WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.480 Today, we come to our final Sunday in our four-week study of the book of Habakkuk. 00:00:08.519 --> 00:00:14.160 It ends with a beautiful expression of faith and piety. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:17.620 Now, let me remind you of where we've been so far. 00:00:18.300 --> 00:00:23.120 The book of Habakkuk was composed probably during the reign of King Jehoiakim, 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:27.039 who reigned in Judah, 609 to 598 BC. 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:35.740 Habakkuk complains to God in the beginning of the book how evil was so rampant in Judah 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:37.740 and that God was silent about it. 00:00:39.719 --> 00:00:41.359 So God responds. 00:00:42.179 --> 00:00:50.399 He says he's going to use the Babylonian nation to execute justice on God's behalf, punishing wicked Judah. 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:52.780 Habakkuk says, whoa. 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:54.579 That's a paraphrase. 00:00:54.579 --> 00:00:55.920 He says, whoa. 00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:57.839 Wait a minute. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:03.100 Babylon is even worse than Judah. 00:01:03.299 --> 00:01:03.960 They're proud. 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:04.739 They're violent. 00:01:05.539 --> 00:01:09.239 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:11.659 you're going to use them to bring about your justice? 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:14.539 That makes no sense. 00:01:16.060 --> 00:01:17.460 God says, yes. 00:01:18.379 --> 00:01:18.980 Yes, I will. 00:01:18.980 --> 00:01:23.579 But be assured, the Babylonians won't escape my judgment either. 00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:26.659 So we arrive in chapter 3. 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:30.880 Here Habakkuk ponders a theophany. 00:01:31.540 --> 00:01:34.020 A theophany is an appearance of a God. 00:01:34.019 --> 00:01:40.579 God is revealed in all his might and power and glory. 00:01:40.579 --> 00:01:47.439 And Habakkuk is left trembling and utters this amazing statement of faith and devotion, 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:50.140 which I'll again read in full. 00:01:50.140 --> 00:02:02.319 As I read, put yourself in Habakkuk's shoes and keep in mind life in the ancient world and the degree of devastation and desolation that Habakkuk is invoking. 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:10.180 Though the thick tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, 00:02:10.859 --> 00:02:15.840 the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, 00:02:16.060 --> 00:02:21.139 the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls yet, 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:22.740 I will rejoice in the Lord. 00:02:23.459 --> 00:02:26.439 I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:29.579 God the Lord is my strength. 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:32.360 He makes my feet like the deer's. 00:02:33.320 --> 00:02:35.300 He makes me tread on my high places. 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:39.600 We're left with the thought, 00:02:40.420 --> 00:02:44.320 man, isn't Habakkuk a really good guy? 00:02:45.040 --> 00:02:46.420 A great man of faith. 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:51.700 That he would envision utter destruction, exile, and slavery. 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:59.020 The decimation of his people, his nation, and culture by an evil invading power and still be committed to his God. 00:03:00.200 --> 00:03:03.300 However, this isn't the last line of the book. 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:05.460 It didn't appear as we went through it together. 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:12.340 The last line is easy to overlook, but it alters our understanding of those verses. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:15.140 The last line says, 00:03:15.139 --> 00:03:20.000 It's a musical notation. 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:24.839 We've heard a couple of other notations in this chapter. 00:03:25.659 --> 00:03:26.659 Verse 1 says, 00:03:27.079 --> 00:03:28.659 A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet, 00:03:29.500 --> 00:03:31.139 according to Shigyanoth. 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:34.299 We don't know exactly what Shigyanoth means, 00:03:34.419 --> 00:03:36.639 but it's probably a musical term. 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:38.699 And then three other times, 00:03:39.139 --> 00:03:41.019 in this third chapter of Habakkuk, 00:03:41.419 --> 00:03:43.599 you'll find the word Selah. 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:45.559 You can also find that word in the Psalms. 00:03:45.939 --> 00:03:47.219 It's also a musical notation. 00:03:47.359 --> 00:03:49.219 We don't know exactly what it means, 00:03:49.299 --> 00:03:51.339 but it probably means pause, 00:03:51.459 --> 00:03:53.539 like at the end of a musical refrain. 00:03:53.539 --> 00:03:58.319 All of this means 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:03.159 that this prayer isn't just Habakkuk's prayer. 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:07.979 This prayer is meant to be sung by God's people. 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.120 This prayer is meant to be your prayer. 00:04:12.939 --> 00:04:14.579 So we're not meant to say, 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:17.980 Oh, isn't Habakkuk a great, faithful, pious man? 00:04:18.540 --> 00:04:19.899 We're supposed to say, 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:22.339 That's me in the text. 00:04:22.819 --> 00:04:24.600 I'm supposed to say that. 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:29.540 I'm supposed to declare a profound faith in God, 00:04:30.259 --> 00:04:33.139 despite the worst possible things that could happen to me. 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:37.820 What would those things be? 00:04:38.700 --> 00:04:39.380 It might be, 00:04:40.660 --> 00:04:42.340 If I were to lose my job, 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:44.840 I would still rejoice in God. 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:48.380 Though my friends turn their backs on me, 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:51.379 yet I will rejoice in the Lord. 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:56.760 Though injustice would flourish in this country, 00:04:57.120 --> 00:04:59.140 though my loved ones should suffer 00:04:59.140 --> 00:05:00.740 as a result of that injustice. 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:02.740 Though the present world order 00:05:02.740 --> 00:05:05.860 should completely and utterly collapse 00:05:05.860 --> 00:05:09.280 and lead to unimaginable suffering and despair, 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:11.860 I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:15.540 If I were to say this personally, 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:18.379 the worst thing that could happen to me, 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:19.040 I think, 00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:21.420 would be for me to lose a son. 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:23.480 I have four sons. 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:26.300 And if I were to say, 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.379 were I to lose a son, 00:05:29.460 --> 00:05:32.180 yet I will still rejoice in the Lord. 00:05:33.640 --> 00:05:34.939 Well, I wouldn't want to say that. 00:05:36.379 --> 00:05:37.420 I don't want to say that. 00:05:37.960 --> 00:05:39.759 But this book calls me to say it. 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:42.779 No matter what, 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:44.759 I will follow God. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:50.180 Okay, we're still only in this introduction of the sermon. 00:05:51.019 --> 00:05:52.680 But I would like to wait 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:55.579 about 30 more seconds before we go on 00:05:55.579 --> 00:05:57.159 for you to think of 00:05:57.159 --> 00:05:59.740 what would be like the worst possible thing 00:05:59.740 --> 00:06:00.779 to happen to you. 00:06:00.779 --> 00:06:04.079 Maybe write it down 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:05.079 with a pen 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:06.500 or on your phone 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:07.659 or just close your eyes 00:06:07.659 --> 00:06:08.199 and think, 00:06:08.619 --> 00:06:10.619 what could you fill in the blank there? 