Habakkuk 2

Habakkuk 2:3

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and is till not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

Reading this, in isolation, I got a grin on my face when I had the thought that this should be a Standard Disclaimer on all prophecies in the Bible.  It does basically factor into all of them, this reminder that just because it's been said, doesn't mean it won't happen right away.  In fact, many of the prophecies of the end times have yet to occur.

Now, for this specific prophecy, the fulfillment was in the relatively near future (relatively being under a century, I think).  The nation would be destroyed by a nonbelieving people, used by God to punish the believers.  God kept his promises in that case, and we should remember he will also keep them in ours, both good and bad.

Habakkuk 1

Habakkuk 1:6

"For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
That fierce and impetuous people
Who march throughout the earth
To seize dwelling places which are not theirs.

It bothers me some when God uses the nonbeliever to His ends.  I always feel like God's sullying Himself a bit when He does that.  Shouldn't He use only His own people, and against those wicked ones?

But God can't really work that way, since all of us are fallen.  There are none on the earth who would meet His requirements for a proper tool is He were to operate like I want.  That does, of course, mean that then He would have to act directly, but the world isn't ready for that.

Nahum 3

Nahum 3:19

There is no relief for your breakdown,
Your wound is incurable.
All who hear about you
Will clap their hands over you,
For on whom has not your evil passed continually?

When God releases His judgment on the Assyrians, there is no hiding from it.  They could go nowhere, do nothing, to stay away from it.  Their sins would not be forgiven, nor the penalty delayed any further.

I assume that the part about clapping hands means to seize them.  The Assyrians had brutalized much of the region, enslaving many nations and not exactly friendly to others.  Their people would not find refuge or mercy from any of their neighbors, because of what had been done to them.

Nahum 2

Nahum 2:10

She is emptied!  Yes, she is desolate and waste!
Hearts are melting and knees knocking!
Also anguish is in the whole body
And all their faces are grown pale!

Nineveh was the greatest known city of her time, Assyria.  She commanded the largest empire in the region, and possessed unrivaled military power.  No one was foolish enough to contest Assyria's rule.

Yet, within only a few decades, her power would disappear.  The Babylonians would so utterly destroy the city, it was millennia before its location was rediscovered.  God kept His promise from this verse, and everyone who heard it would have known.

Nahum 1

Nahum 1:6

Who can stand before His indignation?
Who can endure the burning of His anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire
And the rocks are broken up by Him.

This description of God's power both frightens and thrills me.  It thrills me to know that God is that powerful, that nothing is beyond His capability.  The idea that God can destroy whomever He wishes also scares me, because I know I should be among His targets.

Normally, at this point I'd say something cliche about how I'm not His target because of salvation, but today I'm feeling different.  Today I feel like I should be His target, saved or no.  I'm hurting right now, and angry, and feel like I'm giving God a raw deal without knowing how to improve it.

Micah 7

Micah 7:7

But as for me, I will watch expectantly from the LORD;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.

I wish I could say that I fit this description.  I want to be someone who waits well for God.  In most things I'm very patient, and don't mind waiting much.

However, this is an area where I fall short.  I do want it all now, and I will compromise to get something like what I think I want.  And worse of all, I often feel God doesn't hear me, that He's abandoned me and therefore I should do my own thing.

Micah 6

Micah 6:7

Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

God's standard is impossible to meet.  Therefore, some kind of penalty must be paid.  However, God does not enjoy the penalty.

The penalty requires loss, which is giving up something else God created.  So trading one thing for another, even if it's huge amounts or extremely precious, is not what God desires.  But He cared so much, instead of asking for our sons, He sent His.