Milo

Haggai

JULY 9

Reading 190

PUTTING GOD FIRST Haggai 1–2

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (Hag. 1:4)The fall of Israel to Assyria, and of Judah to Babylon, illustrates what happens when people fail to put God first. The response of the postexilic community to Haggai’s preaching illustrates what happens when people do put God first.

Background

The return.

The Babylonians had taken the Jewish people into Captivity in a series of deportations between 605 and 586B.C It was not until the fall of Babylon and the ascension of Cyrus of Persia in 538B.C that a small contingent of some 50,000 returned to their devastated homeland. During the years of Exile once-fertile fields had become overgrown with weeds and briars, houses had fallen into ruin, while orchards and vineyards had died. The returnees faced a formidable task: they must reclaim the land, plant crops, and rebuild houses, for once-prosperous Judah was now a wild frontier. In the grip of their first enthusiasm, a foundation for a new temple of God had been laid. But soon that enthusiasm was worn away under the pressures of survival. The focus of the community shifted from putting God first to putting their own many needs first. For some 18 years they struggled to reestablish a viable society. But somehow they seemed unable to make progress. Every step forward seemed matched by two back. It was at this point that Haggai was sent by God to speak to the discouraged pioneers, to urge them to once again put God first. Haggai is an encouraging book for believers today. It reminds us that blessings lie ahead for those who put God first.

Overview

On August 29, 520B.C, Haggai urged Judah to finish the temple (1:1–11). The people obeyed God’s voice and set to work (vv. 12–15). On October 17 Haggai promised the completed temple would be filled with glory (2:1–9), and on December 18 Haggai promised that from now on, God would bless (vv. 10–23).

Understanding the Text

“Give careful thought to your ways” Hag. 1:1–11. Haggai’s initial message was blunt and practical. He reminded the community how they had struggled to survive the past 18 years. They had worked constantly, and yet seemed to have made no progress. He also reminded them that they had put aside rebuilding the temple in order to concentrate on meeting their own needs. And Haggai had just three questions for them: Had it worked? Were they really better off than they were before? Had setting God aside helped them get ahead? The answer was no! They “expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.” The fact of the matter was that the prosperity of the postexilic community depended entirely on God. He was the One who controlled the reins; He was the One who could make them prosper. In setting God aside they abandoned the one essential for success. Christians too might well be practical. Never mind for the moment whether it’s right to set God aside for a time to concentrate on getting ahead. Just ask the question, “Will it work?” The answer today, as in Haggai’s time, is no! Our God is a sovereign God, who is able to bless our efforts, or to withhold blessing. If we set God aside, and fail to give Him the priority He deserves, we abandon the one resource essential for our own success. “They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God” Hag. 1:12–14. While the practical argument is compelling, it takes more than argument to cause a person to change his or her priorities. The text says that “the Lord stirred up the spirit” of the leaders and of the people (v. 14). You and I may give others the best of reasons why they should trust the Lord or follow Him. And there are many good and practical reasons. Yet people will only respond if the Lord Himself stirs up their spirits within them. Christian witnessing and Christian counseling both call for more than knowledge and more than skill in presenting good reasons for wise choices. Effective witness and counsel demands prayer that God will take our good reasons and good advice, open the heart of the hearer, and stir him or her up to respond. “Be strong . . . and work” Hag. 2:1–4. As the work commenced it became clear that the new temple would be far less splendid than the first. So the people became discouraged. It hardly seemed worthwhile, when what they were doing fell so far short of what others had done. You and I often fall into this trap. We compare our accomplishments or the tasks we are called to do with those of others. What we’re doing seems so unimportant. So we become discouraged, and let our hands fall to our sides. God’s first response to such an attitude is to give us a simple prescription. He says, “Be strong. . . . Be strong. . . . Be strong. . . . and work” (vv. 3–4). Our calling is not to compare, but to be strong, and work at the task God gives us. “I will fill this house with glory” Hag. 2:5–9. The dimensions of the new temple were far less than those of Solomon’s. The new temple would also lack the expensive adornment of the earlier house of worship. Yet God not only promised to fill the new house with glory, but said that “the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (v. 9). The ancient rabbis saw this as a messianic prophecy. The “desired of all nations [who] will come” (v. 7) they held to be the Messiah. The temple would be filled with glory not because of its material trappings but because of His presence. How accurate this insight. Over half a millennium passed. But then Jesus of Nazareth did come, first as a Boy and then as an Adult, to the second temple. Herod had expanded and beautified the original structure. But the temple was glorious, not because of its ostentatious wealth, but because of the enfleshed presence of the God in whose honor it had been built. There is a lesson here for us. What we do may seem unimportant when compared with what some accomplish. Yet as long as what we do is done for Christ, His presence floods the simplest task with glory. “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine” Hag. 2:8. The struggling community in Judah, hardly able to make ends meet, must have been discouraged by its poverty. How could it afford the high costs of construction, to say nothing of the costly equipment required for worship? Here God simply reminded His people, “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine.” The people of Judah were responsible to work. God was responsible to provide. And God did! Ezra 6:8–12 tells us that when local opponents of the Jews complained, they were ordered by the Persian ruler to finance the entire project from tax revenues! We need not know where our resources will come from. But we do need to be sure that what we do is in the will of God. “From this day on I will bless you” Hag. 2:10–19. God promised to bless His obedient people. But He protected the little community, and us, from a common error. Haggai was told to raise a question of ritual purity with the priests. If a defiled person touched a holy object, would he be made holy? The answer was no. In fact, if a defiled person touched a holy object, that object became defiled! God was about to pour out blessings on His people in Judea. They might conclude that it was because they once again worshiped at a temple. The questions and their answers showed that no one would be made holy by going up to the temple. God’s blessing was to be poured out not because of the holiness of the people, but because of the grace of their God. In choosing to put God first, the little community had placed itself on the one path that led to the blessing God was eager to bestow. God’s blessing today is evidence of His grace. We can never earn the good things He gives us. Yet our obedience does bring us to that shore of the river where His blessings flow. “I will shake the heavens and the earth” Hag. 2:20–23. The book concludes with a word to Zerubbabel. This member of the royal family represented the Davidic line. The words mean that while the present generation will be blessed, a future generation will experience the full blessing promised by God. Then, at a future date, One from the house of David, the Messiah, will appear. He will shake the nations and establish the earthly kingdom of God.

