Habakkuk - Living by Faith in a Troubled World
Explore the book of Habakkuk, a minor prophet's dialogue with God during the fall of Israel to Babylon. Discover how to live by faith in a world filled with chaos and despair, drawing lessons on honesty, patience, and trust in God's ultimate redemption.
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Presentation Transcript
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith Lessons from the book of Habakkuk
Context of Habakkuk Minor prophet during last decades of the Southern Kingdom of Israel, who sees Babylon s conquest of Israel. Unique in that it is a dialogue between Habakkuk and God and not a message to a nation or to a person It also unique in its literary construct structured with the method used in ancient poetry (ie. Micah) It is largely a lament ie. Psalms the dialogue includes 2 complaints to God and 2 responses from God and concludes with a poetic prayer The heart of it is Habakkuk s personal struggle with the state of his world vs. the greatness and goodness of God The poem starts with chaos/darkness/despair and ends with clarity/light/hope 2
Content of Habakkuk The state of Israel and God s judgement (Ch 1) The state of Babylon (Ch 1) and God s judgement (Ch 2a) God s use of the evil order of the world (cycle of the rise and fall of corrupt kingdoms) to impart judgement Archetypal nature of Babylon 5 woes (Ch 2b) But this not for all time Habakukk reminds us (Ch 3) that God is bringing this cycle to an end; that He loves the world and all who are in it, and he will redeem it by saving his people through his anointed saviour. In the light of this, Habakkuk is a call to live by faith. 3
How can we live by faith? We too are in the midst of the cycle of Kingdoms. Gods Kingdom is now AND not yet. How can we live by / maintain a life of Faith?
1. Talking and living honestly with God Hab Ch 1:2 3; 12 a 2O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you Violence! and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 5
2. Waiting patiently and expectantly on God Hab Ch 2:1 4 1I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. 2And the Lord answered me: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. 3For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. 4 Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. 6
3. Rejoicing resolutely and continuously in God Hab Ch 3:17 19 17Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer s; he makes me tread on my high places. 7
