There are five major movements in Habakkuk, a dialogue between God and the prophet:

1. Habakkuk 1:1-4 The prophet complains about the persistence of injustice.
2. Habakkuk 1:5-11 God declares that He will bring the Chaldeans (Babylon) to judge the nations.
3. Habakkuk 1:12-17 The prophet objects to God using the more wicked Babylonians to bring this judgment.
4. Habakkuk 2:1-20 God declares that He will also judge the pride and violence of Babylon as well as all idolators.
5. Habakkuk 3:1-19 Habakkuk acknowledges God's sovereign strength and reaffirms his devotion to Him.

The prophet Habakkuk questioned the absence of God's justice when he observed all the wickedness around him. Then God revealed to Habakkuk the coming judgment from Babylon, who God would use to devastate the nations, including Judah. The prophet is taken aback because of the wickedness of Babylon. How could a holy God use the wicked to judge those more righteous than them? God does not answer this question directly but tells Habakkuk that He would also judge Babylon's wickedness, just as He will judge all the wicked and idolatrous nations in His time.

It is fitting that God ends his response with the sovereign declaration: "Let all the earth be silent before Him" (Habakkuk 2:20). In other words, let no one question God's sovereign justice. Habakkuk obeys, acknowledging God's glory and power over the nations, even over all creation. He declares God's faithfulness to His people and confesses that it is with great trembling that he awaits God's day of judgment. Yet, when all Judah has been wiped out, Habakkuk declares that He will still hope in God, His Savior. 

Friends, are we worshipping God because He is our God or because of the present benefits we receive from Him? If everything was taken away and only the worst of the wicked appeared to be prospering around us, would we still hope in God? This was Habakkuk's declaration:

Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Let us always hope in the LORD in any and every circumstance!

I heard and my inward parts trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
For the people to arise who will invade us (Habakkuk 3:16).

Habakkuk confesses physical and emotional turmoil as he awaits God's inevitable judgment on His people. In Habakkuk we do not find a stoic figure, calmly self-possessed and confident of the brighter future over the horizon of judgment. No, he is visibly and actually shaken. 

What is more, when Jesus was in the Garden, awaiting crucifixion, by which He would satisfy God's wrath against sinful man, He too was visibly and actually shaken, even as sweat like droplets of blood dripped from His brow.

Friends, let us understand that to be Christians does not mean that we must also be Stoics, unaffected by the world around us. We are affected, but the difference is this. We have hope. Thus, Habakkuk concludes his prophecy with these words:

Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places (Habakkuk 3;17-19).

Habakkuk declares that even when he is poor and starving, as God's wrath is poured out on the nation, he will still praise the Lord, the God of his salvation. He will endure because he has hope. Like a mountain deer overlooking the valley below, God will grant him perspective in the midst of the turmoil.

Friends, we cannot expect to escape all the hardships of this sin-laden world in which we live; however, we can live with hope. And we can allow this hope to govern our decisions and our actions.

Therefore, no matter what our lot, whether rich or poor, hungry or well-fed, suffering or at ease, let us choose to worship the Lord and serve Him with all our hearts. Let us present our bodies like a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Thus, Paul writes,

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2). 

At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,
    who are like wine left on its dregs,
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,
    either good or bad.’

Their wealth will be plundered,
    their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
    they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they will not drink the wine (Zephaniah 1:12-13).

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this oracle of judgment against the complacency of Jerusalem. They were not complacent in gaining wealth for themselves. They were not complacent in building nice homes for themselves. They were not complacent in providing for their own livelihood and enjoyment. They were complacent in their faithfulness to trust, honor and obey God. 

Therefore, they would not enjoy to the full their wealth, their houses, and their creature-comforts, for God would judge them for neglecting the most important thing, namely, their devotion to God.

This prophecy reminds me of a parable Jesus told:

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21).

Friends, in what are you exerting your energy these days? Is it making money to ensure that you and your family live comfortably for many years? Jesus says, "How do you know that you will have many years?" The numerous cancer victims around us should remind us that life is fragile and our days are numbered. 

