In Wrath Remember Mercy – Rev. John Zuidema
Text: Habakkuk 3:1-16
Reading: Psalm 137
Suggested music: BoW 359, 177, 153 v 1,4, 67, Rej.2 500
Beloved people of the Lord;
Sometimes it can happen with us human beings that we gloat over our judgement of events. We may not do so publicly, but inside most of us is this “I told you so” attitude. For instance, we warn a loved one or friend that if they are not careful then this that may happen to them. And when it does we are quick to say “I told you so” at least to our children.
Now as Christians we know from God’s word, the power of our wonderful Saviour God. We know he loves, He cares, he protects and that there isn’t anything that is too great or too difficult for him. Of course we need to add that we also know about the end times. We know that those who believe in Jesus Christ as Saviour will have a wonderful future ahead of them. We also know that those who do not will have a terrible future before them. And in that regard, we certainly would never gloat over God’s judgement on certain people, least of all our children. We would never stand at heaven’s gate watching our children go past and say, “I told you so”. We love them far too much for that to happen.
The text before us this morning is a prayer or a psalm written by the prophet Habakkuk. It mentions in the opening line “Shigionoth” which is probably a musical term as the last line after verse 19 also suggests, and probably sung during the exile.
Now I don’t know about you, but it strikes me as I read these words, that Habakkuk is not an “I told you so” person. He is not gloating over what is going to happen to God’s people at the hand of the Babylonians, nor what God as revealed to him concerning the Babylonian punishment as mentioned in Ch 2:6-20;
The punishment that God is going to meter out on his own people will be great and even worse to the Babylonians. Now Habakkuk begins this prayer by reflecting on God’s fame and deeds, especially his power to not only protect and save his people but also his power to punish. He was probably told many of these stories from the day he sat on his mother’s knee. Now this causes Habakkuk to plead that God would renew those days of deliverance as well as remember mercy in the time of his wrath.
Now much of what Habakkuk reflects on has to do the Exodus. Habakkuk mentions that God came from Teman, a district of Edom, and from Mount Paran which lies between Edom and Sinai, on the route followed by the Israelites when they were travelling from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Habakkuk reflects, as the word “Selah” in the margin indicates, on what God has done in the past to save his people and the Exodus out of Egypt and God’s protection over his people during the wilderness years is in the forefront of his thinking, as well and the punishment of the wicked nations who tried to subdue them.
Habakkuk reflects on the presence of God and that his radiance lights up the sky, perhaps a reference to God’s awesome presence in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night protecting God’s people. We read in Exo 14:19 that “The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.”
No doubt there were other things that God had done during the Exodus that reminded Habakkuk of God’s fame and deeds. The ten plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea. The provision of manna and meat. The victory over enemies. The crossing of the Jordan. The conquering of the Promised Land were all such deeds.
Israel’s God is the almighty God. Only one look from the Almighty God and the nations tremble in fright before him. Even creation is compelled to acknowledge Him. The very mountains and hills crumble as he approaches. The powerful nomadic tribes of Cushan and Midian are overwhelmed with anguish.
Habakkuk has heard about God’s fame and his awesome deeds and he stands in awe. That’s so different than today’s world. People look at TV and movie stars and say they want to be famous just like them. In fact there are these reality shows that choose several young contestants to try-out for a chance to be on a television series or in a movie. And when they are not chosen they weep because they think they have missed out on their one opportunity for fame.
How silly really! I mean what has Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford or Nicole Kidman or Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie or Heath Ledger really done? Yes, their make-up and God given acting ability has made them famous, but what have they done? Have they created some distant planet or galaxy? Have they perhaps saved some sinner from eternal hell by giving their life for them? Not at all. In fact their personal lives are a mess and nothing to shout home about! In fact even actors wonder why people make such a big deal of them.
From verses 8-15 Habakkuk reflects on God’s power and its purpose. God in his anger has only one goal in mind, to save his anointed people. That’s what he had done in the past and Habakkuk’s prayer is that God may do it again.
When God acts in judgement the whole cosmos is affected. Rivers and streams are affected, the sea lifts its waves, the mountains writhed, the sun, moon and the lightning, and they all tremble at God’s coming judgements on the leaders of the land of wickedness.
To what end? To save his people. That’s what he has done in the past and Habakkuk prays that God will renew his acts of deliverance in the future. Ultimately in the context of Habakkuk, that a remnant may be saved from whom the Saviour will come as verses as V13 states, “You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one.”
God acts in judgement to save his people. So instead of being despondent and downcast, Habakkuk rejoices in the justice of God. And so he prays that God will show mercy in his wrath. The people of God had become ungodly idol-worshippers. They had rejected Jeremiah’s preaching for forty years. They had done so many things to provoke God to anger. Justice was gone in the land, the orphan and widow were trodden on they rejected their Saviour God.
