A Prophet with a Problem - Habakkuk (Faith)

Give everyone a little time to find their place in Habakkuk chapter one toward the back of the Old Testament there. A few books from the back, Habakkuk chapter one. Let's read. Beginning in verse one, we're going to read down to verse four of chapter two. Says the burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see, O Lord how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear?

Even cry out unto thee of violence and thou wilt not save. Why does thou show me iniquity and cause me to behold grievance for spoiling and violence are before me and there are that raise up strife and contention. Wherefore the law is slacked and judgment doth never go forth for the wicked, doth compass about the righteous therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. Now doesn't that sound like today? Behold ye among the heathen and regard and wonder marvelously for I will work a work in your days which ye shall not believe, though it be told you.

For low I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation which shall march through the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful. Their judgement and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses are swifter than the leopards and are more fierce than the evening wolves and their horsemen shall spread themselves and their horsemen shall come from far. They shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.

They shall come they shall come all for violence. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind and they shall gather the captivity as the sand and they shall scoff at the kings and the princess shall be a scorn unto them. They shall deride every stronghold and they shall heap dust and take it. Then shall his mind change and he shall pass over and offend imputing this his power unto his God. Art thou not from everlasting, oh Lord God, my God, mine holy one, we shall not die.

O Lord thou hast ordained them for judgment and almighty God thou hast established them for correction. Thou art of pure eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity. Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he and makest men as the fishes of the sea as the creeping things that have no ruler over them. They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, they gather them in their drag. Therefore, they rejoice and are glad.

Therefore, they sacrifice unto their net and burn incense unto their drag because by then, their portion is fat and their meat plenteous. Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations. I will stand upon my watch and set upon me upon thy the tower and will watch and see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me and said, write the vision and make it plain upon tables that he may run and readeth it for the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith. Let's pray.

Our Father we do thank you for this great book of Habakkuk which is very much like today and the things that we face in society and in the world today. It's very contemporary in its message and I pray father you'll use it to in our lives to help us father to be able to understand better about what you're doing in the world today and and what our part is and the whole plan that you have in place. We know you're a sovereign God and that all things are done only by your permission and you have a purpose in everything and Lord, I just pray that you'll use the message today to bring comfort and strength to our hearts And Lord as we leave this place today, I pray that we might be able to rejoice in you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

You know, read through Habakkuk and before I decided to give a message in Habakkuk and I discovered there's a lot of similarities in our day and I thought it would be a good timely message. Now there's a modern Christian myth and it goes like this, when you trust Jesus everything will be rosy posey and all your troubles are over in life. Now how many believe that's true? It's certainly not true. It is true that our basic spiritual problem in our relationship with God is solved when we trust Jesus.

But, you know, time and life can still be difficult and very distressing. And we sometimes face a lot of issues that move us to ask the question, why? And that's what this prophet is asking in this chapter here, why? In fact I made the title of this message the prophet with a problem because he has a problem and he asked the question, why, Lord? Why?

He's just perplexed. He doesn't know what's going on and you know, we we have the same problem sometimes. We we're faced with some of the same issues. You know, why are you not hearing my prayer, Lord? You know, we pray things and and we don't see results immediately and we jump to the conclusion, you know, does God hear?

Is he listening? Why do good people suffer and evil people seem to prosper? You know, we see that a lot in our society. Why is God not answering my prayers? And and that's Habakkuk's problem here.

He's wondering why his prayers are not being answered. Why is there war and why is there violence and why is there sickness and many other ills that we see in our society today? And perhaps you can identify with that. I I certainly can identify with that. In fact, we're not alone when it comes to these kinds of emotional and spiritual struggles and that's exactly what Habakkuk is going through here, an emotional and a spiritual struggle.

But here's the here's the wonderful news that I have for you here in this book of Habakkuk. He found the answer. He found the answer to his why. He found the answer to his agony and his struggle in wondering why God wasn't doing anything. And it's in the scripture here in this book of Habakkuk and that's what we're going to look at today.

Now he faces a problem. It's true. He is a problem with a problem. He has a people called Judah. That's what he's a part of in that society.

I want to give you a little background because it'll help us to understand what it was like in Habakkuk's day. Manasseh, the king had ruled about fifty five years. He was 12 years old when he became the king. Can you imagine having a president of The The United States 12 years old? Or even pastor of a church 12 years old, you know, or or the leader of a corporation 12 years old.

Well, Manasseh was only 12 years old and he began to reign and although there were some good kings around that period of time like Josiah and Hezekiah, for the most part, Manasseh was the most wicked king there was. And he reigned for fifty five years. Fifty five years, he reigned and he allowed and probably participated in wickedness beyond imagination. Now, if you study his life out, you'll you'll notice that he did seem to repent at the end of his life but the damage was already done to the nation, to Judah. Now, Jerusalem in his day, let me just give you a little description here because this helps us understand why Habakkuk is so distressed.

