Shalom everyone, God bless you, thank the Lord that we can continue together with the study of the book of Habakkuk, the embracer of Israel, and today in this ministry meeting We are in Habakkuk chapter 1 and reading today from verse 12 to chapter 2 and then verse 1. So I would like you all to turn with me to this wonderful book of this man by the name of Habakkuk who had a dialogue with God and was so concerned for the situation that existed among the people of Judah that he had a dilemma and he wanted an answer from God. Habakkuk is the kind of a man just like others in the history of Israel who had concern for the people of God and wanted to see them restored back to the Lord.

From Habakkuk we learn very much. We also are to learn today in the days in which we live in among the assembly the ecclesia the church the congregation we also need today to rise up with the very same concern for the condition of the assembly of the church in these days and so as we read we enter into his second concern after the Lord gave him an answer to his first concern. So Habakkuk speaks to God and he said in chapter 1 and verse 12 Are thou not from everlasting? O Lord, my God, mine Holy One, we shall not die. O Lord, thou has ordained them for judgment.

And Almighty God, thou has established them for correction thou art of pure eye than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devourth the man that is more righteous than he, and maketh men as fishes of the sea, as the creeping things that have no ruler over them. 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. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag, because by them their portion is fete, and their meat plenteous.

Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations? Now chapter 2 of Habakkuk, verse 1, I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. Let's stop here with the reading, beloved brothers and sisters. This is a very interesting passage because in this passage, which we read today, we learn of the second problem that Habakkuk had. The first one, you know, was, as we read in chapter 1 and verse 1, the burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. And that burden comes from the Hebrew word Massah.

Massah means a load. And the load that Habakkuk had seen and was concerned about is the spiritual state of the people of Judah at the time when they were living in the land. Sometime, this event may have taken place at 650, 640, 630 B.C. And most likely, many have suggested that Habakkuk gave this prophecy, this dialogue with God, sometime between 630 C to 625 B.C., before the Babylonians rose to power. And so the Jewish people, to remind you, Israel as a nation was divided into two nations, the Northern Kingdom Israel, the Southern Kingdom Judah. By a few years earlier, the Assyrians came and took the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrian captivity, to the diaspora by the Assyrians and the 10 tribes were already taken captive now what happened is the two tribes the southern kingdom of Judah remained but things went sour there as well and so in due time as they departed from the ways of the Lord they also needed to be disciplined by God and obviously Habakkuk see the condition and as we read in this first chapter he cried to the Lord and he said in verse 2 Lord oh Lord how long shall i cry and thou will not hear even cry unto thee of violence and thou will not save why dost thou show me iniquity and cause me to behold grievance for spoiling and violence before me and there are that raise up strife and contention therefore the law is select and judgment does never go forth for the wicked doth compass about the righteous therefore wrong judgment proceeds so you can see that Habakkuk had a.

Concern about the condition of his people again to remind you beloved brothers and sisters that the name lechabek Habakkuk comes from the word to embrace and you can see that Habakkuk is called by that name which shows his character he is the embracer of Israel he embraces his people out of love and their concern for their spiritual welfare he cries to God to answer him to deal with this issue that there will not be any more divisions in Israel you remember the Psalm 133 that is often sung but is not often practiced whether it is by Israel or whether it is even today in the body in the church of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and that Psalm is Psalm 133 which says behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity in Hebrew hine matov umanaim shevet achim gam yachad there is such a pleasantness when the brethren are dwelling together in unity hine matov umanaim is so pleasant the sitting the dwelling of the brethren together in unity unfortunately it didn't happen in these.

Days when Israel and Judah were in the land and so Habakkuk is raising his voice and he cries to God for help so God gave him an answer in chapter 1 verses 5 to 11 God gave him a clear answer but it was not such a nice answer why because God is saying to him in verse 6 for lo i raise up the caladins that bitter notice that bitter and hasty nation which shall march through the breath of the to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs and then verse 7 to verse 11 God gives a description of the caladins who are actually the babylonians who will rise up to punish and discipline the erring people of Judah so we learned that in history God have used many even worse nations than his own to discipline his own people who needed to be disciplined by him and so he promised that he will raise this terrible and dreadful nation that will as it says here that he will march through the breadth of their land and possess the dwelling.

