INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
HABAKKUK - CHAPTER 3
"Because God has inclined his ear to us, we must resolve that therefore we will call upon him as long as we live." "Those that would rightly order their speech to God must carefully observe, & lay before them, his speech to them." "Whatever becomes of us, though we be as dead & dry bones, Lord, let thy work be revived" "Even those that are under the tokens of God's wrath must not despair of his mercy; & mercy, mere mercy, is that which we must flee to for refuge, & rely upon as our only plea." "His ways are everlasting, that is, all the motions of his providence are according to his eternal counsels; & he is the same for ever, that which he was yesterday & to-day. His covenant is unchangeable, & his mercy endures for ever." "The God of nature can alter & control the powers of nature, which way he pleases, can turn waters into crystal rocks & rocks into crystal streams." "The heavenly bodies, as well as earth & seas, are at God's command" "All the powers of nature are shaken, & the course of nature changed, & every thing seems to be thrown into disorder, & all is for the salvation of God's people. There are a people in the world who are God's people, & their salvation is that which he has in his eye in all the operations of his providence." "In heaven there shall be no more trembling, but everlasting triumphs." "Good hope through grace is founded in a holy fear." "When we are in the full enjoyment of our creature comforts we should consider that there may come a time when we shall be stripped of them all, & use them accordingly, as not abusing them" "This is the principal ground of our joy in God, that he is the God of our salvation, our eternal salvation, the salvation of the soul; &, if he be so, we may rejoice in him as such in our greatest distresses, since by them our salvation cannot be hindered, but may be furthered." "Joy in God is never out of season..." "The Lord God is my strength, v. 19." "We shall be swift for our spiritual race: 'He will make my feet like hinds' feet, that with enlargement of heart I may run the way of his commands & outrun my troubles.'" "He that is afflicted, & has prayed aright, may then be so easy, may then be so merry, as to sing psalms." ZEPHANIAH - CHAPTER 1 "What good can the best reformers do with a people that hate to be reformed, as if they longed to be ruined?" "Those that will not humble themselves under God's mighty hand shall be humbled & brought down by it." "...God will let them know that he is a jealous God, & will not endure any rival." "Those that think to divide their affections & adorations between God & idols will not only come short of acceptance with God, but will have their doom with the worst of idolaters; for what communion can there be between light & darkness, Christ & Belial, God & mammon?" "Men have their day now, when they take a liberty to do what they please; but God's day is at hand" "God's hand will find out his enemies, wherever they lie hid" "All the excuses of their sin, & exceptions against the sentence, will be over-ruled, & they shall not have a word to say for themselves." "It is madness for those to slumber whose damnation slumbers not" "Those that walk as bad men will justly be left to walk as blind men, always in the dark, in doubt & danger, without any guide or comfort, & falling at length into the ditch. Because they have sinned against the Lord he will deliver them into the hands of cruel enemies, that shall pour out their blood as dust, so profusely, & with as little regret, & their flesh shall be thrown as dung upon the dunghill." "Riches profit not in the day of wrath, Proverbs 11:4." "Let not sinners be laid asleep by the patience of God, for when the measure of their iniquity is full his justice will both overtake & overcome, will make quick work & thorough work." CHAPTER 2 "...repentance, national repentance... the only way to prevent national ruin." "When God is contending with us it concerns us to enquire into ourselves." "It is the wisdom of those whom God has a controversy with to agree with him quickly, while they are in the way, before his fierce anger comes upon them, not to be turned away." "Seek you the Lord." "They must seek the Lord, seek his favour & grace, address him upon all occasions, ask of him what they need, seek him early, seek him diligently, & continue seeking him." "They must seek righteousness." "They must seek meekness." "In the difficult trying times approaching, the meek will find exercise for all the meekness they have" "Those that hold fast their integrity, in times of common iniquity, have reason to hope that God will find out a hiding-place for them, where they shall be safe & easy, in times of common calamity." "Those are really in a woeful condition that have the word of the Lord against them, for no word of his shall fall to the ground. Those that rebel against the precepts of God's word shall have the threatenings of the word against them." "God not only takes notice of, but interests himself in the reproaches cast on his people, because they are his; & it is certain that those who look with disdain upon the people of the Lord of hosts thereby dishonour the Lord of hosts himself." "Associates in iniquity may expect to be such in desolation." "Proud men sometimes, by the just judgment of God, fall under the mortification of being trampled upon themselves by those whom once they haughtily trampled upon. And this shall they have for their pride." CHAPTER 3 "...the holy God hates sin in those that are nearest to him, nay, in them he hates it most. A sinful state is, & will be, a woeful state." "Sin is the filthiness & pollution of persons & places, & makes them odious in the sight of the holy God." "The just Lord is in the midst of thee, to take cognizance of all thou doest amiss & give countenance to all thou doest well; he is in the midst of thee as a holy God, & therefore thy pollutions are the more offensive, Deuteronomy 23:14. He is in the midst of you as a just God, & therefore will punish the affronts you put upon him, & the wrongs & injuries you do to one another." "He had assured them of the continuance of their prosperity if they would fear him & receive instruction, for so their dwelling would not be cut off as their neighbour's was; if they took the warning given them, & reformed, what was past should be pardoned, & their tranquility lengthened out." "The end of those that continue to be of the earth, & to mind earthly things, after God has set up the kingdom of heaven among men, shall be destruction (Phil. 3:19); they shall be devoured with the fire of God's jealousy." "Prayer is the spiritual offering with which God must be honoured" "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable." "The guilt of sin being taken away by pardoning mercy, the reproach of it shall be rolled away from the sinner's own conscience, that being purified, & pacified, & cleansed from dead works." "...that haughtiness is the most offensive to God which is supported & fed by the pretensions of holiness. This God will silence & take away." "Those whom God designs for the glory of his name he enables to trust in his name; & the greater their affliction & poverty in the world are the more reason they see to trust in God, having nothing else to trust to, I Timothy 5:5." "What makes a people holy will make them happy of course." "Fear makes the hands slack, but faith & hope make them vigorous, & the joy of the Lord will be our strength both for doing & suffering." "God will give them the tokens of his presence with them; though he has long seemed to stand at a distance (they having provoked him to withdraw), he will make it to appear that he is with them of a truth. 'The Lord is in the midst of thee, O Zion!" "He will joy over them with singing. He that is grieved for the sin of sinners rejoices in the graces & services of the saints, & is ready to express that joy by singing over them. The Lord takes pleasure in those that fear him, & in them Jesus Christ will shortly be glorified & admired." "God will recover the captives out of the hands of their oppressors, & bring home the banished that seemed to be expelled" "Those that abuse & oppress God's people take the ready way to undo themselves." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1365 - 1388.
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AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
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