MITIGATING DREAD—Habakkuk 3:16-19
(Alleviate/Relieve/Lessen/Diminish)
Attention:
Hurricane Dorian Devastated the Bahamas in August of 2019.
Below is an actual picture of our home TV screen showing just how Floridians were Preparing for the threat of Hurricane Dorian:
Verbal Synopsis: The Weather Channel host is speaking to their man live on location on the east coast of Florida. He is centered in the screen & standing on the beach, with a stern look in his eye. His forehead is wrinkled with concern for those living in Dorian's projected path as he verbally describes the ensuing hurricane preparations. The ticker at the bottom of the screen says in capital letters, "FLORIDIANS PREPARE FOR HURRICANE DORIAN."
However, the live feed of the beach behind the ‘live feed’ shows that the beach is actually full of beachgoers in their bathing suits, some stretched out on blankets getting tanned...Others under beach umbrellas reading books or sleeping...Kids are building sandcastles...Some are in the water swimming...Some are walking down the beach at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to pick up a shell or two, as they lazily meander along.
!What a hilarious picture of contrasting opinions & priorities!
Dread—‘Something you fear greatly, or are apprehensive about.’
Mitigate—‘To cause to become less harsh.’
Need:
What is YOUR worst Nightmare?
What brings Dread/Pressure/Fear/Anxiety/Worry to your life?...
...NOT felt need, but REAL Dread!
The Holy Spirit thru the prophet Habakkuk, produced a heart-song that mitigated/alleviated the dread of a destined invasion.
God’s people have a heart-song available to them that mitigates the dread of destiny.
When does your heart-song mitigate a dread of destiny?
1—Dread of destiny is mitigated when your heart-song properly measures...
POSSIBILITY’s POTENTIAL(:16-17)
Explanation:(:16-17)Intensity
:16—“When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered my bones; And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble. When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops.”
“When I heard, my body trembled;”
The prophet “heard” of the devastation ‘already’ brought about by, & determined to be brought directly to him, by/thru the indirect hand of God(using Babylon as His instrument of destruction).
Upon his “hearing” of such from God, Habakkuk entirely physically “trembled” in fear & dismay.
“My lips quivered at the voice;”
Likewise, Habakkuk’s “lips quivered” upon “hearing” the sound/“voice.”
•This ‘probably’ speaks of God’s “voice” within the prophetic revelation for Habakkuk. The certainty of the imminent fulfillment of foreign occupation, by God’s determination, is what brought Habakkuk distress. His apprehension was intensified, knowing it was God’s inextinguishable/unstoppable/unchanging will for the calamities to happen/occur.
“Rottenness entered my bones;”
The news of Israel’s imminent demise is so unnerving, that it causes “rottenness” to “enter” Habakkuk’s “bones”, so that he “trembles” inwardly. He can find no good in it. This news shakes him throughout!
Heb. 12:25-29—“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence & godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”
It’s not that God’s being “a consuming fire” means that God is bad. But rather that God will see fit, to the removal of everything that dishonors Him.
“And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble.”
The utter “trembling” brought about thru the inward “rottenness”, brings Habakkuk a degree of “rest” in the midst of “the day of trouble.”
Rom. 2:4-9—“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, & longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness & your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, & immortality; but to those who are self-seeking & do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation & wrath, tribulation & anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first & also of the Greek;”
“That I might rest in the day of trouble.”
Habakkuk’s “rest” can also be translated as ‘rest quietly.’ Habakkuk’s “rest” is not necessarily a “rest” of relief, as in a removal of stress,—but it is rather a “rest” that causes him to resign himself to the inevitability of what will happen due to the coming invasion. His “rest” is in God alone!(:18-19) The dread of destiny causes him to rely upon God.
•If Habakkuk(& anyone hearing of the invasion) were to give his dread full control, then he would also be prone to succumb to the full control of the enemy.
However...
1Cor. 7:22-23—“For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”
“Rest/Wait Quietly”—xwn noo’-akh—Qal Imperfect—1) To rest—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To rest, settle down & remain, 1a2) To repose, have rest, be quiet. Strong—To rest, i.e. Settle down; used in a great variety of applications, literal & figurative, intransitive, transitive & causative(to dwell, stay, let fall, place, let alone, withdraw, give comfort, etc.); a primitive root.
“Trouble”(See 1:3)—hru tsaw-raw’—Noun Fem.—1) Straits, distress, trouble; 2) Vexer, rival wife. Strong—Tightness(i.e. figuratively--Trouble); transitively--A female rival.?Feminine of—ru tsar; OR--ru tsawr; from rru tsaw-rar'; Narrow; as a noun--A tight place(usually figuratively, i.e. trouble); also--A pebble(as in ru tsor; from rwu tsoowr[To cramp, i.e. confine; a primitive root]; A stone(as if pressed hard or to a point); by implication, of use--A knife; transitive--An opponent(as crowding).
“When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops.”
“When he”, “He will”, & “his troops” could reference either YHWH, or the king of Babylon, or both. Either way, pagan Babylon will be allowed to accomplish the invasion & destruction of Israel in their own fleshly way. And because of that, God Himself must punish them as well(Jer. 50:18)...Why?—Because they ravaged His people with no mercy, nor sought out YHWH who delivered Israel to them. The pagans had their opportunity before them.
