God's response to those who question Him

 Read Habakkuk 2.

The prophet complained and then tried to argue with God.  He appeared so confident in taking a stance and waited to see what the LORD would say to his logic.  God responded as forthrightly as possible.  "Write this down!," He ordered, so it could be clearly communicated.

Having gained the prophet's attention and with pen in hand, God unfolded His plan to Habakkuk.  Indeed, the Babylonians were wicked.  They were greedy, evil, violent, pride-filled, given to drunkenness, and idolaters.  The LORD did not overlook one of their sins.  In His time, He will judge that empire.  But, in the meantime, God’s people needed some national discipline.

Three insights we all need to learn from verses 2-4:
1. God wants everyone to know what He has revealed.
"The vision" is the Word of God that He revealed and, therefore, is totally reliable and without error.  As the Apostle Peter explained, "...we did not follow cleverly devised myths...no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 2:16, 21).  We have in writing and, thankfully, in our own language exactly what God wants us to know. 

2. God acts on His time schedule, not ours.
He will not be late in carrying out His plans.  All will be fulfilled.  Those who love God need not be discouraged about the sin in this world and the difficulties in this life.  Solomon wrote: "He has made everything beautiful in its time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
 
3. Our response to God's plan and timing is to trust Him.
It may seem that the wicked get away with their sin and ungodly behaviors.  But those who know the LORD see beyond the current circumstances and look to the One who is control of all things.  He is worthy of our trust.  He is ever faithful.  In great contrast to the world around us, "the righteous shall live by his faith" (v.4).

The plan of God also looks forward to a day when every wrong will be made right.  In that day, when Jesus rules and reigns in the Millennial Kingdom, "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (v.14).  So, let the idolaters cease crying out to their made-up objects of worship and life-guidance, and stop complaining or questioning God.  The LORD is in control, "in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him" (v.20).

 

Why doesn't God do something?

 Read Habakkuk 1.

This is the only book in the Bible where the prophet initiates the message.  Habakkuk was frustrated.  Everywhere he looked in Judah all he could see was sin and injustice.  He complained directly to God, "Why aren't you doing something about the sin in this nation?"  He falsely assumed that God was somehow idle or ignoring the blatant wrong-doing.

In verses 5-11, we have the response.  God had all along been preparing to activate His plan for Judah.  In verse 5, God explained why He did not reveal His intentions to Habakkuk.  The prophet would neither believe it, nor would he like it.  The LORD empowered the Babylonians to conquer the Assyrians.  With their rise to world power, Judah would be the next Babylonian target.  God's plan was to use that wicked, violent, ungodly empire to discipline His people.

As predicted, this was not what Habakkuk wanted to hear at all.  He reacted with what he thought were two strong, irrefutable arguments:
1. God is too holy to use sinners to accomplish His work. (v.13a)
2. Judah was more righteous than the Babylonians. (v.13b)
With that, the prophet seems to smugly believe that he had God cornered and in 2:1, he said, "I will take my stand" and wait to see how God will answer now.

Three insights for us to know about the sovereignty of God:
1. God is always active fulfilling His plans for individuals and nations.
"'I am the Alpha and Omega," says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'" (Revelation 1:8)  He eternally knows and controls the beginning and the end of all things.

2. God can use anyone to accomplish His will. 
"Surely the wrath of man shall praise you." (Psalm 76:10)

3. God’s decisions regarding His plans become tests of our faith.
If we could see the future, we probably would react a lot like Habakkuk.  There would be things we would not like or want to hear.  Trusting the steadfast love of God in the uncertainty of life and the hardships that come is the essence of living by faith.  God will teach the prophet this in the next chapter.  "But the righteous shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4b)

 

5 behaviors that brought God's Judgment

 Read Nahum 3.

Nineveh thought that their city was impenetrable.  The walls were high and wide.  Water surrounded the city, forming a natural barrier.  In addition, Assyrian soldiers were well-known for their fierce brutality.  Who would dare even try to conquer them?

Chapter three continues to describe the Babylonian assault on Nineveh with even more graphic detail.  The city walls were breached with a flood of their own water.  Babylonian attackers came upon them so quickly that the assailants tripped over the dead bodies as they advanced (v.3). 

Why did God inflict this punishment upon Assyria?
1. They were infamously cruel. (v.1a)
They did not merely conquer enemies.  They slaughtered them.  Thus, God referred to Nineveh as a bloody city.

