Author: drthomasclothier

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LORD’S DAY 21, 2019.

On each Lord’s Day this year, we will display the 52 devotionals taken from the Heidelberg Catechism which are structured in the form of questions posed and answers given.

The Heidelberg Catechism was originally written in 1563. It originated in one of the few pockets of Calvinistic faith in the Lutheran and Catholic territories of Germany. Conceived originally as a teaching instrument to promote religious unity, the catechism soon became a guide for preaching as well.

Along with the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dordt, it forms what is collectively referred to as the Three Forms of Unity.

The devotional for LORD’S DAY 21 is as follows. Please take note of the biblical references given in each answer. This morning’s devotional addresses the subject of God the Holy Spirit.

Q. What do you believe concerning “the holy catholic church”?

A. I believe that the Son of God through his Spirit and Word,1 out of the entire human race,2 from the beginning of the world to its end,3 gathers, protects, and preserves for himself a community chosen for eternal life4 and united in true faith.5 And of this community I am6and always will be7 a living member.

1 John 10:14-16; Acts 20:28; Rom. 10:14-17; Col. 1:18.
2 Gen. 26:3b-4; Rev. 5:9.
3 Isa. 59:21; 1 Cor. 11:26.
4 Matt. 16:18; John 10:28-30; Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:3-14.
5 Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 4:1-6.
6 1 John 3:14, 19-21.
7 John 10:27-28; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; 1 Pet. 1:3-5.

Q. What do you understand by “the communion of saints”?

A. First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ
and in all his treasures and gifts.1 Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and joyfully for the service and enrichment of the other members.2

1 Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 6:17; 12:4-7, 12-13; 1 John 1:3.
2 Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:20-27; 13:1-7; Phil. 2:4-8.

 

Q. What do you believe concerning “the forgiveness of sins”?

A. I believe that God, because of Christ’s satisfaction, will no longer remember any of my sins1 or my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life.2

Rather, by grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment.3

1 Ps. 103:3-4, 10, 12; Mic. 7:18-19; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; 1 John 1:7; 2:2.
2 Rom. 7:21-25.
3 John 3:17-18; Rom. 8:1-2.

May truth and grace reside here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

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Habakkuk: When in Doubt, Pray!

“A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:1-2)

Have you ever been confused as to what God is doing in your life? Perhaps you have felt that God was strangely silent when difficulties came and struggles continued with temptation to sin. You found yourself doubting God and becoming weak in your trust, commitment, dependence and worship of Him.

Let’s be honest! We’ve all been there in the so-called “dark night of the soul” when doubts arise and fears give way. As one missionary explains that the dark night of the soul, “is from the perspective of doubting faith as a follower of Christ, not as a nonbeliever.”

This is the situation that we find the Prophet Habakkuk. He is a man of God. He is a believer in God. He is a prophet of and for God. However, he has struggled with God and His will for the nation of Judah in the 7th century B.C. What ultimately did Habakkuk do to resolve this conflict within his soul when he found himself in conflict with the person and work of God? What are we to do when we find ourselves in a similar situation? Pray and praise the LORD. Praying and praising the LORD is what Habakkuk eventually resolved to do when faced with the sovereign will of God being in conflict with his own.

Habakkuk 3:1 introduces not only the third chapter of Habakkuk, but also diretcs the reader to prophet’s perspective in this prophetical book of Scripture. “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. The Hebrew word for prayer “tepilah” means the act of speaking and making requests to God. Questions by the prophet of God have given way to prayers by the same prophet to God.

The text says that the prayer was according to Shigionoth. A Shigionoth comes the root word “shiggaion” meaning a type of cultic song or a lamentation and dirge. While its precise meaning is unknown, the term may also refer to a psalm set to an irregular musical rhythm or beat. The only other biblical reference to a Shigionoth is found in Psalm 7:1 where the title says A Meditation of David, which he sang to the LORD.

