When God takes revenge, He
takes it thoroughly, and in the case of Habakkuk with Israel and the
Chaldeans, God's judgment is complete. Not only has Habakkuk shown
the power and authority of God, but he also shares the ominous
methods by which He operates. Habakkuk continues his description of
God's power in chapter three and verse fourteen:
You did strike through
with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a
whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing [was] as to devour the poor
secretly.
First
Habakkuk states, “You did strike through with his staves the
head of his villages.” In other words, God used the weapons of
Israel's foes against themselves, and not only against themselves,
but also against their leaders. Those who were the heads of their
villages were struck down by their own swords. In the past we have
referred to Galatians chapter six and verse seven before where it
says:
Be not deceived; God is
not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.
Habakkuk
tells us how God uses any measure he likes to bring about justice,
and the return of what the enemies of Israel have issued out has come
back upon their leadership.
Next
Habakkuk declares the enemies' original intent, “they came out
as a whirlwind to scatter me:” The adversaries of Israel
including Habakkuk was to scatter them like a whirlwind, but those
enemies forgot one major factor, God was and is on Israel's side. God
was watching when these pursuers came in, and His mighty hand was
waiting to strike them down at the perfect time.
Finally,
Habakkuk writes of the attitude of the enemies: “their rejoicing
was to devour the poor secretly.” The enemies of Israel were
celebrating over the idea of exploiting the poor in secret. Their
thoughts were that no one was watching their actions, and if someone
was, they would have no power to do anything against them. They were
wrong. God saw. God was on the scene, and nothing that was done
against those whom God favored would be in secret. Their assumption
was that they could exploit the poor and nothing would be revealed.
What about us? Are there behaviors
that we have toward others that we believe are unnoticed? Do we know
of others who have plotted against us and wonder if anyone really
notices their behavior? God sees us, and God sees them. The Bible is
very clear when it states in the book of Luke in chapter twelve and
verse two, “For there is nothing covered, that shall not
be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” God
not only notices but he has a plan for justice. Fortunately for those
who will recognize God's son as their Savior, grace is the plan He
invokes. God is ready to provide justice, and He will strike down any
attempt to destroy God's people, but He first offers His unmerited
favor through knowing His Son Jesus for all who will turn to Him. May
we all turn to Him while His hand of grace is extended.
Next
time we will continue to look into God's revenge against Israel's
enemies, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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