Habakkuk 2

Chapter two began with Habakkuk saying he will wait to see what God will answer to his previous question in chapter one: how can a holy God use a godless nation for judgment over His people, a more godly people?

God responded to Habakkuk to write this down because there is an "appointed time" when He will act; He does not tarry. 

Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

Then God described the ungodly Babylonians: drunk, proud, always seeking ways to spread chaos, never satisfied, conquering nations and people wherever they please. Woe to him who continues on in this way because his victims will eventually rise up against him. Woe to him who covets evil gain and uses violence for increase. Woe to him who forces others to participate in debauchery; and woe to him who makes carved idols for worship.  

COMMENTARY

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

Chapter 2 highlights two kinds of people: the vain man and the one who lives by faith, or the lost and the saved. 

"The soul which is lifted up is not upright in him." That is a proud man, one who thinks he can earn his own salvation, or lives for today. "There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." 

"The just shall live by his faith" are those headed towards full knowledge of God. Right now, believers do not know answers to all of their questions, but one day, in God's presence, they will. 

Back to Habakkuk's question, "Why God?" The answer: "God sent His people into captivity because it served the purpose of chastisement for their sins. And it enabled Him to bring the Savior into the world - in the fullness of time."

What does that mean for us today in the Twentieth-first Century? We need to receive Christ as our Savior, trusting in Him alone and walking by faith alone. 

Back to the two kinds of people - the proud and those who walk by faith: this lines up with the two ways available to mankind:

Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

McGee describes the broad way like a funnel - very wide at the place where you enter, but narrows down so that the follower ends up in one place: destruction. That is the path of an unbeliever. 

The strait gate, or narrow gate, is a narrow entrance because Jesus is the only way. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." The gate is narrow, but it widens out. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Jesus offers abundant life to those who will follow Him. 

Next there are five woes directed towards Babylon. God charged Babylon with drunkenness, which has led to their arrogance and desire to create chaos and take everything that does not belong to them. The second woe is for covetousness and self-aggrandizement. The third woe was for their violence and murder. The fourth woe is for causing others to sin. And the greatest charge and final woe is for idolatry. The downfall of a nation begins with idolatry, or a turning away from the Creator. 

Man has a big problem -- that is he is not right with God, and there is only one way out: to repent and follow Christ. 

Habakkuk 1

QUESTION #1

The prophet Habakkuk asked God how long He will ignore his complaints against Judah, which was practicing iniquity. He pointed out to God that the law was "powerless, justice never goes forth, the wicked surround the powerless; therefore, perverse judgment proceeds."

GOD'S ANSWER

God replied: Watch, because I am raising up the Chaldeans (Babylonians), a "bitter and hasty nation," who take what is not theirs. They are self-righteous, prideful, and violent; and they think their might comes from their god. 

In other words, God is telling Habakkuk that He is raising up this ungodly nation to punish Judah and Jerusalem. 

QUESTION #2

Habakkuk has to reassure himself that God will appoint the Chaldeans for judgment for their wickedness, right? I mean, God isn't going to permit this evil nation to continue gaining in power and abusing other more-godly nations (like Judah), right?

Right??

COMMENTARY:

Habakkuk was asking God how long He would permit His people to commit evil. Why did God not punish them for turning away from Him? Why did He allow them to get away with sin? It appeared that God was doing nothing about it. 

Why doesn't God judge the wicked? Why does God permit evil men and women to prosper?

Then God answered Habakkuk: When I tell you what I am doing, it will be difficult for you to believe. 

McGee said that (like Habakkuk) people today want to know why God doesn't do something about sin, but God has already done something: He sent His son Jesus to die in our place for the remission of sin. "He intruded into the affairs of the world, and He is going to intrude again in the affairs of the world." In fact, daily He is intruding into the affairs of men, but people are just not paying attention.  

ABOUT BABYLON

Babylon was the first major world power, and they were coming up in the world. They were ruthless and barbaric and sought to take as many lands and people as they could capture. One day they would take the land of Judah. 

God told Habakkuk He was "preparing a nation down yonder on the banks of the Euphrates River, and if [His] people did not repent," God would use the Babylonians to judge their disobedience.