Dr. John MacArthur explains that, “the reference to “Habakkuk the prophet” (cf. 1:1) marks a transition. The argumentative tone of the previous chapters, in which he cried for divine interference, is transformed into a plea for God’s mercy (3:2), a review of God’s power (vv. 3–15), and a chorus of praise for God’s sustaining grace and sufficiency (vv. 16–19). But while the tone changes, a strong, thematic connection remains. Having been informed of God’s plan of judgment, Habakkuk returns to the matter of Judah’s judgment, pleading for mercy.”

The hymn writer Joseph Scriven was born in Ireland in 1820. He studied at Trinity College in Dublin and was soon engaged to be married. The evening before their wedding, Scriven’s fiancé drowned. This tragedy coupled with difficult family relationships, caused Joseph to begin following the practices and teaches of the Plymouth Brethren. Shortly after moving to Canada to become a teacher, Scriven became engaged to Eliza Roche. Tragedy struck again and Eliza passed away from illness shortly before their marriage.

Joseph used the tragedies and hardships in life to identify with the elderly and poor. Scriven also used this time to saw wood for the stoves of those who were handicapped or elderly. 

Joseph wrote his famous hymn in 1855 to comfort his mother who still lived in Ireland. He did not seek to be noticed for it, and his authorship was only discovered by accident shortly before his death. What some would say was an accidental discovery was a providential act of God.  

Scriven then began to experience poor health, financial struggles and depression during the last years of his life. To this day, no one knows for sure if Joseph Scriven’s death was an accident or suicide. He was in serious depression at the time. A friend of Scriven explained, “We left him about midnight. I withdrew to an adjoining room, not to sleep, but to watch and wait. You may imagine my surprise and dismay when on visiting the room I found it empty. All search failed to find a trace of the missing man, until a little after noon the body was discovered in the water nearby, lifeless and cold in death.”

The hymn Scriven wrote was entitled What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
All to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
There will be no need for prayer—
Rapture, praise, and endless worship
Will be our sweet portion there.

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

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Habakkuk: Five Woes, Part 5.

“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” (Habakkuk 2:18-20)

The LORD revealed to Habakkuk a series of woes which the prophet was not only to receive but also prophesy to the people. The “five woes” is structured in five stanzas with three verses contained in each stanza. Today’s text contains the fifth and final stanza, which was God’s concluding announcement of woe upon the Babylonians. Each woe contained a particular sin for which God judged the Chaldeans as guilty. The first sin was extortion. The second sin was exploitation. The third sin condemned Babylon for being bloodthirsty killers and despots. The fourth sin was debauchery. The final woe concerned idolatry.

The final pronouncement of “woe” does not occur until the middle of the final stanza. Rather, what begins God’s concluding oracle against Babylon is a thought provoking question: “What profit an idol?”

An idol is often called a graven image carved out of stone or wood or molten metal. These figures then, and now, have no benefit whatsoever. What affection the individual had, or has, for these objects, they still are blocks of wood, stone, or shaped metal. It represents a lie and not the truth.

Dr. John Walvoord explains that, “To trust in such an idol was to trust in an object that teaches lies, for people were deceived and deluded by it, thinking it could help them. But idols and images were lifeless. Since they were the worshipers’ own creations, idols could not aid them (cf. v. 19). Carved or cast, they were dumb objects. The oracles attributed to them were obvious lies, for idols cannot speak.”

The Prophet Isaiah writes, “To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move. Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.” (Isaiah 40:18-23).

R. C. Sproul, Jr. writes, “The root of idolatry, however, is here—images move us at a basic level, and evoke worship in us, worship that God abhors. I first felt this watching a movie that presented an image of Christ—The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. When Aslan first appeared on the screen my heart swelled and like a teetotaler taking his first drink, a health nut tasting his first Twinky, I thought, “Oh, so this is what He warned us about.” I was taken up, enraptured, spellbound because of the sheer majestic beauty of the Lion.”

