Rejoicing with Habakkuk

Sermon preached on June 4, 2023 – Habakkuk 3:1-19 – Rejoicing with Habakkuk

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve been in Habakkuk, so let me give you a very brief review. Chapter 1 begins with Habakkuk asking God how long He’s going to wait before bringing judgement upon the wayward people of Judah. God answered Habakkuk by explaining that He’s about to bring the needed judgement, and He’s going to use the brutally wicked Babylonians as His instrument for judgement.

This startled Habakkuk. It startled him because it seemed too severe. It made him wonder whether God intended to destroy the people of Judah. Habakkuk wondered how the Lord would fulfill His promises concerning the future of His people, such as the promise God made when He said that David’s seed would rule upon the throne forever. And Habakkuk was concerned that the Babylonians would get away with their wickedness; that they would escape justice and not have to bear the consequences of their sin. So Habakkuk respectfully brought these concerns to the Lord, and then he said…

I will … watch to see what [my God] will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.

Chapter 3 is Habakkuk’s answer when he was corrected. After the Lord brought Habakkuk to a proper understanding that the proud will perish in their sins and the just will live by their faith, Habakkuk responded to God with the prayer that’s recorded here in chapter 3. And notice how the prayer begins. Habakkuk had just been brought toa correct understanding of the Lord’s righteous principles of judgment, so he begins his prayer by expressing his agreement that the work the Lord needs to continue. Look at verse 2…

O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known;

The word “revive” has nothing to do with the type of activity that happens at modern-day “revival meetings.” The Hebrew word means to preserve something by keeping it alive. And what is it that Habakkuk is praying will be preserved by keeping it alive? The Lord’s work. More specifically, the Lord’s work of judgement. Habakkuk is praying that the Lord’s judgement will continue to be made known “in the midst of years,” that is, in the present time, as well as in the future.

Don’t forget, Habakkuk had questioned whether the Lord was going to bring judgement upon Judah. And in a related way, he had questioned whether the Lord was going to bring judgement upon Babylon. But after hearing the Lord’s answer to his questions, Habakkuk is brought into agreement with everything the Lord had declared to him. So he prays, “Keep Your work alive, O Lord. Do as You have said You’re going to do. And make it known in the midst of years; make it so everybody sees Your work being accomplished in our present day, as well as in the future.”

It's a positive indication that a person has strong faith in the Lord when they can pray in agreement with the Lord’s judgement, especially when that judgement is going to create hardship and suffering for oneself. In other words, it was probably a lot easier for Habakkuk to pray for God’s judgement upon the Babylonians than it was to pray for God’s judgement upon Judah. This is because Habakkuk wasn’t a part of the Babylonians. God could bring severe judgement upon the Babylonians and it would have little to no effect on the quality of Habakkuk’s daily life. But not so with Judah. Even though Habakkuk was innocent of the things God was going to judge Judah for, the judgement that God was about to bring on Judah would significantly impact the quality of Habakkuk’s daily life. Habakkuk is going to experience the devastation to Judah just like the rest of the Jews will. While the Scriptures don’t tell us what happened to Habakkuk during the Babylonian invasion, we assume he was mistreated and abused, much like his contemporary prophet, Jeremiah, was. So for Habakkuk to begin his prayer this way indicates a strong faith in God. He’s essentially saying, “I’m willing to suffer through the Babylonian invasion because that’s what’s best for Your people, and that’s what’s going to bring the most glory to You.”

But Habakkuk has one more thing to say on this point. You’ll notice that he adds a plea at the end of verse 2. After expressing his agreement with God’s plan to bring judgement upon Judah, Habakkuk adds an intercessory plea on behalf of Judah. He entreats the Lord, “In wrath, remember mercy.”

Take careful note of what Habakkuk is asking of the Lord, because this is the plea of a person who understand what it means to stand guilty before our merciful God. Once again, Habakkuk wasn’t personally guilty of the sins that God is going to judge, but the nation of Judah was guilty. So Habakkuk brings this plea to God on behalf of Judah.

