It’s officially summer! The heat is on and the end is out. For many, this is the start of baseball season. A lot of you are big baseball fans – more so than me. I was a bigger baseball fan back when I was a kid collecting baseball cards.
Share Your Baseball Stories
We are majoring in the minor Prophets this summer. I’ll explain why they are called “minor” in a moment. In fact, I would like our church family to share your PERSONAL baseball stories with us. You can share your stories by going to www.nrhbc.org/survey.
My First Baseball Game
Now, I have never caught a fly ball and yes, I remember exactly where I was when the Rangers were down to the last out to possibly win the World Series in 2011. One of my fondest memories is my paternal grandfather Alvin Maze took me to my first baseball game at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on August 12, 1980. If you know your baseball history, that was a special team. The Pirates had just won the World Series the year before and this was the “We Are Family” Pirates, if some of you remember the Pointer Sisters singing that song. So it was my first baseball game and I was almost nine years old when the New York Mets beat the Pirates 3-1 at the old Three Rivers Stadium. I am sure I was wide-eyed because there were more people in that stadium than all the combined people who lived in my hometown. I remember sitting behind Homeplate and I was able to watch my favorite player at the time, Willie Stargell. I loved “Pops” and was glad to see him at first base with those old black and yellow uniforms on with the stars on their caps. The biggest part of the game happened in the top of the 9th when New York Met left fielder, Steve Henderson hit an inside-the-park home run. It’s a really rare feat where the ball is hit and stays inside the field of play. The hitter runs around all four bases before he is thrown out. I loved those Pirates so much as a kid that I continue to have their starting lineup memorized. That was a magical time for a kid from such a small place as I lived.
Now, that has nothing to do with the sermon but it’s just a fun way to introduce the series! After church, please visit www.nrhbc.org/survey and take a quick survey that’s just for fun. We’ll be sharing some of your favorite baseball stories in the coming weeks and thanks in advance.
The Minor Prophets
Today, we conclude by examining a short book toward the end of the Old Testament that is 2,600 years old. Even though it is ancient, the questions Habakkuk asks are highly contemporary. It’s a book that deals with questions of injustice. Again, this part of your Bible is often called the Minor Prophets. Christians often divide the “prophets” of the Old Testament into Major and Minor prophets. All these books are a little smaller, while the major prophets are a little bigger. The Minor Prophets were known in the Jewish tradition as the Book of the Twelve because, in ancient times, they circulated on one single scroll. Habakkuk is a minor prophet. But his message is certainly not a “minor” message.
Comparing Habakkuk to Job
Habakkuk is much like the Old Testament book of Job. Job asks God “why,” and Habakkuk asks God “why.” But Job explores the “why” behind his personal story, whereas Habakkuk explores the “why” behind the story of injustice. If you have a copy of God’s word, find Habakkuk 3 with me (page 935 in your pew Bibles). Let me give you a recap of Habakkuk’s story because so few people really “get” the prophet. To appreciate where Habakkuk is at the end of the story, you have to understand where he has been. The story of Habakkuk starts with a crisis of faith for the prophet but the story ends with his renewed confidence.
Emotional
It’s hard to communicate the emotions Habakkuk feels through all of this. Habakkuk is really emotional. He’s burdened, he’s weighed down by all of this (Habakkuk 1:1). He loses sleep over this. He’s not doing something trivial like picking wallpaper for the dining room. He’s not playing fantasy football with his buddies.
Everywhere he turns, he witnesses tremendous violence. Perhaps he was afraid that his wife and kids might be assaulted. Maybe he knows about some elderly people who have been ripped off and abused. We don’t know the specifics, but we do know he sees a lot of violence. So, Habakkuk says, “I’m going to pray about it.” And so he prays, and he prays, and he prays, and he prays, and he prays some more. And there doesn’t seem to be an answer. Rather than the situation getting better, it seems to get worse.
Cry
And he says, “God? How long am I going to have to cry to You?”
“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save” (Habakkuk 1:2)?
Notice the word “cry” is used twice in verse 2, but they are not the same word in Hebrew. The second time, the word “cry” means a terrified call for help. He’s quit asking — he’s started screaming at God. He thinks God is deaf, “God! Why don’t you do something?” I mean, he’s almost angry with God. He’s pleading for God to help. But it seems like the heavens are silent.
Is This Personal? Have you ever had a problem and you get to the place where you just almost start to shout to God? Do you want to argue with God a little bit? You say, “God, why don’t You do something?” You pray, “Lord, how long am I going to have to pray about this” (Habakkuk 1:2-4)?
This past week I found out that a pastor who is also a grandfather is grieving because his three grandsons were murdered along with their cousin. Waylon (18), Carson (16), and Hudson Collins (11) were killed by Gonzalo Lopez at their family’s ranch. The oldest boy had just graduated and their grandfather had planned to take all the boys on a fishing trip. While the family continues to place their hope in God, we hurt for them. This ended one of the most dramatic manhunts in Texas history. Lopez had escaped from a prison bus on May 12 and was killed in a shootout with the police later that day. And we wonder, “God, why didn’t you protect this family?”