BUT...BUT

This brought Habakkuk to a different question: if the Chaldeans (Babylonians) were even more wicked than the people of Judah, why would you use them to punish a nation which was "less wicked?" But God already demonstrated how He used Assyria to chasten the Northern Kingdom of Israel; and then He "judged Assyria for her own sins," and wiped them out. He will do the same to the Babylonians. 

Why does a holy God use a sinful nation for His purposes? Did Habakkuk forget that he asked God when He would punish the wickedness of His people? He accused God of doing nothing. But as was said, God is doing something, and He "can use a godless nation to chasten another nation."

WHY DOES GOD PERMIT EVIL?

...because He is long-suffering. He is not willing that any should perish, and He has provided a cross, a crucified Savior, so that no one needs to perish. This He did at the first coming of Christ.

So, Habakkuk wanted to know why God did not (seemingly) judge sin, and God will answer this question when Christ comes to set up His kingdom on earth. You'll see.

Zephaniah 3

Here now the prophet pronounced judgment upon Jerusalem -- rebellious and polluted, the oppressing city! Disobedient towards, untrusting of, and far away from God. She, Jerusalem, had not received correction, yet. 

Her political leaders and judges were abusive of their power, and her religious leaders were unfaithful. (Hmm, sounds like America today.)

Meanwhile, the Lord was patient with Judah, though they did not heed His warnings as He carried out His promised desolation of surrounding nations.

THE FUTURE REMNANT

And yet, the Lord is faithful. Look at His future promises:

Therefore wait for Me, until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy. 

For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord...In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deed in which you transgress against Me; for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain.

I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.  

Zephaniah 3 ends on a joyful note, to say the least. The prophet relays the Lord's command for the remnant to "sing and shout with gladness; rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your judgments, (and) He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall see disaster no more." 

This is future Millennial stuff. In that day...

The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

This is awesome! God promises to save His people from their enemies, including those who were oppressed by other Jews (remember the wicked leaders of Israel?). When Jesus returns for good, all of His future remnant will be gathered back to Him. 

COMMENTARY

The reason God judges Jerusalem harshly is because she was privileged to know the truth, but disregarded it. All nations will be judged, ultimately. But Jerusalem should have known better. 

Again, she ignored the Lord's instructions; she did not learn her lesson and turn back to Him; she looked elsewhere for answers. (side note: even today, Israel proclaims that "Science will bring peace to [the] land." The truth, however, is that the Messiah is the Prince of Peace, and only He can bring peace.); they ran away from God; the political leaders were (and are) useless; judges were (and are) greedy; prophets withheld the Word of God; and priests abused their calling and falsely interpreted the Word of God. 

Sadly, it appears to us today, as it did in Zephaniah's time, that God withholds correction or judgment when someone commits evil; but God says that He will eventually send judgment, though He will do no iniquity. Therefore, the unjust continue shamelessly in sin.

END TIMES

By verses 6-8, we get a glimpse of the future Great Tribulation period, also known as the Day of the Lord. Not only is Jerusalem to be judged, but other nations, as well. This will take place the moment Jesus returns to establish His kingdom on the earth. 

McGee described the Book of Zephaniah as a "Florida hurricane*, a Texas tornado, a Mississippi River flood, a Minnesota snowstorm, and a California earthquake all rolled into one." (*I write this while awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Helene! It's not fun.) And yet, Zephaniah assures us that God is love, and whether He is chastising the unsaved or His own, He is always love.

Zephaniah 2

A Warning: 

Gather yourselves together...before the decree is issued...before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you...!

Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth...seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. 

God promises to judge the nations:

Gaza shall be forsaken, Ashkelon desolate, Ashdod driven out, and Ekron uprooted.

O Canaan, land of the Philistines: I will destroy you; so there shall be no inhabitant...The residue of My people shall plunder them,  and the remnant of My people shall possess them. 

All the gods of the nations will be reduced to nothing, and people shall worship HIM from those nations. (Obviously, this is not happening today because it is future - the Millennium period.)

Commentary:

It will be a blessing to be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. As McGee says: 

It is a glorious, wonderful thing to be hidden in the cleft of the rock and covered by His wings. 

God is going to judge these other nations, not just His own people, Israel. 

Zephaniah 1

The Great Day of the Lord

God said: I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land, man and beast, birds, fish, stumbling blocks, along with the wicked.

