Experience a transformative study that bridges historical prophecy and personal faith with Dr. McGee’s in-depth examination of the Old Testament. Listeners are inspired to ascend their own watchtowers, viewing life’s challenges through the eyes of faith, much like Habakkuk did. We ponder God’s justice and timing, considering why He allows both suffering and redemption. Through meaningful anecdotes and scripture analysis, we learn to embrace our questions while resting in God’s wisdom. Whether you are newly aboard our Bible study journey or a seasoned rider, this episode invites you to deepen your understanding of divine justice and find solace in
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
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A virus that shuts down the world, rampant school shootings, continuous political disputes. Does it ever feel as though God has exited the earth and left us to spin out of control? Well, that’s certainly what the prophet Habakkuk thought in his day. Life as he knew it was over, and his whole nation was about to be invaded by their mortal enemy. Well, if you ever wonder how to be a person of faith when the world seems like it’s going to implode, this study will help us find out how to do it. I’m Steve Schwetz, welcoming you aboard the Bible bus with Dr. J. Vernon McGee as we take our trip through the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. We’re going to learn that in times of crises, God is closer than we think. That’s good news, isn’t it? Now, before we jump into God’s word, let’s begin with a series of introductions about prophecy and the covenants of the Bible. Here’s Dr. McGee.
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Now, for the past few books, I’ve taken time out to lift out the great truths and certain features of the Scripture. From now until we get to Revelation, we will enlarge on some particular feature of prophecy that every Bible student must know if he or she is to understand the profound purposes of the Bible. I will do this at the beginning of our Bible study. Prophecy is part of the divine revelation, and it is logical. It reveals God’s game plan for the future. It is chronological, and it shows the place of man in God’s program, which for us, of course, is very important. And I cannot lift out one verse and fit it into another part of God’s program, and neither can you. We need to consider prophecies being very logical. Now, God made certain covenants or contracts with the human race and with the nation Israel and the church in particular. Now, we’re familiar with the covenant God made to Adam and Eve that death was because man sinned. Wherefore, as by one man, sin entered the world, and death by sin. Man could survive on the earth by the sweat of his brow, and woman could endure the pangs of childbirth, a reminder that she was bringing a sinner into the world. Now America, our nation today, forgot how to work and we began to kill the babies before they got into this world. And then we’ve had a depression. It came and weather got all mixed up and the turmoil and the conditions of the world today. We ask the question, were these warnings from God that he judges nations? God made a covenant now, back in the beginning with Noah. God would never judge the earth by a flood again. To keep down violence and lawlessness, God instituted capital punishment for the murderer. He that sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed. God was revealing the sacredness and value of human life, and that governments must be based upon this great premise that they are in position to do one thing, and that is to preserve human life. Now we come to the covenants, and that’s what we’re going to talk about now, the covenants which concern us vitally. These covenants will give us an understanding of Scripture.
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Well, we got just enough time to share a quick letter from a fellow listener named Dale. The World Prayer Team emails are so encouraging. One thing I’ve learned is that no matter where we live, God’s people are struggling with similar issues, and we need to lift each other up. Dale continues, What do I, a man from California, have in common with a young man from Kazakhstan? Surprisingly, a lot. Thank you for offering us the opportunity to pray and support one another, even if we’ll never meet on this side of heaven. Well, you can join Dale and me and thousands of others as we pray for our fellow listeners. Just go to ttb.org forward slash pray to sign up. And let’s do that now. Heavenly Father, would you give us ears to hear and a will to obey your word as your spirit makes it clear to us. Ignite faith in our hearts and then help us to believe that what you say is faithful and true. In Jesus’ name, amen. Here’s Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Habakkuk on Through the Bible.
