All right, you guys, you have your little booklets, right? All right, let's keep going. Do you guys like these, too? Aren't they great? Really, really well done. All right. I say when you slowly turn the pages. I've had to refeed those pages in myself several times. All right, you guys, let's begin where we always should begin, and that is with the title of the book, right? Right at the top of the page in your Bible, there's the title. So this prophetic book takes its name from its author, and possibly means embracer, or one who embraces. All right. What's this guy gonna be embracing? Christ, God, right? Look at this. By the end of the prophecy, this name becomes appropriate as Habakkuk clings to God, regardless of his confusion about God's plans for his people. Same thing with us, you guys. When our world starts falling down around us, maybe your marriage, your kids, your country, The same thing should apply to us. And really for Habakkuk, his country was going to be overrun with the worst of the worst people. And so this is what he learns by the end. Lord, I need you. I need you. And that's what we should do too. That's what we should learn as well. So let's continue on with the author and the date. As with many of the minor prophets, nothing is known about the prophet except that which can be inferred from the book. So internal evidence. In the case of Habakkuk, internal information is virtually non-existent, making it impossible to establish any certain conclusions about his identity and life. He simply introduces himself as the prophet Habakkuk. That's your blank. And that may imply that he needed no introduction since he was well-known, a well-known prophet of his day. That's possible. It's also certain that he was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Ezekiel. Anybody know the next one? Daniel and Zephaniah. The mention of the Chaldeans. Who are the Chaldeans? Another name for them? Thank you, do not be confused. If you hear Babylonians, think Chaldeans. If you think Chaldeans, think Babylonians, okay? Same people. So the mention of the Chaldeans in chapter one, verse six, suggests a late 7th century BC date, surely before Nebuchadnezzar commences military march through Nineveh in 612, Haran or Haran in 609 in Carchemish in 605 on his way to Jerusalem, also right there in 605. Now the next slide should be a map. You guys, it's a great map, it really is. Can you guys see Babylon right there? Yes you do, yeah, keep going. Another page, one more page. Sorry. A little different, my notes than your guys' notes. But if you can see Babylon right there, then you can find these different cities, okay, along the way. So a good map is so worthwhile when you're studying God's word, you guys. It really, really is. So Habakkuk's bitter lament in chapter one, verses two through four may reflect the time period shortly after the death of Josiah. Was Josiah a good king or a bad king? He was an excellent king. I named one of my sons after Josiah. 609 BC, days in which the godly kings reform, according to 2 Kings 23, were quickly overturned by a successor, Jehoiakim. It's unfortunate, but not all children of godly parents follow into the footsteps of their parents. And same thing, though, with ungodly parents. I mean, a lot of kids come out of ungodly homes, but they get saved, right? You guys, there's no guarantee. There's no guarantee. If any of your kids are saved, it is a grace of God, the sovereign work of His, and thank Him for that, right? For the most likely date for the book is in the early part of Jehoiakim's reign, 609 to 597 BC. Jehoiakim was a godless king who led the nation down the path of destruction. Again, you can read about that in 2 Kings 23-24, Jeremiah 22. Next, after that, we come to background and the setting. Habakkuk ministers doing really what we would see now as the death throes of the nation of Judah. It's right at the very end, God was going to judge his nation. He had judged who before? Israel. You guys remember the date? 722. These are the two dates I told you to remember, 722. Second date? 586 Babylonians right here. So here he is. Though repeatedly called to repentance, the nation stubbornly refuses, that's your blank, to change her sinful ways. God sends his prophets over and over again. What does he send today? Godly pastors and teachers. He does. And he sends them to tell people, hey, what's going on, where we're at, right? God says that he gives pastors and teachers to the church today, and it's found in Ephesians four, if you're wondering. Habakkuk, knowing the hard-heartedness of his countrymen, asked God how long this intolerable condition can continue. And then God replies that the Babylonians will be his chastening rod upon the nation of Judah, an announcement that sends the prophet to his knees. He acknowledges that the just in any generation shall live by faith, not by sight. You guys know what faith is? What does Hebrews 11.1 say? Yeah, that's exactly right, I hear that. And then it says this in Hebrews 11.6, without faith it is impossible to please him. That's exactly right. He acknowledges that the just in any generation shall live by faith, again. And Habakkuk concludes by praising God's wisdom, even though he doesn't fully understand God's ways. And that's what I hope to get to us by the end here. All right, so we're gonna work our way through this thing, and by the end, I hope that you guys also, no matter what station life finds you in right now, that you can say the same thing that Habakkuk did. And those are some of my favorite verses right at the very end. Habakkuk also prophesied during the final days of the Syrian empire and the beginning of the Babylonians world rulership under Nebuchadnezzar and his son Nebuchadnezzar. when Nebuchadnezzar ascended to power in 626 B.C., he immediately began to expand his influence to the north and west. All right, and you guys can see that on that map. Under the leadership of his son, Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian army overthrew Nineveh in 612 B.C., thus fulfilling Nahum's prophecy. We just got done with Nahum, you guys. forcing the Assyrian nobility to take refuge first in Haran and then in Carchemish. And you can see how they're going east, or excuse me, west, right? So first in Haran and then in Carchemish, and then they finally ran them down in Carchemish, all right? And that's the leadership. The Egyptian King Pharaoh Necho, while traveling through Judah in 609 BC to assist the fleeing Assyrian king, was opposed by King Josiah Megiddo. You guys remember what happened to Josiah then? He fought a war that he probably shouldn't have fought and he died. And his son, who was evil, was not ready to reign. Josiah was killed in the ensuing battle, leaving his throne to a succession of three sons and a grandson. Earlier, as a result of discovering the book of the law in the temple in 622 BC, Josiah had instituted significant spiritual reforms in Judah. Abolishing many of the idolatrous practices of his father, Ammon, and grandfather, who was a really bad guy, Manasseh, right? Upon his death, however, the nation quickly reverted to her evil ways, in Jeremiah 22, 13 through 19, causing Habakkuk to question God's silence and apparent lack of disciplinary action, that's your blank there, to purge his covenant people. You guys, does it take very long for our country to go from somewhat good to evil? No. You know what, leadership is crucial. And we can see what's happened, right? We know how that is. If Habakkuk had experienced life under good King Josiah and then had endured the heartbreaking rapid slide into depravity led by King Jehoiakim, it's easy to understand why his heart was breaking and his sense of justice was infuriated at the evils he saw in his society. You guys, honestly, I could feel the same exact way. And so can you. Just look around at R, the decay, the quick decay. Now there's one key word in Habakkuk that I'd like to call your attention to tonight. It's the word image. Hebrew pesel. Related to a verbal root meaning to hew out stone, to cut or carve wood. A pesel is an image or idol in the likeness