Introduction:
Last week, we began our new series "Even Though" by looking at Jeremiah's "even though" moment. Jeremiah is looking around at his beloved Israel and the damage done by the Babylonian invasion. Property has been destroyed, friends have been killed and others have been taken into exile. At a time like this, it is easy to develop bitterness about the situation, toward the Babylonian for what they did and toward God for what He didn't do- stop the invasion. Instead, he forced his mind to recall the greatness of His God. And Jeremiah taught us that even though things are bad, we don't have to become bitter, we can rise above them by focusing on our God.
Today, we are going to move deeper into the Old Testament to the fifth book from the end of the Old Testament to a man named Habakkuk. He lived about 600 B.C., and he would be a contemporary with Jeremiah and he too would experience the invasion of Judah by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Habakkuk is going to teach us what not to do in those "even though" moments.
You ask what are those "even though" moments? It is when the situation that is starring you in the face is not good, but you can find strength in that situation because of God. We all are familiar with Psalm 23:4. David says that he is walking though the Valley of Death, even on my worse day, I don't want to be in that situation, but David is there. And although he has every right to be sad, upset, he finds comfort in God. That is an "even though" moment David experienced.
So, back to Habakkuk and what he teaches us not to do in those "even though" moments. We will be looking at Habakkuk 3:16-19. Please stand for the reading of God's Word.
Scripture:
Habakkuk 3:16-19 (NKJV) 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. 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-- 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
Point #1
When I am hit with an "even though" moment, the proper response is not to lash out to God in anger.
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-- 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD
I know some guys that would get angry at their spouse when they come home from work and food is not on the table. No matter that the wife had to take care of a sick child today and do a hundred other things around the house and run a couple of errands for her husband. He is home, there is no food on the table, and he is angry.
So, it is not that far of a stretch for me to think, if the field is not bringing in a harvest and the livestock stalls are empty, there will be some angry people and most likely that anger will be directed toward God.
And that angry will be directed at God for one main reason. God did not do what I expected Him to do. I expected Him to fill my fields with crops, I expected Him to fill my trees with fruit, and I expected Him to keep my stalls full of livestock. It does not matter that he sent a prophet to me like the Prophet Habakkuk to tell me if I don't turn away from sin, judgment is going to come to the house of Israel.
The Bible is full of stories of people who got angry at God because God did not do what they expected Him to do. There is Job's wife who got accustomed to a certain lifestyle. One day, we know the story that God allowed Satan to test them. And immediately, the devil took away all the things that she had valued. The lifestyle she treasured was gone, and she was angry at God, and she tried to convince her husband to be angry at God also and die. But Job said, you foolish women, do I only accept the good from God and not the bad.
In the New Testament, Jesus gave a parable to show how people get angry when God does not do what we expect. In Matthew 20 a landowner goes out very early in the morning and hires workers for his field at a wage of one denarius for a day's work. Again at 9, 12, 3, the landowner goes out and hires more workers with the promise of a rightful wage. With only an hour left of working time, the landowner goes out again and hires more workers with the same promise of a rightful wage. The day has ended, it is time to settle, and the landowner starts with the last first and gives everyone a denarius. Why are some of the workers angry? The landowner did just what he said he would do. Those workers were angry because the landowner did not do what the workers expected him to do. Those who worked longer expected that they were getting more but got instead what they were promised.
In 2021, the world we are living in is pretty much like the world that Habakkuk was living in 600 hundred years before Christ. God sent Habakkuk to tell the people their sin will no longer be tolerated, and judgment will be coming. Today, I believe a common theme being taught from the pulpits is that the ending is coming, and the church need to prepare. We need to rid ourselves of sin that so easily entangles us. There are people, however, that are in sin and don't want to do anything about it, and if something happens unfortunate in their life, they will be the first to blame God. As if, the unfortunate thing has nothing to do with God warning you about your sin and you doing nothing about it.
Point #2
When I am hit with an "even though" moment, the proper response is not to hide your head in the sand and say it's not going to happen, or it didn't happen.
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. 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--
Habakkuk has heard some very frightening news from the Lord. His beloved Judah and its people are going to face terrible trials at the hands of the Babylonians. Habakkuk says that his “body trembled,” his “lips quivered” and “rottenness crept into” his bones. The things Habakkuk heard were scaring him. Lots of pain and judgment were on the way. The fields and the harvest would be destroyed, and no animals will be left in their stalls.
He didn't deny that will never happen to us; we are the people of God. Habakkuk knew it was going to happen just like God had him prophesy. He didn't paint a picture to himself that it is not going to be as bad as God painted it to me. God said it was going to be bad and Habakkuk knew it was going to be bad. After the Babylonians entered the city and destroyed it, Habakkuk never denied it didn't happen.
We live in a day of denial. I saw a report from an ICU doctor that was recounting the number of his Covid patient that as they were breathing their last breath were denying that they have Covid. This is not an issue of whether you take the shot or don't take the shot. The issue is Covid is real. And to deny it does not make it any less real.
I have seen the film of the riots on the State Capital on January 6th where people were entering the State Capital by force. By yet, I hear reports ever now and then that state the riots didn't happen. The riots were real.
Denial has become the new game in town. When a politician loses an election instead of conceding defeat, you deny the outcome. A criminal gets caught on tape committing a crime, and when he appears before the Judge enters a please of not guilty.
And this denial mentality is lining up perfectly for the end time. In the end time people are going to enter the church try to convince us to deny the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 2:1 (NKJV) 1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
And hopefully one day very soon we will be caught up with God in the air in what the church calls the rapture. And those that remain, will deny it was a God-thing that occurred. There will be some other explanation floated around as to what happen.
Denial- that is the name of the game today.
Point #3
When I am hit with an "even though" moment, the proper response is not to think I can fix it, but to trust in the strength in the Lord who can indeed fix it.
9 The LORD God is my strength.
There are people in life who I call fixers. They hear of a problem and spring in to fix it. Many of the "even though" moments are beyond our ability to fix. The fixer will frustrate himself trying to fix what he cannot fix.
Those "even though" moments help us to rely on God's strength. And let's be honest with ourselves: there are some things in my life that are not going to get fixed unless God fixes it. We need God's strength now and more in those "even though" moments.
Let us pray.
