Sermon Tone Analysis

יהוה* Acts! Habakkuk 3.*

*Mercy in judgement:* Have you ever longed for God to act, to do something?

If you don’t, I don’t know what you are doing here!

Don’t you long for God to show that He is God, His power and His glory to be displayed?

(*Isaiah 64:1* /Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence/—).

That was Habakkuk’s prayer [Read Hab 3:1-16].

Habakkuk wanted יהוה to act – let us remind ourselves why Habakkuk wanted יהוה to act [OHP]: he saw injustice and overwhelming evil which a holy righteous and just God could not tolerate.

יהוה said that He would use Babylon to carry out His judgement, but Habakkuk said that they were worse than Israel.

יהוה said that they would have their day of judgment too.

This chapter describes the judgement that יהוה will ultimately bring upon Babylon - man’s self-made empire.

Before this revelation is given to Habakkuk, he prays to יהוה that He would carry out what He had said - he aligned himself with יהוה’s purposes [OHP].

He longed for יהוה to act but at the same time he didn’t.

Yes we want justice and righteousness to come, but at the same time we want mercy – otherwise we would be wiped out too.

Yes we want justice, but in that justice we want יהוה to remember mercy.

Previously Habakkuk’s cry has been for justice; now, as he sees the severity of יהוה’s judgement, his prayer is for that judgement to be tempered with mercy (cf.

*Matthew 24:22* /“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short./); he stands in awe of יהוה’s work.

In anticipating the final consummation in the Day of the LORD, he pleads for mercy in the midst of wrath.

*v.2* - Twice "in the midst of years" is mentioned - NIV translates it "in our day", "in our time" - it is a "near time" ("שָׁנִים בְּקֶרֶב").

Habakkuk is crying for יהוה to act and to act soon.

He longs to see the יהוה’s mighty hand at work again as it was in the past.

This is the longing of many saints today.

It is not the usual words for wrath or anger - it is more agitation and trouble - in the time of tribulation, distress, tumult all around; Habakkuk prays for compassion, just as Jesus instructed us to pray (cf.

*Matthew 24:20*/ “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will/.).

We should be praying for mercy now before the distressing time of the tribulation comes, when events will so overtake us that opportunity to pray then may not be possible.

Many cry out for justice, for their “rights”, but we need mercy.

Dispassionate justice will destroy us – we need/ grace/ as well as truth.

Habakkuk heard of what יהוה did and was full of fear, stood in awe!

Is that how we react?

Perhaps the report that we have heard is not of יהוה, if it does not inspire fear.

Do we long for יהוה to make His work known, in order that man will know Him and fear before Him, honour Him?  Habakkuk now describes יהוה’s coming wrath that left him so trembling.

He sees יהוה coming as Judge and Warrior.

יהוה* **is coming in glory:* *v.3* - יהוה is coming!

Christ returns as conquering King!

It is the Day of the LORD!

He has come in all His holiness and splendour and majesty.

The earth quakes at the sight!

All His holy ones, His saints and angels come with Him.

Paran lay south-east of Edom and mount Paran is a prominent peak of the Sinai wilderness highlands.

Teman is in south-central Edom near Sela (Petra).

Cushan is in Midian, south of Edom and east of the gulf of Aqabah - so His coming to Israel is from the south-east (cf.

*Isaiah 63:1-6* /Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colours from Bozrah, this One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength?

“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

“I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me.

I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment.

“For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come.

“I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath upheld Me. “I trod down the peoples in My anger and made them drunk in My wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth./”).

It is a fearsome and awe-inspiring time, a time of dread.

All the earth sees יהוה in His full glory - even those that hate Him and deny His existence will be forced to praise Him, for His glory has been made manifest (cf.

2:14; Isaiah 40:5).

His glory covers the heavens and His praise fills the earth!

"Come LORD Jesus, come!" *v.4* - יהוה comes in His judgement - all the earth will see His glory which covers the heavens and will praise Him as He comes in His splendour and power, executing judgement in His fierce wrath, punishing the wicked Babylon; man’s established system will be utterly destroyed.

Hallelujah! יהוה is glorious - His splendour outshines the sun.

He is Light!

(cf.

*1 John 1:5* /This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all./ *1 Timothy 6:15* /He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.

To Him be honour and eternal dominion!

Amen/.).

All the earth will full on their faces when they see יהוה in all His glory and splendour.

Light flashes from Him.

His coming will be and awesome sight!

(cf.

*Matthew 24:27* /“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be;/ *Revelation 4:5* /Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder.

And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God/; *Psalm 18:7-15* /Then the earth shook and quaked; and the foundations of the mountains were trembling and were shaken, because He was angry.

Smoke went up out of His nostrils, and fire from His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it.

He bowed the heavens also, and came down with thick darkness under His feet.

He rode upon a cherub and flew; and He sped upon the wings of the wind.

He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, hailstones and coals of fire.

/יהוה/ also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire.

He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, and lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.

Then the channels of water appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at Your rebuke, O /יהוה/, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.)./

His power is hidden but now is to be revealed, released in judgements upon the earth.

Long man had said that God does nothing, He is impotent, He doesn’t exist - now they will see that the truth is otherwise.

His power was hidden but now it is manifest in terrible plagues – just as Israel thought that God did not see their oppression under Egypt, but delivered them by His strong right arm, with out-poured plagues upon Egypt (the world) so too, in the end time, יהוה will act with power that all the world will experience to their own destruction.

יהוה* **is coming in judgement:** v.5* – Just as יהוה judged Egypt, so too He will judge Babylon, and delivers His people, showing Himself mighty on their behalf.

He comes with vengeance and retribution upon those who have oppressed His people (cf *Revelation 18:1-19:21* /After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.

And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

“Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her./)With terrible plagues Babylon~/human might and cooperation is punished - who can withstand His great fury when He comes in judgement?! *v.6* - יהוה comes!

He stands! - All else falls!

Even the mountains which are so permanent; and ancient hills that have always been there.

These solid, "eternal", stable things are shattered and brought low.

All that can be shaken is removed so that only יהוה is.

Praise His Name!

There will be great seismic upheavals when Jesus returns!

It will be terrifying as mountains quake!

Only those who are "in Him", remain - for they have no life or will of their own, Christ is their life.

יהוה surveys the earth, looks upon it and finds it wanting, full of evil, judgment must fall.

The nations will be startled and tremble as יהוה unleashes His judgment.

If the mountains are dashed to pieces, what will become of frail man who is steeped in his own wickedness?! Man (Babylon) builds his empire, makes his plans - but it will all come to naught and be consumed.

But יהוה’s ways will remain - His ways are everlasting!

Hallelujah! (cf.

*Daniel 6:26* /He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever/.).

*v.7* - The earth is in great distress as יהוה’s wrath is unleashed against the kingdom of man.

Habakkuk was given insight into the future judgement - he actually saw the distress that the surrounding nations would suffer.

This judgement is on all the world, all the nations, all the kingdoms of man - not just "Babylon" the country, but "Babylon" the world system of man.