00:06:12.779 --> 00:06:14.519 If this were to happen to me, 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:16.699 yet I will still rejoice in the Lord. 00:06:16.699 --> 00:06:33.919 The question this book poses 00:06:33.919 --> 00:06:38.039 is how do we get to the point 00:06:38.039 --> 00:06:39.579 where Habakkuk was? 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:43.039 Where we can really say that and mean it. 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:45.759 What could root us 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:47.579 and ground us in God 00:06:47.579 --> 00:06:49.839 so that we can have this kind of faith? 00:06:51.959 --> 00:06:54.219 I believe Habakkuk gives us two answers. 00:06:55.099 --> 00:06:57.420 We need to look at the whole book, I think, for this. 00:06:58.939 --> 00:07:00.279 It gives us two answers. 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:03.019 A conversation with God 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:05.659 and a glorious vision of God 00:07:05.659 --> 00:07:08.000 can root us and ground us. 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:11.599 A conversation and a glorious vision. 00:07:13.099 --> 00:07:13.759 Let's pray. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:20.480 Father, I realize that many of us 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:22.599 didn't have to think very long 00:07:22.599 --> 00:07:24.480 for many of us are actually 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:27.500 going through things right now 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:29.120 that seem like the very worst of all 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:31.379 possible things that could happen to us. 00:07:31.379 --> 00:07:40.339 We've thought about our marriage collapsing, 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:43.600 our child being very ill. 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:46.459 We've thought about our parents 00:07:46.459 --> 00:07:50.779 having suffered through cancer 00:07:50.779 --> 00:07:51.699 and passing away. 00:07:51.699 --> 00:07:56.879 For many of us, 00:07:56.959 --> 00:07:59.959 we're in a really good stage 00:07:59.959 --> 00:08:01.659 experiencing lots of shalom. 00:08:02.139 --> 00:08:03.120 But for all of us, 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:04.719 we need to hear 00:08:04.719 --> 00:08:06.680 what you have to say to us 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:10.659 so that we could be filled 00:08:10.659 --> 00:08:13.060 with a joyful, confident, steadfast faith. 00:08:15.459 --> 00:08:16.539 We would acknowledge that 00:08:16.539 --> 00:08:18.240 to be a gift from you. 00:08:18.579 --> 00:08:19.839 And we ask for that gift, 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:20.879 please, as your children. 00:08:22.359 --> 00:08:23.759 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:27.139 Okay, by the time we get to 00:08:27.139 --> 00:08:28.899 chapter 3, verse 17, 00:08:29.339 --> 00:08:30.839 Habakkuk has already had 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:32.799 a substantial dialogue with God. 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:34.579 And what we should find 00:08:34.579 --> 00:08:36.959 to be instructive about that dialogue 00:08:36.959 --> 00:08:38.839 is that it even takes place. 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:40.620 In other words, 00:08:40.659 --> 00:08:43.899 we can learn from Habakkuk's methodology. 00:08:43.899 --> 00:08:46.500 For Habakkuk to reach the point 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:47.980 where he can rest in God, 00:08:48.079 --> 00:08:49.720 for him to find strength 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:51.279 and joy in God, 00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:53.939 he first needs to know God intimately. 00:08:54.679 --> 00:08:57.539 And this means being completely himself 00:08:57.539 --> 00:08:58.740 in the presence of God. 00:09:00.019 --> 00:09:00.480 In other words, 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:01.439 when you start the book, 00:09:01.579 --> 00:09:02.519 you don't get the sense 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:04.419 that Habakkuk has followed 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:05.600 a particular formula 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:06.860 when he addresses God. 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:09.100 He hasn't composed and edited 00:09:09.100 --> 00:09:10.419 a prayer ahead of time 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:12.240 with which to address God. 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:13.940 Dear Heavenly Father, 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:16.460 thank you for this day. 00:09:17.539 --> 00:09:18.580 You're so great. 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:20.159 There's some bad things 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:20.879 happening in Judah. 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:23.080 And I'd now like to bring those 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:24.039 before your presence 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:24.740 and your holy throne. 00:09:24.779 --> 00:09:25.700 He doesn't do that, okay? 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:28.659 It's as if we're like dropped 00:09:28.659 --> 00:09:29.539 into the middle 00:09:29.539 --> 00:09:31.600 of this long ongoing rant. 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:32.600 Oh Lord, 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:35.240 how long shall I cry for help? 00:09:35.539 --> 00:09:36.860 Why are you idle? 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:40.820 If we want the faith of Habakkuk, 00:09:40.820 --> 00:09:43.720 we need to first adopt his posture. 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:46.040 He's always in prayer. 00:09:46.400 --> 00:09:47.320 And he feels the freedom 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:48.600 to address God 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:50.320 at any time about anything. 00:09:51.400 --> 00:09:52.940 It's difficult though, 00:09:53.060 --> 00:09:54.379 especially when we have doubts 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:56.680 or anger or confusion. 00:09:56.840 --> 00:09:57.960 If you're anything like me, 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:00.060 those feelings of doubts, 00:10:00.680 --> 00:10:03.420 fear, confusion, anger, 00:10:03.660 --> 00:10:06.220 are often linked with shame. 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:06.820 Oh, I'm not supposed 00:10:06.820 --> 00:10:07.660 to feel those things. 00:10:07.659 --> 00:10:09.980 So let me clean all that stuff up 00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:12.439 before I address God 00:10:12.439 --> 00:10:13.740 in prayer tomorrow 00:10:13.740 --> 00:10:15.100 for my daily devotional. 00:10:18.620 --> 00:10:21.120 Listen, prayer is not the place 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:23.879 for processed feelings. 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:27.059 Let me take my anger 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:27.919 and frustration, 00:10:29.079 --> 00:10:30.339 pasteurize them 00:10:30.339 --> 00:10:32.399 at some sticky, sweet, 00:10:32.699 --> 00:10:34.299 high fructose corn syrup, 00:10:34.299 --> 00:10:37.519 some red food coloring number five, 00:10:37.959 --> 00:10:39.199 some slick packaging 00:10:39.199 --> 00:10:41.299 and present them to God. 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:45.019 Prayer isn't the place 00:10:45.019 --> 00:10:46.639 for processed feelings. 00:10:47.719 --> 00:10:49.259 Prayer is the place 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:51.459 where you process your feelings. 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:54.559 And you get that from Habakkuk. 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:58.500 You get Habakkuk raw 00:10:58.500 --> 00:10:59.539 and uncensored. 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:03.059 And you don't get processed feelings 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:05.179 in many other places 00:11:05.179 --> 00:11:06.179 of scripture either, 00:11:06.319 --> 00:11:07.659 especially the Psalms, 00:11:07.699 --> 00:11:09.539 especially the Psalms of lament. 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:12.860 Psalm 44 is a favorite of mine 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:13.620 in this regard. 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:15.579 The psalmist writes, 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:17.419 you have made us 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:18.679 like sheep for slaughter. 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:21.299 Wake up. 00:11:22.319 --> 00:11:23.599 Why are you sleeping? 