Sermons on Habakkuk - The Prophet who Wrestles with God! (3)

O Lord, Revive your Work!

Habakkuk 3

What the Church needs most is revival!

We live in a society that generally speaking cares little for the spiritual dimensions of life.

Apathy and secularism are the order of the day. Science, and not Christianity is the religion of the modern Englishman.

Our country is rapidly becoming a place where God is rejected and "everyone did what was right in his own eyes"(Judges 21v25).

Sadly the Church is not doing a good job of counteracting the threat of secularism.

On the 10th February 1988, John Gummer M.P. criticised the church of England, of which he is a Synodical member, claiming that "the church of England is ineffective because it is frightened of proclaiming the truth of the gospel directly and unambiguously"(Daily Mail).

I believe that this applies not only to the church of England but to the whole Church in England! We are perceived as being old fashioned; irrelevant; unproductive and ineffective.

”Who cannot but grieve to see Zion powerless and poverty stricken and so unworthy of her great LORD and Master. What can be more pitiful that to see the body of Christ reduced to no more than a number of committees and conferences without the Spirit and without power. Oh to see Christians on their knees in repentance and earnest prayer that God should visit us again in His grace"(Lloyd-Jones).

However this is not a new phenomenon: “The history of the Church is one of ups and downs...the Church has not always been as she is now. You read of these tremendous scenes of life and vigour and of power. But, what you also notice is that these glorious periods of revival and of reawakening have often followed periods of great drought, great deadness, apathy and lifelessness in the history of the Church...There has been some desperate urgent need as confronts us today. And then, after that, has come this mighty uplift, this outpouring of the Spirit of God.” (Dr D.M. Lloyd-Jones).

Habakkuk belongs to such a time of spiritual declension(1v4).

It is the subject of his prayer and meditation, yet it is not the main subject.

The main subject is the drawing upon the great events of Israel's history, such as their deliverance through the Red Sea and their defeat of the Midianites in Joshua's day.

In doing this he is seeking to strengthen Israel's faith during their present distress.

This is a common device employed in the Scripture: “I have considered the days of old. The years of ancient times"(Ps 77v5). Spurgeon commenting on this verse says: "If no good was in the present, memory ransacked the past to find consolation".

The chapter divides into 3 parts:

1. The prophet's prayer(Hab 3:1-2).

(i). His reaction to the divine revelation - All his questions had been answered and his problems dealt with and as a result he 'was afraid'! This reverent fear is a godly attribute(c/f Job 40:1-4;42:1-6;Jer 5:22).

(ii). His response to the revelation - 'O, LORD revive your work'! Remember that Habakkuk's original problem amounted to an accusation of idleness(Hab 1:2-4). Now he realises that God is at work but he asks Him to increase the intensity of that work with what he calls 'revival'!

Habakkuk knew that the impending work of God was to be one of judgment(Hab 1:5). so he asks that 'in wrath', God would 'remember mercy'! A prayer of a true patriot(c/f Gen 18:16ff;Dan 9:16;Rom 9:1-4;10:1).

2. The prophet's reminiscence(Hab 3:3-15).

Habakkuk draws on the great events of Jewish history, particularly the exodus and the giving of the law at Sinai and the defeat of the Canaanite kingdoms as recorded in Joshua, in order to strengthen the faith of Israel.

Habakkuk draws the conclusion that all God's works and His judgments are for the purpose of the 'salvation' of His people( Hab 3:8,13).

This salvation is achieved 'with your Anointed'(c/f Mtt 1:21,23). The work of Christ upon the 'Cross' is described literally as His 'exodus'(Lk 9:31).

This is the supreme antitype, for there 'Heaven's love and Heaven's justice meet'. At the cross, "Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other"(Ps 85:10).

We ought never to forget that God's judgment upon Christ was 'for us and our salvation'. "He has not dealt with us according to our sins"(Ps 103:10) because Jesus "bore our sins in His own body on the tree"(1 Pt 2:24).

Propitiation was made(Rom 3:25); divine justice was satisfied (Isa 53:10) and divine wrath, turned aside(Col 1:20).

3. The prophet's peace(Hab 3:16-19).

Habakkuk's prayer turns full circle(Hab 3:16 with Hab 3:2). He who confessed to being terror-struck at the report of God's past acts, trembles and melts with fear as he seems to hear the on-going march of such a God.

Yet he sees the purpose of God in this is in order "that I might rest in the day of trouble"! He realises that "there is no way of obtaining rest, except for a time we tremble within ourselves, that is, except God's judgment awakens us, yea, and reduces us almost to nothing"(Calvin c/f Job 40:1-4;Ps 4:4;Acts 9).

Habakkuk now has a calm assurance which is born of a living faith(Hab 2:4). He will not allow adverse circumstances to shake his faith(c/f Ps 46:1)

Though everything which supports life may fail, He will rejoice in the LORD and find His 'strength' in YHWH!