DEVOTIONAL

After Putting God First (Hag. 2)

Haggai 1 invites us to look at the empty spaces in our lives, the disappointments and frustrations, and ask if this is what we want our lives to be. He then urges us to stop living selfishly, and put God first. The little Jewish community in Judea in Haggai’s day did just this—and decided to change their priorities. From then on, they would put the Lord first. I suppose if this were all there were to this little book, it would be well worth reading. But actually, there’s much more. Haggai 2 goes on to show us how life changes when we do put the Lord first in our lives. What do we see there? First, we find significance in even little things. The rebuilt temple seemed small when compared to Solomon’s spectacular structure. But then the Lord said, “I am with you,” and we know that when we have put Him first, what we do is important indeed. In fact, we have the assurance that there is far more glory in the littlest thing we do for the Lord than in anything we have ever done before (vv. 1–9). Second, we find repeated evidence of blessings we do not deserve. We discover that in putting God first, we have put ourselves in the center of that channel through which grace constantly flows. There are material blessings, yes. But even more important, there is the knowledge that we are pleasing God, and fulfilling ourselves. And in this we find peace.

Personal Application

The only way to get ahead is to put God before us.

Quotable

“Do not wait to do a great thing. The opportunity may never come. But since little things are constantly claiming your attention, do them for a great motive—for the glory of God, and to do good to others.”—F.B. Meyer

Haggai

INTRODUCTION

Haggai was the first of the postexilic prophets. When a company of Jews returned from Babylon in 538 B.C., they laid the foundations of a new temple. But for the next 18 years members of the community concentrated on building their own houses, leaving the house of the Lord unfinished. Haggai urged the people to put God first, and finish the temple. The people responded to Haggai, winning God’s promise, “From this day on I will bless you.” The project was resumed in 520 B.C., and the temple was finished in 515 B.C.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	The Call to Build	Hag. 1
II.	The Glory of the New Temple	Hag. 2:1–9
III.	Blessings for Judah	Hag. 2:10–23

Zephaniah

JULY 8

Reading 189

GREAT DAY COMING Zephaniah 1–3

“The great Day of the Lord is near—near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the Day of the Lord will be bitter” (Zeph. 1:14).I magine history as a speeding train and the prophets as conductors, calling out the next station. Zephaniah’s cry would be, “Last stop! We’re coming into Judgment. Everybody off!”