of a person or an animal made from stone, wood, or metal. Bible talks a lot about idols, does it not? At Mount Sinai, God had prohibited the Hebrews from making such idols, Exodus 20. God intended the lack of images among the Hebrews to be one distinguishing feature of their true religion. Tragically, Israel followed the example of their pagan neighbors in worship carved images. Judges and Second Chronicles there. The psalmist describes such images as worthless and those who worship them as shameful. Both Isaiah and Habakkuk mock the fundamental foolishness of those who put their trust in images made by their own hands. That's your blank. They have no capacity to see, hear, speak, or do anything for their devotees. I love it when he talks about, hey, you cut down a tree in the forest, you use half of it to cook your food on, and the other half you form into this thing or whatever, and then you fall down and worship it, right? And he's just mocking, he's just mocking them for the foolishness of doing stuff like that. Now, you guys, are we more advanced than they are? I don't think so. I really don't think so. What are our idols today? Money, probably number one. Sports, fame. Celebrities, you guys, yeah, it's all these things. You know, it can be even something good, though, too, like somebody wanting to have kids, or a husband, or a spouse, a wife, all those things can become idols, because when anything, right, replaces God as the number one priority and love of your life, that thing's an idol, unless it's the Lord, right? And God wants that, He wants that devotion from us. Okay, there are two key names that I wanna call your attention to. Habakkuk, the Hebrew word for that is Chebaka. I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. I was wondering if I was gonna get you guys with that one. Now you guys who didn't laugh, go ask somebody who did laugh, okay? Meaning one who class or embraces the last prophet sent to Judah before its fall into Babylonian captivity, all right? The Chaldeans was another name. Babylonians raised up by God to punish Judah. Again, Babylonians are Chaldeans, Chaldeans are the Babylonians. We can say this too, Americans and Washingtonians, right? Or Lake Stevenites, I don't know if they say that, but, right? Granitefallians, I think I've heard that one before. Historical and theological themes comes next. The opening verses reveal a historical situation similar to the days of Amos and Micah. Justice, that's your blank, had essentially disappeared from the land. Violence and wickedness were pervasive, existing unchecked. Again, all this sounds so familiar to our society, and I apologize for continuing to comment on it, but it really is. These things, they're written for today, are they not? Habakkuk looks at his native Judah, sees the violence and injustice on every hand, and cries out to God with some perplexing questions. Here they are. Why are the wicked prospering exactly in the midst of God's people? We think the same thing. Lord, why is life so hard for me? I come to church, I serve you on a regular basis. Lord, why is it so hard? Why are the righteous beaten down? That's the next question. And why is God seemingly inactive and indifferent in a day of wickedness? So all these questions were on the top of his mind, and that's really what we're gonna see in verses one through four. Yeah, one through four. So in the midst of those dark days, the prophet cries out for divine intervention. So God's reply is even more shocking than the condition in Judah. God assures his prophet that he is doing something. Is God doing something in our day too? Yes he is. He's still the same sovereign king of kings and lord of lords. So don't forget that. The Chideans, next verse, next sentence, excuse me, are about to descend as God's rod of chastening. Now this is gonna blow Habakkuk's mind. Habakkuk reacts with shock and dismay. For the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, were even more corrupt than the disobedient nation of Judah. So that's why we can't do this, you guys, look. Lord, not me, it's him or her or them or anybody else except me, right? In light of that, God's response creates even a greater theological dilemma for Habakkuk. Why didn't God just flush out the evil from his people and restore their righteousness? And the answer is God was preparing the way for the Messiah. Was he not? He was. He was, he was, all this is preparation for the coming Messiah, right? The closing of the canon, all these different things that he was gonna bring about. And we think, oh Lord, it's taking so long, but God has his timing. Right? How could God use the Chaldeans to judge a people more righteous than they? And God's answer that he would judge the Chaldeans also in chapter two verse 20, two verse through 20, excuse me, does not fully satisfy the prophet's theological dilemma. In fact, it only intensifies it. In Habakkuk's mind, the issue crying for resolution is no longer God's righteous response or lack thereof towards Judah's evil, but the vindication of God's character. Another blank there. How could it be right for a holy God to punish His unholy people with an even more unholy people? Does that make sense? God, how could you use them? Why them? They're more evil than anybody. And like Job, Habakkuk argued with God. You guys ever found yourself doing something like that? I'm sure we've all done things like that. At one point or another, whereupon God patiently instructs his messenger, until at the last, the prophet is able to respond with a psalm of praise in chapter three, verse 18, yet I will exalt in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. All God's people said what? Amen. Habakkuk achieved a deeper understanding of God's sovereign character, that's your blank, and a firmer faith in him. That's exactly right. Does God use some circumstances for our good and his glory? No, he uses what? All, that's exactly right. And ultimately, Habakkuk realized that God was not to be worshiped merely because of the temporal blessings he bestowed on his chosen people, but for his own sake. God's own sake. Now there are three key doctrines in this book that I want to highlight tonight. There are more, but let's look at three. The nature of God's judgment is the first one, that's your first blank. God used the Babylonians to judge the people of Judah. And that was really, really hard for Habakkuk to swallow, to digest. And also we see here is the second one, proper worship of God. God is not to be worshiped merely because of temporal blessings, but for his own sake. Is God worthy? Whether life is going well for us or not, is God worthy of our praise and worship? Yes he is. You guys, everybody goes through hard times and through trials. And what does James 1 say that he uses them for? For our, again, for our sanctification, right? It's all there in James 1, 2 through 4. Justification by faith is the next one. I love this in Habakkuk 2, 4. People are saved through faith in God alone and not through works. So guess what? Was this a new doctrine that Paul came up with somehow in Romans? Exactly, so when you hear people say that people got saved in the Old Testament in a different way through works or something like that, please correct them. No, salvation has always been by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. They didn't have the word Christ, they didn't know, well they did, he was the Messiah. They didn't have his name, they didn't have Jesus, but they were looking forward toward the Messiah for a very, very long time, in faith. We look back on faith, or in faith. So after the key doctrines, we wanna look at God's character in Habakkuk, and again, there's more, but I've got two for you tonight. God is glorious in and of himself, regardless of how, again, circumstances are for us. And also, God is wrathful, you guys. God is wrathful. The prophets often had the very unpopular job of calling down God's wrath, right? His anger against sin. And again, any good teacher and preacher will do the same thing. They will tell you exactly what God's word says. Nothing more, nothing less, right? Next