The
Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity
The
Collect.
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O
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GOD, our refuge and strength, who art the author of all godliness; Be
ready, we beseech thee, to hear the devout prayers of thy Church; and grant
that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
2 And
the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon
tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For
the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not
lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not
tarry. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted
up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. 5 Yea
also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at
home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be
satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
6 Shall not all these take up a
parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him
that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself
with thick clay! 7 Shall they not rise up
suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be
for booties unto them? 8 Because
thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee;
because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of
all that dwell therein. 9 Woe
to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his
nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! 10 Thou
hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned
against thy soul. 11 For the stone shall cry
out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. 12 Woe
to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! 13 Behold,
is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire,
and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? 14 For
the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the
waters cover the sea. 15 Woe
unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and
makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! 16 Thou
art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be
uncovered: the cup of the Lord'S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and
shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. 17 For
the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made
them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the
city, and of all that dwell therein. 18 What
profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten
image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to
make dumb idols? 19 Woe unto him that saith to
the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid
over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. 20 But
the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. (Hab 2:2-20)
Habakkuk
has lodged his righteous indignation over the sins of his people with the Lord.
He expects an answer, and the righteous will always receive such answer if they
truly watch and wait upon the Lord. Habakkuk is no exception. The Lord spoke to
Habakkuk and said: Write the vision, and make it plain upon
tables, that he may run that readeth it. The Words of the Lord must
always be written in large letters and in stark relief, for they are of greater
weight than any uttered by man. And thou shalt write upon the stones all
the words of this law very plainly. (Deut 27:8) God's Word should not
only be written plainly (though modern so-called scholars wish to retranslate
them wrongly), but also spoken plainly and forcefully. This latter, too, they
fail to do in most pulpits today. Instead of instead of taking the Word into
the world, the modern `pulpit wimps' bring the influence of the world into into
the meaning of the Word. This stands the intent of God on its head. The
judgment approaches and, when it comes, even the innocent of the land shall
suffer. Habakkuk is told to publish and proclaim the coming fury so that those
who hear and understand may flee the wrath.
3 For
the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak,
and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will
not tarry. Once the decree is uttered by God, it shall not be
annulled. Though it may not come at the moment WE expect, it nevertheless shall
come at the time of God's choosing. It shall be fully manifested without fail
of a single line. Though the rich, green prairies; the majestic, snow-capped
mountains; the everlasting hills; and the blue and abundant rivers of America
shall remain – yet, the land will be cloaked in the austere and mournful raiment
of judgment. It is pointless to seek a happy ending to a judgment that God has
already decreed upon the beloved land. He does not do so arbitrarily, but in
accordance with His published Word which cannot be broken.
When
the marauding heathen and hoarding armies infest the land, their hearts will be
lifted in sinful pride, but the righteous will continue in faith – if their
faith be true. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted
up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. It
has forever been true that the just shall live by faith. Do you have the faith
that will survive such a coming tribulation and judgment? The following verse
is frightening, but true when God brings judgment: 5 Yea
also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither
keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and
cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him
all people The coming terror will be drunk with wine and without
reason in his dealings with the land. He will be proud in his gods of conquest
and will neither know of home, nor honor to the families of men. His hunger and
thirst for blood-conquest cannot be quenched with much effusion of it. The
wicked invader shall gain much worldly power and gather people of every stripe
beneath his cruel banner.
6 Shall
not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against
him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how
long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! 7 Shall
they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee,
and thou shalt be for booties unto them? 8 Because
thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee;
because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of
all that dwell therein How long? If the wrath last for
decades, is it unjust. Our apostasy has lasted longer! When ancient Israel, and
modern Israel, awake, how great will their sufferings have been? WE will then
recognize the injustice of the invader and, perhaps, remember the great
injustice of our unfaithfulness to the One who is our MAKER!
9 Woe
to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his
nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! 10 Thou
hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned
against thy soul. 11 For the stone shall cry
out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. 12 Woe
to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! That
very same wickedness that caused the judgment to be ordered shall result in the
oppressor's downfall. A nation that covets the treasures of others, whether by
open theft, or government pillage, may expect a hard retribution. A nation that
`cuts off many people' either through wars, the ovens of Dachau, or abortion of
innocents, may expect a wrathful retribution from the Almighty! There will be
no venue or refuge from the accusations of guilt. Even the stones may call out
our crimes. Have we not established cities of iniquity in our fair and
heaven-blessed land?
13 Behold,
is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in
the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? 14 For
the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the
waters cover the sea. The Lord will cause our labors to
vanish and our wickedness to suffer in the fires. Men and women shall be so
constrained by vanity in having more than their neighbor, that they shall
become weary, yet not able to rest. But, nevertheless, the intent and purposes
of the Lord shall be satisfied. His Name shall be known and proclaimed
throughout the Land as a victorious King and Conquerer.
15 Woe
unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and
makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! 16 Thou
art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be
uncovered: the cup of the Lord'S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and
shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. 17 For
the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made
them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the
city, and of all that dwell therein. What of the seduction by drink
and rug that prevail throughout the cities of America. Have we not angered the
Majesty on High? Has there been violence in Lebanon until this very day? Will
those beds of thorns which we have made for others become our own brutal abode?
18 What
profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten
image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to
make dumb idols? 19 Woe unto him that saith to
the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid
over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
Of what profit and value is false teaching. If we go seeking, with itching
ears, those soft words we love to hear, if they are but lies, have we gained
any value to our souls? Do we seek for those easy beliefs of men like Osteen
and Hagin? Does God desire that we all be rich? If so, why do the most devoted
Christians on foreign soil suffer poverty and death at the hands of evil
rulers? America is full of idol-makers today who twist and contort the Word of
God beyond recognition. They "speak not of sin for it makes the hearer
unhappy" (Osteen)
Perhaps you feel that my
understanding of God's Word to be too cruel and harsh? Did not the King torture
Jeremiah for speaking those same words? We do not like to hear the truth when
it hurts, but America at least deserves a warning. I will not delay to deliver
that Word which I believe God intends as much for America as for ancient
Israel, or the cities of the Plain. We may, at last, take heart in the promise
of God: But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the
earth keep silence before him. Just as the adulteress, taken
red-handed and in the very act, was speechless before the Lord, so shall all
the earth be speechless before God. All of His judgments and mercies are beyond
our comprehension – but all true!