Habakkuk Hezekiah's reforms helped some but Manasseh's prince were all over Jerusalem. Here's some of the things that were taking place in that society in that day. There were still some that practice calf worship. You know, the golden calf. Remember that with Aaron and the golden calf.

There were some that still worship Baal and that was compliments of Jezebel. Assyrian and Assyrian and Chaldean worship of the sun, moon, and stars, you know astrology was rampant. You know, we see that today. You see the horrible scope. You know, that's astrology.

Astrology is not good. Astronomy is good but not astrology and that's what they were practicing, astrology. Homosexual community lived near Solomon's temple without bless or shame. The worship of Asherah, the Canaanite sex God. Molech worship by offering children on the arms of a hot statue and you could hear blood curdling cries and they would beat drums to muffle the sound.

Know abortion is not much different today. And when I give a description here of Jerusalem in that day and Judah in that day, we're almost there in many many ways. And that's why this is a contemporary message for today. What a mess. What a mess Judah was in and what a mess The United States Of America is in today.

So his first problem, he sees all this around him and it leads him to cry out, God, why? Why? Why are you silent? There's violence and wickedness and it's out of control and there's no justice and society is a mask Habakkuk is praying and doesn't seem like anything's happening. In fact, it's getting worse.

Let me ask you this. Have have you ever asked God why? Does the virus and violence that's taking place in our nation perplex you at times? I have to admit I get a little stressed and perplexed at times especially if I focus on the problem. You know I can't understand how flags and Bibles and destruction of property and even murder can take place even the murder of innocent children and nothing seems to be done.

And then leaders, you know, people in authority, you know, to to, you know, like the law law enforcement and things like that. They seem to be more focused on arresting people going to church. We're more focused on arresting people going to their business to earn a living. And people that are doing violence seem to be getting away with this and nothing's being done to stop it. And that's stressful.

And that leads people sometimes to say, why God? What's going on here? Have you ever asked God to intervene to get your country back on track? I do every single day and more than once throughout the day. I'd look to the Lord and I ask him to intervene and to get America on the right track which is going to take a revival of some sort among God's people.

We know that's a starting point. But why are good people being arrested instead of the real criminals? Know, that's the thing that perplexes me sometimes. And I'll have to say my studying for this message in Habakkuk has kind of helped me a little bit and I hope it helps you a little bit too. All the evil things that I mentioned about Habakkuk's day were going on in Judah.

National corruption and crime rampant, hatred, evil immorality flaunted openly, loss of family values, injustice, many false gods worshipped. And he's very perplexed and he's asking God why and God answers him but it actually perplexes him more. God's going to use the Chaldeans and by the way Chaldeans and Babylonians that's the same group that those names are used interchangeably. God will use the Chaldeans or the Babylonians to bring judgment and chastisement upon his people. This the Babylonians are a bitter, hostile, ruthless group of murderers.

They have no conscience and I read that. That's the description of him here in chapter one. Their God is their political and military power and lots of other gods. And the way they're described in chapter one here, nothing can stop them except God. And here's the problem, he's not stopping them.

He's going to use them to bring about his will for his people. That's the answer, the first answer that Habakkuk gets and it perplexes me a little bit more. This is the answer to his initial prayer of why. The answer is that God's going to use a group of people more wicked than Judah to judge Judah which caused more doubt and less comprehension in Habakkuk's thinking about what God was doing. How in the world could God use a wicked nation to carry out his will?

That's his thought. Habakkuk's focus on the problem doesn't get him any satisfaction. He still feels that God is not hearing or answering his cries in verses one through four. He's still perplexed, perplexed. He's still hung up on the idea what what is God going to do?

Why isn't he doing something? You know, he's hung up on that and he's struggling but after struggling with the problems that he is focused on, he does what all of us should do at similar times in our own lives. He shifts his focus from the problem to the Lord. I'll look in Psalm number 73 verses sixteen and seventeen. There's another person that kind of had the same struggle.

Psalm number 73 verse sixteen and seventeen. Psalm seventy three sixteen and seventeen, it says, when I thought to know this, it was too painful for me and the thought that he's talking about there is the wicked were prospering. And when I thought to know this, it was too painful for me until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end. So, while he looked at his problem, Asaph, he was perplexed and he had a problem but when he looked away from the problem to the Lord, he began to understand. He began to change his focus.

He looked beyond the problem to God and that's what Habakkuk does here. He discovers couple things about God here. For one thing, he's holy. You know, God is holy. Perfectly whole in every area of existence.

