Category Archives: Habakkuk

Posted in Habakkuk

Source of plagues, diseases, pandemics

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  • What or who is the source of  sickness and plagues?

There seems little doubt that the COVID-19 virus that continues to plague the world originated in Wuhan, China . Scientists don’t yet seem to have come to a firm conclusion how it came to afflict humans. But really, from our point of view, does it make a difference? It’s here. And we have to deal with it.

Habakkuk makes an interesting observation.

Habakkuk 3:5 NIrV

‘You sent plagues ahead of you. Sickness followed behind you.’                                                         

The Feasts of the Lord: The Feasts, Fasts & Festivals of the Bible by [Cantrell, Ron, Cantrell, Carol]

Judgement

Habakkuk declares that God moves about the earth, like the sun, as we noted in verse 4 – “His splendor was like the sunrise;…” (NIV) He burns up what is in front of Him and chars what He leaves behind in His judgement on evil. “Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.” (Habakkuk 3;5 ESV).

Numerous versions use the word ‘Pestilence’ (burning heat) along with ‘plague’ (devastation) to emphasise God’s scorching holiness and justice.

Plagues, sickness – their source.

  • Is God the source of sickness and plagues? What do you think? If not what does Habakkuk mean in our text verse?

Scripture certainly reveals that God used plagues and diseases to destroy His people’s foes.

We see this to be the case when God produced a series of ten plagues to punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians for their ill-treatment of the Israelites. In certain cases, God seems to be One who is the source of plagues and sickness.

In the story of Job, we see how God allowed diseases to test Job’s faith. Satan did the damage. God allowed it. 

“So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.” (Job 2:7 NIV)

The Purpose for the Plagues

  • Let’s take a look at the Egyptian plagues? (Exodus.7ff)

In his book on ‘The Feasts of the Lord‘ Ron Cantrell has some fascinating suggestions. He points out that in delivering the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, “He purposes to show Egypt that He reigns supreme over the multiple gods of Egyptian religion. The plagues listed in the book of Exodus stand as an audio-visual renunciation of these gods.”

What Gods Is He Referring To?

In his book, Cantrell provides the following information.

  1. The Nile River turned to blood.  The Nile River provided abundant fish, animal and vegetation life to the fertile Nile River Valley and was worshipped as the god Hopi.
  2. The Frogs. Believe it or not, a frog was known as the goddess Heqt who supposedly aided women in childbirth.
  3. The Gnats or lice. Although not regarded as gods, their arrival like the dust of the air would have been a major source of irritation to the Egyptians who were renowned for their cleanliness and hygiene.
  4. Flies. The word normally interpreted flies, Ha-arob, is better interpreted as beetles. The beetle or scarab, was sacred to the Egyptians who saw it as an emblem of the sun god Ra.
  5. The death of livestock. The Egyptians worshipped many different animals but more particularly a deity called Apis, a highly regarded bull.
  6. Festering boils. Moses was instructed to take soot from the furnace used by the Israelites in their toil of making bricks and throw it into the air. The outcome was boils broke out upon both man and beast. This of course affected all the sacred animals of Egypt.
  7. The hailstorm. The worst ever hailstorm to hit Egypt took place destroying all the crops they were planning to harvest. This proved God’s power over nature.
  8. The plague of locusts. The Bible notes that it was the worst locust plague Egypt had ever and would ever experience. So much for their gods whom they relied on for their livelihood.
  9. Darkness. The darkness was so thick people could not see one another—yet the Israelites had lights in their homes. (Exodus 10:21-23) What an obvious insult to Ra their sun-god.

A Final plague

As Ron Cantrell puts it “Pharaoh was coming to the end of his patience and God was coming to the end of His order of attacks against the gods of Egypt.”

    10. Death of the firstborn. The firstborn male of every family, as well as the firstborn of every animal, was slain by the angel of death to show just how powerless the gods of Egypt were.

As we’ve seen the Egyptian plagues were definitely sent by God to punish the Egyptians and force them to release His people. They also clearly highlighted the inadequacies of all the Egyptian gods.

What About COVID-19?

  • Can we attribute to God the plague of the COVID-19 virus or did He allow Satan to inflict it upon the world?

I have no intention of trying to answer that question. Let’s leave that to the scientists. For us, the important question is how it has affected us? Have we changed at all?

The plague of the COVID-19 virus has come upon us all. Many of us have lost people we love to this scourge. I doubt there is anyone alive today that has not been affected in one way or another.

Healed

But God is the One who heals sickness and removes plagues.

Each time Pharoah appealed to Moses to get God to bring a plague to an end, God responded by terminating that particular plague. Obviously, the effects of the plague continued e.g. the crops had been destroyed and would have taken time to regenerate. The first-born sons could not be brought back to life. But God brought that plague to an end.

When Miriam rebelled against her brother Moses’ authority God punished her by inflicting her with leprosy. Whereas most lepers lived out the rest of their lives with the disease, Miriam repented, and after seven days she was healed. 

“When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous–it became as white as snow.  So Moses cried out to the LORD, “Please, God, heal her!” . . . God replied, “Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” (Numbers 12:10, 13,14)

Note that God responded to the prayer of Moses to bring about healing.

