“A message to be delivered”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, December 21, 2023
Habakkuk 2: 1-4 (Forward, p. 53) CEV p. 954
Habakkuk sees himself in a most necessary but rather unenviable position, that of a watchman on the city walls. Normally, they are the ones tasked with watching for the approach of danger and letting everyone know about it. And, as other Scripture tells us most pointedly, woe to those who fail in that task. They will be held accountable, responsible, for any deaths that ensue.
In today’s passage, Habakkuk is not watching and waiting for some earthly danger or hazard, or indeed, anything from this world, but for something from God—that is, a message from God! It will be such that it can be read at a glance, so that even a runner glancing at it can read it. It is a message for the future, and though it does seem to be delayed or take a long time, it is worthwhile to keep in mind. Truly, it is such that it truly can be trusted. And so, we are to wait in patience for it.
And then, in verse 4, there comes what may truly be the message that God wanted to impart: “Those who are proud, who are evil, will not survive. Only those who live by faith will be acceptable to God.”
And, indeed, in one sense, this truly was a message for the future, for it became the rallying cry of the Reformation, namely, ‘salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.’ Salvation by faith, not by works; that is, trusting in the grace of God in Christ Jesus rather than in anything that we are or do. And indeed, that is a message, not just for the future, but for all time, as we humans are habitually and inevitably predisposed to try to measure up or earn our salvation, when, in actuality, it has already been ‘earned’ for us by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This means that it is a gift, a gift that is already fully paid for, and which needs only to be received, received by faith. That is indeed such fabulous and unrepeatable good news. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “Then the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it” (verse 2).
“I was a newspaper reporter. Some residents in the community I covered said I was wrong to write about a public employee accused of misconduct. In despair, I visited my church rector. She reached for this verse in Habakkuk.
“Writing about events that concern your community is not wrong, she said. Then she read these words from Scripture. Habakkuk injected a new urgency in my call to write. When tempted to stop seeking the truth—because of criticism or just because writing is difficult—I began to see that doubt as an evil force. These words from Habakkuk have been a guide and a challenge as I seek the truth and write the vision.”
Moving Forward: “How can you support your local journalists in their efforts to seek and share the truth?”