Background

The age of Josiah.

Josiah was Judah’s last godly king. He took the throne following a half century of apostasy under Manasseh and Amon, and soon determined to lead his people back to the Lord. He attempted to purge the land of idolatry and reinstituted temple worship. Yet both Habakkuk and Zephaniah, who ministered in Josiah’s time, viewed the reformation as superficial at best. Habakkuk portrayed the corruption of the legal system and society itself (Hab. 1:1–4), while Zephaniah cited evidence that Assyrian and Canaanite religions maintained a hold on the people (Zeph. 1:4–5). Prophets and priests were false to their calling (3:4), and political leaders still resorted to violence and perpetrated injustices (vv. 2–3). There were in Josiah’s reforms outward indications of a return to God, but the lifestyle of the people gave no evidence of repentance or return. It is against this background that Zephaniah cried out concerning the Day of the Lord, and emphasized its judgment aspects. The onrushing Day of the Lord “will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness” (1:15). For God’s sinful people there can now be no escape. Near the end of Josiah’s reign the ancient world experienced great political upheaval. As Assyria engaged in a death struggle with a suddenly emergent Babylon, Judah won brief independence. Josiah became involved in trying to tip the balance of power between these two and Egypt, and was killed in battle in 609B.C Within a few years Judah was reduced to a subject state in the Babylonian Empire. Within three decades the Babylonians denuded the land of Judah of its people, and left Jerusalem, with its once beautiful temple, a heap of ruins. When we read Zephaniah we find no unexpected revelation. All that Zephaniah said, earlier prophets had proclaimed over and over again. What we do sense, however, is a tone of finality. God had given His people opportunity after opportunity. Now, it was too late. Judgment was “near and coming quickly” (v. 14). How desperately we need to respond to every word of divine warning. If we fail to respond, one day it will surely be too late.

Overview

Zephaniah predicted the “Day of the Lord,” a dark day of judgment, due against Judah (1:1–2:3), Gentile nations (vv. 4–15), and against Jerusalem (3:1–8). Yet beyond the judgment lies a day of joy, in which God’s scattered people will return and be restored to relationship with Him (vv. 9–20).

Understanding the Text

“Zephaniah” Zeph. 1:1.