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Now, in the first chapter of this very wonderful little book, we saw the perplexity of the prophet. He looked about him in his own nation, and he saw that there was violence, the law was broken, and it looked like God was not doing anything about it. In fact, it looked as if God had retired from the scene and had shut his eyes to everything. And then God answered this man, Habakkuk, the man that had a question mark for a brain. And he said to him, he said, you think I’m not doing anything? You have a capital Y for a brain, and that is your question? And you are wondering why I permit evil? God says, I have an answer to that. The answer to that is the first coming of Christ. I’ll provide a cross. And I intend to provide man a way out of his sin. And that’s the reason I permit evil. That’s the reason he permits it today, friends. Because he wants man that want to turn from it. And any time in your heart you’re sick of sin, you can turn to Christ and be saved. And the problem with man is never up in his head. Jonah’s really not your problem if you’re not a Christian. And your problem is not really about the inspiration of Scripture. Your problem is the Bible condemns the life you’re living and you don’t like it. But anytime you’re willing to turn to the Lord Jesus, He’ll save you. God has an answer for your why question. Now, the second is, why does not God judge the wicked? Because God gave him an answer. And God says to him, now, I want you to know about it, that I’m preparing to do something about this. There’s a nation down on the Euphrates River, and I’m preparing them. To come and take my people into captivity. And they will spend 70 years there. And I intend to judge my people. They’re not getting by with sin. And God does judge the wicked. Now, today, I confess, I think they’re getting by with it. Looks that way. But the second coming of Christ is going to be the answer to that. Because it will be then the crowned. He came the first time to wear a crown of thorns and down a cross. The next time he comes with a crown of glory and a scepter in his hand to rule down here on this earth. And so that was the big problem that was before this man. And if you think the first answer was sufficient, you are wrong. It raised a bigger question that this man had. And the bigger question was just simply this. Well, why are you permitting us to suffer at the hands of a nation that’s more wicked than we are? Well, the Chaldeans are more wicked. They should be judged, not us. Now, let me just pick that up back at verse 12. Here, “…art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? We shall not die, O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment, and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.” God says, sure, that’s right. But I move in a mysterious way. I want us to perform. And I move slowly. But I move justly. I move righteously. And I intend to work this out. And I’ll work it out according to my own plan and purpose. And now the question is, why must this happen to us? Why are we going to be judged now and not them? And God’s answer is, I will judge them in time. In verse 13 of chapter 1, “…thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.” Why lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that’s more righteous than he? In other words, he’s saying, we’re better than they are. And why in the world are you going to use them to judge us? And so he changes his tune here, as you can see. And that was the same problem that Isaiah had. You remember God said to Isaiah, I’m going to use the Assyrian to take the northern kingdom. I will also use the Assyrian to scare the daylights out of you folk in the southern kingdom. And they are really going to trouble you. They’ll surround Jerusalem. And God says, the Assyrian, O Assyrian, rod of mine anger, I’ll use you just like a rod. But God says, when I’m through with you, I’ll judge you because of your evil. He did that. Now, he’s going to do the same thing with the Babylonians. He makes it very clear that he intends to judge them. Now, having given that answer to him, and it’s definite and specific, therefore, God is saying to Habakkuk, and I believe, friends, that he’s saying it to you and me today, it’s not for you to question God. What right, friends, have you to question your maker today? What right is a little man to turn his head up toward heaven and look in the face of heaven and say, why do you do this? Well, may I say to you, to begin with, it’s none of your business. It’s God’s business. This is his universe. He’s running it to please himself. We are to believe God. I can remember as a little boy, my dad would get me up at night and wake me up and take me up in his arms. And I’d begin to cry. And I’d say, where are you going? He said, I’m going to take you down to the storm cellar. Well, it was dark down there, and it was damp down there, and it was not really a very comfortable place to be. But you see, tornadoes were in the area, and my dad took me down there. He never answered me at all. He just took up a little crying boy and took him down there and put him on a pallet. And you know, I learned to believe my dad. And I knew of a morning or during the night when he picked me up and he carried me down there, put me down. The day came when I never whimpered. I just trusted him. Now, my dad died when I was 14. I’ve had a heavenly father for many years since then. And there are many times that he does things that he doesn’t explain to me. He took my first child and I really, I had a question mark for that. And you want to know something? I still have a question mark. I do know this. He’s got the answer and someday he’s