Let us turn to God's Word in
Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 16. The third chapter in the
book of Habakkuk, where we read, and verse 16, part of the prayer
of the Prophet, he says, When I heard my belly trembled, my
lips quivered, At the voice, rottenness entered into my bones,
and I trembled in myself that I might rest in the day of trouble. When He cometh up unto the people,
He will invade them with His troops." The whole prayer, the whole chapter,
really contains the prophecy Though a prayer, it is a prayer
that clearly speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we see in verse
13, Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even
for salvation with thine anointed. Who is the anointed of the Lord? Isaiah says, Behold my servant
whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul is well pleased. I have put my spirit upon him. It is that one who is the servant
of the Lord, that suffering servant of the Lord, that one who is
God's first elect, upon whom He has put His Spirit, He is
the Anointed. God giveth not the Spirit by
measure unto Him. And so here in verse 13 there
is certainly a reference to the Christ, the Anointed of God. In fact, in this chapter we see
that the coming of Christ is set before us in Old Testament
terminology. In verse 8 we have these questions. Was the Lord displeased against
the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers,
was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine
horses and thy chariots of salvation. And then again at verse 15, thou
didst walk through the sea with thine horses through the heap
of great waters. Surely Here Habakkuk is mindful
of those events recorded in the book of Exodus when God brought
the children of Israel out of the bondage which was Egypt and
brought them, remember, to the Red Sea and then there in Exodus
chapter 14 God makes a way for them through the sea. and they
go through the midst of that sea and as the pursuing armies
of Pharaoh would come after them, so they are drowned and they
see their dead bodies as the waters return in full force and
overwhelm all the armies of Pharaoh. And then In the very next chapter,
Exodus chapter 15, we have that great song of Moses at the Red
Sea, where God demonstrated his great power, the same power that
Habakkuk is speaking of here in verses 8 and 15. There, remember, in the end of
that 14th chapter of Exodus, we read of that great demonstration
that God gave of His might and of His power. The children of
Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea. The waters
were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that
day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians
dead upon the seashore. And Israel saw that great work
which the Lord did upon the Egyptians. And the people feared the Lord
and believed the Lord and his servant Moses. Surely it is this
that is being spoken of in this 15th verse of the prayer, Thou
didst walk through the sea with Thine horses through the heap
of great waters. I say that the Prophet then is
using this terminology, he's looking back upon historic events
in the experience of God's ancient people. Israel, a typical people,
but all of this of course really setting forth that great
work that God would do through the Lord Jesus Christ, that great
salvation that God alone is able to accomplish. The psalmist says,
Thy way is in the sea, thy path in the great waters, thy footsteps
are not known. And so, this chapter speaks to
us, like all of Scripture, speaks to us of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now God, in salvation must come
to us individually. We must have that personal experience
of the salvation of God. There must be to us that revelation
of Christ as the one who is the Savior. And here we see something
that we can say is really a reference to God's dealing with an individual,
Habakkuk. speaks of his experience, when
I heard my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice, rottenness
entered into my bones and I trembled in myself that I might rest in
the day of trouble. When he cometh up unto the people
he will invade them with his troops. He's speaking of himself,
is he not? He's speaking of his own experience. Again at verse 2 he says, O Lord,
I have heard thy speech and was afraid. So often this was the
experience of the godly in the Old Testament. God dealt with
them in such a way that they were overwhelmed. They were made
to feel something of their sinnership before. You see it in the case
of Job. when we come to the end of that
remarkable book and the strange dealings of God with that holy
man, that justified sinner and how his friends were no comfort
to him, they couldn't really fathom the dealings of God, but
when we come to the end There in the final chapter he cries
out, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ears, but
now mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in
dust and ashes. And not only is that the experience
of Joe, in the ancient book of Job, but
it's the experience so often of others, of the prophets. It
was the experience in some measure of Isaiah, was he not, when he
received that call and that commission in chapter 6. And again he is
made to feel his sinnership, feels himself to be an unclean
man dwelling in the midst of an unclean people. And he has
seen the King, the Lord of hosts, and he's overwhelmed. We see
the same also in the experience of a man like Daniel. In that
remarkable book of Daniel, in chapter 10 and verse 8, he says,
therefore I was left alone and saw this great vision. And there
remained no strength in me, for my comeliness was turned in me
into corruption, and I retained no strength. When I heard, says
Habakkuk, my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice,
rottenness entered into my bones, I trembled in myself. And not only in the Old Testament,
but we see it in the experience of a man like Peter, before the
Lord Jesus Christ in Luke chapter 5 where Christ performs a miracle
the miraculous draught of fish and what does this hardened fisherman
Peter say as he witnesses the glories of the Lord Jesus Christ
when Simon Peter saw it he fell down at Jesus knees saying depart
from me for I am a sinful man O Lord How the sinner is overwhelmed
when there is that revelation, that revelation of the salvation
that is in him who is the Christ. Thou wentest forth for the salvation
of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed. Well, as
we come to consider these words that we've read as a text in
Habakkuk 3.16, I want us to consider something of the experience of
those who come to that saving knowledge of the Lord God. First of all, we see here the
conviction of the sinner. The conviction of the sinner. How God speaks. He acknowledges,
as we've said, at the beginning of His prayer How does his prayer
open? O Lord, I have heard thy speech
and was afraid. And how God deals with his people. Now there are two ways wherein
God is pleased to deal with us. God deals with us, of course,
by his providence. There are his dealings in that
realm. The way in which our lives are
worked out. We know that the way of man is
not in himself. It is not in man that walketh
to direct his steps, says another of the prophets. All of our times
are in God's hands. Nothing comes to us by chance.
