Why? This is the question Habakkuk asked God. Let's see if we can relate to his plea for understanding, with you and I relaying our feelings of dismay, disgust, and despair while enquiring of God.
- Why is there so much unchecked violence happening all around us?
- How many will die needlessly?
- How much longer will the wicked continue to gain ground by lying, stealing and destroying?
- When will you stop this God?
- How long must we wait?
- And this question that I wrestle with all the time ... is this it? Will you deliver us from this bondage and hold the evil doers to account?
In the book Habakkuk, the prophet sees the wickedness of his own people, and he also sees God taking them to task by sending the Chaldeans to chastise Judah, even with unclean hands ... meaning the Chaldeans, or Babylonians iniquity, was far greater than the Judaeans!
🛑 Stop right here
Habakkuk expresses bewilderment concerning God's justice. It appears to him that the law is powerless and the wicked were going unchecked, and not being held to account ... stop right here, you say?
Yes, dear reader, I thought what perhaps you are now considering. We have a lot in common with Habakkuk, isn't that right? What I appreciate about this book, is the conversation the prophet and God have. There is a wonderful back and forth sharing between them that soothes and reassures the man that is in turmoil. I know that is true for me too: when I am struggling to understand how evil prevails so easily without any stoppage, I cry out to God for answers. He never leaves me long without a reply that satisfies my soul.
God's people were disobedient
Unfortunately, I think we can relate to Habakkuk's experience a little more intimately and closely than we care to admit. God's people were disobedient: they did not honour Him and glorify Him with their lives. They did not put their faith in Him as their Sovereign, and when I consider how easily and readily the globally renowned men of God fell into the same wild forest fire of debauchery these past several years and counting, I can see how God has handed us over to corrupt global goblins for some purifying!
It isn't just the pastors, it is the people too! Sin has been rampant for decades, and if we picture the cumulative collective sin as crispy crackling dry kindling for a massive fire, we get the idea of how grand the problem is! We were due for a little heat to keep us alert to the present danger. The hotter it gets, the more people perceive the perilous danger we are in. It makes one take a good look at life, and figure out what matters, and what no longer draws our attention by comparison.
I hope you read it
After studying Habakkuk, I couldn't help but hope that everyone takes the time to read this book, hopefully with study notes. My take aways were great, but it was truly too wonderful for me, and I took until late in the day to even attempt to write about it: I hope you read it, dear reader!
Here is what I know about Habakkuk, and what God wants for us too! Habakkuk means ardent embrace. Habakkuk ardently embraced with faith, God's plan for His people. He trusted in God, to not only listen when he needed to share his torment, but also to answer the questions he felt burdened by. There is a joy in this book that translates to the reader, and the message is this:
Look away from the circumstances and set your sights on God as the ultimate satisfying answer!
God is not letting anyone get away with anything ... and He does not "tarry", meaning take His time. He does what He does when the timing is right for everyone, not just you and me when we feel anxious or fretful. He is just, and that means He considers the circumstances, what we need and when.
I learned a new word today: theodicy, a defence of divine justice. Habakkuk was an advocate for God in the sense that he knew Him so well, He could confidently and prophetically share what God told him, and the visions He was given. His trust was in God's divine justice, and he heard this from God:
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4)
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him ~ refers to the wicked, that lean on their own understanding, swollen with pride, not upright
: but the just shall live by his faith ~ refers to those that trust the Lord with all their heart, righteously living by faith. This shapes a whole life!
Object
As we object to the wickedness we observe, and call out to God, He not only hears us, He has a plan, dear one. We get to choose, trust in ourselves, or trust in Him?
Until then ... I shall live by faith
How about you, dear one?
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