He can do no wrong. Sin will not win in the end even if it looks impossible at the time. He looks up to God and he remembers that his God is holy, a holy God. He says in the scriptures that we've read that his God is eternal. He began to focus on that truth.

He's the creator that has no beginning or end. He's the sovereign God that's in control over everything. Nothing happens that he does not allow. Nothing is done without a purpose. Because he is eternal and then the third thing I noticed here about God that Habakkuk brings out here is he is truthful.

He's truthful. He will keep all the promises he made to Israel. In fact, he says here, he we will not die, he says. Judah will survive even though the Babylonians will take them into captivity. But it will not be forever.

It will be a necessary judgment to get the attention of God's people You know, that could happen here. God could allow some things to get the attention of God's people. Get everything focused back on him. You know, in the World War two with Hitler, you know, things look pretty bad and I'm sure most people, even Christians were like Habakkuk, you know, wondering why. One of the good things that resulted was it got Americans to begin to focus upon God.

There were revivals and people began to take their eyes off of themselves and off of the problems and they began to put them upon God. Then of course the Allies rallied and they defeated Hitler. And you know that happened. It's kind of what's happening here with these Babylonians. They're kind of like Hitler's armies.

The way they're described here. But he focus, he takes his eyes off the problem. You know, this works in little personal problems that we have too. He takes his eyes off the problems and he puts his focus upon God. Habakkuk does that.

Asaph does that. I read in Psalm 73 and we have to do that too and when we do that and we see this happening with Habakkuk here, our confidence grows, our problem no longer seems overwhelming, our joy is restored, our faith grows, our understanding grows. When we take our eyes off of our problems and we fix them upon God. And then the prophet here, he begins to fathom God's plan for the world. He begins to come to some conclusions about God's dealings with mankind.

In fact, he begins to understand two things. The time factor and the trust factor. The time factor and the trust factor. The time factor. He comes to the conclusion that God is working.

He is working. You know, we look around us today and see viruses and all this kind of stuff going on. We may not think God's working, but he's working. He's he's working his plan. Even when he seems to be silent and inactive, he's working.

Even when it seems as though he's not responding, he's working. Even when it seems as though the wicked are prospering, he's working. He's working right now, right this very moment. Habakkuk begins to understand that, you know, God is not silent. God did hear his prayers.

God was working. But the other thing that he understood was the time factor was that God is waiting. You see the time factor is part of the equation. See God's calendar is much bigger than our calendar is. We live and focus on a little sliver of experience called time and it is a tiny period fenced off from eternity and God is working towards ends in which man only sees a tiny fragment.

And that's true of us just like it was then. He was puzzled by the Babylonians but God knows all about the Babylonians and their wickedness. He says, if we were to read chapter two he pronounces about five woes on the Babylonians that's going to happen after he uses them. He knows about their greed. They kept wanting more.

They would conquer one nation after another. He knows their goal, world domination. He knows their guilt. They shed all kinds of blood and the property they took didn't belong to them. He knows about their gods.

Feudal gods. He knows all about them. They will be judged when God is finished using them to chasing his people. God is working out his plan. It goes way beyond our finite comprehension sometimes.

I wanna read one more scripture here in Isaiah chapter 55 verses eight and nine. It's a good thing to keep in mind. Isaiah chapter 55 verses eight and nine. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my way, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

You see, you know, God has things planned. He's working things out and he even tells Habakkuk, you you won't even believe it. You won't even understand it. And so that's what he that's that's what he comes to understand. You know, God has a plan.

He's going to work it out and it's beyond our lifetime sometimes. The final purpose. And that's where the trust factor comes in. The prophet here, he's in agony when he's totally focused upon his problems and he's not applying. Habakkuk chapter two verse four, let's go back there.

What's he say here? Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith. The just shall live by his faith. You know, that's repeated three times in the New Testament. Romans one seventeen, Galatians three eleven, Hebrews chapter 11 verse 38.

The just shall live by faith. You know Martin Luther in the during the Reformation days he was trying all kinds of ways to merit salvation and God's blessing and he was climbing upstairs on his knees going through some ritual that Rome required of people and about halfway up there he remembered the verse in Habakkuk, for the just shall live by faith. And all of a sudden the bell rang and the light went on. And you know what he did? He turned around, he ran back down those steps and he began preaching the just shall live by faith and that's how the reformation started.

That's a famous verse in the Bible. But Habakkuk at first, he wasn't applying it. He was only focused on his problem and then he eventually simply trust God and that is faith. He came to the point where he did not need to understand everything. He just needed to trust.

He came to the place where he was satisfied with a revelation rather than an explanation. He came to the place where he simply needed to trust God. The just shall live by his faith. He came to that conclusion and that conclusion still applies today. You look back through scripture, Hebrews chapter 11 is the faith chapter and there are those that are listed there.

