The Wonder of Habakkuk 2:1 Watching For The Word of Reproof

It is my prayer today that you would see how today's verse is an answer to the prayer that we all prayed yesterday, or I hope you prayed it with me, that, man, God would help us get the desires that we want, and I'm also praying that you'll see how this is an answer to that prayer in a way that Habakkuk did it. It's so fascinating to me, it's so connected to the end of the first chapter, as we talked about yesterday, but this would be the Aleph verse in the second chapter, and again, Aleph being that idea of the Father and wisdom, and I think you can't help but see the wisdom of what Habakkuk did here. So verse one in English says, 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.

So it's really, really beyond cool. I think what Rashi teaches, and again, I don't know where he got this in the Talmud or somewhere, that they believe, the Jews do, that Habakkuk dug himself a hole, a round hole, as Rashi put it, and actually, I'll read to you what Rashi said. Habakkuk dug a circular hole, stood within it, and said, I will not budge from here until I hear what he will say to me concerning this my question.

You know, that is my kind of prophet, right? I mean, he is going to dig himself a hole, and he's going to stand in the middle of it until God answers his question. I mean, what an amazing thing that is, that what we see here, that here he is waiting to hear from God, and he's essentially standing in his, what he considers, God gave him this ministry, God gave him this watch tower, so to speak, and now he is going to stay upon it, which I find interesting.

He says tower, but then he digs a hole and goes into it. I don't know how all that works, but the word that just flipped my switch when I read this, and I just said, okay, there it is. There is exactly what I asked for yesterday, because he says when I am reproved, and that word reproved in Hebrew is spectacular, because it gives you an idea that you're getting your desires in line with what God's desires are. In other words, he is going to show you what it is that he is desiring, and when he says that, you know, when I will answer, that word actually would be properly better in my opinion, although apparently not everybody agrees with me on this, but I would certainly say it says repent. In other words, God, from where I would, that I would interpret these last few words as saying, God, show me what my desires should be so that I can turn your direction, right? Because the idea of repent is to turn, and so when he says answer, well, there is no doubt that that word is to return or to turn, and so he knows, this reproof is going to show him where his desires have gone wrong, right?

Which is exactly what we asked yesterday. We asked, Lord, give us, you know, the desires that we should have, and it's a fascinating thing that we talked about in the 145th Psalm, that 16th verse, God's going to provide that which you desire, and that word in the 145th Psalm is ratzon, and that word also could be translated will, because when you do the Lord's Prayer, interestingly, I couldn't help but reflect about it this morning, now how cool, when we pray, Lord, thy will be done, that in a way we're asking to be reproved right there. We're asking for God to give us the desires that he has, right? Help us to see the right desires, because apparently what we're understanding from this is this is what God's going to do. He's going to open up his hand and give us our desires, and he is risking that our desires will be what his desires are going to be, and so I just think it's really, really, really wonderful, this opportunity that we have for Habakkuk, and oh, this in itself is a prayer that Habakkuk is praying, right? He's asking God for his reproof, and I think we're going to see that in upcoming, in fact, I know we're going to see that in the upcoming verses and how spectacular all that will be. I couldn't be more excited to see how God is going to get Habakkuk in line, because clearly Habakkuk is struggling here. He's struggling with what God is doing with essentially the wicked, encompassing and devouring the righteous, as we talked about through the end of chapter one, and so I'm sure he doesn't have to look around anybody very much to see that all going on all around us, and again, it goes back from my standpoint, what do I do with this verse personally? I mean, what exactly do I do with this? Well, I want to do what Habakkuk did.

I don't know that I'm going to dig a hole, but I definitely want to stand upon my watch and be set upon the tower, the rampart. I want to get in that place where I can hear from God, because if I hear from God, right, then I can begin to get my desires right, and I also couldn't help reflect on the 119 Psalms I often did, you know, how shall, wheresoever shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to the word, thy word? In other words, as I was thinking about it, the best way I know to get my desires in line would be for me to get more in line with the word, because the word is going to get me clean and get me to where, you know, I'm desiring those things that are of the word. You know, what a wonderful thing to desire is the word itself, and so when you look deep into this, in this verse, chapter 2 verse 1, when it says that Habakkuk is going to watch to see what he will say, well, that he will say is devar, and that is the word. In other words, he's waiting to get a word from the Lord, but the word of the Lord came to so many different prophets, but the word comes to us through the Scriptures to begin with.

Obviously, he speaks to us as well, or his sheep hear his voice, but the point of it is, a lot of times, I'm sure, that as we study the word, those words come to us like these very words came to me this morning about understanding how to get my will in line with his will. And so what a beautiful thing that we can, again, climb that place for me, you know, that's sitting there with his word in front of me, asking to hear from him. Where are we going, Lord?

What are we doing? And even stopping throughout the day and saying, Lord, give me a word. Help me to see where this comes up in your word or a word that I need, you know, based on what we're doing today, and that we would be locked arm in arm as I talk about a few verses ago, how beautiful to be face to face with the Lord, right?

Hand in hand with the Lord and belly button to belly button. And if I could stay there all through the day, you know, that would be like Habakkuk there in his hole, right? You're right there in your watch, you're waiting on his word, and to wait on him is exactly where he wanted me to be this year.

He's like, we need to cover, Robbie, we need to cover. And I can see that Habakkuk, you know, if I got to dig a hole, and that's what God will have me do. What a neat thing that we're going to wait on the Lord. And I and, you know, again, this verse is just I'm hardly wait to have it memorized, to think as I begin to process this every day, that this can really get in there to where I can begin to see how important it is that I be reproved by God, when my desires aren't in line, I need that reproof. And I never realized it really until I read this this morning, how critical it is and how beautiful it is that Habakkuk knew, I don't have this straight, God straighten me out, help me turn in the direction that you're going. I mean, that's exactly what he's saying there.

And specifically his desires that they would be in line with God's desires. And so again, I thank you so much for listening. I'm really looking forward to where this chapter is taking us this adventure. I'm so grateful that you're joining us. And again, if God puts it on your heart, somebody that you could share this with that loves this kind of study loves the Word of God, by all means, you know, click that thing to share it that little square thing with arrow in it and and send it to somebody that you feel like God put on your heart to send it to. Thanks again for listening. Transcribed by https://otter.ai