00:11:24.839 --> 00:11:25.919 Rouse yourself. 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:28.740 Doesn't feel appropriate. 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:29.620 Those are things 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:31.159 I address my children with 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:31.720 in the morning. 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:35.639 If you are God's child, 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:38.759 then you have been united to Christ, 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:40.180 which means you have been brought 00:11:40.180 --> 00:11:41.360 fully human 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:44.060 with all of your humanishness 00:11:44.060 --> 00:11:45.919 into the life of the Trinity. 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:47.779 He welcomes, 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:49.799 he expects your confusion, 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:50.879 your doubts, 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:52.060 your fears, 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:52.940 your anger. 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:55.240 I was talking to a friend last week 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:57.960 and he was looking for some advice. 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:00.000 He faces a lot of injustice 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:01.720 in his vocation 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:04.040 and he was looking for things to read 00:12:04.040 --> 00:12:05.320 to make sense of it all. 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:06.560 He was looking for, 00:12:06.920 --> 00:12:08.080 he was looking for a method, 00:12:08.379 --> 00:12:10.200 which in the West, 00:12:10.400 --> 00:12:11.680 we're very big on. 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:12.500 Just give me these steps 00:12:12.500 --> 00:12:14.259 so I can solve this problem. 00:12:14.920 --> 00:12:16.440 And I asked him very simply, 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:17.420 I mean, 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:18.740 have you asked God 00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:19.740 what he thinks of this? 00:12:19.820 --> 00:12:20.740 Have you asked God 00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:22.639 why he lets these things happen? 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:24.379 And immediately, 00:12:25.779 --> 00:12:27.600 an emotional struggle 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:28.639 like surfaced 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:30.080 right into his face. 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:34.319 That emotional struggle 00:12:34.319 --> 00:12:36.199 is what God wants from us. 00:12:36.199 --> 00:12:36.860 That moment 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:38.319 when we're most ourselves. 00:12:41.580 --> 00:12:42.720 What would happen 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:45.080 if we prayed this way consistently? 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:48.600 What if these weren't just 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:50.200 our private prayers, 00:12:50.300 --> 00:12:52.259 but the way we prayed publicly? 00:12:52.780 --> 00:12:54.060 What if this is the way 00:12:54.060 --> 00:12:56.560 this church was known 00:12:56.560 --> 00:12:57.720 for praying? 00:13:00.400 --> 00:13:02.120 Boston University professor 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:03.340 Claire Wolf-Type 00:13:03.340 --> 00:13:05.759 points us to the South African church 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:07.000 in her delightful book 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:08.700 called Lord Have Mercy, 00:13:09.220 --> 00:13:10.240 praying for justice 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:11.680 with conviction and humility. 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:13.100 In one chapter, 00:13:13.100 --> 00:13:15.159 she meditates on the Psalms of Lament, 00:13:15.300 --> 00:13:16.360 like Psalm 44, 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:17.420 which I quoted earlier. 00:13:18.100 --> 00:13:20.480 And she points us to funerals 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:23.200 in apartheid era South Africa 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:24.980 as examples of a people 00:13:24.980 --> 00:13:26.960 praying through injustice. 00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:30.420 She notes one such funeral 00:13:30.420 --> 00:13:32.600 for four men in June of 1985. 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:34.740 These men had left 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:36.759 the small town of Craddock 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.040 to go to a political meeting 00:13:39.040 --> 00:13:40.980 and they never made it back. 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:42.960 They'd been kidnapped, 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:45.800 taken to a deserted area, 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:47.220 and murdered. 00:13:48.420 --> 00:13:50.639 Their burned, mutilated bodies 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:51.480 were unceremoniously 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:53.800 left alongside a road. 00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:55.379 And though the government 00:13:55.379 --> 00:13:56.680 denied it at the time, 00:13:57.659 --> 00:13:59.279 though they denied responsibility 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:00.279 for their deaths, 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:01.820 it was later proved 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:03.639 that seven police officers, 00:14:03.779 --> 00:14:05.060 reportedly acting on orders 00:14:05.060 --> 00:14:06.180 from the apartheid regime, 00:14:06.420 --> 00:14:07.720 had committed these crimes. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:08.899 They became known 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:09.980 as the Craddock Four. 00:14:10.980 --> 00:14:11.920 The funeral was attended 00:14:11.920 --> 00:14:13.259 by tens of thousands 00:14:13.259 --> 00:14:14.259 of South Africans 00:14:14.259 --> 00:14:15.680 in a soccer stadium 00:14:15.680 --> 00:14:16.600 in Craddock. 00:14:16.800 --> 00:14:18.019 And one American observer 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:19.080 described the clothes 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:19.659 of the funeral. 00:14:20.180 --> 00:14:21.060 The pallbearers lifted 00:14:21.060 --> 00:14:22.000 the four coffins 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:22.700 to their shoulders 00:14:22.700 --> 00:14:24.220 and a procession of clergy 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:24.940 led the way 00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:25.960 from the dusty stadium 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:27.620 down to the village cemetery. 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:28.899 On either side 00:14:28.899 --> 00:14:29.940 of the solemn procession, 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:31.100 people stood eight 00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:32.639 and ten deep 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:33.820 and every one of them, 00:14:33.940 --> 00:14:34.940 every single person, 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:36.580 had their fists raised. 00:14:36.580 --> 00:14:38.440 no one moved. 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:40.460 The only sound in the crowd 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:41.900 was the quiet singing 00:14:41.900 --> 00:14:43.759 of the black national anthem. 00:14:45.220 --> 00:14:46.540 That song calls on God 00:14:46.540 --> 00:14:48.080 to bless the people of Africa 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:49.460 and hear their prayers. 00:14:50.759 --> 00:14:51.740 Standing at the funeral, 00:14:52.060 --> 00:14:52.879 watching the coffins 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:53.860 of the men from Craddock 00:14:53.860 --> 00:14:54.520 pass by, 00:14:54.780 --> 00:14:56.280 the people raised their fists 00:14:56.280 --> 00:14:58.320 and sang in the African 00:14:58.320 --> 00:14:59.440 Shosa language, 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.140 Lord, bless Africa. 00:15:03.300 --> 00:15:05.220 May her spirit rise high up. 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:07.860 Hear thou our prayers. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:10.120 Lord, bless us. 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:12.680 Descend, O Spirit. 