Habakkuk 3
Habakkuk’ s prayer verse 1
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth
Habakkuk prays for mercy verse 2
O LORD – I have heard YOUR speech – and was afraid
O LORD – revive YOUR work in the midst of the years
in the midst of the years make known
in wrath remember mercy
Habakkuk witnesses the movement of the LORD verse 3- 7
God came from Teman – the Holy One from mount Paran
Selah
HIS glory covered the heavens – and the earth
was full of HIS praise
and HIS brightness was as the light
HE had horns coming out of HIS hand
and there was the hiding of HIS power
Before HIM went the pestilence – and burning coals
went forth at HIS feet
HE stood – and measured the earth
HE beheld – and drove asunder the nations
and the everlasting mountains were scattered
the perpetual hills did bow
HIS ways are everlasting
I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction
and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble
Habakkuk witnesses the movement of LORD
in creation verse 8- 11
Was the LORD displeased against the rivers?
Was YOUR anger against the rivers?
Was YOUR wrath against the sea
that YOU didst ride upon YOUR horses
and YOUR chariots of salvation?
YOUR bow was made quite naked
according to the oaths of the tribes
even YOUR word Selah
YOU didst cleave the earth with rivers
the mountains saw YOU – and they trembled
the overflowing of the water passed by
the deep uttered HIS voice
and lifted up HIS hands on high
The sun and moon stood still in their habitation
at the light of YOUR arrows they went
at the shining of YOUR glittering spear
Habakkuk witnesses judgment of the LORD verse 12- 15
YOU did march through the land in indignation
YOU did thresh the heathen in anger
YOU went forth for the salvation of YOUR people
even for salvation with YOUR anointed
YOU wounded the head out of the house of the wicked
by discovering the foundation unto the neck
Selah
YOU did strike through with his staves the head of his villages
they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me
their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly
YOU did walk through the sea with YOUR horses
through the heap of great waters
Habakkuk rejoices in the midst of trials verse 16- 19
When I heard – my belly trembled – my lips quivered at the voice
rottenness entered into my bones – and I trembled in myself
that I might rest in the day of trouble
when he comes up unto the people
he will invade them with his troops
Although the fig tree shall not blossom – neither shall fruit be in the vines
the labor of the olive shall fail – and the fields shall yield no meat
the flock shall be cut off from the fold
and there shall be no herd in the stalls
YET I will rejoice in the LORD – I will joy in the God of my salvation
the LORD God is my strength
and HE will make my feet like hinds feet
and HE will make me to walk upon mine high places
To the chief singer on my stringed instruments
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 O LORD, Hi have heard your speech, and was afraid; O LORD, revive your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. (2416 “revive” [chay] means to be alive, recover, return to life, to give new life or energy to, or to restore life.)
DEVOTION: How do we start our prayers to the LORD? Habakkuk starts with praise for the amazing works of the LORD. He looks around during a time of trial or trouble to find something to praise the LORD for in his life. He has seen many wonderful works of the LORD in his lifetime. He has experienced great joy and great sorrow. This is a time of sorrow.
He then informs the LORD of the deep need in his life. He needs to understand what the LORD is doing to HIS chosen people. He doesn’t understand but he is also honest with the LORD regarding his personal need to understand.
He wants the LORD to help HIS people again. He doesn’t want judgment even though he knows they deserve it because of their sin. He asks the LORD to remember mercy while HE manifests HIS anger.
When we are angry with someone do we manifest mercy? Sometimes when my grandchildren act up after being told to do something I have to stop to collect myself before dealing with their actions. I know that I have been disobedient to the LORD many times throughout my life and HE has disciplined me.
When we discipline we have to do it out of a righteous anger, so that, we can please the LORD. HE always disciplines in righteousness. HIS chastening is to drive us back to a state of fellowship with HIM. HE loves us enough to chasten or discipline us.
CHALLENGE: The only way we can have revival is through a properly chastened Christian life.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. (1935 “glory” [howd] means splendor, majesty, vigor, freshness, beauty, strength, or authority.
DEVOTION: The LORD has given me the privilege of traveling to Alaska many times over the last fifteen years. Each trip I try to see more of the beauty of God’s creation. On one of my trips during the winter I traveled to meet some missionaries. As I was traveling through the mountains I was amazed by the beauty of the sun shining through the mountains. It was a type of light that I had never seen through a mountain pass. I know that Alaska is the last frontier but it is always a time when I see the splendor of the LORD’S creation.