The prophet’s name probably means “watchman for the Lord.” But what is interesting is that Zephaniah provided more genealogical information about himself than any other Old Testament prophet. He traced his ancestry back four generations, to “Hezekiah.” Most commentators believe that this is King Hezekiah, the last godly king prior to Josiah. Some see here simply Zephaniah’s attempt to link himself with Judah’s royal family. But the genealogy suggests something even more important. It reminds us that two whole generations, over 50 years, passed by during which Judah lacked godly leadership. The royal family faltered in its commitment to the Lord, and as a result the whole land turned eagerly to idolatry and sin. You and I can no more afford to neglect the nurture of our children than could the kings of Judah. God may well bring a future generation back to Him, as He brought back Hezekiah’s great grandsons, Josiah and Zephaniah. But how great the tragedy if son and grandson are lost. “Those who turn back from following the Lord” Zeph. 1:2–13. These verses announce sweeping judgment, and express the reasons for God’s anger. They also do more. They help us understand the futility of man’s search for “freedom.” The people of Judah turned back from following the Lord. They thought obedience to Him was too restrictive. But what did they actually obtain? They refused to worship the one true God, and found themselves worshiping a confusing host of pagan deities: Canaanite baals, the Assyrian “starry host,” the Phoenician Molech. Some even added the Lord to this roster of gods, as if He were on a par with idols (vv. 4–5). The people of Judah still were bound by man’s deep need for relationship with the supernatural. They refused to obey God, and in seeking freedom adopted “foreign clothes” (v. 8). As today, the clothing one chose then indicated basic attitudes or orientations. The choice of foreign clothing suggests a rejection of Jewish identity and an effort to identify with Egyptian or Babylonian peoples (cf. Num. 15:38; Deut. 22:11–12). They were “free,” but in their pursuit of freedom they lost their true selves. They refused to obey God, and demanding freedom fell prey to superstition, such as the practice of refusing to step on the threshold of a house of pagan worship (Zeph. 1:8; cf. 1 Sam. 5:5). They refused to obey God, and created a society in which each person was selfish, where violence and deceit were the norm (Zeph. 1:9). They refused to obey God, and in asserting their freedom they lost all sense of spiritual reality, so that however great their need they never thought to seek the Lord, or ask Him what way they should go. People today seem to have that same insistent desire for “freedom.” God’s ways seem restrictive, and so they “turn back from following the Lord.” But always when human beings demand such freedom, they find themselves caught in a monstrous web. They become trapped, falling victim to counterfeit religions both humanistic and supernaturalistic, to superstition, to confusion, loss of identity, and finally loss of all touch with reality. They live in a world of illusion, not only lost, but subject to the wrath of the God who warns, “On that day I will punish” (vv. 8–13). How glad we are to surrender such an illusory “freedom,” and to choose to follow the Lord. We who follow Him gladly are free indeed. “The great Day of the Lord” Zeph. 1:14–18. The “Day of the Lord” is a phrase used by Old Testament prophets to indicate events associated with God’s direct involvement in human affairs to carry out some phase of His plan for humankind. While the “Day of the Lord” is most often an eschatological term used when describing history’s end, any act of God can be identified with that day. Thus there is “the” eschatological Day of the Lord, and also “a” non-eschatological Day of the Lord. What is important to note is that “a” Day of the Lord merits that identification because it bears marked likeness to “the” Day of the Lord. This is what Zephaniah predicted here. “A” Day of the Lord was rushing down on Judah which, like “the” Day of the Lord, would be a day of wrath, distress, anguish, trouble, and ruin. The horrors of the imminent Babylonian invasion can be compared only to the horrors of the great day of divine judgment that will mark history’s end. This is an important reminder. God’s final judgment day seems far off to most people. But for those who, like Judah, persist in sin, there is often “a” judgment day, as well as “the” judgment day! God is no less hostile to sin today than He was in our prophet’s time. A Day of the Lord may be no farther from us than it was from Judah. “You humble of the land” Zeph. 2:1–3. Zephaniah’s warning concluded with an invitation. Before the time appointed for judgment comes, we can find shelter in the Lord. All it requires is humility. What is humility? It is an attitude in stark contrast to that of those who demand the right to live their own lives. The humble gladly submit to God. The humble express their submission by seeking the Lord, and by doing what He commands. The humble are eager not for wealth, but for righteousness; not for high position, but to bow low before the Lord. There is shelter for the humble, even when the storm breaks around us. There is hope for the humble. There is no hope for those who demand to be “free.” “I will destroy you” Zeph. 2:4–15. The coming Day of the Lord would not only devastate Judah but also the pagan peoples who have been hostile to the Lord. Afterward the remnant of God’s own will at last be secure. Zephaniah said of their land, “It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will care for them; He will restore their fortunes” (v. 7). “I have decided to assemble the nations” Zeph. 3:1–8. Now Zephaniah focused on Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah and its very heart. What he saw, despite the renewed activity on the temple mount which rose above Jerusalem’s homes and businesses, was a city of oppressors, “rebellious and defiled” (vv. 1–5). The city had failed to respond to God’s correction, and now must be punished. God is never impressed by appearances. His concern today as in Zephaniah’s time is with the heart.

DEVOTIONAL

O Say Can You See (Zeph. 3)