going to give me that answer. Now, will you notice? hear what this man Habakkuk does. Chapter 2, and we have here in chapter 2 the perception of the prophet, or I put it, perspicuity of the prophet. That sounds, you know, much bigger and better, so I have put that in my notes, but it’s really the perception of the prophet. Before it was perplexity. Now, will you notice, the prophet now has learned that God has an answer. He answered him on the first question. And Habakkuk just didn’t think that there could be an answer for that. But he found out that there was an answer. But now this question, which is a bigger one, he recognizes that God has an answer for it. But it’s a question. And my point is that if you have a question, don’t smother it in some pious way. phraseology. We have so much of that type of thing in fundamental circles today. You hear people say, oh, I trust the Lord. Well, you’re not trusting him. You’re questioning him every step of the way. If you question him, there’s no sin in questioning the Lord. Just go and tell him you don’t understand. And that’s what this man Habakkuk did. Now he’s learned that God has an answer. And chapter 2, verse 1, he says, I will stand upon my watch. and set myself upon the tower, and I will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I’m reproved.” That’s a wonderful verse of Scripture. He says, I’m going to the watchtower and wait. And when he said, I’m going to watchtower, he didn’t mean he was going to read a magazine. He meant that he was going to the watchtower. And that is a figure of speech that you find in several of the prophets. You find it, for instance, in Ezekiel. You remember, it was watchmen, what of the night? And the prophet was the watchman that was to prophesy to the nation. And God says, I’ll hold him responsible. The watchman is the one that watches during the night. And if he is a faithful watchman, the city is safe. But if he should betray the city, or he not sound the alarm when the enemy came, Then, may I say, the city is in deep trouble. And so this man now says, he’s God’s prophet, I’m going to the watchtower. And that’s the place where you watch. That’s the place where you’re on the lookout for a message. Now he says here, I will watch to see what he’ll say unto me and what I shall answer when I’m reproved. Now he says this, I’m going to the watchtower. I’m going to wait. I’m going to be very patient. I’m going to wait because I know that he has an answer. I don’t know what the answer is right now, but he has an answer and he’ll give me that answer in time. And so I will go and patiently wait upon him. And therefore, we have here this very marvelous verse. And I want to change something a little. He says, and what I shall answer when I’m reproved. Now, very candidly, reprove is not just quite the word for it, because he didn’t expect God to reprove him at all. He felt that God would give him the right answer, and then he would understand and not have a question. That is the thought here. It’s not that God’s going to rebuke him and, shall I use the common colloquialism, bawl him out because he didn’t trust God. No, he won’t do that. And that will be forthcoming, and he will wait and delay, actually. And the reason God doesn’t move immediately to tell him is because God moves slowly in all that he does and all that he undertakes. And he intends to give an answer, but it’s going to come in God’s own time. You know, we’re the ones in a hurry. And there’s several expressions that we use today that actually, that’s not scriptural at all. For instance, I hear this, the soon coming of Christ. Now, you show me in the Bible where that is. I haven’t found it. I don’t find that. Now, somebody’s going to send in, behold, I come quickly. Now, that’s in the first part of Revelation. Now, he didn’t say I’m coming soon because if he meant that, then soon has been 1900 years. He didn’t mean that. He says quickly that the things that are mentioned in Revelation that will bring him to this earth are going to happen quickly. And that is something that’s happened in our day that is terrific. Time magazine covered the 10 great crisis events that took place in 10 years. Well, that’s nothing compared to what’s going to happen in the seven last years before Christ comes to the earth to establish his kingdom. The thing that will introduce the seven years will be the rapture of the church. When it leaves, then I tell you like a trip hammer, it’s going to be one blow right after another. And there’ll be more than 10 events take place in 10, in seven years. It’ll be one after the other. So that the Bible doesn’t teach the soon coming. It teaches the imminent coming of Christ. And then there’s another expression that I hear today. And I’ve used the other, the soon coming, but I’ve never used this one. If the Lord delays his coming. And sometimes you hear some pious brother says, now, if the Lord delays his coming, I’ve got news for that brother. The Lord’s not going to delay his coming. He’s going to come on schedule, his schedule, not mine or yours, but on his schedule. And he will not delay. But we must remember the Lord is long-suffering. He’s patient. He’s not willing for any to perish. There’s going to be a company of people down yonder in Babylon that God’s going to save. So this period that the children of Israel be in captivity 70 years is going to be a glorious time for God. He’s going to reach the heart of Nebuchadnezzar, if you please. So we have here a very wonderful verse, you see. Now, what Habakkuk says, I’m going to retire now to my watchtower. I don’t have the answer, but I’m going to get an answer from God. May I say to you, you remember that Paul said, speaking of death, That