God Was Pleased to Use Adversity
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
7/17/2016 PM
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Text:
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Habakkuk 1:1-11
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Psalters: |
288, 77, 244, 329 |
- God’s apparent silence.
- Habakkuk begins by complaining about what he thinks God is doing wrongly to Judah.
- Historical setting: Judah in very poor spiritual condition with sin and vice rampant with authorities being lawless (3,4).
- Habakkuk correctly confesses God’s sovereign control over everything, but that includes the Babylonian invasion.
- What made it worse was the fact that it seemed that God did not answer him: “not hear” not save” (2).
- God finally answers, but His answer creates more questions.
- God caused the spiritual decline.
- He does so to teach His people the horribleness of their sin and sinfulness and the greater power of His grace.
- He does so to teach them to trust His wisdom and to teach patience/endurance to wait on Him to punish the evil Chaldeans.
- He does so to occasion greater sin by the Chaldeans, so their cup of iniquity would be filled.
- Why does God give different and unusual and even perplexing answers to our prayers?
- We ask for spiritual growth (a desire He gives to us) and He sends us trials/temptations.
- Our perplexity about God’s way is not a walk of faith but our being spiritually slack.
- 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.
- Let us learn to respond properly.
- It is not true that sinners are getting away with their sin, nor are Judah’s defeats only because the Chaldeans were better.
- The “problems” we see God using are His means to achieve highest glory for Him.