God Finally Answers
Back to Habakkuk. God finally does speak, and Habakkuk doesn’t like what he hears. God says in effect, “All right, you want to know what I’m doing? You think that I ought to come in here and I ought to stop this rape, I ought to stop this crime, and this violence?” “Here’s what I’m going to do. You need to know that it’s going to get worse. As a matter of fact, Habakkuk, I’m am raising up a nation, the Chaldeans right now.” Another word for the Chaldeans is the Babylonians. “And their armies are going to come and they’re really cruel and they are swift. They are going to take this place captive and there is nothing you can do about it” (Habakkuk 1:5-6). A chill went down his spine when he heard this. Perhaps he thought about the fate of his loved ones in the hands of the dreaded Babylonians.
Habakkuk Responds
Habakkuk responds, “God, when I ask you to do something about the violence in our land and the crime in our land, and you tell me, God, that you are going to bring the Babylonians to invade us! Now, God, that doesn’t make any sense. How can you do that? I mean, God, we’re bad, but we’re not as bad as they are.” Habakkuk continues, “How can you use the wicked to devour the man that is more righteous than he is? No God, that is absolutely inconsistent. Lord, I want to tell you how you ought to be running your business.” So he struggles with God’s answer of how He will use a really evil nation to discipline God’s people.
Let me pause for a moment right here. Habakkuk is where very few of us go. He is wrestling with God for the answers. But most of us are not Habakkuk. Many of you have prayed about some injustice in your life, you received no answer, and you gave up on God. A young lady told him that one of her parents was murdered and she finally forgave God. Now, it may have been a slip of the tongue. But she struggled with God because of the death of her father.
Let me ask you something: If God were your employee, would you have fired Him for a bad performance? “I used to believe in God, or maybe I still believe in God, and this happened to me and that happened to me, so I have little use for a God who just won’t even listen to my prayers.” You effectively fired God for a bad performance. Even the best people are tempted to fire God for seemingly bad performance. Some of you have quit on God. Let me confront you with a truth: if you fired Him, then you had God on retainer; you weren’t seeking God. He didn’t come through for you because you hired God to accomplish YOUR agenda rather than the other way around. Here’s what I love about Habakkuk is this: He raised his questions to God because he had such confidence in God.
Back to Habakkuk. Remember, this isn’t an academic exercise for Habakkuk. He’s emotional about this; it’s a burden for him. He’s nearly screaming in a painful prayer with God.
Then God says in response to Habakkuk pouring out his soul, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). Habakkuk 2:4 is the key to the entire book. In the first half of verse 4, God tells us that He will judge the wicked. In the second half of verse 4, God’s people wait patiently on God to act.
First Half of Habakkuk 2:4
When your “soul is puffed up,” you are proud, you are arrogant, and you are haughty. Proud people who are impressed by their smarts, their wit, and their ingenuity will come to an end. God wasn’t going to let the Babylonians get away with anything. God said to Habakkuk, “Habakkuk, quit worrying. It is not a matter of WHETHER I will judge, but it is a matter of WHEN I will judge. I judge sin everywhere. I don’t play favorites. Nobody gets a free pass. Whether it is the Babylonians or My own people, sin brings judgment just as surely as a cloud brings rain.” I am so happy to tell you that all of the forces of Hell, all of the powers of sin, and all of the doubts of the people, will not stop the enthronement of our dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Second Half of Habakkuk 2:4
The righteous will live by faith. The righteous know that God is delaying judging evil. This doesn’t mean that God will never judge evil ever; He’s just not judging right now. Living by faith means we know God is going to act. By faith, we know, “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Habakkuk is now settled down – there’s a calm to his soul now. What you’re about to read is one of the most moving statements of faith and trust in all of the Scripture.
Today’s Scripture
“A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2 O LORD, I have heard the report of you,
and your work, O LORD, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
4 His brightness was like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
and there he veiled his power.
5 Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed at his heels.
6 He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations;
then the eternal mountains were scattered;
the everlasting hills sank low.
His were the everlasting ways.
17 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,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments” (Habakkuk 3:1-6).
Again, this is one of the most moving statements of faith and trust in all of the Scripture. Habakkuk is 180 degrees from where he started. By the end of the story, if God were a stock, where Habakkuk may not have purchased any shares in the beginning. But after God speaks, Habakkuk puts all his personal wealth in God, if you will. He buys as much stock as he can in God. My time is nearly gone, but I want you to see three items about this incredible prayer of trust that makes it stand out.
1. He Praises God for His Wrath
“O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).
Habakkuk does something that almost no contemporary American does today. He praises God for His judgment, His wrath. We have all these songs for God’s love and for His mercy, but very few, if any, about God’s judgment. Habakkuk composes a song to celebrate how God will condemn the wicked and rescue the godly.