What is the Great Day of the Lord?

That day is a day of wrath; of trouble and distress; of devastation and desolation; of darkness and gloominess; of trumpet and alarm...against fortified cities and high towers.

God said: I will bring distress upon men and they shall walk like blind men because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like refuse. 

Nothing will be able to save them for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. 

Commentary: 

Zephaniah was related to the royal line of King Hezekiah of Judah and prophesied during the reign of Josiah. His prophecy is directed to the whole world. Obviously, it has not happened, yet; but it will, right before the millennial kingdom, at the end of the Great Tribulation period. 

Zephaniah 1 demonstrates what occurs during a nation's decline. First, there is religious apostasy, next, moral awfulness, and finally, political anarchy. In America, churches no longer influence the national character. People go to church for a religious experience. We don't need more religious experience. 

Vernon McGee lists the five signs historian Gibbon described that lead to the decline of a society:

1. The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home (the foundation of a stable society); 2. higher taxes (public money spent for more bread and circuses to pacify the people); 3. elevation of pleasure (sports and entertainment); 4. the building of great armaments without, while the enemy was within (decay of individual responsibility); 5. the decay of religion (loss of power to guide people/morality).

Then a nation departs from the living and true God or when it gives up great moral principles which were based on religion, when it goes into idolatry, these factors eventually lead it into gross immorality and into political anarchy.

At the time of Zephaniah's prophecy, Judah/Jerusalem were practicing idolatry. They were going to the  synagogue and being religious, but they were also worshiping false gods. 

McGee listed three forms of idolatry. The first is Baal, introduced by Jezebel. It was a form of nature worship. the second form moved into the home where they worshiped the sun, moon, and stars instead of the Creator. The third form was the worst: it involved swearing by the Lord, but also by Molech, the god of the Ammonites, the god whom they sacrificed their children. It reminds me of people who call themselves Christians, go to church on Sundays, even profess Jesus as Lord; but they also support abortion, the sacrifice of babies to the god of convenience and selfishness. 

About the Day of the Lord:

The Day of the Lord is a day of judgment, and it begins in the Great Tribulation period, after the church is raptured from this earth. 

Unfortunately, right now, as in Zephaniah's time, there are people who do not think God will punish wickedness and evil. This leads people to believe that God is dead. But He is not dead, and He is already judging evil. 

Zephaniah said the Great Day of the Lord is near. While Israel experienced a small portion of tribulation, in Babylonian captivity, there is a greater Tribulation still yet to come. 

The Good News / The Gospel Message

Everyone sins (Romans 3:23). 

We were born that way, and it is our nature. 

We lie, steal, covet, and turn away from God. 

We love the world and ourselves more than God. 

Sin separates us from God because He is holy and perfect. 

He cannot allow sin into heaven, and none can earn his way into heaven. 

We cannot save ourselves.

But if we all sin, how can anyone get to heaven? 

Through Jesus Christ.

Jesus died on the cross to save us from God's wrath, which is eternal punishment. 
God loved us (even though we disobey) that He sent His son Jesus to die in our place. 
Jesus was buried and then rose from the dead, conquering death forever. 
We can live through Christ and trust what He did for us, and be reconciled to God right now. 
Jesus is the way, the truth, and eternal life. 

Imagine you committed a crime and stand before the judge who tells you that 

your fine is a million dollars, which you do not have. 

He is about the send you to prison until you pay the entire fine 

when a man walks in and pays the fine for you. 

Since the fine is paid, you are free to go. 

That is what Jesus has done for you. 

All of your sins can be forgiven; but you must turn away from sinning, 
repent, and trust in Christ alone to save you. You must ask Him to forgive you. 
This is what it means to repent and turn back to God -- to be born again, saved, receive salvation. 

Here is another scenario: you are on a plane that is about to crash. 

The pilot tells everyone there is a parachute under his seat. 

He must put it on and he will be saved (after jumping from the plane). 

You must put on the parachute and trust in its ability to save your life. 

It is not enough to just believe that it is a parachute. 

You must put it on and trust in it completely! 

That is what it means to believe in Christ. 

God's forgiveness is His free gift (Romans 6:23) to you. You cannot do anything to save yourself.  
After you have repented and committed your life to Christ, you will want to grow in your knowledge and understanding of the Lord. 