Dr. Roy Zuck explains that, “No help or guidance comes from a lifeless object even if it is encased in gold and silver (cf. Isa. 40:19). It has no breath or spirit and therefore no life (cf. Gen. 2:7). Isaiah frequently taunted the Babylonians for their trust in numerous false gods, which were nothing but man-made idols (Isa. 41:7; 44:9–20; 45:16, 20; 46:1–2, 6–7; cf. Jer. 10:8–16). Idols are valueless for they cannot talk, come alive, guide, or breathe. And idolatry-worshiping man’s carvings rather than the Creator-stands condemned under God’s woe.”

The final woe contains a concluding statement summarizing the entire five stanzas. In effect God told Habakkuk, and others who would question Him, to be quiet. God is on the throne. He knows what He is doing far better than we in our limited knowledge and understanding can comprehend. Therefore, we are to be silent before Him (Job 40:3-5).

What objects in your life compete with God for your worship and affection? It could be another person, place or thing. It could be an idea, achievement or position of power and responsibility. Whatever it may be that competes for God’s worship, honor and glory, immediately repent of that the sin of idolatry.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!  

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Habakkuk: Five Woes, Part 4.

“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory! The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.” (Habakkuk 2:15-17)

The LORD revealed to Habakkuk a series of woes which the prophet was not only to receive but also prophesy to the people. The “five woes” is structured in five stanzas with three verses contained in each stanza. Today’s text contains the fourth stanza, which was God’s fourth announcement of woe upon the Babylonians. Each woe contained a particular sin for which God judged the Chaldeans as guilty. The first sin was extortion. The second sin was exploitation. The third sin condemned Babylon for being bloodthirsty killers and despots. The fourth sin was debauchery.

Debauchery is a word which is not used very often in today’s culture. It is defined as wickedness, depravity, decadence and wanton immorality. While the word debauchery may not be common in today’s world, the meaning of the word and corresponding behavior certainty is. In many ways, the world today is filled with debauchery.

So also was the world in the 7th century B.C. Babylon, and Judea, was filled with immorality and depravity. This was Habakkuk’s initial complaint to God about Judah. It was also what riled the prophet when God informed him that He would use Babylon in order to punish Judah’s depravity because Babylon was more depraved that Judah.

Babylon’s depravity involved poisoning and forcibly intoxicating other nations in order for them to become easy prey. How ironic that this is exactly what led to Babylon’s fall in Daniel 5. God said that, ““Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! You will have your fill of shame instead of glory” (Habakkuk 2:15).

The image of the cup, a common image in the drinking of wine and intoxicants, also represents the wrath and judgment of God (Luke 22:39-46). God would pour out His wrath upon the Babylonians in judgment for them pouring out their wrath upon other nations. The shame and violence done to others would be done to them.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “Carrying out the metaphor of drunkenness, here is a reference to the humiliation of “shameful spewing.” The very thing in which they gloried would become the object of their shame. While the Lord’s glory would be “as the waters cover the sea” (v. 14), Babylon’s glory would be covered with shame.”

So too will this happen to all who refuse to repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All sinners will receive the shameful punishment of their own sin, instead of trusting in Jesus Christ who bore our shame upon His body on the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2) and receiving His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:1-9).

If you have not responded to the message of the gospel, I encourage you to do so today. Repent of your sin and receive Jesus Christ’s righteousness, in exchange of your sinfulness, on the basis to grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Christ alone.

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!      

 

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Habakkuk: Five Woes, Part 3.

“Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity! Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:12-14)

The LORD revealed to Habakkuk a series of woes which the prophet was not only to receive but also prophesy to the people. The “five woes” is structured in five stanzas with three verses contained in each stanza. This structural form is reminiscent of the Fourth Servant Song of Yahweh (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) which we have previously studied.

Today’s text contains the third stanza, which was God’s third announcement of woe upon the Babylonians. Each woe contained a particular sin for which God judged the Chaldeans as guilty. The first sin was extortion. The second sin was exploitation. The third sin condemned Babylon for being bloodthirsty killers and despots.

