I Will Rejoice in the Lord

One of the very first lectures I attended at Calvin Seminary still stands out very clearly today. Professor Bolt began by telling us of his experience with a class a few years earlier. He said he began his lecture as he always did, by asking the question, “Who or what is God?”

One of the students of that ill-fated class responded, “God is nice.” Well, that poor student and that poor class heard all about how God is not nice. Professor Bolt said, God is just, God is righteous, God is full of loving kindness, but God is not nice. Nice is something you use to describe an outfit, “Oh, hey, nice shirt.” It is not a word that can possibly encompass a being as complex, as awesome, as completely other as God is.

We’ve seen God’s awesome justice in our study of Habakkuk. When he called out to God because so many of his people had wandered away from God, God answered him. God, as He’s described in Psalm 33:12 “The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man”.

God saw, God knew how much his people had wandered from him. How they were worshipping other gods, how they were incited to violence against each other. How they mistreated people of different ethnicities. By their actions, they indicated they hated God, and their neighbour. They were completely, utterly, totally, in it for themselves. They gave lip service to the One true God, treating him like their genie. So, God warned them that he would raise up a people, far more wicked than them, to exact judgement upon them.

Only if they would repent, turn from their wicked ways, truly seek God in their hearts, would this pending disaster be averted. Alas, the people refused to listen to God’s prophet, and destruction came upon them—but not yet.

The book of Habakkuk concludes with Habakkuk’s final prayer. Remember, so far in the series, we’ve heard him pray to God twice, asking essentially, “How long?” and “Why?” We totally resonate with these questions, don’t we?

How long will I suffer? How long will I have to isolate? How long before I can hug, or even see my loved ones? How long will the economy be like it is before it recovers and I can find a job? How long will we have to grieve without closure? How long will the wicked cause violence, anger, hatred and fear? How long will it take for God to listen, hear, and answer? Will it be like the Israelites who waited 400 years?

Why? Why must we go through this? Why must we endure? Why is there heartache? Why are there broken relationships? Why are there broken marriages? Why are there broken families? Why aren’t all fathers great fathers?

How long. Why.

God’s answers to both questions are not what we would expect, are they? God told Habakkuk, that he had a plan, it was still a few years away, and things will get much worse before they get better.

And as to why, God told Habakkuk, that the people of Israel had prostituted themselves before other Gods. They had totally turned their back on Him. He warned them what would happen if they did. They would be brought into exile.

Now, in chapter 3, we have Habakkuk’s response. God is more fearful, more awesome, more holy, more powerful, more in control than we could ever have imagined. God is not nice. God is terrible and mighty. God is not a genie, he’s not a best bud, he’s not someone to be trifled with.

In his allegorical book series, C.S. Lewis described Aslan, the lion (The lion of Judah, Jesus) as not being a tame lion. What he meant is that Jesus is the supreme ruler of the universe. He does whatever he wants to do. He does not answer to us.

Yes, this is the same Jesus who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, who lived a perfect, holy, righteous human life—being fully human and fully God. Jesus willingly lay down his life as an atonement for our sin. Jesus died on the cross, taking upon himself, our punishment. Jesus bore the full wrath of the Father’s justice and righteousness, he bore this fearsome description in Habakkuk three, for you, for me. Jesus did that.

But let us remember. Jesus is also the God of chapter 3. Jesus is the one promised in Revelation 19, the rider of the white war-horse, His name is Faithful and True, who judges and makes war. His eyes are flames of fire, on his head are many crowns, he is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, he is called the Word of God. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, ruling them with a rod of iron. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

God is not nice. God is God and there is no other. The entire universe fits in the palm of his hand.

Brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, where is your hope? Is it in this life? Is it in your homes, your clothing, your food, your RRSP’s your investments? Where’s your identity? Is it in what you do? Is it in your job, your family, yourself? Where’s your focus, is it on you, your surroundings, your situation, your circumstances?

Listen to Habakkuk’s response to the fearsome truth of who God really is: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls.”

In other words, though the economy goes down the drain, though I have no idea where my next paycheque comes from, though I lose my entire fortune, though I lose my house, my children, my spouse, my whole world.

Even if I lost it all, here is my response:

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.”

Here’s what Habakkuk wants us to know and to do. Stop looking for life, identity, contentment, joy, truth in anything or everything other than God. God alone is the source of joy, life, delight, hope and identity.

This is the lesson God was teaching Habakkuk. Habakkuk thought he knew God. But he was still putting his hope in the king, in Israel. He was looking too low. So God stripped it all away. He brought Habakkuk low.

Habakkuk discovered that his true joy, His true contentment is found in God alone. Habakkuk’s encounter with God revealed that God isn’t nice. God is love. As a loving Father, he disciplines those whom he loves. God disciplined his nation Israel. God is disciplining us, as our Heavenly Father, he is perfect in all his ways.

Where are you at this morning? Are you feeling a bit under God’s thumb? Are you feeling the weight of his Holiness? Are you feeling a bit of the sting of his rebuke? I hope you are. For as unpleasant as it is, no one loves going through discipline at the moment, afterward it produces faithfulness and character—giving glory to God.

Rejoice in the Lord. He is your strength, even when you are at death’s door. He is the joy of your salvation. All who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved. You are saved. God is for you, who can be against you? He who did not withhold his own Son, is with you.

Now, do as Habakkuk did: tread on your high places. Tread on your false gods. Crucify yourself, put to death the things, other than God, that you have been trusting in. Why? Because your eternal life hangs in the balance. God is a just and jealous God. He shares no room for others to be worshipped and trusted alongside of him.

Once you have done that, you will be able to see God clearly. You will begin to walk by faith. Your faith in God will grow. You won’t rely on your sight, your strength, your will and determination. You will rely on God. By faith, we have seen Jesus, by faith we receive Him, His forgiveness, His righteousness. By faith we walk with him in newness of life. Walk with Jesus. Amen.