Here is how: 

• read the Bible 

• pray

• find and attend a Bible-teaching church

• be baptized

• share your faith with others

God keeps all of His promises because He cannot lie.  

Repent and believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. 

Labels

Prophecy

Personal Testimony

I was born into a Catholic family, was baptized at 3 months, and attended 6 years of Catholic school. Even though we lived across the street from our church, we only attended sporadically. At 12, I attended  public school for the remainder of my education, and we rarely attended church. 

Then, in my mid-20s I started to seek the Lord. The only place familiar to me was the Catholic church. At 25, I made my confirmation, and I was going to church most Sundays. I tried to read God's Word, to no avail. It was ancient to me. 

Nonetheless, I did everything I could to please God. I tried fasting on Fridays, I participated in the blood drive, and I talked my husband into contributing to the new building campaign, which we couldn't even meet because we were not financially able to. I also volunteered for the Pregnancy Help Center, managed by Catholics. I thought I could earn points with God for working toward His favor. The thought of paying off my sins in Purgatory was terrifying. 

For the next 5 or 6 years, I experienced some situations that started to frustrate me about the Church, besides that I could not comprehend God's Word by reading it. I couldn't understand why my church was afraid to use the bully pulpit to influence its parishioners socially or politically, like about abortion. I heard from a close source that my diocese gave money to a pro-abortion senator for a speaking engagement. And another time they wouldn't let me do non-partisan voter registration at the church because they feared losing their tax-exempt status; meanwhile, other local churches did it. Yet, worse still, our sitting president, Bill Clinton, was campaigning, with then Democrat candidate Al Gore, at the Los Angeles AME Church. Frustration festered within my heart over what I perceived was the weakness of the Catholic church.

Then the Sunday following September 11th, my husband and I were in church, eager to hear what our priest had to say, and he actually said that we needed "to forgive what these folks did to us." Folks? My husband and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. After church ended, my husband said aloud to me as we headed to the parking lot, "I'm never coming back here again." And I heard myself say, "Me neither." 

And that was it. We never returned to the Catholic church again. 

But, I was still seeking the Lord and trying to understand the Bible. Then one day, Jehovah Witnesses came to my door and enticed me to do a Bible study with them. For nine months I met with a woman once a week to read my Bible and learn about God. Nine months was a long time, and one day her husband came with her to lead our study, and he told me that it was time for me to decide to go to the Kingdom Hall. 

Something in me said no, and I called her up and told her that I did not want to meet anymore. That was the end of that. Over a year had passed since we left our church, and I still had no church home. A Seventh Day Adventist friend gave me literature and videos and invited me to her church, but they met on Saturdays and that seemed to be their only argument for SDA. I couldn't accept this. 

The next year I began homeschooling and being very interested in teaching creationism to my kids, I did a lot of research. I knew a knowledgeable source, Dr. Hovind, (yeah, the guy who got into legal trouble with the government). I watched all of his videos and even saw him speak at a local church. He said if Catholics read their Bibles, they'd leave the Catholic church. LOL! (I was trying to read it.) He shared the gospel on his website. Reading it, I recognized that I was a sinner, and if I died that day, I would go to hell. I immediately got onto my knees, repented of all my sin, and prayed right there for God to save me.  That was in 2003. I was 33. 

A year later, I found a Bible teaching church in my community and as soon as I attended, I knew it was going to be our home church. We remained there for almost 18 years, until we moved out of state. There, my husband, our kids, and I learned how to read our Bibles. One year at this church, my husband and I were baptized as new believers.

Fast forward to today, I have been reading and understanding Scripture with new eyes for 20 years, and each time they are opened more and more. I study from a John MacArthur study Bible, but a friend of mine recently gave to me a set of J. Vernon McGee's Through the Bible commentary. This is the commentary I use on this blog. 

The reason I started the blog was twofold: 1. I like to write out what I read because it helps me to think deeper about what I just read; and 2., people need to know and comprehend God's truth. It will save their lives. The world is becoming more dangerous because it is getting closer to the time when Jesus will return to earth. People are going to need to know what God's Word says because eventually the Church is going to be removed from the world. Maybe, just maybe, God will direct someone here to get the good news, the gospel, and get saved before it is too late.