2. They were full of lies. (v.1b)
The Assyrian Empire had been built on deceiving other nations in order to control and conquer them.

3. They plundered in excess. (v.1c)
In conquering, they stripped the cities and nations of all valuables, especially gold and silver.  Moreover, they excised enormous tax burdens to feed their greed.

4. They betrayed their neighbors with enticements. (v.4a)
God compared them to prostitutes.  They would do anything for selfish gain and control.  Their offer to aid and help others was a hook to reel them into their snare.

5. They practiced witchcraft and divinations. (v.4b)
In attempts to make decisions, to seek guidance, to gain success, and to know the future they committed themselves to doctrines of demons.  Charms, necromancy, astrology, various kinds of readings, and worship practices were all present in Nineveh.  God asked, "For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil?" (v.19c).

Their independent pride of power and wealth caused them to believe that no one, not even God Himself, could touch them.  But the LORD truly is Almighty.  He said he would shake them like fig trees with ripened fruit (v.12).  All Nineveh's defenses and security systems will fail.

Individuals can fall into the same pride-filled trap.  Ego and self-protection cause people to mistreat others, lie to others. use others for personal gain, live a lifestyle of deception, and turn to anything but God and His Word for life-guidance.  Every false way will eventually fall as sure as did Nineveh.

There is only one certain personal security in the entire universe.  Jesus promised, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

 

The lion's roar is no More

 Read Nahum 2.

God used the Assyrians to discipline the northern kingdom of Israel.  Now, about a hundred years later, it was Assyria in need of punishment.  The Holy Spirit revealed to the prophet Nahum the sights and sounds of the Babylonian attack on Nineveh in 612 B.C. about thirty plus years in advance.  The details are amazing, intense, and confirmed by archaeology.

What they did to others will be done to them.  They killed and scattered the northern tribes throughout their empire.  The Babylonians will kill and scatter them.  There will be no defense against the attackers.

In verses three and four, even the clothing of the soldiers, their shields, the chariots, and spears are all described.  So swift will be the battle that the destruction will come upon them like a torrential flood.  Indeed, the diggings around the site show two dams that the Babylonians may have built then breached, to overwhelm the city.

The once proud empire that referred to itself as a lion in the world, and often used the symbol of a lion, is mocked in verses ten through twelve.  "Where is the lions' den?"  Instead of roaring and devouring its prey, Nineveh became the hunted.  "Hearts melt and knees tremble; anguish is in all loins."

Babylon could take no credit.  God is in control.  He is working out His plans among the nations.  See these statements from the LORD to Nineveh in verse 13.
"I am against you."
"I will burn your chariots..."
"I will cut off your prey from the earth and your messengers shall no longer be heard."

Where is the hope for God's people?
In verse two, the LORD stated that He is relieving them of the Assyrian oppression and He promised to one day restore the "majesty of Jacob."  That full restoration has yet to take place.  The Millennial Kingdom and Israel's exaltation will be when Jesus comes again.

 

7 characteristics of the God of the Bible

 Read Nahum 1.

About a century had passed since the days of Jonah and the mass repentance of Nineveh.  At Nahum's writing, the Assyrians forgot those days of turning to God.  They resumed their pagan worship and cruel behaviors.  This time there would be no relenting of God's judgment.  The downfall of the Assyrian Empire, as predicted here, was swift and final.  The Babylonians come upon them like a torrential flood (v.8).  

Empires, world powers and their leaders come and go.  From a human stand point, it most often appears that the mightiest and strongest win.  "The survival of the fittest" or "might makes right" is the basis of evolutionary thought.  However, the God of the Bible claims sovereign control over His creation.  "But it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another" (Psalm 75:7).  The Babylonians, unknowingly, were used to carry out the LORD's plans and His punishment against the Assyrians, exactly as predicted in this book.

Here we learn a few core elements regarding the character of God.
1. The LORD is jealous. (v.2a)
This characteristic is mentioned several times in Scripture.  It comes from the fact of God's ownership of all things.  He does not allow our spiritual affections to be given to others, or the misuse of His property without accountability.

2. The LORD is avenging. (v.2b)
Three times in this single verse we are told that He will mete out punishment and take revenge on those who rebel against Him.

3. The LORD is wrathful. (v.2c)
Wrath is a passionate outburst of anger.  The LORD "keeps wrath for his enemies."  Those who choose to ignore or rebel against God foolishly have no fear of Him.  "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31)

4. The LORD is slow to anger. (v.3a)
His patience has a purpose.  "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."
(2 Peter 3:9)

5. The LORD is great in power. (vv.3b-6)
He is omnipotent.  There is nothing He cannot do.  The entire creation responds to His presence and His word.

