Him. But suddenly something jars the table a bit and the dominoes tumble.
"Now we become alert to prayer. We Say, 'Oh God, renew the work, the structure is tumbling,' Our interest is really on what we are building and not on what God may desire.
"We need to learn that God may not be interested in our little pile of dominoes. We need to come to the point where we say, 'Renew Your deeds; revive Your work.'" -- The Minor Prophets, Volume 2.
Stop and pray for some of the ministries in your church and remember to pray for those who lead them - that they will be building work for God's glory and for His Kingdom.
List them and commit yourself to pray for them regularly.
And let the leaders of these ministries know you are praying.
Encourage them with a note or phone call. We are all part of God's kingdom work. {They also serve who only stand and encourage!}