God’s Attitude to Plagues

God has no desire to inflict plagues, diseases, pandemics upon us. This is evidenced by the very fact:

  • that an important part of Jesus’ ministry was to heal people,
  • that he sent out His disciples to preach the gospel and heal the sick,
  • and that one of the spiritual gifts is that of healing.

Like Moses, we Christians have a part to play—to pray to God on behalf of the sick and diseased for their healing. But we also need to examine ourselves. Is there something we should be doing, or have failed to do?

An ancient saying sometimes attributed to King Solomon, assures us,

“This too shall pass!” The horrors of COVID-19 will one day, hopefully soon, be brought under control. God will bring the plague to an end. 

As we draw to a close today, take a few minutes to pinpoint at least one thing you have learned as a result of COVID-19.
Then ask the Lord to show you how you can grow spiritually as a result.

You may be surprised. It hasn’t all been bad!

P.S.
If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout this series of studies.

 

Posted in Habakkuk

Radiant like a sunrise

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Morning sunrise

Picture a glorious sunrise.
The sun’s light gradually falls on the scene around you.
The darkness slowly slides away.

Oscar Hammerstein ll and Sigmund Romberg captured the glory of a sunrise in their song “Softly as in a morning sunrise’ which they composed for the operetta ‘The New Moon’ in 1928. In fact, the song actually refers to the budding and blossoming of love. Yet, it nevertheless conveys the gradual radiance created by an early morning sunrise.

  • Can you recall an awesome sunrise that you once witnessed?

An amazing sunrise I experienced many years ago comes to mind. At the docks in Cape Town before dawn one morning I awaited the arrival of one of the Union-Castle liners. In those far-off days, Union-Castle liners travelled regularly once a week from Southhampton U.K. to South Africa.

As I sat on the dockside the sun began to rise across the sea horizon. As I turned to look back at the beautiful Table Mountain, I watched in wonder as the sun’s rays slowly illuminated the face of the mountain, little by little, moving from top to bottom. It was an awesome sight.

Habakkuk seems to have had this kind of picture in mind as he tries to describe the glory of God.

Habakkuk 3:4 NIrV

‘Your glory was like the sunrise. Rays of light flashed from your mighty hand. Your power was hidden there.’

Image by Iatya Prunkova from Pixabay

Brightness like a sunrise

 

The English Standard Version puts it this way:

“His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power.”

The suggestion is that most of His power remains veiled, or concealed.

Consequently, several commentators have likened this to God’s glorious appearance on Mount Sinai.

“…and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.”(Exodus 24:16,17 NIV).

Some compare it to the pillar of fire which guided the Israelites through the desert.

“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.”  (Exodus 13:21 NIV)

Rays of light

Light has a particular significance in scripture.

The CEV says in Hebrews 1:3 that

God’s Son has all the brightness of God’s own glory.

Light is also associated with the preaching of the Gospel.

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16)

This comes in fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy, 

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.’ Isaiah 9:2)

Consequently, the Gospel has brought and continues to bring brightness and light to a dark world enmeshed in evil. Those early disciples who witnessed Christ’s glory could, with all authority, proclaim Jesus to be the light of the world.

Bathed in light

Since His return to heaven, Christ is bathed in light, crowned with glory and honour, and highly exalted at his Father’s right hand, above all principalities and powers.

“Jesus Christ, who has gone to heaven and is at the right side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers.” (1 Peter 3:22 GNB)

God is not only seen as a Light, He is the Light. The Light of God is like a garment in which God is clothed.

“Now the message that we have heard from his Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him.” (1 John 1:5 GNB)

Many who have had an after-death experience, have testified that in the spirit they were drawn towards a bright light before returning to their earthly bodies.

Hidden Power

In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate.   The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. Then God commanded, “Let there be light”—and light appeared. (Genesis 1:1-3 GNB)

The power of God is revealed in that light. The very name God in the New Testament translates the Hebrew word ‘El’ (singular) and ‘Elohim’ (plural), with a root meaning ‘to be strong.’ (Illustrated Bible Dictionary by M G Easton). When ‘El’ is used to indicate deity it is often linked with ‘almighty’. For example, the title El-Shaddai means God Almighty or all-sufficient. (The New Bible Dictionary)

So here we are talking about a powerful God.

Trinitarian power

Now, this is where it gets really interesting. In Genesis 1:1,3 we read,  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth………And God said, ‘Let there be light,….'” The Hebrew word for God in both of these verses is ‘Elohim’ which is masculine plural. (Strongs Lexicon)

So from the very creation of the world, we see all three members of the Trinity involved. Again in Genesis 1:26a we read “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...”  There can be no doubt of the involvement of our Trinitarian God (in other words, three-in-one God) from the very beginning.

Isn’t it simply amazing that the Almighty Creator of our planet and the universe in which it exists, is the same God who sent Christ, one of the Trinity, into our world to rescue us from the power of sin? And then to cap it all, the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, takes up residence in the lives of those committed to Christ as Saviour and Lord.

What a mighty God we serve!