00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:15.279 Descend, Holy Spirit. 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:17.460 Lord, bless us. 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:19.120 Your family. 00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:23.720 The words ran out 00:15:23.720 --> 00:15:25.300 amid the rows of mourners 00:15:25.300 --> 00:15:26.879 standing with their clenched fists 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:27.860 raised in the air. 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:32.320 Under a part high, 00:15:32.420 --> 00:15:33.360 funerals became not only 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:34.980 healing rituals of prayer, 00:15:35.220 --> 00:15:36.500 and consolation, 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:39.200 but also public spaces 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.480 for expression of outrage, 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:42.519 indignation. 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:46.960 One contemporary observer recalls, 00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:48.340 funerals were the places 00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:49.480 where community anger 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:51.120 could be most blistering, 00:15:51.259 --> 00:15:51.940 and it was often 00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:52.779 the public prayers 00:15:52.779 --> 00:15:53.680 of church persons, 00:15:54.019 --> 00:15:54.580 some leaders, 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:55.519 some local pastors, 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:56.879 that held the line, 00:15:57.180 --> 00:15:59.560 affirming that anger, 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:02.340 embracing the pain, 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:04.460 holding it up to God 00:16:04.460 --> 00:16:05.759 and reminding everyone 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:07.639 that God is not mocked. 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:11.480 You can hear the spirit 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:12.180 of Habakkuk 00:16:12.180 --> 00:16:16.500 in these apartheid-era funerals. 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:17.480 And Claire Wolf-Tyke 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:18.360 sees a continuity. 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:19.680 This is why I asked, 00:16:19.800 --> 00:16:20.780 what would it be like 00:16:20.780 --> 00:16:22.280 if we prayed like this publicly? 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:23.820 She sees a continuity 00:16:23.820 --> 00:16:25.000 between these funerals, 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:26.840 which framed protests 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:27.759 in prayer, 00:16:28.180 --> 00:16:30.460 with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 00:16:30.460 --> 00:16:31.660 That was the process 00:16:31.660 --> 00:16:32.580 by which crimes 00:16:32.580 --> 00:16:34.620 and atrocities were confessed 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:36.180 and truth came out 00:16:36.180 --> 00:16:37.700 and amnesty at times granted. 00:16:39.560 --> 00:16:40.980 Desmond Tutu, 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:43.120 Anglican priest 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:43.820 and then eventually 00:16:43.820 --> 00:16:44.580 the archbishop, 00:16:45.660 --> 00:16:46.700 presided over both. 00:16:46.759 --> 00:16:48.860 He presided over many funerals, 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:50.580 including that of the Craddock Four, 00:16:50.980 --> 00:16:52.000 and he was chosen to lead 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:53.800 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:55.360 And though he was at times 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:56.560 sharply rebuked, 00:16:56.920 --> 00:16:58.100 he would also frame 00:16:58.100 --> 00:17:00.580 the Truth and Reconciliation proceedings 00:17:00.580 --> 00:17:02.040 in prayer. 00:17:04.460 --> 00:17:05.920 As Jesus taught us to pray, 00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:07.099 the posture of prayer 00:17:07.099 --> 00:17:07.799 opens us up 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:08.700 to the possibilities 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:09.900 of forgiveness 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:11.299 and reconciliation. 00:17:11.980 --> 00:17:13.059 So when you're wondering, 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:14.279 what should you do? 00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:16.059 Or how should you react 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.839 when we see injustice around us? 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:21.279 When yet another gunman 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:23.180 unleashes death 00:17:23.180 --> 00:17:24.099 on a crowd of people? 00:17:24.099 --> 00:17:26.799 When yet again 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:27.759 white supremacists 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:28.980 gather in Charlottesville 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:30.379 in another display of hate? 00:17:32.199 --> 00:17:33.159 When you wonder 00:17:33.159 --> 00:17:33.639 how it is 00:17:33.639 --> 00:17:34.119 that the killer 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:35.000 of Philander Castile 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:35.779 walks free? 00:17:37.779 --> 00:17:38.839 When our government 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:39.919 seems broken 00:17:39.919 --> 00:17:41.539 beyond repair? 00:17:43.219 --> 00:17:44.879 Cry out privately 00:17:44.879 --> 00:17:46.939 and publicly, 00:17:47.459 --> 00:17:48.740 how long, 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:49.179 oh Lord? 00:17:50.179 --> 00:17:50.959 How long? 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:54.100 rouse yourself. 00:17:57.299 --> 00:17:58.160 Do these things 00:17:58.160 --> 00:17:59.120 with your core group 00:17:59.120 --> 00:18:00.240 or come to church early 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:00.819 when we announce 00:18:00.819 --> 00:18:01.559 these things. 00:18:02.220 --> 00:18:03.140 When there's a special 00:18:03.140 --> 00:18:03.840 time of prayer, 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:05.279 make prayer 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:06.440 the space 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:08.259 in which you express 00:18:08.259 --> 00:18:09.000 your doubt 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:10.400 and your anger 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:11.660 and your frustration. 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:14.180 Now if you're left 00:18:14.180 --> 00:18:14.500 wondering, 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:15.600 one last note about this, 00:18:15.779 --> 00:18:16.700 if you're left wondering 00:18:16.700 --> 00:18:18.400 how it is, 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:19.200 how it could be 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:19.860 respectful 00:18:19.860 --> 00:18:21.180 or honoring to God 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:23.259 to address him 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:23.940 this way. 00:18:25.100 --> 00:18:26.519 Consider how prayers 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:27.200 of lament 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:29.100 and complaint 00:18:29.100 --> 00:18:30.519 honor God. 00:18:31.080 --> 00:18:31.480 First, 00:18:31.840 --> 00:18:32.400 they acknowledge 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:33.220 God is able 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:34.160 to fix things. 00:18:34.279 --> 00:18:34.720 They acknowledge 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:35.819 his power and rule 00:18:35.819 --> 00:18:37.059 and conversely, 00:18:37.380 --> 00:18:38.200 they're a renouncement 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:38.920 of our idols, 00:18:39.019 --> 00:18:41.180 our idols of politics 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:41.860 or wealth, 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:42.420 those things 00:18:42.420 --> 00:18:43.600 we put too much stock in 00:18:43.600 --> 00:18:45.000 to fix the things, 00:18:45.080 --> 00:18:45.519 the problems 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:46.120 of the world. 00:18:47.340 --> 00:18:48.019 These prayers 00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:48.880 acknowledge God's 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:49.760 character as being 00:18:49.760 --> 00:18:51.700 good and just. 00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:55.120 I think of C.S. Lewis' 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:55.740 quote. 