That do not belong to them and so in the plan of God when he gave this information to Habakkuk he was telling him to Habakkuk that's what's going to happen in the future day and indeed in 605 BC the Babylonian came and took Daniel and his three friends Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael and many of the parts of the temple of the furniture of the temple took it to Babylon they came again in 596 and then again in 597 they took Ezekiel and others ten thousands of the Jewish people to Babylon and finally the Babylonian came the third time in 586 and destroyed the city of Jerusalem burning the temple on the ninth day of the month of Av and the Jewish people have handed over the kingdom to the hands of the Gentile world and the beginning of the times of the Gentile have started and so since then up till even today in which we live in in the last days of the church age the people of Israel are scattered.

And the king Messiah is not yet returned and Israel is still under the hands and the fear of the nations surrounding them and so now we arrive to this verse 12 of Habakkuk 1 and here Habakkuk asks now another question this time he has a second dilemma how is it possible that God will raise a nation that was worse than his own people Israel and use them to discipline his people Israel and so in this passage we learn of the second concern of Habakkuk and here beloved brothers and sisters I like you to follow me as I'm continuing on in that study so chapter 1 verse 12 into chapter 2 verse 1 Habakkuk's second concern second burden as to how God will allow a wicked nation to punish his own people in verse 12 Habakkuk says four things about God even though he had a dilemma he knows that the God of Israel is a holy God is a true God is a God that keep covenants and so in this verse 12 you notice he's kind of saying to the.

Lord he said are thou not from everlasting God are thou not from everlasting you are an eternal God and that word from everlasting or the word everlasting come from the Hebrew word kedim are thou not me from kedim are thou not from everlasting in other words you are eternal God you never change you are eternal God you are the one that ever existed from everlasting to everlasting thou art God you know this is important word and an important statement evident that God is eternal and in his plan he has an eternal plan both for Israel and also for the assembly the ecclesia the called out one the the earthly people of God the heavenly people of God God is sovereign he chooses whom he will and so Habakkuk said thou not from everlasting and using the word mikedem and that word the word in Hebrew mikedem or kedema is is a very interesting word is often used to translate to the English to the word east whenever you say.

Kedem you said you say the word east it's first first time found in the word of God is in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 8 there in this passage it's in relation to the garden of eden if you remember when God made a garden suitable for Adam and Eve to work on this garden and in chapter 2 of Genesis verse 8 we read and the Lord planted a garden eastward in Eden it's not as eastward that comes from the word Kedem eastward in Eden and there he put the men whom he had formed this is the first time that that word Kedem is found in the Scripture in the Hebrew Scripture well this same word is also applied to the promised Messiah of Israel in Micah chapter 5 when Micah proclaimed the promise of the coming Mashiach the coming Redeemer the ruler of Israel he said in Micah 5 and verse 2 but thou bet lechem ephratah though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall he come forth unto.

Me that is to be ruler in Israel this is the promise of the coming of the Messiah who will be born as a man in the city of Bethlehem ephratah but then the second half of this verse Micah 5 verse 2 the prophet says whose going forth have been from of old from everlasting notice the word from of old is come from the Hebrew word mi kedem kedem is everlasting from long time from of old he was already there from everlasting meolam, mekedem, meolam meolam means everlasting forever, mekedem means from long time ago sometime we read in the King James that the translation there take the word mekedem and says from everlasting so Habakkuk in chapter 1 verse 12 saying to the Lord are thou not from everlasting and that same one that was from everlasting is also the same Messiah that was promised to our forefathers the people of Israel that he will be born in the city of Bethlehem but he will be the coming ruler of Israel but he was the one that have already existed.

From everlasting from of old from everlasting this is the Messiah Yeshua Jesus that was born to the virgin Miriam and then he lived his life here and died as a substitute he became the lamb of God which took upon himself the sin of this world but he was much more than just a man he was from of all from everlasting he was the eternal God the eternal son of God who became a man and became a Savior and Redeemer of him we read also in Isaiah as well in chapter 7 that the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call his name Emmanuel God with us isn't it amazing beloved brothers and sisters so Habakkuk as he has this second dilemma he says those four things about God in verse 12 of the first chapter the first thing he says art thou not form everlasting you are an eternal God secondly he continues and he says in the next statement he says oh Lord my God mine holy one he secondly recognized that God is holy and when he disciplines his own people.

