CONTEND OR SUBMIT?

TEXT:

Habakkuk 1-3

SCRIPTURE READING:

Habakkuk 3:17–19 “Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.”

THESIS:

We cannot see the same big picture as an omnipotent Creator – especially when we are right in the middle of something. If we wait and trust in the Lord, we can still know He will remember us, He will provide for us, and He will save us in the end.

INTRODUCTION:

Having a plan is generally a good thing.

Planning a trip means you don’t wander around lost.

Having an exit plan means you have a better chance of being safe in an emergency.

It keeps things “decent and in order” (1 Cor. 14:10)

Sometimes, the plan doesn’t always make sense to everyone right away.

My wife might have a “plan” (every few months) for arranging the kitchen.

It might not make any sense whatsoever to me, but if I wait and see it to fruition instead of fighting or rejecting it, it works out well.

In the same way, we might not always understand the way God is working.

We cannot see the same big picture as an omnipotent Creator – especially when we are right in the middle of something.

If we wait and trust in the Lord, we can still know He will remember us, He will provide for us, and He will save us in the end.

We can see this concept in the example given by the prophet Habakkuk.

DISCUSSION:

*(To get the overall picture Habakkuk has to show us, lets look at...)

I. A LITTLE BACKGROUND

A. Habakkuk is unique among the prophetic books.

A dialogue between the prophet and the Lord

Questioning the Lord in chapters 1 and 2.

Submitting to the Lord in chapter 3.

Chapter 3 is a psalm with instructions.

His name means “one who accepts”.

B. Dating the Book.

No mention of king/kings during ministry.

Mentions Babylonian invasion of Judah (A three-parter - 605, 597, 587 BC)

Describes the rise of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) – (1:6)

Habakkuk 2:6–12

Habakkuk 2:15–19

Babylonians gained independence from Assyria in 626 BC

II. A LITTLE FOREGROUND

A. His Problem (The Lord’s Failure?)

Contending - Why do you show me trouble? - Habakkuk

I can see it all around me. (1:2-3)

The law is powerless; there is no justice. (3-4)

Do I have a surprise for you... – God (5)

I will use the Chaldeans. (6)

Violence is what they do. (7-10)

B. His Promise (God’s Mysterious Plan)

Still contending - You remember they are evil, right? – Habakkuk

You are holy; why use wicked people? (12-13)

Why let them conquer and prosper? (14-17)

Write it down already. – God

Make it obvious to the people because it’s happening (2:2-3).

The Chaldeans will still get their due punishment.

Key verse of the book - Habakkuk 2:4 ““Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.”

Five “Woe’s”

Aggression

Covetousness

Violence

Immorality

Idolatry

C. His Prayer (The Lord Deserves Trust)

Finally Submitting - You have a good point. – Habakkuk

You brought them out of Egypt and protected them in the wilderness.

“From Mount Paran” = Mt. Sinai

Exo. 13:21-22 – Pillar of fire and cloud

You brought them into the promised land.

Exodus 23:31 ““I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.”

Joshua 21:43–45 “So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”

III. A LITTLE GROUNDING FOR US

A. Just like the remnant of His people, God has a plan for us.

From the Beginning

Ephesians 1:4 “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love”

Acts 2:23 “this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”

Revealed to us through His Word, by His commands.

Hebrews 2:2–4 “For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

B. Sometimes, we might not see how it will work out. We think we have to see it right away or it doesn’t happen.

After all – we aren’t God!

Romans 11:34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?”

1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

The same lesson Job had to learn.

Job 38:3–5 ““Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me! “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?”

Job 42:1–3 “Then Job answered the Lord and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.””

Eliphaz did have some good advice at one point - Job 21:21–22 ““For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off? “Can anyone teach God knowledge, In that He judges those on high?”

C. However, the Lord, above all, can be trusted. He will provide justice.

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

Jeremiah 17:7–8 ““Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”

Psalm 9:10 “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

Matthew 6:34 ““So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

CONCLUSION:

Habakkuk had trouble understanding the prophecy God gave him.

He questioned why the wicked were not the ones being punished.

God responded that He had a plan, it WOULD happen, the wicked would still be punished, and He would later deliver His people as He always had.

We can relate to the same situation today; we do not see immediate action for rewards and punishment, and we question why – we contend with His plans.

But if we submit, if we take the time to look at how God delivered His people in the past, we can see that we just need to put our faith in Him, obey Him – keep His commandments, and He will save us.