This sermon was preached at Saint Matthew's Anglican Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (16 July 2017).
Two young girls move into the same
neighborhood. They are the same age and
they quickly become best friends. They
sit one lovely afternoon and make plans together about how they will always be
best friends. They will even live next
door to each other when they’re older and have families of their own. Six months later, one of their dads is moved
to another country because of his work.
He takes the whole family along; they never return. It’s no one’s fault, but the girls both find that
the promise of life-long friendship was
fleeting.
A
British aid worker in Kenya works with orphans in the Kibera slum. He rescues them from a certain future of
abject poverty takes them to his home, where he promises them food, shelter,
education, and safety. He lures them
only to isolate, imprison, and abuse them.
Each one of those young boys learns that the promise of relational stability was empty.
A man excitedly boards a plane. He’s returning home from a business trip to
Western Europe. He blushes at the
possibility of surprising his wife and spending extra time with her now that
the conference has ended early. He
arrives and takes a taxi home, and enters to find his wife in bed with another
man. This young husband comes to
discover that the promise of marital
fidelity was meaningless.
Older
generations of people, many of them Grandparents, have worked hard for many
years in order to earn and save enough money for retirement. They are counting on the government to assist
them, since they put four kids through college on a Middle Class income. Then one day they listen as the newly elected
president (or prime minister) says on TV that he plans to cut spending on
social security. Panic rises in their
hearts; they become aware that the promise
of financial security was hollow.
Politicians break promises. It is relatively impersonal in nature, but has
become so common that we expect it to happen.
Husbands, Wives, Parents, Children, Siblings, and Friends... we all
break promises; and we all learn from very early ages to be wary of those who
make promises… the bigger the promise, the more cautious we are in trusting its
fulfillment. And so we wonder: Can we trust any promises to be kept? And then, we are confronted by the God of the
Bible who demands our full and unwavering trust.
-----
A faithful servant of God ministers during the latter
7th Century BC. He is a Hebrew
living in the most ancient part of Jerusalem, in the city of David. The man of God recalls the promise to King
David every time he walks past the temple; that an everlasting descendant would
sit on the throne; one who would rule in righteousness. But the kings of Judah had become
increasingly wicked. The spiritual
condition of the people was deplorable.
A succession of prophetic voices called for repentance, only to be
disregarded. There is not just a passive
ignorance of justice within the community; there is an active denial of
it. God’s people had neglected the Law;
they had broken the Sinai Covenant; they had rejected King Yahweh; they had
committed spiritual apostasy. With all
the corruption and injustice around him, the faithful servant wonders, “Does
God allow evil?” Or had He turned away
from his people? Would God rise up to
defend the remaining remnant of the faithful?
Then, out of heaven comes an oracle from the
Lord. This man of God is also a
prophet. The oracle indicates that
Yahweh would bring judgment upon his people.
The prophet has seen enough violence – enough perversion of justice –
that he has cried out to the Lord, and now his answer had come. But it was an unexpected answer, for the
punishment of God would come in the invading armies of Babylon. Certainly this would mean the death or exile
of all citizens of Judah, both the righteous and wicked within her borders.
Suddenly a new vision – one of glory – is revealed
to revive the weary prophet’s soul. The
righteous remnant will live! The
faithfulness of God would be their hope in an uncertain world! He is overjoyed. For the first few months, he waits with eager
expectancy. He heralds the news far and
wide. Years pass. The time between promise and fulfillment
grows long. The Babylonian invasion
moves steadily toward Jerusalem’s walls.
The storm clouds of doubt gather on the prophet’s mental horizon. Did he hear the word of the Lord correctly? Was there something he didn’t understand?
Judgment is coming.
Darkness advances. Evil
approaches. Would God allow his people
to be destroyed? Could God really be
trusted? Would he keep His promise?
In the midst of overwhelming doubt, Habakkuk invites
the people to rekindle the flames of faith.
His message was this:
Endure Worldly Hardship by Fully Trusting
God’s Promises, for His Faithfulness is the Only Hope of His People.
And with that exhortation, we turn to the text of
Habakkuk.
Chapter 1:1-4:
It is an oracle, which in biblical terms is usually bad news. It is also a conversation, unique in that it
is not delivered from God to prophet and then to the community. Rather, it is a running dialogue between God
and prophet, a conversation that Judah is invited to listen in on. The
issue is salvation for the righteous.
Notice how the parallelism draws our attention to it. First the question: How long shall I
cry? There is worldly oppression. And then the assumption: And you will not
hear; and you will not save? Hearing and
saving are placed in parallel lines.
Very interesting, because there was a great distress in the times of
Israel’s past; a time of slavery in Egypt.
Hearing and saving went hand-in-hand.
Recall the scene at the burning bush?
1. Exodus
3:7-8 says, “Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their
taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and
I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to
bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with
milk and honey” (ESV).