is Habakkuk's contribution to the Bible. Habakkuk was a daring thinker who openly, though respectfully, expressed his doubts to God. Remember when Mary did that? Remember Zechariah? Zachariah, he was unbelieving, right? And so God punished him. He said, you won't be able to talk while your baby's on the way. But then his wife, Elizabeth, right? She was a godly woman and she believed. So did Mary, right? Mary believed and God blessed her for it. I was thinking of Mary, but might as well talk about Elizabeth too. So he was a man of integrity who was concerned with the character and program of Yahweh. Habakkuk's unusually extended dialogue with God, about two thirds of the book, was initiated by the prophets. Normally, the prophetic process was begun by God, and after receiving the divine oracle, the prophet then transmitted it to the people. Right now, I'm reading through Jeremiah, and that's exactly right. This got done with Isaiah, my own personal reading. However, in this book, we find Habakkuk initiating his own conversations with God, and there's not actually any reference to his relaying those conversations to the people, though he may have done that. We don't see him going out and doing what Isaiah did or Jeremiah, right? He's just talking to God, and here we have it recorded for us. Now we find some striking similarities and also contrast between the prophets, can you guess? Jonah and Habakkuk. You guys looked ahead, didn't you? Is there, maybe Annie included a key at the back, right? The answer key. They used to have those in math books in grade school sometimes, you're told not to look. Both face severe tests of their faith, but they approach their problems very, very differently. Here it is, God called on Jonah. Habakkuk called on God. Jonah ran from God, Habakkuk ran to God. Jonah was in the fish, Habakkuk was on the watchtower. Jonah prayed only during his trouble, Habakkuk prayed all throughout his trouble. How should we be praying, you guys? All throughout our trouble. All throughout our trouble. Jonah ends in foolishness, Habakkuk ends in faith. You guys listen, if anybody took a snapshot of our life, right? Like one day when you're doing really well, you might be like Habakkuk. One day when you're doing really poorly, you might look more like Jonah, right? So be careful about judging these people, even like Job's wife. I'm always sad when I hear people say like, oh, that poor man, he married this ungodly woman. We get one, she was in the worst time of her life, and she, you know what I'm saying, none of us I don't think has ever been in a situation quite like that, and we judge her based on that one comment, right? Obviously it was a sinful comment, but I don't think it's fair. I think Job would have picked a much better woman than that. Jonah brings the salvation of God to the Gentiles. Habakkuk shows the sovereignty of God over the Gentiles. The most often quoted passage in Habakkuk is the just shall live by faith. In 2.4, this concept is central to the argument of Habakkuk and influential in the thought of three New Testament books. So here we see it. This thought is right here in Romans 1.17, Galatians 3.11, and Hebrews 10.38. in the concluding psalm of praise in chapter three is one of the greatest psalms of the Old Testament. This magnificent declaration of faith in the character and ways of God has much, much more in common with Psalm 18 and Psalm 68, you guys. In fact, Habakkuk 319 appears to be quoting Psalm 1833 in the phraseology, he has made my feet like hind's feet, or what's another name for a hind? Deer, thank you. And makes me walk on high places. So very similar there. How are we doing on time? We're doing good. My note says we're about a third of the way through and I see 28 minutes on my clock, so that's where I'm aiming for. All right, next we come to the category of Christ and Habakkuk. Although Habakkuk never mentions the Messiah's name, he rejoices in the saving ministry of the coming Messiah as the God of my salvation. And who do we know Jesus is? Fully God, right? Philip, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. Must have blown Philip away, right? Jews all the time pick up stones to stone him. Why are you stoning me? Because you, being a man, make yourself out to be God. They understood what he was saying. We understood what he was saying. And if he truly wasn't God, then he deserved to be stoned, but he was God. So here he is, the God of my salvation. That's how we see it all over the Old Testament. It's a little bit, again, this is progressive revelation. Sorry, you guys, I'm just teaching you some more things as we go along, but as the Bible progresses, we learn more and more and more and more and more about God. And when we see him face-to-face, will we learn even more? You bet, you bet. So Habakkuk also foreshadows Christ's coming salvation. You went forth for the salvation of your people, for salvation with your anointed, 313. The Old and New Testaments clearly points to Jesus as the anointed one, or Messiah. Messiah in Hebrew, Christ in Greek, that's where we get that. And there's all kinds of verses there for you to look at. And when he comes again, according to chapter two, verse 14, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And once again, all God's people said, I can't wait. Maranatha, there you go, Maranatha. Now there's a couple tough questions in Habakkuk, not so tough, but we'll call them tough. Question number one, in what ways do God's answers to Habakkuk's deep questions offer help to modern people reading this book? Like I said, this is very, very contemporary, you guys. It's as if he wrote this for us today. And guess what? He did. God's answers to the prophet's searching questions gives a proper understanding of God's character and sovereign actions in history. Ultimately, Habakkuk demonstrates that life's meaning does not rest in finely argued intellectual answers, but, listen you guys, in trusting God. Trusting God. Trust God with all your heart. Do not lean on your In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight or direct your path exactly right. The prophet echoes the theme of genuine holy living that just shall live by faith. So 2-4 again. Those who read the prophet today will find a fellow traveler. excuse me, who may lead them to trusting the God he came to trust, amen. Question number two, what impact does Habakkuk have on the New Testament? Thank you for asking. The New Testament references to Habakkuk 2.4 ascribe unusual theological importance to Habakkuk. Some unusual theological. importance. The queries of the prophet represent some of the most fundamental questions of life, with the answers providing crucial foundation stones on which to build a proper understanding of God's character and His sovereign ways in history. Now the core of Habakkuk's message lies in the call to trust God. Again, that just shall live by faith. We're gonna hear that a number of times tonight. The Apostle Paul employed this verse twice. Romans 1, 17, Galatians 3, 11. Did Paul love that doctrine? That was his doctrine, right? That's what he, he championed the gospel. So he uses it twice, Romans 1, 17, Galatians 3, 11, to accentuate the doctrine of justification by faith. The writer of Hebrews also quoted this verse, but he applied it to the believer's need to remain strong in the midst of affliction. So the writer of Hebrews talks about us needing to live by faith, to remain strong, trusting God, but Paul's thinking about it in a salvific way. Does that make sense? And are they both true? Absolutely. Absolutely they're true. In other words, faith or trusting God is not a one-time act at the moment of salvation, but a way of life. The true believer declared righteous by God will persevere in faith throughout his or her, what? Entire life. How do you know that? Because Philippians 1.6 says, he who began a good work in you will He's gonna complete it. He's gonna see it to completion. And all of us should say, praise the Lord, thank you, Lord, hallelujah, right? God's gonna, what God starts, he finishes every single time. Whether or not he