SAINT LUKE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WATERTOWN
Pentecost
18 October 4 and 7, 2001 Habakkuk 1:1-4 and 2:1-4
The
oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received. How long, O LORD, must I call for
help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not
save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in
the righteous so that justice is perverted…I will stand at my watch and station
myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what
answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: “Write down the
revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For
the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not
prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not
delay. See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous will
live by his faith!”
Dear
people of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in Hell—by the innocent
blood of the very Lamb of God:
The
room where I slept in—in the mission house in Africa—is made of cinder block.
First they make the blocks. Then they lay the blocks. Then they
cover the blocks with more cement like plaster. The roof is covered with sheet
metal—so it is very noisy when it rains—when it rains very hard in the rain
forest during the rainy season. The doorframe to my room is made of wood—the
ceiling covered with a very thin particleboard and very thin wooden strips.
There was a very dirty streak from the ceiling to the doorframe and down. It
looked like the roof leaked—the plaster cracked—and mud was oozing and clumping
by my door. I even pinched a bunch of this yuck off the doorframe—when I
realized this is the work of termites! That dirty gunk is full of termites—very
small—not even 1/16th of an inch each—chewing up this whole
house—little by little reducing it to moist sawdust. I brushed down a whole
bunch of them—and blasted them with insecticide. But I will never get them all!
Termites are like sin—chewing away at our hearts and lives—ruining and spoiling
almost everything. Sometimes life is infested by the termites of sin—like a
cancer eating away deep inside. Lest we become discouraged and despair God’s
Word again brings comfort and encouragement:
The
Righteous Will Live By Faith!
This is the part of the
sermon now—when we expect the part about who is this Habakkuk guy. This is the
part where we do the biographical information about the author. I always like
this part, too. Habakkuk. I have baptized no Abraham but an Isaac and
Jacob—David and good king Josiah, Noah and Samuel, Daniel and Isaiah, Jeremiah
and Micah but never a Habakkuk. Bible scholars say the name Habakkuk might mean
“to embrace”. That would be kind of nice I think—Pastor Hug—Pastor
Comforter—one who bring the comfort of law and gospel to God’s people. God’s
Word does not tell us about his background—where he came from or where he
worked. If God’s Word has not told us—we may be happy not to know. If we needed
to know God surely would have told us.
Sometimes God’s Word is
very precise—in this month on this day in this year of the reign of this King…
But God did not do that with Habakkuk. God’s Word does take place in history,
though. And the LORD—who is always in control of history told Habakkuk—“Look
at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something
in your days that you will not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up
the Babylonians.” Habakkuk 1:5,6 It would make sense that Habakkuk
and the people of Judah knew who the Babylonians were. But not very strong and
900 miles away—who would believe the Babylonians were a threat—even if the LORD
told you? Time after time through the power of his might and unsearchable
wisdom the LORD has brought the proud crashing down. And the humble and lowly
he has raised up! All earthly power—kings and empires, the storms, wind and
waves must obey the King of kings and Lord of lords!
God’s Word says, “The
oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received.” The word—the Hebrew word for
oracle literally means something that is lifted up. It could be that Habakkuk
is to lift up his voice—to proclaim the message the LORD has given him. It
could be that the message Habakkuk is to bear, to pick up and carry and deliver
is a heavy one—a message of doom and destruction—the crushing judgment of the
LORD almighty! Other prophets began their scrolls much like Habakkuk. Everyone
remembers Jonah and the great fish. The LORD worked powerful repentance in the
hearts of the people of Nineveh and the city was spared! But the day came when
Nineveh was proud, arrogant, puffed up that she was the only super power. And
Nahum received an oracle that said, “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of
trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he
will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness.” Nahum
1:7,8 Nineveh was washed away with greater ease—than you will wash the
dishes home soaking in your sink.
The LORD is always in
control of everything. That isn’t always obvious and clear. But the LORD is
always in control of everything. Not grumbling—not complaining—but asking to
understand Habakkuk was inspired to ask, How long, O LORD, must I call for
help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?
