The DISCONCERTING DILEMMA Of DIVINE INACTION--III
—Habakkuk 1:3(1:1-4)
Key Words—
•Difficult/Disturbing/Disorienting/Disconcerting/Perplexing/Uncertainty/Unsettling.
•Dilemma/Predicament/Quandary/Situation.
Attention:
Salem BC’s ‘foundation plants’ recently got a much needed trimming/hedging. In fact, some of the bushes had gotten pretty much ‘out-of-hand!
The pine-straw/mulch also had not been freshened up in quite a while.
Before the Properties Committee actually took care of the trimming & mulching, no doubt, some in the church were thinking to themselves, “Why don’t they trim those bushes?” “Why don’t they put out some more pine-straw?” “What does that committee do anyway?” “What are they waiting for?”, etc., etc. It should be noted that NOBODY actually complained or voiced any discontent!
Tools have to be borrowed &/or purchased. A proper means of disposing of the trimmings has to be taken into account. Able People have to be contacted & committed. A date & time has to be aimed at & determined. The amount of pine-straw needed has to be determined. The supplier of the pine-straw has to be determined, contacted, & contracted for delivery. Rain-dates have to be considered.
*My point in all this is: To make you realize, that there are a lot of matters to be taken into consideration, under the authority of the Properties Committee, in order to actually get the bushes trimmed & mulched.
*Likewise, There are multiple things, puzzling things, ‘unperceived’ processes, things you may never have a definite answer for, BUT all of which are at work within the execution of God’s sovereignty. Things that ONLY God is qualified to resolve. God is the Designer & Maintainer...So it is up to you & me to TRUST HIM with His creation & kingdom, as He sovereignly directs it toward it’s decided end.
•Limiting perspectives & Limited perceptions all play into people’s Disappointment, Dissatisfaction, Anxiety, & Excuses made for ‘Why’ things didn’t happen the way they wanted them to happen. And in all such matters, let’s not allow those limiting perspectives cloud our view of God’s will.
Need:
Most of us at times, have questioned:—‘Why doesn’t God do something’ about”....fill-in-the-blank—whatever malady, or affliction, or trouble, or distress we’re facing.
As Christians, we can allow that question to haunt us so that it becomes disorienting, unsettling, & disconcerting to our faith in God thru Christ.
Habakkuk was a prophet of God, who faced the disconcerting/unsettling dilemma of Divine ‘inaction’ towards His people, Judah.
Divine ‘inaction’ presents an unsettling dilemma for God’s people.
We are answering the question:
How is; What makes; & Why is Divine inaction unsettling?
4 ‘fabrications’ that EITHER: accentuate the dilemma,—OR—that muddy/confuse/obscure the answer/explanation of God’s inaction.
A ‘FABRICATION’ is—“The action or process of manufacturing or inventing something.”
•For our purposes here:—A ‘fabrication’ is a misleading attempt to make sense of what might be perceived as God’s inaction.
The DISCONCERTING DILEMMA Of DIVINE INACTION--III—
Habakkuk 1:3(1:1-4)
*First & foremost it must be said, that it is a FACT that God is neither inactive, nor is He negligent, nor indifferent to your need or plight!*
*God’s seeming ‘inaction/inactivity’ is actually a ‘human perception’ problem!*
•That is, unless a person’s ‘limited perception’ of reality is overcome by the Spirit of God, such thinking will continue to muddy the waters of God’s reality!
Previously in this series, we have discovered that,
A fabrication forged thru Divine inaction is An Unsettling...
1. ‘INATTENTION’ To PERSONAL PLIGHT(:2a)
2. ‘REFUSAL’ TO SAVE(:2b)
Today we’ll find that:
3—Another fabrication forged thru Divine inaction is An Unsettling...
‘CONTENTION’ In The LAND(:3)
Explanation:(:3)
:3—“Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering & violence are before me; There is strife, & contention arises.”
Habakkuk is crying out against YHWH’s decision(:2) to do nothing about the “violence”(:2, 3) that is present in the land of Israel.
YHWH is actively “showing” His servant Habakkuk the extent of “iniquity” in the land of Judah.
And as a result, Habakkuk asks “Why” it is that YHWH personally “shows” “iniquity” to Him. Indeed some people—the lost—cannot even “see”(perceive) “iniquity”, even as they live it out!
It seems that Habakkuk is ‘blaming’ YHWH for ensuring that His prophet Habakkuk sees “iniquity”, “trouble”, “plundering”, “violence”, “strife”, & “contention.”
•And such is the case, although God is never to be 'blamed', but rather 'honored' in the revelation of sin. And since YHWH has called Habakkuk to his specific ministry, which is recorded for his generation as well as for posterity, Habakkuk must grasp sin's extent & significance.
* All people, & especially God’s people, must take sin seriously!!
?Has YHWH God shown wickedness to you?
?Do you see iniquity & wickedness in your/our land?
All the ramifications & outpourings of flesh-driven living are present before Habakkuk. Indeed he personally “sees” & perceives it all, for the sin that it is. He is forced to interact with it, receive it, & respond to the ever-present outpouring of human sinfulness.
“Contention” occurs whenever lost people live by their ever-shifting standards. “Contention” occurs whenever God’s people live God’s way, before flesh-driven people—people who will not accept God’s standards!
*Unfortunately EVEN God’s own people, can be numbered among the flesh-driven people who will not accept God’s standards!
“CONTENTION” In The LAND is a reality! But it should never be so amid God’s people, the Church, the body of Christ!
*And we cannot ever RIGHTLY say that the “contention” in the land is God’s fault!