understands what God is doing, the believer will trust his sovereign God who only does what is right. Again, I can just praise God for that, you guys. I really, really can. One possible outline for this book. Let's look at the outline real quick. Here it is. It's probably the one I learned in seminary, by the way. So superscription, just the title, basically. The next section we can say, so that's one, one, the problems of Habakkuk, one, two, through 220. Right, and he's talking to God, so look at A, B, C, and D. Habakkuk's first complaint, God's first response. Habakkuk's second complaint, God's second response. Exactly right, right down the line. Then we go into the prayer of Habakkuk. And that's the last part. So he ends the right way. petition for God's mercy, praise of God's power, and promise of God's sufficiency. All good stuff, you guys. Habakkuk doesn't need to be one of those weirdly named books that you have no idea what it means. But when you are going through trials and tribulations, which we all do in different times in our life, go to Habakkuk. It will bring you to the right conclusion. It really will. All right, finally, we come to the main course, you guys. I know you guys are full with those hamburgers, but try to push down that stuff, because I'm gonna give you another meal right now, okay? All the rest have been hors d'oeuvres. Here we are. Other than his name, which comes from a Hebrew word, meaning, or roots, meaning to clasp or to embrace, Habakkuk is yet another minor prophet who is virtually anonymous, as we know nothing about his tribe, his family, his background, or his home. But does it really matter? And you know what? When you get to the end, you understand his message, you're like, nope, doesn't really matter. As he calls himself simply the prophet, this may have been his full-time calling. It certainly seems to hint that he was recognized as a man whose message was divinely inspired. We know that he lived in Judah, possibly Jerusalem, and that he was a contemporary of the major prophet, Jeremiah, who lived during the reigns of Josiah, Jehohaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. A unique aspect of Habakkuk's writing is that it has no direct message from God to his people. I love the fact that God makes them all different. They're all a little bit different, like Jonah. I mean, we all immediately like, nope, nobody quite like Jonah, right? You're a bad missionary, Jonah. At least that's the idea that we get. Again, I know that was one snippet of his life. Instead, it tells us what Habakkuk and God said to each other in the prophet's eventual response to their dialogue, much like Job. The book can be divided down into two complaints by Habakkuk and two answers from God, followed by a psalm of praise, which ends with what has rightly been called one of the most beautiful expressions of faith found in the Old Testament. Amen, amen. So you guys, what we see, doctrines basically in their seed form or their infancy form in the Old Testament, right? And then we see it exploded into beauty in like the Book of Romans, right? Or Revelation or just different doctrines that just bloom and blossom. Ask any group of Christians to nominate what they think is the greatest single verse in the Bible, and few would be likely to choose one from the book of Habakkuk. Any takers there? You guys got any favorite verses there, all-time favorite verses, okay. And yet, it was a New Testament quotation, that's your blank, of something Habakkuk wrote, that in the 16th century was used by God to change the spiritual climate of Europe. And here it was, this God used to change the spiritual climate of Europe. And it was Habakkuk 2.4, that just shall live by his faith, right? Repeated in the New Testament. We can get a grasp of the context in which it was originally written by looking more closely at Habakkuk's overall message. So here we go, you guys, let's dive into this. And we're kind of gonna get a bird's eye view of Habakkuk right now. The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw, that's chapter one, verse one, or the superscription as it was noted in our outline, was written at a time when Judah was in a state of appalling moral and spiritual decline. violence, strife, conflict, a paralyzed legal system. Again, see all too, way too many similarities. The oppression of the righteous by the wicked. Yup, that's there too. And the perversion of justice, we're all rife. Means they're all ripe, right? Fallen already off the tree, just rotting on the ground, so to speak. Anyone who thinks that the Bible is irrelevant in the 21st century has failed to make the obvious connection. Today's media is awash with reports of political skulldudgery. How many of you guys like that word? Just means underhanded behavior, okay? Skulldudgery, it's a great word. Learn it, impress your friends. Just kidding. Terrorists committing suicide in order to guarantee the deaths of other people. Financial corruption on an industrial scale. Horrific levels of child abuse and millions of lives ruined by chemical misuse of one kind or another. It's everywhere. Not just in some places, everywhere, all over this world. These things should make us shudder with shame, yet if we are surprised that such things happen, we have failed to grasp what the Bible means when it says this, in Jeremiah 17, nine, you know it, the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it? Was he just talking about the Hebrew's hearts? Maybe the Americans too? C.H. Spurgeon put his finger on the fundamental issue when he said this, as the salt flavors every drop in the Atlantic, so does, what, sin affect every atom of our nature. True or false? I mean, let me just ask you, what one aspect of your being has not been affected by sin? Right? All of it. Our feelings, our thinking, our logic, our seeing, our hearing, our speaking. Right? James says, if you can get a hold of the tongue, you can get a hold of anything. You remember that in James? Habakkuk lived. in a nation that had known spiritual revival but was now in serious spiritual decline. But what troubled him even more than man's sin was God's silence. Lord, when are you going to judge? Lord, look around. How much longer, Lord? How much longer will you allow this evil to happen? And so we read the prophet's bewildered inquiry as to why God would apparently be sitting on his hands while his people are defiantly breaking every aspect of the law. And a lot of times we as God's people feel like that. We do. How long, O Lord? Will I call for help and you will not hear? Does God always hear? He does. The word hear comes from root meaning to reply by doing something. As far as Habakkuk could see, the wicked were metaphorically and literally getting away with murder. Habakkuk's contemporary, the prophet Jeremiah, was equally baffled. How about Jeremiah? Again, he was a contemporary, so Jeremiah said this in Jeremiah 12, unrighteous are you, O Lord, that I would plead my case with you. Indeed, I would discuss matters of justice with you. Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? Right, how come they have it so good? That's what he's asking. And I'm trying my best to honor you in this lifetime and look at my life. We can almost hear Jeremiah turning the issue over in his own mind. He knew that God was a God of perfect justice, that's your blank, who hated evil and had promised to bless his people, then why did he allow the faithless to thrive and to grow and produce fruit? That was his question. Are most of the wealthy and elite Bible believers? I didn't think so. He said not many wise, not many noble. That's who God has chosen. He's chosen the foolish things to shame the wise. Another Old Testament writer, though hundreds of years earlier reflected that same bewilderment in Ecclesiastes 8.14. I love this, this is so good. There is something else meaningless that occurs on the earth. The righteous who get what the wicked deserve and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. And this was precisely Habakkuk's issue, his problem, how he saw things. What was his problem, though, you guys? He was looking from a limited perspective, right? He wasn't thinking of God's perspective. Same thing with Job. What was Job's major problem? He didn't understand what was going on behind the scenes. Sorry, brother. Evil was rampant, the evildoers were flourishing while the righteous floundered. Habakkuk is completely upfront with God about this and pours out his heart and genuine concern that his passionate, persistent prayers for God to intervene seem to be getting no further than the ceiling. Yet Habakkuk is soon to be more baffled than ever. As we can see by looking at God's response, one phrase at a time. So this is God, what God, what Habakkuk said. This is chapter one, verses two, three, and four. Habakkuk complaining, so to speak. Lord, why are you doing something? Look at all the unrighteousness in your land, among your people. Right? But then this is how God answers in verse five. What does he say there? I am. doing something. Oh boy. Put on your big boy pants, Habakkuk, because here it comes. At last, there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. God has been listening, and he is working to answer Habakkuk's prayers. We can almost sense the prophet's heart rate gathering pace as he realizes that he has not been praying in vain after all. Good! God says he has been doing something, or he is doing something. It was certainly good news that God was at work, but, but, Habakkuk would hardly be human if he didn't hope that the answer would come sooner rather than later, ideally, while he was still alive. Right? Countless Christians feel the same way today as they pray for a genuine biblical revival of godliness in their own nation and in the world at large. You guys, we need to be fasting and praying for our nation. Do you realize that? I am, the elders and I are calling for fasting and prayer next week, Monday. I'll tell you about it on Sunday, all right? But part of it's gonna be praying for our nation. We are at a crossroads, we really are. After decades of spiritual decline in many parts of the world, how wonderful it would be if we could have just one year of our lives, wouldn't this be great? A few months even, when we saw God moving in such a truly marvelous and massive way that even the secular media would be forced to acknowledge it. I don't know, they're pretty much in cahoots with the God of this world, right? The small g God of this world. So he says this though, look at verse five again. Look among the nations, he says this. Observe, be astonished, wonder, because I am doing something. Next three words. In your days, whoo. In Habakkuk's case, God added precisely this promise. He would answer his people's petition. while Habakkuk was still alive to see it. And we can imagine the prophet's pulse gathering even greater pace now. God's answer to his prayers was not to come at some future date when the prophet would no longer be there to rejoice in it. Instead, it was a time-sensitive, or time-sensitive with a deadline prior to the prophet's own death. So God says this, I will do something, I am doing something, Habakkuk, even in your own day. So that was huge, because the prophets would often prophesize for what? Far off future, distant future, we see so many of them in the Old Testament. Imagine how we would feel if God assured us beyond any misunderstanding that he was going to send genuine, I think that's my grandson, I hear that. Is that my grandson? No, maybe not. Okay, I'm looking for her. I'm sorry. I shouldn't do that, should I? Bad, bad pastor. Sorry. Where was I? Habakkuk, I'm in Habakkuk. We're narrowing in. All right, am I up there? Instead, it was a time sensitive deadline given prior to his death. Okay, imagine I did that already, or better yet, that Christ would come back in our lifetime. Okay, here it is, look at verse five again. So looking at this next phrase, that you would not believe if you were told. It was great news that God would answer his prayers during the prophet's lifetime, but what kind of answer would it be? God hadn't revealed it quite yet. We're getting to that. And however welcome, what if it were to be something that would affect relatively few people? Probably what he was hoping. If that thought had even crossed the prophet's mind, it was soon swept aside by God's assurance that the answer would be so stupendous is your blank. Trying to help you guys spell better. as to be beyond the normal boundaries of belief. So God said, I'm going to do something, basically, that's going to make your ears tingle. You're not going to believe it when you hear it. It would not be a gentle slap on the wrist for the wicked or a gentle boost to the fortunes of the faithful, but something so radical that had the word not come from God himself, no one would believe it. Now at this point, we can imagine Habakkuk verging on a mild heart attack, but now comes the real shock. Here it is. Here's what God revealed to his faithful prophet. He said, for behold, this is verses six and seven, for behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs. They are dreaded and feared. As you can only imagine, Habakkuk can hardly believe his very own ears. Again, the Chaldeans, also known as the Babylonians, were the very epitome of brutality. Again, the Assyrians were as well. They probably tried to outdo themselves like California and Washington State all the time, right? I think our governors are vying for who can be crazier. So brutality, and in the following verses, God reminds the prophet of their track record in invading and ravaging other lands. They were, and here's this from God again, is what God says about the Chaldeans, they were fierce and impetuous, dreaded and feared, keener than wolves in the evening. What does that mean, keen? Sly and smart, right? Keener than wolves in the evening, guilty. They whose strength is their what? Is their God. You remember, guys, you remember being a young man? I remember feeling almost invincible at times. No longer, not now. You feel that way. It's not too difficult to see why Habakkuk was utterly confused. Right? Excuse me, I missed a sentence, didn't I? Yet these violent, godless hordes were to be God's instruments of his judgment on Judah and his answer to the prophet's prayer. It's not difficult to see why Habakkuk was utterly confused. It was understandable that God was going to punish Judah for its abominable sin and shameless rebellion. What Habakkuk could not understand, however, was that in order to punish his covenant people, God was going to use a godless nation with which he had never made a covenant. Now why would God do something like that? Think through this. Why would God use somebody even more evil, more brutal, more wicked than Judah to discipline Judah? I've got a simple answer. To whom much has been given, much is required. Did God give Judah a lot? How many prophets did they have? How much of God's word did they have? What'd they do with it? They strong-armed it, they Heisman-trophied it, right? They said, no thank you. Now let me ask you this, how much did the Chaldeans, how many prophets were sent to Chaldea? None. None. The only one that was sent to another nation was who? We talked about him already. Jonah, right? Now they did prophesy in their own nation about some of those nations. I think it's even the chart in the back of your booklet right now. But none were sent. So again, to whom much has been given, much is required. So we need to remember that. But as far as Habakkuk was concerned, the whole thing was inconceivable. God's punishment of his people seemed far greater than their crime, and his answer to the prophet's prayer seemed to contradict his character. To make things even more confusing, Habakkuk's uncertainties were fueled by his theological certainties. What do you mean by that? Well, let's keep reading. We can see this in chapter one, verses 12 through 13, a statement that begins with a rhetorical question and forms what we might call a summary of the prophet's systematic theology. It's a good systematic theology in verses 12 and 13 here. And there we see that it speaks of God's eternality. Are you not from