Habakkuk

Uh, in Psalm chapter 11- 119 verse 105 it says, "The word is a lamp..." Is, is a what? "And a light to my path always." Psalm chapter 119 verse 105.

Then he, um, Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 1 says, "Your ears shall hear a voice saying, 'This is the way.'" I didn't hear it.

Habakkuk chapter t- cha- chapter 2 verse 1 it says, "I will stand at my watch and I shall see," rather, "and I shall see what..." I'm tr- I'm trying, I'm thinking of how to manage time.

[laughs] "I shall see what he shall say to me." That means that what he says to you you are going to see it.

Yeah.

But they who are single to the truth, waiting daily to feel the life and virtue of it in their hearts, shall rejoice in the midst of adversity, and have to experience with the prophet that 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 will they rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of their salvation.

Habakkuk three seventeen eighteen.

If contrary to this, we profess the truth, and not living under the power and influence of it, we're producing fruits disagreeable to the purity thereof, and trust to the strength of man to support ourselves, our confidence therein will be vain.

For he who removed the hedge from his vineyard and gave it to be trodden under foot by reason of the wild grapes it produced, Isaiah five six, remains unchangeable, and if for the chastisement of wickedness and the further promoting of his own glory, he doth arise even to shake terribly the earth, who then may oppose him and prosper? We remain in the love of the gospel, your friends and brethren.

This we did as believing the journey would have been hard to him and his horse.

In visiting the meetings in those parts we were measurably baptized into a feeling of the state of the society, and in bowedness of spirit went to the yearly meeting at Newport, where we met with John Storer from England, Elizabeth Shipley, Anne Gaunt, Hannah Foster, and Mercy Redman from our parts, all ministers of the gospel, of whose company I was glad.

Understanding that a large number of slaves had been imported from Africa into that town, and were then on sale by a member of our society, my appetite failed, and I grew outwardly weak, and had a feeling of the condition of Habakkuk, as thus expressed, When I heard, my belly trembled, my lips quivered, I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble.

I had many cogitations, and was sorely distressed.

But something that can happen when you're kind of creating the schedule yourself is that you tend to speak from the same books a lot.

You might do a lot on Philippians and Galatians, but you might go a lifetime in church and never hear, I don't know, Habakkuk or something ever read in any type of formal setting.

And among other things, is that one of the goals with a lectionary is to get a wider array of scripture? Or what does this kind of come from, the impetus to have all of these different readings?

Yeah, I think there's a number of different reasons behind it.

And the money will show you, I cannot help you.

Look at Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 18 to 20.

Let's read it to calm down.

Because if I don't say it like this very, very well, Some people were daydreaming during the first part of the service.

Uh, but the more I read the Bible, uh, the less I believe that to be true.

Especially if you've ever read this little obscure minor prophet in the Old Testament who goes by the name Habakkuk, which is a really unique name, because Habakkuk is basically standing in front of God saying, "Okay, God, I've got some questions." And I really identify with the Prophet Habakkuk because he's different than all the other prophets.

The other prophets in the Old Testament were essentially God's spokesmen to his people.

God would give them a message to give to the people, and they would deliver it, right? So it was one of those, "Thus sayeth the Lord." Isaiah does it, Jeremiah does it, Amos does it, Micah does it, and down the list you go.

But Habakkuk is different.

He's having a conversation with God.

All the other prophets spoke to the people for God.

But Habakkuk is speaking to God about the people.

So we need to learn to appeal to God on the basis of what He has said and done in His Word.

In chapter three of Habakkuk, he appeals to God's mercy when He brings judgment.

In chapter one, Habakkuk is crying, "God, where are you? People are sinning." And God tells him, "Habakkuk, I'm bringing the Babylonians." And the guy freezes.

He's like, "I thought you're a good and faithful God."

[laughs]

Superb, they cried.

Who was the author? Where did Franklin discover it? How could copies be obtained? He informed them to their astonishment that it was the third chapter of the prophecy of Habakkuk, the passage to which Mr.

Petherick and his children listened that sad but sunny morning at Twickenham.

The Petherick incident belongs to the 17th century.

Daniel Webster was one morning discussing with a number of eminent artists the subjects commonly chosen for portrayal upon canvas.

I have often wondered, he said, that no painter has yet thought it worth his while to draw his inspiration from one of the most sublime passages in any literature.

And what is that, they ask? Well, he replied, what finer conception for a masterpiece could any artist desire than the picture of the prophet Habakkuk sitting in the midst of utter ruin and desolation, singing in spite of everything faith's joyous and triumphant song? Suppose.

It is a song of suppositions.

Let's quiet our hearts together as we turn our attention to God's Word.

Scripture for day 258 is found in Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 3.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time.

Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come.

Then two other scriptures, uh, dropped into my head, or sorry, two scriptures, two thoughts and scriptures came immediately into my mind.

One was the scripture in Habakkuk, uh, chapter three, seventeen to nineteen, where it talks about, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive tree fails," et cetera.

You know that passage, and it goes on and it concludes with, "Yet will I praise the Lord." And I know Mark Armcat, and I have some awareness that it hasn't been easy in Hope Rock in recent times.

It's, it's been through a difficult season.