The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Habakkuk 3:16,
"I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us."
The people of Judah had rejected the Lord and Habakkuk complained to him about their wickedness. The Lord told Habakkuk he was going to send an even more wicked people than them, the Babylonians, to crush the people of Judah.
This would not be the end of Israel, even though the northern ten tribes had already been destroyed by this time. Through a captivity in Babylon, a remnant of Judah would eventually return to Palestine to prepare a people for the coming Messiah. In other words, the Lord was going to crush what was left of Israel at the time to prepare them for effective use in the Lord's own agenda of things: the coming Messiah.
Jesus Christ did come and he fulfilled what he came to do. He paid the penalty for our sins, making a way for us to be restored to God and not suffer his eternal punishment. What the Lord did with the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians helped fulfill his agenda for the whole world.
I note that Israel will again be prepared for another coming of the Messiah. Paul points out, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.' As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake [believing Gentiles]; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." Romans 11:25-29.
"I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us."
The people of Judah had rejected the Lord and Habakkuk complained to him about their wickedness. The Lord told Habakkuk he was going to send an even more wicked people than them, the Babylonians, to crush the people of Judah.
This would not be the end of Israel, even though the northern ten tribes had already been destroyed by this time. Through a captivity in Babylon, a remnant of Judah would eventually return to Palestine to prepare a people for the coming Messiah. In other words, the Lord was going to crush what was left of Israel at the time to prepare them for effective use in the Lord's own agenda of things: the coming Messiah.
Jesus Christ did come and he fulfilled what he came to do. He paid the penalty for our sins, making a way for us to be restored to God and not suffer his eternal punishment. What the Lord did with the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians helped fulfill his agenda for the whole world.
I note that Israel will again be prepared for another coming of the Messiah. Paul points out, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.' As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake [believing Gentiles]; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." Romans 11:25-29.
God is not done with Israel and the country still has a part to play in God's great agenda. Just as Israel was partially prepared through a ruthless slaughter (among other things) for the eventual first coming of the Messiah, so she will be prepared again for his second coming.
The question I have is how? How is the Lord going to prepare Israel for Jesus Christ's second coming? Paul tells us that as a nation, Israel will embrace Jesus Christ as her savior. Today it seems like something impossible. However, so did Israel's existence again as a nation-state prior to May 14, 1948. And, look what happened!
So far, after two millenia, it has not happened, but the Lord's second return still remains in the future. As we read the accounts of the Lord's interaction with Israel, when it came time draw the nation back to himself, he always used horrific tools, often the threat of surrounding hostile peoples.
Israel's embrace of Jesus Christ did not happen during the 1940's when 6 million Jews were slaughtered. What will the Lord use? Might it be the terror we see today, represented by Islamic jihad? Might it be what appears to be the inevitable nuclear armament of Iran?
Just musing here. I certainly don't know, but the events on the world stage today sure gets one to wondering.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Just musing here. I certainly don't know, but the events on the world stage today sure gets one to wondering.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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