In this episode, we conclude our exploration of Habakkuk, uncovering a narrative of faith that transitions from despair to a triumphant reliance on God’s salvation. As we meditate on the purpose of God’s works and promises, discover how the stories of Abraham, Moses, and Joshua illustrate His enduring faithfulness. We also discuss the personal impact of these teachings through real-life testimonies, reminding us of God’s intentions to shape us according to His divine purpose. Whether during times of crisis or joy, learn how to rejoice in the God of our salvation and remain steadfast in our beliefs.
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
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God is the answer to your questions. God is the answer to your problems. That’s the good news our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, has for us here on Through the Bible Today. I’m Steve Schwetz, inviting you to hop aboard the Bible bus as we set out for the final leg of our journey through Habakkuk. Have you enjoyed these studies in this Old Testament book? Well, we’d love to hear how God is working in your life through our time in His Word together. You know, your letters like this one from a listener in West Bengal encourage us all so much. I live in a remote village along with my son and daughter-in-law. I am 55 years old and widowed. Although I was born to a Christian family, I never knew the Lord personally. For many years, I lived a troubled life and felt as if something evil was controlling me. A few months back, my daughter-in-law started listening to your program, and though I tried my best to turn a deaf ear, I slowly began to follow your teachings. I have surrendered my life to Christ and am no longer afraid or filled with troubled thoughts. I am now filled with God’s joy and peace instead. Well, you know, it’s true, God’s Word does bring peace, doesn’t it? You know, I’ve experienced it in my own life, and I trust that you have as well. We’d love to hear how God’s Word is changing your life, so I sure hope that you’ll take the time to email us at BibleBus at ttb.org or write to us at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109, or in Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. Now, before we begin our study in Habakkuk 3, here’s more of Dr. McKee’s series of introductions on the covenants.
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And we have another covenant now that we want to call attention to today, and that is the Palestinian covenant. Now, Dr. Chafer considered the entire passage all the way from the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy through the 30th chapter. Some just take the 30th chapter. Some just take the first 10 verses in the 30th chapter, and some just take Deuteronomy 30, verse 3 through 5 as the Palestinian covenant. But I think that you need all of this passage in here, and I’m not going to attempt to read it. I will just have to paraphrase it for you. God told him very candidly in the 28th chapter, that if they disobeyed him and were not faithful to him, that he would put them out of the land. But that doesn’t mean that they are not going to be returned, because three times he told them that they would be put out of the land, and three times they’re to be returned. And they’ve been returned twice. And in that first, God tells them that they’re to be scattered among the nations of the world. And among those nations, they’d find no ease. neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest. And that is their condition actually today. Even those that are back in the land do not even know what peace is. And then the Lord says that he intended to turn their captivity, that they would repent, that they would turn to God, that their Messiah would return. All of that is in the 30th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. And I’m not going to Read it. We’ve been over it once, and I gave a certain emphasis at that particular time. But the children of Israel were sent down into Egypt. God told Abraham, I’m not putting them in there now. I’m going to give the Moabites still in the land. I’m going to give him a chance to turn to me. But he didn’t, and then God, through Moses, brought them into the land 400 years later. Then we find that God, through the prophets, kept telling them, because of their unfaithfulness, They’d go into captivity and the final deportation was to Babylon. Judah was carried into Babylon into captivity. Jeremiah predicted it and Jeremiah predicted their return. That was what Daniel was reading and made that discovery that God intended to return them back to the land. He did that under Ezra and Nehemiah. They returned back to the land. Never was a complete return, of course, but it was wide open for any of them that wanted to. Now, God again said they’re going to be scattered from the land. Actually, the Lord Jesus Christ made that very clear, that they were to be put out of the land, Jerusalem would be destroyed, but that they would come back to the land. And God has a covenant He’s made with these people that He will return them So that land, and we’ll be seeing that in the new covenant that God has made with them. And that covenant is different than the new covenant He’s made with us today. So that we have here this Palestinian covenant. They have a land forever, but they’re out of it because of disobedience. But it has not broken God’s covenant at all.
