Habakkuk 1
Habakkuk • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Context
Context
Probably after fall of Ninvevah and after fall of Northern Kingdom in 722. World power is now Babylonians. Before fall of Southern Kingdom.
Probably contemporary of ~Zephaniah and Jermiah during rule of 3 bad kings. Last Kings. Josiahs reforms probably over - people back in idolatry - dark times.
Habakkuk lived at a time when society was shaken by violence. As Judah and Jerusalem had sunk deeper into disobedience towards God and his requirements, so the fabric of national life had begun to come apart at the seams. The prophet lived and spoke in the inexorable build-up to the invasion of Jusah and ultimate destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians - in the years following the reign of Josiah when Jehoiakin succeeded as King in 609BC.
P203 Davvid Prior context helpful
SO important that we go on the journey with Habakkuk or our response will just be glib.
My solution is worse than yours
“children fighting over cookie” - daddy will eat the cookie.
Children fighting over toy - daddy takes toy away.
Solomon and women fighting over child. Solomon offers a worse solution.
Habakkuk complains about the unrighteousness around him. But is shocked at what the Lord plans to do. - Much worse than if Israel had straightened up - or is it?
Is the hope brought by the promised destruction better.
OUtline
1: 1-4
Habbakuk complains about unrighteousness around him
1:5-11
God’s plan for unrighteous Judah
1:12-2:1
Habakkuks shock and argument
2:2-20
God’s plan for unrighteous babylon
3:1-19
Habakkuks prayer and resolve to worship
Jeremiah busy weeping
Zephaniah would be calling out woes and destruction and impending doom with ugly metaphors.
v1 How long - do you see this?? Psalm 13 and Psalm 73 familiar.
Lament.
v3 Why did I have to be born in a time like this?
v4 Law is paralysed - no justice or mercy. wicked are more than the righteous.
Lord - are you blind? Are you being idle?
v5 Lord says look amoung the nations and look. Hold on to your hat.
I’ll raise up your enemies. My solution is much worse than yours!
Habakkuk does was few dare to do - speaks back. v12.
2 ways to understand.
a) arent you from everlasting, didnt you say someone would aways sit on Davids throne? No we wont surely die?
b) question about the caldeans, you have established them?? Are you serious? Those people?
v13 essential saying - Lord you have pure eyes - you can’t do this! You are using people more evil than us to punish us!
Mirror of my heart. Often think this. yes I sin - but not as bad as him. Self defensive, self preserving and self worshipping.
Habakkuk expresses his horror that God should use those who worship their own strenght to punish “Jehovah worshippers”
But Habakkuk has just made a really good argument. I will take my stand at my watchpost.
Clavin: Watchpost and tower is the recess of his own mind - what he has learned. Remembers God’s promises. Hopefully simply remembering that God’s word cannot be broken.
The Lord answers and the answer is deflating. v3
v4 like a side note - but perhaps directed at Habakkuk. He should not get puffed up. He should live by faith.
No one is justified by the law.
Law is no paralysed - it has done its work. condemmed you who can’t keep it.
Ulitimate justice is never perverted.
This time coming in form of Caldean army. awaits its appointed time.
Pride and self righteousness - stuck in the middle with you - deaths song.
Pause v6
Lord takes a breath giving Habakkuk a moment to soak it in.
All these - probably refering to Judah, those people who have been conquered.
6-20 come as a bitter sweet judgement
Judah will be destoryed, but
woes to caldeans
Not much comfort but something right?
Forshadows King Nebs boast that he built everything. When Neb is restored he declares similar
v17 predicts, same destruction you brought will come back on your head
v20 pause - enough. silence.
Here is the big picture
We are unrighteous, they are unrighteouss, we are all unrighteous, there is no escape, there is nothing left to argue, and all I can say now is in chapter 3
Now resigned to accept the Lord’s plan
Calvin - becomes a national prayer for people of God in exile and today for the church.
