We left the book of Habakkuk yesterday with God describing the people He was going to use for judgment upon Israel. We can imagine Habakkuk's mouth beginning to open in amazement as God tells him that He will be using the Chaldeans as His agent for change. God has already described the Chaldeans as a bitter and hasty nation, and He has told Habakkuk that they will invade and take over the people of Israel's dwelling places. God continues His description of the Chaldeans in verse seven of chapter one. He said,
They [are] terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
First, God describes the Chaldeans as “terrible.” The word “terrible” means extremely bad, horrible, vicious or formidable. In other words, these Chaldeans would have no mercy, and the cries of those whom they were defeating would have little or no impact upon them. The idea of a diabolical, heinous, abhorrent, barbarous, and fiendish foe must have troubled Habakkuk tremendously.
Next God says these Chaldeans were “dreadful.” The word “dreadful” means to fear, revere or be afraid. The Chaldeans were frightful like unto monsters, and those who were in their sites would be trembling at the site of them. I wonder what we would be like if we heard this type of warning coming from God about an opponent such as these?
Finally God says “their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.” Upon first glance this phrase seems puzzling, but this is the basic idea. The Chaldeans shall be used for judgment upon Israel, and their judgment will right the wrongs about which Habakkuk has been seeing and complaining. Not only will judgment and righting the wrong proceed from them, but also it will be the very pride and loftiness of the Chaldeans to do so. In other words the defeat of Israel will make the Chaldeans swell with pride as they conquer their foes. If we look closely at those who surround Israel today we might see this same spirit dwelling in other nations of the world.
So what do we see from this verse of scripture? God is indeed a God who has a plan for our lives even when we don't know exactly what is going on. Habakkuk thought God was not listening or being concerned, and yet God already had a plan. Now that God has revealed this plan to Habakkuk, we see that God's plan is one of which we probably would have never thought. Perhaps Isaiah the prophet wrote it best in chapter fifty five and verses eight and nine where he wrote God's words:
For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
When we encounter situations that have us wondering what God is thinking, we must always defer to Him. He truly knows what is best, and we may not understand, but He does. We may not know what is going on, but He does, and though the assault against us may see terrible, dreadful and filled with judgment and pride, we only benefit ourselves when we trust in our Heavenly Father.
Next time we will see more of the particular description of the Chaldeans, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
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