Faith and Confusion (Habakkuk 1:1-2:1)
We are going to take a few Sundays break from our study of Romans to look at an Old Testament book, Habakkuk. This is a shorter book, but it contains an idea that is at the core of the New Testament. This morning we will look at Chapter 1.
Have you ever called out to God, asking Him to do something? Do you find yourself discontented with the way things are and worried about the future? Perhaps you feel that way more now than ever before. Do you take those feelings and share them with your God? Many times we get in a habit of saying the same old things in our prayers. We don’t really talk to God about the things that are weighing on our minds and hearts. A lot of us hold those thoughts and emotions inside. We don’t share them with anyone, not even our spouse. Therapists make lots of money just asking people to share what’s going on internally because we don’t share it. We bottle it up and keep it to ourselves.
Habakkuk is a book about one man who chooses not to bottle it up. He approaches God’s throne and boldly asks God, “Where are you, and what are you doing?”
Crying Out In An Evil World (1:1-4)
Habakkuk 1:1–4 (ESV) — 1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.
The words and emotions of Habakkuk are full of judgment against God. He wants to know where God is in the midst of evil and chaos in Judah. He looks around and sees nothing but injustice, evil, and lawlessness spreading throughout his country. Isn’t God supposed to be their personal God? Why doesn’t he get rid of their king or give them a new king who can do something? Why not bring a plague that wipes out all the bad people and leaves the righteous strong and healthy? People do evil because they get away with doing evil. What they really need is for God to come in and make an example of some of them. Then, everyone will straighten up and learn to obey.
Have you ever felt this way? The truth is that we are very blessed and there are a lot of really good, honest people around us. But I imagine that all of us have had some personal struggles with the society we live in. Think for a moment about all the things you are afraid of happening to you or your family. Would any of those fears exist in a society where there is no evil? There is no end to the scammers, sexually perverted, cruel, and selfish people in our society. I don’t want to make everyone here gloomy, but our country is far from where it needs to be. Our towns in south Alabama aren’t too bad, but we have plenty of wickedness and abuse going on all around us.
Have you gone to God and asked Him what He is doing? Have you tried to think up a way for our country to turn itself around? Have you wished for a better President, a better Mayor, a better boss, or a better husband? Do you want God to fix them all? We sing a song called, “Oh Heal Us All.” It’s a beautiful song about how broken everything is. Listen to the things he calls for Jesus to heal: sickness, sadness, callousness, worldliness, fear, doubt, unrestrained self-indulgence, pain from friends, no rest, and enslaved to sin. All of these ideas point to the brokenness of God’s people. When we sing this song, we are crying out for God to do something to heal us all.
God’s Unexpected Response (1:5-11)
Habakkuk 1:5–11 (ESV) — 5 “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. 6 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. 7 They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. 8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. 9 They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand. 10 At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. 11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!”
God’s response to Habakkuk is heart-breaking. He reveals that he is not inactive, but God would not be giving a new king, a plague, or some small suffering as punishment. All Habakkuk has to do is look up and see what He is doing. He will raise up the Chaldeans to bring terror on his land and his people. This would be totally unexpected for Habakkuk. In his mind, there is still hope for his people to turn things around and repent. He wants God to build the people back to their former glory, but God is planning to destroy them using a very wicked nation.
Sometimes, we pray to God, asking for Him to do something big for us. We want to be healed, whatever that means in our prayer. But sometimes God’s plan is not to heal. That’s a hard pill to swallow. We don’t want to think that “No” is something a good God would say, but He does.
How will we respond when God determines to take away what we love instead of healing, improving, or fixing it? It’s important for us to remember in these moments of sorrow and grief that we are being tested. Habakkuk is being tested. God has told him that He will fix the evil society he loves by destroying it. This begs the question, “How will Habakkuk respond?” Will he abandon God or curse Him?
Having Faith While Confused (1:12-2:1)
Habakkuk 1:12–2:1 (ESV) — 12 Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. 13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? 14 You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. 15 He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad. 16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. 17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever? 1 I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
Habakkuk’s words here reveal where his heart is. He asks, “Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? This question shows us that he is wise enough to recognize God’s superiority. So many people look at the events in the world and believe that they know better than God. Not Habakkuk. He points out God’s superiority. He recognizes that his understanding pales in comparison. This is such a mature response. How many times have we gotten upset only to realize that we didn’t have enough information. Our angry response made us look like fools. Habakkuk is wise enough to recognize that He doesn’t know enough to determine whether this is just or not. It doesn’t seem just from all appearances, but this is God, the creator and sustainer of life.
Then he has the faith to say, “We shall not die.” We don’t see that promise anywhere in God’s response to him. So, where did Habakkuk get the notion that his nation would not die? God has promised it elsewhere. Habakkuk remembers God’s promises to Abraham, David, and all Israel. He knows that God is faithful to His word and he trusts in His steadfast love.
But, he still doesn’t understand. I like this section because it shows that he trusts God while being totally confused about God’s decision. The Babylonians are not worthy of God blessing them with success. So he uses an analogy of a fisherman gathering up fish and worshiping his net. The Babylonians are pagan and more worldly, ungodly, and immoral than most. How could God do this and be just? Also, how long will he allow this to go on? He repeats his question from before, longing for it to be over with.
The last part of his response to God is verse 1 of Chapter 2. He says, “I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower. He is waiting for God to respond and explain this to him. I love this picture. Habakkuk hasn’t abandoned God. He is like a curious child waiting patiently for God to explain how this all works. I wish I were more like this. Oftentimes I get impatient and expect an answer in my own time, not in the time of the people I’m contacting.
Hoping In Christ’s Return
There is a wave of American Christianity that wants to improve your life here on earth. They promise you material blessings and healing after you give them your money and demonstrate enough faith. That kind of blessing is not what we find being promised in scriptures. The truth is that our requests from God will often find a “No.” This world will never get fixed the way we think it should. Those we love will die. People will still be evil. Many things will go wrong, but we must choose to respond like Habakkuk. We must recognize we are talking to the eternal God, trust Him to be faithful toward us, and eagerly await His response.
When Jesus came down to earth, he removed the shroud of uncertainty. Jesus shows us how aware God really is of all our suffering in the evil world by being God and living as a human in our midst. God is fully aware. He is not ignoring our cries. He shows us that He has the power to fix everything that is wrong, but He cares more for our hearts and our souls.
Don’t get me wrong, Jesus tells us to pray to God and expect good things because He is a good Father. We should take our stand at our watchposts, and call out to God for help and understanding. But, Jesus’ mission was to reveal to us that the ultimate solution to the broken world we live in will not be realized until after this life is over. He opens the curtain on the afterlife, promising eternal paradise with God for those who have the type of faith Habakkuk had. This is what Jesus told us to set our heart and our treasures toward.
Those who are evil will be destroyed. They will not go on delivering injustice forever. One day they will see the fruit of their ways. Paul and Peter didn’t tell Christians to try to fix the world. He told them to pray for rulers, but to live for Christ and the eternal reward without compromising faithfulness for physical needs. These two men happily lost everything, dying to spread the gospel.
So we must be men and women who are living for eternity, trusting in God, and hoping in Jesus’ return. In the next Chapter, God will explain all of this, and say something that rings true throughout the whole Bible, “The righteous will live by faith.” Is that you? Will you pass the tests and show your faith to be genuine?