SERMON: GOD CAME

12 October 2014

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Habakkuk 3:3

Habakkuk 3:3 (NIV)

3 God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.

            -- this morning, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go all Big Bang Theory on you and display my inner nerd more than normal, for I want to take a moment and tell you about one of my favorite scenes in the movie series, "The Lord of the Rings"

            -- in the second installment of the trilogy, "The Two Towers," there is a pivotal battle that occurs within Helm's Deep at the Hornburg Fortress

            -- the Rohirrim, the horsemen of the plain, have been beseiged by Saruman the White, the evil wizard who is striving for power with Sauron in the western half of Middle Earth

            -- when news arrives that Saruman has amassed an army of over 10,000 orcs, Uruk-hai, and men from the wilds of Middle Earth, to wipe out the Rohirrim from the face of the earth, King Theoden realizes his only chance for survival is to retreat with his 300 remaining warriors and their wives and children to the Hornburg Fortress within the Helm's Deep ravine -- it is here, they hope, they can withstand the brutal onslaught of the forces of Saruman

            -- the mood is not good -- a dark cloud hangs over the entire company as they stream through the gates of the fortress into the dark ravine -- there is only one way in -- there is only one way out -- they know they will not survive unless someone comes to their aid -- unless someone comes and joins the fight with them -- their only chance is to pray for help and to ride out the attack within the fortress until a savior arrives

            -- the wizard Gandalf, who is fighting for what is good and right in Middle Earth, helps lead the people into the fortress -- but before the gates close, he withdraws -- Theoden calls out to him, "Are you leaving us in our time of distress? -- are you drawing away and leaving us defenseless? -- Are you not going to stay and fight for us?"

            -- to which Gandalf replies, "Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day -- at dawn, look to the East" -- and with that, he rides away, leaving the Rohirrim to their fate

            -- the battle is fierce -- for four days, the Rohirrim stood firm against overwhelming odds -- fighting the army of Saruman from within the safety of the walls of their fortress -- but despite the valiant efforts of these warriors, on the fourth night the army of Saruman manages to break through the defenses of the fortress and breach the walls, something that has never happened in the history of this fortress

            -- Theoden and his remaining warriors retreat with their women and children to the deepest sanctuary within the fortress -- they all know the end is approaching -- they all know they have no hope -- they are all doomed to death

            -- rather than waiting for death within the walls of the fortress, Theoden and the Rohirrim decide to go out and face their fate in the open -- taking the fight, as futile as it may be, to the battlefield outside the gate -- so in the darkness before the dawn, they mount up on their horses and ride through the date, attacking Saruman's army as they ride forth

            -- they are surrounded on each side by the enemy -- there is no help -- there is only darkness and danger and death -- there is no hope -- but at that very moment, the sun rises in the east -- and as the rays of light shine forth over the ravine of Helm's Deep, they recall Gandalf's words, "Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day -- at dawn look to the East"

            -- and as they lift their hopeless eyes to the east -- to the rising sun -- they see Gandalf mounted on a stunning white stallion -- sword lifted in defiance against Saruman's army -- and surrounded by an army of 2000 men of his own

            -- Gandalf and his men ride into the battle, and with the help of the supernatural Fangorn Forest and their Ent keepers, the battle is turned and Saruman is defeated and the Rohirrim are victorious

II.  Scripture Lesson -- Habakkuk 3:3

            -- how like our lives is this story of the battle of Helm's Deep -- for it is a portrait of our common experience as humans on this fallen plain

            -- into all our lives, conflict and trials and troubles come -- many times our situation looks dire -- many times we look at our lives and we see ourselves surrounded by darkness and death and despair, with no chance of survival -- with no way out -- and so we retreat within ourselves, hoping to just survive

            -- we eventually reach the conclusion there is nothing we can do to make the situation better -- there is nothing we can do to save the day

            -- and at times like this we have no option but to cry out for help -- to cry out for salvation -- to cry out for a Savior

            -- the prophet Habakkuk certainly understood this well -- not much is known about him -- unlike the other prophets, he offers no biographical information -- we don't know where he is from, nor the time period in which he writes -- we only know his name

            -- but perhaps that is all we are meant to know, because as the anonymous prophet, he speaks for the entire human race when he questions the evil and violence in our land -- when he asks why a God who can do something about it seemingly chooses to just stand by and not act

