Here’s what I didn’t get to Sunday. A little background first…

Habakkuk is basically having a very difficult conversation with God. It begins by Habakkuk complaining to God that His people were not doing right and wondering if God was going to do something about it:

“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” (Habakkuk 1:2)

God informs Habakkuk that indeed Judah will not get a free pass without His disciplining hand coming down on them:

“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.” (Habakkuk 1:6)

Habakkuk’s like, “Say what? Now wait a minute.” This bothers Habakkuk’s sensitivities of justice. Why would God use a more-wicked nation to discipline a less-wicked nation? That just doesn’t make sense. But God’s ways are inscrutable and He plans, knows, sees and understands events from the perspective of eternity, we don’t.

The centerpiece of Habakkuk is the principle of how people live: “the righteous live by his faith” while the wicked live by greed, covetousness, violence, perversion and idolatry. When righteous people go astray God disciplines, but what about the way of the wicked? Those who refuse to live by trusting in God will face God’s wrath:

“The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!” (Habakkuk 2:16)

But how and why do the righteous escape the cup of God’s wrath? Think about it, we were greedy and covetous and violent and perverse and idolatrous, we deserve God’s wrath, but through grace and the gospel forgiveness is possible and that changes everything.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

The cup of God’s wrath is a very common image in the Bible. It creates a mental image of God’s condemnation on sin and rebellion against His authority. God’s wrath must be poured out on the judgment and condemnation of sin, and this leaves the world in a particularly bad place. But there is good news – it’s call the gospel…

Jesus drinks the cup of God’s wrath for us. God poured out His wrath of judgment for sin on His own son at the cross (cf. Matthew 20:22; 26:42). Jesus knowingly and willingly drank this cup as our substitute. He stepped in to save the day; He drank it down to the very dregs so we wouldn’t have to even have a taste. That’s simply awesome.

But, for those who refuse Jesus the Bible is very clear:

“…If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angles and in the presence of the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:9-10)

Grace & Peace,