God Was Pleased to Use Adversity

Minister:
Date: PM
Text: Habakkuk 1:1-11
Psalters: 288, 77, 244, 329
  1. God’s apparent silence.
    1. Habakkuk begins by complaining about what he thinks God is doing wrongly to Judah.
      1. Historical setting: Judah in very poor spiritual condition with sin and vice rampant with authorities being lawless (3,4).
      2. Habakkuk correctly confesses God’s sovereign control over everything, but that includes the Babylonian invasion.
    2. What made it worse was the fact that it seemed that God did not answer him: “not hear” not save” (2).
  2. God finally answers, but His answer creates more questions.
    1. God caused the spiritual decline.
      1. He does so to teach His people the horribleness of their sin and sinfulness and the greater power of His grace.
      2. He does so to teach them to trust His wisdom and to teach patience/endurance to wait on Him to punish the evil Chaldeans.
      3. He does so to occasion greater sin by the Chaldeans, so their cup of iniquity would be filled.
    2. Why does God give different and unusual and even perplexing answers to our prayers?
      1. We ask for spiritual growth (a desire He gives to us) and He sends us trials/temptations.
      2. Our perplexity about God’s way is not a walk of faith but our being spiritually slack.
      3. Paul quotes verse 5 in Acts 13:41 as a warning to the church in Antioch of Pisidia lest they reject the message of Jesus.
  3. Let us learn to respond properly.
    1. It is not true that sinners are getting away with their sin, nor are Judah’s defeats only because the Chaldeans were better.
    2. The “problems” we see God using are His means to achieve highest glory for Him.