Our scripture reading for this evening, to which I invite you to turn with me at this time, is found in the Old Testament so-called minor prophecy of Habakkuk. You know, boys and girls, I think I was in the third grade at North 4th Street Christian School when I had to memorize the books of the Bible, and that serves me well through the years. So memorize scripture, especially in the days of your youth. It becomes harder to do the older we get. But in the Old Testament, the minor prophets begin with Hosea. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. So the book of Habakkuk, the first chapter, and we're going to be reading the first 11 verses. As I will be referencing some of the historical context of the prophecy of Habakkuk, I will not do so at this time. But one thing I would like to share with you immediately is the name Habakkuk. There's a great debate as to what that name actually means and whether it's a Babylonian name or what kind of name is its derivation. Most Bible scholars believe it means something like embrace or press to the heart, press to the heart. Martin Luther comments on the name as follows, the great reformer, and I quote, Luther writes, His name speaks as One who took His nation to His heart, comforted it, and held it up. as one embraces and presses to his bosom a poor weeping child, calming and consoling it with good hope, if God so wills," end of quote. And so that gives us already a bit of an insight into the man, the character of his person, and indeed the content of his prophecy. We begin then reading as we begin a series this evening on the book of Habakkuk in the first chapter, the first verse. And again, we will read through verse 11. Let us hear then the word of the Lord. The oracle that Habakkuk, the prophet, received. How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen? Or cry out to You, violence, but You do not save? Why do You make me look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me. There is strife and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous so that justice is perverted. Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people. They are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong. Their horsemen come from afar. They fly like a vulture swooping to devour. They all come bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. They deride kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities. They build earthen ramps and capture them. Then they sweep past like the wind and go on. Guilty men. whose own strength is their God. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. And as always, brothers and sisters, I ask and urge you to keep your Bibles open and handy as you look to God's word together this evening. Dear congregation of Jesus Christ, there are dark days in Judah. And the prophet received an oracle, translated a bit more literally in the King James Version, received a burden from the Lord. A burden that is concerning the wickedness of this world. A burden concerning the waywardness of his people. The political situation was such that Assyria had recently been dethroned as the predominant world power, especially in what was called the Battle of Kharkhmesh in 605 B.C. It was a bit amazing to the people of that time that Assyria had been dethroned because they had appealed to Pharaoh Necho of Egypt to bring his armies in support of them, and he did. And yet, according to God's plan in Providence, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, resoundingly defeated also Pharaoh Necho and the armies of Egypt. And again, Assyria was brought to its knees. At the same time, the religious climate in Judah was in great decay, great corruption. King Jehoiakim was on the throne. A young man who had been appointed by Pharaoh Necho to be king of Judah at just 25 years of age. Jehoiakim was a king who literally burned the scroll of the prophecies of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 36 tells us. And he was a king who the Bible says did evil in the eyes of the Lord just as his fathers had done. And if you're taking notes, that's recorded, for example, in 2 Kings 23, verse 37. And in the midst of it all, here comes Habakkuk, the prophet Habakkuk. One whom, interestingly enough, we know very little about. We do know that he was apparently a younger contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah. He prophesied probably around the year 605 to 600 B.C. And he also received this oracle, this burden. It says here, the oracle in verse 1, that Habakkuk, the prophet, received. Literally, the Hebrew says, he saw or beheld. And all my dear, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, listen. As we now turn to the study of this Holy Spirit-inspired prophecy together tonight, We find ourselves being greatly encouraged and comforted by the fact that just as was true for the prophet Habakkuk so many years ago, so too for each and every one of God's people also today. While it is certainly legitimate for us to continually cry out to God, to hear, to deliver, to save, to rescue us. We're going to learn from God's Holy Word that we must also continue to rest in the realization that God's way and in God's time, God's perfect plan and purpose will surely be accomplished. Even and especially at those times when God seems silent. Even and especially at those times when God seems silent. Now then, as we begin to work our way through the words of this text concerning the theme, when God seems silent, let us first of all consider the fact that along with the prophet Habakkuk, our questions are significant. We're going to consider first of all the fact that our questions are significant, even and especially at those times when God seems silent. Look at verse two with me, if you would please. Here the prophet Habakkuk declares, how long O LORD, notice again the four