10. Habakkuk 1:12-17 The Embrace Of Faith part 10 Discovering God’s                                                             Personality Encourages Prayer

Pressure Creates Prayer v.1-17  

The Personality Of Faith v.1     ( Faith’s Intricacies )

  The Perplexity Of Faith v.2-11 ( Faith’s Ironies)

The Perfecting Of Faith v.12    ( Faith’s Inspiration) 

Rest In God’s Infinite Purpose           Art thou not from everlasting, 

Now after this interesting intro, we turn a corner to a stream of praiseful thoughts about the majestic perfections of God’s person.

After moaning over the negatives of a coming holocaust of  anticipated destructive conquest and captivity that will be volcanically erupting on Habakkuk’s loved people, He starts with a rather negative question of God’s person, by saying, “Art thou not from everlasting.”

The timelessness of God is the fact in question.  More simply stated in the positive is, the Lord is everlasting. Timelessness contains the perspective of His durable agelessness.  The Lord is ageless, changeless, immutable and enduring.

The word everlasting means God is before all and the one who never ends.  Timeless, involves His personal quality, and means that God is unaltered by time.  He is above, or outside of the limitations of time.  To put it another way, but saying the same thing, to be ageless means God is unchanging and never gets old.  He is always the same.  Immutable means that God is absolute, unalterable and solidly fixed and permanent.

God’s enduring; changeless personality is a stimulus to our faith as He in His unchanging quality is the influence of every area of His enduring relationship with us.

God’s Covenant is Everlasting 

God has made an agreement with us, an eternal pact.  With Israel there was a covenant and with all who have received Jesus there is a new covenant.

In Psalm 105:8-45 the psalmist rejoices and expands in literary delight over his awareness of the historical wonders of the blessing of God’s faithful covenant with His people.

Delight in awareness Psalm 105:8-45

God’s Covenant Involvement from Abraham to Joseph v.8-22

Consistent v.8    He has remembered his covenant forever,

The Lord is reliable, steady and dependable in His care and concern over us.  He remembers us and never forgets our needs.

Competent         the word which he commanded to a thousand generations

I pray over my children and grandchildren which is only two generations.  I miss the prayers of men of a past generation; men of faith who have mentored me, but they have passed on.  My compassion is limited and incompetent.

The Lord has ordered a competent and proficient love over us, it is not limited to just three generations.  He cares over His own for a thousand generations, meaning forever or indefinitely.

Capable v.9        Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; 

God’s promises are capable, efficient and infinite in capacity.

Confirming  v.10-13     And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law

Authenticating v.10 and to Israel for an everlasting covenant

Authorizing v.11       Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of                                                        your inheritance: 

His promises are verifiable, proven and supported.  They are authentic, and they give us an authorization where we are endorsed in the courts of Heaven, and in the pathways of our life.

Approving v.12-13

        The Few v.12        When they were but a few men in number;  

The Feeble             yea, very few, and strangers in it.

The Fragile v.13    When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom                                              to another people; 

We are approved and accepted because God is pouring out His favor on us.  It doesn’t matter how small we are in number, how weak we are in position, or how poor we are in person.  We are given all the permission we need at His throne of grace, and can ask of God for every need and requirement.

We may, due too our circumstances, feel rejected and unacceptable, because we are feeble and fragile from distress or disease, but God stands with us and holds us up with His everlasting arms.

Caring v.14-22

     Particular v.14        He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings                                                for their sakes;

Protective v.15       Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

We may feel under attack and vulnerable but no one can touch us without the Lord’s permission.  He has every hair of our head numbered and is with us protecting even the slightest stub of our toe.

God’s Everlasting Rule 

Psalms 10:16 The Lord is King for ever and ever: 

Daniel 7:14 and there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 

Daniel 7:27 His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.  

God’s Everlasting Love

Psalms 103:17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, And his righteousness unto children’s children; 

Isaiah 54:7-13  Gives us promises of God’s eternal love.

The Forsaken v.7,8

The Minor Moment v.7 For a small moment have I forsaken you 

The Lord is so rich in mercy and compassionate forgiveness that He views our departures from Him as only a small moment.  The hard checks of life, from our perspective, may seem massive and overwhelming, but God is working in every intricate trial by His infinite kindness and love.

 The Major Mercy          but with great mercies will I gather you. 

