A Prayer for Justice

March 8, 2020 Background Scripture: Habakkuk 1 Lesson Passage: Habakkuk 1:1 – 4, 12 – 14 Today’s lesson is a continuation of the series that examines some of the messages of the Minor Prophets. Habakkuk is the author of today’s text. The prophet had questions that he knew only God could answer. Habakkuk acknowledged that God had opened his eyes and allowed him to behold the atrocities that were taking place among the people of God. The first question Habakkuk posed to God was, “How can You allow such injustice to happen among Your people with no end in sight?” (Sometimes God will allow us to see sin through His eyes that we may become offended by it just as He is.) God answered Habakkuk’s question by warning him that he was going to be in shock as to how God was going to address the plight of His people. The prophet knew that God’s way of judging the sin of His people can be just as confusing to us as not judging it at all. God was going to allow a vicious heathen nation to come in and wreak havoc over His people. The heathens would show no mercy and execute punishment quickly. They would besiege the people of God and then overrun them. They would be as vicious as wild animals when they attack the people of God. There would be no defensive measures that would protect the people—even those within fortified cities. However, the heathen’s downfall will come because they would ascribe their battlefield success to their heathen god(s). Although they will be used by God to punish His people, they would not give God glory or honor for the victories they secure. By this action, they will greatly offend God. Their offense will be more so than the offenses of the people of God. This prompted Habakkuk to ask God a second question, “Since God is eternal, the people of God must also be everlasting. Why then would God allow heathens to punish His people when the wickedness of the heathens exceed the unrighteousness of the people of God? Why wouldn’t God restrain the wicked and not allow them to show no pity upon the people of God?” As the dialog pressed on, God answered all of Habakkuk’s questions. Today’s lesson focuses on the nature of the dialog between God and Habakkuk. First and foremost, the dialog is happening because God allowed the prophet to view the spiritual condition of His people through His eyes. If the prophet could not see things through the eyes of God, he might have put limitations on his assignment to prophesy to the people of God. Because God allowed Habakkuk to see the sins of the people, Habakkuk would not hesitate to tell the people what “thus said the Lord”. Knowing that God’s punishment of His people was going to be very harsh, the urgency of warning the people of God became a priority for him. Secondly, although the prophet pleaded with God for justice for the righteous, God’s answer to his plea was harsher than the prophet could have imagine. If God used the heathen to punish and restrain the wicked among His people, will He also set limits on the heathen to prevent them from plundering the people unchecked? In other words, Habakkuk’s prayer was for God to rescue the righteous from the deeds of the wicked but don’t allow heathens to hurt God’s people without restraint. God’s response to Habakkuk’s second question will be in next week’s lesson. Robert C. Hudson February 24, 2020

A Call to Accountability

March 1, 2020 Background Scripture: Amos 5 Lesson Passage: Amos 5:18 –24 If there is one characteristic that should be evident in a mature person, it is accountability for one’s words and actions. It can be a harsh rebuke to accuse a mature person of not taking accountability for their words or behavior. This is even more so the case when the rebuke comes from a person who is unknown to the one who is being rebuked. Such was the case in our lesson text today—to a great extent. Amos, the prophet, was placed in a most peculiar position by the Lord. Amos was a resident of the southern kingdom of Judah, but the Lord sent him to prophesy to the residents of the northern kingdom of Israel. The residents of Israel were about to experience severe punishment by God for their unholy living. To make matters worse, their Prophets were allaying their concerns by telling them what they wanted to hear. In other words, they were not hearing words of condemnation concerning their unholy actions from the prophets of Israel. The Lord sent Amos to rebuke them and warn them of impending judgment against them. They were rebuked for their religious rituals because their lifestyles did not align with God’s will. God made it clear that He had no desire for empty acts of worship that accompanied their lives of disobedience. Amos was sent to Israel to name specific transgressions that God had taken note of in Israel. Their religious rituals were meaningless to God. Therefore, God requested that they cease to make offerings to Him or to assemble themselves together in the name of sacredness. God’s desire for Israel was holy living. One aspect of holy living is reflected by the way one treats the least among them. The wealthy in Israel were perverting justice and taking advantage of the poorest. They were taking more and more from the poor and treating them harshly. The poor could not find justice before their leaders. All manner of unholy living was taking place among the people of God. The Lord’s solution to Israel’s problem was simple, God wanted justice and righteousness to overrun the kingdom like a flood. The rich and powerful were being called to execute justice fairly among the people. Both the wealthy and the poor were being called to live righteously in the presence of God. In short, the residents of the northern kingdom were being summoned by God to take accountability for their actions. God was preparing to bring judgment against them because of their unholy actions. Their empty acts of devotion and worship would not be enough to prevent the judgment of God—in fact, it was causing God to hasten His judgment against them. Again, accountability is a mark of maturity. Israel, through her actions, was demonstrating spiritual immaturity. Israel was doing the kinds of things that those who don’t know God were doing. Their acts of worship were mere gestures of formality. These were the types of actions pagans offered to idol gods. Yet, God had made Himself known to Israel by delivering them out of Egypt and leading them to conquer people much greater than themselves. The inhabitants of Canaan had fallen before Israel because of the hand of the Lord. However, Israel was now acting more and more like the Canaanites God destroyed and gave their land to Israel to inhabit. As God had done to the Canaanites, He would now do to Israel. Israel would build houses and not be allowed to live in them. They would plant vineyards and not be allowed to enjoy the fruit of them. God's blessings were available, but Israel would not be allowed to enjoy them unless they repented when they received this call to accountability. Robert C. Hudson February 12, 2020