A study in Habakkuk
"How long, Lord, must I call for help and You do not listen or cry out to You about violence and You do not save?"
Habakkuk 1:2 HCSB
Habakkuk was written in a time of great distress after the passing of King Josiah. King Josiah was a righteous king, he lived by God's laws, but his son and successor, Jehoiakim, did not. Jehoiakim was unrighteous and unjust. Habakkuk cries out to God in response to this injustice in verses 2-6.
Do you ever feel like God isn't listening to you? I know I certainly did. I spent my middle school days crying out to God with seemingly no reply. Habakkuk felt that way too, he was witnessing so much injustice and felt like God wasn't doing anything about it. Then God answers in verses 5-11.
"Look at the nations and observe- be utterly astounded! For something is taking place in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it. Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter, impetuous nation that marches across the earth's open spaces to seize territories not its own."
Habakkuk 1:5-6 HCSB
God responds by telling Habakkuk that He is planning something Habakkuk does not understand or know about. When we don't understand why God is letting something happen to us, this verse is a reminder that while we have limited knowledge, God is all knowing. God is planning the future that we don't know.
God's response to the injustice going on in israel was to allow the Chaldeans (who at the time was synonymous with Babylonians) to attack israel, and many other nations. The Chaldeans were a very evil people, they worshipped their power and their false gods. In response to this news, Habakkuk cries out to God again.
"Are you not from eternity, Yahweh my God? My Holy One, You will not die. Lord you appointed them to execute judgement; my Rock, You destined them to punish us. Your eyes are to pure to look on evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are you silent while one who is more wicked swallows up one who is more righteous than himself?"
Habakkuk 1:12-13 HCSB
In the verse 12 we see God's eternal qualities, and that He will not die. Israel's righteous king Josiah perished, but God would not. God is sovereign, He is in control. Nothing is out of His grasp or beyond his reach. He is eternally alive, and He is holy. He can't even look upon evil, because he is
that holy. He is set apart from us, we are sinners and He is perfect. Habakkuk proclaimed that God is perfect and just, then doubted His judgement upon israel.
"I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower. I will watch to see what He will say to me and what I should reply about my complaint."
Habakkuk 2:1
Habakkuk watched and he waited. How often do we complain to God then just go on and ignore Him and not even watch or listen for His response?
"The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith."
Habakkuk 2:2-4 HCSB
God confirmed with Habakkuk that what He said would happen will happen, and that even though it may not be happening right now, it will come and will not be late. When God said "Look, his ego is inflated," He was referring to the arrogant babylonians. God promises that His justice will reign, not on our timing but His. Even though Habakkuk did not understand God's methods, He says that righteous people must exercise faith despite God's usage of the evil Chaldeans. We are to "live by faith."
Obviously "living by faith" involves more than just historical faith, or belief in God's existence. But trusting in His goodness. This is uncircumstantial trust. The trust that God demands is trusting in His goodness even when we don't understand His will or His purpose. Now you may ask, why do we trust God through all circumstances, though? God is holy, His judgement is perfect, and He is all knowing. We only see a small part of the painting but God sees the whole painting of history, what has been, what is, and what is to come. Corrie ten Boom so clearly explains why we trust God when she said "We can trust an unknown future to a known God." Though we may not know the future and what it holds, we know Who holds the future.
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord's glory, as the waters cover the sea."
Habakkuk 2:14 HCSB
Verses 6-17 gives woes to the unrighteous people of Babylon. Verse 14 reminds us that though God may allow evil to prevail to carry out his plans, the people of Babylon will be brought to justice. Everyone will one day know who God is, and glorify Him. Even when everything seems to get out of hand, it is still in the hands of God.
"What use is a carved idol after craftsman carves it? It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies. For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood: wake up! or to mute stone: come alive! Can it teach? Look! It may be plated with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all. But the Lord is in His holy temple; let everyone on earth be silent in His presence."
Habakkuk 2: 18-20 HCSB
The Babylonians worshipped many false gods, but none could even compare to the one true God. Just like the Babylonians, we today worship many gods. We worship relationships, money, sports, school, ourselves. But none of these things can even compare to God, and should not compare to God in our priorities. All of these earthly things are fleeting but God will always be there.
"Lord, I have heard the report about You; Lord, I stand in awe of your deeds. Revive Your work in these years; make it known in these years. In your wrath remember mercy!"
Habakkuk 3:2
After hearing God's plan to let the Chaldeans (Babylonians) invade, he stood in awe. He knew that God's power was far beyond his own and he stood in awe of that. Often times, growing up in church we lose that awe factor of who God is because it's so normal for us to hear about. But if we think about it, God holds the fate of the world in His hands, and we don't deserve a good one. This should be a reason for awe of His power and of His mercy despite our flaws.
Throughout this chapter Habakkuk continues to praise God for His power and sovereignty. Then in the final four verses, His confidence in God is expressed.
"I heard, and I trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress to come against the people invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet, I will triumph in Yahweh; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! Yahweh my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!"
Habakkuk 3:14-19
Habakkuk concludes by reiterating that he received the worst news of his life, and he was very afraid, but he then chose to wait until justice came to the Chaldeans. He knew and trusted that God had a plan and was going to bring about the best, so he chose to trust God through the storm until the sunshine came. There seemed to be nothing going right for him, but through that he says "yet, I will triumph in Yahweh". The hebrew word for triumph is 'ālaz, which means to jump for joy. Through all the pain, he trusted in His heart that God was in control, and that was his source of joy. Joy is proved in this book to be not based on circumstance, but instead having a trust in God. You too can choose today to let God be God and trust His goodness, and in turn choose joy.
