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Two Kinds of People


SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1) What does Habakkuk choose to praise God for in vs. 12-13? Are there some aspects of God’s character you need to praise Him for in your difficult days today?
2) Why is Habakkuk troubled by God’s decision to use Babylon to bring judgment on Judah (vs. 15-17)? What is the cause of his wrestling with God?
3) Why is Habakkuk taking a stand on his watchpost (2:1)? What is he doing, and what does this indicate about his hope and expectations?

SERMON OUTLINE

October 25, 2020

Scripture: Habakkuk 2:5-17

I. There are proud people who trust themselves.

A. The two kinds of people in the world are mentioned in Habakkuk 2:4: “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” God contrasts the puffed up and proud Babylonians with the righteous. The Babylonians loved their wine. But their wine would betray them (Hab. 2:5). In Daniel chapter 5 we read about how the Babylonian empire came to an end at a drunken party at the hands of the Persians. God’s last word to the Babylonians was a word of mockery: woe (verses 6, 9, 12, 15 and 19).
B. Woe means great sorrow. In verse 6 we see God judge Babylon for their injustice. The Babylonians had stolen things which they had no right to take. They were so greedy (vs. 5). But suddenly (vs. 7) – when the Babylonians least expected it – it would be time for God to judge. In verse 9 we see God judge the Babylonians for trusting that their wealth could make them undefeated. They would have so much that they would be completely secure from all their enemies. They would be like an eagle sitting in a high nest. No one could reach them. Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
C. In verse 12 we see God judge the Babylonians for their cruelty. God told Habakkuk His prophet in vs. 13, “The Babylonians are building their empire for nothing. It will not last. It will be burned up in the fire of God’s judgment.” Then in verse 15 we see God judge Babylon for its immorality. The Babylonians liked their wild parties just as much as any
college student. And they mocked their enemies when they saw them naked. But their drunkenness would lead to utter shame (vs. 16). God was going to make the Babylonians lie drunk and naked in their own vomit.

II. There are people of faith who trust God.

A. While the proud trust in themselves, people of faith trust in God. Habakkuk 2:4 says that the righteous shall live by his faith. We put our trust in God and live by faith in what He says. We rely on God completely to keep His promises. And one of God’s most wonderful promises is found in Hab. 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Yes, Israel would be in conflict with the proud Babylonians in the years to come. But this battle would not last forever. Babylon would be judged by God as all proud people are judged. And the victory would ultimately be given to people who trust in God.
B. What has to happen first before the glory of God fills the earth? The proud like the Babylonians must be judged by God first. If people are going to see how beautiful God is, if they are going to see the glory of His holiness, all pride and wickedness must be judged first. Then the glory of the Lord will fill the earth as wickedness is defeated. Every time God makes this promise, He makes it in the context of judgment. Here in Habakkuk God is promising to judge the Babylonians before His glory fills the earth. In Numbers 14:21, God promises that all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD in the context of the
judgment of Israel. And He makes the same promise in Isaiah 11:9 in the context of judging the proud Assyrians. Once the proud are judged, people of faith see and rejoice in the glory of God.

Application:
Jesus is always worth trusting because He is better than anything else you might trust.

Sources:
The prophecy of Habakkuk
Commentaries on Habakkuk by O. Palmer Robertson, Walter Chantry, and Cameron Bucey

Sermon by Alistair Begg