"Habakkuk"

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

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Open your Bibles, if you will, one more time to Habakkuk, and you should know how to get there by now.

You know, Habakkuk is a great study for those going through hard times, which I'm assuming most of you are.

Because I was taught years ago by a very well-respected preacher that when you preach, seven out of ten people in that room are going to be going through hard times, and the other three will be.

And so this is a very pertinent study for us.

You know, regardless of whether those hard times come through personal pains, through relationships or whatever, or if they come through broader societal circumstances or upheavals or hardships or common experiences.

But these hardships, though they shake the very foundations sometimes of our faith,

And though that shaking may be painful, it is the richest place for us to grow.

In our faith, in our knowledge of ourselves, and in our knowledge of this covenant God who holds us.

In fact, we could confidently say that apart from such hardship, growth will not take place.

You go talk to anyone that you admire of the depth of their faith and the richness of their faith,

you will rarely, if ever, find someone like that who has not gone through the crucible of suffering.

Because there is something deep and rich that takes place in these moments.

And that's what we find here in Habakkuk.

Habakkuk has been in a hard place.

He has had his foundations shaken, at least his theological foundations.

But now he's been told that even greater physical, societal suffering is going to happen.

You know, and the way that God works, you know, when he brings his people to this place,

what he does, he not only takes them there, but then he...

Sometimes it's these places of brokenness where we feel like we're undone.

But it's in that place that God brings us to being undone,

and then puts us back together again in a much healthier way.

You know, in this last chapter, what we're going to see is the fruit of what God is doing in Habakkuk's heart.

And Habakkuk is determined, what we're going to see in this passage,

that he is determined not only to stand firm in who God is,

he is also determined to rejoice.

And to do so, he's not saying that pain is good,

that we should be in some sense masochistic about it.

But he is saying that there's something even in that pain

that is worthy of rejoicing,

and even what that pain will bring about

is worthy of rejoicing.

And Habakkuk's going to show us how that is done.

So, I want you to follow with me as we read

this last third chapter

of the prophecy of Habakkuk.

A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet,

according to Shigenoth.

It says,

O Lord, I have heard the report of you,

and your work, O Lord, do I fear.

In the midst of the years, revive it.

In the midst of the years, make it known.

In wrath, remember mercy.

God came from Teman,

and the Holy One from Mount Perrin.

His splendor covered the heavens,

and the earth was full of his praise.

His brightness was like the light

rays flashed from his hand,

and there he veiled his power.

Before him went pestilence,

and plague followed at his heels.

He stood and measured the earth.

He looked and shook the nations.

Then the eternal mountains were scattered,

and the everlasting hills sank low.

His were the everlasting ways.

I saw the tents of cushion in affliction.

The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?

Was your anger against the rivers,

or your indignation against the sea,

when you rode on your horses,

on your chariot of salvation?

You stripped the sheath from your bow,

calling for many arrows.

You split the earth with rivers.

The mountains saw you and writhed.

The raging waters swept on.

The deep gave forth its voice.

It lifted its hands on high.

The sun and moon stood still in their place

at the light of your arrows as they sped.

The flash of your glittering spear.

You marched through the earth in fury.

You threshed the mountains in anger.

You went out for the salvation of your people,

for the salvation of your anointed.

And you crushed the head of the house of the wicked,

laying him bare from thigh to neck.

You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors,

who came like a whirlwind to scatter me,

rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.

You trampled the sea with your horses,

the surging of mighty waters.

And I hear.

And my body trembles.

My lips quiver at the sound.

Rottenness enters into my bones.

My legs tremble beneath me.

Yet I will quietly wait

for the day of trouble

to come upon people who invade us.

And though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines.

The produce of the olive fail,

and the fields yield no food.

The flock be cut off from the fold,

and there be no herd in the stalls.

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God the Lord is my strength.

He makes my feet like the deer's.

He makes me tread on my high places.

To the choir master,

the stringed instruments.

Which is interesting.

This is a worship song

that he has given to us.

Let's pray together

before we get into the study.

Father,

would you help us to worship

as we go through the study of your word?