Take a moment to recognize the components to this plea. There are three. First, Habakkuk agrees that Judah is guilty before God. Second, he acknowledges that God’s wrath is the appropriate response to Judah’s guilt. And third, Habakkuk asks God for mercy.

These three components comprise the biblical model of repentance. These three components are how every genuinely penitent person will confess his sins to the Lord. First, the genuinely penitent person begins by acknowledging his guilt to the Lord. Second, the genuinely penitent person knows that he deserves God’s wrath, so he doesn’t try to argue with God about what the appropriate punishment is. Rather, he agrees that God is perfectly right and just to punish sin with a full measure of His wrath. And the third and final component is to entreat the Lord for His mercy. This is possible because the genuinely penitent person knows the attributes of God. He knows “the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Ps 103:8). He knows the tender mercies and lovingkindness of the Lord are from old (Ps 25:6). He knows the custom of the Lord is to look with mercy upon those who love His name (Ps 119:132). So the genuinely penitent person doesn’t just acknowledge his guilt to God and agree that he deserves the full measure of God’s wrath, but the genuinely penitent person pleads with God for mercy.

You see, pleading for mercy is righteous way to escape the consequences of your sin. There are many unrighteous ways people use to try to escape the consequences of their sin. As you frequently hear me say, we must never try to deny our sin, or try to minimize our sin, or try to pretend that our sin doesn’t exist. Those are some of the unrighteous ways people try to escape the consequences of their sin, and that just adds sin to sin. It compounds the sinner’s sin. But that’s not what pleading for God’s mercy does. Pleading for God’s mercy is an admission of guilt. It’s saying, “I’m guilty! I deserve God’s wrath! But please have mercy me. Deal with me, not according to my sin, but according to Your lovingkindness.” We see an example of this kind of plea for mercy in Psalm 51. David begins the psalm by writing…

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

Notice that David isn’t trying to persuade God that his transgressions are something less than what they really are. Rather, he’s saying to the Lord, “I’m a transgressor! I stand guilty before You as a transgressor! The only way my transgressions can be blotted out is if You have mercy on me, so I’m pleading with You for Your lovingkindness and tender mercies.”

Habakkuk is doing the same thing on Judah’s behalf. He’s pleading for God to be merciful as He deals with Judah’s transgressions. And so it is with every genuinely penitent sinner who seeks forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (1) He stands before the Lord in the guilt of his own transgressions. (2) He stands before the Lord knowing that he deserves the full measure of God’s wrath. (3) But then he falls to his knees as he calls on the Lord to have mercy on him through the person and work of Jesus Christ. And the gospel promise recorded in Romans 10:13 says that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Brothers and sisters, there is no greater comfort to your soul and assurance to your heart than knowing that you have salvation in Jesus Christ. This is the truth that’s expressed in the first question and answer of the Heidelberg catechism. In fact, the Heidelberg puts it in even stronger terms. It doesn’t ask, “What is your greatest comfort in life and death,” but, “What is your only comfort in life and death?” Then it supplies the answer…

That I, with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with His precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yes, that all things must work for the good of my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.

The prophet Habakkuk agreed that salvation in the Lord is the only comfort in life and death. We know this because that’s the point Habakkuk is making at the end of his prayer in chapter 3. He knows that when the Babylonians invade, he’s going to suffer the loss of many precious things. And he knows that he’s going to experience significant difficulties and hardships over the coming years, probably for the remainder of his earthly life. Yet Habakkuk says that he’s still going to rejoice in the God of his salvation. Look at verse 17…

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls—

Habakkuk is describing the collapse of an agrarian economy. He’s describing a situation where there are no crops, no cattle, no food, no source of income, and there’s nothing on the immediate horizon that would suggest things are about to get better. He knows this is about to happen because God has just told him this is going to happen, yet Habakkuk says in verse 18 that even when the entire economy collapses…