Why not spend a few minutes now in communication with Elohim just thanking Him for His amazing love and provision for your every need.

If you would like to listen to the song Softly as in the morning sunrise here it is sung by the old crooner Bing Crosby.

PS. If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout this series of studies.

Posted in Habakkuk

Selah – Pause and Think

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In our study this week we are going to focus on one word which appears at the end of three sentences in Habakkuk chapter 3

Habakkuk 3:3,9,13b NIV

‘God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
You bare Your bow, naked according to the oaths of the tribes of Your Word. Selah.
You struck the head from the house of the wicked to bare the foundation to the neck. Selah.’ 

Photo by Caleb Oquendo:

 

   Selah defined

Note that all three of the above verses contain the word ‘Selah’. Different commentaries have varied interpretations of the meaning of this word.

The New Bible Dictionary states that in addition to these three verses in Habakkuk 3, the word Selah appears 71 times in the Psalms. It is believed to be a musical or liturgical term.

This Dictionary goes on to list three possible suggestions:
A) It is a musical direction to singers and or orchestra to ‘lift up’ – to sing or play loudly.
B) It is a liturgical mark ‘to lift up’, perhaps to lift up the voice or hands in prayer.
C) It points out that Hebrew versions of the Old Testament imply it is a cry of worship like ‘Amen’ and ‘Hallelujah”

In the context of the above-quoted verses, the third suggestion makes more sense. However, let us look at these definitions a little closer.

All three suggestions create the picture of individual involvement in worship.

  • To what extent do you get involved in worship?
  • Would you regard yourself as a participant or a passenger during a worship service?

These suggestions all reveal that the worship of God’s people in Old Testament times was one of active participation. Also, it was certainly loud.

  • How do you feel about that?

A) Selah –  As a Musical Direction to Singers

One of the commentators for The Biblical Illustrator states, “I think there are more commands in the Bible to sing than there are to pray” (T De Witt Talmage).

He goes on to record the effect of military bands, “You know something of what secular music has achieved. One inspiring national air is worth thirty thousand men as a standing army. In the earlier part of the late war (2nd World War), the Government proposed to economise in bands of music, and many of them were sent home; but the generals in the army sent word to Washington: “You are making a great mistake. We are falling back and falling back. We have not enough music.” Then the Government changed its mind: more bands of music were sent to the field, and the day of shameful defeat terminated.” (T De Witt Talmage – The Biblical Illustrator)

When the Temple was finally completed during Solomon’s reign and the ark of the covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies, we read:

“The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud. “( 2 Chronicles 5:13 NIV)

They certainly made a joyful noise to the Lord as they lifted up their voices in praise. 

B) Selah – As an Instruction to Lift Up

The second suggestion is to lift up perhaps the voice or hands in worship. We regularly raise our voices in worship but what about our hands?

In the Psalms David declares,

“I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” (Psalm 63:4 NIV)

“May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2 NIV)

Psalm 134:2 is an instruction by the congregation to the priests and Levites serving in the Temple.

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.” 

  • How do you feel about hands raised in worship during church services?
  • What does the Bible tell us?

C) Selah – As a Cry of Worship

I find it exciting to be in a gathering of believers such as the ‘Songs of Praise’ gatherings, where the praise is led by a large augmented choir and accompanied by a full orchestra. That for me is a joyful noise to the Lord.

We don’t use the word, Selah in our praise and worship today, do we? Perhaps we should. But according to that third suggestion, the words Alleluia and Amen can also be used as cries of worship. Alleluia, literally means the Lord be praised! Or Praise the Lord! When we say Amen, we are agreeing – So be it! 

Further Thoughts on Selah

In the well-known Bible commentary compiled by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, they say Selah is “a musical sign, put at the close of sections and strophes, always at the end of a verse… It implies a change of modulation and comes from a root to ‘rest’ or ‘pause’ …. implying a cessation of the chant, during an instrumental interlude.” 

Along the same lines, I like the suggestion put forward by several commentaries that “Selah“, simply means ‘pause and think about what you just heard’.

  • How often do you pause and think about what you have just heard or read?
  • Do you take time to pause and think during your worship? What words are you singing? What is God saying to you?

Pause and Think

If you are anything like me you don’t retain much of what you hear or read.  When I am reading a book and have to put it down when I come back to it I often have to go back a few pages to get back into the story.  When I am in church, I don’t remember much of the message hours later unless I have jotted down a few notes.

Remember how God encouraged the prophet to write things down?

“I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance.” (Habakkuk 2:2 CEV)

Paul tells us,

“Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live.” (2 Timothy 3:16 CEV)

It is not only important for us to read the Bible regularly (daily). But we need to put into practice the precepts outlined there for our training in living a Christ-centered life.

Throughout the week endeavour to lift up Jesus.

Take time to pause and think about what He means to you.

Give careful thought to what you believe He has been saying to you personally through this week’s study.

Join me now as we lift our hands and voices in worship to our Lord, using an old favourite.

PS

If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout our time together.

 

Posted in Habakkuk

A Second Coming

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Many Old Testament prophecies pointed to the coming of our Lord into this world as the Messiah. Recently we celebrated that first coming. Many further prophecies point to the fact that at some time in the not too distant future Jesus Christ is coming again to this earth.

