I invite you to take your Bible, turn to the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk is right after Nahum. Yeah, that helps a lot, right? Nahum, Habakkuk. Then you have Zephaniah. Haggai, those little bitty books in there, and when you get in there and you think, well, I know it's in here somewhere, and your pages are stuck together, and that's where you need it to be at. It's where they're stuck together at. It's one of those, all right? But we're going to be taking a look. We continue our study on the Old Testament prophets of God. We're going to continue tonight by looking at the prophet Habakkuk. He's one of the minor prophets. Remember, minor does not mean lesser. It just means he's got a smaller book. That's all it means, all right? But he wrote the book that bears his name, and he's the 19th prophet that we've looked at thus far. Habakkuk's name means love's embrace, or he that embraces. And some say that it means strong embrace of God. But listen, we know nothing about Habakkuk's parents or his birthplace. He was a prophet of Judah. uh... the southern kingdom and is believed by some to have been of the tribe of levi and even one of the temple singers based upon chapter three the very last verse of chapter three uh... when he said the lord god is my strength and he will make my feet like hinds feet and he will make me walk upon mine high places to the chief singer on my stringed instruments And some read that as he was tied to the temple singers. Habakkuk referred to himself in chapter 3 verse number 1 as a prophet. and was the last prophet to prophesy before the destruction of Jerusalem. Now, we looked at the background when we were looking at getting into the book of Daniel. We looked at the prophecies related there in 2 Kings 4, excuse me, 2 Kings 23, 36 through chapter 24, verse number 5. We're not going to go back over and look all at that stuff again. We've seen the background of the Lord using his prophets to tell and warn that destruction was coming by way of the Chaldeans if they didn't get their acts straight. Well, if they didn't get their acts straight, and the Lord was going to send that very thing, the destruction of Judah and particularly Jerusalem as well. Now, This is not Bible that I'm going to tell you, but I'm going to tell you it because you may hear this, and I just want you to know it's not substantiated in scriptures, okay? Rabbinical tradition says that Habakkuk was the son of the Shunammite woman. Remember the story of the Shunammite woman whom Elisha restored to life in 2 Kings 4, or 16 through 37, the son. She had a son, and that son died, and Elisha restored to life. Now, there's no scriptural basis for that tradition, but you may hear someone say, well, the Jews think that that's the case. Well, they may think that, but there's no, there's no substantiation in scripture. And so we won't speculate in that area. But Habakkuk lived in Judah during the reign of Josiah's son, Jehoiakim, who is spoken about in that 2 Kings 23, through chapter 23, verse 36, through chapter 24, verse 5. Now, he prophesied about the coming of the Babylonians upon Judah. And we know the initial invasion took place in 606 BC, along with another invasion in 597 BC, before Judah was finally destroyed in the final invasion. Remember, there were three waves of invasion. And it was finally destroyed in 586 BC. And you'll see a phrase here in the verses that we're gonna be taking a look at tonight. There's a phrase, in your days, found here in Habakkuk one in verse five. And when the Lord is talking to Habakkuk, and he says, for I will work a work in your days, there in the middle of verse five. In your days would indicate that he prophesied sometime during the generation leading up to the first invasion. So that would make him a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah. And with the decline of Assyria, Babylon had become the dominant world power. We know Assyria was responsible for the invasion of the northern kingdom. They've been carried away into captivity. Well, Babylon comes behind and they become the dominant power like Assyria had been. And from the book that he wrote here, we find that he's a different kind of a prophet. You might call him a questioning prophet. He had some questions for the Lord. He wanted to know why. and he wanted to know how. We're going to see his questions and the answers that were given to him by the Lord. And while other prophetic books brought God's Word to people, This book first brought people's questions to God. He wasn't the only one thinking about this. Others were thinking about it. He brought people's questions to God and then brought God's answers back to the people. So that's how he's different. He's a different kind of prophet than what we've been taking a look at. First thing we want to examine tonight is found in the first four verses. We'll read that. We're going to see Habakkuk's doubt. Habakkuk's doubt. It says in verse number one, the burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. It's a weighty message. That's what that word burden is talking about. It's a weighty message, a message of judgment. The burden which he did see. Oh Lord, how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear? even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save? Why dost thou show 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." So we see his first question here in these four verses. Habakkuk was saddened by the corruption that he saw all around him. His days were a time of fear, a time of oppression, a time of persecution, a time of lawlessness, and a time of immorality. Now, Habakkuk was confused by God's seeming indifference, the same way some people are today. If you're not careful, you can get that way. You can see all the junk that's happening in our country and how our country's falling apart. And you say, where's the Lord at in all this? You know, we can begin to doubt and begin to question him. But he could not understand why God seemed to do nothing about the wickedness in society. And I have people ask me about that, you know. I said, you know, just hang on. He's going to, but he's going to do it in his time. He's going to do it in his time, not your time, not my time, but in his time. So here we see that he poured out his heart to God. In our day, we have sin and injustice abounding all around us, but we must not let our concern cause us to doubt God or rebel against him as many choose to do today. We must consider the message that God gave to Habakkuk and recognize that God has long-range plans and purposes, and He will bring about or accomplish His will. Every word of God is true. All of it's going to be brought to pass. There's nothing that God has forgot. It just seems like God's forgotten us. No, he's not. Things are working out just the way he planned. He's still in control. He's sovereign. I hope that you believe that, because He is in control. And we must realize that God is still in control and that He is a good God and righteous, even if we don't understand why He works the way that He does. Now, we're going to put something there in Habakkuk, and I want you to turn to two places. We'll look at them one at a time. Turn back to the prophet Isaiah, chapter number 55. Isaiah chapter number 55, and we see the prophet Isaiah tells us of this fact of God, how God works. It's not according to man's ways, okay? Look at Isaiah 55 verse number 6. It says, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. That's a good