God is the God of providence. We are not deists. There were
those in the 18th century who denied the doctrine of providence.
They could not accept the truth that God is the one who is working
out his sovereign will and pleasure in the course of the lives of
nations, and not only of nations, but of individuals. And here,
surely, we have some reference to God's strange providences
in what Habakkuk says at the end of the 16th verse, when he
cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
or when God comes to deal with his people. Look at what the
margin gives as an alternative reading here. When he cometh
up unto the people, he will cut them in pieces with his troops. Oh, there is that strange mystery
sometimes in the way in which God crosses us and crosses our
ways in his dealings with us. Things don't work out in our
lives as we might imagine or as we would wish things to be. We have to learn from God that
spirit of gracious submission. So often we kick against these
things. Wasn't this the experience of Saul of Tarsus when the Lord
was dealing with him in the way of conviction? He's kicking against
the pricks. He's being goaded in his conscience.
He doesn't like it. Now we've already referred to
Job and the mystery of Job's experiences. And what does Job
say as he acknowledges God? He says there in chapter 19 and
verse 12 concerning God, His troops come together and rise
up their way against and encamp round about my tabernacle, his
troops. All these happenings, these events,
these things that come into my life, they're like God's troops
and they come and they visit me and they're one on the back
of another. When he cometh up unto the people
he will invade them with his troops, his contrary providences. How true it is, friends, God
deals with us, and He deals with us sometimes in the very detail
of our poor lives here upon the earth. Paul says, we that are
in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. And are we not
often burdened by the Lord's dealings? He has a voice, you
see. And that voice, He makes to be
heard sometimes in the way of His providences. Micah chapter
6 and verse 9, the Lord's voice crieth unto the sitter, the man
of wisdom shall see thy name. Hear ye the rod, and who hath
appointed it? God's rod. When God comes in
the way of chastenings and correctings, when it seems he's dealing in
a severe manner with us, these things have a voice. Hear ye
the rod. That is the mark of the man of wisdom. or that we
might be wise. Remember again the content of
the 107th psalm, that great psalm that speaks so much of God's
providences in the various circumstances of life. And amongst other things
he speaks of the mariner and he does business in deep water.
He's lifted up, he's brought down to the depth. He comes to
his wits end, and we come to the end of that great psalm,
and what does the psalmist say? Who so is wise? And we'll observe
these things. Even they shall understand the
loving kindness of the Lord. Our God comes in and deals with
us sometimes, and He deals with us in these contrary ways to
awaken us, to cause us to see that our lot is not in this life.