everlasting? So in other words, hey, you know everything, God. It speaks of his holiness, my God, my holy one. What does holy mean, you guys? Set apart, to be set apart, that's right, to be different, different than everything else, right? It speaks of his faithfulness, we will not die. It speaks of his sovereignty and justice, that's your next blank, you have appointed them to judge, It speaks of his stability. He calls him, oh, rock. It speaks of his purity. He says this, your eyes are too pure to approve evil. Again, one of my favorite verses here that we'll look at later. It speaks of his integrity. You cannot look on wickedness with favor. So he's trying to put all this together. That's his systematic theology. And that's all good theology. That is a good understanding of who God is. And he's thinking like, how could this be your answer though, Lord? And he says, although we will not die reflects Habakkuk's assurance that God's faithful remnant would not be wiped out when the invasion came, the prophet was still even more baffled than when he brought his original complaint to God. Again, how could God use the ungodly Chaldeans, or use of the ungodly Chaldeans harmonized with his holiness? Let me ask you this. Is there anybody or anything that God does not you in this world? No. Even Satan, or even the devil, as an old historian used to say, is God's devil. You know what I'm saying? He belongs to God. He still has to play within what God says, because God is sovereign over all things. Nothing surprises our great God. How am I doing? Good, looking at time here. Habakkuk reels under the resulting tension when he tries to reconcile God's plan for the nation, his nation, with God's flawless attributes, he could understand God bringing judgment on the covenant nation that had turned its back on him, but he could not grasp how God could do this by means of a pagan nation with which he had never established a covenant. Surely, God should be punishing the pagans, not using them to punish Judah. Again, what was God's original design with Judah and Israel? They were to be a kingdom of priests, right? A holy nation. They were to be evangelists to the whole wide world. How'd they do? Not too good. Not too good. Habakkuk is simply being brutally honest here. The Christian who never wrestles to reconcile the sovereignty of God with rampant evil has never thought seriously and honestly about the issue. Again, how many times have you guys heard that from your agnostic friend or your atheist friend? Well, if there really is a God, then how could he allow all this evil and suffering to happen in this world? I mean, if you haven't heard it once, if you've heard it once, you've probably heard it 100 times. You know, things are slight variations of that. Well, J.C. Ryle, the first bishop of Liverpool, I love J.C. Ryle. grasped a crucial truth in assessing this kind of situation when he said this, the wickedest enemies of God are only axes and saws and hammers in his hands and are ignorantly his instruments for doing his work in the world. Do you guys understand that? Hey, even the most wicked person, it's nothing but a hammer and a saw in God's hand. He's gonna do what God's going to do. Habakkuk may have begun to catch a glimpse of this. He took a deep breath and determined that the right response was to trust God even when he was unable to understand him. That's your blank. Chapter two, verse one, he said this. I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart, and I will keep watch to see what he will speak to me. You guys, that basically needs to be our response. Lord, speak to me, I'm listening. Right? Speak to me, I'm listening. I will wait for you. So he's like, hey, I'll patiently wait. I'll wait to hear from my God. So, do we hear audibly from God? No, unless you read your Bible audibly, or have somebody else read it to you. This is how you hear God speak to you. All 66 books, all 1,189 chapters, that's God talking to us. He's talking to us tonight, too, and there's a great big lesson here. Although still reeling from the news of God's intentions, the prophet decided to wait patiently for the outworking of his promises. God begins his second reply by asking Habakkuk to be patient, that's your blank, and by assuring him that his intervention is certain, he says this in verse three. Again, this is God's second response to Habakkuk. Though it tarries, In other words, his answer to Habakkuk, wait for it, for it will certainly come, it will not delay. Amen. Amen. I love this. God is never in a hurry, nor is he ever late. Correct? God is never in a hurry, nor is he ever late. And while the swaggering Chaldeans were flexing their muscles and gearing themselves up for Operation Judah, God gives his faithful people this life-changing word. Here we are, here's the context in chapter two, verse four. The righteous shall live by his faith. Oh, there's a good word for Habakkuk, is there not? The righteous shall live by his faith. And this is our major point tonight from Habakkuk and one of the greatest statements in all of scripture. Speaking about this verse, James Montgomery Voice, very well-known commentator, said this. He went so far as to say, to understand, to understand it is to understand the Christian gospel in the Christian life. Again, you can look at this in two different ways. Hey, the righteous will live by faith, right? It's by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone. But he will also live his life by faith. Does that make sense? So both aspects are here. Once again, this verse is so important that it is quoted three times, that's your blank, in the New Testament. Again, in Romans 117, Galatians 311, Hebrews 1038. The prophet was deeply concerned for the spiritual welfare of Judah, and his passionate prayer was that God would intervene to arrest its downward spiral. In other words, to put a stop to it. We plead with the Lord in the same way with our nation. Oh Lord, please, not any further. In response, God told him that he was going to unleash the vicious Chaldeans against the nation. A modern parallel, listen, a modern parallel would be God responding to the prayers of Christians right here in the United States, concerned about our own spiritual, moral decline by saying that he was going to allow the cartels of Mexico and the terrorists of the Middle East to sweep into the nation and overcome it, killing some and deporting the rest. What would you think? What would you think? Seriously, this is trying to put ourselves in the prophet's shoes. This is what he was staring at. This is how he saw them. Pretty horrific, right? It's no wonder that Habakkuk was baffled that God's answer produced an even bigger question. It was in precisely this kind of situation that God's ultimate word to Habakkuk was, the righteous Habakkuk shall live by his faith. And this tells us that nothing, not even the most calamitous of national or international developments will be or must be allowed to shake our utter confidence in the settled sovereignty of God, who, according to Ephesians 1.11, works all things according to the counsel of His will. You can throw Romans 8.28 there too. All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose, right? For our good and His glory. God is not merely observing history. Rather, He is what? Orchestrating it for His eternal glory and for His people's eternal good. Because history is really His story. It's His story, you guys. It's His story. From beginning to end, And this is why Paul was able to write this. Here's our Romans 828. And we know that God causes what? All things to work together for good. To those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 828. Now Lord willing you guys, listen, I've got every four years or so, right around election time, I've got a super duper encouraging political sermon for you. I'm gonna tell you who to vote for. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. But I'm gonna point your eyes right back to the Lord, and guess what? It's time for that sermon again, because it's been four years since I preached it. It's gonna keep our eyes right back where they belong, because I don't know who's gonna win. God does. God says he's in control of all things. So he says, don't fret. Don't worry about it. Don't fret, my pet, as we used to say in high school. Don't worry, God's got this. We just have to trust him. We as Bible-believing Christians will continue to walk by faith and not by sight, no matter what happens. Thank you for that one amen, brother. When things for our unbelievers seem to be getting better and better, they are in fact getting worse and worse as each and every day takes them closer to their dreadful what? destiny, or death, you can say. But when things for even the weakest of God's people seem to be getting worse and worse, they are in fact getting better and better, as every day brings them closer to their glorious reward in heaven. And once again, all God's people said? Amen. We lived another day, didn't we? We're one day closer to the Lord. And that is a glorious thought. History does not go around in circles or cycles. As the modern British preacher John Benton said this, and I quote now, the biblical view of history is not cyclical, it is linear. It has a definite beginning with God's creation of the universe, and it is building to a final climax. It is moving inexorably and at God's ordained pace toward the time when, as He revealed to Habakkuk, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. The entire universe will eventually acknowledge that His sovereignty rules over all, Psalm 103, verse 19. Once again, I know you guys are probably getting tired of this, but all God's people said? Amen, thank you. Don't get tired of that, right? Affirm the joy in God's word in that, hey, as I've heard many people say over and over, I've read the very last of the Bible, the very end, and in the end, we win, right? We win. For even the best of Christians, there are times when life seems so fractured and fragile that they may wonder, what in the world is happening? When personal disaster strikes, there's sometimes a temptation to ask, Lord, why me? Yet however severe the trial or painful the circumstances, this betrays time-tied thinking. It's not a word we use very often. Maybe you've never used it, but our thinking is tied to the what? The present. It's tied to 2024, July 31st. It's July 31st today, right? Yes, the double check. July 31st, 2024. Oh, oh. Right, woe is me. We're all guilty, I get that. But it betrays that, that that's what our thinking is. But Paul pointed to a much more secure approach when he said this in 2 Corinthians chapter four, we are afflicted in every way, but what? But not crushed. Perplexed but not? Persecuted but not? Struck down but not? Amen. That's how God says, that's what God's word says. That's how we should think. Paul saw that even the worst thing that happens to God's people, 2 Corinthians 4 continues on, 17 and 18, is producing for us the eternal weight of what? Glory. Far beyond what? All comparison while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen Amen, I'm so glad that we have a great future in store for us. When Christians finally see God face to face, then they will come to see that all the pain, next blank is pressure, and perplexity that they experienced in this lifetime had been working together for their good, and once again, God's glory. Trione Edwards, great grandson of Jonathan Edwards, wrote this. All the world's ends, arrangements, changes, disappointments, hopes, and fears are without meaning if not seen and estimated by eternity. In other words, you can't make sense of it, right? It's like looking at a weaving from the underside. You guys ever seen what that looks like? a hodgepodge of nothing, but you flip that over and if it's been well done, you've got this beautiful picture, right? And that's how it is. So we look at like this little tiny piece of that underside, but God is standing outside looking at this whole thing that he is weaving together, right? Over human history. Christians are not exempt from life's pains and pressures, conflicts and confusions, but when facing these, we are to rest in the assurance that we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, according to 2 Peter chapter three. And I, for one, am looking for that. By the time Habakkuk finished his oracle, he had passionately embraced the truth of what he had written. Do you guys realize that? And this guy, he came to the right conclusion at the end, not like Jonah, right? Not like Jonah. At the very end of the book, the prophet honestly admits that initially the thought of the Chaldeans' invasion was terrifying, and that's your blank. And this is what he said in verse 16. I heard in my inward parts trembled at the sound of my lips quivered, decay enters my bones and in my place I tremble." So this guy is being torn apart with such devastating news. And yet he saw beyond the coming terror to the time when the Chaldeans would get their just desserts, right? God had promised this by pronouncing five woes on them. You can look at them in 2.6, 2.9, 2.12, 2.15, 2.19. And each woe reflected their sins and all of them culminated in their nation's obliteration by the, who comes next? The Medes and the Persians, right? The Persians in 539 BC. Here's the next world empire that would crush this one. And they were quick, you guys, these were quick-lived. Almost like America. I'm serious, we haven't been around for that long. Habakkuk would not have known at this timetable, nor precisely how God was to punish Judah's enemies for their sins, but he would. And this is what he said in verse 16. Finally, comes Habakkuk's triumphant testimony that faith had overcome his fear. Even if the Chaldeans' invasion of Judah included a scorched earth policy so that the country's crops would fail and there would be no sheep or cattle left, chapter three, verse 17, which lists the sources of the nation's staple foods, nothing would shake his confidence in God. And what's our lesson? Nothing should shake our confidence in God, amen? Same thing, he would still cry out, yet I will still exalt in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation, verse 18. But how could he do that if everything around him were falling apart? And the answer comes in his final sentence, last sentence, verse 19. I'll read it for you. God is our strength. And he controls every one of our footsteps. no matter where he places us. Even on a treacherous cliff where we could fall to our demise, he makes our feet exactly like the animal that he designed to tread upon such places, and he guides every single one of our steps. That's what that's talking about. Habakkuk's faith was not in his faith, but in the faithfulness of God. And that's who we trust in as well. And as one author rightly pointed out, the Bible teaches us that our ultimate destiny is not based on our faithfulness, but rather on His. Habakkuk's circumstances had not changed. He was still in the same situation that he found himself in. The nation was still a moral cesspool. The godly were still a tiny remnant, and now he knew that the vicious Chaldeans were actually on their way. They were getting ready. Yet God enabled the prophet to see beyond the circumstances to the one who reigned over all of them and whose sovereign purposes for his people could never be thwarted. Habakkuk may not have understood God's ways, but he was certain that he could trust his wisdom. Just like we can't understand God's ways all the time. God, why me? Why this? Why now? He had the God-given faith that was, again Hebrews 11.1, the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Excellent definition of faith. This message is hugely relevant to God's people today, and I hope you see that, and I hope you've seen that already. As we live in the very last of the last days between God's biblical promises and their ultimate fulfillment, as one British preacher said, and I close with this, the only way to honor and trust God's sovereign power and care is to exclude absolutely nothing from it. Is that good? So good, the only way to honor and trust God's sovereign power and care is to exclude absolutely how much of your life? Nothing from it. God is sovereign and therefore everything that he allows has been designed by him, for your good and His glory, and to make you more like His Son, Jesus Christ. And that is a glorious ending, you guys. Is that not a great book? Habakkuk is wonderful. It really is. Only three chapters, pretty easy. Zechariah's gonna be a little bit more. Okay, the following. Let's look at our dessert for tonight. Following is a list of prophecies found in the book of Habakkuk. Possible fulfillment times include the Old Testament, the first coming of Christ, the last days, our age, the tribulation, the second coming of Christ, the millennial kingdom, and the eternal states. Okay, there's a total of 46 verses here. Prophetic verses are 16. Somebody who's a real good math whiz? Close. Oh, it is 29. Sorry, I thought it was 27. I read it real quick. Good job, brother. 