Good King Josiah was exactly that—a good king. He tried to lead his people back
to serve the LORD with great faithfulness. Good King Josiah tore down the
places of gross and perverted fertility cult worship—where the people committed
spiritual adultery. He worked not only to clean and repair and rebuilt the
house of the LORD. He worked through the Gospel to rebuild the hearts and lives
of God’s people. When Good King Josiah died from battle wounds his evil son
Jehoiakim again led God’s people into sin that tore the nation apart from the
inside out! Habakkuk did not pray today and tonight—then wonder why everything
wasn’t all better by tomorrow morning. No, Habakkuk prayed and prayed and
prayed some more. Habakkuk prayed without ceasing!
How long, O LORD, must I
call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do
not save?” There is violence everywhere in our country today.
There is violence on television—it’s hard to know where to begin! Violent
reality programs—crashes, accidents, animal attacks, clip after clip of home
video showing terrible hurt and harm. The network news has shown video of
suicide bombers in Israel. There are video games that very small children
play—where it’s blast the other guy before they blast you. There are songs and
videos exceedingly popular that glorify the most hurtful and evil of violence.
There is violence in homes—where husbands batter their wives—and wives hit
husbands who won’t hit back. Parents who batter their children with their
fists—and with words that leave even more painful scars—deep inside where Band
Aids can’t cover or heal.
“I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to his complaint.” This
is the hard part—to wait patiently for the LORD’s answer in the LORD’s
time. Then the LORD replied: Write
down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with
it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will
not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will
not delay. See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous
will live by his faith! When I was in Africa I saw small children—just
toddlers—wobble in front of their homes made literally of sandy mud. These
little children wore no clothes because they had no clothes. Their small
tummies were all swollen from malnutrition. I said to my friend—don’t you wish
you could just take one of these little people home with you in your suitcase?
He said—if you really want to—if you would ask their parents—could I take your
little one home with me—they would let them go in a minute. Not because they
don’t love them—but because they love them so much—they would see in you an
opportunity for their little one to have far more than they could ever dream of
giving them. They say people from there have been here to visit. That when they
went to one of our grocery stores—just a small grocery store—they stood just
inside the doors and looked at the produce department—all the different fruits
and vegetables—then the bakery—the meat department—the canned goods and the
frozen foods and all the dairy. And they wept—they cried and they trembled—because they had never seen so much food
in one place at one time! Our Heavenly Father has adopted us—spiritually
naked—spiritually starving and homeless—dead in sin and guilt. God our Father
adopted us for Jesus’ sake. Jesus who became our brother—fulfilling all of
God’s law for us. Then Jesus died on the cross to wash away all our sins and
failures—removing all our guilt and shame.
Though there is gross wickedness and murderous evil in this world—for
now—the day is coming when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead.
There will be no escape—no place to hide—in any wilderness of creamy covered
stone—where the wind blows blinding sand and terrorists hide in caves and holes
in the ground. The LORD will come to take us out of this world of grief and
sorrow—to the warm safe light of Heaven! We will be safe by Jesus—safe forever!
Life isn’t fair! I was
sitting in Africa—very hot, very muggy, very small mosquitoes biting. I’ll read
a short story. A story about a Labor Day family picnic. A young lady sitting
there. “Could you hold this little one?” they say. It makes her a little
nervous—this little person in her arms. Sure she can. “Hi, little pumpkin head.
Hi, little pumpkin head.” The picnic table bench starts to break. There is a
creak and then a crack as a very small very old rotten piece of wood gives way.
Almost in slow motion the lady feels her back hurt—she sees clouds above her.
She hears the little one’s head bump into the new stone wall behind the picnic
table! Make believe! Fiction! Imaginary! Hypothetical! I closed the book! Not because
it was too pretend—but too painfully possible! It’s not fair! It’s just not
fair! The wicked prosper. The cheaters never get caught. The liars are never
found out. The gossips only hurt others! It just isn’t fair! It doesn’t seem
right. And yet we know—we know in our heart of hearts—the LORD is still in
control. He keeps his promise that he will never leave us; never forsake us! We
trust his wondrous Gospel promises. By grace alone—the just shall live by
faith—through all this troubles of this life—into the perfect peace of Heaven
for Jesus’ sake. Amen!