Here we find Habakkuk praying to the LORD. He sees the majesty of the LORD throughout creation. He witnesses to the fact that the earth is full of HIS praise. Too often people are just moving from one location to another without much thought given to what is surrounding them. They miss the scenery in their world.
There is a saying that goes something like this “stop and smell the coffee.” When was the last time you took the time to just stop for a while and enjoy looking at the plants, animals and other things that you would normally miss because you are in a hurry.
I admit that many times I just want to get from point A to point B with no interruptions. Habakkuk was living in a time when things were not going well for the nation of Israel yet he took time to pray and thank the LORD for the presence of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Honor the LORD by appreciating HIS creation. Honor the LORD with your words of thanksgiving.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation
(5937 “rejoice” [‘alaz] means to exult, triumph, or joyful.)
DEVOTION: Habakkuk had a problem with God using a heathen nation to judge Israel. He had a problem with what was happening in Israel. He questioned the way the LORD was doing things. He didn’t like the fact that the LORD was using heathen to do HIS work. He thought that because the children of Israel were more righteous than Babylon, they should be spared. However, the LORD didn’t want HIS people to be more righteous than the Babylonians, HE wanted them to be RIGHTEOUS.
Habakkuk knew that the children of Israel were warned and didn’t listen to the other prophets. He knew that the LORD was long-suffering. He knew the time was up for them to repent.
In this final chapter of his message he turns to the LORD in prayer. He mentioned in prayer how the LORD had worked in the past for Israel. How HE had conquered all the nations that came up against Israel. He gave illustration of how Joshua asked for the sun to stand still during a battle and it did. He knew of the power of God to change weather. He knew of the power of God to shake mountains.
One of the things that Habakkuk learned was to trust the LORD to do what is right all the time. His final conclusion is that no matter what is happening around him – he is going to trust the LORD.
He gives a list of things that could go wrong in his world and then gives this verse. This verse states that he is going to be joyful no matter the circumstances. Remember there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is external. Joy is internal. Habakkuk had joy internally as he save tribulation externally.
When things are going wrong in our lives, do we want to be joyful or complain? The Bible tells us to “rejoice in the LORD always.” Can we sing in a storm? Can we sing when we are sick? Can we sing when our finances are going in the wrong direction? Can we sing when there is fighting going on in the church? Can we sing when our family is fighting with each other? YES!!! (As long as we are not the cause of it.) That is trust in the LORD.
We can pray for revival but it always has to start with us. Revival means filling of the Spirit in our lives. The three signs of the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives are SINGING, THANKFULNESS, and SUBMISSION TO OTHERS. What is happening in our lives?
Things in our nation could progressively get worse for all those who are true followers of the LORD. Are we ready for this to happen internally? If not, we need to start preparing for what the LORD has in store for a nation who has not listened to the warnings of God.
We need to rejoice in the LORD for HIS daily deliverance. HE not only gives us salvation in the form of assurance of eternity with us but deliverance from all our times of trouble.
CHALLENGE: Habakkuk starts out grim and ends with praise. We need to remember to end all of our conversation with the LORD with praise. The joy of the LORD is our strength!!!
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: 19 The LORD God is my strength, and HE will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and HE will make me to walk on mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. (5329 “chief singer” [natsach] means Musician, overseers, to lead in music, be pre-eminent, enduring, director, or superintendent.)
DEVOTION: There have always been singers in the service of the LORD. Here we have someone leading the children of Israel in worship. We not only have individuals singing but musicians playing their instruments to the glory of God.
Singing is one of the main ingredients in a worship service. If the people are not praising the LORD in song this is not pleasing to the LORD. HE wants to hear the voices of his chosen people. HE wants all of us to make a joyful noise unto HIM.
HE wants those who have talent in the use of musical instruments to use that talent for HIM and the rest of those who are worshiping HIM.
Too often when the musical instruments are played in the local church there is very little singing. Sometimes it is the fault of the one leading the service. Sometimes it is the fault of the ones playing their musical instruments without joy.
Habakkuk was praying in a time of great trouble. Habakkuk talked of singing during this time period as well. No matter what is happening around us we need to sing with our whole heart to the LORD who loved us so much that HE sacrificed HIS Son for us.