00:18:56.780 --> 00:18:57.240 It was this 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:58.620 thing of 00:18:58.620 --> 00:18:59.760 injustice 00:18:59.760 --> 00:19:01.300 that eventually 00:19:01.300 --> 00:19:02.260 was one of the things 00:19:02.260 --> 00:19:02.660 that brought him 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:03.380 to faith in Christ. 00:19:03.500 --> 00:19:03.860 He wrote, 00:19:04.340 --> 00:19:04.960 my argument 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:05.920 against God 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:07.060 was that the universe 00:19:07.060 --> 00:19:08.380 seemed so cruel 00:19:08.380 --> 00:19:09.160 and unjust, 00:19:09.800 --> 00:19:10.740 but how had I got 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:11.600 this idea 00:19:11.600 --> 00:19:12.660 of just 00:19:12.660 --> 00:19:13.800 and unjust? 00:19:14.620 --> 00:19:15.620 A man does not 00:19:15.620 --> 00:19:16.280 call a lion 00:19:16.280 --> 00:19:16.840 crooked, 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:17.940 unless he has 00:19:17.940 --> 00:19:18.880 some idea 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:20.180 of a straight line. 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:20.940 So you see 00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:21.820 in our complaints, 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:22.539 we're acknowledging 00:19:22.539 --> 00:19:23.880 God's character. 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:30.160 These prayers 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:30.960 tell the story 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:31.680 of creation, 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:34.660 that things 00:19:34.660 --> 00:19:35.299 now aren't 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:35.680 the way they 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:36.340 were meant to be, 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:37.059 as created 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:37.539 a good. 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:39.380 These prayers 00:19:39.380 --> 00:19:40.480 deepen our union 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:41.440 with Christ. 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:43.380 Jesus himself 00:19:43.380 --> 00:19:44.259 prayed 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:45.440 this way. 00:19:46.099 --> 00:19:47.259 We get that sense 00:19:47.259 --> 00:19:47.859 when it says 00:19:47.859 --> 00:19:48.720 Jesus wept, 00:19:48.900 --> 00:19:49.200 right? 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:50.059 The death 00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:50.559 of his friend 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:51.279 Lazarus. 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:52.519 That word 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:53.140 wept 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:54.640 is more like 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:55.819 snorting. 00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:57.940 It's an indignation. 00:19:58.619 --> 00:19:59.019 Angry. 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:00.299 This is not 00:20:00.299 --> 00:20:00.819 the way things 00:20:00.819 --> 00:20:01.480 were meant to be. 00:20:03.819 --> 00:20:04.799 And they join us 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:05.660 to God's mission 00:20:05.660 --> 00:20:06.460 to renew 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:07.079 the world. 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:10.460 All right. 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:11.539 So we see 00:20:11.539 --> 00:20:12.059 that before 00:20:12.059 --> 00:20:12.480 Habakkuk 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:13.279 expresses his 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:13.720 faith 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:14.759 in the God 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:15.259 of Israel, 00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:15.960 he has a 00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:16.579 conversation 00:20:16.579 --> 00:20:17.139 with him, 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:18.000 which means 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:18.539 deep intimacy 00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:19.059 with him. 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:21.359 And second, 00:20:21.779 --> 00:20:22.819 this leads him 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:23.579 to a glorious 00:20:23.579 --> 00:20:24.559 vision of God. 00:20:25.699 --> 00:20:26.859 In this vision, 00:20:27.419 --> 00:20:28.000 Habakkuk 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:28.939 beholds God's 00:20:28.939 --> 00:20:29.379 character 00:20:29.379 --> 00:20:30.559 and his deeds. 00:20:31.399 --> 00:20:31.899 He sees 00:20:31.899 --> 00:20:32.879 God's glory 00:20:32.879 --> 00:20:34.079 described 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:35.000 in verse 4, 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:36.240 a splendor 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.140 covering the heavens 00:20:37.140 --> 00:20:38.240 and as a 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:39.359 blinding brightness 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:40.279 described in 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:40.940 verse 8. 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:41.799 His power 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:42.500 is described 00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:43.460 in relationship 00:20:43.460 --> 00:20:44.299 to creation. 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:45.460 The rivers 00:20:45.460 --> 00:20:45.940 and the sea 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:46.579 served him 00:20:46.579 --> 00:20:47.259 as agents 00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:47.980 of his wrath. 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:48.759 We see 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:49.279 God's holiness 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:49.920 on display 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:50.640 and his jealousy 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:51.440 demanding that 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:52.779 all worship 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:53.779 belongs to him. 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:55.420 In verse 6, 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:55.859 we read that 00:20:55.859 --> 00:20:56.359 the eternal 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:57.000 mountains were 00:20:57.000 --> 00:20:57.480 scattered. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:00.500 These are 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:01.059 those ancient 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:01.579 hills 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:02.779 which were 00:21:02.779 --> 00:21:03.460 the domain 00:21:03.460 --> 00:21:04.920 of the bales 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:05.600 and the ashter. 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:07.240 Those were 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:07.779 the Canaanite 00:21:07.779 --> 00:21:08.259 gods and 00:21:08.259 --> 00:21:08.720 goddesses 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:08.980 who were 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:09.840 widely worshipped 00:21:09.840 --> 00:21:10.700 for the prosperity 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:11.240 and fertility 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:11.600 they were 00:21:11.600 --> 00:21:12.539 reputed to bring. 00:21:12.840 --> 00:21:13.039 They were 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:14.000 household gods 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:15.320 that had shrines 00:21:15.320 --> 00:21:15.920 on hilltops 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:17.140 near every village 00:21:17.140 --> 00:21:18.060 and on these hills 00:21:18.060 --> 00:21:18.860 God pours out 00:21:18.860 --> 00:21:19.360 his judgment. 00:21:19.740 --> 00:21:20.460 The everlasting 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:22.080 hills sank low. 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:22.900 His were 00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:23.500 the everlasting 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:24.060 wings. 