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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