2. And
the parallel in Exodus 6:5-8 reads, “Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the
Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have
remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord,
and I will bring you out from under
the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will
deliver you from slavery to them, and I
will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7
I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know
that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of
the Egyptians
The prophet calls for the same help, the same
deliverance… the same salvation. Note
that the same name is used here: Yahweh. And the same pattern of crying out because of
oppression, injustice, and violence. But
now the oppression is not at the hands of the Egyptians, but from the very hand
of the people of God, those descendants of the ones rescued from Egypt. They had been given the Promised Land as an
inheritance, but they have become slave masters themselves. Centuries later, would God remember his
promises, answer the prayers of the faithful, and deliver them from oppression
once more? The questions of the prophet,
followed by the answers of God, highlight the content of chapter one.
Since wickedness continues, it is apparent that the
prophet’s cries for deliverance have not been heard. He wonders if God has accepted the wickedness
of his people. It was the Sinai Covenant
that made them His people, but it is the very same covenant that they have
broken. Justice is one of the main
concerns of the prophet; indeed, it is one of the main concerns of the
Law. It goes far beyond the legal sense
in which we understand it today. When we
see justice and righteousness in prophetic literature, we are seeing the prayer
of Jesus: “Let your kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as in heaven.” When we see justice, we are witnesses of the
quality of the Kingdom that makes it God’s own.
Righteousness is the outworking of justice within society. It is the action motivated by the quality of
justice.
Chapter 1:5-11: The Lord answers. He has not forgotten or neglected justice,
nor has he been indifferent toward the people’s sinfulness. He will raise up the Babylonians to punish
Judah. A lengthy description of the
pride and wickedness of the Babylonians follows.
Chapter
1:12-17: The prophet is astounded. How can God use a nation more wicked than
Judah as his rod of correction? The
medicine is worse than the disease! But
he recognizes that God has ordained this form of punishment. He has a high view of the sovereignty of
God.
Verse 12: We
shall not die. There are two ways to
take this.
1. First,
it might be that Habakkuk is saying that the righteous remnant will not
die. Thus, the “we” is the group of
those who still follow the Lord as “my God” and “my Holy One.” The judgment coming is a fire of purification
(of “reproof”), not one of annihilation.
This suggests that the prophet remains steadfast in faith.
2. Or
second, it might be that he has misunderstood the covenant. In this sense, the “we” would be the larger
community. Since we are your people, you
will not surely bring this calamity upon us.
He has misunderstood God before (verses 1-11), and seems to do so
again. He says, “Why do you remain
silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” He has misunderstood righteousness. In contact with the fire of divine holiness,
degrees of human righteousness melt away.
There is no greater or lesser degree of righteousness in the human heart
before regeneration. The mistake here is
assuming that the external signs of the covenant (circumcision, the Temple, the
Torah) are indicators of true righteousness.
{Side
note: We are constantly being tempted to think that what happens outside is a
true reflection of the internal reality.
Ceremony – particularly corporate ceremony – leads to the danger of
believing that uniformity in practice indicates uniformity in motive. The same ritual practice must indicate the
same heart of worship within all who perform it. The community of Israel continued the
sacrificial system, the ceremonial feasts, the ordained days of fasting and
prayer, but they had been largely empty because of the lack of heartfelt
obedience and worship; they had become meaningless, heartless.}
But he cannot
be so deluded as to think the community of Judah is righteous. He has just called them violent and
contentious sinners, perverters of justice.
So I think both factors are in play here. The prophet does not understand God’s ways
fully, yet he still trusts God’s heart.
He does not waver during confusing circumstances, relying on the
faithfulness of God. Though a tornado of
doubt encircles him, he stands firm on the Rock of his salvation.
Chapter
2:1-5: Thus, he takes his post on the wall of
the city. He awaits the invasion of the Babylonians,
but also awaits the word of the Lord. So
chapter one tells us that Habakkuk receives an oracle. But now, in chapter 2, he also sees a vision. In the greater context of the book, it seems
plausible to consider this vision to be personal revelation. As with the vision that Isaiah saw in chapter
6 of his prophecy, God seems to be the object of the vision. The personal interaction revealed in the
dialogue suggests this possibility. The
language of the Hebrew text also points us in this direction.
It
is this section – verses 1-4 – that I am actually going to preach about.
So let’s start
by getting the flow of thought.
Chapter
2:1: I will guard my post until I receive
an answer.
The
Communication of the Vision (Verse 2)
The answer is
a vision; it is to be written on tablets.
I’m not sure of this, but I suggest that the tablets here are a veiled
reference to the Ten Commandments, which were written on stone tablets, as the
same Hebrew root is used in Exodus 31:18 as here in Habakkuk 2:2. Whenever the Jewish community saw tablets of
stone with Hebrew writing on them, they would know that the judgment was
incurred because of covenant unfaithfulness.