29% of the book is prophetic. Historically fulfilled, two. Partially fulfilled, zero. Awaiting future fulfillment, three. Again, when we say that, we don't read all of these verses, okay? We just read a portion of them just to get a smattering of what's here. So the first one is in chapter one, verses five through 11. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs. God will raise up the Chaldeans, or the, another name for them? Babylonians to devastate Judah. Was that a prophecy? You bet it was, it hadn't happened yet. Right, just like he's saying here, I'm bringing the Mexican cartels. Yee. I'm not saying that, folks, okay? It was historically fulfilled. Read 2 Kings 24 and 25. Period, Old Testament. Next, Habakkuk 2, 6 through 13 and 15 through 19. Because you have looted many nations, all the remainder of the peoples will loot you. So, who's he talking about? God's gonna bring judgment against the Chaldeans or the Babylonians, right? And they will be destroyed. And when was that? Historically fulfilled in 539 BC. Again, through the Medes and the Persians. All right, again, fulfillment, Old Testament. Habakkuk 2.14, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Has that ever happened? Question? Not even close, right? Prophecy, a day will come when the whole world will know God's glory. It says it right here. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. So that's awaiting a future fulfillment. I believe that's known as the millennial kingdom, the thousand year reign. Habakkuk 3, verses three through four, God comes from Teman and the Holy One from Mount Paran, Selah. His splendor covers the heavens and the earth is full of His praise. His radiance is like the sunlight. He has rays flashing from His hand and there is the hiding of His power. And here's the prophecy, a day will come when God unveils His glory and power and the whole world will know Him. Again, this too is awaiting future fulfillment, talking about the second coming in the millennial kingdom. Habakkuk 3, 12 through 15. Again, we're looking at 29% here, so give me a few minutes here. In indignation, you marched throughout the earth. In anger, you trampled the nations. You went forth for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You struck the head of the house of the evil to lay him open from thigh to neck. Selah, you pierced with his own spears the head of his throngs. Prophecy, the Messiah will come in wrath to judge the nations, defeat his enemies, and bring salvation to his people. Again, I believe this is awaiting future fulfillment. Jesus will return again in wrath and cataclysm to defeat who? Antichrist, his whole worldly system, right? Verses 12 through 15. Bring judgment upon the evil nations. And become the salvation of the Jewish remnant. Again, second coming. All right. All right, you guys, last part. I'm not gonna let you guys do the questions on your own, but just some of my favorite verses in Habakkuk, okay? Just a couple, I think five here. Most of them are in chapter one, or chapter two, excuse me. Look at chapter one, verse 13. Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and you cannot look on wickedness with favor. What does that stress? God's holiness in our what? In our sinfulness. Hence, we need a solution for our sin problem, correct? Okay, this is all gospel, you guys. This is a great gospel sharing verse here. Chapter two, verse four. Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him, but the righteous will live by his faith. There's the rest of it. Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him. Before I got saved, you guys, guess what? I was full of pride. I was full of pride. I was blind to my pride, right? And I'm sure all of us can say the same thing to one degree or another. It always comes out differently in all of us, but that's really part of human nature. But look at how he ends this. But the righteous will live by his faith. Such a glorious thought. And then 2.14, chapter two, verse 14. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. I just think, like, what a glorious promise. That has never happened. That is still awaiting future fulfillment. Has to be the millennium. Has to be the millennial kingdom. 2.20, but the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him. Whoa. Reminds me of Ecclesiastes when it says, be careful before you enter into the presence of the Lord. This is a rough Kerry Green prayer phrase. But let your words be what? Few. Let your words be few. because we serve an awesome and holy God, and he deserves our absolute best time. How are you doing with your quiet time, you guys? Are you giving God your best time, or is it just what's left over at the end of a tired day? Listen, I try to read my Bible every day, obviously, but if I miss my morning reading, guess what happens? I almost never get to it at the end of the day. Okay, maybe if you're tired, that might be different for you. I don't know, but I have to do it in the morning. Otherwise, probably nine out of 10 times it won't happen. So. All right, and last one. Let's read this together, you guys. It's the last four verses in this book. Chapter three, verse 16 through 19. Let me just read it slow. And I heard in my, how am I doing? Yeah, I've got six minutes. I heard, and my inward parts trembled. At the sound, my lips quivered. Remember, he's thinking about what's coming upon him. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble, because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us. Again, he's talking about who? Chaldeans, the Babylonians, right? Okay, he's gotta, Lord, how can I wait? I don't know what's gonna happen. He doesn't even know if his own life is gonna be spared, really, right? And then he says this, verse 17. I love how he ends this. Look at this. though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, absolute devastation. His answer, yet I will exalt in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he has made my feet like hinds feet and makes me walk on my high places. Isn't that awesome? Listen, that's for all of us. I don't care what you're going through. That is our great God. And that is the promise that he gives to us, just like he gave to Habakkuk, just like he gives to us today, right now. Amen. Father, we thank you. We thank you for a glorious little little golden nugget. It's more than a gold nugget, though, Lord is a bar of gold. and I am so thankful to be reminded of the truths in this book. Lord, things have not been easy lately, and we know that for our church, and we know that for personal, I know that other people are going through all kinds of difficulties, but Lord, we serve an awesome God, and you are sovereign over all these things, and there's no mistakes in you, Lord, and I am so grateful that you use all of it according to James 1, for your glory and our sanctification. And God, we cannot wait until we're fully made like Jesus Christ. God, help us to become more like Christ. And I just pray that all these wonderful lessons here in this book would not be easily forgotten from any one of us. We love you and thank you so much that you love us, Lord, just like you love Habakkuk. We pray these things in Jesus' name, all God's people said. Amen. Have a good night, you guys.