He does it justly the Bible teaches us that God is holy remember Moses said to Israel be ye holy in chapter 19 of the book of Leviticus for I am holy sayeth the Lord Israel you need to be a holy people why because I am a holy God and Habakkuk says oh Lord my God my holy one my holy one Kedoshi Kadosh Sheli the one that is a holy one God is holy first John 1 verse 5 says God is light and in him there is no darkness at all therefore when there is violence when there is disobedience when there is sin among God's people he will discipline his own people because God is holy and in him there is no darkness at all and Habakkuk recognized it and therefore after God gave him this information Habakkuk accepted it and he says I know God you are from everlasting I don't quite understand why you are doing things but I accept the fact that thou art holy that thou art for everlasting and you will do the right thing you will do what you wish.

The apostle Peter when he wrote his letter of instruction to the believers to the early Hebrew Christians that were to whom he was called to minister as the apostle to the circumcision he told them judgment must begin at the house of God first Peter 4 and verse 17 and if it first began at us or what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God so God will deal with his people first but what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God and refuse the gospel of the grace of God rejecting the Lord Jesus the Messiah who came to give his life for us and so Habakkuk beloved brothers and sisters continues in verse 12 and he say the third thing to the Lord he said we shall not die in verse 12 what does he mean by that we shall not die another one you will discipline us you will bring the Babylonian against us you will inflict us and use them as a rod in your hand but eventually we shall not die.

You have a covenant that you have made God with our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and we shall not die you know it is interesting that over the generation both in Israel's history and in church history God had to discipline his people and yet Israel remained Israel is there to awaiting the day when the King Mashiach Yeshua will come and they will accept him and he will regather them and reestablish them for the promised kingdom that he has for them, for Israel, our own people in a future day in a Messianic kingdom. Same thing, the church. 2,000 years of church history have nearly passed by. But the church has not been consumed.

You remember that the Lord Yeshua the Lord Jesus said Matthew in chapter 16 he explained this to these disciples that he is intending to build the assembly the ecclesia the church and that nothing will prevail against the church if you remember he said to Peter in Matthew 16 and verse 18 and I say unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my assembly my ecclesia my church my called out ones and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it nothing will prevail against the assembly the kehila and Peter's confession that Yeshua Jesus is the son of the living God the Messiah his confession will remain true because he is Yeshua Jesus is the son of God he is the Messiah and he is the one that will built disassembly and the gates of Hades will never prevail against thee well these promises of God was given to both Israel and the church Israel today is awaiting the day of restoration and even though since that time that Habakkuk was having dialogue with God and soon enough the Babylonian.

Will come and and disperse the Jewish people and from that time up till today even though there is a state there is a nation in Israel since 1948 but the vast majority of the Jewish people are still scattered and Israel the nation is still not enjoying the shalom the peace that God intends for them because enemies are still desired to consume Israel even today as we speak there are nations that from generation to generation seek to destroy our people of Israel and yet never will succeed completely as Habakkuk says we shall not die and so the third thing was he knew that God was a covenant keeping God and the next statement he said in verse 12 Habakkuk in his dialogue with God he says to God God God will eventually punish Israel's enemies and so we read in verse 12 at the end oh Lord thou has ordained them namely the the rising up of the caladins the kasdim the Babylonian thou has ordained them for judgment and almighty God thou has established them for.

Correction in other words they are the one that eventually you will discipline at the end after they have been used by you or God to be your rod against your people of Israel that's what Habakkuk would say unto the Lord in verse 12 you remember in Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 7 we read and the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies and on them that hate thee which persecuted thee God said to Israel knowing ahead of time what will happen in the future day when enemies will rise and come against Israel and God will even use the enemies of Israel to punish his own people but God eventually will discipline them at the end Isaiah also in his prophecy in chapter 10 said in verse 5 speaking about the assyrian who came against the people of the north he says oh assyrian notice the rod of mine anger God used the assyrian as a rod of his anger and the staff in their hand is mine indignation in other words whatever they have done.

Is God had raised the assyrians to become a rod and a staff in his hand i will send him against a hypocritical nation and against the people of my wrath will i give him a charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the street this is verses five and six notice verse seven of Isaiah 10 however how bit however he this is Assyria mean is not so neither does his heart think so but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few in other words the Assyrians didn't see that they were rod in God's hand and a staff in his hand but they in pride thought that they have done that in their own strength so God now in verse 12 of Isaiah chapter 10 says wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord has performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high look.