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We’ll hear more from Dr. McGee on this topic in upcoming programs, so keep getting on the Bible bus each day. Let’s pray for one another. Heavenly Father, thank you for all that we’re learning. And as we conclude this wonderful study, let our hearts be encouraged by your word. In Jesus’ name, amen. Well, we’re off to Habakkuk 3 as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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Now, friends, we’re coming here to this last chapter in Habakkuk, the third chapter, and we mention the fact that we have God’s program outlined for us, beginning with verse 3 down through 16. In other words, what Habakkuk is really doing here is he is going over God’s dealings with his people down through the centuries. And in view of the faithfulness of God and the faithlessness of the people, and God never gave them up, this man is encouraged about the future. And therefore, that has caused him to pen this pen of praise unto God. among three different individuals. We saw in verses 3 to 6, Abraham. Evidently, he moves back to the very beginning when God called the nation, but he called a man first, and from that man made the nation. Then we move down where we are today at verse 7, and Moses is definitely before us here. In fact, there are many that feel like Moses is before us from verse 3 on. But that, I think, is merely a minor detail. The important thing is, whether it’s Abraham or Moses, God was moving. But it’s certainly Moses here at verse 7. He says, I saw the tents. of kushan and that is ethiopia in affliction and the curtains of the land of midian did tremble now you will recall that this man moses went down into the land of midian and it is believed now by some scholars that Moses, when he was Pharaoh’s daughter’s son, that is, an adopted son, that he probably led a campaign into Ethiopia. But that, of course, is not really a matter of record, but the belief of some scholars today. Now, let me move on down here, verse 8. “‘Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers?’ In other words, God opened up the rivers for them. You will recall how they crossed the Jordan River, how they crossed actually the Red Sea. And that is what is in mind here, because he goes on and says, “…was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation.” This is highly figurative, beautiful language, by the way, and it’s Hebrew poetry, and it speaks of the fact that God was not angry with the rivers because they blocked the way. He just merely opened up the Red Sea and let them cross over, as He did later the Jordan River. And now I read verse 9, “…thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word.” And this is Selah. In other words, God was making good his covenant, his promise to his people. And believe me, Selah here could really mean you need to pound those drums again, drummer, because this is something to wake them up and cause them to listen to what God has to say. “‘Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.'” And did you ever stop to think of this earth today as being sliced? God sliced it with rivers. The rivers are like a great slice down through the earth. What a highly figurative picture, but what an accurate picture, by the way, that’s given to us here. Now will you notice verse 10? “…the mountains saw thee, and they trembled, the overflowing of the water passed by.” The deep uttered its voice and lifted up its hands on high. Now, you will recall that when Moses went up and got the law on the top of Mount Sinai, there at the giving of the law, it trembled. And the children of Israel were so frightened. that they actually didn’t want to come near. They didn’t want God to speak to them at all. They were absolutely frightened at that time. And Moses, you’ll recall, went up and got the Ten Commandments. Then he came down from there. Now, that’s the picture of how Moses delivered the children of Israel. You have God making a covenant with Abraham. He made it good. Now, God has made a covenant with Moses, and he made it good. that he delivered them out of the land of Egypt. And he delivered them out of the land of Egypt. Now we come in verse 11 to Joshua. And I think that it’s quite definite that Joshua’s in the background here. But as we said last time, the names of these men are not mentioned here at all. Because actually, it’s the acts of God that we’re dealing with. Verse 11, “…the sun and moon stood still in their habitation.” And that immediately would identify Joshua. At the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. In other words, the very shining of the sun was like a glittering spear. Thou didst march through the land in indignation. Thou didst thresh the nations in anger. In other words, when God put his people in that land, he put them in there and removed them because of the sin in their lives. The Amorites that occupied the section in which Jericho was located, they were eaten up with venereal disease. And God moved them out of that land because they would have infected the entire human family at that time because it was almost a plague among the peoples in those days. Now, we read here at verse 13, “…thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people.” even for salvation with thine anointed. And there’s been a question of whether thine anointed refers to Israel or to the Messiah. And personally, I think it means the Messiah here, even for salvation with thine anointed, because it’s the Lord Jesus. that is the Savior, as well as the anointed one, the Messiah. Thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked by laying bare the foundation unto the neck, Selah. And when the anointed one is mentioned here, why, the music is to reach the highest crescendo. This is, I guess, what they call in music fortissimo. This is way up yonder. This is where you need a good soprano and a good basso. And my, I tell you, this is praise unto God for the salvation that he wrought for these people. He delivered them out of Egypt unto Moses. He brought them into the land through Joshua. But it was all the acts of God, and it was God-made. making good his promise to them. And this was his salvation to them. Now, will you notice verse 15, thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses through the heap of great waters. And the Jordan River, you remember, was open at the time Joshua brought them into the land. Now you have the reaction here of the prophet. And I could only wish that I could do justice to the remainder of this little book and of this chapter here. I know that I’m totally inadequate to present it as it should be presented to you. This is one of the great passages of the Word of God. I wish that somehow or another I could convey to your heart today something of the grandeur and the glory that you have in this section here. Now, let me read it all first and then come back. Verse 16, “…when I heard, my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice.” Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble. When he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. Now listen to this. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no food. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet. And he’ll make me walk upon mine high places to the chief singer on my stringed instruments. This man now gives us his own personal experience here at the end. He opened, by the way, with his own personal experience. Now, we have here the position of the prophet. And he tells about his own physical reaction to all of this. Did you ever have that sinking feeling in the pit of your tummy when some crisis faces you or you come to some place in life where there is a great emergency? Well, that was the experience of this man. He says, when I heard my belly trembled. My lips quivered at the voice. And have you been so frightened that you could not speak audibly? I’m sure most of us have had an experience like that. I had that kind of an experience as a young man. I was going to see a young lady. And apparently some peeping Tom after the girl next door had a young man that was keeping company with her. And after we would leave, apparently this peeping Tom found a place where he could get on the porch and he could look into both bedrooms on both sides where these girls and they were sisters in both places, two girls in both places. And he apparently had been doing that for some time. And this night, they thought he passed by the window next door. And so they called where I was. And I very foolishly, the girl brought me her father’s pistol and I walked to the alley in the back. I should have stayed out of that backyard. But there was a big high fence there. And I was walking back and I was getting ready to tell them there was no use being afraid. Wasn’t anybody there. And all of a sudden, a form appeared right above me on that fence. That fellow could have jumped down on me, but he was so frightened at seeing me, he didn’t budge, and I didn’t either. I tried to raise the gun to shoot, and I thank God I was not able to do it. I was so frightened. And I tried to talk, and I couldn’t say anything. And the girl called her father and said, he’s choking Vernon out there. And he wasn’t choking me. I was scared to death. I just couldn’t open my void. And instead of being a hero like I intended to be that evening, I turned out to be a very sorry one. And the fellow, whoever he was, the peep at top, dropped down on the other side and started running. And I put the gun on the fence. I couldn’t hold it steady. And I shot at him twice. But he was perfectly safe. I don’t think I got, in fact, in his neighborhood. at all. But the important thing is that I use that to let you know that I know what it is to be frightened, friends, and the voice to quiver. And then he says, rottenness entered into my bones. That means he couldn’t stand up. I had to hold on to something. And I trembled in myself that I might rest in the day of trouble. In other words, he saw that God was going to move in judgment. And he knew that it would mean hard and difficult times. And he said, regardless of what happens, he says, though the fig trees shall not blossom, there’ll be no fruit in the vines, there’ll be no grapes, there’ll be nothing. He said, in spite of all that, I will rejoice in the Lord and I will joy in the God of my salvation. Now, I want you to see this because this is so important for us to see, friends, especially in these days in which we live. And so much is being promised today. I get literature. I’ve thrown something here in the wastebasket today. And it is a magazine that comes from a so-called Christian work that tells about all the things that you can get through prayer. that God will make you prosperous. He’ll give you health. He’ll give you everything. My friend, may I say to you, God is not a glorified Santa Claus. Our God today is moving in a very definite way. And if you want the answer to your problems, and the answer is here, and that answer, by the way, is just simply this, God is the answer to our problem. This man came to God at the beginning, and he says, why are you doing certain things? Why are you permitting me to see evil? Why don’t you move? And then he brought him to the watchtower and he let him see what he was doing. And now this man says, I’m going to walk by faith with God. He’s the answer to your problem today. I don’t know who you are or what your problem is, but my friend, God is the answer. You can have faith and confidence in him, and God has a purpose in your life. Every one of you, God intends to carry through that. You can trust Christ today. And when you trust him, he’ll begin to work in you. And he wants to conform you to his image. It’s God’s intention to make you like Christ. As Paul says in Romans 8, 28, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. Now, regardless of the big words there, God’s eternal purpose with you is to make you like Jesus Christ. And he says again in 2 Corinthians 3, 18, But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. My friend, God has a purpose for you. I don’t care who you are. And for anybody to say that somebody else has a greater purpose in life than you have is entirely wrong. You are as important in God’s plan and purpose today as any individual that’s ever lived on this earth or ever will live on this earth. He wants to make you like Christ. And again, in 1 Corinthians 15, 47, the first man is of the earth earthy. The second man is the Lord from heaven. That’s the Lord Jesus, as is the earthy. such are they also that are earthy. And as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne also the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. We are down here in these human bodies that have been taken actually out of the dirt. And God has made us human beings. But that’s not his final purpose. We are earthy. He wants us to be heavenly. And that is his goal for us. Suppose that you had lived in the days of Michelangelo and you lived next door to him. One day you visited his studio and there was a rough piece of stone. It was dirty. And it was polluted because it had come out of a dark and damp place out of the quarry. And it was a hard piece of marble. It was crude, hard, unyielding, cold, and unlovely, and unsightly. And you come back in six months. And what has happened? Well, there’s a statue of David. There’s Archangel Michael. May I say to you today, God has a purpose for you and me today. We are earthy, but he has a heavenly purpose. You see, the ideal of the artist, that’s the Holy Spirit, the conformance. And the chisel is the discipline of the Lord, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. We’ve seen that. And the hammer is the word of God. And we can say today with the psalmist in Psalm 17, 15, I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. Oh, my friend, God is the answer to your questions. God is the answer to your problem. And therefore, I don’t care who you are or where you are today, you can rejoice in Him and you can rejoice in his salvation and say with this man who was such a pessimist at the beginning, he now says, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The book opens in gloom. It closes in glory. It opens with a question mark. It closes with a mighty exclamation point. And it ends with this wonderful song. May you and I be encouraged today by the word of God. Until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 02 :
Find out more by visiting ttb.org or call 1-865-BIBLE. Now next time, we’re going to begin an amazing journey through the book of Zephaniah. It’s a prophetic book that’s filled with God’s wrath and judgment, but it also speaks of his tender love. Dr. McGee called it the dark side of love. It’s a short book. You can easily read through it to get your heart ready for the next study. I’m Steve Schwetz. I’ll meet you back here next time as together we make our way through the Bible.
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All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. 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?
