Christ Church

Surveying the Text: Habakkuk

Joe Harby on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

Apart from what can be inferred from this book, we know nothing of the prophet who assembled it. But from the things described, we can see that he was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Nahum, and Zephaniah. The book is delivered sometime between 612 B.C. and 599 B.C.—before Babylon attacked Jerusalem, but after Babylon had become a hegemonic power.

The Text

“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: But the just shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4).

Summary of the Text

In the first place, the structure of the book takes a chiastic form.

A How long must I wait for justice? (1:2-4);
B A great army is coming (1:5-11);
C Why are the less wicked punished by those who are more wicked (1:12-17);
D The just will live by faith (2:1-5);
C’ All wickedness will be put to rights (2:6-20);
B’ A great army from YHWH is coming (3:1-15);
A’ I will wait for justice (3:16-19).

Looking at the flow of the book in another way, we can see this: Habakkuk complains about the predominant corruption (1:1-4). God answers him by saying the Babylonians are going to come in to mete out His judgment on Judah (1:5-11). Habakkuk’s second complaint is that God is using evil men to judge men who are less evil (1:12-2:1). God answers him again by asserting that Babylon will be judged in due course (2:2-5). The next section consists of a series of woes pronounced against Babylon. Think of it as five strokes of a sword—the plunderer plundered (2:6-8), the proud conqueror shamed (2:9-11), the building of the builder is burned (2:12-14), the one who forces someone to drink will be forced to drink shame (2:15-17), and the silent idol remains silent before God (2:18-20). The book then concludes with a grand poetic statement of the prophet’s trust in God (3:1-19).

New Testament Commentary

One portion of this book is quoted three times in the New Testament, and all to the same effect. Paul takes it as his theme for the book of Romans, and we have seen that the verse he uses is at the chiastic hinge of the book of Habakkuk. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). Paul highlights what the prophet highlights. He makes a similar point in the book of Galatians, which is dedicated to the same theme that the book of Romans is. “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith” (Gal. 3:11). The author of Hebrews is urging his readers not to give up, not to forsake their duty to persevere. Keep running the race. And why?

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Heb. 10:38).

But the first chapter of Habakkuk is also quoted by Paul when he is presenting the gospel to unbelieving Jews. Remember what the original context of Habakkuk was about, and notice how Paul applies it here to the unbelief present in his generation.

“And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you” (Acts 13:39–41).

The Great Theme

The difficulty is the problem of evil, and when God promises to deal with that evil, the next difficulty comes in understanding the need for faith—because God rarely deals with these problems in the same way that we would. We know that God does it right by definition, and yet at the same time our moral sense tells us that something is quite wrong. Believing the universe is governed by absolute goodness is the only possible basis for thinking anything could be wrong with it now.

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17–18).

By Faith Throughout

Return to the first chapter of Romans. The just shall live by faith. Paul teaches us the doctrine of forensic justification, and this justification is punctiliar—it happens at a point in time. One moment a man is unjustified, and the next moment he is justified. But when he crosses that great border between the land of shadows and the land of the living, the faith that enabled him to cross that border does not evaporate. It does not disappear. It does not float off.

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). This is a process that encompasses all of life, by necessity. This new life is inaugurated by faith, it is continued by faith, and it culminates in faith. It is by faith from first to last.

But faith requires an object, otherwise we are dealing with the nonsensical exercise of trying to have faith in our faith. Faith is the natural and ordinary response to the perceived faithfulness of God. When God and His Word are seen as faithful, then faith cannot be kept from appearing.

“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised” (Heb. 11:11 ).

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Believing is a verb that requires a direct object, and that direct object must be whatever God has said or done regarding the moment in which you are believing.

Read Full Article

On Christian Disobedience #6

Joe Harby on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

In times like these, what do we do to prepare ourselves? If a moment of “defiance” is going to come, what should we do to get ready? This is an appropriate question in the wake of these Planned Parenthood videos, because it is quite possible that the moment has already come.