And history records for us that God did send the Babylonian army to destroy the city, and the temple, to level both to the ground. He took the people into Babylonian captivity for seventy years so that whole generation perished.
This was God’s will and Habakkuk knew it, however, Habakkuk had no right to wish for its fulfilment. He had no encouragement from God to rejoice in the destruction of Jerusalem or for that matter the Babylonians. He had no divine permission to get excited as he prophesied this message, giving it with a smile on his face and a longing in his heart, saying, “I told you so.” Judgement was the will of God, and yet it could not be prophesied except with a heavy heart because it was so terrible.
Notice how Habakkuk concludes this prayer: “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us” (v.16).
Congregation, may we never gloat over those who are on their way to eternal punishment. The thought is horrifying to me and may it be to you too. And sometimes we do need to warn our children and neighbours about the coming judgement if they don’t trust in Jesus as their Saviour – but let us never do that as though we delight in it? In Isaiah 6, Isaiah has to preach a message of judgement on God’s people. It was a terrible message really, And Isaiah when told asks the Lord, “Lord if this message which I have to preach is going to be overwhelmingly refused by those who hear it, and that that is your plan, I just have one question for you . . . how long must I go on preaching it?” That’s the right attitude.
Jesus wept over Jerusalem and her unbelief. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” The Apostle Paul was stoned and whipped and beaten with rods by the Jews and yet his heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel was that they should be saved. He could wish himself accursed that they might be blessed.
Habakkuk’s heart pounded and his lips quivered, decay crept into his bones, and his legs trembled at the thought of God’s punishment on his people and on the Babylonians. Congregation may we weep over the unbelief we see all around us and pray that God may remember mercy in the day of his wrath.
There may well be a time when we need to warn people and even tell them of the eternal punishment that awaits them, but let’s do it tenderly. Habakkuk was overwhelmed with the cosmic vista of the judgements to come. Come they would; and he would wait patiently for them, but how overwhelmed he felt at the fact.
Yes, God’s people were patently immoral, ungodly, and yes they had rejected Him. There was no question of that. They were steeped in idolatry. They had no regard for justice. They didn’t look after the poor as God told them to. In so many ways they were an abomination in the eyes of God. And God was going to punish them. They would get what was coming to them. And so were the Babylonians. And yet Habakkuk trembled at the thought of what was going to happen to them. His lips quivered, and he was about to weep. He could hardly stand.
Congregation, you and I need to shake ourselves because we can lose all credibility as the body of Christ if our own hearts cease pounding, and our lips stop quivering, and our legs no longer tremble at the thought of what is going to happen to those who reject God and his offer of salvation.
Habakkuk trembled at the thought of what was going to happen to his fellow country men. His heart pounded and his lips quivered when he thought about their souls and that the Day of Judgement that would secure their eternal futures! He legs grew weak at the thought that many of them were on the road to destruction!
But Habakkuk knew that it was still the day of grace. “LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Congregation may we pray this prayer daily! Surely we know that it is still the day of grace! Let us call on God to show mercy. Yes Lord in mercy remember our spouse and our children and our parents and our neighbours. Oh let us shout it out that those confess their sins and repent and come in faith to Jesus Christ for their forgiveness and salvation will be saved. They will never have to endure eternal punishment.
In fact there is no soul reading these words today who has the right to say that there’s no possibility of forgiveness for them. No matter how deviant your life has been, no matter how monstrous, no matter how carnal, sad and hypocritical, with the Lord there is forgiveness. We sang it earlier – “Broken humbled to the dust, by thy wrath and judgement just. Let my contrite heart rejoice, and in gladness hear thy voice; From my sins O Hide thy face, Blot them out in boundless grace!
Congregation let’s warn people in love at the danger of rejecting God’s Son as Saviour. Oh I know people don’t like hearing it. It’s not all that palatable. But Zechariah wasn’t stoned to death for saying, “I’m OK, you’re OK.” Jeremiah wasn’t thrown into a deep cistern up to his waist in slime for saying, “Something good is going to happen to you.” John the Baptist didn’t get his head cut off for saying, “Smile, God loves you.” Jesus wasn’t crucified for saying, “What you folks really need is more self-esteem.”
In fact Jesus loved people too much to stand by idly while they destroyed themselves trying to prove they were already good enough without him. Jesus saw people marching toward destruction, so he sounded the alarm, and pleaded with them to come to him and wept when they refused.
Please don’t make the same mistake. Let us parents, as husbands or as wives or even as children or grandchildren plead to God to show mercy in his wrath. May we tell our dear ones about what God has done and especially the great salvation he has provided in his Son. Amen