*Js. 4:1-12—the apostle James, speaking to the church,—“Where do wars & fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust & do not have. You murder & covet & cannot obtain. You fight & war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask & do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers & adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament & mourn & weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning & your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, & He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother & judges his brother, speaks evil of the law & judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save & to destroy. Who are you to judge another?”
*The ultimate result, the final ‘nail-in-the-coffin, with the ramifications & outpourings of all this sinfulness, is explained in :4.
—‘WORDS’—
“Iniquity/Injustice”—Nwa aw-ven’—Common Masc. Sing. Absolute—1) Trouble, wickedness, sorrow. Strong—strictly--Nothingness; also--Trouble. Vanity, wickedness; specifically--An idol; from an unused root perhaps meaning properly--To pant(hence--To exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught).
“Trouble/Grievance/Wickedness”(See 3:16)—lme aw-mawl’—Noun Masc./Fem. - Common Both Sing. Absolute—1) Toil, trouble, labor—1a) Trouble, 1b) Trouble, mischief, 1c) Toil, labor. Strong—Toil, i.e. Wearing effort; hence--Worry, whether of body or mind.
“Plundering/Spoiling/Destruction”—dv shod, OR--dwv shod(Job 5:21)—Noun Masc. - Common Masc. Sing. Absolute—1) Havoc, violence, destruction, devastation, ruin.—1a) Violence, havoc(as social sin), 1b) Devastation, ruin. Strong—Violence, ravage. Used 25X.?From—dwv shood—properly--To swell up[?’pride’ implied ?], i.e. figuratively(by implication of insolence)--To devastate; a primitive root.
“Violence”(See :2, 9)—omx khaw-mawce’—Noun Masc. - Common Masc. Sing. Absolute—1) Violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice. Strong—Violence; by implication--Wrong; by metonym--Unjust gain.?From—omx khaw-mas’—To be violent; by implication--To maltreat; a primitive root.
“Strife/Argue”—byr reeyb OR--br reeb—Noun Masc. - Common Both Sing. Absolute—1) Strife, controversy, dispute—1a) Strife, quarrel, 1b) Dispute, controversy, case at law. Strong—A contest(personal or legal).?From—byr reeb; OR--bwr roob—properly--To toss, i.e. Grapple; mostly figuratively--To wrangle, i.e. Hold a controversy; by implication--To defend; a primitive root.
“Contention/Fight”—Nwdm maw-dohn’—Noun Masc. - Common Masc. Sing. Absolute—1) Strife, contention—1a) Strife, contention, 1b) Object of contention. Strong—A contest or quarrel. Used 18X.?From—Nyd deen; OR(Ge 6:3)--Nwd doon—[compare--Nwda aw-don'; OR(shortened)--Nda ’aw-don']—To rule; by implication--To judge(as umpire); also--To strive(as at law); a primitive root.
Argumentation:
*Gal. 5:13-25—“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite & devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, & you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, & the Spirit against the flesh; & these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, & the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions & desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
*1Tim. 5:24-6:6—“Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.[authors, influencers, legislators, presidents, etc.] Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, & those that are otherwise cannot be hidden. Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God & His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers & beloved. Teach & exhort these things. If anyone teaches otherwise & does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, & to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes & arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds & destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
*Mat. 13:24-30—“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came & sowed tares[weeds] among the wheat & went his way. But when the grain had sprouted & produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came & said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go & gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ‘Let both grow together until the harvest, & at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares & bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’””
*2Tim. 2:19-26—the apostle Paul to Timothy—“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” &, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold & silver, but also of wood & clay, some for honor & some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified & useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish & ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, & that they may come to their senses & escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
Illustration:
America consists of a more-or-less 50/50% divide among our population, in relation to ‘conservative’ vs. ‘liberal’ worldview. And that 50/50 worldview divide, plays out in the two major current political platforms—Democrat & Republican. It’s been that way for some decades now. The disagreements, the issues raised, & the responses to those issues, CAN cause a great deal of ‘CONTENTION’ In The LAND.
One of Satan’s lies that produces such sharp contentions in our country, was highlighted in last year’s VBS. It is the adage:—‘You disagree with me, so therefore you hate me.’ If you believe that, then, its pretty much guaranteed that you will come to blows/fisticuffs over just about anything that you disagree with. Praise be to God that there are even some ‘lost people’ in our governmental leadership, who choose to still ‘DISCUSS’ issues rather than ‘mudslingers’, who physically ‘FIGHT’ & insult each other!
‘CONTENTION’ In The LAND
We’re always hearing of someone who is so ‘disturbed’ in their spirit, & so angry, that they resort to, killing a particular person, or a particular group, or even nobody in particular at all, in order to answer their personal pain, hurt, abuse, being sidelined by society, overall problems, etc., etc., etc. !’CONTENTION’ In The LAND
America’s “contentions” are not that different from Judah’s in Habakkuk’s day, because America is getting farther & farther from the righteousness that can & should be centered in the desire of the Creator & Savior God of the Bible.
Application:
?Have YOUR Fabrications(failed attempts to make sense of God’s inaction) accused God of plaguing humanity with An Unsettling ‘CONTENTION’ In The LAND?
?Are YOU a Fabricator of false accusations toward God?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Disappointment. Dissatisfaction. Anxiety. Excuses.
Limiting perspectives & Perceptions....These all play into people’s lack of acceptance of God’s ways.
There are ‘unperceived’ processes, puzzling things that you may never have a definite answer for, but all of which are at work within the sovereign execution of God’s will.
Action:
A fabrication forged thru Divine inaction is An Unsettling...
3. ‘CONTENTION’ In The LAND(:3)
1. ‘INATTENTION’ To PERSONAL PLIGHT(:2a)
2. ‘REFUSAL’ TO SAVE(:2b)
Pt.#3 only! presented 11/03/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
