King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Chapters: The Book of Habakkuk
Message: Habakkuk: Why The Righteous Suffer
Hello My Friend,
As we pause from the reading of Jeremiah and turn to the reading of the Book of Habakkuk we learn that all of God’s faithful are sent out with the same message to warn not only the “religious” to repent, but those of the world as well, [Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]
We also learn that while all of God’s faithful will suffer through the hardships that come from those who reject the message, they can still rejoice in knowing that they did their part, [2 Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.]
The Book of Habakkuk contains three chapters, the author is Habakkuk and it was written to the people of Judah. The timeline for these events took place approximately between 608BC and 590BC. The purpose of the book was to awaken Judah to their spiritual needs and remind them that God is merciful to the just. What we are to learn from the book is that the just shall live by faith alone, [Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.]
Habakkuk, prophesied during the time that the Chaldean’s were about to invade Jerusalem, during Jehoiakim’s reign and just before Zechariah would be put in his place. The entire nation is in utter chaos, Jeremiah was arrested and Nebuchadnezzar had already taken captive quite a few people. However, this is not your typical message of who God sent Habakkuk to warn of the judgment, this is actually him bringing his complaint before God. Habakkuk, is beside himself, wondering where God is, why all these things were happening, and why He is judging the righteous when the wicked are the ones causing all this.
[Habakkuk 1:1-4 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. 2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! 3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. 4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.]
I get where he is coming from, I live in one of the most corrupt cities there is and it is getting worse by the day and all the mayor is concerned about is being politically correct. Habakkuk, does what all of us faithful Christians do from time to time when we do not understand God’s plan, he forms a complaint with God, and asks Him about His judgment on the faithful. Of course, God gave him and answer, but I am sure that it was not quite what he wanted to hear.
[Habakkuk 1:6-9 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their’s. 7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. 8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. 9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.]
So not only was Nebuchadnezzar’s army taking people to Babylon, the Chaldean’s were coming to destroy the entire nation, and they were not going to be subtle about it. This reminds me of something from yesterday’s reading that came to mind, [Jeremiah 40:2-3 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. 3 Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.]
If the world sees and knows why these things are happening then why does the church not recognize it? The truth is that they do, but sadly they do not want to give up their sin in order to keep from what I call needless suffering coming on them. We cannot escape all suffering, but we can go through less of it by listening to God more often and while sometimes we do get caught up in the crossfire it does not need to overtake us. At this point, Habakkuk, feels displaced, and while he does understand why the judgment was sent, that still did not give him any comfort. So, he brings up a few more questions to God.
[Habakkuk 1:12-15 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. 13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? 14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? 15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.]
While Habakkuk was well aware that his soul was saved, sometimes it does not comfort God’s faithful to know that they are going to heaven and will not suffer what is worse to come, A drag, by the way, is a huge net for catching fish, they drag it along to bottom surface and are able to catch large amounts of fish at one tome as opposed to a regular net or fishing pole. The drag represents the Chaldean’s and Babylonian’s joy in being able to destroy the city of God without conscience whatsoever and Habakkuk is very distraught over this. However, God says something that we all must be reminded of from time to time.
[Habakkuk 2:1-4 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. 2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.]
Do those words sound familiar? They are actually written a few times, but watch how it is worded here, [Galatians 3:11-12 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.] Do not think for one moment that the people who were here before Christ came here in the flesh did not live by the same grace that we do today, they knew that following the Law was not what would save them, but were faithful to Him solely out of respect. There really are a lot of things which we go through that we do not understand, but in the end will discover that it was not necessary to understand the reason, rather understand that God used it for good. This is what God goes on to show Habakkuk, and also what will happen to the wicked.
[Habakkuk 2:12-16 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! 13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? 14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! 16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD’S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.]
In other words, they will either die in the fire of their sin or endure the fire through their faith in God. Let me tell you, we are going to trip and fall and get back up more times than we care to admit, but each and every time it makes us that much more stronger to endure what is yet to come. The reason why we can fall and get back up so quickly is not in our own ability, it comes from our faith in the only living God, which by the way God goes on to point that out.
[Habakkuk 2:18-20 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? 19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. 20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.]
This is another way of God saying that He is the one and only living God, and the only thing we need to be fearing is Him. Fearing God is not the same thing as being afraid to approach him for fear that He will strike you down if you do not agree with His judgments. Fearing God is trusting Him at all times, being faithful to Him, and yes, confessing our sins when they are made known to us, [Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.]
Habakkuk, finally realized that while God does allow the pain and suffering in the world because of sin, His faithful will overcome. He starts praying to God, asking Him to remember His mercy.
[Habakkuk 3:2-6,13 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. 5 Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. 6 He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. 13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.]
The description shows the Lord approaching with all the glory of His majesty, bursting forth as the sunlight when the ball of the sun rises above the horizon, and the rays of the sun as it first appears. No matter what we go through, no matter what we put ourselves through, we belong to Jesus, if we are saved and nothing and no one can change that, [John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.]
We are going to face famines, persecution, chastisement, sometimes for our own sins, but many times wrongfully, rejoice anyway, it is only temporary. Remember, it is not what we are facing right now that will be eternal, it is what they are facing if they refuse to repent that will be eternal for them. Habakkuk, goes on to praise God in his prayer, with the reminder that God, will see him through.
[Habakkuk 3:15-19 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters. 16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. 17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.]
We can fuss at God all we want for all the chaos that is going on, but God is standing on the sidelines here, He does not have to do anything Himself because the people are destroying themselves. Only those whom have put their faith and trust in Christ and keep it there as they endure all this mess will be saved. And we will be like hinds feet, [Isaiah 40:28-31 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You, for saving a wretch like me the second I trusted Your Son as my Saviour. I know that I am prepared for Your return or You to bring me home. I may not know what tomorrow brings, but I do know that You will be there and You will see me through everything that I go through. Lord, it is not always easy to get through the suffering, but I am going to praise you anyway. With You by my side I know I will get the victory. Lead me and guide me, keep me looking to You, let me not turn to the right or left, just keep my eyes straight on You. Give me Your mercy, grace, power, and strength to endure all the suffering. I will rejoice in You for You are the God of my salvation, I am nothing without You, and I know that I can overcome all things with You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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