Our lot is not in this life. There's no rest here. There is
that rest that remaineth, and it remains to those who are the
people of God. But then, of course, we know
that primarily God speaks in His Word. It's in this book that we meet
with God. He has graciously condescended
to reveal Himself, and He's given to us this special revelation
which we call the Holy Scriptures. He speaks in his word and he
speaks of course clearly through the office of preaching, the
ministry of the word. This is what God himself has
appointed and ordained. And what does Habakkuk say? He
was one of the Lord's prophets, the Lord gave his word to this
man. He said, when I heard my belly trembled, my lips quivered
at the voice Rottenness entered into my bones and I trembled
in myself. It's God's coming, you see, in
His Word. Again at verse 2, O Lord, I have
heard Thy speech and was afraid. And the margin again says that
the Hebrew literally means thy report or thy hearing. It's the
Word of God. It's that that He speaks of at
the beginning, the burden which Habakkuk, the prophet, did say. It's the Word of God coming to
him. But as I say, it's through preaching
that God is pleased to utter His voice. The ministry of the
Word. And you're familiar, I'm sure,
with what the Apostle says there in that 10th chapter of Romans
where he speaks of the significance of the preached words. How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a
preacher? How shall they preach except they be sent? as it is
written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the
gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things." Well,
where do we hear the Word of God? We come into the place of
public worship that we might hear that ministry of the Word,
that faithful declaration of the truth of the Scripture. This
is why we make so much of the preaching. because it is God's
own appointment, it's God's ordinance and he speaks and his voice is
to be heard it is the mark of his sheep, is it not? the sheep
of the Lord Jesus Christ, my sheep hear my voice, he says
and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal
life now, when God comes in this manner, when God comes in his
word, and in the preaching of his word, what is the first thing
that we observe? Well, that voice is a convincing
voice. That word is a cutting word. And this is the sort of imagery
that we have here in this chapter. In verse 9, look at the language
that Habakkuk uses. Thy bow was made quite naked. according to the oaths of the
tribes, even thy word, sealer." So we're told, are we not, what
that naked bow is. It's the Word of God. It's the
Word of God. It's God coming, you see, with
those arrows of conviction. Again, look at the language that
we have at the end of verse 11, "...at the light of thine arrows
they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear." Oh,
how God comes, you see, with those arrows of conviction. How
God's word, in that sense, is a convincing word in the hands
of the Holy Spirit. Isn't that the office of the
Holy Ghost? He who first gave the Word, He who moved those
holy men of God, and that all Scripture is given by inspiration.
It's the very breath of God, the breathings of God. It's the
work of the Spirit to give us the Scriptures, and He's given
us this Book, and He is the One who comes, and He takes that
Word, and He brings it home as an arrow into the conscience.
to work conviction in the heart of the sinner. And again do we
not see how that in some measure this was what Job was feeling
in those strange dealings that God had with him. There in chapter
6 we have one of Job's answers.
Remember the cycles of speeches that we have in the book of Job?
and his friends come and they make their statements and Job
answers them and another comes forward and there's this whole
cycle of speeches and here is part of Job's answer in chapter
6 he says at verse 4 for the arrows of the Almighty are within
me the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God
do set themselves in array against me it's not a pleasant experience
It's a bitter experience when this arrow of conviction comes
into the soul of the sinner. But this is the way of the Lord.
This is how God prepares that sinner to receive the good news
of the gospel. Look at what we're told concerning
the preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost. Do you remember
the result? Those 3,000. What do they say? We're told there in the 37th
verse of Acts chapter 2, Now when they heard this, they were
pricked. They were pricked in their heart
and said unto Peter and the rest, What must we do? They were pricked
in their hearts. They knew what it was to have
that arrow of conviction brought home into their souls. Or when the Lord comes, you see,
He doesn't just deal with us in the way of providence, He
deals with us under His Word. And He brings that Word of conviction
into the soul of the sinner. He causes the sinner to see something
of what He is, the reality of his condition, in the sight of
a holy God. But what does God do by His Word?
He doesn't just fire those arrows of conviction. God also measures
His people. He measures His people by means
of His word. And we have it here in verse
6. He stood and measured the earth. He stood and measured
the earth. Just turn over a few pages we
come to the book of the Prophet Zachariah. And there in Zachariah
chapter 2 The Prophet says, I lifted up
mine eyes again and looked, and behold a man with a measuring
line in his hand. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure
Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is
the length thereof. Oh, what is that measuring line?
It's the Word of God. And how God comes, you see, and measures
us, measures our lives by the standard of His Holy Word. How we have that set before us
in that law which is holy, those commandments which are holy and
just and good. And then again, coming over to
the New Testament. Now, John in the Revelation,
as is so often the case in the Revelation, the imagery is taken
from the Old Testament. And there in Revelation 11, we read these words there, "...was
given me a reed like unto a rod, and the angel stood, saying,
Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them
that worship therein." Here is the worshippers in the Temple
of God. Old Testament imagery, yes, but it has a New Testament
application, does it not? It belongs to all those who would
be seekers after God, those who would desire to worship God. All is to be measured. Measured
by God's Holy Book. And what is the result when our
lives are measured? by God's commandments are not
our lives found to fall so far short. We don't come up to the
standard. We don't come up to the measurement.
We don't reach the mark. This is how God deals, you see.
