As if the description from God about the Chaldeans whom He has chosen as instruments of judgment against Israel is not bad enough already, today's verse gives an even more graphic characteristic within them. By now Habakkuk must be reeling with fright from hearing about Israel's coming foe, but God adds to the difficulty by saying in verse eight of chapter one:
They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up [as] the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
The purpose of the Chaldean's coming is “violence.” As we stated before, these are vicious opponents who have no mercy whatsoever. Their very makeup is violence, and their insolence, disrespect and disregard for those they were conquering was as natural to them as breathing. We remember the reference to their being like swift horses, evening wolves and hungry eagles. Can we imagine Habakkuk's reaction to God telling him this?
Next God says, “their faces shall sup up as the east wind.” Like the forceful east wind that blasts the flowers of the desert, the Chaldeans will come in swiftly, completely, and with a determined mind. If any of us have experienced a sand storm that consumes everything within its path, this describes the way the Chaldeans shall conquer. The idea is that they will be purposed, with faces set like flint, and driven to defeat their foes quickly and completely.
In addition to their face's determination, God says the Chaldeans, “shall gather the captivity as the sand.” For a moment, imagine that we are at the beach with sand all around us. The sand is glimmering and white, and is pleasing to the eye. Now we reach down with our hand and scoop up a handful just to let it run through our fingers. This is how easy it is going to be for the Chaldeans when they come into Israel. They will scoop up their captives like a handful of sand, and they will take prisoners with them without much effort at all.
Can we imagine for a moment what Habakkuk must have been thinking during this description from God? What if God was saying this about our own country? What if God was saying this about our own lives individually? How many of us would enjoy God telling us that since we have been so bad, He is now sending a group of vicious, frightening, disrespecting, and conquering people against us? If we meditate upon this long enough just the thought of it is troubling indeed. But our enemy the devil is not unlike these Chaldean foes. He desires to devour us and destroy us, and he is a formidable foe. As Peter the apostle wrote in First Peter chapter one and verse eight:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:
It is imperative that we keep ourselves aligned with the Heavenly Father who is the only one able to defeat our foes. Remember that God has these Chaldeans within His grasp, and they are merely tools in His hands to bring justice upon whom He pleases. The same is true for the devil, as we align our relationship with the Heavenly Father, His protecting mighty hand is against all foes, and as Isaiah the prophet wrote in chapter fifty-four and verse seventeen of his book:
No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, says the LORD.
Next time we will look at what God says the Chaldeans do with authority, 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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