In Eric Bechler's sermon on the Book of Habakkuk, he provides an overview of this minor prophet's dialogue with God. Habakkuk questions God's indifference to the wickedness in Judah, expressing frustration over the lack of divine response. God replies by revealing His plan to discipline Judah using the Chaldeans, a violent nation, as His instrument of judgment. Despite the Babylonians' own wickedness, they are chosen to serve God's purpose. The sermon highlights the five woes pronounced by God against Babylon, criticizing their conquest, injustice, and idolatry. Habakkuk transitions from doubt to faith, acknowledging God's sovereignty and expressing trust in divine timing. The sermon concludes by drawing parallels between Habakkuk's time and modern society, encouraging faith, patience, and reliance on God amidst current injustices.

This week at Brenna Bible Church, Eric Beckler will give an overview of the Book of Habakkuk. We're going to take a break from our semi-annual walk through the Book of Lamentations and go through the book of Habakkuk. There'll be a lot of reading. Some of it I may farm out to some volunteers. So if you have your Bibles or phones ready for the book of Habakkuk, we'll go through there and some of it, like I said, I'll read some of it.

I'll ask others to read This will be more of an overview Let's start in prayer Gracious Heavenly Father we thank you Lord for this day. We thank you Lord for your holy word. Lord, each letter, each punctuation, everything Lord is so critical and so important for us. And we thank you for the gift that is so precious to us, your word of God. Lord, I think of those cultures that went through life without a copy of your word and think how difficult life must have been.

Lord, we cherish your Word and we cling to your Word. And in a certain future, Lord, we rely on your Word and rely on you, Lord. And we thank you for all of these things. We thank you for these small books that are almost hidden away in your Word that don't always get to get a lot of attention. We thank you for them and the truth, Lord, that's contained in them.

Pray that you would be with us this morning as we go through the book of Habakkuk and that, Lord, your spirit would be upon us and that you would prepare our hearts for your words that you would help us, Lord, receive that which you would have us receive. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Habakkuk is one of the 12 minor prophets we see at the end of the Old Testament. The label minor prophets are noted not so much because they're insignificant, but because they're short, especially as compared to Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. All 12 of these books were originally written on a single scroll.

We've talked in the past about how many books in the Old Testament were in the Hebrew Bible versus in the Protestant Bible. This is one of the reasons for the difference in the two numbers. When we think of prophets, we think of chosen men who receive a message from God and communicate it to a group of people. For example, Jonah being sent to call the Ninevites to repentance. In Habakkuk, we see him not only carrying God's message to his people, but the people's message to God.

Very little is known about Habakkuk, such as where is he from, what is his lineage, what was his occupation, or even the specific time frame. There are some disagreements regarding the period of time he prophesied. The possible dates range anywhere from 600 to 650 BC. This is during the reign of Manasseh in 697 to 642, Josiah 640 to 609, or Joachim 609 to 598. To give you a feel for what was going on in that time frame, here are some highlights with approximate dates in the range of when the minor prophets were active.

In 931 BC, Israel broken into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom, Judah. In 722, Assyria captures the northern kingdom. In 609 BC, Nebuchadnezzar takes the first group of captives to Babylon. In 586, the fall of Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. 539, Babylon falls to Persia.

516, the temple was rebuilt, and in 430 BC Judah was restored. So Habakkuk, regardless of which group of theologians and historians you agree with, prophesied between the time when the Assyrians took Israel captive and when Nebuchadnezzar took the first part of the Judah captives back to Chaldea. Overall chapters one and two relate to a dialogue between Habakkuk and God. Chapter three contains a prayer, a song in response to that dialogue. So we'll start with chapter 4.

We'll go through as I read through the whole thing here this morning from Habakkuk 1 through 4. The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see, O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear, even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save? Why dost thou shoo me in equity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me, and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slack and judgment doth never go forth, for the wicked doth compass about the righteous.

Therefore wrong judgment proceedeth." It's a strange beginning in verse 1. However, it's not unique. The Hebrew word ma'sa, for burden, means or is applied to certain divine oracles that were negative proclamations or judgments. Isaiah, Nahum, Zechariah, and Malachi also use this term, burden, with regard to judgments on cities and nations. The insight or prophetic vision that Habakkuk has written in his book, This is his burden.

In verses two through four, Habakkuk complains to God. He has two major questions. Why is God indifferent to supplication? How long shall I cry? That will not hear.