00:21:26.560 --> 00:21:27.440 God's wrath 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:28.300 was married 00:21:28.300 --> 00:21:29.220 to his love. 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:30.340 It was on 00:21:30.340 --> 00:21:30.920 behalf of his 00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:31.600 people that he 00:21:31.600 --> 00:21:32.700 displayed his fury. 00:21:32.700 --> 00:21:33.900 you went 00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:34.559 out for the 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:35.259 salvation of 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:35.799 your people 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:36.860 for the 00:21:36.860 --> 00:21:37.539 salvation of 00:21:37.539 --> 00:21:38.120 your anointed. 00:21:40.340 --> 00:21:40.819 Habakkuk is 00:21:40.819 --> 00:21:41.580 witnessing God's 00:21:41.580 --> 00:21:42.200 glory and he's 00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:43.860 recounting God's 00:21:43.860 --> 00:21:44.660 deeds on behalf 00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:45.340 of his people. 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:46.440 He's recalling 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:47.039 the history of 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:47.720 salvation as 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:48.279 revealed in 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:48.600 scripture, 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:49.700 particularly the 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:50.299 exodus of 00:21:50.299 --> 00:21:50.940 Israel out of 00:21:50.940 --> 00:21:51.480 bondage and 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:52.120 slavery in 00:21:52.120 --> 00:21:52.460 Egypt. 00:21:53.460 --> 00:21:54.080 Verse 2, 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:54.580 Habakkuk 00:21:54.580 --> 00:21:54.900 writes, 00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:55.440 O Lord, 00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:55.960 I have heard 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:56.460 the report 00:21:56.460 --> 00:21:57.340 of you and 00:21:57.340 --> 00:21:57.840 your work, 00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:58.180 O Lord, 00:21:58.240 --> 00:21:58.819 do I fear. 00:21:59.580 --> 00:22:00.360 In verse 5, 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:00.859 we read that 00:22:00.859 --> 00:22:01.339 before him 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:02.240 went pestilence 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:03.299 and plague 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:05.240 followed at 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:05.899 his heels, 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:07.099 recalling the 00:22:07.099 --> 00:22:07.659 plagues with 00:22:07.659 --> 00:22:08.019 which he 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:08.779 afflicted Egypt 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:09.419 just before 00:22:09.419 --> 00:22:10.319 Israel escapes 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:10.679 Egypt. 00:22:12.619 --> 00:22:13.479 In verse 3, 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:13.959 Habakkuk 00:22:13.959 --> 00:22:14.799 witnesses God 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:15.599 coming from 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:16.959 Timon and 00:22:16.959 --> 00:22:18.000 Mount Paran. 00:22:18.639 --> 00:22:18.939 Now, I 00:22:18.939 --> 00:22:19.179 didn't know 00:22:19.179 --> 00:22:19.419 what those 00:22:19.419 --> 00:22:19.899 things were 00:22:19.899 --> 00:22:20.259 before I 00:22:20.259 --> 00:22:20.619 read this. 00:22:20.719 --> 00:22:20.959 I looked 00:22:20.959 --> 00:22:21.339 them up. 00:22:21.799 --> 00:22:22.219 Timon is 00:22:22.219 --> 00:22:22.599 in southern 00:22:22.599 --> 00:22:23.099 Palestine, 00:22:23.539 --> 00:22:23.859 and the 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:24.139 Paran 00:22:24.139 --> 00:22:24.759 mountains lie 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:25.439 further south 00:22:25.439 --> 00:22:25.740 on the 00:22:25.740 --> 00:22:26.319 eastern edge 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:26.559 of the 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:26.899 Sinai 00:22:26.899 --> 00:22:27.479 Peninsula. 00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:29.220 God's 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:29.720 formation 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:30.000 of his 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:30.360 people 00:22:30.360 --> 00:22:31.259 began in 00:22:31.259 --> 00:22:31.759 this region. 00:22:32.059 --> 00:22:32.279 It's the 00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:32.720 place in 00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:33.279 which Israel 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:33.940 found refuge 00:22:33.940 --> 00:22:34.559 from Egypt 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:35.579 after deliverance 00:22:35.579 --> 00:22:36.039 from the 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:36.740 Egyptian army 00:22:36.740 --> 00:22:37.259 at the sea. 00:22:38.019 --> 00:22:38.460 It is the 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:38.819 place of 00:22:38.819 --> 00:22:39.579 Mount Sinai 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:40.240 where God's 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:40.839 covenant with 00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:41.279 Israel was 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:41.740 confirmed, 00:22:42.120 --> 00:22:42.339 where the 00:22:42.339 --> 00:22:43.079 community of 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:43.579 Israel was 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:44.480 established under 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:44.779 God's 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:45.220 instructions. 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:47.160 It is the 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:47.740 place where God 00:22:47.740 --> 00:22:48.299 began to act 00:22:48.299 --> 00:22:48.740 in mighty 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:49.200 ways to 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:49.519 lead, 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:50.079 protect, 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:50.680 judge, 00:22:50.740 --> 00:22:51.140 and shape 00:22:51.140 --> 00:22:51.599 his people. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:55.200 Just as God 00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:55.599 has acted 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:56.259 before on 00:22:56.259 --> 00:22:56.660 behalf of 00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:57.079 his people, 00:22:57.480 --> 00:22:58.120 Habakkuk 00:22:58.120 --> 00:22:58.900 expects God 00:22:58.900 --> 00:22:59.240 to do it 00:22:59.240 --> 00:22:59.480 again. 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:01.779 In verse 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:02.140 two, 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:02.700 he writes, 00:23:02.819 --> 00:23:03.279 in the midst 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:03.740 of the years, 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:04.460 revive your 00:23:04.460 --> 00:23:04.740 work. 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:05.680 In the midst 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:06.099 of the years, 00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:06.900 make it known. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:07.680 In wrath, 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:08.539 remember mercy. 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:11.059 This vision 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:12.319 of God's 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:13.920 glory and 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:14.700 his character 00:23:14.700 --> 00:23:15.660 and the 00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:16.299 story of 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:16.940 redemption 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:17.299 that he's 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:18.000 telling through 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:19.620 history also 00:23:19.620 --> 00:23:20.599 looks forward. 