It was also to be written because the judgment, much more, the
salvation, was going to be a relatively long time in coming. If the communication came around 620 BC, then
the destruction of Jerusalem occurred in 587 BC – and then the fall of Babylon
in 539 BC – we have a window of about sixty years opened here.
There would be
a herald running around the Judean countryside and throughout the streets of
Jerusalem proclaiming the content of the vision. There would be urgency in communicating the
vision to his kin. Likewise, the tablets
would be a permanent record of the vision to be passed down to other heralds.
The
Certainty of the Vision (Verse 3)
The vision
will be delayed; it is going to take time in coming to fulfillment. Now, at this point, we are still unsure about
the actual message being heralded. But
we know that God has appointed the time of its coming. Thus, it is certain. And, in one sense, it is coming quickly. Regardless, God will bring about his plans in
perfect timing. The vision will not lie;
it will not fail to come to fulfillment.
The promises of God can be fully trusted, because God Himself is coming
to ensure their reliability. Note here
that the English rendering “If it seems
slow” and the subsequent uses of “it” can be translated as “he.” I favor this for a few reasons. First, the Hebrew allows it. Second, as I’ve already said, the content of
Habakkuk seems to be very personal. The
translation that makes the vision highly personal seems to fit well within the
overall context. Third, God is active
throughout the book; he is not passive, as the prophet accuses him of
being. God is working (1:5), raising up
(1:6), answering (2:2), pouring out wrath (2:16), and so on. There is active, personal interaction and
active, personal judgment; and, as we will see momentarily, active, personal
redemption. And finally, the nature of
the vision and the interpretation of verse four suggest a personal “he” instead
of “it.” So we should probably read the
latter part of verse 3 as, “If he seems slow, wait for him; he will surely
come; he will not delay.”
The
Content of the Vision (Verse 4)
Finally the
content of the vision is revealed.
Salvation is promised! But first,
let’s deal with the textual issues. As
with many Old Testament prophecies, judgment and salvation walk
hand-in-hand. To see one without the
other is very rare. Verse four is no
exception. The first phrase is about the
coming judgment; it is divine judgment and personal intervention. God will bring the proud low. The existence of pride here is a general
pronouncement of judgment whose specifics will be outlined throughout the rest
of the chapter. There is a series of
five “woe oracles” that fills out the content of chapter two, which makes the
sin of Babylon and the punishment meted out by the Lord explicit.
But here we
see that God focuses on the heart of the issue.
Two kinds of people are evaluated in verse four – first, the proud. The Hebrew is almost literally translated: “He
is lifted up (arrogant, self-deification); his soul is not pleasing / right /
straight.” It is as if God says, “I see
the proud and their souls are not pleasing to me.” The subject here is singular, probably to
refer to the king of Babylon as the representative symbol of his people. God would use the Babylonians to punish his
people, but he would also turn and punish them.
What would be judgment unto purification for some would be judgment unto
annihilation for others. But it could
also refer to the proud in Judah, those who had rejected the Lord and relied on
themselves. This same “Spirit of Babel”
exists in every heart that says, “I will be like the Most High; I will
establish my throne in the heavens.” It
was the condition in which Satan fell and it was the temptation by which Adam
and Eve fell into sin.
The contrast
is now made. The second kind of person is
evaluated. The righteous shall
live! This is the promise of salvation;
the righteous in Judah shall have life, redemption, deliverance. The judgment of God would not be the fire of
destruction, but the flame of purification.
We must not misunderstand this deliverance as being from judgment (as
in, out of judgment), but a deliverance through judgment. The righteous will not escape, but will
survive the wrath of God.
This is the
Gospel present within the 7th Century prophecy. But there’s something here that we’re not
supposed to miss. The question might
come to our minds: “How – or, by what means – are the righteous to live?” On what basis can this salvation be expected? It is by faith, but to whom does the
faithfulness belong? The Bible speaks more
frequently and powerfully about God placing His
faith in us and not so much about us putting our faith in Him. Thus, we
really only have one option. It cannot
refer to the Babylonians. It cannot
refer to the wicked within the Jewish community. It probably does not even refer to the
righteous. It refers to God
Himself. God’s faithfulness is the basis
for the life of the righteous. So we
might properly read the second half of verse 4, “The righteous will be saved by
God’s faithfulness." [1] This will become clearer next week as we
examine the New Testament usage and interpretation of Habakkuk 2:4.
For now, it is the contrast that makes this
clear. The Babylonian king has relied on
himself for the victories in battle that he has experienced; self-reliance for
personal advancement. But his victories
are short-lived. God will overwhelm him
by using the Persian monarch, Cyrus, to destroy Babylon in 539 BC. The righteous, however, will not depend on
themselves, but on the Rock of their Salvation.