He makes the sinner feel he's sinned. All have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. No one has come to that standard
that God sets before us on his measuring rod. We all fall short,
but how few, how very few are conscious of that fact. There
are few who have any real sense of their need before God. All
have sinned. but how few have any awareness
of it though all are sinners in God's sight there are but
few so in their own says Joseph Hart and when we have that strange
couplet that's how we're to understand it a sinner is a sacred thing
the Holy Ghost has made him so when God is dealing with us and
we come to his word and we feel what we are we feel that we fall
short of God's measure we don't come up to God's standard This
was the experience of this man Habakkuk when he was measured.
When I heard my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice.
Rottenness entered into my bones and I trembled in myself. He
knew. He knew what he was. He saw himself in the light of
God's Word. He was a sinner. He was a sinner. All God, you see, deals with
people. and he deals with them in this fashion, he sends the
arrow of conviction into the soul, he pierces the very heart
of the sinner, causes the sinner to say that he doesn't measure
up to God's mark. That's the conviction that we
have then here, as God is pleased to come to the individual, but
then also there's the positive, is there not? There's the other
side of the coin, as it were. There's the comforting of the
sinner. And we have that in that statement
that we find toward the end of the verse, that I might rest
in the day of trouble. When I heard my belly trembled,
my lips quivered at the voice, rottenness entered into my bones
and I trembled in myself That, now Dr. Gill tells us here that
this word has the force of yes or notwithstanding notwithstanding
I might rest in the day of trouble. Where is it that this rest is
found? For this man, this poor man who is trembling Where is this rest found? It
is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the gracious
words of the gospel come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, says Christ, and I will give thee rest. It is Christ alone who gives
rest unto poor, burdened sinners. Why does the Lord convince the
sinner of his sin? Why does he come and deal with
the sinner in the way of conviction? In order that there might be
affected in that poor sinner's soul a real cure. He comes, you
see, not to call the righteous. The righteous don't need a saviour.
Sinners need a saviour. He comes not to call the righteous
but sinners to repentance. And this is what the Lord does,
you see. He prepares the sinner. He makes the sinner see what
he is. That's the preparation that we're
speaking of. Remember the words that we have
there in Deuteronomy 32, and verse 39, See now that I, even
I, am he, and there is no God with me. I kill, and I make alive. I wound, and I heal, and none
can deliver out of my hand. But what does God do? He wounds. Yes, He wounds the
sinner. But He wounds the sinner in order
that there might be the healing, the balm of the gospel. All that
precious balm in Gilead that comes to that poor wounded soul. He kills. He kills the sinner. He kills
the sinner to any hope in himself. We know that what things soever
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before
God. God kills a sinner to any hope
in himself. He must be brought to that, the
end of himself, the end of himself. I kill and I make alive. Oh, we see it, friends, this
is that that is revealed to us so clearly here in scripture.
Think of another prayer that we have. We're considering this
prayer of Habakkuk, the Lord's Prophet, Psalm 19. We have the
prayer of Moses, the man of God. And what does Moses say? Verse
3, Thou turnest man to destruction. and Silas return ye children
of men God destroys the sinner destroys him to any hope in himself
brings him to the end of himself and when he's there he says return
oh he speaks that word he brings the sinner to himself he calls
the sinner effectual now friends It's so necessary that we see
and feel what we are, the barrenness of our sin. When that is felt,
when that is felt, does it not lead to real faith? And that's what we see here.
What does the Prophet say in the text? When I heard, my belly
trembled, my lips quivered at the voice. Rottenness entered
into my bones, and I trembled in myself. when he cometh up
unto the people he will invade them with his troops he feels
overwhelmed and yet in the midst of it all that I might rest in
the day of trouble this is the language of faith because look
at how he continues those remarkable words that follow the text although
the fig tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be found
in the vines the labour of the on it shall fail, and the field
shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
there shall be no herd in the stalls, nothing. Yet, I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength,
and He will make my feet like hind feet, and He will make me
to walk upon mine high places, Or where is his trust now? It's
all together in God. It matters not. Though everything
in nature fails, God never fails. It's the language of faith that
this man has, you see. And what brings him to this faith,
it's that felt sense of his own sinnership. Orphans, oh we need
it. this great spiritual work in
our souls, and how that work needs to be revived in us, and
revived in us time and time again. We have those words at the beginning,
familiar words, we often use this expression, some of us,
in the course of our own prayers, Oh Lord, revive thy work! in
the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known
in wrath remember mercy how we need that God would come and
revive that great work in us how are we to live our lives
here upon the earth? we are to live by faith and this
is what this man is brought to and what is the important thing
with faith? the important thing with faith is the object of faith
It's not faith that saves us. It's Him who is the object. It's
looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He
saves us. And so how are we to live? How
is this work of God in our souls to be revived? We must be those
who are living by faith. It's a daily experience. It's
not just that we experience the grace of God when He deals with
us at the beginning. We know that a real beginning,
a true beginning must be a beginning that's felt in our souls, but
we must we must be having fresh experiences. We need the Lord
to come to us again and again and again. We have to walk by
faith. Now, it's here in this book of
Habakkuk, that we first have that statement. The just shall
live by faith. We have it in chapter 2, and
there at the end of verse 4. But the just shall live by faith. The just, that's the justified
sinner. That's the justified sinner that's being spoken of.
