If you don't
have a One Year Bible or prefer something online, this link will take you to
the day's reading, http://oneyearbibleonline.com/daily-oyb/. This
site allows you to select from several languages and several English
translations.
DECEMBER 18
Hark! A week before Christmas.
If you can, keep carving out some time to read your one-year Bible. This is a
busy time, but keeping our eyes on the Lord is even more rewarding as we come
to Christmas.
Remember the chart, “Kings of
Judah and Israel and the Preexilic Prophets.”
Habakkuk 1-3
So,
the first order of business is trying to figure out how to say this guy's name.
In the U.S. we generally say, Huh-BACK-uck…or something like that. In Germany,
it is Hab-ah-cook. He probably pronounced it totally differently in Hebrew, so
when you get to heaven, ask him how he pronounces it.
In
the world outside of Jerusalem in 612 B.C., the Babylonians and the Medes
destroyed Nineveh. That created a power vacuum in the world. Egypt was aspiring
to world power status in the south, and the rising power in the north and east
was Babylon. Egypt went up the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to challenge the
armies of Babylon.
Meanwhile,
in Judah the reforms of Josiah created deep changes in some people, but lurking
under the surface was rebellion. When Josiah died trying to stop the advance of
Egypt up through Israel, the leaders did a quick, spiritual about-face. This is
when Habakkuk wrote, or rather, sang. Pharaoh Neco made Jehoiakim (that donkey
of a man) king, and immediately the poisons of a sinful people flowed through
the city and society. This change from godly King Josiah to King Jehoiakim is
what brings Habakkuk to question God.
Apparently
Hab was a Levite singer. Much of this short book is a song. There is a song in
chapter 2 and all of chapter 3 is a song. In fact, the entire thing may have
been put to music, but we'll just have to ask him about that when we see him in
heaven. And remember first, to ask him how to say his name.
Habakkuk
1
Vs.
1-4 This is Hab questioning God about all the injustice he is now seeing in
Jerusalem. Life was so great under King Josiah, but now it was a lawless
free-for-all, and God just kept silent.
Vs.
5-11 Here is what God has planned. He is going to punish Jerusalem for its evil
by bringing the Chaldeans (the Babylonians) to execute His wrath.
Vs.
12-17 Hab now has an even bigger problem with God. How fair is it that God uses
Jack the Ripper to judge Bonny and Clyde? Hab thinks that God should use a
righteous judge, because then there would be a limit and a just end to the
penalty. I think there is also the sense that these are God's own people who
are being punished, evil though they may be. What Habakkuk doesn't see in this,
and why we need to trust the wisdom of God, is that because the punishers are
so deeply ungodly and idolatrous, the people of Israel will come back from
exile, virtually idol free. There is wisdom to God using a greater evil to
chasten His wicked people, making them sick of their own sickness.
Habakkuk
2
V.
1 So, Habakkuk has questioned God regarding His use of the Babylonians to
punish Jerusalem and now he waits for an answer.
Vs.
2-5 God answers that He is going to judge Babylon and that Hab needs to be
patient and wait.
V.
4 The his refers to the Chaldeans.
While the Babylonians grow in pride, the righteous need to wait on the Lord,
living in faith in Him, in His wisdom, in His justice and in His faithfulness.
V.
5 Babylon is getting ready for judgment by becoming "drunk" on its
own wealth and pride.
Vs.
6-20 This is a song. Notice the verses are marked by woe. So, figure out what charges God is bringing against Babylon.
This song is actually saying that God will repay Babylon "in kind,"
that is, with the same cruelty that they gave out. How interesting today that
we have Psalm 137, with those very awful vs. 8-9. Those verses are saying, too,
that as the Babylonians did to others, God will make sure is done to them.
Notice
that all of these things could apply to any person or nation. I think there is
a warning here for any people or nation that lifts itself against the Lord or
against Jerusalem.
V.
14 This is a contrast to the city of Babylon and its wonder, the Hanging Gardens.
Their work was evil and wasted, but God's glory fills the earth and never ends.
V.
15 I think the meaning of neighbor here
could extend to the surrounding nations. Look at Revelation 14:8, Another angel, a second, followed, saying,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine
of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
Vs.
18-19 Note that the woe comes later,
in v. 19.
V.
20 is ominous in that it is a call to the earth from the temple in Zion. I
think that in describing the judgment of Babylon, God is also describing the
judgment of nations during the Tribulation.
Habakkuk
3
This
chapter is a song. Notice that v. 1 begins like many psalms; for example, the
introduction to Psalm 57. Notice too that after certain verses there is a Selah, as is also found in The Psalms as
a musical notation.
Vs.
1-15 Although there are images here that go back to the Exodus and the book of
Joshua, the entire tone seems to be apocalyptic, having to do with the things
we are reading about in Revelation. Verse 13 will certainly apply to God's
vengeance on the nations when Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation.
Vs.