I’ve always been fascinated by the story. A British fleet stood off Baltimore, bombarding the fort that guarded its harbor. All through the night the guns roared. Through the clouds of acrid smoke explosions could be seen over the fort, as hollow powder-filled balls called bombs burst in the air. The darkness shrouded the stone walls of the fort, but the cacophony of sounds—the shrill whistling of shells, the booming of the cannon, the hollow thump of hit after hit—convinced every shipboard witness that the fort must fall, and Baltimore would be taken. And then, as dawn’s first light drove back the shadows, the witnesses saw an astounding sight. The fort still stood! And there, flying proudly above her ramparts, was the American flag. Hurrying down below one witness seized a pen and dashed off lines that every citizen has heard a thousand times. “O say can you see,” wrote Francis Scott Key, a prisoner that night on the British flagship, “through the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming.” The fort, and the flag, had survived. What a picture of the scene we see in Zephaniah 3. The city of Jerusalem was under siege, being punished for her many sins (vv. 1–7). The Lord Himself was the assailing force, pouring out His wrath, striking the city in His fierce anger. The devastation seemed enough to consume the entire world in an awesome conflagration (v. 8). And then, in the rest of the chapter, we make an amazing discovery. As that dreadful night of judgment comes to an end, and day dawns, we realize there are survivors! We see God’s scattered people, purified, return to worship their God (vv. 9–10). We realize that the arrogance that characterized Jerusalem had been burned away, and the city now held only the meek and humble, who would do no wrong (vv. 11–13). And we hear a voice raised in song, tentative at first, but soon swelling in a glad chorus of joy as the people of the city realize that God, mighty to save, is with them, and will quiet them with His love (vv. 14–18). And suddenly we see the city itself begin to glow, as God gives His now holy people the honor and praise they thought that they had forfeited forever by their sin (vv. 19–20). Just so we need to remind ourselves. When you or I suffer under the discipline of God, everything seems so dark. We feel crushed, unable to go on. Yet if we were only to look beyond, to tomorrow, we would catch a glimpse of the sight seen by Key, and by Zephaniah too. O say can you see, just beyond the horizon of your dark today, the dawn of what God intends for you? Purified and restored, humbled enough to accept God’s love, you too will be quieted with His love, and be given praise and honor in a peaceful land.

Personal Application

Look beyond your present circumstances, and fix your eyes on the good God will surely do you.

Quotable

“I bear my willing witness that I owe more to the fire, and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord’s workshop. I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most.”—Charles H. Spurgeon

Zephaniah

INTRODUCTION

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah of Judah (640-609 B.C.). Distressed by the shallowness of Judah’s response to the godly king’s reformation, Zephaniah announced that sweeping judgment was about to fall on Jerusalem as well as on pagan nations. Zephaniah, the last of the preexilic prophets, summarized much of the judgment and salvation teaching of the earlier prophets. His emphasis fell on the darkest aspects of the Day of the Lord, within decades to be prefigured by Babylon’s invasion of the Holy Land.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	Judgment of Judah	Zeph. 1:1–2:3
II.	Judgment of Gentiles	Zeph. 2:4–15
III.	Jerusalem’s Destiny	Zeph. 3

Habakkuk

JULY 7

Reading 188

PERFECTED FAITH Habakkuk 1–3

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength . . . He enables me to go on the heights” (Hab. 3:19).Faith grows fastest when challenged. What Habakkuk teaches us is that through our doubts and suffering, our faith can and will be perfected.

Overview

Habakkuk complained to God of injustice in Judah (1:1–4). He was told that the Lord was raising up the Babylonians to discipline His people (vv. 5–11). The prophet asked how God could permit the wicked to triumph (vv. 12–17), and was shown that despite appearances the evil man never really succeeds (2:1–20). God then showed Habakkuk the horrors of the coming invasion (3:1–16). Shaken, the prophet determined to trust God, and so reached the pinnacle of faith (vv. 18–19).