CHALLENGE: Rejoice in the LORD ALWAYS!!!
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer of Habakkuk verse 1- 16
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Rejoice in the LORD verse 18
Joy in the LORD verse 18
Singer verse 19
Stringed instruments verse 19
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 8, 18, 19
Holy One verse 3
Anger of the LORD verse 8, 12
LORD’S people verse 13
LORD God verse 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 3, 18, 19
Glory verse 3IS
Ways are everlasting verse 6
Control of nature on earth verse 8- 15
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Teman verse 3
Mount Paran verse 3
Nations verse 6
Tents of Cushan verse 7
Midian verse 7
Heathen verse 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Affliction verse 7
Heathen verse 12
Wicked verse 13
Devour the poor secretly verse 14
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prayer verse 1
Prophet verse 1
Revive verse 2
Mercy verse 2
Praise verse 3
Salvation verse 8 , 13, 18
Anointed verse 13
Rest verse 16
Rejoice verse 18
Joy verse 18
Strength verse 19
Walk verse 19
Singer verse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Habakkuk verse 1
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
3:2. Habakkuk had heard God’s purposes to discipline Judah and destroy Babylon. The report filled him with awe. God’s plans were beyond human understanding and God’s preeminence beyond comprehension. The reaction to what he “heard” (lit., “Yahweh I have heard the hearing of You”) was to fear God (lit., “I am afraid”).
The prophet then expressed two petitions. He prayed for a fresh manifestation of God’s power (Renew them, i.e., Your deeds) and a full measure of God’s pardon. Both might and mercy were requested. These were the only petitions in his entire prayer.
The first request for renewal or revival of God’s intervention was twice linked to time: in our day and in our time (lit., “in the midst of the years” on both occasions). It seems that the prophet desired a prompt fulfillment. God had, of course, already promised it (1:5).
The prophet’s second request evolved from the first. In these acts of judgment (wrath; cf. 3:8, 12) Habakkuk pleaded for mercy. (Blue, J. R. (1985). Habakkuk. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1517). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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This chapter is a “prayer psalm” that may have been used in the temple worship in Jerusalem. (For the other “prayer psalms,” see Pss. 17; 86; 90; 102; and 142.) The prophet was now praying to the Lord and not arguing with the Lord, and his prayer soon became praise and worship.
He prayed because he had heard God speak. The word “speech” means “report” and refers to what God had told him earlier (Hab. 2:2–3). Knowing the will of God should motivate us to pray “Thy will be done.” The same God who ordains the end also ordains the means to the end, and prayer is an important part of that means. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2, nkjv).
Also, hearing God’s Word generates faith in the heart of the child of God (Rom. 10:17), and without faith, we can’t pray effectively (Mark 11:22–24). The Word of God and prayer must always go together (Acts 6:4; John 15:7) lest our praying become zeal without knowledge. “I used to think I should close my Bible and pray for faith,” said D.L. Moody, “but I came to see that it was in studying the Word that I was to get faith.”
Habakkuk prayed because he was overwhelmed by God’s splendor. “I stand in awe of Your deeds” (Hab. 3:2, niv). He had seen a vision of the greatness of God, recorded for us in verses 3–15, and this vision left him weak and helpless (v. 16). All he could do was cry out to God.
Many people have the idea that it’s always an enjoyable experience getting to know God in a deeper way, but that’s not what the saints of God in the Bible would say. Moses trembled at Mt. Sinai when God gave the Law (Heb. 12:18–21). Joshua fell on his face before the Lord (Josh. 5:13–15), as did David (1 Chron. 21:16). Daniel became exhausted and ill after seeing the visions God gave him (Dan. 8:27; 10:11). The vision of Christ’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration left Peter, James, and John facedown on the ground and filled with terror (Matt. 17:6). When John saw the glorified Christ, he fell at His feet as though dead (Rev. 1:17).
A plaque hanging in my study carries this quotation from A.W. Tozer: “To know God is at once the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world.” God certainly has the ability to reveal Himself to us, for He can do anything; but it’s a problem for God to find somebody who is ready to meet Him. God doesn’t reveal Himself to superficial saints who are only looking for “a new experience” they can brag about, or to curious Christians who want to “sample” deeper fellowship with God but not at too great a price.