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:22.440 The hope of 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:22.920 the righteous 00:23:22.920 --> 00:23:23.799 is strengthened 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:24.799 by the 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:25.460 confidence that 00:23:25.460 --> 00:23:25.980 God is 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:26.440 bringing the 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:26.839 world's 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:27.319 affairs to 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:27.939 a decisive 00:23:27.939 --> 00:23:28.599 conclusion, 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:29.799 a conclusion 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:30.099 in which 00:23:30.099 --> 00:23:30.480 God's 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:31.119 just rule 00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:31.500 will be 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:32.359 unconditionally 00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:33.019 established. 00:23:35.059 --> 00:23:35.899 We know 00:23:35.899 --> 00:23:36.619 this conclusion 00:23:36.619 --> 00:23:38.019 to be God's 00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:38.539 final and 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:39.399 decisive act 00:23:39.399 --> 00:23:39.980 on behalf 00:23:39.980 --> 00:23:40.220 of his 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:40.519 people. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:42.679 What we're 00:23:42.679 --> 00:23:43.639 saying is 00:23:43.639 --> 00:23:44.459 Habakkuk is 00:23:44.459 --> 00:23:44.959 looking forward 00:23:44.959 --> 00:23:45.439 to Jesus. 00:23:47.199 --> 00:23:47.740 Jesus' 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:48.459 death and 00:23:48.459 --> 00:23:49.039 resurrection 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:50.240 gives God 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:50.839 the final 00:23:50.839 --> 00:23:51.539 victory over 00:23:51.539 --> 00:23:52.159 all his 00:23:52.159 --> 00:23:52.480 enemies. 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:53.199 Death, 00:23:53.899 --> 00:23:54.259 sin, 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:55.220 and all 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:55.779 the powers 00:23:55.779 --> 00:23:55.960 that 00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:56.359 oppose 00:23:56.359 --> 00:23:56.559 his 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:56.879 rule. 00:23:59.279 --> 00:23:59.680 Colossians 00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:00.299 2 tells 00:24:00.299 --> 00:24:00.559 us that 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:00.839 on the 00:24:00.839 --> 00:24:01.160 cross, 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:01.740 Christ 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:02.279 disarmed 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:02.839 the rulers 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:03.500 and authorities 00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:03.879 and put 00:24:03.879 --> 00:24:04.140 them to 00:24:04.140 --> 00:24:04.779 open shame 00:24:04.779 --> 00:24:05.619 by triumphing 00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:06.119 over them 00:24:06.119 --> 00:24:06.359 on the 00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:06.680 cross. 00:24:09.819 --> 00:24:10.500 In the 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:11.160 5th century, 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:11.960 Theodorate of 00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:13.319 Cyrus observed 00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:14.039 how Habakkuk 00:24:14.039 --> 00:24:15.140 3 points 00:24:15.140 --> 00:24:15.879 forward to 00:24:15.879 --> 00:24:16.119 Jesus' 00:24:16.359 --> 00:24:16.839 triumph on 00:24:16.839 --> 00:24:17.359 the cross. 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:19.000 Theodorate 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:19.279 wrote, 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:21.379 In all 00:24:21.379 --> 00:24:21.680 of what 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:22.139 Habakkuk 00:24:22.139 --> 00:24:22.539 said, 00:24:23.079 --> 00:24:23.639 he conveyed 00:24:23.639 --> 00:24:24.200 to us 00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:25.420 the ineffable 00:24:25.420 --> 00:24:25.960 power of 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:26.259 God. 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:27.440 Action 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:28.000 follows his 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:28.220 will, 00:24:28.779 --> 00:24:29.160 and by 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:29.879 merely wishing 00:24:29.879 --> 00:24:30.139 it, 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:31.279 he moves 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:31.779 the earth, 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:33.440 undos 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:34.299 human nature, 00:24:34.859 --> 00:24:35.599 splits open 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:36.079 the mountains 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:36.720 and melts 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:37.139 the hills 00:24:37.139 --> 00:24:37.799 like wax. 00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:39.680 In fact, 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:41.339 he has not 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:42.319 ceased doing 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:43.200 such things 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:43.980 for people's 00:24:43.980 --> 00:24:44.420 benefit. 00:24:46.139 --> 00:24:46.359 Now, 00:24:46.399 --> 00:24:46.779 in what is 00:24:46.779 --> 00:24:47.119 said, 00:24:47.559 --> 00:24:48.059 he implies 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:48.660 also the 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:49.180 cross. 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:50.559 which is 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:51.039 the source 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:51.700 of salvation 00:24:51.700 --> 00:24:52.259 for all 00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:52.639 people. 00:24:53.579 --> 00:24:53.799 On the 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:54.099 cross, 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:55.240 Christ the 00:24:55.240 --> 00:24:56.319 Lord took 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:56.980 his position, 00:24:57.559 --> 00:24:58.160 shook the 00:24:58.160 --> 00:24:58.460 earth, 00:24:58.940 --> 00:24:59.460 moved and 00:24:59.460 --> 00:24:59.940 split open 00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:00.460 the mountains, 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:01.559 struck with 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:02.000 fear the 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:02.420 order of 00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:02.799 demons, 00:25:03.259 --> 00:25:03.839 and destroyed 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:04.700 their shrines 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:05.379 on mountains 00:25:05.379 --> 00:25:05.980 and hills. 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:09.420 Habakkuk 00:25:09.420 --> 00:25:09.700 had a 00:25:09.700 --> 00:25:10.180 glorious 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:11.259 vision of 00:25:11.259 --> 00:25:11.519 God, 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:12.460 which fed 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:13.559 and empowered 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:14.139 his faith. 00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:16.079 We have 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:16.599 a more 00:25:16.599 --> 00:25:17.359 glorious 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:18.139 and complete 00:25:18.139 --> 00:25:18.680 vision of 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:19.019 God. 00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:20.279 we have 00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:20.680 Jesus 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:21.259 himself. 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:24.259 So, 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:24.839 brothers and 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:25.200 sisters, 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:25.819 we can have 00:25:25.819 --> 00:25:26.279 a faith 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:27.259 like Habakkuk 00:25:27.259 --> 00:25:28.420 when we 00:25:28.420 --> 00:25:28.960 realize 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:31.240 that God 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:31.819 has subjected 00:25:31.819 --> 00:25:32.440 himself to 00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:33.019 the kind 00:25:33.019 --> 00:25:33.579 of loss 00:25:33.579 --> 00:25:34.559 Habakkuk 00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:35.339 describes, 00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:36.019 yet on an 00:25:36.019 --> 00:25:36.779 infinite scale. 