Understanding the Text

“Injustice” Hab. 1:2–4. Under Old Testament Law local elders met to settle disputes. There was no police force or national justice system. If local elders took bribes, or if witnesses lied, the law was “paralyzed, and justice never prevails.” Habakkuk complained that the religious enthusiasm generated by Josiah’s revival (see 2 Kings 23) had not touched the hearts of the majority. Because the majority was wicked, the righteous were hemmed in (outnumbered), so “justice is perverted.” In this morning’s paper one article described how a witness against local drug pushers was being harassed and her family threatened. Our justice system does not distribute responsibility in the Old Testament way. Yet what the individual does remains the key to a just society. Habakkuk, looking at the corruption in his society, wondered how God could permit Judah to continue in such a state. The answer, of course, is that God would not permit an unjust society to represent Him. There may well be a cost in taking a stand for justice. But there is an even greater cost if we fail to do so! “I am raising up the Babylonians” Hab. 1:5–11. At the time God spoke to Habakkuk, about 621B.C, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) were a subject people within the Assyrian Empire. In 625B.C Nabopolassar took the throne of Babylon and, within two decades, crushed the mighty Assyrians. This sudden and amazing overthrow of the dominant world power is referred to in verses 5–6, “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.” There may be no obvious threat on the horizon capable of shattering an unjust society. The Book of Habakkuk reminds us how quickly God can raise up and bring down nations, to say nothing of individuals. “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil” Hab. 1:12–13. As Habakkuk considered God’s plan to use the Babylonians to punish Judah, he was even more deeply troubled. You and I can hardly understand the terror caused by an invading army in ancient times. Verses 8–11 graphically portray ancient warfare, with swift cavalry attacks in the open, and earthen ramps built up against the walls of besieged cities. The attacking armies were truly “bent on violence.” Defeated foes were subject to torture, women and girls to rape, and even infants were speared or taken by the heels and swung against stone walls. The utter cruelty of the Babylonians repelled Habakkuk. But even more, he knew it must repel the Lord. God is Israel’s Holy One, too pure to even look on (i.e., “permit”) evil. How then could God permit a people more wicked than His own to triumph over them. We often may share Habakkuk’s perplexity. We too see the wicked triumph, and we too wonder. How can God, our Holy One, permit such things to happen without acting in judgment? The answer, found in chapter 2, is surprising. God does not “look on” evil! God even now is actively judging those whose success causes us to doubt (see DEVOTIONAL). Babylonian war memorials show Jewish captives being taken to Babylon. God appointed them to execute judgment on His sinning people. “Write down the revelation and make it plain” Hab. 2:1–19. Habakkuk had set himself to wait for God’s answer. When it came, the prophet was told to write it down and make it plain—for you and me! We can paraphrase the principles of God’s present judgment of the wicked quite simply. The wicked man never has enough (vv. 4–5). The wicked man is doomed to dissatisfaction. He is like a furnace, and each success like fuel added to a burning fire. The more he gains, the hotter the fire burns, and the more empty his life becomes! What a judgment this is: to win, and never be able to enjoy it. The wicked are isolated (vv. 6–8). The wicked man makes his gains at the expense of others. This creates hostility, and makes the wicked man fearful. He knows he has earned the hatred of others, and so finds himself isolated and vulnerable. What a judgment this is: to look around, and know that others hate and fear you. To know that you are truly alone. The wicked feel insecure (vv. 9–11). Driven by their insecurity the wicked concentrate on material gain. They count on wealth or power to set their “nest on high.” The image is of a vulture, who nests on a mountain crag for safety. This is how the wicked live, desperately trying to erect barriers. What a judgment this is: to know that justice demands one’s ruin, trying desperately to protect himself, but never able to feel safe and secure. The wicked man’s hopes will be dashed (vv. 12–14). The wicked man builds monuments to his achievements, even as Herod built cities to preserve his name and Hitler strove to create a “thousand-year Reich.” Yet every such effort is in vain: they “exhaust themselves for nothing.” God intends this world to be filled with knowledge of Him, not with monuments to murderers. What a judgment this is: to hope, and see every hope come to nothing. The wicked will be repaid in kind (vv. 15–17). The actions of the wicked man arouse the antagonism of all around him. There will surely be a backlash. And what a judgment this is: violence, the tool he relied on in his quest for wealth and power, will be used against him, and he in his turn will be destroyed. Never suppose that the wicked really succeed. An evil empire, or an evil person, may appear to prosper. But beyond the trappings of success, buried deep within the heart of the wicked, is a misery, an emptiness, a fear, that is the mark of the present judgment of the God too holy to look on evil. “The Lord is in His holy temple” Hab. 2:20. Here and in other passages where God is pictured “in His holy temple,” the image speaks of imminent judgment. Note that in Habakkuk’s vision God announces He “is” in His holy temple. There is a great day coming, a day of final judgment. But never assume that God is powerless or inactive now. Habakkuk has shown us that God judges the wicked even as they seem to prosper. Yet, seeing God in His holy temple, the prophet was confronted with the fact that judgment day for Judah—his own land—was at hand! “God came from Teman” Hab. 3:1–15. At first Habakkuk welcomed the coming judgment. God would remember mercy even as He poured out His wrath. Perhaps, like Habakkuk, you and I take discipline lightly. Let it come, we think, never realizing the pain that may be necessary to purify us. God quickly corrected His impatient servant. These verses describe three historic periods of judgment, not from the vantage point of a man, but from the vantage point of one who sees through the veil that isolates us from the spiritual universe. There he discovers an angry God, arrayed in holiness. In his vision Habakkuk saw, not the plague that devastated the Exodus generation on the plains of Moab (Num. 25), but God Himself, burning in anger, His elemental power shaking the foundations of the earth, coming from Sinai to execute the judgment that Law required (Hab. 3:3–7). In a second vision Habakkuk saw an enraged God sweeping earth clean by the Genesis Flood (vv. 8–10). In a third vision Habakkuk watched as God “in wrath” came as a mighty warrior to overthrow Egypt’s armies and deliver His people from slavery (vv. 11–15). Each of these visions was calculated to do just one thing. To show Habakkuk what it really means to experience discipline at the hand of the holy God. Sinai symbolizes not only God’s Law but His holiness (Ex. 3:4–5; 18:16–24). The place locations mentioned in Habakkuk 3:3–7 tell us that Habakkuk saw the Lord, setting out from Sinai, coming to the plains of Moab to judge Israel for idolatry and immorality (Num. 25). “Decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled” Hab. 3:16. At last Habakkuk understood. God had satisfied his doubts. Now God was ready to do a deeper work in Habakkuk’s heart. You see, belief is not simply an intellectual exercise. Faith is not built on intellect alone. The prophet finally realized that he would be among those who experienced the awful devastation of warfare. His fig trees would be shattered, his vines droop to the ground. At last the prophet realized that when the fields of Judah produced no food, he and his own would face starvation. Divine discipline meant all he knew, all he hoped for, all he possessed—would be taken away. And then, as the prophet trembled at the prospect, a strange peace entered his heart. Though all these things must happen, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” In triumph the Prophet Habakkuk reached deep, and found a sustaining faith. When a nation is judged for its sins, the righteous suffer with the wicked. Faith makes no man immune to the troubles that are common to mankind. But as Habakkuk caught sight of a mountain goat (not “deer”) picking its way on a mountainside, unmindful of the danger of a fall, he realized a wonderful truth. Resting in God, the believer remains secure, whatever his circumstances. Even in the dreadful days about to come, God would enable His servant Habakkuk to pick his way safely—like that mountain goat—despite the dizzying heights.