We are the ones who make it difficult to get to know God better. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8, nkjv). “But on this one will I look,” says the Lord, “on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isa. 66:2, nkjv). “My flesh trembles in fear of you,” wrote the psalmist; “I stand in awe of your laws” (Ps. 119:120).
Habakkuk prayed because he wanted God’s work to succeed. God had told him that He was “working a work” in the world (Hab. 1:5), and now the prophet prayed that God would keep that work alive and cause it to prosper. What God was doing wasn’t the work Habakkuk would have chosen, but he accepted God’s plan and prayed, “Thy will be done.” When God revealed that work to Habakkuk, he cried out, “We shall not die” (v. 12) Then in 2:4, God told him that the only way to live was by faith. So, when Habakkuk prayed for God’s work to stay alive, he was also praying that his own faith might grow.
Finally, Habakkuk prayed because He wanted God to show mercy. The prophet agreed that the people of Judah deserved to be chastened, and that God’s chastening would work out for their good, but He asked that God’s heart of love would reveal itself in mercy. He was like Moses when he interceded for the nation at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 32) and at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 14). Perhaps Habakkuk had the promise of Isaiah 54:7–8 in mind as he prayed, and see Jeremiah 10:23–24. Certainly the Lord did show mercy to the Jews, for He preserved them in Babylon and then permitted a remnant to return to their land and establish the nation.
If, like Habakkuk, you ever become discouraged about the condition of the church, the state of the world, or your own spiritual life, take time to pray and seek God’s mercy. Charles Spurgeon said, “Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the kingdom.” The greatest need today is for intercessors. “And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor” (Isa. 59:16). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be amazed (pp. 128–130). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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3:2 the report about You. A reference back to 1:5–11 and 2:2–20, where the Lord informed Habakkuk of His plans for judging Judah and the Chaldeans. revive Your work. Knowledge of the severity of God’s judgment struck Habakkuk with fear. As though God’s power had not been used in a long time, the prophet asked the Lord to “revive” (lit. “to quicken”), to repeat His mighty saving works on behalf of His people, Israel. In the midst of the years. In the midst of His punishment of Judah at the hand of the Chaldeans, the prophet begged that God would remember mercy. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Hab 3:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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2 The orientation of Habakkuk’s “prayer” is to the past, as the basis for his appeal to God for present help (cf. Exod 32:13; Ps 77:11; Acts 4:25–28). The noun “fame” (šēmaʿ) is normally used of secondhand information (e.g., Job 28:22; Nah 3:19), suggesting a remoteness from the hearer’s own experience to the persons or events referred to (cf. Job 42:5). The Lord’s “deeds” envisaged here corroborate this sense of remoteness, being associated with his sovereign power and preeminently with his “work” (pōʿal) at the Exodus (e.g., Num 23:23; Pss 44:1; 68:28; 77:12; 90:16; 95:9; 111:3; cf. v.3)—a primary anchor-point of Israel’s recollection, faith, and hope, as is the Cross to the Christian. Habakkuk’s appeal for “mercy” (rāḥam) is thus grounded in God’s covenantal commitment to Israel, displayed in the events of the Exodus as a whole and sealed at Sinai (cf. Deut 4:31); it is no wishful or manipulative plea for help, grounded merely in the desperation of the moment. However, it is also an admission of Israel’s decline from the revelation of God’s character and ways, made “known” at the Exodus: not only do the “deeds” of that epoch represent secondhand knowledge, but the need to “renew” (hîyāh) them implies that their impact in redemption and revelation was facing extinction. Moreover, the imminence of “wrath,” or “turmoil” (rōg̱ez; cf. v.7), betrays the presence of sin, which the Lord is committed to judge in his people—a judgment rooted in the Covenant no less than “mercy” (e.g., Exod 32:10–12; Deut 6:15; 29:20–28; 31:17; 32:22). This appeal for God’s covenanted “mercy” in the face of present distress and judgment echoes Psalm 77 (v.9), with which this chapter has much in common. (Armerding, C. E. (1986). Habakkuk. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, pp. 523–524). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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3:2 Of the entire chapter, only this verse takes on the form of a petition for God to do something. The remainder of the prayer describes the greatness of God in the past and expresses the prophet’s quiet confidence in the work of God. The prophet’s petition is threefold: preserve life, provide understanding, and remember mercy. Patterson has shown the many literary connections between v. 2 and v. 16, creating an envelope of first person language around the third person vision report of God’s theophany in vv. 3–15.