6. The LORD is good. (v.7a)
Everyone receives daily benefits of God’s goodness and grace.  All His works are designed to direct people to know, love and worship Him.  Even the times of hardship in this life are meant to help us to cast our dependence upon God's goodness and purpose.  (Romans 8:28-29)

7. The LORD is a stronghold in the day of trouble. (v.7b)
Faith is personal.  Faith in the LORD is a personal relationship, not a religion.  He knows those individuals who have turned to Him in faith.  Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me." (John 10:14)

 

3 pillars of hope for the Future

 Read Micah 7.

"Woe is me!"
The time had come for Judah's punishment (v.4).  Everywhere Micah looked there was nothing but sin.  Leaders ran the country by bribery and violence.  No one could be trusted, not even one's own family members (v.6).  There was nothing good left; nothing worth saving.

"But as for me..."
However, through it all Micah maintained hope squarely based upon three eternal, unchangeable pillars of his faith.  His personal relationship with the LORD, the promises of God, and the character of God.

Personal Faith (vv.7-9)
Not everyone lived in rebellion against God.  Micah, as well as many others, stood in contrast to their culture with individual commitments to the LORD.
1. "I will look to the LORD."  When one keeps looking down, all they will see is sin and the negatives of life.  It is only when we look up to Him that we remember that God is in control.
2. "I will wait for the God of my salvation."  Since God is in control, only He can deliver.  Praying and waiting for God to respond is the true test of faith.
3. "When I fall down, I shall rise."  Failure is not final.  The godless culture may knock us down, but the fight is not over.
4. "When I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me."  Often we cannot see or understand what is happening.  The confusion may overwhelm us as a darkness.  But God's word is "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)

National Future (vv.10-17)
With the downfall of Israel and the looming destruction of Judah, the enemy nations taunted God's chosen people.  "Where is the LORD your God?"  And, the Jewish people surely were wondering what happened to the promises God made to Abraham and his descendants.  These punishments did not break God's promises in Genesis.  The people violated the covenant of Deuteronomy.  The scattering of the northern kingdom and the exile of the south were temporary.  The prophets consistently looked forward to the day when Messiah will rule in Jerusalem and the world come to worship Him.  That earthly, Millennial Kingdom was and is Israel's national hope.  Micah called to God, "Shepherd your people with your staff, and the flock of your inheritance."

Spiritual Foundations (vv.18-20)
"Who is a God like you?"  In closing the book, Micah provided some clear, crisp statements about the character of God.  No other faith system or religion can compare. 
1. The God of the Bible forgives sin.  There is not one alternative in the universe.
2. "He does not retain His anger forever."  Yes, the God of the Bible will discipline His people.  But it is for the purpose of discipleship and teaching how to obey Him.
3. "He delights in steadfast love." 
4. "He will again have compassion on us."  
As Jeremiah wrote, "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

 

The response to God's judicial Indictments

 Read Micah 6.

As the third message begins, the courtroom metaphor returns.  The LORD delivered His indictments and challenges the people to "plead your case."

Next, God presented three pieces of historic evidence.
1. He redeemed them. (v.4a)
The nation lived in slavery and by blood, both of the Passover lamb and the death of Egypt's firstborn, God bought them and brought them out.

2. He sent them godly leaders. (v.4b)
The LORD called Moses, along with Aaron and Miriam, to provide His word and His worship.

3. He provided for them. (v.5)
He protected them from those who wanted to curse His people.  They saw miracle after miracle as they traveled to the Promised Land.

How should the accused respond?  (vv.6-8)

The nation had focused on outward rituals of religiosity both at the Temple and in worshiping false gods for life-guidance.  Micah offered several exaggerated statements of hypothetical sacrifices to pay for their sin.  True, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).    Those outward sacrifices only had value when they came from a heart that was personally in right relationship with the LORD.  But none of these is what God had already told them to do (v.8a). 

Micah 6:8 is, perhaps, the second most quoted verse in the book, after 5:21.  It refers back to God's previous instructions in the Law, such as Deuteronomy 10:12-"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

Here is the corollary from Jesus: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it; You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40). 

Our personal relationship with Jesus will determine how we treat people.

As Bill Gaither wrote, "It's not that complicated."