That's the true Christian believer who is justified. How does he
live his life? He lives his life by faith. Now
that's the first time we find that expression in Scripture. But then it is quoted in the
New Testament. And it is quoted there in the
New Testament on three separate occasions. And it's interesting
to see how it is quoted in the New Testament. For example, we
have it in Galatians. In the third chapter of Galatians,
And there, reading verses 10 and 11. The quotation is the end of verse
11, but look at the context. He says in verse 10, for as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse For it is
written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that
no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident,
for the just shall live by faith." But that statement, that quotation
from Habakkuk is brought in in connection with what he says
previously concerning the law. and the purpose of the law and
the ministry of the law. What is the ministration of the
law? It's a ministration of condemnation, it's a ministration of death.
As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse.
If we don't continue in all things that are written in that book
of the law, we're cursed. If we keep the whole law, says
James, and defend in one point, we're guilty of all. The law
requires full complete obedience to all its commandments and obedience
not only with regards to our deeds but also with regards to
our words and even our very thoughts and affections. The law is spiritual. And he quotes this verse concerning
faith and living by faith in connection with God's holy law. We see faith in connection with
law. But then, when Paul quotes it previously, writing in Romans,
in Romans chapter 1, verses 16 and 17, and again we
have it there at the end of verse 17, we look at the connection,
he says, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, For it
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,
to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is
written, The just shall live by faith." Clearly here we see
this faith plainly in association with the Gospel. which is the
power of God unto salvation to the believer. The justified sinner
lives by faith. Well, that's two of the quotations
that we find in the New Testament, and there's a third one, and
we find that at the end of Hebrews chapter 10. There in the The
last two verses of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 10 verse 38 now. The just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that
draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving
of the soul. And that introduces us to the
11th chapter. Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, for by it the elders
obtained a good report, and so on. We come to that great catalogue
of the faithful, those of the Old Testament who were living
the life of faith. We are not of them that draw
back onto perdition, but of them that believe. Oh, the just, he
lives by faith. And that faith, you see, that
faith has to do with law, That faith has to do with the gospel,
that faith has to do with the whole life. And it has been observed, it's
dear old John Roscoe makes the observation somewhere in his
writings, he says, there is but one faith, but one faith. The difference wholly lies in
the objects. It's the objects you see. We have to believe what God says
in His Holy Law and what the ministration of the Law is. The
Law is good if a man uses it lawfully. It's not made for a
righteous man, it's made for the sinner. All we have to believe
that conviction that God ministers through the Law. But the Law
is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ and faith has to do
with the Gospel. It is by faith in Christ by trusting
in Christ, by looking to Him and His finished work, His obedience
unto death, even the death of the cross, that we find the forgiveness
of sins, that precious blood that was shed, that purges the
conscience from all the dead works of sin. All that life that
He lived, that holy, righteous life, and that righteousness
imputed to the believing sinner. And then faith has to do with
the life, does it not? the very life that the believer
lives. As I said, it's an ongoing thing, it's a constant experience.
It's not just our experience at the beginning, but do we have
an experience that's ongoing? Can we speak of what the Lord
is doing with us now, as he deals with us? How justifying faith,
you see, is that that centers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Job
asked the question, how should a man be just with God? How should
a man be justified with God? Why we see that justification
is in Christ. It centers in Christ, we have
to rest in Christ. That I might rest in the day
of trouble. Resting where? In the work of
the Lord Jesus. This was the great message, was
it not? that the apostles preached, by Him, by Christ. All that believe are justified
from all things that they could not be justified from by the
deeds of the Lord. Or to be found in Him, says Paul,
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the righteousness of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God. by faith, though so sinful in
self. And that's what Habakkuk feels
here in our text. When I heard my belly tremble,
my lips quivered at the voice, rottenness entered into my bones,
and I trembled in myself, a sinner in self. Oh, but what a blessed
rest in Christ, that I might rest in the day of trouble, in
Christ there is righteousness, in Christ there is all that fullness
of salvation, or that we might be those then who desire only
this, that we might know Him. All which life eternally says,
to know Thee, the only true God, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom Thou hast sent, the just shall live by his faith. God grants to us such justifying
faith. Amen.