Habakkuk could easily been listed there But there are those that list are listed there that exercise faith against reason even. I think of Abel. He and his brother Cain. You know, Cain brings his offering. It's lavish and and with color and laden with fruits and probably vegetables and a beautiful arrangement.

And then Abel looked at his offering, his own altar, and it looked like something that came from a butcher shop with blood all over it. And he certainly thought, how can blood cleanse sin? Well, didn't have an explanation at that point. He just had to trust God. He just exercised faith in the Lord.

How about Noah? He was told the world would be completely submersed in water. He's told to build an ark in order to save his family and his his himself and his family. Did he understand all that? Hey, it hadn't even rained yet.

He didn't even know what rain was. And he proceeded with faith. And that's why they're listed in Hebrews chapter 11. Then I think of Abraham, 100 years old and his wife 90 years old and they're going to have a son. How could that possibly happen?

I'm sure they thought but they exercised faith. I like Rahab, you know, the walls Of Jericho would come tumbling down and the city would be destroyed and she was to stay on the wall and she was to let down out of her window a scarlet cord. How could, you know, how could that? She probably thought. Well, she had to exercise faith.

Didn't understand everything and then we have Habakkuk here. He had a problem. He could not rise above it on his own and we can't either and he's told the answer to his problem was faith. He's told the answer to his problem to is to trust an infallible and an infinite God. He's told to trust the true and the living God.

Our God omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, who is capable, fully capable of taking care of his children. I learned a little phrase many many years ago and I have thought about it many many times. It's helped me. Maybe you've heard this phrase. No problem is too small for God that he's not concerned about.

But there's no problem too big that he cannot handle. There's no problem too small that he's not concerned about and there's no problem too big that he cannot handle. Habakkuk come to understand the time factor. Habakkuk came to understand the trust trust factor and it really helped him. And the same things that brought Habakkuk around are still true today.

The answer is still faith. I want to read the last couple verses in Habakkuk in closing here. Look in Habakkuk chapter three verses 17 through 19. And this is the problem prophet. And all these problems in the beginning questioned God, why?

Why is God silent? But in the end, 17 through 19. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. See a big problem. He just described in that verse big problems.

But then he goes in verse 18, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like hinds feet and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Then it says to the chief singer on my stringed instruments in closing the book of Habakkuk. See his answer was faith.

He went from chapter one saying why why why To chapter three saying, I rejoice in the Lord no matter what happens. I'm going to trust. I'm going to trust him. Let me ask you this. Are you struggling today with maybe a personal problem?

Maybe you're struggling because of what's going on around us. There's so much fear and panic being given out by the media today. If you listen to that twenty four hour all the time, you're probably going to fear. You know, my recommendation, you know, you keep in, you keep in touch and know what's going on but you don't have to listen to it, you know, eight hours a day. Listen to it for twenty minutes, get the, you know, get the news, know what's going on, and then spend an hour in prayer.

You'd be doing a lot better. And then you'll get up from your knees like Habakkuk here. I'm going to rejoice in the Lord no matter what the virus does. I'm going to rejoice in the Lord no matter what violence is going on around me. So, if you're struggling with a problem today, here's what you must do.

You gotta trust Jesus to save you if you're not saved yet. That's, you know, that's the beginning. Realize you're a sinner in need of a savior, that savior is Jesus. He died on the cross for you, pay for your sin, and then you need to repent of your sin, turn from your way, your own way, turn from your sin to him and invite him to be your savior. Lord, be merciful to me.

I'm a sinner and I believe in you. I believe what the Bible says about you. I want you to be my savior. And then, you know, as we face problems in life, you know, life's not gonna be rosy pozy like some say. As we face problems in life, we gotta look beyond the problem to him.

We gotta look up. We've gotta trust. That's the answer. The just shall live by faith. The just shall live by faith.

Are you living by faith today? You could be and you should be. Let's pray. Our father, we do thank you for your word and Lord, we understand this message in Habakkuk very fitting today. In a world that we face many many problems and Lord, it's not just today, it's throughout history.

Your people have faced many things. I can't help but think about the previous wars and Vietnam War and and lots of other things that have taken place and how your people have been led through it and they've been led through it because they haven't been overwhelmed by the problems. They've looked beyond them to you and I pray father as we sing this great hymn, turn your eyes upon Jesus here in a moment. That you help us Lord to be able to sing it from our heart and Lord, as we sing the hymn, help us to think about the words. Help us to make them count for us, Lord.

Help us not just to sing the words and listen to the music. Help us to really mean them. Help it to be a hymn of commitment on our part. And we ask you these things in Jesus name. Amen.

Let's turn in our hymnal to hymn number