It's filled with emotion. Habakkuk is having trouble waiting for God's time. Fundamentally, he doesn't trust God. He complains that God doesn't hear. He doesn't act.

The law is silent. He sees the wickedness and the violence in the people of Judah, but no justice. Where is the punishment that should be coming? The second complaint is why is God insensitive to sin and suffering? The wicked does compass about the righteous, and yet judgment does never go forth.

This is exactly how many Christians feel today in our society has become so wicked and so perverse. Almost 50 years of killing babies, maybe 100 million or so slaughtered, no judgment. The perverse sodomites are becoming more accepted and considered normal in our society. Instead of being an abomination, they are elevated and placed in leadership positions. Still no judgment.

Oh Lord, how long shall we cry? Transgenderism, it's a perversion growing in our society. What's next? How bad can this get? Moving on to verse 5 through 11 in Habakkuk, chapter 1, behold ye among the heathen and regard and wonder marvelously.

For I will work a work in your days which you will not believe though it be told you. For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation which shall march through the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful. Their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards and are more fierce than the evening wolves.

And their horsemen shall spread themselves and their horsemen shall come from far. They shall fly as the eagle that has to eat. They shall come all for violence. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind and they shall gather the captivity as the sand, and they shall scoff at the kings, and the princess shall be a scorn unto them. They shall deride every stronghold, for they shall heap dust and take it.

Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over and offend imputing this his power unto his God." In verses 5 through 11 that I just read, God responds to Habakkuk's complaints in two ways. First, by revealing God's intention of discipline. God gives Habakkuk assurance that he will discipline Judah in a very violent and overwhelming manner, in a way that will shock Habakkuk. The second way is by disclosing the instrument of this discipline. God will raise up the Chaldeans to be a world power, conquering Nineveh, Egypt, and Jerusalem.

God has chosen the Chaldeans as his instrument of judgment. Vivid language is used here regarding this nation and their means of judgment, a bitter and hasty nation, terrible and dreadful, more fierce than the evening wolves. God will use the Babylonians to punish Judah and to remove them from the land for a time. Furthermore, from verse 11, it is foreseen that the Chaldeans will become proud and haughty, claiming their own strength as their God. This will lead to their eventual fall.

We see this as a common response when we get too assured of ourselves and it's talked about in Proverbs 16, 18, pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Nate, could you read Habakkuk verses 12 through 17? Are you not from everlasting? O Lord my God, my holy one, we shall not die. O Lord, you have appointed them for judgment.

O Rock, you have marked them for correction. You are of pure eyes and behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness. Why do you look on those who deal treacherously and hold your tongue when the wicked devourers a person more righteous than he? Why do you make men like the fish of the sea, like the creeping things that have no ruler over them? They take up all of them with a hook, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their dragnet.

Therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they sacrifice to their net, and they burn incense to their dragnet, because by them their share is sumptuous and their food plentiful. Shall they therefore empty their net and continue to slay nations without pity?" Okay, in this section, Habakkuk starts by acknowledging God, the holy and everlasting God, sovereign over all things. Also he expresses faith that the discipline that Judah faces will not be their extermination, but only captivity in the phrase, we shall not die. Then Habakkuk questions God further regarding God's discipline and the instrument to be used.

Why would God employ a terribly wicked people, the Chaldeans, to punish Judah? The wickedness of Judah was dwarfed by the atrocities committed by the Babylonians, yet it was Judah that was being corrected. Why would God endorse a people of injustice? Babylon caught cities and nations like a fisherman catches fish and had little regard for those caught, just as a fisherman has little if any regard for what he catches other than what he can get for them. Why would God excuse a people of idolatry?

Sacrifice unto their net, burn incense unto their drag. Again, Babylon considered their strength as their God. They had pride in their military might. Habakkuk is asking how long will Babylon continue to conquer the nations of the world? When would God put a stop to it?

In chapter 2 In verses 1 through 6a, I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower and watch to see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and make it plain upon the tables, That he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, But at the end it shall speak, and not lie, Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come. It will not tarry, behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith. Yea, also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied but gathereth unto him all nations and heepeth unto him all peoples shall not all these take up a parable against him and its haunting proverb against him and say Habakkuk awaits as in a watchtower He watches for an answer from God to his complaints and to his questions.

He's anticipating a response. God answers Habakkuk's questions with two ways, one with a command to write and one with a list of woes. God first answered Hebeckich to write the vision so that he could carry it to Judah, to write it on tablets so messengers could read it and take it out to the people. God reassures Sebakich that this judgment would surely come, that there is an appointed time. He and Judah must wait on God's time trusting in God's power and God's wisdom.

