How Long

morning church

If you have your Bibles and you went to get turn to the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament in the Minor Prophets before we jump into her text this morning? Let's have a word of Prayer.

Heavenly Father we thank you for this day. We thank you for your word. Thank you for the many uncountable blessings that we have because of your presents because of your work. Or we pray that today as we study your word that you work your spirit would move and shape and mold our hearts. To see and trust that you are at work, even when maybe we don't believe it or understand. Lord it's in your precious and holy son, Jesus name that we do pray. Amen. Like I said turn to the book of habakkuk.

I believe it's the 8th of the 12 Minor Prophets. Probably the easiest way see the look in your table of contents or go to Matthew and then backtrack and just three chapters.

We look at the first 11 verses of chapter 1.

The Oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. Oh Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear or try to use violence and you will not say. Why do you make me see in equity? And why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me strife and contention arrive. So the law is paralyzed and Justice never goes forth. For the for the wicked surround the righteous. Oh Justice goes for perverted. Look among the Nations and see. Wonder NBA astounded for I am doing a work in your days. That you would not believe that stoled.

For behold I am raising up the Chaldeans. Add veteran Hasty Nation March the breath of the earth dwellings that are not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome. Their Justice indignity go forth or from themselves. Horses are swifter than leopards more Fierce than the evening wolves. The horsemen press proudly on their Horsemen come from afar. They Fly Like an Eagle Swift to devour.

They'll come for violence. All their faces forward they gather captives like sand.

A change they scarf and hat rulers. They laugh they laugh at every Fortress for they pileup Earth and take it.

Then they sweep by like the wind then go on. guilty, man Who's might is there God?

Holy Spirit, we ask against you would

incline our hearts toward your word. might be taught directed by

so welcome to Christ Church this 6th day of 2019. Crazy that it's already 2019.

We're going to study the book of habakkuk. And give you all the reasons because there are too many to to share with you and in just a few in a minute or two, but I've been wanting to go through a prophet in some form or fashion of really since as as we got closer to closing are Roman Series in Romans in Genesis years. We've been in that for a long time and so it's been awhile since I happen to think what book are we going to go into next and I was like, you know, we never really studied through processing except

And so I wanted to go into a prophet and a little bit shorter and then and then Advent was almost entirely in the process. We can either kind of continue to lay the groundwork continue in the prophet or we can jump away so that we don't get bored with the profits and I decided to continue with that the legwork maybe that is already been laid the groundwork. a basket is I'm excited to study through the back. Like I am literally every book that I've ever habakkuk is is is different different in number one. It's a profit and so is we go through the book or it will likely done like we just do Advent we have differently about this the text. We're sitting at a table to take a different approach than they be Romans or even Genesis. different even in comparison to the process You look at all the prophecy. For example, if you just turn one book ahead to Zephaniah Zephaniah in in verse 1. He says in the time in the days of in the last Josiah the son of Hammond king of Judah which closes in Zephaniah.

That's a people group. Obviously. It's the people of Israel the southern Kingdom visit, but if you turn one book in front to nahahum. name, he says in verse 1 to chapter 1 in Oracle concerning Nineveh was also preach to buy Joan identifies the capital city of Syria, which is a foreign Pagan nation that actually conquerors and destroys the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but it's also a

Then you have to spend a speaking to the people of Esau Israel is the descendants of Jacob Jacob Brothers brother try brother Nation. every other prophet is speaking to a people group what marks prophecy more than anything else in scripture. Is that the process that is chastising people? habakkuk

magic doesn't accuse Israel of North Houston.

This seems very unusual. It's how can we accuse God of any?

and I see did this book in particular? Really hits us today. I think what we will sign as we study through these three chapters. Is it it almost seems like the back I could be speaking to. today in our culture in an R situation

we know very little about the man. That's the only thing that you know about how you know eventually stopped.

Promise is found in verse 1. First one says saw that scripture most of the other prophets are priests mentioned in Samuel or Kings or Chronicle. Should we have some information for me? Like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Daniel directions of of scripture of writing that has been preserved for us are found in other ancient sources other ancient Jewish texts. Habakkuk is gone. He is. Almost entirely an enigma. We learned one thing about him that he is a prophet now that should seem obvious because he's in this collection of prophets. But he's different image.

Essence of the title of prophet which is completely unique most of the other prophets in scripture. Don't call themselves prophets. They just the Lord things of that nature. This probably means that was a temple Prophet paid vacation was noticed this Alters our attention just a little bit. It's very possible that this was put to music. Because he lived and worked at the temple because he was dedicated to this craft at the temple. He probably had more tasks more jobs than just simply Proclaim Esther his ministry.