I recently watched for the umpteenth time the television documentary on Nazi Germany, based upon William Shirer’s magnum opus The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. The film presentation chronicles the rise of National Socialism in Germany from the birth of Adolf Hitler to the conclusion of World War II in 1945. The viewer witnesses the heights of the Nazi’s nationalistic glory which eventually gave way to the devastating destruction of not only World War II, but also the Holocaust.

Habakkuk 2:12-14 parallels in the 7th century B.C. what many witnessed firsthand in the mid-20th century A.D. Both nations founded themselves on an insatiable thirst for power based upon the destruction of all enemies: real and perceived. Ultimately, the prophet declares that such violence and bloodshed is not glorifying to God. This truth applies to even today’s violent despots.

Habakkuk 2:13 declares “nations weary themselves for nothing.”  This is comparable to Jeremiah 51:58 which says, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire.”\

Habakkuk was pronouncing that nations and political philosophies come and go and eventually result in ruin. However, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” What the fallen world presently runs from, namely the LORD, it will eventually become devoted in worship to regarding the knowledge and glory belonging only to the LORD. Isaiah 11:9 which says, “They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”

Dr. John Walvoord writes, “God’s everlasting glory will fill the entire earth! This verse is based on the declaration in Isaiah 11:9 with only minor alterations. (The earth filled with God’s glory is also spoken of in Num. 14:21; Ps. 72:19; and Isa. 6:3.) Isaiah closed his description of the messianic kingdom (Isa. 11:1–9) by stating that the earth would be full of the knowledge of the Lord. Habakkuk stated that the earth would be filled with the knowledge of His glory. Isaiah dealt with the essence of the kingdom, Habakkuk with the establishment of the kingdom. Isaiah presented the fact, Habakkuk the act. God will overthrow and judge future Babylon (Rev. 17–18) and all ungodly powers (Rev. 19:19) represented by Babylon. The Lord’s glory (Matt. 24:30) and majesty (2 Thess. 1:9) will be made evident in the Millennium and thereby acknowledged throughout the earth.”

Do not be dismayed at the rise and fall of violent nations. The LORD is sovereign and in control. His kingdom will last forever. Are you a member of His kingdom?  

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

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Habakkuk: Five Woes, Part 2.

“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.” (Habakkuk 2:9-11)

The LORD revealed to Habakkuk a series of woes which the prophet was not only to receive but also prophesy to the people. The “five woes” is structured in five stanzas with three verses contained in each stanza. This structural form is reminiscent of the Fourth Servant Song of Yahweh (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) which we have previously studied.

Today’s text contains the second stanza, which was God’s second announcement of woe upon the Babylonians. Each woe contained a particular sin for which God judged the Chaldeans as guilty. The first sin was extortion. The second sin was exploitation.

Exploitation is taking advantage of other people’s misfortunes. Synonyms include misuse, abuse, mistreatment, manipulation and corruption. This was the sin by the Babylonians toward their victims. They abused conquered nations by stripping them of their natural resources and also relocating other nation’s children for indoctrination into Babylonian culture and religion.

The Babylonians would not be safe from God’s judgment. His wrath would come upon them: swift and true.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “The second charge, of premeditated exploitation borne out of covetousness, was a continuation of vv. 6–8. The walls of their houses, built with stones and timbers taken from others, testified against them (v. 11). Wanting to protect themselves from any recriminations their enemies might seek to shower upon them, the Chaldeans had sought to make their cities impregnable and inaccessible to the enemy (cf. Isa. 14:13–14).” However, all this resulted in the Babylonians shaming their own souls.

Dr. John Walvoord writes, “A house built of tortured bodies and stark skeletons is not too habitable. In the fray to erect a monument, they constructed their own shameful (cf. “shame” in v. 16) mausoleum. Death became their due.”