How should we think? Some Christians think we should drop everything and get involved because the secularists are taking over America and we have to get organized and stop them. Other Christians disparage political involvement and say we should get back to “preaching the gospel”—but the gospel they want to preach is as impotent as might be expected. In contrast to both these options, we assert the duty of the Church in preaching a world-transforming gospel, a gospel that will take our unbelieving culture, turn it upside down, and shake it until all the change falls out of its pockets.

The Text

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:13-16).

True Recovery

Before we recover our freedoms, we must recover our sanity. But this will never happen outside the presence of the Most High God. And His presence is ministered to us in the biblical worship of the saints as we gather to sing, hear, preach, and feast at His Table. That is the context of all that follows.

The Heresy of the Lowest Common Denominator

For well over a century, evangelical Christians have sought unity by minimizing truth (because truth “divides” you know), and we want to be united. This is particularly obvious in political coalition building—we do not talk about what divides us so that we can get on with the business of “lobbying.” But this refusal to talk about what divides us is actually a refusal to talk about what is wrong with us. And this we do because we are unwilling to repent of our sins.

We say to the unbelieving world that it must repent of its great and grievous sins. What would we say if they replied (as they could, and do), “you are the Church. Show us how.”

A sick and dying culture needs the maximum amount of truth, which never comes in teaspoon doses.

A Future and a Hope

These videos are simply God’s return volley to the Obergefell decision. What did God say to Israel in exile? “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11, ESV). In the conclusion of his opinion in Obergefell, Scalia wrote this prescient sentence.

“With each decision of ours that takes from the People a question properly left to them – with each decision that is unabashedly based not on law, but on the ‘reasoned judgment’ of a bare majority of this Court – we move one step closer to being reminded of our impotence.”

That is what is happening right now. Our nation acquiesced to Roe, which we should not have done. That acquiescence makes the entire nation complicit, but God in His great mercy has presented us with an opportunity to repent of that complicity. In 1973, we saw Gross Constitutional Overreach A, and we did nothing. In 2015, Gross Constitutional Overreach B arrived, as it had to, given A, and then God—whose mercies are everlasting —gave us an opportunity to react to A the way we should have the first time. We are now being given an opportunity to undo Roe and to do so by direct action.

A Salty Church

Before the world will glorify our Father in heaven, we need the miracle of restored saltiness. And what will that be like?

It will be characterized by potency in the gospel—we must always keep an undiluted gospel central. “ . . . but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:23-25). This is effective, but not in a way which the worldly enjoy. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).

It will be characterized by true wisdom —the way back will not be shown to us by the various evangelical pollsters, church growth experts, consultants, managers, handlers, suits and haircuts, those always sure to cluster around any work that looks like it might make a buck—because they are in business, and in business, the customer is always right. But we are not in business, and we have no customers here, only sinners and forgiven saints. Our clear duty is to present the scandal and offensiveness of the truth both winsomely and pungently. “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Col. 4:6).

It must be characterized by glory in worship —as we shine the light of worship in the world, we teach the world to worship. When we do this, we teach the kings of the earth the meaning of worship. Princes also shall worship . . . (Is. 49:6-7).

It will be characterized by forgiveness that laughs—this is the great lesson. Our first temptation is to be oblivious to the claims of Christ. Then, when they are borne in on us, we are tempted to a spiritual despair. But this is not the call of God.

“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep. ‘For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength’” (Neh. 8:9-10).

Read Full Article

On Christian Disobedience #5

Joe Harby on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

As we have been considering the relationship of the believer to the modern secular state, what have we learned? We know that our current rulers are in high rebellion against God, and have therefore forfeited all moral legitimacy. Judgment, when meted out by God, will have been most mercifully delayed—even if it happens tomorrow. In the meantime, we submit to the de facto rule of the regime because God is the one who judges, and because we are included in His judgments. But even in judgment their authority is not absolute in God’s eyes, and so there is a point where we must resist. Further, their authority is not absolute according to their own constitutions and laws, which have far more residual Christianity woven throughout them than the secularists would like us to believe. Remember particularly that resistance is sometimes the only way to submit to “the established authorities.”

Our dilemma can be summed up this way. Our rulers have no moral legitimacy. But neither do we.