Therefore eventually God is intending to punish the Assyrian to punish the Babylonian who were used by him initially to discipline his people Israel and his people Judah Judah but in their pride they didn't stop they didn't pause they continue on in their self-will and sinful will they inflicted upon Israel a affliction that went beyond what God have intended and in pride they thought that they did it themselves in their own power and God will eventually destroy these enemies of Israel and so it is with us today beloved brothers and sisters as the believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah experienced persecution realized that eventually God will discipline those enemies of the believers in this present day of the body of Christ and so Habakkuk continue in chapter 1 and verse 13 this time and he described he described or in a sense he is speaking to God again to remind you the prophecy of Habakkuk is not speaking to Israel about their condition and about God no it is speaking to God about the people of Israel and the enemy nations.

That will rise up against Israel Habakkuk is dialoguing with God it's a conversation between the man Habakkuk the embracer of Israel and the Holy One of Israel God Himself so in verse 13a the first part of verse 13 Habakkuk is saying to the Lord thou art of pure eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity God I know who you are I believe that you are a holy God your eyes are so pure you cannot behold evil in Hebrew the word evil is you cannot behold evil and you cannot look on iniquity the word for iniquity is amal is evil doing God you cannot see it among your people and you cannot see it among the nations of the world and you are a pure God a holy one that word for pure is the interesting word because it is used often in the temple in building of the tabernacle and the temple it's connected with the pure gold that was part of the many many.

Furnitures in the tabernacle and in the temple in the book of Exodus in chapter 25 we read that the ark was overlaid with pure gold not only with gold but pure gold the word for pure is the Hebrew word tahor and when Habakkuk says thou art of pure eyes than to behold evil it's not only that God's eyes is holy but he's pure is tahor God is holy God is light first John 1 and there is no darkness whatsoever in God and that's why beloved friend as we read the Scripture no wonder it was necessary for God himself to become a man now this is something that normally people will never grasp unless they will understand that God is pure he is holy We don't realize the holiness of God and the need to judge sin because God is so pure and so holy.

And that's why every of all the golden furnitures in the tabernacle, whether it is the Ark of the Covenant and the cherubim upon there and the mercy seat and a lampstand and a table of showbread all these furnitures were overlaid with gold and not only gold Zahav in Hebrew but pure gold Zahav Tahor God is pure Thou art pure I then to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity when the Lord Yeshua was on the cross on the Roman cross in Psalm 22 he cried Eli Eli lama azavtani my God my God why hast thou forsaken me he cried you remember in Psalm 22 it is quoted in Matthew 27 but what's not quoted in Matthew 27 we have the psalmist of Israel described it the reason that God had to judge the Messiah Yeshua on the cross is because of sin of man and because God cannot look upon sin he must judge sin and so he judged it in the person of this man Yeshua who is also the eternal son of God Jesus.

Yeshua was God and man in one and so when he cried why as men to God the father why art thou forsaken me he answered himself and he knows why because verse 3 of Psalm 22 says but thou art holy thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel God i understand why you had to judge me even though i have been forsaken by thee God but i understand this because thou art holy you are holy thou art of a pure eye than to behold evil and cannot look upon iniquity therefore the Messiah hand to die because sin must be judged and Habakkuk declared this declaration as he communicates with God in his dialogue, in his dilemma and so now beloved brothers and sisters in chapter 1 we continue on in the study of the book of Habakkuk in verses 13b all the way to the end of the chapter to verse 17 Habakkuk questions God about the sins of the Babylonians the Kaladins who are really coming to discipline Israel, but in actuality they are worse than the people of Israel.

So even though he described God who is purer eyes than to behold evil, and can't look on iniquity, he then continues his dilemma. He says, well then, if God, you are so holy, if thou art of a pure eye than to behold evil, how can you allow the nation of Babylon, the Kaladins, to do this to your own people? That's why he says in verse 13b, he says, he says, wherefore lookest thou on them that deal treacherously and holdeth thy tongue when the wicked devours the man that is more righteous than he, he said, you see what Habakkuk is kind of wondering, he says, wait God, wait a minute if you are so holy, if you are so pure if you cannot look on evil and cannot look on iniquity How come, why look at that upon these Babylonians that deal so treacherously and you don't, you hold your tongue, you don't say anything when these wicked ones devour the men or the people or the nation that is more righteous than?