One of the most masterful accounts of 20th century Nazi Germany, and its leader Adolf Hitler, was written by William Shirer and entitled The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.  Shirer chronicles the movement from the birth of Hitler to the end of World War II in 1945. Shirer’s account parallels the biblical recalling of the rise and fall of ancient Babylon and all nations and peoples who would set themselves up against God.

Do not be discouraged when evil seemingly reigns. God is on His throne and always will be. Evil nations come and go but the Lord is eternal.

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!   

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Habakkuk: Five Woes.

“Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long? — and loads himself with pledges!” Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them. Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.” (Habakkuk 2:5-7)

The LORD revealed to Habakkuk a series of woes which the prophet was not only to receive but also prophesy to the people. The “five woes” is structured in five stanzas with three verses contained in each stanza. This structural form is reminiscent of the Fourth Servant Song of Yahweh (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) which we have previously studied.

Today’s text contains the first stanza, which was God’s first announcement of woe upon the Babylonians. Each woe contained a particular sin for which God judged the Chaldeans as guilty. The first sin was extortion.

Extortion is the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. In the Babylonians case, they not only extorted money from conquered nations, they also extorted people (Daniel 1). The irony was that the nations which the Babylonians plundered would eventually plunder them. Those who the Babylonians frightened would frighten them. The truth of Galatians 6:7 resonates here when it says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

John Calvin writes, “Whatever therefore the Prophet subjoins to the end of the chapter tends to confirm his doctrine, which we have already explained—that the just shall live by faith. We cannot indeed be fully convinced of this except we hold firmly to this principle—that God cares for us and that the whole world is governed by his providence; so that it cannot be but that he will at length check the wicked, and punish their sins and deliver the innocent who call upon him. Unless this be our conviction, there can be no benefit derived from our faith.”

As we watch world events unfold through the medium of 24 news channels, it can be to believe that the world is seemingly out of control. However, we must always remember that God is in control and He will do what is right in punishing the wicked.

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

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LORD’S DAY 20, 2019.

On each Lord’s Day this year, we will display the 52 devotionals taken from the Heidelberg Catechism which are structured in the form of questions posed and answers given.

The Heidelberg Catechism was originally written in 1563. It originated in one of the few pockets of Calvinistic faith in the Lutheran and Catholic territories of Germany. Conceived originally as a teaching instrument to promote religious unity, the catechism soon became a guide for preaching as well.

Along with the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dordt, it forms what is collectively referred to as the Three Forms of Unity.

The devotional for LORD’S DAY 20 is as follows. Please take note of the biblical references given in each answer. This morning’s devotional addresses the subject of God the Holy Spirit.

Q. What do you believe concerning “the Holy Spirit”?

A. First, that the Spirit, with the Father and the Son, is eternal God.1 Second, that the Spirit is given also to me,2 so that, through true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits,3 comforts me,4 and will remain with me forever.5

1 Gen. 1:1-2; Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4.
2 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Gal. 4:6.
3 Gal. 3:14.
4 John 15:26; Acts 9:31.
5 John 14:16-17; 1 Pet. 4:14.

May truth and grace reside here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

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Habakkuk: Greedy, Like Death.

“Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.” (Habakkuk 2:5)

In contrast to the righteous who lives by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4), the wickedness of the Babylonians is given a climatic, summary description prior to the LORD’s pronouncement, through the prophet, of five woes. The images God conveyed to describe the nation was not pretty and was not supposed to be. The main idea was that Babylon was greedy.

Greed has often been portrayed in popular culture as a good thing. The more you have, the better off you are. However, one psychologist commented that, “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.”

Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 says, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.”

I  Timothy 6:9-10 says, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

“Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest.” The ancient Babylonians were betrayed by their love for wine. They were addicted to it. In fact, Daniel 5 records that the ultimate defeat of Babylon was preceded on the very night of their destruction by a huge and riotous banquet. Proverbs 23:31-32 says, “Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.” The insatiable arrogance and haughtiness of the Babylonians was compared to a wine besotted drunkard.

