04/01/2020
A Few Words on Habakkuk
-Larry Evans
For those who said they would be studying Habakkuk at home while Tyron and I do the same.
(My sister told me that people send long posts like this one on Facebook. If they don't blame my sister)
1:1-4 Habakkuk’s Initial Complaint
“O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear,” indicates that Habakkuk had consulted God on other occasions with, as he saw it, no response. He continually witnessed the powerful misusing the powerless among his people and wondered why God, Who was supposed to be among them, refused to do something about it.
1:5-11 God’s Response to Habakkuk
God responds to Habakkuk giving him insight into His plans regarding how He would address the injustices in Judah. He intended to use another nation to punish His people.
During Habakkuk’s time the Chaldeans, whose capital was Babylon had established themselves as the reigning world superpower. They were an arrogant and violent nation who saw no authority beyond themselves. They destroyed the depleted empires of the Assyrians and Egyptians and in three separate deportations would destroy Jerusalem, its Temple and take many of Judah’s inhabitants into captivity.
Habakkuk is taken aback by God’s use of the ‘Chaldeans’ to punish Judah for her sins. He questions how a Holy God could use a nation who, from his perspective, was less righteous than his own people to punish. After extoling the holiness of God, he asks, “Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they” (v13)? Like fishermen who take up fish in their nets and thank their nets rather than God for their catch the godless Chaldeans trusted only in their own strength as they swept westward through the lands capturing and displacing the people of various nations. In vs17 He asks, “Is he [Chaldeans] then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?” That is, will You ever require that they pay for their sins?
2:1 Habakkuk waits to see how God will respond to his latest complaint.
2:2-20 God’s Response to Habakkuk’s Complaint
In His response to Habakkuk, God explains that He is not going to allow the Chaldeans to go unpunished. In fact, all arrogant nations who behave unjustly will be punished. He does not look favorably on pride as He says, “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him.” But He continues, “The just shall live by his faith.” (2:4) Living by faith meant depending on Him rather than on one’s own strength. It also meant that Habakkuk would have to trust God's methods of bringing about justice. Ultimately, the Chaldeans would be defeated by the Medes (see Isaiah’s prophecy against Babylon in chapters 13 and 21:1-9).
Chapter 3 Habakkuk’s Final Response to God’s Justice
1-2
Accepting that Judah’s punishment was inevitable Habakkuk essentially says, “Your will be done.” However, in the midst of His wrath Habakkuk pleads for mercy.
3-16
In this poem Habakkuk recounts many of the marvelous deeds done by God recorded in the Hebrew bible. He had delivered them on many occasions but would not on this one. The fact that Judah would be punished for certain had a physical effect on Habakkuk, “When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered my bones; and I trembled in myself” (16a) However he accepts the inevitability of Chaldean invasion.
17-19
Even though one might feel hopeless given the inevitable fall of his nation Habakkuk finds reason to be joyous. He is certain that God would be with him and the faithful through the period of national trial. He resolves to live by the principle God expressed in 2:4, “The just shall live by faith.”
