Trusting God Through Delay

• 1. Well, here we are studying the book of Habakkuk. I wonder what morning breakfast conversations were like this morning: Habakkuk? Well, it is in the Bible, so maybe I should try to be excited about. Where is it again? How do you pronounce it? How do you spell it? Interestingly, one of the first teachings I remember doing at Bethany was on Habakkuk (Contend Conference breakout session). Also, when we came to Bethany the first time a little over twelve years ago, Matt Hedrick was preaching a series on the Minor Prophets. Building off of what Matt shared last week, my hope is that by the end of today’s teaching you will see how precious this little book really is, and that Habakkuk will have a  
  2. Discipleship and the ways of God
     1. Who is God? What is he like? What makes him happy? What makes him angry? What pleases Him? What does he consider righteous, and what does he regard as unjust? What does he love and what does he hate, and why? What makes him glad and what makes him sad? What does he require of his people, and on what basis and to what end? How do people become his people? What promises has he made to those who belong to Him, and why do they even need promises in the first place anyway? How has he chosen to carry out his plan for the world, and why has he chosen to carry it out in this way? Etc. Etc. Who is this One who was willing to go so far and give so much to make me his own, and how can my life bring as much glory to him as possible? There is no knowledge more precious than the knowledge of God (informationally or experientially understood). I want to know Christ.
     2. So much of discipleship can boiled down simply this: Learning the ways of God and becoming conformed to them. Our ways increasingly becoming his ways.
        1. Through sound instruction and study of God’s word.

⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons. (Hos. 4:6, CSB)

• 2. 2. 2. Through repeated experience of God’s consistent dealings with us over time.

¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. (1 Jn. 2:13, NIV) 

• 2. 3. The degree to which our expectations are in alignment with a proper understanding of God’s ways is the degree to which we are poised to run the race most effectively.
     4. In light of these things, Habakkuk is a very important and powerful book. It asks some big questions about some big topics. Though it doesn’t answer all our questions, it gives us some profound insight into the ways of God. In this book we see Habakkuk bringing his lament and complaint to God honestly and openly like Moses (e.g., Nu. 11:10-15), Jeremiah (Jer. 12:1-4), and David (Ps. 11). In this book we see poetry, prophesy, and wisdom come together in a dynamic call to covenant loyalty and faithfulness. Our prayer is that this little 3-part series on Habakkuk will set the stage and whet your appetite for our summer series: “God Is.” Just before that series, I am going to do a one-off message called, “Loving Well amidst Theological Differences.” Or to put it differently: How can we be a part of the same family without nuking one another? And then later that night at the Encounter Service, we want to rally together around Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11: That our love would “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (NIV).
     5. Key Take Away: Delay means mercy, character, and salvation, not indifference.

• 1. In order to understand Habakkuk, it is vital that we bear in mind the covenantal context of its message. In the ancient world, covenant was a means by which various peoples and groups entered into a solemn and legally binding relationship with one another (kings and vassals, friends, husband and wife, etc.). In the Bible, the primary function of prophets is to call Israel to be faithful to her covenant with God, to honor and obey its terms in humble recognition of his Lordship and as a response of gratitude for his undeserved acts of salvation. In keeping with his promise concerning prophets in Deuteronomy 18, he calls and sends representatives to bring his message to the nation. Even though Habakkuk’s prophecy takes a different form than some of the other prophets (an interaction with God, rather speaking directly to the people), the call to covenant loyalty faithfulness is still the same. Through his prophets, God issues a divine summons for his people to be faithful to their marriage vows.
  2. God’s vows and actions in the covenant accord with his character/name/reputation

⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. ⁶ And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished… (Ex. 34:5-7a, NIV)

• 3. The warning of the covenant

¹⁵ “But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you:…⁴⁹ The Lord will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose language you won’t understand, ⁵⁰ a ruthless nation, showing no respect for the old and not sparing the young. ⁵¹ They will eat the offspring of your livestock and your land’s produce until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, fresh oil, young of your herds, or newborn of your flocks until they cause you to perish. ⁵² They will besiege you within all your city gates until your high and fortified walls, that you trust in, come down throughout your land. They will besiege you within all your city gates throughout the land the Lord your God has given you. (Dt. 28:15, 49-52).

• 4. Story: “Bring 8-24 along”
  5. Delay means mercy, character, and salvation, not indifference.
  6. Brief Summary of Habakkuk 1: 
     1. Habakkuk: Lord, evil is around me everywhere I look, and I can’t take it anymore. Those who truly do seek to please you are oppressed by those who don’t give a rip about you. No matter how much I pray, no answer seems to come. You don’t seem to be doing anything about this mess. This really stinks. Could you please explain?
     2. God’s answer: Habakkuk, yes, the nation has fallen into great wickedness, and so the time has come for me to do what I warned about in the days of Moses. When I do this, it will be so shocking “that you would not believe even if you were told” (1:5; referring here to the specific manner of judgment). (This would have felt like a 9-11 event to Israel.) I am not a liar; I will do what I said.
     3. Habakkuk’s response: Lord, they are worse than us! How can that be right?

• 1. God’s answer

² The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. ³ For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. ⁴ Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith. ⁵ Moreover, wine betrays; an arrogant man is never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself; he collects all the peoples for himself. ⁶ Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him, with mockery and riddles about him? They will say: Woe to him who amasses what is not his—how much longer?— and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.” ⁷ Won’t your creditors suddenly arise, and those who disturb you wake up? Then you will become spoil for them. ⁸ Since you have plundered many nations, all the peoples who remain will plunder you—because of human bloodshed and violence against lands, cities, and all who live in them. (Hab. 2:2-8, CSB)

• 1. 1. Command to write: Signals solemnity, importance, and need to be regularly recalled and remembered (cf., e.g., Ex. 17:14, 34:27; Dt. 6:9, 11:20). This message is important; I want it to be clearly understood by anyone who reads it. NRSV: “Make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.”
     2. Though it seems like there is delay, I will act at precisely the time I have determined and appointed (cf. 120 years [Gn. 6], 400 years [Gn. 15]). This promise is true and reliable.
     3. Delay does not mean indifference. God is taking note of both the righteous and the wicked. Delay means refinement for the former and mercy for the latter.
     4. Yes, the Babylonians are evil, and judgment will eventually be poured out on them. Woe to them. But Habakkuk, do you remember what I said in the covenant? Do you remember the Song of Moses back in Deuteronomy 32?
     5. In the meantime, trust me. Remain loyal and faithful to me. This is the way of life. Cf. Dt. 30.
     6. Habakkuk, my delay means mercy, character, and salvation, not indifference.

^3:9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance…. ^3:15 And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our dear brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him (2 Pt. 3:9, 15, NET)

• 2. Habakkuk 3: God, come again in power and deliverance just as you did in days of old, according to your promise (e.g., Dt. 30)

• 1. Go deep. There is often a false dichotomy between growing in understanding and being “practical,” or teaching and the “prophetic.” We need to be in the Scriptures. Growing in the knowledge of God is the most relevant thing we can do.
  2. Brace ourselves. Understand and brace ourselves for God’s use of “Babylon” as pressures increase (next month?); ready to pray for potential persecutors, bless enemies, etc.; we want our ways to be like God’s
  3. Reframe. Are you struggling with offense toward God in context to some kind of hardship and delay right now? This week, go to him in prayer and give him thanks, remembering that delay means mercy, character, and salvation, not indifference.