I think it would be interesting last year's a challenge for you.

to put this to music the Hebrew to music

It isn't poetry form. And so it very easily could happen.

Based on the context of the book. This is probably somewhere in the late 7th Century BC. Now I had to check my late 19th century Union, right?

Cuz it's the numbers go up and that makes more sense longer in late means early.

6:30 CRT did it backwards 601 is when the bacchic is preaching. No contacts and I'll keep the context at a minimum as we go through this. Well, at least I'll try. Is Assyria in Nineveh? Rather Nineveh is conquered by the Babylonians in about 6:12. And then Judah is conquered by the Babylonians in 588. Is that a 24 year. Where Babylon is essentially crossing the Fertile Crescent to conquer the world which is what they conquered pretty much the known world. This is the context of this is the historic drop in the minds of the people of Judah. Now this is still early enough The Babylon is not at the door. Brucie but they're sort of on their way. And this is where habakkuk starts to preach.

verse verse 2

this is the this is a complaint about the structure of the book. We have two given takes accused of something and then God responds and then or two and then chapter 3 is a prayer.

inverses 2 3 and 4 the back accuses God of something Lord how long shall I cry for help? And you will not hear. xylem

I said that this book is made up entirely except reverse one of Hebrew poetry poetry by one thing and parallelism in over the course of our series you're talking about paralyzing, but I want you to understand at least sort of what's happened. You'll notice of that sounds fairly repetitive typically in in in Heber poems. It's it's two stanzas make up one what we call versus UC line one stanza one is how long till I cry for help and you will not hear it's line one, but that's split into two parts how long and you will not hear A and B, and then you have a repetition of that in there some change happening to what we first read. Or try for violence. How long shall I cry for help or tell you that violence is happening. That's verse a + a + A + B + B. You will not hear you will not save. That structure makes sense. I don't want to take too much time on it because it can get boring.

It does help us understand. The emphasis is trying to me. The people of Israel right at this particular point of probably better but people of Judah at this particular point or kind of trembling. They have enemies that are all around them. They're fighting off these enemies.

Are the non righteous part of the community? Who are tearing the nation down not by their ass but by their wicked hearts? And her back again many of the other trying to follow after the lord. They're looking they're living in they're saying why is God not doing anything?

To borrow even talk what we talked about all the Advent season. Where is God? Why are bad things happening to good people and good things happen?

How long how long?

clarifies a little bit more

Why do you make me see iniquity?

Are you?

That's where it gets starts getting serious. Now here's what you just said to God and you're doing nothing about it.

Have you ever felt?

Shake your heads hats. We live in a world full of Brokenness in every single person Christian or non-Christian is on.

Destruction and violence are Before Me In Contention arise. verse for really gets it This is where he really drives home what the problem is. I think there's different kinds of of trouble happens in our life.

And then there's then there's

then something else is happening. He says it here. So the law is paralyzed destruction and violence strife and contention rising up in paralyzing the law. morality righteousness goodness Arby's crippled by this action Justice never goes for

the wicked surround the righteous. The wishing are winning. So Justice Goes Forth perverted on notice notice again. There's that parallelism. This is Justice never goes forth and then he says justice goes for you can't have it both ways, right? This is very typical prosthetic literature is hyperbolic exaggerated to make the point and really he's kind of right perverted Justice is not Justice. So Justice really can't go forth. But something is going forth me call Justice and and really what is that? It's Injustice. Now, let me ask you a question. Do you think do you think that we can maybe claim some of these descriptions for our time today? Think about the world. We live in marriage for a second. Think about the attack the seemingly calculated attack wickedness has been making biblical monogamous man and woman marriage. Starting to get to the point where we have we have passed the point where somebody asked you about your sexual history between husband and wife. Actually. I've only ever been with my wife and only after we were married that

so much.

I can't believe you didn't test things out before your married what happens if it's no good missed the point. In fact all statistics in all all Sciences been made on this point favors Christians in their monogamous relationship.

The wickedness is made in a marriage. In the near future in in all of our near future.

There will be a shift from accepting normal good Christian marriages. to them being hated children being stood against This is what was happening in Israel. This is what is happening here.

Same is true for

moral stances

for love and compassion for taking care of the orphans in the widows weekend. This will ultimately she to bring it to an end.

We listen to world that at least from the surface seems like it's a tacky. Christian morality America the Middle East and Africa Africa right now loading an African in the Middle East

there's monsters persecution.

I mean

and then God responds only for a second.

In your puny creation was done only witness in your eyes. What are you doing?

How would you respond?

you pathetic aunt

that's how I got says respond, aren't we happy? It's not how God responds. You should look among the Nations and see.