Will you be like the rich fool in Jesus' parable? He thought that if he devoted all his early years to build larger barns for himself to store up his wealth, he could one day sit back, relax and enjoy his wealth. But God had a different scenario for this man. He would die before he could enjoy what he labored for, and God would ask him to give an account of his life. He would be at a loss on both fronts. He did not enjoy his earthly gains, and he had nothing to show with respect to his service to God. 

Now there are also plenty of examples of people who do live to enjoy the fruit of their worldly lives. But do you realize that they will take none of it with them when they die? As the Bible teaches us,

We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it (1 Timothy 6:7).

This is why Jesus also taught,

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-20).

But you and I have not taken this to heart, for we are all very much materially inclined. I am probably more guilty than most of you. I don't know if this disqualifies me from giving any counsel on this matter, but the dictum, "Physician, heal yourself," would very much apply to me. 

I remember when I took this more to heart, and I literally lived out of a suitcase. It was also a lot easier to give to others. What is ironic is that even though I gave more, I was less appreciated. Having less to my name, people seemed less inclined to listen to my advice. So the Proverb holds true that the poor have few friends while the rich have many (Proverbs 19:4). If there is one great advantage to wealth with enduring significance, it is this: You may have a larger platform to influence others. 

But, as the Scriptures above reveal, wealth can be a pitfall to faith. It can easily distract from what is truly and enduringly important. Consider what Paul wrote:

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

I will not rail against wealth, but I would counsel caution in the pursuit of it. If you are wealthy or have found success in gaining wealth, I pray that God will give you perspective, so that it may not distract you from what is important, that it will remain for you simply a tool to glorify God and to reach more people for Christ. 

This is my favorite verse in the Bible.  My prayer is that the joy of the LORD would be evident in my life in ALL circumstances.

"¹⁶ I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
to come on the nation invading us. ¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, ¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. ¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. "

 One of my favorite books in the OT is Habakkuk, not because it sounds like my favorite korean soup called Habakkuk but because of the above verses. They tell me what my attitude should be when facing imminent disaster. God's judgment was inevitable, and the prophet accepted with a glad heart because it was God's will even though he didn't want it to come upon his beloved country. It reminds me of the Christ's prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.

 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

 Obedience is the virtue that we need to strive for in any circumstances. Many times I find myself asking for a right choice or decision to God and trying to force God to give me what I want. Answer has never been clear or direct and my attitude has been ingratitude with complaints instead of trusting in Him for He is faithful. Once again I pray for all of us to find and have joy because of His enduring love!

Friends, Zephaniah speaks of the great and aweful Day of the LORD, which will be a day of terrible judgment. It has not yet come, but it is often spoken of as being near so that God's people may always live alert and prepared. This is the Day that is described in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 6:17). Since it is a Day that is still coming, the precursors of the day should be our concern as well; that is, what are the things that precipitate such great judgment. In Zephaniah 1:12 we read,

      And it shall come to pass at that time
      That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
      And punish the men
      Who are settled in complacency,
      Who say in their heart,
      ‘ The LORD will not do good,
      Nor will He do evil.’

The people of God here were found to be "complacent." As we learn from the context, this complacency was characterized by an indifference to God, for they said, "The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil." In other words, they believed that God did not care what the people did; therefore, they could live as they wanted without any concern for God's approval or disapproval.

Yet, God called for His people to be humble and to trust Him. He called for justice and righteousness. But the people became proud and not humble. They trusted in themselves, the work of their hands, and even other gods, rather than the LORD. They did not seek justice but perverted it. They did not seek righteousness but only what they could get to satisfy their own pleasures.

Could this be said of you? Are you complacent regarding the Lord? Friends, even though many tacitly acknowledge that God rewards those who do good and punishes those who do evil, they do not make the kind of choices or live in a such a way that demonstrates this to be true for them. In the letter to the church in Thyatira, Jesus warns, "I am He who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds" (Revelation 2:23).

Therefore, in view of this coming day of dreadful judgment, what sort of people should we be. Even though we will be delivered from this Day through Jesus Christ, our lives should reflect the character of the One who delivers us. Today, let us not be complacent but diligently give attention to living like Christ. Otherwise, we may find ourselves to have fallen short of the mark, having an empty faith, and facing condemnation with the rest of the unbelieving world. Friends, "make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. " (2 Peter 1:10-11).