The Text

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk . . .” (Matt. 22:15-22).

Render to Caesar

The Lord Jesus was presented with a difficult question. Do we pay taxes or not? If
yes . . . He is a quisling. If no . . . He is a rebel. But Christ answered in a way which left them thunderstruck. We have very tiny minds, and have difficulty distinguishing things which necessarily differ.

So here we must distinguish between “less than perfect government,” which is what we will always have on this planet, and “idolatrous government,” which we are commanded not to have. To complicate things further, these two kinds of government will frequently overlap. With the former, we have the option of resisting, depending upon the issue, circumstances, history, laws, etc. With the latter, resistance is a positive moral duty in every instance where they have made the idolatry mandatory. This is not the same thing as having the idolatry present. Daniel in the Babylon was in the midst of idolatry, but was untouched by it.

Christians on both ends of the left/right political spectrum have trouble making these distinctions, and ideological perfectionism is a real plague. Remember that our phrase right wing came from the seating in the French legislative chambers after the Revolution.

The right wingers were the moderates, but they were moderate revolutionaries.

Common Problem Areas

These are some areas where we must think with maturity, and pick our battles carefully. Consider carefully the teaching in Matthew 17:24-27.

“And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee” (Matt. 17:24–27).

The first point here is that not every right should be grasped. Jesus here had His disciples pay a tax they didn’t owe. On the subject of taxes, we apparently need more humbling than we have received thus far—and besides, to draw the line here and not at other places reveals why we need humbling. As Jesus points out here, such taxes are a sign of alienation between the rulers and the ruled.

What about regulations? Do not assume that you are required to do whatever a random bureaucrat says you are required to do. There is a difference between regulations and laws—with regulations frequently being illegal and unconstitutional themselves. At the same time, do not embroil yourself in nickel/dime controversies. This would include building regulations, EPA regulations, and so forth. But making such prudent choices does not mean your conscience is bound. At the same time, you do what you do before God.

Those who have a zeal for liberty sometimes display an absolute genius for picking a swamp to defend instead of a hill. In a perfect world, we would not have to get a license in order to mow our own lawns, but in the meantime, take care that you do not set yourself up to have to fight over issues with a very low rate of return.

None of these issues can be settled with a check list mentality. “Is this okay? How about that?” The principles which should be brought to bear on your decision include history, context, resources, accountability, and more. Seek to grow in grace and wisdom.

Render to God

Now let’s return to our text. That which Caesar can manage to get his image on can lawfully be rendered to him (although Christ does not teach that it must be). But we bear the image of God. Therefore, we are prohibited from rendering ourselves, or our children, to Caesar. When he claims ultimacy, we are required to clearly and plainly say, “We must not do as you say.”

But how can we understand the image of God, unless we recover the biblical vision of God? If we do not know God, then how can we comprehend or see that which reflects Him? We cannot know ourselves without seeing God revealed as the Most High. Man- centered religion is therefore the enemy of . . . man, the image-bearer. This is why reformation in the church is essential to political reformation.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). This is not because of some mysterious and invisible connection, but rather because the Spirit of God works in converted men and women in order to renew the defaced image of God. “. . . and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:23-24).

There is more to this than simply refusing to render the imago Dei to Caesar. We must render ourselves and our children to God, so that He might teach us the truth, and consequently set us free. A righteous and holy people have never been successfully enslaved. We, on the other hand, have been made slaves. The way out is not to beat your head against the walls of the prison. The way out is the pursuit of righteousness and holiness. And that can only be accomplished through the gospel of free grace. Only free grace can grow free men.

Read Full Article

Surveying the Text: Nahum

Joe Harby on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

We know virtually nothing about Nahum, other than that this prophet was a magnificent poet. We have his name, this short masterpiece from him, and the fact that he was probably from Judah, from a town called Elkosh. He prophesied after the fall of Thebes (3:8) in Egypt (664-663 B.C.) but prior to the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C.

The Text

“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; And he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies” (Nahum 1:7–8).

