Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20090913.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Habakkuk: Handling The Problem Of An Evil World In A Good God's Universe
Part III: Responding To God's Surpassing Wisdom
(Habakkuk 3:1-2)
  1. Introduction
    1. God's thoughts and ways are far above ours, and when He allows us a glimpse into His vastly superior mind and deeds, we are stunned at His abundant greatness, and it calls for a fitting response from us.
    2. Habakkuk 3:1-2 reveals such a proper response by God's prophet that came after God had given him a glimpse of His surpassing goodness and grace, and we view it for our application today (as follows):
  2. Responding To God's Surpassing Wisdom, Habakkuk 3:1-2.
    1. In Habakkuk 1:1-2:20, God had revealed insight into Himself through His working with Judah that had far eclipsed the mortal thinking and ways of His human prophet, Habakkuk (as follows):
      1. God's prophet had initially complained to God why He had seemingly failed to judge all of the terrible sins he had constantly witnessed being performed by the people of Judah, Habakkuk 1:1-4.
      2. The Lord had responded that He both knew of this wickedness and that he planned to bring the even more vile, brutal Babylonians against sinful Judah to punish her severely for her sin, Habakkuk 1:5-11.
      3. This news troubled Habakkuk: he could not understand how God could use a much more evil nation like Babylon to punish His relatively less-sinful people, Hab. 1:12-17. Habakkuk voiced this concern, waiting for God's reply in interest and fear that God might reprove him for his question, Hab. 2:1!
      4. God's reply gave a view of the vast depths of His grace and goodness that Habakkuk had not known:
        1. To Habakkuk's surprise, God revealed He wanted the news of Babylon's arrival to punish Judah to terrify her people to repent and trust in God for SURVIVAL in the invasion , Habakkuk 2:2-4.
        2. For the sinful people in Babylon or Judah who refused to repent, there would only be judgment, either when Babylon invaded Judah or when another nation then invaded Babylon, Hab. 2:5-20.
    2. Accordingly, Habakkuk was stunned at how remarkably GOOD and GRACIOUS was God in seeking to motivate Judah to REPENT this way that He might BLESS His repentant people, a goodness and grace that far eclipsed what Habakkuk had previously perceived of God in his own thinking.
    3. That revelation required an adequate response from Habakkuk, and Habakkuk 3:1-2 records it as follows:
      1. Habakkuk 3:1 indicates with the phrase "upon Shigionoth" that this verse begins a prayer formulated in a musical psalm of praise unto the Lord, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Habakkuk 3:1. Hence, Habakkuk's response was formulated in a literary genre that was used to praise the Lord, which response we today should express upon gaining insight into God's marvelous thoughts and ways.
      2. Habakkuk 3:2 records a short prayer of request to the Lord before Habakkuk 3:3-19 continues with a prolonged praise to God (that we will cover in a later lesson in this series). We view that short prayer:
        1. In prayer to God, Habakkuk explained that he greatly revered the Lord upon learning of His surpassing greatness in thought and ways, Habakkuk 3:2a. This should also be our response!
        2. Then, in prayer to God, Habakkuk urged Him to "preserve or make alive" His "declared program of judgment on Judah and then on Babylon," stating his submission to God's will and Word as we also should submit to His revealed Biblical will, Habakkuk 3:2b; Ibid., ftn. to Habakkuk 3:2.
        3. Finally, in prayer to God, Habakkuk asked God to remember His mercy in His expression of wrath, that He was depending on God's promise of saving the just who trusted in Him when Babylon invaded Judah, Habakkuk 3:2c with Habakkuk 2:4. In other words, Habakkuk voiced His trust in God's precious promise of preservation in his behalf, another action we too should follow!
Lesson: In response to God's revelation of His goodness and grace that far eclipsed Habakkuk's own past understanding, Habakkuk properly (1) PRAISED God, (2) he REVERED Him, (3) he YIELDED to God's WILL and WORD and (4) he TRUSTED in God's PROMISES of BLESSING.

Application: When God gives us moving glimpses of His immense goodness and grace that stretches our knowledge of Him, may we respond by (1) PRAISING and (2) REVERING Him, (3) YIELDING to HIS WILL and WORD and (4) TRUSTING in His PROMISES of BLESSING unto US!