Habakkuk3.5-7 Plague
went before him; pestilence followed his steps. 6 He stood, and shook the
earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and
the age-old hills collapsed— but he marches on forever. 7 I saw the tents of
Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. – Habakkuk, the
Prophet
If you were to write a book of the Bible, what would you
write about? If God chose you, what would your heart reveal? Habakkuk (three b’s,
1 u), is only known as ‘the prophet’. Little else is known of him and what he
did, or where he was from. But he was acutely aware of the Babylonians and
their impending conquest of Canaan. He asks God, “Why are You allowing this to happen!?” And God responds: Because.
God’s answer to Habakkuk is that man has no idea Who he
is dealing with. Men are men and they do what they do; but they do with little
or no understanding of the presence and power of Him who made them. To them,
God is safely a myth, a legend; a story made up in people’s minds. And in His
answer to Habakkuk, God says, “Woe to
[them]”.
Habakkuk sang a song at the conclusion of his prophecy
and the above is what he said; he saw God differently than most of us do. We
like to think of God as loving and fair – and He is, but He is also dreadful in
that He is all-powerful and not influenced by the whims of His creation. What
caught my attention in his song was the phrase: Plague went before Him; pestilence followed His steps…
What can stand
before God? Who can stand before God?
Nothing, and no one. All will stand
before God, but it will be different than we imagine. Some will really want Him
to be loving and fair. Some will faint at the thought that He dwells in
unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6.16). Habakkuk said, “Plague [goes] before
Him; pestilence [follows] His steps… God is way different that we imagine. And
He is never out of control. (Why, O Lord?)
I think we will marvel at our God at how He is. I know we will marvel at who He is; but He is different than we imagine Him to be. Plague
and pestilence are the response of nature in the presence of God. Dem Babylonians bedduh take care who dey
messin’ wif.
We will marvel that He does love us, and that He holds His immenseness in check when
dealing with us. We will marvel at His patience and compassion with us, and over
us. We will marvel at Who He is and what He has done. In His immensity, He will
allow us identity, and He will show us how great and grand His plan for us: a
race of beings so lost in sin that we could never truly see Him for Who He really
is. Would our book mention all this?
And He will show us our Redemption – that He could’ve wiped us all away and started over.
But He did something greater: He loved us
so much that He gave Himself to be our Ransom, that we could be with Him
(plague and pestilence and all) forever,
as His friends, and loved ones.
Father God, I
marvel at You. I marvel at Who You are, what You do. I marvel at Your presence;
that You love me and will accomplish Your plan in me, along with all the bumps
and bruises that are mine in this journey You’ve provided for me to come to
know You in Spirit and truth. Amen.
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