They will depend on God for the life that only He can provide. Thus, life and salvation and redemption –
these do not depend on man’s effort, but on God’s mercy.
So the communication of the vision is by a herald who proclaims that which
was written plainly on stone tablets.
And the certainty of the vision is due to the fact that God is the one
coming; he is the one who is bringing the vision of judgment and salvation to
pass.
And finally, the content of the vision is judgment –
unto destruction – for the pride of self-reliance and judgment for purification
– unto salvation – for the righteous who rely on the faithfulness of God.
Endure Worldly Hardship by Fully Trusting
God’s Promises, for His Faithfulness is the Only Hope of His People.
Two young girls move into the same
neighborhood. They find that promises of life-long friendship are often
fleeting. But, in Christ, they find a
friend who faithfully remains closer than a brother.
Adolescent
Kenyan boys learn that promises of
relational stability are frequently empty.
But as they come to know God through Jesus Christ, they find a faithful
Father who loves them in perfect purity.
Husbands and wives discover that promises of marital fidelity are many
times meaningless. But in Christ, they
learn of a faithful Groom who redeems his Bride, making her beautiful in the
security of his love.
Older
generations become aware that promises
of financial security are regularly hollow.
But as they come to know Christ more fully, they realize that in Him are
hidden all the treasures of wisdom.
Politicians break promises. We all break promises; and we all learn from
very early ages to be wary of those who make promises. But there is one, who because of his
superlative faithfulness can be trusted… always and forever. We can endure worldly hardship by fully
trusting God’s promises, for his faithfulness is our only hope.
[1] The
biblical languages give us two helps here.
(1) There is no subject in the sentence.
We have an adjective (the righteous), a verb (shall live), a possessive
pronoun (his), and a noun (faith).
Normally, the possessive pronoun would modify a pronoun, or the subject
of the sentence. But it is absent from
this sentence. Who does the “his” refer
to? It cannot refer to the soul of the proud
(whether Hebrew or Babylonian). It
cannot refer to the Jewish community.
And, because of the missing pronoun, it is unlikely that it refers to
the righteous. In fact, the nearest
pronoun is found at the end of verse 3, the “He” who will come and not
delay. It is this person, God Himself,
to whom the faith belongs; and (2) the phrase “his faith,” should probably be
translated “his faithfulness.” This must
be understood within the larger biblical context. Scholars have noted that the understanding of the Habakkuk passage
depends on the hermeneutics of the reader in some ways. If the NT is allowed to interpret the OT,
then we have the basis for understanding Hab. 2:4 in light of Galatians 2:15-16
and Galatians 3:11 (as well as the usage of 2:4 in Romans 1:17 and Hebrews
10:38-39). pistewV
Ihsou Cristou
“[by] the faith/faithfulness of Jesus Christ” is taken to mean through [by
means of] the faith of Jesus Christ. The noun “faith” is usually understood as
“committal of oneself to Christ on the basis of the acceptance of the message
concerning him.” Some would say that “faith
in Christ is the sole and sufficient means of justification.” The trouble is that pistiV in 1st Century Greek and
in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) didn’t mean “faith / trust”
directed toward someone, but rather the “reliability / fidelity / firmness /
faithfulness / trustworthiness” of someone.
This sense seems also to dominate the NT, including Paul’s letters.
Although not widely accepted, it is more than likely that the “faith” here is
actually generated by Christ (subjective genitive), or belongs to Christ
(possessive genitive), or generally describes Christ’s character (adjectival,
descriptive genitive). Thus, our right-standing before God rests on Christ’s
“faith / faithfulness” to the will of God expressed in his obedience to the way
of the cross on our behalf; “Christ’s trustful obedience to God in the giving
up of his own life for us.” See also Galatians
2:20. “I live in faith, that is to say, in the faith of the Son of God.” It has been argued that the faithfulness is
actually God’s and is realized in Christ, “God’s faithfulness revealed in
Christ,” but it seems more likely that here at least Paul is speaking of
Christ’s own faith/faithfulness. So, the
genitive “of Jesus Christ” is most likely subjective, or possessive, “through
the faith/faithfulness of Christ,” rather than the more widely accepted
objective genitive, “faith in Jesus Christ,” where Christ is the object of the
faith, as in the NIV and elsewhere. Christ’s
faithfulness, evident in the cross, rests of the Father’s faithfulness to his
promises, the appropriation of which (the promises of God worked out in the
cross) is to we who (episteusamen) believe, cf. Rom.3:22, Gal.2:22. Therefore, “a person is ... justified ......
by means of the faith / faithfulness of Christ Jesus.” Richard Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ: An Investigation of the Narrative
Substructure of Galatians 3:1-4:11, published in the Society of Biblical
Literature Sources for Biblical Study, edition #56 1983, and republished as The Faith of Christ, Eerdmans, 2002.
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