This prayer contains so much hope. Ray of hope for people with nothing left.
No self security
No self righteousness
Lord will trample on whom he will trample, have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and will save who he will save.
Everything we know crumbles v7-9
But see in this prayer, that enemy both from within and from without is going to be defeated.
Prayer keeps getting better
v13
Sounds like genesis 3. All unrighteousness will be crushed (no matter where is from)
You defeat him with his own weapons - with death you defeat death!
Horse - Zecharaiah - patroil to north and south.
Revelaiton - Rider, faithful and true.
Sea and all its surging and foaming with all its difiiculties will be vanquished - it will be quieted
Psalm 93 - the floods have lifted up their voices.
Habakkuk is banner of hope. Prayer about the dakr hours at Golgatha and clear song about the dawn of redemption that comes on our behalf - we who do not deserve it. Yes the Lords solution is a whole lot worse - but not for yuou - but laid upon his son.
Think of infinate guilt and shame - do you temple? Are you thankful for the mercies that destroy your pride?
Like armies of Chaldeans did to Judah, armies of Satan try
But we are safe.
Habakkuk prayers of prophetic resolve. Is Gods solution really worse than ours? God’s solution to the problem of unrighteousness is utter destruction. Which would be utterly bad news - apart from Christ. Its solely worse for Jesus Christ and all thsoe who are outside of Him.
For oursake he made him who knew no sin to be sin.
Self righteousness would teach us to keep the law just a little better than our neighbour - but law is not of faith.
Self righteousness would teach us we dont need to outrun the bear, we just need to outrun our neighbour - but if we start by law we have to keep it the whole way or the bear will get us.
By single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Live by faith rather than by selfrighteousness
Worship by faith rather than how you feel that day
Sermons:
Sermon 1: A faith like Habakkuks — overview of book
Lessons we learn about trusting God in hard times
a) the rightness of lamenting (ch 1)
Need to learn to lament. Tendancy to despair or jump to joy. When Christian is berieved, think thing they need is bible verse - but sometimes need first to sit in their grief. Death is not natural. Wickeness is not natural in that it should upset us. Want us to journey with Habakkuk as he asks how long, and learn to wait with him. So glimse of gospel. take us to Christ, but won’t get whole good news until week 5.
b) the intimacy we can enjoy wrestling with God (ch 2)
c) the essential need to hold on to God’s character as the window through which we wrestle. (v12) four qualities p219-220 Prior
d) the need to trust in God’s timing ( see prior page 237) and 238 (A wizard arrives precisely when he means to (gandalf) “WE GROW IN FAITH BY LEARNING TO WAIT” p238
Key verses of leaerning aboout Habakkuk faith (see commentary)
1:2
1:12
2:1
3:2
3:3-15
3:16
3:18
3:19
“There has always been this important distinction between bitter cynicism and believing conforontation: one is a denial that refused to believe, the other is a belief that refused to deny; one makes assertions and will not stay for an answer, the other makes assertions and will not move until there is an answer.”
Sermon 2: An age old question
Habakkuk 1:1-11
God says “I’m bringing justice”
God’s control
Result of destruction of Judah will be spread of gospel and salvation to the world
Sermon 3: An uncomfortable truth
(exposing self righteousness)
Habakkuk 1:12-2:5
The half truth we take from v4 and the whole truth we miss by not reading the first half of the first. God divide people into to camps.
Foundational truth is in ALL of v4.
v4 is the turning point in Habakkuks heart. As he sees through God’s lens the window to his soul.
Back up for why this is heart - way NT uses Habbakuk
In Romans and Galatations its used in relation to justification by faith alone, and linked to Genesis 15:6
Sermon 4: A terrfying reality
Habakkuk 2:6-20
Sermon 5: A glorious hope
Habakkuk 3:1-19
“We are more sinful that we could ever imagine but more loved that we could ever dream”
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought— My sin, not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more; Praise the Lord oh my soul praise the Lord.