            -- Habakkuk writes that he calls out to God with cries of violence and injustice -- of destruction and wickedness -- but yet God does not act

            -- he questions why God tolerates the treacherous and is silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves

            -- he asks those questions we ask of God ourselves in the deepest part of our being when we are faced with a darkness too great to bear

            -- finally, after corresponding with God about his fears and frustrations, Habakkuk reaches the point we all must reach in our lives as well -- the point of faith -- where we trust in God despite our situation -- where we trust in Him to save us even though we don't understand what is going on or why this is happening in our lives -- where we look through our darkness to the East, trusting that the Lord will come with salvation in His hand at just the right time and in just the right way

            -- here in Habakkuk 3:3, we see the prophet reaching this point in his understanding of faith after his crisis of belief

            -- let's look together at this verse again and let's see what we can learn from the endpoint of Habakkuk's journey of faith -- verse 3

Habakkuk 3:3 (NIV)

3 God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.

           

            -- out of all the prophet Habakkuk has written in this book, I would argue that none is more important than the first two words of this verse -- "God came"

            -- God came -- when Habakkuk had his back against the wall -- when he did not understand God's purpose in allowing the evil and violence to come against the people of Israel -- when he cried out for answers, God came

            -- with those two words, Habakkuk reminded the Israelites of their sojourn in Egypt -- how they cried out for deliverance from the bonds of slavery, and God came, freeing them from the Pharaoh's hands

            -- with those two words, Habakkuk reminded the Israelites of the time their backs were against the Red Sea with the Egyptian army bearing down on them, seemingly with no way out -- no where to go -- and God came -- and the Red Sea parted and they were delivered from the Egyptian army

            -- with those two words, Habakkuk reminded the Israelites of the time God came to them at Mount Sinai, entering into a covenant with the nation and telling them He was their God and they were His people

            -- with those two words, Habakkuk reminded the Israelites of the time the nation massed on the Jordan River at flood stage, ready to cross into the Promised Land, but knowing how -- and God came and parted the river and the Israelites entered the Land

            -- with those two words, Habakkuk reminded the Israelites of the time they faced overwhelming odds in their battles against the inhabitants of Canaan -- when it looked as if they would not be powerful enough to overcome Jericho and the other strongholds in the land -- but God came and the walls fell down and the people took possession of the land

            -- and with those two words, Habakkuk reminded the Israelites that even though they faced a time that looked as dark and as hopeless as those, God would come again -- His great light would shine on them -- His grace and mercy would fall upon them -- and, just as He had done in the past, He would rescue them again

           

            -- Habakkuk borrowed the first part of this verse from Moses' blessing of the Israelites from Deut 33:2, but he made some significant modifications -- Moses wrote, "The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir. He shone forth from Mount Paran"

            -- Habakkuk wrote, "God came from Teman," substituting Teman for Sinai

            -- for the people of Israel, Sinai was symbolic of the Law of God and God's covenant with the people -- however, the people had corrupted the intent of God's law, and had reduced it to mindless obedience apart from faith -- in other words, they followed the letter of the law through legalism and mindless obedience -- their lips gave service to God -- but their hearts were distant -- it was for that reason the people were being subjected to the violence and destruction Habakkuk questioned -- it was for that reason God was allowing the Babylonians to exact His wrath on the nation

            -- so Habakkuk replaces Moses' reference to Sinai with Teman -- pointing to another Law and another Lawgiver -- the Law of love and grace that was put into effect through the body and blood of Jesus

            -- Teman was a city in Edom, east of Israel -- the point Habakkuk is trying to get across here is when life is at its darkest -- when it seems all hope is lost -- we should turn our eyes to the East, knowing that God rises like the sun and shines His light and love and salvation on us

            -- similarly, Habakkuk writes the Holy One comes from Mount Paran -- just like Teman, Paran was also in Edom, east of Israel -- this mountain was important to the people of Israel -- after the Israelites were rescued from Egypt, they wandered in the wilderness, following God's presence in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night -- for a period of time, God had them rest from their wandering in the Desert of Paran

            -- it was here they saw the Glory of the Lord shine around them -- it was here they experienced His presence among them just as Moses had experienced it alone on Mt. Sinai

