The prophecy begins as Nahum and Malachi do with the word ‘burden’ – “The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw” (v1). It was a burden in that the words were heavy and would not be easy on the ear. He was not afraid to tell the people that the news from God was not expected to be pleasant to their ears. Sometimes we do not relish the job of bringing bad news especially when it is God’s pronouncement of judgment on a peoples’ wickedness.
He begins by asking (in fact he cries out or shouts) God why He seems to be silent when there is such violence, trouble and iniquity all around. (v2-4) I’m sure there are times when we wonder what God’s doing or not doing in such circumstances. We feel discouraged and saddened when those around us, and particularly, those in authority, seem to be bent on evil but God seems to be silent. There seems to be an absence of justice, the wicked seem to proper and even perverse justice proceeds. It is certainly a picture of our day and generation when a vociferous minority are pushing those in authority to pass laws totally opposed to God’s law. Things which will make it very difficult to be a Christian and to stand up for our LORD and our beliefs. We should not be surprised at this because The Word of God has told us that this will happen and that we should be prepared to take our stand for our LORD even if it means persecution and even prosecution. We can see the devil at work, and it should throw us upon our LORD who has gained the victory at the cross of Calvary.
How we need to practice the words of Micah – ‘…. What does the LORD require? …. to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.’ We have a great God and have received His amazing grace, and we should seek to display Him to all with whom we come into contact. Over the last few weeks, we have been impressing upon those in prison Bible study groups of the enormity of our sin and the enormity of the sacrifice made by our LORD and Saviour to die for the sin of the world. What a cost to save us!
Habakkuk saw the enormity of sin whether personal or collectively and the lack of justice and even perverse justice. He, no doubt, remembered the good times when there was revival during the reign of King Josiah. We too can look back to when this nation became ‘great’ because of Christian principals and godly leaders and mourn because we have gone away from it. There is no question that God’s laws are being twisted and ignored, sadly, even by some of our religious leaders. Maybe we too should cry out to God, ‘Why are You silent and how long will you let it go on?’ If we do, we must be prepared for God’s answer which may not be very palatable.
The word given to Habakkuk was somewhat scary in that God would raise up a nation who would come and overthrow them – the Chaldeans (Babylonians), a heathen nation. It certainly wasn’t what he wanted or expected as an answer to his prayer, however, he remained faithful to God and accepted His answer.
Maybe God is not going to do a similar thing for us, I don’t know, but what I do know is that the LORD is coming soon and that may be our deliverance and what a deliverance that will be! Whatever God is going to do let us remain faithful to Him.
God did hear him and answered him –
“Look among the nations and watch – Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.” (v5,6)
God doesn’t mince His words, and He knew that Habakkuk would indeed ‘be astounded’ and He ‘would do a work that Habakkuk would not believe’. God can use heathen nations to answer the problem. Obviously, it would be painful and difficult and cause shockwaves throughout the nation, and they would be taken into captivity and exile in Babylon. Many years later God used a heathen ruler (Caesar Augustus) to bring about a census which necessitated Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem. It is very unlikely that they would have gone there otherwise, but while they were there, Jesus was born to fulfil the prophecy that He would be born in Bethlehem. Some years after Habakkuk’s prayer and God’s answer, Nehemiah (chapter 2) approached King Artaxerxes in Babylon where the People of Israel were in exile and was given permission to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Habakkuk must have thought – ‘that’s not the answer’ but so far as God was concerned it was the only answer to the problem. It is clear that Habakkuk was asking God for judgment, but not from the Chaldeans (Babylonians). Surely, they were even worse than his own people. He surely thought that even if God was to punish them that He would show mercy in some way.
In verses 7-11 the Babylonians are described by God, and it doesn’t make pleasant reading – ‘terrible, dreadful, they scoff at kings and follow their own god.’ ‘They are fierce and come for violence and gather captives like sand.’
Habakkuk’s response is to remind God (as though He needed reminding) of His character (v12-17). It is as though he is incredulous as to God’s answer. “Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die.
O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he? Why do You make men like fish of the sea, like creeping things that have no ruler over them? They take up all of them with a hook, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they sacrifice to their net, and burn incense to their dragnet, because by them their share is sumptuous and their food plentiful. Shall they therefore empty their net, and continue to slay nations without pity?”
I wonder if he thought that God might change His mind if he told God how great He was. Make no mistake he says some wonderful things about the character of God – ‘everlasting, Holy God, of purer eyes to behold evil’. He reminds God how powerful He is and His control over His creation. It is a wonderful example as to how we should come to God even when we are troubled by His answers. Some give up on God when His answers are not in line with what we think or want. Let’s remember that He knows best, and His way is perfect. The song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:3 says “For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God.He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.”
Habakkuk couldn’t understand why God would use a more wicked nation to punish his own nation of Judah despite their sin, but his trust was in Almighty God.
