The United States has had the best military in the world for many decades. That standing was attained through a combination of great wealth, superior equipment, loyal and motivated soldiers, and excellent training. There is a mentality in the country that we will always be powerful.
Also, there has long been a sense that we are an instrument of God to defeat evil. We believe God favors us as a nation.
Unfortunately, in recent decades we have regressed to the point where now we treat our wealth and strength as our god or at least one of our gods. The book of Habakkuk warns us that, while we believe we are successful because of our economic and military accomplishments, Yahweh may not have the same view.
Watch the video to learn more or scroll down to read the transcript.
Transcript:
The United States has had the best military in the world for many decades. That standing was attained through a combination of great wealth, superior equipment, loyal and motivated soldiers, and excellent training. There is a mentality in the country that we will always be powerful.
Also, there has long been a sense that we are an instrument of God to defeat evil. We believe God favors us as a nation.
Unfortunately, in recent decades we have regressed to the point where now we treat our wealth and strength as our god or at least one of our gods. The book of Habakkuk warns us that, while we believe we are successful because of our economic and military accomplishments, Yahweh may not have the same view.
Yahweh created the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, around 4000BC.
Men began to multiply on the earth, but they were very sinful, so around 2500BC Yahweh brought a great flood which destroyed the whole earth. Only Noah and his family survived. Men began to multiply again.
Approximately 2000BC, Yahweh called a man named Abram to move to Canaan. Abram had a grandson named Jacob. Jacob’s descendants became the Israelites.
The Israelites ended up in Egypt, they were turned into slaves, but then Yahweh used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and back to Canaan around 1400BC. Over the next few centuries, the Israelites struggled with idolatry.
Eventually Saul, David, and Solomon ruled over Israel as kings around 1000 BC. After Solomon died, Israel split into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom was called Israel. The southern kingdom was called Judah. Both kingdoms continued to struggle with sin, particularly idolatry. In the decades leading up to 700BC the Assyrians conquered Israel, the northern kingdom, while Judah, the southern kingdom, remained independent and continued to sin and worship false gods.
During the divided kingdom, Yahweh started sending prophets to Israel and Judah to warn them about their sin and idolatry. Habakkuk was one of those prophets.
Hab. 1:1 ¶ The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet beheld.
Right away, we are told what this book is. It is an oracle. An oracle is a pronouncement by, or on behalf of, a divinity. The last word of verse 1 is beheld, indicating this oracle is something Habakkuk saw.
Hab. 1:2 ¶ How long, O Yahweh, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
Habakkuk recognized the sin, idolatry, and violence of the Israelites. The violence was even a threat to him. He cried out to Yahweh for help, but Yahweh did not rescue him, so Habakkuk asked why not.
This is something that happens to us today. We see sin in our world around us. Wicked people threaten true followers of Yahweh. We ask God to rescue us, but He doesn’t. We start asking why He doesn’t help us.
Hab. 1:3 Why do You make me see wickedness
And cause me to look on trouble?
Indeed, devastation and violence are before me;
And there is strife, and contention is lifted up.
Habakkuk also wanted to know why he had to watch all the violence and devastation in Israel and Judah.
This is also something we ask today. Why does God force us to live in such a sinful and wicked environment? Why can’t we live in a society that is good and wholesome?
Hab. 1:4 Therefore the law is ignored,
And justice never comes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes forth perverted.
Just as justice was perverted in the days of Habakkuk, so too justice is perverted in our society today.
Hab. 1:5 ¶ “See among the nations! And look!
Be also astonished! Be astounded!
Because I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe if it was recounted to you.
One of the biggest challenges in understanding the Bible is following the pronouns. In the first four verses, Habakkuk was the speaker, and the 1st person pronouns refer to Habakkuk.
Beginning in verse 5, the first person pronoun refers to Yahweh. The text doesn’t tell us that, we simply need to recognize the change. Throughout the Old Testament, there are many times the author changes the subject of the pronouns without mentioning the change, and we the readers simply need to recognize the change.
In verse 5 Yahweh told Habakkuk that something is about to happen.
Hab. 1:6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
That bitter and hasty nation
Who walks on the breadth of the land
To possess dwelling places which are not theirs.
Habakkuk felt that Yahweh was not doing anything about the sin of the Israelites, but Yahweh assured Habakkuk He was doing something. He was raising up the Chaldeans to act as His agents.
This promised was fulfilled around 586BC. The Chaldeans, also known as the Babylonians, conquered Jerusalem and exiled the Jews to Babylon. Their conquest is recorded in 2 Kings 20-25 and 2 Chronicles 36.
Notice the description of the Chaldeans. They were bitter and hasty. They possessed dwelling places that did not belong to them.
Hab. 1:7 They are dreaded and feared;
Their justice and exaltation come forth from themselves.
The Chaldeans were dreaded and feared. Yahweh also said the justice of the Chaldeans came from themselves. In other words they did not rely on a divine definition of justice. They themselves defined justice. They celebrated success based on their own definition of success.
That is a pretty good description of western civilization today. Most people in our society do not follow a Judeo-Christian world view. Instead, humans make up their own standards of right and wrong.
Hab. 1:8 Their horses are swifter than leopards
And sharper than wolves in the evening.
Their horsemen come galloping;
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
Militarily, the Chaldeans were very powerful. This has been true of the United States over the past 100 years.
Hab. 1:9 All of them come for violence.
Their horde of faces moves forward.
And they gather captives like sand.
Hab. 1:10 And they mock at kings,
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They laugh at every fortress
And heap up dirt and capture it.
The Chaldeans were strong enough to destroy any city they chose. So too the United States military has been fairly invincible.
Hab. 1:11 Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty,
They whose power is their god.”
The Chaldeans were going to win. However, Yahweh was going to hold them guilty because their power was their god. Even though the Chaldeans were successful in the eyes of the world, they were not successful in the eyes of God.
The United States has had a lot of success over the past century in business, economics, and warfare. We think the success will last forever. But in many ways the power and wealth of America are now our gods. Since the Israelites and Chaldeans were considered guilty in God’s eyes because of their idolatry, I think we can conclude that Yahweh also holds America guilty because of our idolatry. We may not be as successful in God’s eyes as we are in our own eyes.
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”