Cuz this is shocking. Said you would not believe it doesn't stop there. You would not believe.

wood

You want me to prove my point. Has been saying this since the dawn of creation and still we struggle to believe that God is completely in control. Every single person in every single Christian that has ever lived has questioned whether God was in control.

And God has known only said it in his word showed it to us in our own life but has continued to do so and yes, we still don't believe him. Because we do this one thing.

I will believe that you're in control if what you're doing makes sense to me.

right Once you have moved out of that once you start doing things that don't make sense to me if I believe you. Look at the next verse. for behold my favorite word in Hebrew get your attention attention.

Anybody know you didn't because you don't understand you don't you don't get that gut reaction.

Indians are known for a number of things pretty much the worst people ever exist in control of the world. They are they are they are wicked beyond measure.

I'm going to do something and I want to first I want to First say I'm not trying to make a FedEx stadium. But I want you to get the gut reaction they would have felt. Let me change one name. Matching he said for behold. I am raising up Isis.

Atwood we believe God by their own admission

It's exactly what he saying here. Let me just so that we know that God knows that bitter and Hasty Nation. Mark City breath of the Wild Wings that are not their own The Conjuring 2 Village Inn

You're full of Justice.

Was that mean they're just isn't digging that their definition of raping and killing and stealing and taking all their stuff. They're going. All right.

Their own decisions were being made. Verse 8 their horses are swifter than leopards the past. More Fierce than evening wolves.

Horses Horseman press proudly on their arrogant. The Horseman come from afar and they Fly Like an Eagle Swift to devour Ever watch the nature Channel or Discovery Channel or whatever you see an eagle soaring majestically in the sky. That's our bird. And then all the sudden it after its prey really misses its mark. This is Babylon coming to destroy. When it gets gets more serious a says they come for violence. Their faces are humans have gone to war to fight Wars for just reasons. Israel in the Old Testament fights many nations for just reasons because in the world America in World War II for just reasons just so everybody is clear on this Hitler was very very clear that he hated the Jews and he wanted them gone. Not when the atrocities of the concentration camps came out. It was a little shocking in speech after speech after speech wickedness in opposition to a In Hitler Youth leader during World War II. We are at Superior race and every other race should be eradicated. Stop in India in in the Italians while they were probably the least effective worst. They were saying the same thing. We went to wickedness can't run the world unrestrained.

I think we should have. Let me tell you.

They're sociopaths kill. Create chaos. For chaos is sake.

The Gather captives like seeing remember how the Old Testament describes how many Israelites were going to be numerous as the stars in the sky

Kings they scoff at rulers

then he says they pile up first and take it. What do you what do you support rainforest? They just took some excavator. They took a big old hole and made a big old pile of dirt and then they just attacked it because they could do that probably not but that's the picture that he's painting. Your fortresses are nothing. whoop whoop

Roxy mountains without even questioning

and they will sweep by Like the Wind. Go on.

Ever try to stop the wind. We work. I did all the time. We need a go out and lean forward. if you want to stand in the hurricanes and

even if you cannot withstand the wind forces, even if you can stand still there.

Beasts of the Babylonian God has raised up. And just so we're clear. No way guilty men. Whose own mine, is there God?

I am doing a work in your day, but I'll tell you about it. You're not going to believe it.

in fact in control

Even if we don't get it.

Wow, it's difficult.

Just stay here at the end of verse 11. biblical truth what the Bible teaches us that all things. Work for good for those who love God.

I can honestly say when I look at how I try to plan things. I'm glad he's

now

Inverse 12 to the end of chapter 2 verse and the chapter one season.

Is it confusing? message of trust I think what God does hear when he responds to have that have a 16-point is he says look you won't get it.

but still Trust

And so that's how I'm going to close.

Not with a knot with a picture of hope that I can trace from this point on to Christ while that would be good. But a challenge for your own heart. And hopefully this week into next week when we will chapter 1 verse 12 and see how God continues to teach us.

hang up Isis that I still trust God.

It's a challenge that has been quite difficult for me this week.

I hope it's just as much of a challenge for you.

Heavenly Father

Lord God we thank you. That you are in control.

we asked it's you a teacher.

You put our trust even when we don't understand.

Lord we know that your scripture teaches us that you are good. But sometimes life doesn't.

or teach us then in those moments that we would seek. to seek to understand how exactly

we know that you're that are facing you is not is not blind.

Has have evidence piled up before?

in your word history of the church our own lives as individuals You have shown yourself be in control and not just in control.

Help us to believe. in trust in that truth

It is in your precious and holy son, Jesus name.