“His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough.” The greedy man, or in this context nation, is never satisfied with what it has. He, or it, always wants more. This greed, like death, is never satisfied and ultimately proved to be Babylon’s undoing. See Proverbs 1:12; 27:20; 30:15-16.

He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.” Babylon was likened to a thief. It took what was rightfully not its own. However, there would be a day of reckoning. Dr. John Walvoord comments that, “Like some hideous monster, the grave devours the nations. Likewise, Babylon opened wide her insatiable jaws to devour all peoples. But this evil nation would not continue unpunished. God’s judgment would fall!”

Habakkuk 2:5 would serve as the basis for a series of five woes (2:6-20) which God would pronounce upon the proud and arrogant nation.

God’s word forbids greed or covetousness of any kind (Exodus 20:17). Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Take a moment to examine your inner self and see if there is anything you covet and for which you desire. Repent of it daily and saturate your mind and soul with Scripture.

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!  

  

 

 

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Habakkuk: The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)

Habakkuk 2:4 is not only the theme verse for the entire book by the prophet, but it also serves as the transitional verse between the doubting Habakkuk with the trusting Habakkuk. The object of both Habakkuk’s doubt and faith is God.

Let me say something I have previously said in this column. Everyone who has ever lived, is presently living, and will live, was, is and will be a person of faith. The question is “faith in what or who?” Additionally, the statement “the righteous shall live by faith” may also be correctly translated “the one who by faith is righteous shall live.”

When God says, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,” He is referring to the nation of Babylon and its ruler Nebuchadnezzar who personifies the Babylonian’s arrogance.  To be puffed up means to be swelled with false pride and haughtiness, like the swelling which occurs from a tumor. To not be upright means to not be just or conformed to a righteous standard. This crooked condition is not due to anything outside of the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar, but rather it is within them. It is a fitting and appropriate description of their spiritual condition before the LORD.

In contrast, those who are in a right relationship with Yahweh are not only declared righteous but also live in obedience to the LORD. This obedience is an evidence of faith meaning to trust in, commitment to, dependence upon and a worship and honoring of God. As Dr. R. C. Sproul explains, “Genuine love for Jesus manifest itself in obedience to His commandments.”   

The phase “shall live” refers to right here and now. The believer in Christ is presently not only alive and delivered from the penalty of sin, but also alive and continually delivered from the power of sin. Eventually God will deliver each believer from the very presence of sin when God calls us home to heaven.

Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted three times in the New Testament: twice by the Apostle Paul (Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 3:11) and once by the writer of the Book of Hebrews (10:37-38). Paul refers to Habakkuk 2:4 to emphasize the fundamental God given instrument by which believers are joined to Christ: faith. It is by faith alone in Christ alone that a sinner becomes justified by grace alone. Hebrews 10:37-38 cites Habakkuk 2:4 to stress the importance of faith in the believer’s continual sanctification. Faith in Christ is not a one-time deal so to speak but rather a continuing reality in the person and work of Christ in the believer’s new life in Christ.

Dr. Sproul explains that, “The Lord here (Habakkuk 2:4) discloses the essential distinction He makes between the wicked, the Babylonians, and the righteous, the remnant of Judah. The wicked take paths that lead to death and defeat; the righteous by faith take a path that leads to life and victory. His distinction and the promise it contains for the righteous bring a word of comfort to Habakkuk. It also marks the turning point in his personal struggle over the Lord’s use of the wicked Babylonians as a rod of judgment against His people.”

Dr. Sproul concludes by saying, “One who lives by faith is a righteous person in the sight of God. The righteous live by trust. In other words, the thing that characterizes the righteous person above all else is an abiding trust in God and His promises. Because righteous people trust the Lord, they continue to believe Him even when He seems slow to act. They do not just believe in God—they believe God. Because they believe the Lord, they are faithful to Him and they obey Him—truly though imperfectly— out of their deep loyalty to Him.” 

Which path are you presently traveling through this life? Are you a person of faith in some object other than Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, or are you a person of faith alone, by God’s grace alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone? It remains a question of life or death.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!