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

How can Habakkuk say this? Because his only comfort in life and death is knowing that he belongs to God of his salvation. Once again, the emphasis is on the word “only.” Habakkuk’s only comfort is knowing that he belongs to the God of his salvation. Because his comfort is not in the fig tree, he doesn’t despair when the fig tree doesn’t blossom. Because his comfort is not in the vines, he doesn’t despair when there’s no fruit on the vines. Because his comfort is not in the olive tree, he doesn’t despair when the olive fails. Because his comfort is not in food, he doesn’t despair when the fields don’t produce. Because his comfort is not in his flocks, he doesn’t despair when they’re cut off. And because his comfort is not in the herd, he doesn’t despair when the stalls are empty.

Do you see the point that Habakkuk is making? It’s the same point the Heidelberg is making when it asks what your only comfort in life and death is. If Habakkuk had multiple comforts in life and death, then he would have reason to despair when one or more of those comforts were taken away. But what he’s saying is that he has only one comfort in life and death, and that’s the God of his salvation. And Habakkuk knows that the God of his salvation cannot be taken away from him, so even when everything else in the world is taken away from him, Habakkuk will continue to rejoice in the God of his salvation.

Is that your testimony, as well, dear friends? Do you firmly believe that your only comfort in life and death is knowing that you belong to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ? And is this the reason why you’re able to rejoice in the God of your salvation, even amidst significant trials and hardships?

About 30 years ago, I was introduced to the practice of choosing a “life verse.” If you’re not familiar with this practice, a life verse is a Bible verse that a person ascribes to having some particular importance or meaning to their life. For example, as a professional boxer, Evander Holyfield’s life verse is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He was wearing that verse on his boxing trunks on the night he defeated Mike Tyson. Well, 30 years ago, I decided that 1 Peter 3:15 would be my life verse…

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.

The reason I chose this verse back then was because it says, “always be ready to give a defense.” The Greek word for defense is apologia, which is where we get the word “apologetics.” Apologetics was an important part of my life back then, hence, the reason I choose 1 Peter 3:15 as my life verse.

Today, however, I read 1 Peter 3:15 and I see a different emphasis. While it’s true that I always need to be ready to give an apologetic, this verse is saying that my opportunities for giving an apologetic will happen when people ask me to explain the reason for the hope that’s in me. Which means, I not only need to possess a living hope in the triune God, but that hope needs to be displayed to the people around me. In other words, people need to see the hope that’s in me. They need to observe it in my behavior and my attitude.

And of course, we must not overlook the context of 1 Peter 3:15. Peter is writing about suffering. He’s saying that people take notice of how you suffering. So when they see you suffering under various trials and hardships, and they notice you’re still rejoicing in the God of your salvation, they’re going to be curious about this. They’re going to ask you to explain the reason for the hope that’s in you. And that’s when you’ll have the opportunity to give an apologetic. But realize, these apologetic opportunities will only happen when people see you rejoicing in the midst of difficult times. Which brings us back to Habakkuk’s statements in verses 17-18...

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk must have had a lot of apologetic opportunities in his day. When the world was caving in around him, yet people saw him rejoicing in the God of his salvation, they must have asked him for a reason for the hope that was in him. And Habakkuk would have responded with something similar to what we’re reading in our sermon text. He would have explained that his only hope is in the God of his salvation, so when everything else is being destroyed or removed from Habakkuk’s life, that doesn’t cause him to despair. That doesn’t cause him to give up hope. That doesn’t send him into a tail spin.

So when I asked you a few minutes ago whether your only comfort in life and death is knowing that you belong to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ, let me suggest a consideration you can use when answering this question. Consider how many apologetic opportunities do you get. How often do people ask you for a reason for the hope that’s in you?