Second Coming

Photo by RODNAE Productions

Jesus second coming will make all things new. He will set up His millennial kingdom here on earth.

Habakkuk 3:3 LITV

‘God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His majesty covers the heavens, and His praise fills the earth.’

Habakkuk 3:3 brings about a change in Habakkuk’s prophecy from request to praise. He praises God for His power in the exodus where He rescued the Jewish people. 

As we move on into this chapter we will see that verses 3-15 contain two poems (verses 3-7 and 8-15), recounting God’s deliverance of His people in the days of Moses and the Exodus. 

With this in mind, the prophet is obviously using poetic language when he speaks of Teman and Mt Paran.

But first, let’s see where Teman and Mount Paran were.

Teman and Mount Paran

If you research these two (as I did) you will find many different opinions. However, the main significance of these locations is that they refer to the visible display of God’s glory, e.g. when He gave the law on Mt. Sinai. (Deut 33:2) Habakkuk is drawing attention to the time when God released His people from slavery and brought them to the promised land. 

According to Wikipedia, Teman and Paran were territories through which the Israelites passed on their trip toward the Promised Land. As they proceeded on their journey, the glory of God may have been witnessed in this mountainous area as He led His people past Teman in Edom en route to the Promised Land.

“Teman” is an Old Testament word for “south”. (It is also used in this way in Josh 15:1, Obad 1:9 Amos 1,:11,12) It is also the name of a person, the grandson of Esau and ancestor of the Edomite clan.

“Paran” can be a synonym for Mt. Sinai or another place in the desert where God spoke to Moses (Deut 33:2).

So Habakkuk is referring to the times when God’s majesty and glory covered the heavens.

In chapter 2, we saw how God answered the prayer of Habakkuk by explaining the punishment He would bring upon the Jews, via the Babylonians. This freaked the prophet out, who preferred to focus on the time when God’s blessings were upon the Jews.

Here in this verse, Habakkuk speaks of God’s coming to the rescue of the Jews in Judah. He was looking forward to a time in the future when God’s majesty would again cover the heavens.

If God did great things then, he can surely do great things now!

  • Can you think of any recent events which may point to God still being involved in world affairs?
  • How about the pandemic? Are there any times when you see God intervening on behalf of His children?
  • In your own family and friend circle, have there been indications of God showing interest in you?

His Majesty

In the Literal Translation Version of our text verse, as shown above, we have the word ‘majesty’. Other versions use ‘glory’, ‘brightness’, and ‘splendour’. Let’s think of other occasions when God showed mankind His glory and majesty.

  • God manifested his glory to Moses in the form of a flame in a burning bush. (Exodus 3:2,3)
  • He showed His majestic power in thunder, lightning and smoke coming from Mt Sinai. (Exodus 20:18) 
  • At the completion of the Tabernacle we read …

“Suddenly the sacred tent was covered by a thick cloud and filled with the glory of the LORD.” (Exodus 40:34 CEV) (Although not a biblical word this is spoken of as God’s Shekinah glory).

  • Once Solomon’s builders had completed the Temple and all the furnishings had been put in place …

“The priests carried the chest into the most holy place and put it under the winged creatures.” (1 Kings 8:6 CEV) “Suddenly a cloud filled the temple as the priests were leaving the most holy place. The LORD’s glory was in the cloud, and the light from it was so bright that the priests could not stay inside to do their work.” (1 Kings 8:10,11 CEV) 

It’s that same majestic, glorious, brightness, the splendour of God’s presence that Habakkuk is trying to convey.

Jesus is Coming Again.

When Jesus was here on earth He promised His followers that He would return. Verses about His second coming include:

“The coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning that can be seen from east to west.” (Matthew 24:27 CEV)

“All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30b CEV)

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul describes Jesus’s second coming …

“With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God’s trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life. Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky.” ( 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17a CEV)

Jesus’s return will be a similar glorious, majestic appearing as that of God coming from Teman.

No one knows when this will take place. It is therefore important that we are ready for that glorious event.

In the meantime what ought you to be doing so that you are not caught by surprise and the second coming of Jesus

Jesus’s Praise-filled Coming

God’s coming from Teman and Mt Paran would invoke praise throughout the known world.

Similarly, Jesus second coming will be the reason for great praise amongst all believers.

Jesus’ first appearance on earth was heralded by a heavenly choir singing praises to God.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday it was an occasion of great praise and rejoicing.

  • Try to imagine what it will be like when Jesus comes again.

For those of us who have welcomed Jesus as our Saviour and Lord, it will be an experience of relief that all the trials and tribulations of life have finally come to an end as we go to be with the Lord.  And it will be a time of joyous praise for our glorious salvation.

An Unwelcome Event

But for the unsaved, it will be the most fearful thing in all the world. Like the judgement, the Babylonians would face, Christ’s second coming brings about God’s judgement upon all who have rejected His gift of salvation through His Son.

As God promised to rescue the people of Judah in Habakkuk’s day, He continually seeks to rescue us from the power of Satan and sin.