Would you lead us to deep worship

and deep trust

and greater joy?

Pour out your spirit

that your work might be done

in the depth of our being.

And we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

As we think about what Habakkuk shows us

about rejoicing,

and this is the thing,

this is,

the call here for us is,

again,

not to just persevere,

not just to stand firm

in these hard times,

the times of confusion,

but it is to rejoice.

How do we do that?

There are four things

that I want us to see.

The first,

we see Habakkuk bowing

in repentance.

The chapter starts off,

this chapter,

very differently

from the other two.

You know,

in the first chapter,

Habakkuk was praying,

but his prayer

was full of accusations.

He was accusing God of wrong.

He was going to God,

questioning why he was not working

the way he should have been.

And then when God told him

how he was going to work,

he told God that,

nope,

that's not going to work either.

And then in the second chapter,

we see God

really bringing some sobriety

to Habakkuk

Habakkuk

as he outlines

just the heart

of the arrogant,

the wicked,

and what they were like.

But that picture

was very,

very much

applicable

to Habakkuk himself

and his people.

But now,

there's a different tone.

it's a lot softer.

It's a lot more hesitant.

And Habakkuk's asking

for something different.

Instead of anger,

instead of accusations,

instead of railing at God,

he's asking

for mercy.

And that is

something

very,

very

different.

it's a monumental shift

that occurs

somewhere down

in the depth

of his heart.

And that shift

comes

from

remembering.

Remembering

who God is

and remembering

who Habakkuk

is.

Habakkuk's

standard,

where repentance

comes from,

in the plea for mercy,

where that comes from,

is a shift

of standard

of comparison.

What Habakkuk

was doing

previously

was comparing

Israel

and who they are

with these Chaldeans

and with the evil

of the Chaldeans

and the only conclusion

he could come to

was that,

wait a minute,

there's something wrong here.

We're better

than they are.

These guys are terrible.

We're your people.

But it was

the wrong comparison.

And from that

standard,

he had a right

to accuse.

He thought.

But in chapter 2,

what God has done,

he says,

no,

you got the wrong

measure,

the wrong standard.

And that needs

to change.

And instead

of comparing

himself to others

horizontally,

he said,

the standard

now becomes

me.

I am

the standard

of measure.

I am

the definition

of righteousness.

I

am

the standard

of good.

And when that

standard

changes,

there are no

more demands.

There are no

more questions.

There's no

more accusations.

No more

railing.

No more

anger.

There's just

this plea

for mercy.

Because Habakkuk

came to realize

he

needed the

same

mercy

before the

judgment

of God

that the

Chaldeans

did.

And now

in his plea

for mercy,

this place

of humility

he has

come to,

that's all

he can ask

for.

I think

this is

the cure

for an

awful lot

of our

anger.

back when

I told you

the story

a couple

weeks ago

of the

trial

and when

my son-in-law

was falsely

convicted,

my immediate

response was

I got

angry.

I got

angry

not just

at people

around me,

not at just

the justice

system,

not at this

judge who

presided over

this trial,

I got angry

at God

himself.

And like

Habakkuk in

that first

chapter,

I went to

him and

began to

accuse him

and rail

at him

and he

says what

you're doing

is wrong.

It is

unjust.

How can

you do

this?

anger

is so

often

the

fruit

of

arrogance,

of saying

that I

am,

have the

right

to declare

you

wrong.

And that's

where Habakkuk

was.

But he

discovered

something

different.

That in

the face

of who

God is

himself,

we are

no different

than the

most wicked

of our

society.

We have

no more

ground to

stand on.

And we

ourselves

need to

plead for

mercy.

only the

one who

thinks he's

right can

demand

recompense.

Only the

one who

thinks he's

right can

sit in

judgment over

somebody else's

wrong.

It's the

one who is

wrong,

who is

weak,

and who

understands

their guilt

that now

goes before

God and

said,

the only

thing I

can ask

is for

mercy.

I need

mercy.

And when

that happens,

there is a

softness that

takes place

in our

hearts

towards God

and then

towards everybody

else.

God

is.

