“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.”
Habakkuk 3:13
To have seen his people fall…
Not a great deal is known about the life of Prophet, except that he would see the rise of the Chaldean Kings of Babylon and the fall of his people.
For generations they had dwelt amidst the land that the Lord had lead them to, that land of promise and deliverance that He offered unto them that they might not wander any longer, finding for themselves now finally a home, a place to call their own. Now though, separated into two kingdoms, two nations, it wouldn’t be long before they once more found themselves a captive people, led into exile into foreign lands by foreign masters.
The fate was sealed as the glory of Israel declined.
Yet from the words of Habakkuk did not come hopelessness, nor despair despite all that he saw around him, regardless of all that was happening, his world now fleeting before his eyes as the loss seemed inevitable. Rather, in his works, in his words, there was a degree of hope, based in the fundamental strength of his faith. The Lord God of Israel, that ever present God of His fathers, was there and, on Him, trust could be placed, for through the generations, throughout the passage of time He had shown himself to be a God of deliverance, with salvation pouring forth from His hands.
Though His servant Joseph was sold into slavery to Egyptian Masters, to be nothing more than a house boy in their presence, though his life at times seemed to be forfeited to the intrigue and lust of those around him, the Lord would guide him, and protect him, keeping him from harm’s way. Generations as slaves, the sting of the master’s whip cutting upon their backs, the fields of Egypt littered with their bodies, the same God would hear their desperate cries and pleas, sending unto them a deliverer who would lead the way from the lands of Pharaoh to their own home, their own land. Joshua, fearful as he took on the mantle of leadership, that he would not rise to the challenge, would feel the Lord work through him, remaining ever faithful to him, offering into his hands the lives of his enemies and the enemies of his people.
For Habakkuk he was the same God yesterday, today and for all times.
In the darkest of days, the hardest of times it is not hard to question if the presence of the Lord is truly there. We wonder how a God of righteousness and justice can allow for His children to be taken hostage and captive, how they can find themselves being trafficked or sold into slavery by wicked and unrighteous men ruled by sin and iniquity as they bring pain and sorrow with their touch. Yet the God of Habakukk is our God and just as the Prophet placed his trust in the Lord so to must we.
We must look to the wondrous and miraculous works that have come from the hand of the Lord in the ages past, those works that the Prophets, Saints, Disciples and Apostles of those days gone by put their trust in and know that He is the same God, the same Lord who delivers His children. Though wickedness and injustice, evil and sin may surround them God will protect them, and guide them, sheltering them in His gracious precepts, working His peace and comfort in their lives.
He is the same God today, for us and for all captives and hostages, as He was yesterday and will be the same for all ages, in all places.
Look therefore to the Lord with hope and trust, knowing that He is a God of deliverance, that He will be there with His children throughout all time and in all places, even as the wolves are on prowl, seeking to devour and destroy. He shall never leave us to them ourselves but rather will be there for us in righteousness and glory according to His loving compassion and kindness.
There the captivity of this world is fleeting but the glory of the Lord… the Glory of Lord is forever.
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