In verse four we have a gem of a statement, the just shall live by his faith. This is referenced three times in the New Testament in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, although it has a broader meaning than what's here. In the rest of the chapter, in verses 6b through 20, there is contain a series of woes five of them and go through those really quick in verses 6b through 8 woe to him that increases that which is not his how long and to him that laid it himself with thick clay shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee and awake that shelf vex thee and thou shalt be for booties unto them? Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee, because of men's blood and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein." The woe is upon lust of conquest and plunder. How long would Babylon be allowed to continue to plunder the nations?

God reveals that the remnant of people of each nation would rise up and overthrow the Babylonians. Their time would come. The next couple of verses, 9-11, Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil. Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Woe upon plunder and injustice. Babylon conquered many nations and acquired great riches from them. They tried to build up their nest high, inaccessible so that their empire would be free from harm. In the process, many people were killed. Even if all the people had been killed, the stones and timbers of the house would testify against Babylon for their atrocities they committed.

And I'm reminded of a similar statement that Jesus made when he entered Jerusalem, recorded in the Gospel of Luke, in Luke 1940, when Jesus responded to the Pharisees regarding the people's rejoicing, And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. In the next few verses 12 through 13, woe to him that buildeth a town with blood and establish a city by iniquity. Behold is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for vanity. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Our woe here is upon building the cities with blood.

The cities built in this way will not stand and those who build them will be destroyed with them. Babylon itself was a strong city yet it fell very quickly with its people. Here God also says that the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In Isaiah 11 9 almost the same statement is made. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

In the next few verses 15 through 18, woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that putteth thy bottle to him and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness. They are filled with shame for glory. Drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered. The cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on the glory. For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beast which made them afraid.

Because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, the city, and of all that dwell therein, What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it? The molten image, the teacher of lies, the maker of his work trusted therein to make dumb idols. Well upon cruelty to kings and nations. Babylon claimed its glory by shaming those it conquered, by killing many, by destroying the land, the forest of Lebanon, and its animals. The tables will be turned in the future, i.e.

The cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned unto thee. This cup is the cup of fury, the cup of wrath, that will be turned onto Babylon, as foretold by Isaiah. If we look at Isaiah 51 verses 17 through 23, Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which has drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury, thou has drunk in the dregs of the cup and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth. Neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.

These two things are come unto thee. Who shall be sorry for thee? Desolation and destruction and the famine and the sword. By whom shall I comfort thee? Thy sons have fainted.

They lie at the head of all the streets as a wild bull in a net they are full of the fury of the Lord the rebuke of thy God therefore here now this thou afflicted and drunken but not with wine thus sayeth thy Lord and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people. Behold, I have taken out thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury. Thou shalt no more drink it again, but I will put it in the hand of them that afflict thee, which have said to thy soul, Bow down that we may go over, and thou hast laid thy body as the ground and as the street to them that went over. Here we can't but remember the drunken revelry in Daniel chapter 5 with Belshazzar drinking from the golden vessels from the temple and also the drunken escapade that we saw in the first chapter of Esther with King Azraeus and Queen Vashti. Shame and death come and the cup of wrath is poured out on them.

In the last woe in verses 19 and 20, woe unto him that saith to the word, Awake to the dumb stone, arise it shall teach. Behold it is laid over with gold and silver and there is no breath at all in the midst of it but the Lord is in his holy temple let all the earth keep silence before him well upon idolatry verse 19 reminds us of the contest Elijah held with the prophets of Bell on Mount Carmel in first Kings I'll read that And they took the bullock which was given them and they dressed it and called on the name of Baal from morning and even until noon, saying, Baal, oh Baal, hear us. But there was no voice nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar that which was made. And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked him and said cry aloud for he is a God either he is talking or he's pursuing or Isn't a journey or per adventure he sleepeth and must be awakened And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their manner with knaves and lancets till the blood gushed out upon them.

When it came to pass then when midday was passed and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that there was neither voice nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. These idols that are crafted are only objects. They are not gods. They cannot speak. They cannot give guidance.

They can do absolutely nothing. Finally, we come to verse 20, the second part of that. We switch from the dumb idols of the holy to the holy sovereign living Lord. The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.

