God Answers a Confused Prophet (pt. 3)

Leader Guide ESV, Unit 15, Session 4

© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute within the license agreement with purchaser. Edited by Rev. Lex DeLong, M.A., Feb. 2023

Summary and Goal

Habakkuk is a remarkable book that records the dialogue between a confused yet trusting prophet and his God. Habakkuk ministered to Judah in a time when evil thrived. The flourishing evil both surrounding and within Judah led him to ask candid questions that the suffering people of his day were asking: Why do the wicked prosper? Why does God not answer the prayers of the righteous? How can God remain strangely silent?

The Lord responded to Habakkuk’s questions by reminding the prophet of His power and authority over all things. The overarching truth of the book is that God’s people can live with faith and joy even during challenging and confusing times.

Session Outline

++God’s authority over injustice enables His people to live with patience (Hab. 1:2-6).

++God’s authority over evil enables His people to live by faith (Hab. 1:12-13; 2:3-4).

++God’s authority over difficulties enables His people to live with joy (Hab. 3:16-19).

Background Passage: Habakkuk

Session in a Sentence

God has authority over everything, which allows His people to live with faith and joy.

++God’s people can live with faith and joy even during challenging and confusing times.

Christ Connection

Habakkuk lived in a time when evil seemed to be everywhere. By faith, he trusted God’s promise that God would deliver His people. Injustice, violence, and wickedness surround us today, but we can live by faith and trust that Jesus will return one day to make all things right.

Missional Application

Because we have received forgiveness and life through the greatest evil ever—the crucifixion of Christ—we live with faith and joy through the injustices and evil we experience, showing the world the reality of our hope in Jesus, as He teaches us daily, the reality of it.

The Boston Marathon has been held every year since 1897, making it the world’s oldest annual marathon. What began as a race including fifteen men, ten of whom finished, has mushroomed into an international event attracting around thirty thousand participants on average. 1

DDG (p. 103)

When we think of the Boston Marathon today, unfortunately the terrible events that occurred during the 2013 race can quickly come to mind.

Two homemade bombs were detonated near the finish line of the race, killing three people and injuring two hundred and sixty-five others. Boston law enforcement organized an unprecedented manhunt to capture the two brothers responsible for the bombing.

Four days later, the search came to an end with one suspect dead and the other in custody. In response to the bombing, the citizens of Boston rallied around the slogan “Boston Strong,” which proved to be a powerful mantra of solidarity and comfort for the city. 2

Ask:

Why do you think the phrase “Boston Strong” helped to bring comfort to the city of Boston?

(it projected strength in the face of disaster; it gave a rallying cry for the city as a whole, reminding people that they were not alone; it communicated that justice would triumph over evil)

The Book of Habakkuk opens with a prophet grappling with God. Seeing injustice all around him, Habakkuk struggled to understand why God would delay his judgment on wicked Judah.

No doubt Habakkuk loved the people of God and longed to see them spiritually restored. Yet he questioned why God would allow His people to sin without consequence.

Then, after God declared His coming judgment, Habakkuk again questioned God, this time on His method of judgment.

God’s message to Habakkuk is a message we need to hear today with all the injustice in our world.

God has authority over all things, and even though events may be confusing to us, we can live with faith and joy as we place our trust in God.

Point 1: God’s authority over injustice enables His people to live with patience (Hab. 1:2-6).

Read Habakkuk 1:2-4 (DDG p. 104).

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.

The first paragraph in the DDG (p. 104)

· Habakkuk’s ministry occurred at the end of the seventh century B.C., in the waning years of Judah. He was a contemporary of Nahum, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah.

· He likely ministered during the reign of Jehoiakim, barely a decade removed from the spiritual revival Judah experienced under Jehoiakim’s father, King Josiah.

Unlike his father, Jehoiakim was politically and spiritually corrupt; he rejected the spiritual reforms his father had made. The dishonesty and injustice that thrived during Jehoiakim’s reign provided the historical backdrop for Habakkuk’s dialogue with God.

The Book of Habakkuk’s opening verses record the prophet’s impassioned plea to God. Habakkuk saw violence and injustice all around and wondered how God could tolerate such evil behavior from Judah.

Sin grieved the heart of Habakkuk because sin should always grieve the hearts of God’s people. “How long?” he asked. Habakkuk asked God hard honest questions, the kind we still ask today. The prophet was justified in his frustration as he witnessed firsthand the reality that life isn’t fair, but...

...he wrongly interpreted God’s silence as either indifference or as a license for Judah to keep sinning.

Instruct: What are times that you might have considered God’s response to sin and injustice in the world, in the lives of those you love, maybe even in your own life? Have you felt the feeling that maybe God couldn’t intervene or that He was indifferent to it?

Habakkuk longed for God to deal justly with the injustice in Judah, and he desired to see revival return to Judah as it had come during the days of King Josiah. Yet he struggled to trust God’s timing in these matters.

We all must wait patiently on God’s timing and trust that sometimes God hides from us what He is doing so we can learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

For example, consider the wanderings of the Israelites prior to entering the Promised Land.

Read Habakkuk 1:5-6 (DDG p. 104),

5 “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. 6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.

Second paragraph in the DDG (p. 104)

God is not disturbed by our sincere questions, but He does not always tell us what He is doing.

The Lord was not disturbed by Habakkuk’s sincere questions because they were motivated by a righteous indignation.

Yet the Lord responded to the prophet’s appeals in a way that both comforted and confused Habakkuk. God was raising up a powerful, pagan people to punish Judah: the Chaldeans, also known as the Babylonians.