            -- by replacing Sinai with Teman and reminding the people of their experience in the Desert of Paran, Habakkuk is pointing the Israelites to the dawning of a new day -- of the coming of the Messiah -- he is pointing to the cross and to the Light of the world and he tells the people of Israel to not give up hope -- to trust in the Lord for His deliverance from sin and death and destruction

            -- Habakkuk also modified Moses' blessing when he added the phrase, "the Holy One," to this verse -- this term, "The Holy One," is another name for God and it points to God as the source of all holiness and righteousness -- it is a reminder to us that holiness and righteousness only comes through Him

            -- as the Apostle Paul said, all our works and deeds are as filthy rags when compared to the holiness of God -- what we think is good and holy and right is no where close to the true holiness of the Savior

            -- Paul's point was made clear to me one day when Kim went bought me some new t-shirts -- I had some white shirts in the dresser that had been recently washed -- and they looked clean and white and bright until I compared them to the new shirts she had bought me -- and I saw that what I thought was white was actually dull and gray -- that's the way it is when we try to compare our good works and our righteousness to the holiness of God

            -- but we are told in Scripture to be holy as God is holy -- and as Habakkuk points out here, the only way for us to be holy is to trust in the Holy One -- to take on His righteousness -- when we come to faith in Jesus -- when we turn from legalism and religion and the ways of this world and put our faith and trust in Him, then His righteousness and holiness is imparted to us -- our dull, grey shirts -- our dull, grey acts of goodness -- are covered by His gleaming white robe of holiness

            -- God comes and the Holy One shines and we are made holy as He is holy

            -- if you'll notice in your Bible, the term selah appears right in the middle of this verse -- selah is a musical term we think denotes a rest -- a pause -- in a song or Psalm -- you typically see it before something changes in the tune, such as a change in cadence or rhythm

            -- as a general rule, you never see selah written in the middle of a verse -- it always appears at the end of a passage, as a pause between thoughts -- in all of the usages of the word selah in the Bible, there are only three instances of this occurring in the middle of a verse, with one of them being this passage in the Book of Habakkuk

            -- here it must be taken as more than just a note to the musician -- I believe it is introduced as a prophetic thought -- I think Habakkuk is trying to get across the message that before God acts -- before God comes -- there is a pause -- a breath -- a stillness that appears

            -- it is like that moment we have all experienced when we've been outside and see a thunderstorm approaching -- for just a moment, it seems like the whole world pauses -- the wind stops -- nature is silent -- and then the storm comes and we see it in all its power and force -- the lightning and thunder and downpour

            -- I think that's the feeling Habakkuk is trying to evoke here -- that when it seems as if all is lost -- when it seems that the conflict is too large for us -- that there is a pause -- a moment -- as Creation prepares itself for the coming of God

            -- we see this in Genesis 1, as the universe waited for the Creator to speak life into existence

            -- and we see this in the New Testament, in the moment before Christ dies on the cross of Calvary, the world holds its breath -- there is a pause and then Jesus dies -- and then new life is spoken into existence as victory over sin and death has been accomplished

            -- so Habakkuk has us pause here on the threshold of destruction to consider the coming of the Lord -- and as this verse closes, we see the glory of God covering the heavens and creation responding by filling the earth with praise

III.  Closing

            -- going back to the story of the battle at Helm's Deep from the Lord of the Rings, I think it's important to note that Tolkien wrote this passage during World War II, as the darkness of Germany and the evil forces of Hitler were exacting their fury against Great Britain and the people of London retreated inside their strongholds to survive the bombing onslaught

            -- and although his books would not be published until after the war, I think Tolkien may have been writing to himself in this passage -- as he looked out upon the devastation and violence and destruction of his way of life -- as he recognized the very survival of his country and his people hanged in the balance -- he also realized that hope is never truly lost -- and as the country rallied around its leaders and stood against the evil of Hitler's regime, Tolkien looked with hopeful eyes for the salvation and deliverance of his nation

            -- that is the message of the prophet Habakkuk in this verse -- there is always hope in the midst of whatever surrounds us because there is always God -- God promises to never leave us or forsake us -- He is the God who was and is and is to come -- and through faith we can look for salvation and deliverance from all that afflicts us -- through faith we can survive -- through faith we should look to the Messiah and trust in the dawning of a new day through His grace and mercy

            -- let us pray