You see, it's funny, sometimes we don't quite understand the ways of the Lord, because on the one hand, the people of God are dealing wickedly one with another. And then you want God to discipline, to deal with the people of God, because judgment must begin at the house of God, right? But then, when God brings a judgment, and get God use and other people to use them as a rod and a stuff in his hand to punish the people of God then we look at the other people we see well wait a minute these people were worse than us so how can you not say anything when they deal with with your own people and so that was the dilemma of Habakkuk because God just described before him in the earlier verses of Habakkuk chapter one you remember he described the condition in verses five all the way to verse 11 of the people that he will raise the nation that he will raise to to punish Israel to punish Judah so now when he described them and God showed Habakkuk how evil the Babylonians will be then Habakkuk have a second dilemma well how can you allow this wicked nation who is worse than Israel to punish Israel I don't understand that and you notice you hold as thy tongue in other words you don't say a.

Thing you remember in the earlier verses of our chapter one he when he cried about Israel condition he said how long will i cry and thou will hear not in other words you didn't respond immediately when there was friction among the people of God and now when you're going to allow the Babylonian to come against the Jewish people you are silent as well i don't understand and how true it is brothers and sisters many times in our lives as believers in Yeshua Jesus the Messiah we don't quite understand why God allows certain things to happen in our life look at your life today look at the condition that existed surround you I'm confident that there are many things that you question and you wonder why do they happen look at the condition the the viruses that are going on even these days in the world in which we live in many are dying many lose their loved ones many lose their jobs many lose their everything and look at the condition the plagues that are going on in the world look at the tsunamis.

That happened some years ago look at the earthquakes that happen in many places in the world look at those things that happen and we are wondering how can this thing happen and it seems to me that the innocent always seems to be killed and die we don't understand and God seemed to be as it says here you are silent then holdeth thy tongue when the wicked devours the man that is more righteous than he look at the wars that exist today in this world the unjust world wars that exist when the wrong people the evil people seems to deal treacherously with the righteous and we do not know why we really have dilemmas ourselves today as Israel and as Habakkuk had this in his own day.

Think about the holocausts that have happened especially the holocaust that happened to our own people some 70 something years ago when six million of the Jewish people were were killed were burned were placed into ovens think about that it is unbelievable what. Man can do and sometimes God used man as a rod and sometimes man because of his evil way treat another look at the various other nations in the world that have suffered suffered by the hands of other nations. Well, we read that, and again, verse 13b, therefore lookest thou them upon them that did treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devours the man that is more righteous than he.

How many times during the church age, Christians, true believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah have suffered persecution by the hand of those who oppose the gospel of the grace of God you remember what Yeshua said in John chapter 16 Yeshua said just at the end of his the upper room discourse before he went to the cross he said to the believers in the city of to his disciples he said these things have i spoken unto you that in me you might have shalom peace in the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer i've overcome the world. John 16 and verse 33 so this world is not our home this world as long that the Messiah Yeshua is rejected by men as long that God is not here recognized as king of Kings and Lord of Lord as long that the Messiah is still despised and rejected of men as long that man is still continue with his own evil way there will not be any peace here in this world but we are waiting the day at the second coming of our Lord Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, who will come the second time and will establish the Messianic kingdom in the coming days.

Interesting. We read in the book of Revelation in chapter one, and I'm going to read this verse for us all for an encouragement. Verse 7, Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him, and all kinders of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. In other words, he cometh. He is going to return, the same Lord Jesus that was once despised and rejected of men. He is coming again to rule and to reign over this world he will establish here him messianic kingdom Israel restored and the world will recognize him as king of Kings and Lord of Lord so we continue in the chapter in that wonderful chapter of Habakkuk chapter 1 in verse 14 on now in verse 14 habaku continue as he's perplexed he's pointing to the to the lack of rule that will exist when the caladins will do what they wish because it says in verse 14 why you remember in verse 13b why look as thou on them and then he continued in verse 14 and he said and make as men as the fish of the sea as the creeping things that have not rule over them in other words you look at them God you allow them and here they come they are behaving like fishermen and they take out fish they take out men they take out your own people the people of Judah and they have no rule over them they do what they want.

Fishermen who go into the sea to the net and drag it in the shore and there is no end these men do what they want they do as they please he says in verse 14 he continued beloved brothers and sisters in verse 15 Habakkuk and this is his dilemma this is his question as we all have questions he continues says they notice he continues speaking about the Babylonian they take up all of them this time is that the second them is Israel Judah they take them up with a hook they catch them in their net and gather them in their drag therefore they rejoice and are glad in other words look what they're doing they're dealing with your people the people of Israel like as a fish that being drawn by a hook catched by caught by a hook and placed into the net and dragged into shore that's how your people are treated by the Babylonian according to what God according to what you told me what a Babylonian will do then he continued beloved brothers and sisters in the next verse.