And that

comes from

a change

of standard

where it's

no longer

us comparing

ourselves to

someone else,

but it's

now us in

the light of

who God

is.

As Habakkuk

went through

all these

verses,

kind of

rehearsing

in his

mind who

God was.

grace.

And that

brings us

to our

place

where all

we can do

is ask

for mercy.

And it's

when this

anger is

broken by

the humility

and when

we come

to God

asking for

mercy,

that is

the open

door for

joy to

enter in.

And it

cannot.

Rejoicing

cannot enter

until we

get to

that place.

So the

first thing

is that

there is a

bowing in

repentance,

seeing ourselves

in the light

of all that

God is,

and stop

our railing,

and we go

to him for

mercy.

But the

second thing

is there's

some remembering

in worship

here.

It was not

just that

Habakkuk

realized the

greatness and

the glory and

the holiness

of God,

but there

were some

other things

he saw.

In that

low place,

he was

now rightly

prepared to

worship God

the way he

needed to.

And so in

these verses,

he goes

through God,

but there's a

couple of

particular verses

that tells us

some things.

In verse 15,

we see this,

you trampled

the sea with

your horses,

the surging of

mighty waters,

and in a sense

what he's saying

there, the

mighty waters

in biblical

language is a

description of

chaos.

And so what

he's saying

here, it is

God who

rides over

the chaos

and brings

order.

And so he's

getting himself

refocused here

that the chaos

himself is now

subservient to

this God.

But there's

something even

else more

special here.

Down in verse

13.

And as

Habakkuk is

talking about

God and he's

riding through

the world in

judgment and

so forth, you

come across this

statement.

He says,

you went out

for the

salvation of

your people,

for the

salvation of

your anointed,

and Israel

was his

anointed.

He wrote

against all

of his

enemies for

the salvation

of his

people.

You know, as

we said last

week, you

know, a God

who controls

all things may

be one thing,

but not

necessarily is

going to

elicit our

ready trust.

But it's a

God who

controls all

things and

works for

us.

It's a God

who will draw

us to

himself.

And I

think for me,

at least,

when I'm in

the midst of

hardship,

this is the

key.

He's not

coming to

destroy me.

He's not

coming to

destroy my

world.

He's not

coming to

tear me

down.

He's coming

to destroy

the evil

that has

come against

me.

He is

coming to

destroy that

which truly

threatens me.

He has

come to

destroy that

which will

destroy me.

He's coming

to have put

an end to

the chaos of

this life,

but he's

coming not

against me.

he's coming

for me.

Back in

that courtroom

so many

years ago,

what I

thought

was a

death blow

was actually

the embrace

of a

friend.

God

because he

saw

greater

enemies

in me.

He saw

a knowledge

of him

that was

extremely

limited.

He saw

things

in my

heart

that had

to go

because he

was fighting

for my

joy.

He was

fighting

for my

good.

He was

fighting

for my

growth.

And I

didn't know

it.

But this

is what

Habakkuk

has come

to see.

It is

what I

saw a

few months

later.

you know,

the last

time I

preached

this

book

was,

I told

you,

we were

in that

courtroom

in August.

It was

September.

It was

during the

height of

the pain.

And what

he was

showing me

was,

all this

time,

I mean,

I was

angry and

struggling,

but it

wasn't

until a

friend

came

to our

church

and simply

took me

back to

the God

who was

for me.

That I

had a

father who

did control

all things,

but a

father who

was working

for my

salvation

and for

my joy

and for

the riches

that he

wanted for

me.

And this

was the

process.

And so

at the

heart of

rejoicing in

the midst

of these

trials,

is coming

to grips

with the

one who

is at

work and

what he's

doing.

And

sometimes he

wants more

for us than

we want for

ourselves.

So we

begin with

repentance,

acknowledging his

greatness and

glory, but

then we

acknowledge that

the one that

we bow

before is

the ultimate

father, the

ultimate good,

the ultimate

savior.

But then

there's a

third thing.

And this

may be the

hardest of

all of

this.

The third

thing is

trusting him

in honesty.

prophecy.

