Habacuque 1

Habacuque 1

Henry - In families and among relations, in neighbor-hoods and among friends, in commerce and in courts of law, every thing was carried with a high hand, and no man made any scruple of doing wrong to his neighbor, so that he could but make a good hand of it for himself. It does not appear that the prophet himself had any great wrong done him (in losing times it fared best with those that had nothing to lose), but it grieved him to see other people wronged, and he could not but mingle his tears with those of the oppressed. They… foment divisions, widen breaches, incense men against one another, and sow discord among brethren, by doing the work of him that is the accuser of the brethren. Strifes and contentions that have been laid asleep, and begun to be forgotten, they awake, and industriously raise up again, and blow up the sparks that were hidden under the embers. And, if blessed are the peace-makers, cursed are such peace-breakers, that make parties, and so make mischief that spreads further, and lasts longer, than they can imagine. It is sad to see bad men warming their hands at those flames which are devouring all that is good in a nation, and stirring up the fire too. Habakkuk 1:5 "Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days-- You would not believe if you were told.: Look among the nations: Dt 4:27 Jer 9:25,26 Jer 25:14-29 Observe: Isa 29:14 La 4:12 Da 9:12 Acts 13:40,41 Because: Isa 28:21,22 Jer 5:12,13 Jer 18:18 Eze 12:22-28 Zep 1:2 Acts 6:13,14 Habakkuk 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries GOD'S FIRST ANSWER Look… observe! Be astonished! Wonder! - These are all in the form of commands and are all in the plural indicating God desires not just Habakkuk but all of Judah to obey these commands - all Judah and Jerusalem were to take note of the imminent invasion. Brenton's English translation of the Septuagint translation reads… Behold, ye despisers (scoffers ~ those who think lightly of), and look, and wonder marvelously, and (vanish) faint with fear: for I WORK A WORK in your days, which ye will in no wise believe, though a man declare it to you. Observe (05027) (nabat) describes that which one does with the eye, everything from a mere glance (1Sa17:42) to a careful, sustained, contemplation. The Lxx uses epiblepo which means to direct one's attention to something. Pusey - There were no tokens of the storm (coming Babylonian invasion) which should sweep them away, yet on the horizon. No forerunners yet. And so He bids them gaze on among the nations, to see whence it should come. They might have expected it from Egypt. It should come whence they did not expect, with a fierceness and terribleness which they imagined not. Because - Whenever you encounter this term of explanation, ("because" occurs 1426x and "for" some 9583x - although not all of latter are explanatory) pause to ponder the text asking questions, like what is being explained?, etc. In this passage, God is explaining why He has just issued a series of "staccato-like" commands. Clearly these are given to arrest and focus the hearer's attention on what He is getting ready to say. Paul quoted Hab 1:5 in his "word of exhortation" (Acts 13:15) before the Jews in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14) declaring… Take heed (Beware!) (present imperative = command calling for continual attention - something only possible as one is enabled by the Spirit) therefore, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: 'BEHOLD, YOU SCOFFERS, AND MARVEL, AND PERISH (aphanizo = blot out of a name, remove from one's sight!); FOR I AM ACCOMPLISHING A WORK IN YOUR DAYS, A WORK WHICH YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE, THOUGH SOMEONE SHOULD DESCRIBE IT TO YOU.'" (Acts 13:40-41) Comment: In Hab 1:5 God is warning that the Babylonians are coming. Paul takes this same warning and in the context of Acts 13, applies it as a warning to his Jewish audience in essence not to reject the Gospel, for their fate would be far worse than a Babylonian invasion. Rejection of the Gospel would result in their everlasting death and separation from the presence of God! The Lord stirring up the Babylonians to discipline Judah was a great work, but the saving work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was an even more incredible work "which you will never believe."