is, these bodies of ours that are going to be put in the grave. And then the day will come when he’ll come and raise up the bodies. But in the meantime, it’s absent from the body present with the Lord. And when we leave these bodies, we’re going to be at home with the Lord. But the Lord’s moving rather slowly. So Paul says there in 2 Corinthians, the fifth chapter, he says, we walk by faith and not by sight. And so today we walk by faith. Do you have any questions that have not been answered? If you don’t, I do. I have several questions that I do not have the answer for. But I have learned like I did as a little boy. My dad picked me up and took me to the salad. And the Lord today moves me and things happen to me. And I wonder why in the world. But I’ve learned this. He’s got the answer. And someday he’ll give it to me. And that first little girl of mine that he took, I don’t know why he took her. But he took her, and someday he’s going to tell me. So I’ve been walking now quite a few years by faith. We walk by faith, not by sight. And this is the day for us to trust him, you see. That’s the important thing. Now let me move on down here. Verse 2, “…and the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision.” This is something he says, I want the people in the 20th century, and especially that fellow McGee, he seems to have a few questions himself. Write it so that he’ll have an answer from me during these days when he’s walking by faith. And I think he had you in mind also. Write the vision, make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. Now, we get that one twisted out. We have turned that around and say, let him that read run. But that’s not what he says. He says that he may run that readeth it. In other words, you need to have a roadmap with you. You need to know where you’re going. You need to know a great deal about the way that he may run that readeth it. That it’s not he that runneth may read, but rather that he may run that readeth it. That is, he must be the messenger of this vision. to give out. And I don’t like to say this. It doesn’t sound good, but I think somebody needs to say it. There are a great many today that are preaching and are trying to preach and trying to teach that need to do a little more reading before they start running. They need preparation. I remember when I wanted to enter the ministry, I wanted to miss part of my college training, and I wanted to miss my seminary and go immediately to Bible school and start out. I thank God for a marvelous, wonderful pastor that told me, says, take all the training that you can get. Learn to read before you start running. Before you begin to witness, be able to give a reason for the hope that is in you. Now, he says, for the vision is yet for an appointed time. And that’s important to know. At the end, it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come. It will not tarry. You can depend on God to have the answer for you and me someday to all of our questions. That’s going to be a great day. So many people talk about the wonders of heaven and golden streets. Well, I’m not going to be a street inspector. I don’t expect to even take a good look at those golden streets. But I expect to get a lot of answers to a great many of the questions that puzzle men today. But in the meantime, he tells me that I’m to walk by faith. Now, that brings us to a verse that we’ll take up next time. Verse 4, that let me say right now, is probably the greatest verse that’s in the Old Testament. We’ll see why next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
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that’s a great challenge are we reading before we run are we taking the time to study his word to know what he tells us is true by studying the Bible you’re saying something about what’s important to you and let me remind you that no matter if you’ve just stopped on the Bible bus or if you’ve been writing for decades stay with us together we’re traveling through the entire Word of God in just five years in the course of our journey we’re gonna touch on major theological issues in practical topics to all through a systematic study of Scripture. And we want to learn all that we can about God and how to have a personal and intimate relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. It’s a great goal whether you’ve walked with God for five days or 50 years. And to guide you on this adventure, you can download Dr. McGee’s free notes and outlines found in our app or in our digital book, Briefing the Bible. You’ll find a free copy over at ttb.org or call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE and we’ll send an abridged paperback copy by mail to you. Another great free resource that you’ll want to check out is our monthly newsletter. Each issue complements our current study with information to help us apply what we’re learning. More teaching from Dr. McGee is there as well and inspiring information about how God is using Through the Bible around the world. There’s significant updates every month. So sign up to receive a copy in the mail or by email at ttb.org or just call 1-800-65-BIBLE. Now don’t miss our study next time and what Dr. McGee calls the greatest verse in the Old Testament. I’m Steve Schwetz, and I’ll be here holding the doors of the Bible bus open as you hop aboard.
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All to him I owe. Sin had left the prince unsaved. He washed it white as snow.
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Through the Bible is a five-year study of God’s entire Word, and together we discover God’s purposes in history and our lives, found only when we believe in Jesus Christ. Do you know Him yet?
