Wednesday 2nd August
Read Habakkuk 3:3-7
“God came from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.
His glory covered the heavens
and his praise filled the earth.
4 His splendour was like the sunrise;
rays flashed from his hand,
where his power was hidden.
5 Plague went before him;
pestilence followed his steps.
6 He stood, and shook the earth;
he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled
and the age-old hills collapsed –
but he marches on for ever.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
the dwellings of Midian in anguish.” (NIVUK)
The picture Habakkuk paints is of inexorable progress and power, God marches on, unstoppable (v6e). The imagery used is fascinating and perhaps even disturbing. God is surrounded by plagues and pestilence (v5). His mere presence causes the earth to crumble (v6) and strikes terror and fear into those in His path (v7). These are the kinds of verses that many use to argue that the Old Testament is a dangerous place to spend time. God is terrifying. This is not the God they believe in. They follow gentle Jesus, meek and mild. And yet, and yet…
There is a scene in Ben-Hur when the hero first unknowingly encounters Jesus. He is being marched to the galleys in chains by the Romans with many others and they stop at a village where water is drawn for their insatiable thirst. The centurion however steps in and specifically prevents Ben-Hur from drinking. He is broken and can’t go on. But Jesus stoops down and gives him water. When the centurion notices he begins to rebuke Jesus. Jesus merely stands and looks at him. The centurion is in anguish, he can’t face Jesus. He is cowed. This meek and mild Jesus has filled this grizzled and spiteful centurion’s heart with terror.
Judgement is coming. The One in whose hands all judgement has been placed, is the meek and mild one. In one sense, what Habakkuk describes here, terrifying and awful in its scope, are the mere side-effects of God’s presence. In another sense, they should inspire us to seek refuge with the Judge, have faith in Him, and be found on His ‘good’ side!
