HABAKKUK 3:16

"I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound, decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled.  Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us."  (NIV)

     The prophet Habakkuk wrote this short book of the Bible.  Like so many of the prophets, he had observed corruption, unrest, famine, and violence.  He went to God in prayer with earnest questions:  WHY?  Why, do  the deceitful people seem to get away with their dishonesty?  Will they ever be punished? Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?  And, WHEN?  When will You rescue us from our enemies?  When will You answer my pleas?

     Habakkuk was honest and direct with God about his concerns.  And God answered, explaining that He would make things right, but that it would be done in His time - not according to man's wishes. (Often, we think we know what's best for us, but only God can see the big picture... His vision extends all the way to eternity)

  

my photo, entitled, "Lone Tree Seeking God", taken in Israel

       This book of the Bible reminds me so much of how I feel. Right now. Today. In a world filled with corruption, violence, and blatant sin... Sometimes it seems as if evil people will prosper forever, while the "little people" struggle to get by from day to day.  I find myself asking God the same questions Habakkuk asked Him thousands of years ago... WHY?   and, WHEN?  I find myself pleading with God to rescue me from the worries of this world... Food prices going up. Utility prices skyrocketing. No end in sight to the apparent political unrest of the world.  "Wars and rumors of wars..."

  

       But, Habakkuk sets the example: He remained faithful and obedient despite the terrible times he was living in.  The  next three verses, following the "3:16" reveal Habakkuk's faith:   17  Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,  18  yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  19  The sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights."  And, that is how the book of Habakkuk ends.  What a nice, uplifting ending!

     Sometimes it seems as if evil will prosper forever.  But this isn't so... God believes in justice.  We are often impatient, unable to see the full picture.  But, trust Him and He will be your strength.

     "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul."

                                                         Psalm 94:19  KJV)

EZEKIEL

     I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River.  And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days - overwhelmed.  At the end of the seven days the word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me."     Ezekiel 3:15, 16  (NIV)

photo from World Hunger Picture Gallery

   Overwhelmed.  How often we feel this way amidst our small lives... here on earth with the hustle and bustle of our own making... But, how often do we really see the enormous masses of humanity starving.  Starving for God.  And, we don't even realize it.
     Do you remember the first time you saw a magazine article or a TV news report with photographs of
starving people" That is an overwhelming experience; starvation is horrible to see, terrible to imagine.  What could be worse than watching your children starve? God watches His children's (humanity) starvation - both literally and figuratively - every day.. And He mourns.
     Ezekiel, prophet and author of this book of the Bible, mourned the spiritually starved people of his time.  In verse 15, we see that he "sat among the exiles for seven days - overwhelmed." In those times a week was the prescribed length of time to sit in mourning for the dead.  (In this case, Ezekiel was mourning for the spiritually dead.)  Then, after the seven days was over,  he gathered his strength, went to the people, and prophesied to them.
  

     Why did he do this?  Because the Lord told him to. Specifically, the Lord told Ezekiel to be "a watchman for the house of Israel", to hear the word  of God, and to give them a warning from God. What does a watchman do?  Well, he stands where he can see what's going on.  He keeps watch of what's going on.  And he warns
the other people of impending danger.  The job God gave  Ezekiel was to warn Israel of the coming judgement for their sin.  The impending danger was their own sin. Their spiritual starvation.
 

 If you were hiring a watchman, you would expect him to do his job, right?  If the watchman was supposed to protect your family or your property, you would expect him to do so.  Without his fulfillment of his job description, you might as well not have the watchman.  In Ezekiel's day, the punishment for failure to properly perform the job of watchman was death.  God told Ezekiel that he would be held responsible if he hailed to deliver God's warning to the people of Israel.  God was not threatening Ezekiel with death; rather, He was reminding him of his responsibility to deliver the warning of the coming judgement if people did not repent.
     It is the same today.  God speaks to His people, telling them to feed the spiritually starving masses. They need salvation;  they need to feed on the Word;  they are in imminent danger of death.
     And we, the watchmen, are responsible to share our knowledge.

 

  "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved"  How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"     (Romans 10:13-15  NIV)