Israel based its religion on the work of God rather than any mystical experience. The prophet based both his confidence and his petition on the work of God in the past. God’s leading the people of Israel out of Egypt provided hope and instilled confidence that God would continue to work in the future. Seeing the Egyptians dead on the seashore provided conclusive evidence of the protection of God. Israel could never have escaped from Egypt. Only God’s intervention saved Israel. Habakkuk does not present a desire to return to the “good old days,” however. He knows that “the best is yet to come.”
Habakkuk “wants God’s purpose to be fulfilled, God’s work on earth to be done, God’s actions to be seen clearly by faith in the passages of history. This prophet concentrates on God and not on human beings.” The prophet declared his awe at the work of God. “I stand in awe” translates the Hebrew verb yarēʾtî, “I fear.” In the Old Testament, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and a virtual synonym for “religion.” Deuteronomy shows that “hearing and fearing” may be regarded as the natural reaction to an experience with God.29 “When one hears Yahweh’s mighty work recited in the cult, the appropriate response is fear or awe and a desire to see those ancient marvels repeated in the present.”
Based on the work of God in the past, the prophet called on God to “renew” his deeds in the present day. “In our day” and “in our time” translate identical Hebrew expressions that begin their respective clauses, which call on God to renew his work and to make his deeds known “in the midst of years,” a reference to the prophet’s time period. Habakkuk called on God to work in the present day in the way he had worked in the past.32 In a sense, Habakkuk meant for God to work a new redemption from the tyranny of Babylon as he had delivered Israel from the old tyranny of Egypt. The prophet showed his profound knowledge of the ways of God. The Lord is a God who acts on behalf of his people. “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel” (Ps 103:7).
The last request involves the mercy of God. “Wrath” and “mercy” are picturesque words. “Wrath” comes from a root word which means “to tremble” or “to shake.” “Mercy” comes from a word associated with the womb, indicating the compassion and tenderness which Habakkuk requested from the Lord.34 This clause can mean that the prophet wanted God (1) to show mercy even in the midst of his anger with Israel, or (2) to show mercy to Israel even when God was angry with Israel’s enemies. The former interpretation seems to fit the situation in Judah better than the latter. Roberts notes the “disturbing ambiguity in the concept of God’s work” for God had called out the Babylonians to discipline Israel (1:5–6). “Thus while asking for the fulfillment of the promised vision, the prophet qualifies it with the request that it be accompanied by mercy. He wants a renewal of God’s work, but his early work of deliverance as in the exodus and conquest, not that of his more recent work against Jerusalem” (cp. Isa 10:12; 28:21). ( Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, pp. 355–357). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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FROM MY READING:
Taking GOD Seriously by D. Stuart Briscoe
In modern language he would be saying “Though my job goes and my health fails, and the forces of evil seem to have things their own way; and even though the economy doesn’t work the way I want it to, and the election doesn’t work out the way I hope, and I’m not appreciated among my friends, and everything goes wrong, I won’t pull the plug on you, Lord. I won’t resent you, Lord. I will have my doubts and questions about how you are working. I won’t stop questioning – but there is one other thing that I won’t stop doing either. I won’t stop rejoicing in you. For you are my rock and you are my strength. (p. 128)
Will you wait and let God speak to you? You are not going to understand him quickly and you are not going to come up with solutions overnight. (p.129)
Can I tell by your faithfulness that you are a person of faith? …
If your lifestyle is governed by your circumstances, you may as well
settle down to being pretty miserable, the older you get.
But if your life is governed by your God, you may as well fasten your seatbelt,
for you will find life increasingly exhilarating the older you get.
The more you get to know God, the more exciting you will discover
him to be. (p. 130)
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OLD TESTAMENT WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe
Happiness depends on happenings, what’s going on around us;
but joy depends on what’s going on within us. (p. 70)
Sin is the enemy of joy, because sin is the devil’s substitute for God’s blessings
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How does the servant of God keep gorwing, no matter how many years of ministry he has experienced?
First, he seeks always to be himself. Nothing robs us of maturity like trying to be what we aren’t or imitating somebody we’d rather be. Immature ministers often have what A. W. Tozer called “The fan-club mentality, and try to be like whatever famous preacher captures their imagination. On all occasions, be yourself – your best self – and trust God to use you. Don’t waste time and energy being an imitation. Let God make you into an original.