capital letters of the name LORD, that is the name Yahweh, the great I am, the covenant making, covenant keeping God of Israel. He says how long O LORD must I call, it could also be translated, the word is shavah in the Hebrew, and it means to cry out for help. How long, this has been going on for quite a while, it's like the psalmist when they lament, how long O LORD, how long. How long O LORD must I cry for help, must I call for help, But you do not listen. That word listen in the Hebrew we've met before. It's the word shamah. And shamah means to hear with the implication that you will heed the cry. And so, brothers and sisters, in other words, just as is true for you and me so frequently, the prophet is crying out to God for help and he is expecting an answer. He is expecting heaven to hear. How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen. Or cry out to you, violence. Listen, this is important. If you're taking notes, that word violence, I never realized this before, translated from the Hebrew is the word Hamas. C-H-A-M-A-S. You say it in Hebrew, Hamas. Friends, that's the name of the terrorist organization in the Middle East. They took on the name Hamas. It means violence. Interestingly enough, commentators say that while that word Hamas, Hebrew, means violence, while it can frequently result in a physical violence being done, such as the violence of physical murder, more frequently, and I was learning all this myself along with I hope you're learning it tonight, more frequently that term Hamas conveys a sense of violence when the second table of God's law, the moral law, is violated. and damage is done to our fellow man. In fact, I'll quote one commentator. He says, this word Hamas denotes flagrant violations of the moral law by which man injures primarily his fellow man, end of quote. It has to do primarily with the second table of the law. How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, Hamas, violence, but you do not save? Yasha, that's where we get the name Joshua from. Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Let me just think about what we just read. Notice the pronouns. Struck me in my study for this, this tonight. Back at just saying, Lord, this is not doing you or me any good. I mean, look what he says. He says, why do you make me look at injustice? This is adversely affecting me, Lord. And why do you tolerate wrong? For sure this can't be pleasing in your sight. Why is this going on? Destruction and kamas, look with me, destruction and violence are before me. There is strife and conflict or contention abounds. The word is nasa, it means it rises up, it rises up, it abounds right before our very eyes. And brothers and sisters, what is the consequence? I was studying this, and I'm exegeting this, and I'm praying over this, and I almost couldn't put the Bible down. He lays out this scenario, if you will, and you're almost asking in your heart of hearts, well, where do we go from here? What is the result of what we just read? What is the result of the complaint that Habakkuk just made? And the answer is in verse four. And the answer is threefold. Therefore, the law, the Torah, The covenant God made with his people, generally, summarized in the Ten Commandments, specifically, the Torah is paralyzed. Literally, the Hebrew word translates, it grows numb. It doesn't feel anything, it's impotent. Therefore, the law is paralyzed, the law grows numb, and justice, please stay with me, the word is mishpat. Mishpat means the orderliness of government, the proper functioning of government, things running as they should run. That's what mishpat means, justice. Therefore the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous. They, we could say, surround them, they encircle them, they're trapped and they can't be or act who they're supposed to be and do what they're supposed to do. I mean picture this, this is incredibly powerful language. The law is paralyzed, justice never prevails, and the wicked hem in the righteous so that justice is perverted. King James translates a little more literally. Wrong judgments proceed. Wrong judgment proceeds. Now brothers and sisters, the great reformer John Calvin very correctly points out that you and I must remember that this particular prophecy or oracle or burden of the prophet Habakkuk certainly applied to Judah historically. But Calvin also correctly points out that this prophecy, this oracle, this burden of Habakkuk also applies to the church of Jesus Christ corporately And it also applies principally or in principle to any nation, including to our nation. For example, I've already noted that historically under the reign of King Jehoiakim, great wickedness abounded, especially concerning the second table of God's law, the moral law, the way people related to one another. We also need to remember then that as it applies to the church of Jesus Christ, that when we read the New Testament gospels, when we read the New Testament epistles, we see how seductive Satan is in allowing those kinds of sins even to take root and bear a bitter fruit in the hearts and lives of God's people in the church of God. In fact, the apostle Paul addresses this. Turn with me, if you would, just for a moment, please, to the book of Galatians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. If you wanna just listen, that's okay. But otherwise, turn with me just for a second to Galatians 5, and if you're taking notes, jot down verses 13 through 15. In Galatians 5, 13 through 15, it's almost like Paul was reading the prophecy of Habakkuk, seeing it taking place in the church of Jesus Christ, and commanding that it be removed, eradicated from among God's people. Galatians 5, 13-15, Paul says, You, my brothers, are called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. Rather, serve one another in agape, in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command. Love your neighbor as yourself. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other. John Calvin commenting on this particular portion of our text, especially as it relates to the church of Jesus Christ, says this, listen carefully please. Calvin writes, now this passage, this is the words back in Habakkuk, he says, now this passage teaches us that all who really serve and love God ought, according to the prophets example, to burn with holy indignation. Whenever they see wickedness reigning without restraint among men, and especially in the church of God. You see, I'm gonna read that again, John Calvin. He says, now this passage teaches us that all who really serve and love God ought, according to the prophet's example, to burn with holy indignation whenever they see wickedness reigning without restraint among men, and especially in the church of God, end of quote. And it's true. Friends, for our purposes this evening, and throughout this study, Lord willing, I want us to especially focus on the principal or in principle application of this prophecy concerning the nations and particularly our nation today. For indeed, when we read in those first few verses of Habakkuk 1 of such things as violence and injustice and the law being paralyzed and God's people being hemmed in by the wicked, etc. Does it not seem to you, as it does to me, that this is almost eerily familiar to us? It strikes home in our modern day, in our country, in our culture, does it not? It's almost like reading the headlines and staying current with the evening news. For example, we read here of violence, Hamas. I read the other day, and I wasn't sure I had read it correctly, and then I heard it on the news, wasn't sure I had heard it correctly, that in the city of Chicago alone this year, there had been thousands of murders. I think it was 3,000 plus, if I'm not mistaken, but thousands of murders in a single city, the home of our president, by the way, from Chicago, just this city, just this year. I read here, violence, violence. Similarly, I was reading in USA Today this past Thursday about A number of states in our country that have adopted what they call voter ID laws. Probably you know what they are. Voter ID laws are trying to establish certain criteria for those who would be allowed to vote in this year's elections. And of course, friends, the great debate is that the Republicans are saying that these laws are simply there to help make sure our elections are legitimate, that those who should be voting are voting and those who shouldn't be voting are not voting. The Democrats say, of course, that such laws are set up as an oppressive measure to keep minorities from voting, and that's the great debate. Well, anyway, I'm reading in this article concerning a number of these laws, and notice what this one professor says concerning the way various judges were talking about injustice in the law being paralyzed. Listen to what this one law professor says concerning the way judges are interpreting those voter ID laws and ruling accordingly. Just a brief quote. Listen carefully, please. This is Thursday's USA Today. Nicholas Stephanopoulos, an assistant professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School, specializing in elections and voting rights, says judges tend to view the cases, quote, through ideological and partisan prisms. I'm going to read that again. Nicholas Stephanopoulos, assistant professor at Chicago Law School University, specializing in elections and voting rights, says judges tend to view the cases, those cases of voter ID laws, quote, through ideological and partisan prisms, end of quote. Now, what does that mean in layman's terms? Well, what that means is that the studies are showing that if you are a judge appointed by a Republican president, you tend to uphold the voter ID laws. But if you are a judge appointed by a Democrat president, you tend to overturn the voter ID laws. Not because they are legal or not, not because they are constitutional or not, but because you're a Republican or a Democrat and justice is perverted. Justice is perverted. Justice is perverted and injustice begins to rule the land. One more example, there were so many I could share, but I'm gonna share one more. This one really, really struck me. I was listening to a news interview just a few days ago with Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina. Trey Gowdy, you may know, serves as chairman of one of the congressional committees who have been investigating what is commonly referred to now as the Hillary Clinton email scandal. And in this interview, Congressman Gowdy, again from South Carolina, was incredibly worked up. He was very emotional, he was very passionate. And here's what he said. I remember it verbatim. He said to the interviewer, quote. Our country can withstand good presidents. And our country can withstand bad presidents. But what our country cannot withstand is the unequal or selective application of the law, depending on your last name. End of quote. Friends, on top of all that. Just look around. Be aware. Find out what is happening to the rights of Christian students on college campuses. Find out what is happening to the rights of Christians serving in the military. Find out what is happening concerning the funding of Planned Parenthood and the selling of baby parts and the indictment of those who uncovered that, ultimately cleared, by the way, praise be to God. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, I ask you tonight, Is it not true that you and I ought to be crying out with the prophet Habakkuk, verse 2, how long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, violence, but you do not save. Or verse 4, therefore the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous so that justice is perverted. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, Whether we are using this prophecy to reference Judah historically, whether we are using this prophecy to reference the church of Jesus Christ corporately, or whether we are using this prophecy to reference our nation or any nation principally. The fact of the matter is that just as was true for the prophet Habakkuk so many years ago. It's also true for you and me today, listen. Our questions are significant. Our questions are significant. even and especially at those times when God seems silent. Ah, but notice, but notice. Secondly and finally, let us consider the fact that though our questions are significant, God's answer is His sovereignty. Even though our questions are significant, God's answer is His sovereignty. In fact, notice, interestingly enough, While most, if not all, of the other prophets are prophets who bring a word of the Lord to God's people, they speak the word of the Lord. They say, thus saith the Lord. Interestingly enough, here in this prophecy, Habakkuk isn't speaking to God's people, he's speaking to the Lord. He's taking what the people are seeing and feeling and the things that they are wrestling with, and he brings them to God. It's kind of a reverse prophetic ministry in a sense, and it establishes a dialogue between the prophet and God. He's speaking for us, if you will, the prophet. But the Lord answers. Look at verse 5 with me, if you would please, as it picks up. Here, God says, in response to those questions, look, imperative, at the nations, at the goyim, and watch, imperative, and be utterly amazed, imperative, for I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. Read the last part silently to yourself again as I read it out loud. I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. Does that sound familiar? Does that ring any biblical bells with you? Friends, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, took those words and he related them to the saving ministry of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He does so, and I think it's in Acts 13. Let's go there together. If you want to just listen, that's okay. But in Acts 13, drop all the way down with me, if you would, please, to verse 38. Verse 38, I'm just going to read a few of those following verses. Acts 13, 38. Paul and Barnabas have just been sent out. They're on their first missionary journey. They're in Pisidian, Antioch. And Paul's preaching the Word. And in Acts 13, 38 and following, we read, Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him, everyone who believes is justified. Boys and girls, you know what that means. God views me just as if I'd never sinned. Through Him, everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you. Look you scoffers wonder and perish here it is for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe Even if someone told you and then if you'll skim over the next several verses Paul He's heard by these people. They want to hear him again the following Sabbath verse 44 He goes again to speak to them almost the whole city gathers gathers Following verses the Jews became jealous that the Gentiles are hearing the gospel and so in verse 48 of Acts 13 We read when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and honored the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. All glory be to God. Speaking of the ministry of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So now we go back to the words of our text in Habakkuk 1. Let's pick it up in verse 6. And friends, stay with me on this. This is critically important. God says in response to Habakkuk, I am raising up the Babylonians. And as I was studying this through, I sort of read that, I studied it, and I was going on in the rest of the text. I said, wait a second. What did God just say? He said, I am raising up the Babylonians. They didn't think this up themselves. They weren't acting of their own volition and will. The Babylonians, this new world power, were actually pawns in the hands of Almighty God. That's what the text says. God says, I am raising up the Babylonians, or some of your translations may say Chaldeans. It's a different word for the same people. I cross-referenced that. And brothers and sisters, what I found, for example, is that in Daniel 2, 19b through 21a, we read, And Daniel praised the God of heaven and said, Praise be to the name of God forever and ever. Wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons. He sets up kings and deposes them. Similarly, in Isaiah 44, verse 28, Isaiah 44, 28, the Lord says of the Persian king Cyrus, he is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please. Think about that. Think of the implications of that in the international political scene today. God says in verse six, I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless, that cruel, that fierce and impetuous people. What does impetuous mean? Impetuous means impulsive. It means you do things without thinking. You act before you reasoned it out. And that's how he describes the Babylonians. They are a ruthless and impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seas dwelling places not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people. They are a law unto themselves. In other words, they fear no one and they fear nothing. God says, that's who we're dealing with. That's who I'm dealing with. They are a feared and dreaded people. They are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. It's all about them. All they care about is them. Even though Proverbs 6, verses 16 and 17 tells us that haughty eyes are the first of seven things which the Lord hates and finds detestable to Him. They promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong, their horsemen come from afar. And it's almost as if God is thinking, well, my people are going to say, well, if