A little bug slowly crawls across a big canvas where a beautiful painting has been painted. “I don’t know why these people call this painting beautiful! It’s just a jumble of color.” the bug says to himself. However, a person standing back and viewing the painting can see it like it truly is, a masterpiece. Driving, or even walking on the streets of downtown Chicago can seem extremely chaotic. However, when viewing the downtown streets from high above at a window of the Sears Tower, things seem to be moving smoothly. Things can look much different when we look from a different perspective, a different viewpoint. This can also be a problem when we look at troubles and difficulties in our own life, and we cry out to the Lord. We are looking at them from one perspective, while He is seeing the whole picture. This is the dilemma that the prophet Habakkuk had in our Scripture for today.
Not much is known about the prophet Habakkuk. His ministry was to the southern kingdom of Judah, and likely during the reign of King Jehoiakim, around 609 - 598 B.C., shortly before the Babylonian invasion and the destruction of Jerusalem. One thing that is unique about the Book of Habakkuk, is that it does not contain a record of his messages from the Lord to the people. Instead, this book contains several dialogues that he had with God, filled with his puzzlement and confusion with what he sees going on in the world around him.
Like his fellow prophets, Habakkuk was distressed with the moral and spiritual condition of his fellow countrymen in Judah. They were corrupt, and much injustice was happening throughout the land. In addition, though they were outwardly giving lip-service to Yahweh, with the sacrifices continuing to be given in the Temple, and the Holy Days continuing to be observed, they were spiritually bankrupt. The people worshiped false gods, mixing the worship of Yahweh with these demonic idols. And now the prophet saw that the wicked Babylonian Empire to the east, who had brutally conquered many of the other nations around them, had now set their eyes on Judah, and his homeland’s destruction looked imminent.
As our Scripture begins, Habakkuk cried out to the Lord. He does not understand what is going on, and he went to the Lord with his questions and puzzlement (vs. 1-4). Though he knew that the people of Judah have deeply sinned against God, how could He allow an even worse country, one whose sins, wickedness, and evil were much greater, to come against them and triumph in battle and destruction? Why didn’t God come to their rescue?
Habakkuk was not rebelling against God, but he was deeply troubled by the apparent delay in God bringing His justice and defense to His people. His complaint was rooted in faith. Habakkuk believed that God is just, which is why this seeming injustice was so troubling to him. With their brutal destruction staring them in the face, instead of repenting and returning to the Lord, the people resorted to even more injustice and unrighteousness.
The Lord then brought His reply to Habakkuk’s cries (vs. 5-11). He is not passive. He isn’t just sitting up in heaven, impassively observing all that happens. He was using the nation of Babylon to be an instrument of His to bring discipline upon His children. God will judge the world for its sins against Him, but as we read in I Peter 4:17, judgment will start with God’s people. Though they were very wicked, God used Babylon to discipline Judah. This does not mean that He endorsed their evil, but He used them for His purposes.
Habakkuk was still troubled over this (vs. 12-13). He knew that God was pure and just, which was why seeing such an evil nation as Babylon be victorious over them was so perplexing. Why would a holy God use a more wicked nation to judge His own people? Through all of this, though, Habakkuk didn’t abandon his faith, he just wrestled with it. With this in mind, the prophet just positioned himself to watch and wait, and see what God would ultimately do (2:1-4). He knew that God’s promises were always sure, though he might have to wait a while.
Today, believers may feel similarly when evil seems to prosper. As we see with the prophet Habakkuk, it is not wrong to bring our questions to God, if done in a respectful and honest way. Faith wrestles, but it doesn’t walk away. As we have seen, God may use unexpected or even uncomfortable means to accomplish His will. We must trust His purposes, even when they may seem difficult. We are like the bug on the painting, or the person caught in hectic traffic. God sees the whole picture when we don’t.
When God’s actions seem confusing, we must anchor ourselves in what we know to be true in God’s character. His holiness and justice are never compromised. God is always working, even through judgment. His purposes are redemptive, even when they involve discipline. In times of uncertainty, which we see so much of today, as Christians we are called to live by faith, not by sight. This is not blind optimism, but confident trust in God’s Word. We can cling to and confidently hang on to God’s promises.
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