DEVOTIONAL

Inside Out(Hab. 2)

It isn’t fair, of course. All too often the wicked do prosper. Sinners strike it rich while the godly struggle to make ends meet. The profane man, who scoffs at God, stays healthy, while a believer suffers a wrenching back injury or is stricken with cancer. The lazy employee, who lies about coworkers, gets the promotion, while the person who works hard and helps others is ignored. Looked at from the outside, all these things seem unfair. And they are. Looked at from the outside, you or I might conclude that God is standing back, disinterested, letting people get away with anything they want. Or, even worse, we might conclude that God helps the wicked get ahead of the righteous. But Habakkuk 2 reminds us, that’s when we look at things from the outside. Such conclusions are based only on what we can observe: on what we can see. And so God invites us, in this fascinating chapter, to look at things from the inside. When we do look to the inside, we discover that the wicked person who seems most successful is in fact the worst off! The wicked person is worse off because God is at work within, judging sin, and making the wicked man’s every success meaningless. What does Habakkuk 2 tell us is happening inside the person who succeeds in wicked ways? First, no such success can satisfy, but will only create more desire (vv. 4–5). Second, gains made at the expense of others isolate the “winner” from other people. Increasingly the wicked man finds himself alone, and lonely (vv. 6–8). Third, such gains create a sense of insecurity. A wicked man will try desperately to assure his safety, but the nagging awareness that he deserves punishment robs him of any sense of peace (vv. 9–11). Fourth, the hopes of the wicked are destined to be disappointed. God intends the earth to be filled with knowledge of Him, not monuments to murderers (vv. 12–14). Finally, the acts of the wicked create hostility. The harm a wicked person does others will create a backlash, and the violence he used will be directed against him. Wicked acts plant the seeds of their perpetrator’s destruction (vv. 15–17). I know. There are times when it’s hard not to envy the wicked man who prospers. But only if we look at such persons from the outside. Try looking at such men from the inside out. And then stop and think of all you have received in Christ. You have a life that’s full, not empty. You have fellowship with Christian friends. You have the knowledge that you are secure in God’s love. You have the certainty that all you hope for will indeed be yours. And you know that, if you are repaid in kind for the way you treat others, you will receive a blessing and not a curse. Looking from the inside out, you and I discover the truth. Those the world thinks of as winners have lost. And we have won.

Personal Application

Learn to evaluate from the inside out, and thank God for your many blessings.

Quotable

“God is not alone when discarded by man. But man is alone.”—Abraham Heschel