16-19 Here is what Habakkuk learned in questioning God and humbling his heart
to receive God's answer. He is sick that judgment must come, but he knows God's
love and wisdom. He will wait patiently on the Lord. Even in chaos and
disaster, he will rejoice in the Lord. God is his strength.
Vs.
17-19 are not only beautiful, but they are worth memorizing. And I would say
that as we follow Christ as His disciples in His harvest, these verses are the
strength of our hearts too. Especially, since we have already found His love and
are already secure and will have a seat at His table when this darkness comes to an
end.
I'm
sure there are a lot of songs written to certain verses in Habakkuk, but the
verse that attracts me as a disciple is 2:14. As disciples following Christ
with His message, we need to go and draw people's attention to God's Son and
His glory. The glory of God already fills the earth, like water the seas. We
need to point to it and see who is ready to move toward Christ.
Revelation 9
Vs.
1-12 The fifth trumpet sounds. This will appear to be a star or meteor, but it is a he
with a key. Usually this
"he" is associated with Satan. Since it doesn't say it, I'd hesitate.
The next angel who blows a trumpet will also release satanic forces. It appears
that this thing or angel will go to the core of the earth where it releases a
demonic plague of some sort. It will last for five months and it appears to be
insects, literally from hell, worse than fire ants. Maybe they're flying fire
ants.
V.
4 Notice that this will not affect the 144,000 or those who know Christ. I
don't get it either, but just like the children of Israel were spared some of
the plagues of Egypt because they belonged to God, the same will be true here.
The nations and peoples will be so busy trying to kill these things and find a
cure, that the believers in Christ will be free to continue working in the
harvest under the radar. I wonder if someone comes to faith, if the bugs lose
their bite on that person. This will surely be an interesting way to see the
difference between those who belong to God and those who don't.
Vs.
13-19 The focus here is the release of four demons.
V.
15 It is the four demons who, through all that they incite, are responsible for
the death of a third of the world's population. With the fourth seal a fourth
of mankind had died, and now with this trumpet a third of those remaining will
die. Together, that means that half of the earth's population has been
destroyed.
The
Bible does talk about imprisoned angels and some think that these four angels
were chief angels under Satan who sinned as mentioned in Genesis 6 and have
been imprisoned for this very hour.
V.
18 This mentions three plagues caused by these angels. It is hard to understand
all of what they do. It's clear that they dry up the rivers allowing an army of
200 million men to go from the east to the west. Yet, even if China invaded all
the countries west of it, marching right up to Israel, I don't think they could
kill a third of the world's population, so there must be more going on here.
The
earth is looking more and more like Egypt when God's plagues hit it. Imagine
how debilitated and restricted life on earth will be at this point.
Vs.
20-21 All of mankind is aware of these plagues and they are aware there is a
spiritual hand at work. Instead of seeking God, they seek the gods of their own
imaginations. Of course, Satan will also be performing deceiving signs and
wonders, just as Pharaoh's magicians did in response to Moses.
I
don't know, but I think this is near the end of the first 3.5 years. A long
interlude in the judgments is about to follow, and in it the two witnesses will
be killed, ending their 3.5 year ministry. Then Satan is cast down from heaven,
goes after Israel and is given power to kill the followers of Christ. At the
point where the antichrist enters the temple and breaks his peace treaty with
Israel, there begins a part of the Tribulation referred to as The Great
Tribulation. That is the Tribulation on steroids and aimed at the Jews. It is
referred to as "great," because at this point, and for the next 3.5
years, the antichrist will try to exterminate the Jews and the followers of
Christ. It will be good for them that the earth is so wrecked.
Still,
at this point in the Tribulation, the disciples of Jesus, the 144,000, and
those who are now believers, are boldly telling others to turn to God as the
darkness continues to fall. As Jesus' disciples now, following in this harvest
time, we need to be doing the same. When He comes, He comes very quickly.
Psalm 137
I
think this fits amazingly well with our reading in Habakkuk. There will come a
day when a future generation of Israel will rejoice and trust God. This will be
the result of lessons learned from all of the previous generations of the Jews,
whom God used to teach us our failings and His love. That is why we have all of
this written in the Word.
Vs.
1-3 Not only were the people taunted by their captors, they were reminded of
their own sin that brought God to have to punish them by exile.
Vs.
4-6 But now, after God's chastening, all they wanted was to remember Zion and
return to Jerusalem. It was only God's grace, as seen in Daniel, that made this
possible.
V.
7 As we've already seen, God promised a special punishment of Edom.
Vs.
8-9 Babylon may have been God's instrument of punishment, but God never allows
or condones utter, grotesque violence and carnage such as Assyria and Babylon
used. Babylon would be repaid in kind.
Proverbs 30:10
The key word is slander. Apparently pride is at work
here, thinking that since the despised person is a servant and of little
priority or value, you can get away with running him/her down. God says not to
criticize and despise people. It comes from pride and there is a curse attached.
Please Read the
Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His
harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be
willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their
growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C. Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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