Sharper Iron — Majoring in Minors: Defiant Joy in the LORD

Rev. Dr. Ryan Tietz, associate professor of exegetical theology and dean of students at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Habakkuk 3:16-19.

Habakkuk’s psalm concludes with his “Job moment.” The prophet recognizes that the LORD Himself has answered, and Habakkuk trembles. God is God, and the prophet is not; who is Habakkuk that the LORD should reveal His Word and will to him? Yet Habakkuk banks on the hope that the LORD has given. The LORD will deal with evil, and His wrath against His people will lead to His mercy for them. For that reason, even if everything needed for life is taken away, Habakkuk calls for joy in the LORD. The hope in which Habakkuk speaks points us forward to the salvation that He has accomplished in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Majoring in Minors” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the books of Obadiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. These three prophets all spoke the Word of God in the days leading up to the fall of Jerusalem at the hand of the Babylonians. Through their unique emphases, these men proclaimed the same message of repentance of sins and faith in the LORD, pointing ultimately toward their prophecies’ fulfillment: Jesus Christ.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.

Habakkuk 3:16-19

¹⁶I hear, and my body trembles;
    my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
    my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
    to come upon people who invade us.

Habakkuk Rejoices in the Lord

¹⁷Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
¹⁸yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer’s;
    he makes me tread on my high places.

To the choirmaster: with stringed^[a] instruments.

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Footnotes

Habakkuk 3:19 Hebrew my stringed

English Standard Version (ESV)

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).