And he was saying in verse 16 he said therefore they sacrifice unto their net and burn incense unto their drag because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous in other words they are worshiping their own strength their own power the very fact that they have a hook and they have a net and they have this drag they are really rejoicing and glad and proud in themselves and they are worshiping their own strength that it says here in verse 16 and you see that's what happened when men do not recognize that he is everything he has is from the Lord and he should be careful in how he does what he does but he men abuses everything and you remember what the psalmist of Israel said in Psalm 10 about the wicked Psalm 10 verse 2 says the wicked in his pride Thus persecute the poor Verse 3 of Psalm 10 For the wicked boasted of his heart's desire Notice verse 4 of Psalm 10 The wicked through the pride of his countenance Will not seek after God and notice what it says.

In verse 9 of Psalm 10 he lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den he lieth in wait to catch the poor he does catch the poor when he draws him into his net you see this is a truth that is presented before us it was throughout history this truth that men, wicked men is dishonoring the Lord and not recognizing that they need to give an account to God and so in pride they rejoice and are glad in what they succeeded to do the Babylonian to the people of Judah to the people of Israel what a shame and then they are worshipping their own might and their own strength to remind you that the Scripture teaches us that pride comes before a fall God resists the proud but gives grace unto the humble when we in our own sin nature do not recognize that we need to turn to the Lord in repentance and confession and in pride we continue in his own way God will eventually show us that he is the one that will.

Ultimately deal with us and therefore God delight when man is humbling himself before him and recognizing that he is God he is sovereign we are men we are sinners by nature and we need God not only for salvation but also for the way in which we live our life here on earth and so Habakkuk finalized his dilemma in chapter 1 verse 17 when he said shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations in other words if they have done it to Judah will they not continue to do it to other nations because after all their net and their hook become a God to them their power become a God to them they worship themselves they worship themselves and they don't turn to God realizing that they are accountable to the living God Paul said it very clearly in Romans chapter 1 where we read in verse 22 professing, speaking about humanity professing themselves to be wise they became fools this was verse 22, verse 23 of Romans 1 and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God.

Into an image made like two corruptible men and two birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things you see men worship his own creation he worshiping that which he makes his own power his own self and he makes all kind of images as birds and beasts and creeping things and also images of men worshiping idols then we read in Scripture Paul said in Romans 1 verse 24 wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves and notice verse 25 very interesting verse who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the creator who is blessed forever Amen notice what man does by nature when he or she or they do not turn to God they change the truth of God into a lie and they worship and they serve the creature more than the creator God and you see this is what Habakkuk was concerned about when.

He said in Habakkuk 1 16 and 17 therefore they sacrifice unto their net and burn incense unto their drag because by them this is the drags and the net by the drag and the net by the what they have succeeded to do their own power they thought it was their portion is so fat so much they wow look what we have succeeded we have imposed and inflicted affliction upon Judah and their food was plenteous. In other words, they got all kind of things from the people of Judah. You remember again, to remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, when the Babylonian came, just read Daniel 1. They came and they took many of the articles, many of the furniture that belonged to the temple of God in the city of Jerusalem, and they brought it to their own God.

They took the Jewish boys the Jewish people Daniel hananiah azariah mishael and the the godly people of Judah and they took them to Babylon they also took those who disobeyed God and took them to Babylon and then in 586 that's when they finally destroyed the temple in the city of Yerushalayim and burn with fire and the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and Israel Judah was taken to the land of Babylon oh this is the sad sad commentary and there how sadly the people of Israel in Babylon by the rivers of Babylon there we sat down yea we wept when we remembered Zion that's what the Jewish people will do later on when the message of God to Habakkuk will come to pass in those years those three years that are mentioned in history those years when the captivity have occurred 605 BC 597 BC and 586 BC.

And so beloved here it is chapter 1 of Habakkuk and so now we enter into chapter 2 and I just want to read the first verse of chapter 2 after Habakkuk gave or shared his complaint with God then in chapter 2 and verse 1 we read i will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower and will watch to see what he will say unto me then he continued he said and what i shall answer when i am reproved in other words He understood that God is going to respond to his concern and God is going to show him that he is right. So Habakkuk as a godly man, the lover, the embracer of Israel who loved God, he says, okay, here is what I'm going to do.

