FINDING OUR WAY TO THE WATCHTOWER
HABAKKUK 1:12-2:1
Habakkuk 1:12-2:1 O Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O Lord, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. 13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? 14 You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler. 15 The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. 16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food. 17 Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy? 1 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.
INTRODUCTION: Last week we were introduced to the prophet Habakkuk and his first of two questions for God regarding the state of Judah. From this we developed some simple truth. First, God is in control. Second, Just because God has not answered, does not mean He has not heard. Third, God is working; working in our lifetime, working in our midst, and we should be looking to see what He is doing.
Now, this morning, I would like to continue our study in this book by looking at the conclusions Habakkuk is drawing from his encounter with God. Habakkuk’s conclusions fall roughly into two distinct parts. The first part is what the prophet now does to deal with the problems he sees, and the second part is what the prophet does to await the answer from God.
1. DEALING WITH OUR PROBLEMS
a. Crucial Considerations When Dealing With Problems BIBLICALLY
i. Our confidence must rest in God, not in our own abilities or resources in times of trial and confusion.
ii. Although God may judge, His judgment is tempered by both His hatred of sin and his promises to us.
iii. God executes judgment on his children for discipline, not destruction
b. Habakkuk’s Four Steps For Dealing With Problems
i. Step One – Stop and think
1. In order to come up with the thoughts Habakkuk comes up with, he had to stop and think.
2. In times of distress we need to be thinkers first and doers second.
3. We need to remind ourselves of God’s nature, goodness, and person.
ii. Step two – Restate the Basic Principles
1. When dealing with problems, we need to stop and think about the nature of God
2. God is EVERLASTING – God is living and eternal
a. His attributes never change
b. His nature never changes
3. God is HOLY
a. Incapable of any sin, whether thought or action
4. God has appointed some to EXECUTE JUDGMENT.
a. God is sovereign
5. God is our ROCK
a. He is secure
b. Term applied to steadfastness in times of distress.
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
iii. Step Three – Apply Those Principles to Your Situation
1. The situation is that God cannot look on evil
2. The situation is that God cannot tolerate wrong
a. He must deal with both evil and wrong.
b. Ultimately this will be accomplished in the tribulation.
c. Currently it is accomplished through God’s intervention in the lives of men and nations.
3. “We will not die”
a. Vs. 14 – in the face of divine activity, we are as helpless as fish to affect the outcome
b. God’s judgment is not forever
4. God’s relationship with us is more important to God than his discipline of us.
5. God’s relationship with us is more lasting than His discipline of us.
iv. Step Four – Commit the Problem To The Lord
1. This brings us to the second major thought of the passage – What do we do to await the answer from God
2. AWAITING GOD’S ANSWER
a. Detach ourselves from the problem. Our worth or value to God is not based on whether we are going through difficulties or not. In fact, the fact that God does deal harshly with us is a sign of our great worth to Him!
b. I need to anticipate and expect God’s answer
c. I need to position myself to receive the clearest and earliest answer from God
i. What are we doing to make sure we can see, hear, and identify God’s answer to our needs?
Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
d. We need to remain persistent in our expectation for an answer
i. Far too often we pray for an answer but do not prepare for the answer!
ii. Do we expect God to answer?
iii. Are we positioned for an answer?