If it’s true that your only comfort in life and death is the God of your salvation, then you’re going to handle hardships, frustrations, failures, and disappointments differently than a lot of other people handle those things. Whereas a lot of other people will be driven to despair when bed things begin to happen in their life, you won’t be driven to despair. You won’t be driven to despair because the God of your salvation, which is the singular object of your hope, remains secure. He doesn’t change. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. He sits enthroned sits above the circle of the earth, and all its inhabitants are like grasshoppers (Isa 40:22). His works are honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever (Ps 111:3). One generation shall praise His works to another, and shall declare His mighty acts (Ps 145:4). So no, you will not be driven to despair. When the God of your salvation is your only comfort in life and death, hardships, frustrations, failures, and disappointments will not make you despair.

Now let me add some clarifying remarks to what I just said because I want to make sure there’s no confusion on this point. To say that you will not be driven to despair doesn’t mean that you’ll never grieve, or that you’ll never lament, or that you’ll never experience seasons of sorrow in your life. God designed you as an emotional creature, so you should not think it’s wrong or strange when you experience of all the same sinless emotions that the Bible tells us Jesus experienced. Which means, you should weep when your fellow Christians are weeping. And you should grieve when somebody close to you dies. And your spirit should be distressed when you contemplate God’s eternal wrath against sinners. There’s nothing wrong with these emotions. We know this because Jesus experienced these emotions.

But when I say that you won’t despair if your only hope is in the God of your salvation, I’m talking about something different than emotions. Despair is losing hope. It’s more of a decision than it is an emotion. It’s the decision to stop hoping. One of the best known biblical examples of despair is Judas Iscariot. He was overtaken by despair after he betrayed Jesus. That caused him to give up hope.

Whenever people place their hope in anything other than the triune God, they’re setting themselves up for despair. How so? Because all those things will eventually fail you. And when they do fail you, you’re going to begin wondering whether there’s anything that’s really secure enough and faithful enough to place your hope in. And when this cycle repeats itself a few times, you’re likely to be driven to despair; you’re likely to give up hope. You’re probably going to say to yourself, “I put my hope in this, and I put my hope in that, and it all failed. So I give up. I don’t have the strength to keep hoping when all my hopes keep getting dashed to pieces.”

Dear friends, if this is even slightly close to your life experiences, then let me encourage you to do some soul-searching. If the hardships, frustrations, failures, and disappointments of your life have brought you to the point of despair, then ask yourself what or who you’ve been hoping in.

Have you been hoping in yourself? Have you been hoping in your skills? In your intellect? In your ability to make things happen?

Have you been hoping in another person? Have you been hoping your parents would set you up in life? Have you been hoping your spouse would fulfill all your needs? Have you been hoping your children would be there to care for you in your elderly years?

Have you been hoping in an institution? Have you been hoping that a university diploma would open all the doors of life to you? Have you been hoping that marriage would be the solution to all your problems? Have you been hoping that your preferred political party would remedy all the problems in society?

Have you been hoping in material wealth? Did you hope a larger paycheck would make you respectable in the eyes of your spouse and peers? Did you hope a better house would bring you contentment? Did you hope your retirement account would give you the security you’re longing for?

Brothers and sisters, despair is a decision. It’s the decision to give up hope. When you put your hope in anything other than God, you put yourself on the path to despair. But when your hope is exclusively in the God of your salvation, then you have no reason to despair. Why not? Because God is faithful. He has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you. He’s always there with you, walking with you through the fiery trials of life; walking with you through the deep valleys of life. And His promise is that He’s working all things together for your good. As the Heidelberg catechism says, He so preserves you that without the will of your heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from your head, and all things must work for the good of your salvation.

