The Wonder of Habakkuk 1:11- Yoked To The Outcome

This is the Truth Network. Bible Wonders of Habakkuk. Oh, the crowns that are in the crown, the hoof verse of the first chapter of Habakkuk. The tenth, excuse me, the eleventh verse, the eleventh letter in the Hebrew alphabet is the letter hoof. And oh my goodness, it continues to blow my mind. How those letters are somewhat the expression that God is using to convey something marvelously along these lines to us every single time, it seems like. As I begin to look at verses this way, it continues to just amaze me.

I'm really amazed. And this verse is a hoof. It's sort of a semiconductor. You may know that in a computer chip, they have what they call semiconductors. It's actually silicon.

It has something to do with the sand that we learned about in the previous couple of verses ago. And that there are certain things that conduct electricity and there's other things that don't conduct electricity. And we use the things that don't conduct electricity to make the electricity go on a path that we want it to go into in order to create circuits.

And so that's why the Silicon Valley is called Silicon Valley because they use a lot of silicon in computer chips, which they are using to make the electricity go on a path that you want it to go. Well, this is sort of a semiconductor verse. In other words, we can see here from what Nebuchadnezzar does what not to do if we want the crown. And I love that idea.

So here we go. Passover and offend imputing his power unto his God. And so, boy, I love, love, love what both Matthew, Henry and Rashi say about this verse. To begin with, that word mind is rock. It's his spirit that changes.

And that's the interesting thing. It's his spirit that changes. And that word Passover is the same word is used as Passover, but it means he went too far. It literally means he was yoked to the outcome.

And oh, my goodness, is that a word to Robbie Dilmore? Like, how many times am I yoked to the outcome? And so what happened was that his spirit changed rather than being in union with God and going where God wanted. He now, right, was yoked to the outcome, meaning that he considered his outcome to be because of his God. And I love, like I said, Rashi actually asks a question on this verse. It's rare that Rashi does that, but he says, What spirit is this? Now, when he's talking about the spirit of a bar, the spirit of being yoked to the outcome.

And I don't know if you're like me, but I've had that spirit. And that one's going to lead to offending God. And I love, love, love the word offend here. It has to do with the meaning of guilty. And interestingly, it has the root of the word Shem or your name. But then there is an aleph in the front of that, which is the idea of the father. In other words, you've usurped what the father is responsible.

You've taken the place of God. And so the spirit that has happened is we've yoked ourselves to the outcome as we think that we're God or our gods are responsible for what's happened rather than the father. And so many times, you know, we get yoked to these outcomes. And what Matthew Henry says is this spirit that changed is this spirit of haughtiness where they get to thinking, you know, that it's all about them. And the outcome is more important than anything else. And there are the ends justify the means.

And this is a big, big problem. And clearly, what Matthew Henry says is clear is Nebuchadnezzar was setting himself up for destruction. So when you see people that rise up and rise up and rise up, they're actually, as they get loftier and loftier, you know, it's going to be at the point that they're going to come down really, really hard, including me.

Right? I mean, I can't tell you the times that God has had to let the air out of my bag. And so this verse is about that is that he went too far. He became yoked to the outcome instead of being yoked to Jesus, hand in hand with Jesus on where we're going.

He fell out of union and thus he took God's glory and put it on himself for another God. However you do that, either way, you're headed for big, big, big trouble. So again, when it comes to this yoked to outcome, maybe you've heard me tell this story before it just happened recently during a deer season. And I hope you're not offended by the story.

But I think it's helpful. And there are no animal will be harmed in this story. OK, so I was out deer hunting and which I love to do. And I'm a pretty good hunter. And I actually had already shot two deer this season before this event.

So I wasn't all that I shouldn't have been yoked to the outcome. But anyway, I was I was hunting actually in a golf cart. And in you doing that, I was using a pole to help me steady the gun in case I were to shoot a deer. And so the pole I had been studying this idea of the staff of Jesus. And so I thought it was really cool that I had this pole. And as I was, you know, one afternoon out there hunting and thinking and praying, actually. And I said, God, it would be I said, Jesus, it'd be so wonderful to have you in my hand.

This this staff is you just like Moses had the staff in his hand, which represents God. I said, wouldn't it be wonderful to have you in my hand as I shot the next year? I mean, to actually you and I hand in hand, you know, taking this shot.

And I no more had that thought out of my mind. But I turned my head to the right and there were several deer and I actually wanted to shoot a doe. And there was a doe that was standing there and, you know, clearly within range and what should have been an easy shot. And so I said, beautiful, you know, and so I turn and I put the scope where it should go.

And I even asked Jesus, I said, Jesus, isn't this is this is what we're doing. This is the shot. You want me to take the shot? He said, take the shot. So I take the shot and I missed, which I really, really couldn't believe. So I took several more shots and missed some more. As the deer went back to the edge of the woods, he didn't run out just immediately. Eventually he did.

And just clearly, you know, I missed and I just was like, I just don't believe this. But I think God was so teaching me that it's about the journey, not necessarily about the outcome. Right. Like Jesus. And I like what somebody said. Well, Robbie, the deer outprayed you.

I love that. Whatever. You know, I'm clearly that deer needed to live that day that Jesus knew the outcome. And and it it took a little sinking in of what God was teaching me there is, you know, if it really I would much rather have taken that shot with Jesus that have made the shot.

Right. Because I will never you know, I I don't remember the moment of those other shots. Unfortunately, when I shot those other deer, nothing like I remember the moment of this, of taking the shot, of literally pulling the trigger because I was doing that in communion with God at the time. And clearly, obviously, God wanted for those of you deer lovers out there, God wanted that doe to be OK. And it certainly is. So again, this idea of the hoof is a crown and the crown has connected to your desires. And and and and we desire to lay our crowns at Jesus's feet. Right. But interestingly, the crown is not the deer.

OK, the crown is that you were hand in hand in the adventure. Right. That that that because he's a you know that if you think of the 16th Psalm, it fits us so perfectly because he's at my right hand.

Right. And and just to quote those lines out of the you know, I've placed the Lord always before me because he's at my right hand. I will not slip, you know, and therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh rests in a secure hope.

You will not allow me to reign in hell nor your holy one to see decay. In your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand. Right. Our pleasures forevermore. There's the crown. You see, at his right hand, our pleasures forevermore. Wow. Isn't that awesome? Thanks for listening.