message even for today. There's a lot of folks need to come to the Lord because he's fixing to come rectify things, okay? So verse seven, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. Notice verse 8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, that's pretty high. When I see the shots from outer space of this planet we live on, I realize we're a speck of dust, basically, just a dot. You can't even tell where we're at on there. We're so small. And we have a God that is higher than the earth. And he says, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereinto I sent it." Just count on it. It's going to happen. Look at verse 12, for ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you in the singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. That was a promise to Israel. Amen. You know, they're wondering, well, When is this kingdom going to take place? Well, it's going to take place, okay? But it's going to take place in God's time. Look at a New Testament passage. Look at Romans chapter 11. Romans chapter 11, and we see the Apostle Paul here, writing verse 33, just four verses here. Romans 11, verse number 33. Says, Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. Don't try to figure God out. He can't be figured out because he's God. OK, can't figure him out. He's going to he's going to do what he said right here. OK. You're trying to figure out what God's doing. God's doing this right here. OK. was in this book, God's going to bring it to fruition. It says, For who hath known the mind of the Lord, and who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. So just a couple of things that touch to the sovereignty of God. Now back to our Habakkuk. Hope you didn't lose your place there. Habakkuk, and we're gonna see the Lord's answer to the first question. And we're gonna read verses five through 11 here, and then we'll come back and talk about it. Verse number five. Behold ye among the heathen and regard, this is the Lord speaking, okay? And wonder marvelously, for I will work a work in your days, which you will not believe, though it be told you. For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that's the Babylonians, okay, that bitter and hasty nation which shall march through the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful. Their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses, who are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves, and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far. They shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat." Talking about how an eagle swoops down to devour. That's how they were going to come. Verse 9, they shall come all for violence. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand. They shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them. They shall deride every stronghold, for they shall heap dust and take it. Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over and offend, imputing his power unto his God." In other words, you're going to think, well, my God got me the victory here. Uh-uh. The one true God gave the victory to the Chaldeans. God used them. And that gets into the second question here that we're not gonna look at tonight, okay? We're gonna look at this answer here, and then we'll say the second question for next week. But we see the Lord's answer to the first question. God responded to Habakkuk's questions and concern by stating that he will yet do unbelievable acts that will glorify himself. When God says, gives you the detail of what's gonna happen, and that happens. Does that glorify God? Most certainly, right? It does. And that's what's happening here. What were some of these unbelievable things? Well, Judah, which had been both prosperous and independent, even to the point of being independent of God, that's where they got in trouble at. They got so independent, oh, we didn't need God anymore. they would become a servant nation overnight. Egypt, which had been a world power for centuries would be crushed almost overnight. Nineveh, the capital of the mighty Assyrian empire would be so completely pillaged and destroyed that people would forget where it had been. We saw that when we looked at Nahum's prophecy, if you remember. The Chaldeans or the Babylonians would rise to power. Now, though these words were astounding and maybe even somewhat unbelievable to Habakkuk and to the people, they saw them fulfilled in their generation. Think about that. When circumstances around us become almost unbearable, we're tempted to wonder, man, has God forgotten us? Think again. Think, hey, we're right on the threshold of seeing a lot of this stuff come to pass that the Lord has talked about that time of our days. Our days. We still need to remember that He is sovereign. He is still in control. He has a plan and will judge those who are unrighteous in His time. He can choose because He's God. He can choose to bring things about slowly or quickly. And He can do be slowly for a while and then all of a sudden, boom, quick. We just need to be willing to accept this and patiently await God's timing. Let's read the verses. I'm just going to introduce you to the second question and let you think about it. We see the second question in chapter number 12. He says here, Are thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God? Well, He is, my Holy One. We shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment. He's talking about, Lord, these are wicked people that you bring against your people. And you've ordained them for judgment. He said, and almighty God, thou hast established them for correction. He's confused at that. Thou art of pure eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue, when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? Now, the Chaldeans were very wicked, more wicked than than Judah, granted, but Judah was supposed to be God's people, and they weren't very much God's people like they should have been. And so, he's questioning, you know, you're using somebody that's a worse sinner than we are to bring about chastisement to us, and he's questioning that. It says in verse 14, They make us men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things that have no ruler over them. They took up all of them with the angle. They catched them in their net and gathered them in their drag. Therefore, they rejoice and are glad." In other words, these guys are coming in. They're wreaking havoc. They're having a grand old time doing it, cursing God while they're doing it, too. They're just having a grand old time. And look at verse number 16. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag, because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous. Basically, well, you know, our God did this, you know. And look at verse 17. Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations? Well, you know, Habakkuk's confused. and appalled that God would use a nation more wicked than Judah for Judah's punishment. Does that make sense to us? No, but we're not God. God can do what He wants to do. Is He going to judge? Did He judge the Chaldeans? Oh, most definitely. God used the Chaldeans to bring his, carry his people away into captivity for seventy years. But then he judged the Chaldeans for their treatment of his people. He did. Yeah. And we're going to see. We'll take a look at this second question, Lord willing, next time. We need to take some time to pray tonight. So that's our Bible study for this evening. And we'll We'll just nip it right there, okay?