And this

is one of

the remarkable

things about

Habakkuk.

When he

says there in

verse 16, I

mean, look what

he says here.

He says,

I hear, and

my body

trembles, my

lips quiver at

the sound,

rottenness

enters my

bones, my

legs tremble

beneath me,

yet I will

quietly wait

for the day of

trouble to come

upon people who

invade us.

Now, there's a

difference in

translation here

that some

versions have.

And I don't

think this one

is necessarily

the best, but

it's hard to

tell.

Because one of

the ways that

this is also

translated,

particularly in

the New

American Standard,

is that I

will quietly

wait for the

day of

distress for

the people who

will come and

invade us.

And I

honestly think

that fits the

context here a

little better.

Because what

Habakkuk sees,

what he now

can tell is

coming is

disaster.

Because when

he gets down

to the next

verses where

he says,

though the fig

tree should not

blossom, nor

fruit be on the

vines, the

produce of the

olive fail, and

the fields yield

no food, and

on and on,

every bit of

that is going

to happen.

In fact,

things are going

to get so bad

in Jerusalem

that mothers

are going to

cannibalize their

children because

they're starving,

because of the

siege that the

Babylonians are

going to bring

on the city.

You can read

all about it

in Lamentations.

It's

grotesque.

Habakkuk is

going to

experience all

of that.

And still,

he says,

I will

rejoice.

Is he

nuts?

How do you

rejoice

over that?

That

this is not

hyperbole,

but he

looks square

at the

hardship and

all of its

ugliness and

still rejoices.

In fact,

we could also

say, unless

we do look

at the reality

of our pain

and suffering

squarely, we

do not

exercise

faith.

one of the

ways we

often try to

find joy in

the hardness

of life is

basically downplay

the suffering.

We downplay the

pain that we

experience.

We don't want

to talk about

it.

We need to

be positive.

Now, if

there's something

wrong with

talking about

if we're really

in a hard

place, talking

about how

hard a place

that is,

because somehow

we think that's

not faith.

faith is

putting the

smile on our

face and

just being

happy.

And so we

ignore her.

We kind of

just put it

aside and

pretend that

it doesn't

hurt.

Focus on the

positive, but

what we may

actually be

doing is

minimizing the

pain to

accommodate

our weak

faith.

because, see,

faith, when

there is no

challenge, is

no faith.

But when

faith is

shaken and

challenged,

when we face

the reality of

this chaos and

confusion and

hardship, that

is when faith

is real.

people.

You know, in

my case, I

had been angry

for months, and

finally somebody

reminded me of

who God was,

and something

changed in my

heart.

and I had an

opportunity to go

spend about three

days alone.

Well, not

alone, but in a

wrestling match

with God

himself and

his word and

wrestling with the

realities of what

was said and

looking at the

pain in the

face and

trying to make

sense of

all of this,

wrestling,

trusting him,

asking him a lot

of questions.

It says, all

right, what is

all this stuff in

your word about

justice?

How am I

supposed to pray

now?

How am I

supposed to pray

when I prayed all

these years for

something and you

gave me just the

opposite?

how am I

supposed to

trust you with

things that are

very dear to me

because you

hurt me?

How am I

supposed to deal

with you?

And that

conversation, that

wrestling match,

was transformative.

It led me to

repent to some

of the people

that were very

dear to me.

It led me to a

spring of joy that

I was so desperately

thirsty for because

I found God

himself.

See, Jesus is our

great example in

this.

There was a

sermon that

Jonathan Edwards

preached, of

course, obviously

years ago.

It was called

Christ's agony.

And this is what

Edwards says as he

describes Jesus'

preparation for

going to the

cross.

He says, when he

had, when Jesus

had a full sight

given him, what

that wrath of God

was that he was to

suffer, the sight

was overwhelming

to him.

It made his soul

exceedingly sorrowful,

even to death.

Christ was going to

be cast into a

dreadful furnace of

wrath, and it was

not proper that he

should plunge himself

into it blindfolded,

as if not knowing how

dreadful the furnace

was.

