For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive what is due him for the things
done while in the body, whether good or bad.
2 Cor 5:10
The Brink
People will oppress each other— man against man,
neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise
up against the old, the base against the honorable.
Isaiah 3:5
According to Isaiah 3:5 a society which fails to honor
the old is on the brink of destruction.
The Book of Leviticus by Gordon J. Wenham P.273
A Polished Arrow
He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand
he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his
quiver. He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will
display my splendor.” But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I
have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me
is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”
Isaiah 49:2-4
Return to the Lord
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up
our wounds.
Hosea 6:1
Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press
on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises he will
appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the
spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea 1:3
The Lord Almighty
” The Lord was very angry with your forefathers. Therefore
tell the people: this is what the Lord Almighty says:
‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, “and I will
return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Zechariah 1:2,3
But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded
my servants the prophets, overtake your forefathers? “Then
they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to use
what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ ”
Zechariah 1:6
Complaint/Answer
Habakkuk’s Complaint
How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in
the righteous, so that justice is perverted.
The Lord’s Answer
“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe,
even if you were told.
I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own.
They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honor.
Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar.They fly
like a vulture swooping to devour; they all come bent on violence.
Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.
They deride kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; they
build earthen ramps and capture them. Then they sweep past like the wind
and go on—guilty men, whose own strength is their god.”
Habakkuk 1:2-11
Delight In Your Law
Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces
of silver and gold.
Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding
to learn your commands.
Psalm 119:70-73