God Can Use The Heathen To Accomplish His Will

Judah committed the terrible sin of idolatry under king Jehoiakim (1 Chr 3:15). God told them through His prophet Habakkuk that He will “raise up the Chaldeans” (v. 6), to inflict His judgment and punishment upon a disobedient people by using the heathens to accomplish His purpose. At the end, it will all be for their own good (Rom 8:28). God uses tragedies, troubles, and trials in various ways to get our attention (Jms 1:3). We may not fully understand the reason behind such events. But it is all part of His divine plan for our lives; to bring honor and glory to His name (Isa 59:19)!

He knows exactly what He is doing and He knows all about our sorrows (Ps 56:8). Because He is in control of everything (Eph 1:11), even the “terrible and dreadful” (v. 7), Chaldeans. God is perfect and His “understanding is infinite” (Ps 147:5). He will sometimes use “the wicked” (Prov 16:4), that is already rampant in our world to fulfill His will. For example, the cruel method of crucifixion (Mt 27:22), was used during the time of Jesus to fulfill His salvation plan (Rom 5:8); to blot out all the burdensome requirements of the law (Eph 2:15), by “nailing it to His cross” (Col 2:14)!

Habakkuk struggled to understand why God will use a wicked nation as an instrument of His judgment (v. 13). God assured him that He would later punish the Chaldeans as well (Hab 2:8). Habakkuk would later acknowledge God’s perfect wisdom and judgment (Rom 11:33), by ending with prayers and a song of rejoicing (Hab 3:18)! God’s ways are truly not our ways (Isa 55:8). He can either intervene supernaturally or work behind the scenes. And yes, He can also use the evil forces around us to bring about His plans. May we acknowledge God like Habakkuk did, by humbly submitting to His will; knowing that He is in control of everything! God bless you!

- Pastor Melito Barrera