“…He did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing.” (2 Corinthians 1:10 MSG)

While we anticipate the glorious return of Christ, we have a job to do. Until we either go to be with Him through the gateway of earthly death, or if He returns first, we need to be His witnesses.

You are alive because God still has work for you to do. Perhaps the Lord is preparing you for some special task to accomplish. Spend a couple of minutes listening, and joining in, this old gospel song that tells of His second coming.

P.S.

If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout this series of studies.

Posted in Habakkuk

God Can Do It Again

By Comments:3 Comments

After a break over Christmas and New Year, we get back into our study of the prophecy of Habakkuk.

Many years ago, a favourite song in our church youth group was ‘God can do it again.’

Do you believe that what God has done in the past He can do again?

 In our verse this week the prophet takes us down memory lane.

Remember?

Habakkuk 3:2 GNB

‘O LORD, I have heard of what you have done, and I am filled with awe. Now do again in our times the great deeds you used to do. Be merciful, even when you are angry.’

Photo by RODNAE Productions

In this final chapter of Habakkuk’s prophecy, he launches into an appeal to God on behalf of Judah (3:1,2). He remembers the many previous occasions when God had come to their rescue (3:3-15).   And he expresses his firm trust in God’s ability to do it again (3:16-19).

In our text verse, the prophet remembers numerous amazing things that he had been told, of how God had helped His people in the past and he prays for God to do it again.

What are probably some of the things he had been told?

  • Surely he was recalling plagues that God had brought upon the Egyptians which forced Pharaoh to finally release the Israelites from slavery.
  • Then there was Israel’s passing through the Red Sea on dry land only to have Pharaoh and his army perish when they tried to follow.
  • Then what about the provision of manna and quail along with water from a rock as they travelled through the desert?
  • And of course, there was their crossing over the flooded Jordan River into the Promised Land.

God can do it again

We have recently come through another Christmas season in which we have gone down memory lane as we remembered the miracle birth of Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world.  Across the world, we remembered the amazing miracle of God taking on flesh in the form of His Son to live amongst us.

During His adult years, once He commenced His earthly ministry, Jesus often performed miracles.

  • What are some of the miracles He performed?
  • Try to recall a specific modern-day miracle that you’ve heard about or perhaps even experienced.

Miraculous Provision

During our life as a couple, the Lord has done it again many times.

Just to share one:

When ministering in Zimbabwe both of our sons went down with Rheumatic Fever and were bedridden for months – the older spent 9 months in bed and the younger 6 months. During a time of prayer with my wife, the older of the two prayed that we would be able to get to the beach.

Whaaat?

We lived in landlocked Rhodesia as it was called at that time (now Zimbabwe).  We drove a tiny old car. And we were battling financially. A seaside holiday was not remotely in our thoughts.

Then came a phone call.

It was from a colleague in Durban. “I am sure a spell at the seaside will do them the world of good. When they are ready, phone me.”

Some weeks later, all five of us flew to Durban from Harare. The minister arranged to put us up in a luxury seaside hotel for two weeks. He provided us with a vehicle to get around in with a petrol tank which was always full.

Shirl and I were given a very generous gift of spending money and each child received a bag of coins to use on the game machines in the hotel.

We left Harare airport with the two boys in wheelchairs. We returned two weeks later with the boys pushing their wheelchairs to the terminal building.

The Lord used his servant to bring about miraculous healing to our sons. He had done it again.

Can God Still Do it Again?

And that was only one of our miracles through the years.

Years before, a specialist warned us of a risk to Shirl’s life if she didn’t have a medical abortion. There was little likelihood of her carrying the pregnancy to full term and if she did the baby would be badly damaged.

We refused.

That “badly-damaged” baby is the strapping, healthy, father to two of our precious grandchildren.

Further miraculous healings, financial provision, protection during life-threatening accidents…. oh yes. God has done it again. And again. And again.

Do It Again

The Prophet was filled with awe.  He had heard of the Lord’s reputation and of his intention to punish the people of Judah and then deal with their oppressors.

He goes on to pray in effect a prayer for revival.

“I have great respect for you because of your mighty acts. Do them again for us. Make them known in our time” (Verse 2b NIrV).

Or as our text from the Good News Bible puts it, “Now do again in our times the great deeds you used to do.”

Surely this needs to be a major focus of our prayer, Lord, do again the great deeds you used to do.                     

Be Merciful

Even as he prays that God would reveal Himself to be an active God dealing with situations on behalf of His people the prophet acknowledges that Judah needed to be reprimanded. Hence his further prayer,  “Be merciful, even when you are angry.”

Even though the Lord intended to discipline his people the prophet makes a passionate appeal that through the tribulations that they would face the people of God would come back on track with God and experience his mercy.        

God-given Power

As we have already noted, Jesus’ ministry was full of amazing miracles. Towards the end of His time here on earth, Jesus said,

“I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father” ( John14:12 CEV).

After Jesus’ ascension into heaven and the baptism of his disciples in the Holy Spirit, they were enabled to perform many miracles. “The apostles worked many miracles and wonders among the people” (Acts 5:12 CEV).