Second, he keeps his life open to God and His truth. Arthur E. Homes reminds us that “all truth is God’s truth,” so the opportunities for learning and growing are infinite and no doubt will continue when we’re in eternity. People who grow read widely and aren’t afraid to read authors they disagree with, for maturing people realize that in this life “we know in part” (1 Cor. 13: 9. When it comes to understanding God’s truth, nobody has a corner on the market.
So, what should we do? How about tackling a tough book and working your way through it as though you had to pass an exam? That means taking notes, thinking about what’s written, and examining your own ideas in the light of what the book says. Your choice may be a classic you’ve always wanted to read, or perhaps a new book on theology or some other aspect of ministry. Just be sure it’s a book with meat and bones so your mental muscles will have something nutritious to chew on. Read a theologian whose views are different from yours, or a biography of somebody outside your usual sphere of interest. A boodk that doesn’t challenge us isn’t likely to change us, so be courageous in your selections. (Continued tomorrow)
(10 Power Principles for Christian Service by Warren W. & David W. Wiersbe)
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Daniel 4
Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream.
INSIGHT
What a towering figure is Nebuchadnezzar! Sovereign over the greatest nation on earth at the time, wealthy beyond description, subject to fits of rage, and yet somehow vulnerable and teachable. Nebuchadnezzar rages in fury at the three Jews who refuse to worship his image—yet proclaims their God the only God when He saves them from the furnace. Then, warned by Daniel that unless he repents he will be stripped of his kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar lapses into convenient forgetfulness and self-adulation. True to Daniel’s word, the king becomes an animal and roams the forest. Yet, when his senses are restored, the king again worships God and proclaims His praise to the ends of the earth. (Quiet Walk)
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GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9
Another moral attribute of God is God”s faithfulness. What does it mean? When you say that God is faithful, you mean that He is one upon whom you can safely lean. It means one on whom you can absolutely rely, one upon whom you can depend, one upon whom you can secure yourself, without ever being in doubt that He will suddenly let you go.
The Bible has some glorious statements about this. It tells us about the faithfulness of God who always keeps His promises and never breaks His covenants. It tells us that God will always fulfill every word that has ever gone out of His mouth (Isaiah 55:11). It tells us that God will always faithfully and certainly defend and deliver His servants at all times of trial, testing, and conflict. It tells us that God can be relied upon to confirm and to establish all whom He has called, guarding them from the evil one and keeping them and guiding them until His purposes are fulfilled in them.
Listen to one great statement of all that: “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). Whatever else may happen, whatever may be going wrong, Paul tells those people to be sure of this–God is faithful. Again he says, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”(1 Thessalonians 5:23). Then notice, “Faithful is he that called you, who also will do it” (verse 24). This is absolutely certain: Nothing can frustrate His plans; nothing can make Him forego what He has promised; nothing can cause Him to change what He has purposed with respect to you.
A Thought to Ponder: God is one upon whom you can safely lean. (From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 76-77, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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An Approved Workman
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Teaching God’s Word of truth properly and effectively is not play; it is hard work! The command to “study” means, literally, to “labor earnestly.” There are far too many unprepared teachers of the Bible today, not even to mention false teachers. “My brethren, be not many masters [that is, ‘don’t many of you try to be teachers’], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” (James 3:1).
A workman who has presented himself for testing, and has then passed the test, is an “approved” workman, and he will certainly have spent much time training in his profession before presuming to make application for a job. In this most important of all vocations, it is vital that the Word be “rightly divided,” for if, when the test comes, he cannot do this, he will “be ashamed” for having the presumption to engage in such a vital occupation without the necessary calling and training, or dedication
The Lord had to train His disciples for three years before they were ready to start teaching the Word on their own. The apostle Paul also, even though he had already received the finest schooling in Israel, still had to be specially prepared for three years after becoming a Christian before he was ready (Galatians 1:15-24). The equivalent of three years’ full-time study still seems a good minimum before one should presume to take on a regular ministry of teaching or preaching the holy Scriptures.
Every Christian should seek to win people to Christ, of course, as soon as he himself meets Christ. He should also begin immediately to search the Scriptures (e.g., the Bereans, in Acts 17). But an “approved workman” needs to be thoroughly taught and to have studied in the Word himself. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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