impinged

I’m back…

I’ve been doing my devotions in the book of Habakkuk lately. I’m trying something different in that I’ve read through the book several times and now I’m going through it piece by piece and writing my thoughts about each section. It is an interesting process. When I start I have no idea where I’m going but it seems the Holy Spirit begins to reveal to me deeper meanings as I write. Here I’ll be sharing my thoughts.

What really stood out to me in the first 4 verses of this book is the line, “Therefore the law has become powerless.” These were Jews living under the law and being punished for turning from God - turning from following his law. Because they strayed from the law God punished them by raising up the Babylonians (or Chaldeans depending upon your translation) to conquer them. This plunged their society into a lawlessness. The social structure they were used to was gone. Rape, violence, plundering, theft, and injustices of every kind ran rampant; no one felt safe. Their sons were stolen and marched back to Babylon to serve the king. It was a society without any of the protection that laws afford. And then the parallel becomes clear. This was a result of them leaving the protection afforded by following God’s law. So often we seen Christianity as confining, a list of rules and regulations instead of a life of freedom. A lawless society is a society enslaved. Living without God is a life enslaved. We only find true freedom in Christ.

Click here to read these verses for yourself