“The Lord gave them (Paul and Barnabas) the power to work miracles and wonders, and he showed that their message about his great kindness was true” (Acts 14:3 CEV).

Please, God, Do It Again

We live in a world that is wracked with all kinds of evil. A world lacking in true, sincere, honest, loving leadership. As a result, even godly families are floundering.

Where for many the future appears very bleak, there needs to be fresh empowerment of the Holy Spirit. A realisation that God is not dead, that what He has done before He can do again and again.

Along with Habakkuk, we Christians need to make these words our regular prayer,

“Now do again in our times the great deeds you used to do” (Habakkuk 3:2b).

As we launch out into a new year with its uncertainties, please pray for God to do it again. Pray for a Holy Spirit-motivated revival.—For God to work His miracle-working power again to bring this pandemic to an end.

Pray that the Prince of Peace will bring peace where there is no peace. And rescue all who are oppressed.  Pray for God to guide world leaders to a positive united way forward.

Pray that with me now as you sing along with this song:

God Can Do It Again!

P.S.

If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout this series of studies.

Posted in Habakkuk

Praise and Worship

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What comes to mind when you see the words, the sound of music?

The movie ‘The Sound of Music’ in which Julie Andrews starred, made an amazing impact worldwide.  More than fifty years on it still has a warm effect on many who view it.

The Power of Music

Music has a profound effect on one. It has the power to lift us out of depression. Its rhythm soon gets one’s feet a-tapping.

According to the Newport Academy, music has a direct impact on areas of the brain related to our emotions. It is further believed that changes in music can directly influence our reactions—for instance, if a new instrument is introduced, or there is a change in pitch, volume, or tempo.

Photo by Alena Darmel from Pexels

The above picture reminds me of a Britain’s Got Talent semi-final concert that Shirl and I watched a week or so ago on TV, in which a father and son team got through to the final. It was a delightful episode, featuring wonderful chemistry between the dad and his boy.

Praying to Music

The third chapter of Habakkuk opens with Habakkuk’s prayer accompanied by a musical instrument.

Habakkuk 3:1 NIrV

‘This is a prayer of the prophet Habakkuk. It is on shigionoth….’

Habakkuk chapter 3 has been described as “a Psalm Blessing for God’s faithful acts of deliverance in the past and hope for deliverance in the future.” (Commentary by Bob Utley)

  • Have you attended a service where a musical background is used as part of the service?

In the services that Shirl and I attend, the pastor often comes up to the rostrum during the singing of a song of praise and prays while a musical instrument continues to play softly in the background. It is beautiful.

Music on a Shigionoth

Habakkuk prayed using a Shigionoth. I knew you were going to ask that! I had to look it up.

“The word denotes a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music.” (Illustrated Bible Dictionary by M G Easton)

The Easy English Commentary states, “The book ends with a psalm (a song with music)! Habakkuk may have worked with one of the music groups in the temple in Jerusalem. He tells them what music to use, and what *musical instruments,” (verses 1 and 19).

  • What comes to your mind as you focus on Habakkuk 3 verse 1?

It should not seem strange to us that the verse refers to a sung prayer. We often sing what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. Many of our hymns and worship songs are based on the words of the Psalms, many of which are themselves in the form of a prayer.

In the 1960s, many passages of scripture—particularly the Psalms, were set to music and sung in churches that had come under the influence of the Charismatic Movement.

  • Are you more conservative and prefer the good old traditional hymns?
  • How do you react to the ‘new’ songs that seem to be replacing those great hymns?
  • How do you feel about traditional hymns set to new melodies or rhythms? 

Several of the psalms actually encourage worshipers to sing new songs to the Lord (Psalms 33:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1)

“Tell the whole world to sing a new song to the Lord! Tell those who sail the ocean and those who live far away to join in the praise.”(Isaiah 42:10 CEV)

A Joyful Noise

In the last session, we focussed on the need to come into God’s presence in an attitude of humility and reverence. Here in this verse, the emphasis is our need to praise God, to vocalise our appreciation for whom He is and what He has done.

Many are afraid to sing out because they have not been blessed with a good musical tone. Praise God! That doesn’t worry Him. He just wants your praise. 

Did you know that seven psalms recorded in the King James Version of the Bible encourage us to make a joyful noise to the Lord? Several other translations encourage us to praise God with shouts of joy.

Noisy Worship?

This brings to mind the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa. This proved to be a unique experience for those who attended the matches or watched the games on TV. Not only were they part of a huge cheering crowd, but the African element introduced the constant noise of the vuvuzela.

The vuvuzela is a plastic brightly coloured horn. When blown its sound is like a hunting horn, but when blown by a stadium of football fans it sounds more like a trumpeting elephant.

Image of Vuvuzela by M W from Pixabay

The psalms certainly indicate that Old Testament Temple worship was surely a noisy affair. When one considers the variety of musical instruments mentioned in some of the psalms accompanied by a loud singing crowd the din must have been audible from miles away.

