Is There Anything New Under The Sun?

By Vivian Gordon

With the perplexities going on in my own life, I was directed to the book of Habakkuk. I gained spiritual insight for my life but I want to talk about the prophetic message for all of us. In this short little book, contains a lot of truth that is coming to pass in the near future. The Bible is full of prophecy, which means it was foretold long ago that nothing new under the sun would ever occur. We can read God's Word almost like a newspaper of today's events. It should make one sit up and take notice. I know I do.

In the book of Habakkuk, this prophet was perplexed as to why God would allow the wicked to prosper. Today we see this happening in the middle East. The Iranian president Ahmadinejad was granted a visa to speak from New York. He has made it clear from an interview on 60 Minutes that he is waging psychological warfare. The president of Israel said that 90% of the war on terror is in fact a media war. Ahmadinejad understands how to manipulate the media to fight the war on terror and win. This is exactly what he is doing. This terrorist presides over a fascist state known for its blatant support of terror. He arrests men whose hair is too long, and even supports the death penalty for gays. His purpose was not to show his sympathy for Americans who suffered great loss on 9-11, but rather to exploit this hallowed place as an arena to wage his psychological warfare. He used it as a platform to build his case on why he believed we were attacked. As with the denial of the Holocaust, he also denies that America was attacked by al-Qaeda. This man is gaining political strength depending on his ability to manipulate the media of the West for idealogical purposes. Now I have to ask, "God...why would you allow these people to prosper?"

Back in the days of Habakkuk, he asked this same thing concerning Israel's enemies the Chaldeans. They were a fierce and ruthless bunch of people. They prided themselves on wicked behavior. They treated other societies like the fish of the sea and creeping things with no ruler.
In other words, they gathered these people up for their selfish pleasure. The Chaldeans credited themselves for all their gain and military might. Habakkuk wanted to know why God would allow these ruthless people to pursue injustice and engage in such wickedness. "How long God, will you allow them to destroy Your people?" was the repeated question of Habakkuk. He just didn't understand, can we?

If anything, I understand now that God did not use the Chaldeans to destroy Israel, but to chastise them. Is there a lesson for us today as well? What can God be telling us as Iran and Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be rising up against the free world? The most important thing to consider is the outcome. God had a plan then as He does today. There is nothing new under the sun.

The prophecy of Habakkuk is fulfilled in our generation. In the first chapter of this book, Yahweh informs Habakkuk that He Himself has raised up these ruthless people. Well, just who are they? They are modern day Iraq, Iran, part of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria. Do these countries sound at all familiar?
God finally responds to Habakkuk's complaint in the second chapter. He announced that He would judge the wickedness of the Chaldeans. He told Habakkuk to write the vision down as a reminder that it would surely occur. He gave Habakkuk a description of the wicked in a comparison to the righteous.

"Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous shall live by faith." Habakkuk 2:4

Being proud means to trust in one's self, not God. Who does the Iranian people trust in? It certainly isn't God. But the righteous man shall continually live by his faith. A true believer which is declared righteous by God, will persevere in his faith as a pattern of his life. Then the Lord continues to give five "woes" of warning in His coming judgment. God teaches us in this book that the lesson of sowing and reaping is a serious matter for everyone. That saying that says, "What goes around comes around" eventually will.

These five woes are directed to 5 different classes of evil doers. It is applied to nations as well as individuals. Found in the second chapter, God explains the woes which will result in the Chaldean's demise. If God did this once, I believe He will do it again.

First God charged exhortation against the Chaldeans, such as plundering weaker nations in order to gain more. Sound like anyone in the news media today? The result to this was God would make them plunder for those nations who remained. I wonder how they will like it!

Secondly, God charged premeditated exploitation which was due to covetousness. These people wouldn't stop until they had it all! Who does this remind you of? The result was the Chaldean leaders would shame themselves for their actions. They harmed their own souls in the end. Anyone who will not recognize Christ their Savior will be judged.

Thirdly God accused them of being ruthless despots. They lived in the lap of luxury with money gained from bloodshed and forced labor. Don't these leaders live in palaces while their people suffer? The result for this was all their efforts were futile. Nothing lasted. Can you begin to see the bigger picture here?

Fourthly, God accused the Chaldeans of debauchery. These people were drunkards and forced others to become intoxicated as well. They made innocent people behave shamefully, making them easy prey. God's response to this charge was to force them to drink His cup of wrath and expose them to public shame. This charge alone would be enough to turn me around!

And lastly, God accused them of idolatry. These countries are polytheistic. They serve many gods. They want to force their religion on the world, which does not include the Supreme Being and Creator of the universe. God destroyed them and demonstrated His superiority over all other gods. He didn't stand for it then, and He won't stand for it now.

"The thing that has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which shall be. So there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

Take it from Solomon, a man who knew firsthand. After all he wrote it because God inspired it. Solomon takes a look at the effect of repetitious, enduring activity in God's creation over many generations as compared to the brief and comparatively profitless activity of one man which fails to produce and enduring satisfaction. He concludes that it is wearisome and futile. He also comes to the hard fact that nothing is new and nothing will be remembered. In other words, written records which serve as reminders of events, people, places and things will all be short lived. I suppose the Iranian president considers himself an exception to God's rules. In the end, it doesn't really matter what any one thinks about God. The truth is, God is still God!

The key lesson to be learned from all this is, no matter what happens in life...trust God! After all was said and done, Habakkuk just praised his Lord thus causing him to relax in the midst of the storms of life. We can't alter what has already been predestined in heaven, but we can pray that God would touch the ruthless hearts of these people who devise wickedness in the world. Be thankful that your salvation in Christ will not be judged.

When facing a crisis, trust Jesus and move forward!

All scripture taken from the MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard version.
Vivian Gordon is led by the Holy Spirit to reach out and give the Christian and non Christian alike something to think about in their own lives. These articles are meant to edify the reader and bring them deeper. They are based on spirituality, inspiration, and today's morals and how we need to get back to basics.
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