Consider the testimony of the apostle Paul and his traveling companions. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul describes some of the significant trials and hardships they encountered on their missionary journeys. He says they were hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; perplexed, but not in despair. In other words, Paul and his missionary companions didn’t give up hope because their hope was established in the faithful person and character of their triune God. This is why Paul could write with such confidence in Romans 8…

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That, brothers and sisters, is the attitude of a person who’s only hope is in the God of his salvation. That’s the attitude of a Christian who will have many apologetic opportunities. And so it is for you, as well. If you are firmly convinced that nothing shall be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus your Lord, then you will be able to rejoice in the God of your salvation in midst of suffering. You will be able to experience joy in the midst of hardships. You will sing praises to God, even when the world around you is collapsing.

This is why people will ask you for the reason of the hope that’s in you. They’re thinking that joy and happiness depend upon favorable circumstances. They’re thinking that the only time a person can really rejoice is when things are going well. But then they see you rejoicing amidst hardships, frustrations, failures, and disappointments, and they wonder how this can be. So they ask, “What’s your secret? How is it that you’re joyful right now? How is it that you still have hope? Why aren’t you in despair?” This is your apologetic opportunity. This is what 1 Peter 3:15 is saying you always need to be ready to explain. So you explain that your only comfort in life and death is knowing that you belong to your faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. You explain that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in the children of God. You explain that in the perspective of eternity, your afflictions are light and but for a moment, because God is working for His children a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And you explain that you’re able to rejoice and be exceedingly glad in the midst of hardship because you know that your reward in heaven is great.

I’m not suggesting that this easy, brothers and sisters. Don’t hear me saying that you can just flip a switch in your brain and then your hope will be exclusively in the God of your salvation. No, this is a process. It’s the process of sanctification. It’s the process through which the Spirit of God brings correction to your perception of God’s work in this world.

The core message of the book of Habakkuk is that the just shall live by their faith and the wicked will perish in their sins. When Habakkuk expressed his concern that Judah would be destroyed by the Babylonians, God reminded him that the just shall live by faith. And when Habakkuk expressed his concern that the wicked Babylonians would escape justice, God reminded him that the wicked will perish in their sins. You’ll notice that these two truths make up the bulk of Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3. Repetitively, Habakkuk recalls the history of God bringing destruction to the wicked and redemption to His covenant people. In verses 3 through 16, you’ll see references to the plagues and judgement God brought upon Egypt. And you’ll see references to God delivering the Israelites safely out of Egypt. Habakkuk recalls how God made a covenant with His people at Mt Sinai. He remembers how the mighty hand of the Lord led His people through the wilderness. And Habakkuk recounts how the Lord gave Joshua and Gideon victory over their enemies.

What this teaches us is that we need to have a robust knowledge the history of God’s work. We need to know how He has faithfully and consistently brought destruction upon the wicked, and how He has faithfully and consistently brought redemption to His covenant people. We need to know these things because when we see how the Lord has worked in the past, it gives us hope and assurance for how the Lord will work in the present, as well as the future.

You can see that this is how it worked for Habakkuk. In chapters 1 and 2, he was concerned about wat the Lord was doing in the present and in the future. But when the Lord explained how He is working, Habakkuk made the connection between the past, present, and future work of God. He essentially said, “But of course! The just have always lived by faith. And the wicked have always perished in their sins. I see this very clearly in how God has worked in the past, so I can have confidence that this is how He will work in the present and future, as well.”

Likewise, when you have a robust knowledge of the Lord’s works of justice and redemption in the past, then you can have the same confidence that Habakkuk had concerning the present and future. You can see how the wicked perished in their sins in the past, so you can know the wicked will perish in their sins in the present and future. You can see how the just have lived by faith in the past, so you can know that the just shall live by faith in the present and future. You see how the Lord has always been faithful to His character in the past, so you can know that He will always faithful to His character in the present and future. You can see how He has always brought good out of evil for His people in the past, so you can know that He will bring good out of evil in the present and future, as well. When you have a robust knowledge of God’s faithful work in the past, then you can say, along with Habakkuk, “O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known.” And you will also be able to say, along with Habakkuk, that though the world is crumbling all around me, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”