Songs and Instruments  of Praise

The following psalm encourages joyful worship:

Shout praises to the LORD, everyone on this earth.
Be joyful and sing as you come in to worship the LORD!
Be thankful and praise the LORD as you enter his temple.
The LORD is good! His love and faithfulness will last forever. (Psalm 100:1,2,4,5 CEV)                        

In addition in Psalm 150, we have a list of some of the instruments used in the Temple worship: trumpets, all kinds of harps, tambourines, stringed instruments and woodwinds, cymbals and clashing cymbals. (Verses1-6 CEV) 

A shofar, a musical horn made out of a ram’s horn, was also used and is still used for Jewish religious gatherings. 

Shofar image by faherneit451 from Pixabay

Revelation records that at the second coming of our Lord. He will stand on Mt Zion and the sound coming from heaven will be like, ‘a roaring flood or loud thunder or even like the music of harps. And a new song will be sung in front of God’s throne…” (Revelation 14:1-3 CEV)                                                                                                  

Revelation reveals that heaven reverberates with worshipful praise. What prevents you from joining in uninhibited worship of our amazing loving God?

Spend some time thanking God for the priviledge of being able to communicate with him How about joining in this new song which is becoming well known, and worship the Lord now?

P.S.

If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout this series of studies.

Posted in Habakkuk

“Silence Please!”

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Often a court official or the chairperson of a gathering, will request “Silence please!” when a judge or magistrate enters a courtroom, or when introducing a special guest or in bringing a gathering to order. 

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Habakkuk 2:20 GNB

‘The LORD is in his holy Temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.’

Churches Unite for Prayer

There was an occasion during my ministry in Harare, Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) that called for silence.

Christians were deeply concerned about the effect the bush war was having upon the economy and safety of the country. At that time Bob Bosworth an itinerant preacher visited our city. He encouraged Christians to devote more time to early morning prayer meetings. After he preached at my own church, the Hatfield Presbyterian Church, we held 5 am prayer meetings in our church hall every morning for a whole week.

A similar meeting was held once a week for all Christians in the Harry Margolis Hall in the centre of Harare (Salisbury at that time). There was an amazing response as hundreds of Christians gathered each week at 5 am. A wonderful uniting of the denominations, everyone there to pray for the Lord to intervene and bring an end to the bloodshed. 

Silence Please!

The coming together of Christians from different persuasions meant that the prayer times became very loud at times. Leaders from the different denominations had a turn in leading the prayer gathering. When it was my turn, I felt that before launching into loud prayers we needed to first focus on the Lord. I quoted Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.” and encouraged folk to be silent and just focus on our gracious and powerful God giving Him honour and glory before presenting our prayer requests. There was an amazing sense of God’s presence amongst us.

  • Do you launch into a prayer list without really getting your focus on our awesome God first?    

It is important that we take time to tune out earthly distractions and endeavour to tune in to the Lord by focussing our thoughts on Him. This may be through a time of praise or listening to music or a time of silence.

The word LISTEN contains the same letters as the word SILENT- Alfred Brendel Click To Tweet

The LORD is in His Temple

By contrast with the lifeless idols we thought about last week, we worship the living and true God. He does not live in man-made edifices but in His heavenly, holy temple.

Whereas the idols remain silent, the living, sovereign Ruler of the universe calls us at times to be silent before Him. We do this out of respect and awe, after all everything belongs to Him, for He created it and us.

“Lord, You are worthy to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because You created all things, and through Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11 LITV)

Corporate Worship blocked

It has been a tradition for us Christians to gather each week in a church for a worship service. Most Christians found themselves at a loss when due to the Coronavirus pandemic governments around the world banned all gatherings, including church services.

Church leaderships found new ways to hold services and minister to their members. Many resorted to holding online services and even Bible Studies. Unfortunately, there were some countries and areas, especially in the poorer parts of town, that did not have the finances to purchase the necessary equipment and their parishioners were deprived of opportunities to meet together as a body.

As I write, in most countries even though churches are open for worship, they remain under strict protocol restrictions of wearing masks,  sanitizing one’s hands upon entering the church and observing social distancing. This doesn’t apply to all countries, and with the COVID-10 pandemic, this could change at any point.

There is one thing that has become certain to us all during this time and that is, nothing is ever certain!

Worship a precious moment

  • What is the main motivation for worshipping God?

‘Oh, thank GOD–he’s so good! His love never runs out.’ (Psalm 107:1 The Message)

God deserves our worship because of His amazing love amongst many other benefits.

In one of his devotions, Max Lucado’s wrote:

‘Worship is when you’re aware that what you’ve been given is far greater than what you can give.

Worship is the awareness that were it not for His touch, you’d still be hobbling and hurting, bitter and broken. Worship is the “thank you” that refuses to be silenced. 

Worship is a voluntary act of gratitude offered by the saved to the Savior, by the healed to the Healer, and by the delivered to the Deliverer.’ (In the Eye of the Storm’ – Max Lucado)

Worshipful in Silence?

I am sure that you’ve heard people say ‘I received nothing from that service.’  But is worship really purely about receiving?

If that is true, then it all depends upon the preacher’s message. And the service needs to have as its focus ‘the message’. We should call it a Message Service or a Preacher’s Service.

But we call it a Worship Service. Why?

Surely because the focus is meant to be on the worship of Almighty God. Our purpose for gathering is to express to God the gratitude we feel for His amazing love and provision of salvation from sin.