I will stand upon my watch, in Hebrew, al-mishmarti e'amoda. I will stand upon my watch. I'm going to wait. I'm going to watch and see what God is doing. I'm going to wait on the Lord. He continued, he said, And set me upon the tower. In other words, I will go to the tower. And I will watch, as it were, what's going on around me. You know, when you have in the Middle East, in the land of Israel, those towers in the field. And also the towers that may be as well by the walls of Jerusalem. He's climbing up there on that tower. In Hebrew, it is called matzor.

Tower, matzor, is where you go up and you watch the siege that may rise up against you. And Habakkuk is going to go upon the tower and he is going to stand and watch and set himself up to see what will the Lord say to him and what will happen this is so in a sense it's beautiful when the servant of the Lord is waiting on the Lord to give him an answer and watching and waiting and praying and interceding on behalf of the people of God you see twice already we see Habakkuk concerned about the people of God and twice he's dialoguing and speaking to God about the situation concerning the people of Israel and so to watch and to pray the Lord Jesus instructed his disciples in the very same manner in the Gospels before he had died and gone to heaven in Mark chapter 13 and verse 33 Yeshua the Messiah said take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not when the time is in other words he is speaking about the tribulation period that will come as he mentioned it in the.

Earlier verses of Mark chapter 13 but in those days after the tribulation the sun shall be dark and he's taking the disciples beyond the church age to the tribulation period of which Daniel in chapter 9 describe the seven year the one week it is in Daniel 9 which is seven years long of the tribulation period and he's taking the disciples and in a sense like he's lifting them up and putting them on the other side of the church age and of course they will not be there because they will become part of the assembly the church and will be raptured before the tribulation will begin but their descendants the Jewish people in the future they are doing the tribulation they will be here and he gives them the instruction that they are to take heed the people of Israel during the tribulation are to take heed to watch and pray for they would not know when the Messiah will return in his second coming and they are to watch for him.

And you notice in chapter 14 of the gospel of Mark in verse 38 again the Lord said to them you remember that we read when they were in the garden of gethsemane or in Hebrew gat shmanim the garden where the oil is being pressed the olives are pressed and oil is being created he said to them in verse 38 watch and pray lest he enter into temptation the spirit truly is ready but the flesh is weak he said to these disciples this time he is now taking them to the garden of gethsemane to the garden of gat shmanim this is the place where he anticipated his death on the Roman cross there Yeshua you remember he said Abba father all things are possible unto thee take away this cup from me nevertheless not what i will but what i will and you remember he in agony being there anticipated his death on the tree and then he speak to the father he said if it is possible and we know it wasn't possible he had to die in order to redeem.

Mankind and so he his disciples were so tired and they fell asleep so he returned to them and he said to them you better watch and pray you're going to stay here in this world you're going to enter into all sort of challenges be careful lest he enter into temptation i know that your spirit is willing but your flesh is so weak disciples and beloved brothers and sisters yours and my flesh are so weak and therefore we also need to stay close like Habakkuk and watch and pray and wait on the Lord to hear what he will say unto us so Habakkuk said and I'm reading once again Habakkuk 2 and verse 1 I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower and will watch to see what he that is God will say unto me that is Habakkuk and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

So here is a decision that he made. I will wait. I will wait for an answer from the Lord. And so, my dear friend, when you go through problems in life, when I go through problems in life, what shall we do? We can try to fix our problems with our own strength. We can try to resolve issues on our own, and we often sadly do so. But here we learn the important lesson, that we are to wait and to hope in the Lord, and communicate with Him in prayer, and let Him to be the one that will give us an answer to any trouble that we experience in our lives and he will respond eventually and he will answer our prayer the psalmist of Israel says in Psalm 27 verse 14 wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart wait i say on the Lord and so may the Lord help us to wait on him and the word for wait here it's not only wait and do nothing but wait and hope in the Lord hope in his plan for your life trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path and so we will continue with Habakkuk then in chapter 2 we will go on and see the response of God to Habakkuk concerning his second dilemma and how graciously the Lord come with an answer and help.

Habakkuk understand his plan for his people. So may the Lord bless us all and encourage our hearts today as we follow the Lord Yeshua, our Messiah, waiting for his soon return. May the Lord bless his word. Can you say Amen to this?