Daily Devotional Friday 6th March 2020
by William Moody
Habakkuk 1:5–11
The Lord’s Answer
5 “Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.
7 They are dreaded and fearsome;
their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
9 They all come for violence,
all their faces forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10 At kings they scoff,
and at rulers they laugh.
They laugh at every fortress,
for they pile up earth and take it.
11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,
guilty men, whose own might is their god!”(ESV)
God’s judgement on Judah will be swift (v7-9). God will use this to purify His church. Judah had become so corrupt. The northern kingdom of Israel already had been destroyed and people scattered. The same would happen the southern kingdom of Judah at the hand of Babylon. Only a small remnant of a few tens of thousands would later return from Babylon.
God prefers a smaller pure church than a large corrupt one. Growth in numbers in the church is of no interest to God if it is not accompanied by a growth of spirituality. Is there spiritual growth in your life.
The evil Babylonians boast in ignorance (v10-11). They boast of their power, but they fail to realise what power they have is given by God so that they will fulfil His purposes. When they do that, then their power will be taken away from them. God brings nations up and brings them down to fulfil His purposes for the world in general and His purposes for the church in particular. Christ rules for the sake of the church (Ephesians 1 v21-23).
Let us remember that those who do evil, their time is short. They will go on only as long as God allows so as to fulfil His purposes (see Psalm 73 v1-17).
God is at work. He works in mysterious ways. But let us remember He is in control and will accomplish His purposes.
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