Have you ever wondered why things happen the way they do? Do you wonder why God ordains things the way they happen, or perhaps why He doesn’t seem to act at all, and things that you think should happen, don’t? I think we all have had thoughts like that. We look around the world today and wonder why God allowed this or that to happen, or look at the horrible things going on and wonder why God isn’t doing anything. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk had similar questions that he asked of the Lord God. Our Old Testament Scripture for this week comes from his book in the Bible.
Habakkuk lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and his ministry was between around 612 - 588 BC. This was during the reigns of the last few kings of Judah before the Babylonian captivity, primarily King Jehoiakim. Habakkuk, who preached and ministered in the capital of Jerusalem, wondered why God seemed indifferent in the face of all the evil that was happening around him, and why the wicked would so often go unpunished. We’ve all probably felt the same way, and in our Scripture passage, he went to the Lord in prayer with these questions that had been troubling him.
As our Scripture begins, Habakkuk had long been speaking out against the moral depravity of Judah, and calling for the Lord’s help against it. He was discouraged that God didn’t seem to hear or answer him. The people of Judah had fallen into great wickedness by their actions (vs. 2-3). The prophet mentions several sins. There was violence, which would include murder; plundering or stealing and robbing one another; strife or fighting; contention or quarreling and feuding between people; iniquity or sinning in general; and all sorts of trouble. That sounds a lot like many of the cities of today. Why would the people of Judah, who had God’s Word and revelations, turn so far away from Him? However, where the Bible does not rule in the hearts of the people, injustice will.
Habakkuk prayed, and waited for the Lord to answer. The answer that the Lord gave our prophet, though, was one that astonished him. Yahweh revealed to Habakkuk that He was going to send the nation of the Chaldeans (Babylon) to bring His judgment upon the people of Judah (vs. 5-6). The prophet was shocked that God would use an even more wicked country and people than Judah was to punish them. Habakkuk knew that God could not abide evil, yet he wondered why He would use a very wicked nation to chastise His people (vs. 13). However, as God showed the prophet, He may use whatever unusual instrument He chooses to correct or punish us.
Despite his perplexity and lack of understanding why God would do what He was choosing to do, Habakkuk had complete faith and trust in Him. He knew God’s character was unchangeable, and that He was eternal, sovereign, and holy (vs. 12).
Habakkuk was going to be patient and wait for God to answer. He spiritually prepared himself to receive God’s reply (Hab. 2:1). A watchman in a watchtower should be prepared to warn of what is coming. Our prophet wanted to be in the best position to receive God’s message. Though he didn’t understand, he would wait patiently for God’s response and answer. When it came, he would write what the Lord told him, so that all would know that what God says will happen, will happen at His appointed time (vs. 3).
So many of us are impatient. We look around us, seeing what is happening, and want a response from God to our prayers right away. Habakkuk’s example teaches us to be patient. God will work out His plans in His perfect timing. God hates sin even more than we do. Punishment for sin will certainly come. We need to trust God fully, even when we don’t understand why things happen as they do.
Our Scripture ends with a verse that will resound throughout the New Testament - “The just shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4). The proud trust in themselves for everything, including when it comes to salvation. They find out, often too late, that we can’t earn salvation by ourselves, that salvation is only through faith. The just put their faith in God. The one will thus have eternal life, while the other won’t (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). Pride comes from the belief that we know better than God does. Faith understands we are completely dependent on God.
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