Summary of the Text

The book is a series of fierce taunts and denunciations of Nineveh, that great city of the Assyrians. These denunciations alternate with various reassurances and promises for Judah. After the attribution, the book begins with a triumphant hymn to God the Warrior (1:2-8), which serves as the introduction to the first great oracle (1:9-2:2). This whole thing is an acrostic poem. Nahum then gives us a vision of Nineveh’s ruin (2:3-10), followed up by a taunt (2:11-13). Then comes a series of oracles and taunts about Nineveh’s inevitable collapse (3:1-17), and the book concludes with a satirical dirge over the fallen empire of Assyria (vv. 18-19).

A Little Background

The modern city of Mosul in Iraq is the location of the ancient city of Nineveh. The modern Kurds who live near there are (loosely) descendants of the Medes, who were the people who destroyed Nineveh. One of the images that Nahum uses to taunt the Assyrians is the figure of a lion (2:11-13), a lion without a lair. This was a symbol that the Assyrians used for themselves. Isaiah had used the same image a century earlier in order to inspire fear among the Israelites (Is. 5:26-30). For more background, you might want to read 2 Kings 17-23 and 2 Chron. 33-34.

Consolation of Judah

The first chapter alternates between condemning Assyria and consoling Judah. Bad news for Nineveh will be good news for Judah (1:12-13). Though God had once afflicted Judah, He will now do so no more. Then a promise is given to Judah a few verses later (1:15). Good news comes from the mountain, with the feet of the one who brings good news—the wicked will be completely destroyed. The remainder of the book is good news for Judah that comes in the form of desolation for Nineveh.

The Courage of Nahum

Jonah had prophesied destruction against Nineveh a century earlier, and Nineveh had repented. Now they have cycled downward again, and Nahum brings a hostile prophecy, far more barbed than Jonah’s simple message had been. The first thing to note is that Nahum brings this word when Assyria is at the height of its power. “Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, Yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through” (Nahum 1:12a).

During the entire time when Nahum could have conducted his ministry, Judah was a vassal state of Assyria. This would have been some time during the reign of Manasseh and/or Josiah. Nahum’s message would have been incendiary, but there is no sign that Nahum trimmed his prophesies to be more soothing to the easily offended.

The Law of Nations

A very common notion among evangelical Christians is that the law of the Old Testament was for the Jews. Not only do many think that the Old Testament is inapplicable to us, but they also believe that it did not apply to the Gentile nations of the Old Testament. One great problem for this view is that the prophets of God frequently speak to the Gentile nations in terms of fierce ethical rebuke. This happens, for example, in Jonah. It happens in Amos. And it certainly happens here. But what standard applies to a Gentile nation like Assyria?

The God of the Nations

The answer is straightforward, at least for those who those who refuse to divide the cosmos up into different jurisdictions—some for God and the rest for the devil. Jesus has been given the name that is above every name, and this means that in principle all belongs to Him. God is Lord by virtue of creation, and God is Lord again by virtue of the power of the blood of Christ. When the Day of Judgment arrives, no one will be able to draw an arbitrary line and argue that the sin wasn’t really a sin because he was standing on this side of it.

Listen to the following words and reflect on the solemn fact that God is just:

“Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery; The prey departeth not; The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, And of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: And there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; And there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, The mistress of witchcrafts, That selleth nations through her whoredoms, And families through her witchcrafts. Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; And I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, And I will shew the nations thy nakedness, And the kingdoms thy shame” (Nahum 3:1–5 ).

God of All

God is God of all. He is the source of all law, and the end of all justice. He is the only possible source of salvation—which He had shown earlier even to Nineveh. God’s

jurisdictions are unified. God’s authority is unified. God’s law and God’s gospel are unified. God’s voice in Scripture and God’s character in nature are unified. When God testifies, He never contradicts Himself. His grace and His justice do not contradict. His mountain ranges and His prophetic poets do not contradict. Only a fool or a pagan would say that God’s authority can be in any way divided. Why would we ever go along with the lie that our God is the god of the hills while their gods are the gods of the plains?

But though God is never divided, there is only one way for sinners to see and understand that lack of division—and that is to look to Christ on the cross, straight on.

Read Full Article