Max Lucado comments, ‘If worship did nothing for you—it would still be right to do. God warrants our worship.’ (Cure for the Common Life – Max Lucado)

In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul has this to say:

‘This is what I mean, my friends. When you meet for worship, one person has a hymn, another a teaching, another a revelation from God.’ (1 Corinthians 14:26 GNB)

These words indicate that true worship is not a one-man or woman show but those gathered participating in one way or another.

Motivation for Worship

When speaking to the woman of Sychar Jesus indicated that true worship is not focused on a place. (John 4:20-24)

True worship depends upon a person—the person of the Holy Spirit.

‘But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him.

God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.” (John 4:23,24 Contemporary English Version)

As you come to the end of this study, ask the Holy Spirit now to teach you how to truly focus your worship on the the Father through the Son.

If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout this series of studies.

Posted in Habakkuk

Do You Listen? Or Do You Just Hear?

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Do you respond to every comment or instruction given to you? Why not?

 

Do the words, “I talk to the trees but …”
mean anything to you? The songwriters Lerner and Loewe wrote a song containing these words for the musical ‘Paint your wagon”.
These words sum up what Habakkuk is seeking to get across in our verse for this week. Like the trees, the stars, the breeze, dumb idols lack the ability to listen and hear our requests. Our communication with them is all in vain.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Habakkuk 2:19 GNB

‘You are doomed! You say to a piece of wood, “Wake up!” or to a block of stone, “Get up!” Can an idol reveal anything to you? It may be covered with silver and gold, but there is no life in it.’

  • If you have a pet, I am sure that you have taught it some neat tricks. What are some of the things you have taught your pet to do?

I know that there are times when parents of young children feel frustrated. They talk and talk but the kids often never seem to listen. It’s like talking to a tree … and they never hear you.

Dumbstruck idols

Habakkuk focuses on the foolishness of idolatry. We may be able to teach our pets things. Yet in fact, you can’t teach an idol a single thing.

Our text verse highlights the Lord’s announcement of how stupid it is for the Babylonians to expect their dumb idols constructed out of wood or stone to actually speak to them. Even though these idols had either gold or silver overlays that made no difference. Idols, created and/or manufactured by people, remain speechless, unmoving, unresponsive, unseeing, and powerless.

This foolishness is evident in the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  (See Kings 18:26-29).

Elijah taunted the prophets of Baal because they worshipped dumb idols. No matter what these Baal worshipers did in trying to coax their gods to bring down fire from heaven to consume their sacrifices there was no response. Regardless of their appearance or material construction, their idols remained lifeless objects.

The Psalmist and idols

In Psalm 135 we read :

“The gods of the godless nations are mere trinkets, made for quick sale in the markets:
 Chiseled mouths that can’t talk, painted eyes that can’t see,
 Carved ears that can’t hear—dead wood! cold metal!
Those who make and trust them become like them.”(Psalm 135:15-21 The Message)

By contrast with these lifeless idols,

“The LORD will defend his people; he will take pity on his servants.” (Psalm 135:14 GNB)

Who will listen?

  • When you have a serious problem and you are seeking guidance who do you first turn to? Your partner, your friend, a family member, your minister?

The prophet mocks the Babylonians because no matter how they tried there was no way their dumb idols could counsel them.

What answer could the Babylonians possibly expect to get from the dumb idols they had made with their own hands?

An idol will certainly make no effort to correct any of us if we become involved in a sinful lifestyle. 

In other words, it is pointless for anyone to seek lasting happiness in anything made by our own hands—in anything other than our almighty heavenly Father.

Conforming to God’s image

God is who He is. Not who we would like Him to be. He is self-sufficient, self-existent and omnipresent. God has His own standards. Therefore we need to conform to His standards. Yet do we sometimes attempt to get Him to comply with our own ideas?

“I know that the Lord is great. That our Lord is greater than all the gods.” (Psalm 135:5 TNIV)

God listens 

Even if the Babylonians spoke, screamed or shouted until they were blue in the face, their gods would not hear them. They couldn’t! They were idols!

By contrast, we have a God who encourages us to be silent and listen for His voice.

Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. Click To Tweet

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be honored among the nations. I will be honored in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NIrV)

In John 5:24, Jesus is quoted as saying:

“It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider.This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.” (The Message)

God hears and answers

Through this step of faith, God promises to hear and answer our requests.

“Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith.” (Matthew 11:24 CEV)

“Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.” (John 15:7 CEV)

“The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot.” (James 5:16c CEV)

Hallelujah! The God we serve is no handmade idol but a living, loving Father who takes an intimate interest in every one of His children and has promised that He will not only hear our prayer but answer in a way that will be most beneficial to us.

Identify one specific issue you need to hear about from God. Ask Him now to provide you with a clear answer. Then this week, keep listening for an answer!

To end on a lighter note, would you like to sing along to the words of the song I referred to at the beginning of this study? As you sing, see God as the “Someone” you’re talking to, and give thanks that talking to God is not at all like talking to the trees!

P.S.

If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout this series of studies.

Have a great week!