00:25:38.819 --> 00:25:39.799 He's pledged 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:40.319 to us his 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:41.420 loyalty to us 00:25:41.420 --> 00:25:42.139 at the cost 00:25:42.139 --> 00:25:42.619 of his own 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:42.940 son. 00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:42.980 son. 00:25:44.100 --> 00:25:44.700 It was 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:45.360 he that 00:25:45.360 --> 00:25:46.080 lost his 00:25:46.080 --> 00:25:46.380 son. 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:48.340 For us 00:25:48.340 --> 00:25:48.740 was his 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:49.460 own son 00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:50.740 pierced. 00:25:51.059 --> 00:25:51.519 For us 00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:51.840 was his 00:25:51.840 --> 00:25:52.039 son 00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:52.820 crushed, 00:25:53.360 --> 00:25:53.840 laid bare 00:25:53.840 --> 00:25:54.500 from thigh 00:25:54.500 --> 00:25:55.059 to neck. 00:25:57.059 --> 00:25:57.580 Through the 00:25:57.580 --> 00:25:57.880 death of 00:25:57.880 --> 00:25:58.440 God's son 00:25:58.440 --> 00:25:58.700 at the 00:25:58.700 --> 00:25:59.160 hands of 00:25:59.160 --> 00:25:59.840 unjust 00:25:59.840 --> 00:26:00.340 men, 00:26:00.539 --> 00:26:01.120 we are 00:26:01.120 --> 00:26:01.740 brought into 00:26:01.740 --> 00:26:02.380 relationship 00:26:02.380 --> 00:26:02.840 with the 00:26:02.840 --> 00:26:03.160 father. 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:04.400 And in 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:05.220 that relationship, 00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:05.740 we are now 00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:06.840 free to 00:26:06.840 --> 00:26:07.960 groan to 00:26:07.960 --> 00:26:08.720 him in our 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:09.080 suffering, 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:10.099 to cry 00:26:10.099 --> 00:26:10.559 out in 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:10.679 our 00:26:10.679 --> 00:26:11.379 indignation, 00:26:11.659 --> 00:26:12.240 and to 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:13.039 wait confidently 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:13.419 for the 00:26:13.419 --> 00:26:13.819 day when 00:26:13.819 --> 00:26:14.419 God in 00:26:14.419 --> 00:26:14.779 perfect 00:26:14.779 --> 00:26:15.379 justice will 00:26:15.379 --> 00:26:16.399 unite all 00:26:16.399 --> 00:26:17.539 things to 00:26:17.539 --> 00:26:17.899 him, 00:26:18.579 --> 00:26:19.299 things in 00:26:19.299 --> 00:26:19.799 heaven and 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:20.159 earth. 00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:23.319 Can we 00:26:23.319 --> 00:26:23.960 honestly make 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:24.460 a statement? 00:26:25.740 --> 00:26:26.639 A statement 00:26:26.639 --> 00:26:27.839 of faith like 00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:28.839 Habakkuk's. 00:26:28.839 --> 00:26:39.079 Maybe. 00:26:39.079 --> 00:26:39.159 Maybe. 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:42.559 But it 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:43.299 begins with 00:26:43.299 --> 00:26:44.159 trusting in 00:26:44.159 --> 00:26:44.679 God's 00:26:44.679 --> 00:26:45.319 statement of 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:46.439 faithfulness to 00:26:46.439 --> 00:26:46.939 us. 00:26:49.099 --> 00:26:49.839 Right? 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:50.939 God's 00:26:50.939 --> 00:26:51.579 statement of 00:26:51.579 --> 00:26:52.399 faithfulness to 00:26:52.399 --> 00:26:52.839 us. 00:26:53.500 --> 00:26:54.399 We see that 00:26:54.399 --> 00:26:54.959 in Jesus. 00:26:57.579 --> 00:26:58.519 And when we 00:26:58.519 --> 00:26:59.079 see that, 00:26:59.539 --> 00:27:00.160 we can begin 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:00.940 to confidently 00:27:00.940 --> 00:27:02.299 answer the 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:02.660 following 00:27:02.660 --> 00:27:03.879 question like 00:27:03.879 --> 00:27:04.400 the Heidelberg 00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:04.940 Catechism 00:27:04.940 --> 00:27:05.359 does. 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:08.879 You could 00:27:08.879 --> 00:27:10.139 have asked 00:27:10.139 --> 00:27:10.779 Habakkuk at 00:27:10.779 --> 00:27:11.119 the end of 00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:11.779 chapter 3, 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:13.099 what is your 00:27:13.099 --> 00:27:14.059 only comfort in 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:14.639 life and in 00:27:14.639 --> 00:27:14.940 death? 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:15.400 And then he 00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:15.700 would have 00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:16.440 recited verses 00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:17.740 17 through 00:27:17.740 --> 00:27:18.099 19. 00:27:19.339 --> 00:27:20.240 But now with 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:20.839 the cross, 00:27:20.900 --> 00:27:21.799 this is how we 00:27:21.799 --> 00:27:22.359 can answer. 00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:24.200 What is my 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:25.139 only comfort in 00:27:25.139 --> 00:27:25.680 life and in 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:25.980 death? 00:27:26.420 --> 00:27:27.099 That I am 00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:27.879 not my own. 00:27:28.519 --> 00:27:30.420 But I 00:27:30.420 --> 00:27:31.259 belong body 00:27:31.259 --> 00:27:31.839 and soul 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:33.160 and life 00:27:33.160 --> 00:27:34.079 and death 00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:35.079 to my 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:35.900 faithful Savior, 00:27:36.039 --> 00:27:36.819 Jesus Christ. 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:38.779 He is fully 00:27:38.779 --> 00:27:39.619 paid for all 00:27:39.619 --> 00:27:40.460 my sins with 00:27:40.460 --> 00:27:41.000 his precious 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:42.720 blood and 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:43.240 has set me 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:43.980 free from the 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:44.599 tyranny of the 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:44.839 devil. 00:27:45.980 --> 00:27:46.759 He also 00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:47.460 watches over 00:27:47.460 --> 00:27:48.220 me in such 00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:48.700 a way that 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:49.539 not a hair 00:27:49.539 --> 00:27:50.299 can fall 00:27:50.299 --> 00:27:51.139 from my 00:27:51.139 --> 00:27:52.259 head without 00:27:52.259 --> 00:27:53.099 the will of 00:27:53.099 --> 00:27:53.839 my Father in 00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:54.059 heaven. 00:27:54.059 --> 00:27:56.059 In fact, 00:27:56.119 --> 00:27:56.779 all things 00:27:56.779 --> 00:27:57.419 must work 00:27:57.419 --> 00:27:58.019 together for 00:27:58.019 --> 00:27:58.799 my salvation 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:00.179 because I 00:28:00.179 --> 00:28:00.679 belong to 00:28:00.679 --> 00:28:01.059 him, 00:28:01.619 --> 00:28:02.059 Christ, 00:28:02.339 --> 00:28:03.259 by his 00:28:03.259 --> 00:28:03.940 Holy Spirit. 00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:05.519 He assures 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:05.839 me of 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:06.679 eternal life 00:28:06.679 --> 00:28:07.399 and makes 00:28:07.399 --> 00:28:08.500 me wholeheartedly 00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:09.179 willing and 00:28:09.179 --> 00:28:09.899 ready from now 00:28:09.899 --> 00:28:11.059 on to live 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:11.419 for him. 00:28:12.700 --> 00:28:13.259 In the name 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:13.819 of the Father 00:28:13.819 --> 00:28:14.799 and of the Son 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:15.619 and of the Holy 00:28:15.619 --> 00:28:15.980 Spirit. 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:16.779 Amen.