ON THE WATCH TOWER


HABAKKUK 2
A. "I WILL STAND UPON MY WATCH, AND SET ME UPON THE TOWER, AND WILL WATCH TO SEE WHAT HE WILL SAY UNTO ME, AND WHAT I SHALL ANSWER WHEN I AM REPROVED"
  1. These words indicate clearly:
    1. The close relationship of the minister of the gospel to the Lord; a star in His rights hand" - Rev. 1:20
    2. The minister of the gospel is God's agent to transmit God's message to men Is. 43:10; Acts 1:8; Ezek. 3:17-18
  2. This relationship between God and the preacher:
    1. Puts the worker on a constant alert to the instructions God may have for him
    2. This makes the ministry a very solemn vocation - I Cor. 9:16 B. A SOLEMN AND UNPLEASANT DUTY FOR GOD'S WATCHMAN
  3. There are times when God's messengers will have to transmit to the people messages that are unpleasant yet very necessary:
    1. Jeremiah was called upon to deliver such a message and he did not relish it Jer. 20:7-10
    2. Jonah attempted to run away from his assignment - Jonah 1:1-17
    3. It was not easy for Nathan to look King David into his eyes and tell him, "Thou are the man" - 2 Sam. 12:1-15
  4. The prophet Habakkuk's assignment was to proclaim five woes upon the guilty:
    1. Woe to the dishonest; "To him that increaseth that which is not his own" (v. 6). This applies to the unscrupulous master - James 5: the dishonest servant, the unsympathetic miser, and to all religious hypocrites who claim that which is not their own; Examples - Gehazi - 2 Kings 5:21-27; Ahab - I Kings 21; Nabal - I Sam. 25:3-38; Judas - John 12:6
    2. Woe to the covetous; "Him that coveteth...that he may set his nest on high" (v.9). This is coveting for self-display and social aggrandizement; Examples: This type of covetousness had its origin in the heart of Lucifer - Is. 14:12-18; Ezek. 28:12-17. Achan became a victim to this sin Josh. 7:20. Simon, too, fell for this sin - Acts 8:18-24. The sin of covetousness is deadly and we should pray that a merciful God will keep us from it.
  5. Woe to the Oppressor - "To him that buildeth with blood and establisheth by iniquity" (v. 12). Thank God that the old slavery has been abolished yet, there are many power magnets who use the labors of the oppressed to gather in wealth - James 5
  6. Woe to the Deceiver - "To him that giveth his neighbor drink, that they might look on their shame" - (v. 15). Here we have a sin practiced by many false teachers who give their hearers the wine of deception so that they can exploit them. This is the method fallen Babylon uses - Rev. 17
  7. Woe to the Idolater - "Woe unto him that saith unto the wood, awake and to the dumb stone arise" (v. 19). We pity the poor blind heathen who serve idols; but what about those who make mammon their god! Who devote their life's energies to serving the material things of this world - Luke 12:16-20 C. THE BRIGHTER SIDE TO THIS MESSAGE
  8. God's messages are always tempered with a better hope:
    1. "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (v. 14)
    2. This reminds us of Isaiah 11:9 "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea"
    3. This indicates very clearly that the work of the faithful minister will not be a failure. The light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ will light up a sin-darkened earth - Rev. 18:1-4; Is. 60:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:4,5
  9. The closing verse of this part of the prophecy gives us another peace-assuring statement: "The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him"
    1. The word today is a veritable Babylon of noise and commotion
    2. Modern inventions and related activities are taxing the nerves as nothing else can
    3. But the time will come when all the activities of men will cease and the earth will be silent
    4. The book of Revelation tells us that when Jesus leaves heaven at His second coming that there will be great silence in heaven for half an hour - Rev. 8:1


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