A Walk Down Memory Lane
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Have you ever pulled out old family photo albums or yearbook annuals and reminisced about the past as you looked at them?
Some pictures have writing on the back about the photo
Annuals have pages of best wishes from classmates
And as we look at the pictures we see we have all changed
Some of the memories are good and some not so good
But one thing usually comes across our minds when we look back, “how did we get where we are today?” We can all see it was God’s hand in our lives!
As we continue in chapter 3 of Habakkuk, we see the prophet taking a trip down memory lane, recalling what God has revealed to Him and how God had his hand on the children of Israel in the past and the promise that He will keep His hand on them in the future.
Text; Habakkuk 3:5-15
5 Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet.
6 He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.
8 O Lord, were You displeased with the rivers, Was Your anger against the rivers, Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation?
9 Your bow was made quite ready; Oaths were sworn over Your arrows. Selah You divided the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and trembled; The overflowing of the water passed by. The deep uttered its voice, And lifted its hands on high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; At the light of Your arrows they went, At the shining of Your glittering spear.
12 You marched through the land in indignation; You trampled the nations in anger.
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people, For salvation with Your Anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked, By laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah
14 You thrust through with his own arrows The head of his villages. They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me; Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.
15 You walked through the sea with Your horses, Through the heap of great waters.
This trip down memory lane is all about the saving acts of the power of God amongst Israel!
1. God Is A Mighty Warrior; 5-15
1. God Is A Mighty Warrior; 5-15
God reminds Habakkuk that He is a Mighty Warrior and no army of man can stand against Him.
There are a few scenes of God’s delivering power mentioned in these verses.
[v.5] Pestilence and Fever/Plague is referring to God’s plagues brought upon Pharaoh in God’s deliverance of Israel from 430 years bondage and slavery.
[River turned to blood, frogs, lice, flies, disease killed livestock, boils, hail like fire, locusts, darkness for 3 days, firstborn of Egyptians killed by God’s death angel] In all of these plagues, the Israelites were protected, while the Egyptians and their property were destroyed. All nations were startled and took notice of the God of Israel!
[v.6] Everlasting mountains and perpetual hills speak of strength, permanence and security. But God measured them. To measure something is an indication that it’s yours and you can do with it what you please. It’s also a preliminary step to action. God is a Man of War, Israel is His people and He will care for them at all cost!
[v.7] God reminded Habakkuk of Israels fall into the sin of adultery and idolatry in the land of Canaan and God allowed them to be captive to many nations, but when they cried out to the Lord, He heard and sent delivers in the form of Judges. Othniel, who brought affliction to the tents of Cushan [Judges 3:7-11], and the Gideon who God used to deliver Israel from the Midianites [Judges 6-7].
[v.8-10] We see here the parting of the Red Sea and later the parting of the Jordan River so Israel could walk into the safety of the Lord. We also see the anger of God against the Egyptian army as God brings the water back on them to destroy them.
[v.11] We see here the miraculous victory God gave Joshua over the Amorites in the Valley of Aijalon.
12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
14 And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.
I believe God heeded Joshua’s voice because Joshua was defending those who had deceived Israel [Gibeon].
[v. 12, 14-15] These verses are a summary of whatever nation came out against God’s people, the Lord trampled the nations and upheld the nation of Israel with His righteous right hand as long as they were obedient to Him.
God’s people were about to face the terrifying nation of Babylon. They would be conquered, enslaved, and exiled, suffering for 70 years to come. They needed this hymn of praise and deliverance to remember God’s previous acts of deliverance. What God had done before, He would do again!
Those who delight in God’s work in the past, and trust in His promises for the future, will rest in Him today. [Jean Wilund/Embracing Joy]
2. God Is Faithful; 8, 13a
2. God Is Faithful; 8, 13a
In verse 8, Habakkuk asked a rhetorical question of God.
“Were you angry and displeased with the rivers and sea that you turned the water to blood and that you parted them?”
God is not angry with nature, nor was his purpose to hurt the earth. God used His power over nature to save His people!
[13] God’s sole purpose in carrying Habakkuk down memory lane is for Habakkuk to see the faithfulness of God despite the failures of Israel.
[13a] “You came to save Your people”. God made a covenant with Abraham, and renewed that covenant with Isaac and Jacob that Israel is God’s Chosen people.
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’
6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
The ultimate goal of God’s choice of the Jews as His chosen people was to bring forth the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would be the Savior of the world. God has always protected His chosen to fulfill His Covenant!
3. God Is Love; 13b
3. God Is Love; 13b
The best way to define the “love of God” is by His demonstrating HIs love. The love of God is not a feeling but a need!
To “strike the head of the wicked” is to crush the rulers of wickedness. Whether that be kings, armies or Satan himself! God came to deliver His people by destroying evil, exposing it’s ways!
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
God does what He does out of love [our need]
7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;
8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
John 3:16 (NKJV)
16 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.
John 15:13 (NKJV)
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
“A Walk Down Memory Lane” with God, showed Habakkuk the irrefutable, unfailing love of God for His people. Regardless of the circumstances and trials they would face, mostly brought upon themselves by their SIN, God loves them and would never forsake them!
Close;
I want you to settle it in your heart today, once and for all, that God loves you!
Just like Israel, we are unfaithful and unworthy, yet He loves us!
God’s love is just, that it must punish SIN, yet always forgiving the repentant sinner!
This is why I stand in awe of Him and praise His holy name from everlasting to everlasting!!