1.1 A Quick Tour of Habakkuk 3
Let me show you how the prophet praises. Habakkuk starts out by noting that he fears God (Habakkuk 3:2a). He then prays to God that “in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2b). Habakkuk says, “You marched through the earth in a fury; you threshed the nations in anger” (Habakkuk 3:12). Habakkuk continues, “You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah” (Habakkuk 3:13b).
God has shown Habakkuk that He will judge the wicked nation of Babylon and He will judge the arrogantly wicked of Habakkuk’s nation too. And Habakkuk praises God for it. He basically praises God for His work in the exodus, where God’s people are freed from Egypt. He recounts the exodus, the great movement where God rescued His people from Pharoah. The pestilence and the plagues, that’s how he got them out of Egypt (Habakkuk 3:5). The shaking of the ground, that’s Mount Sinai (Habakkuk 3:6). The trampling of the sea, that’s the crossing of the Red Sea (Habakkuk 3:15). Habakkuk praises God for bringing justice on the wicked while rescuing the godly.
1.2 An Inner Sense of Justice
Every one of us has a sense of justice crying out from inside of us. We felt it when that cop put his knee on George Floyd’s neck, taking his life in front of everyone. We felt it when Michael Xavier Johnson ambushed police officers in Dallas in 2016, where he killed five officers. And we feel it every time an elderly person is taken advantage of by some crooks in a fraudulent scheme where thousands are taken from them. Habakkuk praises God for His justice. Habakkuk praises God for His wrath. Habakkuk praises God for rescuing the godly while condemning the wicked at the same time. It takes a deft hand to do both rescue and judgment at the same time but this is exactly what God does. Don’t hate the wrath of God, my modern Christian friends. Don’t banish God’s wrath like so many modern liberals have done. God cannot be tamed nor should He be. The evil of this world calls out for a God who is strong to handle judgment. Habakkuk knows this.
Hear the voice of God when He says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19b). God is a good judge and He will do what any good judge will do.
1.3 In Your Wrath, Remember Mercy
Listen to Habakkuk’s prayer: “in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2b).
I love how Habakkuk prays, “Lord, when you do get started on judging us, please remember mercy even in your wrath.”
Habakkuk says in effect, “I had questions for you and about you, God. But now I see, you can handle this. You don’t need me to advise you on your job. I have complete confidence in you. And when your rightful anger is kindled against us, remember mercy if you will, God. When I see injustice in my day that isn’t being addressed, I know you will handle it in your time and in your way. I will live by faith until my faith becomes sight.”
1. He Praises God for His Wrath
2. He Writes a Public Prayer of Praise
“A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth” (Habakkuk 3:1).
“To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments” (Habakkuk 3:19b).
Again, Habakkuk’s prayer is one of the most moving statements of faith and trust in all of Scripture. But it is more than his own personal prayer. It is intended as a psalm to be used in worship. The prophet wants everyone to join in on praising God for His justice, His wrath, and His rescue of the godly. When it says in verse 1, “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth,” it means that the prayer is to be used with musical accompaniment with a spirit of excitement (Habakkuk 3:1). This is confirmed by two things: 1) the very last phrase of the book, “To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments” (Habakkuk 3:19b).2) The use of “Selah” at the end of verses 3, 9, and 13.
The reason this is important to see is that Habakkuk wants us to be able to sing this prayer with him. This prayer isn’t in your Bible so you might think, “Wow! That Habakkuk sure is a religious guy. He sure has faith in God.” No, Habakkuk wrote this beautiful prayer in poetry form so it can be sung by God’s people. This is here, so we will praise God for bringing justice on the wicked while rescuing the godly. This is written here so we will take this and praise God’s justice and His judgment.
1. He Praises God for His Wrath
2. He Writes a Public Prayer of Praise
3. He Sings a Wonderful Song of Faith
“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,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
Simply listen to stories of people who have lost faith and you’ll hear them over and over again. If God’s power were in my hands, I would do much better.
Again, with this kind of cynicism, you have these beautiful words from Habakkuk. “I am all in on you, God. I’m all in. I have complete confidence in you. If you tell me that my people and my land have to be devastated by the fiercest enemy the world knows, I will trust you.” “If the fig tree doesn’t blossom and the vine has no fruit. If the fields are barren from the destruction of war and battle, I will still rejoice in you!” “Now, that I really know you, Father, I can say, ‘You are my strength and my shield. God, you are so strong in me that I am able to walk sure-footed on the steepest of mountain tops. When others cannot walk because of the treacherous ground underneath their feet, I walk sure-footed.” “When others are cynical because of suffering, my faith in God is this incredible force! When others say, ‘I could never worship a God who permits the Holocaust to happen, I feel this incredible closeness to God.”
As good as this prayer is, I cannot help but think, “How much better would this prayer had been had Habakkuk known about Jesus?” The best place to see God’s justice and His mercy in one place is the cross. When Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” all the punishment Jesus endured was for an unjust person like me. I wish I could tell you I had it altogether and my life was worthy of God and heaven, but I am not – I am far from it. Jesus acted like a sponge on the cross and He absorbed all of God’s rightful anger at my actions. The cross is THE place where God’s perfect justice and His perfect mercy meet.
