Today begins our reading of the OT prophet, Habakkuk. Habakkuk prophesied around 610 BC, just a few years before the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians (~606BC).
How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but You do not listen? Or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? Why do You show me iniquity and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. (1:2-3)
Habakkuk was a man who had questions for God–”Why, Lord? Are You there? Are You listening?” Habakkuk lived in a time when his nation of Judah was sinking lower and lower into immorality. Violence was everywhere. Greed was rampant. Conflict and strife abounded. And people were sinning out in the open. (Sound familiar?) Yet in the midst of all this God seemed to be silent. Judah was God’s people yet God seemed to be oblivious to their sin. Habakkuk cannot fathom this. “God, why don’t You act? Why are You allowing me to see all of this?”
Habakkuk was privileged to hear God answer his questions. And God’s answer was not what Habakkuk was expecting (1:5-11). Basically God said, “Oh, I see Judah’s sin and here is what I am doing about it. I am raising up the nation of Babylon and giving them more and more power so that they will eventually come down and destroy Judah.”
Whoa. Habakkuk wanted an answer but he did not want that one. He probably wanted God to remove the evil leaders in Judah from power and restore righteousness. Instead God promised judgment from a godless nation. It would be equivalent to God telling us in America today, “I see America’s wickedness and that is why I am raising up the Islamic nations/groups to judge your nation.”
Wouldn’t you have a problem with that? Habakkuk did. That is why he responds to God in 1:12-16. “Wait a minute, God. I know You are holy and must judge sin but how can You use an even more wicked nation to judge a less wicked nation? I mean we are bad but not that bad! Plus if You let this more wicked nation succeed all it will cause them to do is give credit to their false gods and to their own strength.”
God’s answer to this second question is contained in chapter two. Make sure you read it ;>).
Habakkuk 1 reminds me of two things:
1) God is okay with our questions, as long as they are questions from a heart open to answers. Sometimes our questions flow from a stubborn, prideful, cynical heart. God does not honor such questions. But sometimes our questions flow from a sincere heart that simply does not understand God’s ways. God honors these kinds of questions and even invites them. The Psalms are filled with them. When we struggle with God, it shows that we are spiritually alive and seeking to apply our faith in a sin-cursed world. God always prefers questions and struggles of faith over apathy and indiffference.
2) God’s answers aren’t always what we are looking for. Let’s be honest, we have questions for God and we want His answers to be to our liking. But God’s ways are higher than our ways and sometimes His answers cause us to ask more questions! It is like my kids. They ask me a question and when I give them an answer they don’t like, they go and seek a second opinion. “Mom, can we do this?” I guess that’s human nature. We really don’t want an answer, we want someone to agree with us. The amazing thing is that even in this situation, God is gracious enough to listen to us and gently guide us into His truth. That’s the theme of chapter two.
God, thank You for Your grace! Thank You for hearing me in my struggles. Help me to hear Your answer and trust You even when I do not understand.