their horsemen are coming from afar, maybe by the time they get there, they won't be very strong and we'll be able to keep them at bay. We'll be able to defeat them. Not so. God goes on to say they fly like a vulture swooping to devour. Vultures, of course, are scavenger birds. They feed on carcasses. They eat the bodies of dead animals. And so the picture God is painting here is not very pretty at all. They fly like a vulture swooping to devour. They all come bent on violence. All they are about is violence for violence's sake. Sound familiar for some of the terrorist organizations today? Their hordes, that is, there's seemingly so many of them, their hordes advance like a desert wind, which could be so incredibly destructive in the Middle East, and gather prisoners like sand. You almost can't count their captives, and when they get the captives, they are bent on transporting them to foreign lands, just like they did from the Jews, bringing them to Babylon. They deride kings, and they scoff at rulers. Legitimately elected president they legitimately elected prime minister some kind of potentate cares They don't fear anyone Or anything they deride Kings scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities They build earthen ramps and capture them boys and girls the earthen ramps referred to siege works Which they they would they would build up they would build up mounds against the city wall so that they get higher with their battering rams if not put a ladder in and climb over the wall of the city and And so the picture here is of a city under siege. They build earthen ramps and capture them. That is the fortified cities, verse 11. Then they sweep past like the wind and go on. It's like seeing in the news these devastating tornadoes out in the Midwest and the Southwest, and they pass through a town or they pass through a city and leave incredible destruction in its wake, and then they're gone. It's like they were never there, but you see the effects. That's what this is describing. They sweep past like the wind and go on. Guilty men whose own strength is their God. I must confess to you that by the time I got to the end of studying that particular passage, I was incredibly depressed. And all of a sudden I said, wait a minute. What did God say? I went back again to verse 11. They sweep past like the wind and go on. Guilty men whose own strength is their God. Guilty men. God sees them, He knows them, He calls them guilty, and He is not done dealing with them, you see. In fact, as I was pondering that phrase, guilty men, it occurred to me that the Lord here is reassuring His faithful remnant that such devastating destruction, such conquest by the wicked, the seemingly endless success of those who, according to Isaiah 520, call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter, will not stand forever. They will not stand forever. Because as Exodus 34, 7 reminds us, Exodus 34, 7, it says, concerning God, He does not leave the guilty unpunished. He does not leave the guilty unpunished. Therefore, as you and I may individually or as a nation painfully recall the tragic terrorist attacks of 9-1-1, the fact that we saw the towers fall, As you and I may read or hear about the rise of ISIS in the Middle East and hear of so-called lone wolf terrorist attacks. In fact, I just caught a few minutes of news today. I believe there were three they believe may have been lone wolf terrorist attacks in our own country in the last 24 hours. Don't quote me on this. It was a glimpsing thing I caught. I think it was Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, pipe bombs and stabbing and this kind of stuff. We read and hear about this increasingly. We hear of these kinds of things happening in Western Europe or You read about Iran pursuing a nuclear bomb or we read of the saber rattling of North Korea or Syria using chemical weapons once again. We read that there's a high likelihood that. Russia was involved in the hacking of American e-mails related to our political campaign and all the rest, we could go on and on. Brothers and sisters, as you and I read and hear of these things. Let us always remember Our questions are significant. Our questions are significant. Our questions are significant. Let us also always remember that God's answer is His sovereignty. His answer is His sovereignty. In fact, you know, the supposedly true story is told that as American GIs swept through a number of German cities at the close of World War II, they literally went house to house to house looking for snipers. And as they entered the home of one Jewish family, which apparently had been exterminated in Hitler's Holocaust, they went down into the basement and they found written on the wall, graffiti style, A message which they apparently found very comforting, a sentiment which they found very comforting, and a message which ought to well comfort each and every one of us tonight. The words read as follows. I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining. I believe in love, even when I do not feel it. I believe in God even when He is silent. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts together in prayer. O Lord our God, along with the prophet Habakkuk of old, when we behold the seemingly unchecked and unaccountable occasions of violence, lawlessness, and injustice in our land. And even at times, even more regrettably, we see such in our own hearts, and in our own homes, and even in your house. Oh, forgive us, Father, We pray, cleanse us from all such unrighteousness through the shed blood of Christ on Calvary. And though your word graciously reminds us that our questions concerning the same are significant, in very comforting fashion, always remind us that your absolute sovereignty is the answer. Hear us, O faithful and heavenly Father, we pray and we plead, in Jesus' name, Amen.