Therefore, that he

might not do so,

God first brought him

and set him at the

mouth of the furnace,

that he might look in

and stand and view its

fierce and raging

flames, and might see

where he was going, and

might voluntarily enter

into it and bear it for

sinners as knowing what it

was.

Christ obeyed and trusted

the Father, knowing full

well what it meant.

But it's interesting there,

we see in Hebrews 12, a

little bit more of a

description there.

He says, looking to

Jesus, the founder and

perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set

before him, he endured

the cross.

He endured the cross, he

persevered through the

pain because he knew what

was on the other side, and

he knew the one he was

entrusting himself to.

And that was the faith

that had to be

demonstrated.

But this is the kind of

faith we're called to.

To trust God in light of,

in full view of, the pain.

Don't minimize it.

Look at it squarely in the

face.

Take it to your good

Father who is working

for your salvation, and

give it to him, and

say, what do I do with

this?

Meet me here.

But that's exactly what

happened, God does with

Habakkuk.

We get to that fourth

point where he says,

Habakkuk now comes to that

place where he rejoices in

hope.

He rejoices.

Let's read, let me read

those verses again in

verse 17 and 18.

Though the fig tree should

not blossom, nor the fruit

be on the vines, the fruit

of the olive fail, and the

fields yield no food, the

flock be cut off from the

fold, there be no herd in

the stalls, yet I will

rejoice.

I will rejoice.

How can he rejoice?

Because of hope.

There is a hope that has

now been generated through

his repentance, through his

coming to see who God is,

remembering the salvation that

he is working for even in

light of this situation, and

he anchors his soul into now

what he knows.

And from that, he cannot be

budged.

And then he goes on to

describe it.

Well, let me just say this.

His rejoicing had nothing to

do with the change of his

circumstances.

And that's not what he

prayed for.

He wanted to meet God in

the midst of those

circumstances.

We rejoice in the hope

sometimes, unfortunately.

Our hope is only based on

circumstances changing.

And this is where our

prayers become very

frustrating.

Because we pray for a cure

of our cancer and it's not

cured.

We pray for relationships to

be restored and they're not

restored.

We pray for things to happen

that we just know we cannot

stand and if God were faithful

he'd fix them and they don't

get fixed.

That's not where Habakkuk's

joy was found.

It was found in someone.

God now that before he didn't

understand.

But a God now he was willing

to trust.

Because he remembered how good

he was.

And basically saying you're the

best option here.

It's a good option.

I don't know what you're going

to bring.

But you won't change.

He quotes again

verse 19.

The Lord

is his strength.

He makes his feet

like the deer's.

He treads on those

high places.

Have you ever seen the deer

up on those jagged rocks?

It looks very treacherous.

And that's the way life

looks for a lot of us.

But for those deer

they are firm.

They do not fall.

And that's the way Habakkuk

now sees himself.

I'm in a world

that appears to be

very treacherous

and scary

and dangerous

but my feet

are firm

because

they are now founded

in the one

who is for me.

When God's good gifts

are no longer present

the one who trusts him

say

that may be bad

but it's okay

because I still have

what I want

and that's you.

So in the end

here's the question

when we get into

these hard places

who am I going to trust?

Who am I going to trust?

And the one

that appears

sometimes

to be against you

is actually

the one

fighting

for you.

And he's inviting

you

in

to a deeper

knowledge

of himself.

He says

come to me.

Come to me

and learn

from me.

Come to me.

I am destroying

your enemies.

I am working

for you.

I am willing

to move

heaven and earth

to see you

grow.

Trust me.

That's the invitation.

Come to him.

I don't know

what your situation

is.

Come to him.

He's good.

Let's pray.

Father would you

help us

to trust you.

Sometimes we're

scared of trusting you.

We don't know you.

But would you

reveal yourself

to us

even as you did

to Habakkuk

would you

show us

our helplessness

but then

remind us

that you're

fighting for us

and you're

riding through

the earth

in salvation

for

us.

So come

save us

in the midst

of our troubles.

Save us

for yourself

and fill

our hearts

with rejoicing

because of the

hope we have

in you.

We pray

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

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