God is the aggressor and just as when the prodigal turned to the father, so God, as our Father, runs to us, falls on our neck, and covers us with affectionate kisses.

The Mediocre Madness v.8 In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment;

God’s correction is momentary but His compassion is eternal.

  The Forgiven v.8-10

    Everlasting

Charity v.8   but with everlasting kindness 

God’s Everlasting kindness is exhaustless, permanent and infinitely Continuous.

 Compassion   will I have mercy on thee, 

The Lord’s mercy, as Lamentations says, is compassion that fails not because it’s new every morning;  which is another way of saying new every moment, or constantly available.

Calling           says the LORD thy Redeemer. 

God has called us and paid an infinite price for our purchase, and the complete extent of this cost is that He bankrupted heaven, or gave everything that He had for us.

     Covenant v.9-10

 Secure         For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the                                 waters of Noah should no more go over the earth;

This act, of securing one family in the midst of a worldwide rejection of God, was to preserve a people that He could commit too, in covenant faithfulness, to pour out His love on.

 Set              so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 

He wills no longer to vent from feelings of rejection, or actions of critical reproach, for now we are those He loves.

 Safe

Saved From Tragedy  For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; 

Even when surrounded by extreme climate changes and raging tempestuous conditions.

Saved By Tenderness but my kindness shall not depart from you

Saved In Tranquility neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,

Saved By Tolerance   says the LORD that has mercy on you 

God promises tenderness, tranquility and tolerance.  What  great promises to pour out in prayer over those that we love.

   The Foundations v.11-13

Of Culture v.11

 The Suffering                       O thou afflicted,

The Storm-Tossed              tossed with tempest,

The Saddened                      and not comforted,

           The Stabilized

Stunningly Attractive behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors,

Stably Assured              and lay thy foundations with sapphires

Dean Alford’s poem is worthy of mention:

“Far o’er yon horizon, rise the city towers,

Where our God abides; that fair home is ours!

Flash the streets with jasper,

Shine the gates with gold,

Flows the gladdening river, shedding joys untold.”

       Of Cities v.12

Radiant                   And I will make thy windows of agates,

Receptive

Flaming                 and thy gates of carbuncles,

Formidable           and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

The precious stones are a image of the new Jerusalem glinting in the sunshine of the love of God.  The beauty of Christmas lights are comparatively weak in contrast to the architecture of Lord who has gone to prepare a place for us.  He has told us that in His house are many mansions.  He is making for us a palatial castle.  This extravagant dwelling is radiant in the transparency of enduring beauty.

Children v.13

                       Skilled And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD

 Serene and great shall be the peace of thy children.

O that all our children will glow in their relational intimacy in Christ, resting in the unflustered tranquility of God’s peace.

We will examine the rest of Habakkuk in future journaling.

Rest In God’s Involvement Personally O LORD my God,

Rest In God’s Intrinsic Perfection        mine Holy One?

Rest In God’s Impeccable Protection   we shall not die.

Rest In God’s Intended Punishment     O LORD, thou hast ordained them for                              judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction

 The Pleading Of Faith v.13-17 ( Faith’s Involvement) 

Based On God’s Purity v.13              Thou art of purer eyes

(they’re wickedness is worse then ours)

Don’t Allow Disloyalty   than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:

Don’t Allow Deception    wherefore look You upon them that deal,

                                                           and hold Your tongue 

Don’t Allow Destruction when the wicked devours the man that is more

                                                            righteous than he?

Based On God’s Pity v.14-17

(they treat us like we’re worthless fish)

They Trap Us Like Fish v.14-15          And make men as the fishes of the sea,

Devalue us like Insects                      as the creeping things,

Degrade us as Insignificant             that have no ruler over them?  

Deceive us with Ingenious Traps  They take up all of them with the angle,

               they catch them in their net, and gather them In their drag: therefore they

               rejoice and are glad.

 They Trust In Ludicrous Fortifications v.16 Therefore they sacrifice unto

                                                                        their net, and burn  incense unto their drag;

They Thrive In Luxurious Fulfillments because by them their portion is fat,

                                                                                          and their meat plenteous.

          They Traffic In Loads Of Fish v.17

(when will you stop them from destroying lives)

Shall they therefore empty their net, Turn & Intervene & Obstruct Their Fury  and not spare continually to slay the nations?