Jer. 50:18—“Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon & his land, As I have punished the king of Assyria.
•The coming invasion is NOT an endorsement of Babylon, but is a disavowal & repudiation of Israel’s turning their backs on God!
:17—“Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls--”
Even “though”—
Habakuk hears of & accepts the daily physical & spiritual hardships that are associated with a ‘weeds among the crop’ environment. The particulars of the hardships will be determined thru the occupying forces brought thru war & experienced firsthand.
Jn. 17:15—Jesus said—“I do not pray that You[God the Father] should take them[disciples] out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”
*Read 1:2-5; 13—The prophet has reasoned thru his own prophecy, to make sense of, & to realize the significance of a personal relationship with YHWH. Personal relationship with YHWH is vital to living dedicated to Him!
True dedication to God is NOT merely head knowledge & training, & work, but it MUST begin with RELATIONSHIP! Habakkuk comes to that conclusion & specifies it in verses :18 & :19.
Php. 2:9-13—“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him[Jesus] & given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
“Though the fig tree may not blossom,”
“Nor fruit be on the vines;”
“Though the labor of the olive may fail,”
“And the fields yield no food;”
“Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,”
“And there be no herd in the stalls”
All these normally present elements of physical food sources, describe a very real personal loss of sustenance at the hands of an enemy that God is bringing upon them. There is a dreaded threat of an absence of “figs”, grapes, “olives”, & grain(flour/bread) which would signal the demise of the nation. All these were major crops for which Israel(Judah) was readily recognized(& any nation for that matter).
On top of an absence of ‘row crop’ sustenance, Habakkuk also relates the dread of a similar absence of “flocks” & “herds.” Like the row crops, these also speak of the animal products obtained thru which Israel(Judah) was also readily recognized.
This worst-case scenario meant everything that sustained the nation, both physically & economically, would definitely be adversely effected & very probably be removed altogether.
•In the future days of the Tribulation(pressure) there will be a similar pressure of choosing either sustenance or death...
Rev. 13:16-17—Concerning the Antichrist’s ‘false prophet’—“He causes all, both small & great, rich & poor, free & slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, & that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
*However, the word “though” carries this verse!*
It admits the definite possibility...Yet it implies/hints that there is a grand solution as well in God’s plan(:18-19).
Isa. 43:1-5—“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia & Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west;”
Job 13:15-16—“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation, For a hypocrite could not come before Him.”
When we are faced with our worst fears, we can potentially give endless power to nightmarish possibilities rather than the godly ones! We can unwittingly add fuel to fear, so that it sidelines us! I can become overwhelmed by the unknown.
(One bad thing about the unknown is that it is unknown!)
*However whenever we feed our fear, we give great power to the devil rather than to God!
•Satan has won you over, if the fear/dread/nightmare colors all you do, even your so-called service in Christ. The NEGATIVE Possibilities can become your guiding force & limiting factor. Your choices can become based upon what you are ‘afraid might happen’ so that every choice becomes a ‘safe’ choice, INSTEAD of a choice that’s boldly followed being directed by God thru Christ, & empowered by His Holy Spirit!
•Fear of what the future holds, CAN prevent you from ever discovering & experiencing true ‘joy’ in your life(:18-19). Fear can keep you bound to darkness, even while ‘serving’ thru the church!
Jn. 3:16-21—““For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””
*Lk. 11:35—“Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.”
Argumentation:
Job 1:20-22—After having lost his 7 sons & 3 daughters to cataclysmic events—“Then Job arose, tore his robe, & shaved his head; & he fell to the ground & worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, & the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”
Job 2:7-10—“So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, & struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God & die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, & shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
!Don’t bend to the Possibility of being mad at God, & bitter about God’s choices for you!
1Jn. 4:2-4—“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, & every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, & is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, & have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
Illustration:
•A pastor writes:
“My first wife was killed while serving God faithfully on the mission field. Like Habakkuk, I wondered why it had happened to me”/In those hard, dreaded, “why me” moments, there is a definite possibility for a person to give up on God, even though God has not given up on you/POSSIBILITY’s POTENTIAL
•The pastor could have remained in the ‘why me Lord’ mode, but he writes, “Later, I realized that what mattered was how I dealt with the experience.”
—Adapted from: ‘The Peace Of Faith’—@ SermonCentral by Dennis Davidson--Apr 20, 2009
Application:
?How do you meet your Responsibilities?
?In your most dreaded situation, do you give the possibilities to God, OR do you lean more toward your personal comfort?
?Which possibilities have the greatest potential in your life?...God’s possibilities or worldly(demonic) possibilities?
?Are you PROPERLY measuring POSSIBILITY’s POTENTIAL for your worst dread/nightmare/fear?
?Is YOUR Dread of Destiny Mitigated/Lessened Alleviated by YOUR heart-song?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Remember how "FLORIDIANS PREPARE FOR HURRICANE DORIAN"!
Action:
Dread of destiny is mitigated when your heart-song properly measures...
1. POSSIBILITY’s POTENTIAL(:16-17)
?Are you giving God His full potential?
Pt# 1 only! presented 09/05/2021am to:
First Baptist Church Of Enochville
2308 Davis Street
Kannapolis, NC 28081