So the people of Judah, stop doubting, stop complaining, and God is not indifferent. God is not idle. In his perfect time, he will accomplish his divine purpose. And in Zechariah 2.13 we read, Be still and know that I am God. Moving on to chapter three, the first two verses, a prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet upon Shigioneth, O Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid.

O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years make known, in wrath remember mercy." So this is the third section of the book of Habakkuk where he has a song and has praises. Here Habakkuk responds to God. The first verse that I read is very similar to something we might find in the book of Psalms associated with music. We even actually throughout this chapter, we have Selahs intermingled throughout the song.

The verse restates that Habakkuk is a prophet of God and this is his prayer. It is the response of the previous dialogue between God and himself. Michael, could you come read verses 3 through 15? God came from Taman and the Holy One from Mount Perun, Silah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise, and his brightness was as the light.

He had horns coming out of his hand, and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. He stood and measured the earth, he beheld and drove us under the nations, and the everlasting mountains were scattered. The perpetual hills did bow, his ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of Kushan and affliction, and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers? Was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word, Silah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

The mountains saw thee, and they trembled. The overflowing of the water passed by. The deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their habitation, and the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thrush the heathen in anger.

Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people. Even for salvation with thine anointed, thou woundedst the head of the house of the wicked by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Silla. Thou didst strike through with his staffs the head of his villages. They came out as a whirlwind to scatter me.

Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly. Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters. So in these verses, Habakkuk reminds himself and others of the many mighty works of God in the past. Where is Taman? Taman is an oasis in Edom, but might represent the whole area south of the Dead Sea.

Where is Peron? Peron lies west of Eden. This was a reminder of when God came down to Mount Sinai to give the law to Moses. The two horns could represent the two tablets of the law. The pestilence and burning coals are a reminder of the plagues upon Egypt at the Exodus.

We remember the crossing of the Jordan River and the crossing of the Red Sea. The sun and the moon, they stood still at the prayer of Joshua so that Israel could gain a victory. Joshua 10-13. He remembers also Joshua's victories over the nations of Canaan as the Jews entered the promised land. In the final verses here, verses 16 through 19, When I heard my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice.

Rotness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself that I might rest in the day of trouble. And when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labor of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord my God is my strength and he will make my feet like Heinz feet and he will make me walk. He will make me to walk upon my in hind places to the chief singer on my stringed instruments." In these verses we see Habakkuk rising from a place of complaining and doubts that we saw in the first chapter to faith in God and His sovereignty. Habakkuk trembles at what God has told him, the troubles that will be coming to Judah.

Yet he hopes that he will rest in the day of trouble. In this day of trouble, food may be short, no figs, no fruit, no olives, no meat, no flocks, no herds. Yet Habakkuk says, he will rejoice in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Why?

Because the Lord God is my strength. Habakkuk's problem is our problems. We lack faith. We see difficulties and we complain. We're impatient.

We want God to work in our time. What are the lessons we can glean from this book? If we're struggling in our circumstances or in our faith, we need to turn to God. We need to be in prayer. We need to dialogue with God.

And just as Sebakich was watching and listening, writing down what God revealed to him, we also should be ever vigilant, watching, looking for God working in our lives. We need to listen to God. How do we do that? Be still and know that I am God. We're busy people.

We need to stop. We need to read the scriptures. We need to pray. We need to meditate on this word. Writing.

Do you have a prayer journal? Do You have a diary or some kind of journal that you can write down your prayers, and you can write down God's answers. Write down the things that God has done for you. Just as Sebakik reflected on all of God's past works, we can be encouraged and strengthened by being reminded of how God has worked in our lives. Do we observe wickedness and justice and the sort around us?

Just as Zabakak was sickened by the behavior of Judah, we are or should be shocked and sickened by the behavior of our own country and what we see in our state, maybe even our city. Wickedness abounds. The cup of wrath should be getting pretty full. Why hasn't a great judgment on America happened yet? Why doesn't God do something?

Perhaps it's starting. Perhaps we still need to wait. There's not an example in the Bible of a wicked nation avoiding judgment. America will not be the first. We will be judged.

We must wait on God's perfect timing and we must trust in God and in His perfect ways. We must restrain our impulses that demand instant justice. We must remember who's in control. It's not me, it's not you, it's God. In Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6, it's a good reminder for us all.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not unto thine own understanding, and in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. If you come in hard times, I'd recommend you open up the book of Habakkuk. If nothing else, read these last few verses where Habakkuk turns the corner and stops complaining and just puts his eyes on God. That's where eyes need to be.

It's on God. Amen.