God Cherishes You Blog

            Last time, we were able to learn what God was teaching His miscreant children (through the mouths of His prophets Micah, Nahum and Zephaniah), about the judgment He brought against Israel by way of Assyrian conquest. He also warned the Judeans that they would face a similar fate at the hands of the Babylonians if they would not get right with Him. (here)

         Didn’t Listen. Let us consider the events that are about to take place:

1. The Babylonians conquered the Assyrians.
2. In 609 B.C., Pharaoh Neco of Egypt invaded Judah, killed King Josiah and crowned the king’s grandson as a puppet king to do his bidding.
3. In 605 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Egypt, as well as becoming the new puppet master of the token king in Judah.
4. In 597 B.C., the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem, plundered the temple, and captured most of the Hebrews, whom they took to Babylon as slaves.

The siege lasted 11 years, effectively starving the people to death. Yet, even with these dire circumstances, the sins of the people kept growing in both frequency and perversity:

All the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, imitating all the detestable practices of the nations, and they defiled the LORD’s temple that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. 2 Chr. 36:14 CSB

            In 586 B.C., the Babylonians stormed the city, burning it and the temple to the ground. Any survivors were taken captive to Babylon – just as God promised He would do.

            You might think that God was being cruel, but nothing could be further from the truth. He continued to cry out to His rebellious children through the mouths of yet more prophets, right up to the point where He had to dispense justice:

The LORD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the LORD’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done. 2 Chr. 36:15, 16. NLT

            The Judeans were at the gates of destruction, when one such prophet, Habakkuk, was sent. His ministry covered the time of the Assyrian defeat of northern Israel to the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians.

He was overwhelmed by the moral corruption of his Hebrew brothers and sisters, and all of the chaos that it brought. He cries out to God, asking why He is not coming to their rescue. Jehovah’s response takes Habakkuk by surprise:

“Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands.” Hab. 1:5, 6. NLT

         God is saying that He’s sending the Babylonians to clean up the mess His children had made, using the tool that He promised He would, if they continued in rebellion. And as we know, God keeps all of His promises. He is using their captivity to interrupt their spiritual death at their own hands.

            Often, people throw their hands in the air and shout at Jehovah, ‘Why don’t You do something?’

We don’t always see that God does many things simultaneously. And, we might turn a blind eye because we don’t like the way that He is solving our problems – especially if it is contrary to what we want. Yet, what do we know about Jehovah?

…God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Rm. 8:28 NLT

            This is where our faith in God’s goodness, wisdom, faithfulness and His love must be exercised. God has a unique plan for your highest and best life, now and forever (Ps. 139:16).

            Habakkuk finally understands that His Creator has a purpose for him as well:

Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” Hab. 2:2 – 4. NLT

            So, Jehovah God is telling us to position ourselves to hear Him, by keeping our focus on Him, and taking it off of ourselves. Often, we find that the solution to our situation is something that we haven’t even considered. We need to keep our faith in God’s ability to deliver what is best for us – even if present circumstances seem bleak. God’s timing is always perfect:

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. Hab. 3:17 – 19. NLT

         Habakkuk is one of three prophets that God sent to make His final curtain call to the Judeans. The second is Jeremiah, who had a ministry that began in 627 B.C. and overlapped Habakkuk’s. He ministered for 40 years. The first thing he did was to bring God’s formal charge against His children:

“…when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the possession I had promised you. The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who taught my word ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on worthless idols. Therefore, I will bring my case against you,” says the LORD. Jer. 2:7 – 9. NLT

            Thus, every stratum of Judean society rebelled against God. They made Him promises of obedience, yet they repeatedly reneged:

“Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you and tore away the chains of your slavery, but still you said, ‘I will not serve you.’ On every hill and under every green tree, you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.” Jer. 2:20 NLT

            Yet, our Creator’s love and mercy are still proffered. He pleads in the face of their rejection:

“O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to listen to my voice. I the LORD have spoken! Jer. 3:12, 13. NLT

            So, we’ve seen again and again, that no matter what we’ve done, no matter how far we’ve fallen, our confession and repentance will always bring us back into God’s arms. Feel His heart:

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD; “for I am married to you.” Jer. 3:14 NKJV

“Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness.” Jer. 3:22 NLT

            God’s heart is always bigger than your sin. The time for action is now. Our last call began when Christ rose from the dead. We want to make sure our standing with Him is good when He comes back.

            Yet, God will not violate your free will. He wants your free will-offered love. But, you can choose to walk another path; and there are only 2 paths to walk: either with Jehovah or with Satan. Many of the Hebrews picked the latter. Judgment is declared:

I am about to bring a nation far away against you, house of Israel. This is the LORD’s declaration. It is an established nation, an ancient nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand. Jer. 5:15 CSB

            Even so, He will be merciful, and the punishment will not last forever:

“They will devour the food of your harvest; they will devour your sons and daughters. They will devour your flocks and herds; they will devour your grapes and figs. And they will destroy your fortified towns, which you think are so safe. Yet even in those days I will not blot you out completely,” says the LORD. Jer. 5:17, 18. NLT

“This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.” Jer. 25:11 NLT

         At this juncture, God stops casting pearls before swine. Turning away from the hard-hearted majority, He now focuses only on His children who choose Him:

“Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jer. 6:16 NLT

This is what the LORD says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches, but to those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things.” Jer. 9:23, 24. NLT

“…blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit. Jer. 17:7, 8. NLT

            What God is telling His children, is how to live and survive their captivity for these 70 years, through  living by these three paragraphs of divine wisdom. If they do this, there will be a God-guaranteed outcome:

“I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.” Jer. 24:5 – 7. NLT

“I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the LORD. Jer. 30:17 NLT

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt…” Jer. 31:3, 4. CSB

            So, when we transgress against God, know that He wants to make up immediately. It begins with confession and repentance, with showing patience as we wade through our ‘correction’ phase, knowing that He will take us back into His fold of mercy and love:

(Note: Jeremiah has been traditionally been thought to be the God-inspired author of the book of Lamentations as well).

Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD. Lam. 3:39, 40. NLT

I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him! The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. Lam. 3:24 – 26. NLT

For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow. Lam. 3:31 – 33. NLT 

            Amen to Jehovah’s grace, love and mercy…

            Goodnight and God bless.