· Habakkuk would be comforted to know God was concerned, engaged, and had a plan for addressing the injustices in Judah.

· Habakkuk would be confused because God would use a nation even more evil than Judah to carry out His justice against Judah. God Himself described the Chaldeans as guilty, and their god was their own strength (Hab. 1:5-11).

God is always active and good in His purposes, even when they do not make sense to us.

· Habakkuk needed to learn to trust God’s authority over injustice and that He is always active and good in His purposes, even when they don’t make sense to us. God had a plan in place, but it certainly wasn’t the plan that Habakkuk would have scripted himself because God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:8-9).

Ask:

What are some examples in Scripture and in your experience of God working in unexpected ways to accomplish His good purposes?

(sending the flood to judge the earth; Job’s suffering; Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers; the death of the firstborn to begin the exodus; handing the people over to enemies during the time of the judges; anointing David as king over Israel; the Assyrians conquering Israel; Jesus died on the cross to save sinners by faith; persecution against the church)

Point 2: God’s authority over evil enables His people to live by faith (Hab. 1:12-13; 2:3-4).

Read Habakkuk 1:12-13 (DDG p. 105).

12 Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. 13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?

First paragraph in the DDG (p. 105)

Habakkuk wrestled with understanding how God could have dealings with the sinful Chaldeans.

How could God’s perfect character be reconciled with this prophecy?

But Habakkuk was struggling to believe God’s character would not allow Him to use enemy nations to discipline His people.

Employing the Babylonians to discipline Judah was consistent with God’s historical actions and His flawless, holy character.

· The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC (2 Kings 17). This too was the Lord’s discipline of His people by means of a pagan nation, one which would eventually fall to the Babylonians.

· In love, God sent Jesus to die on a cross for the salvation of the world. But this plan also involved the wickedness of the people who falsely accused and crucified the perfect Son of God (Acts 2:22-23), in order to save people in the long term.

Fill in the blanks: DDG (p. 105)

The Problem of Evil: Given what we know about God’s character and purposes, Christians can be rest assured that even in the midst of evil, God is working all things for our good (Rom. 8:28).

Essential Doctrine “The Problem of Evil”: Many atheists have argued that if God is all-powerful, all-loving, and knows everything, then evil would not exist in the world as humans know it today. But because evil exists in the world, God must not exist (or if He does exist, then He is not good or all-powerful). Despite its powerful rhetoric, appealing to evil as an argument against God fails: first, because outrage over bad things in this world presupposes a “good” moral standard that does not exist apart from God, and second, because God could have a good reason (though unknown to us) for allowing evil and suffering to continue for a season. Given what we know about God’s character and purposes, Christians can rest be assured that even in the midst of evil, God is working all things for our good (Rom. 8:28).

Read Habakkuk 2:3-4 (DDG p. 105), again noting these are God’s words in response to Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 2:3–4 NASB

3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.4 “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.

Second paragraph in the DDG (p. 105)

In response to Habakkuk, God described a stark contrast between the Chaldeans and the righteous. The Lord declared the Babylonians—and all the wicked, even among Judah—to be full of pride and lacking integrity. Babylon was a rising power, but their reign would be short-lived (2:6-20). Death and judgment await all who reject the Lord. The righteous one, however, will live by faith. God exhorted His prophet to trust Him during these darkest of days and he would live, just as those who believe the gospel receive eternal life in Christ.

· Living by faith requires patience, which is especially challenging when you don’t know how long you will have to live by faith. Consider the difficulty of living by faith when faced with infertility, a difficult pregnancy, ongoing sickness, poverty, injustice, or persecution. God knows this is not easy for us, so He repeatedly reminds us of this truth throughout the Bible: “The righteous will live by faith.”

· The exhortation to live by faith is echoed in the New Testament as Paul reminded the Christians in Rome of Christ’s saving power (Rom. 1:16-17; see also Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:37-39).

The impact of living by faith:

++Faith is the key to not giving up in times of unanswered prayer.

++Faith is the key to triumphantly enduring suffering and oppression.

++Faith is the key to a correct view of history.

++Faith is the key to the problem of sin and the apparent triumph of evil.

++Faith is the key to sanity in the midst of adversity. 3

Ask:

What does it mean to “live by faith”?

(to trust that God is in control over all things; to believe that God is good and for His people, not against them; to live in humility and obedience to God; trusting God’s Word is true when the circumstances of life try to convince you otherwise)

Point 3: God’s authority over difficulties enables His people to live with joy (Hab. 3:16-19).

Read: Ask a volunteer to read Habakkuk 3:16-19 (DDG p. 106).

16 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

Having questioned God’s plans and heard God’s responses, Habakkuk trembled in fear. Fear is a real thing, but there are different kinds of fear. The kind of fear Habakkuk felt when he encountered the Creator left him weak and shaken yet full of faith and joy.

God took Habakkuk on a spiritual pilgrimage, and this sanctifying journey moved him from confusion and worry to contentment and worship. So he waited confidently and patiently for the day when God would put all things right.

Voices from Church History (Hymn)

“Fear not! I am with thee; O be not dismayed, For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.” 4 –John Rippon’s Selection of Hymns

Ask:

What are some reasons we may struggle to fear the Lord as our loving heavenly Father?

(God’s plans don’t match our own plans; we are caught up in sin; we don’t trust that He is good and for our good; someone may not know the Lord through faith in Christ; we think He is petty and vindictive like us)

Habakkuk’s closing three verses are some of the most moving verses in the entire Bible. Through the centuries, they have been used by God in the lives of countless saints to give strength and hope in the midst of life’s hurt and pain. With these words, Habakkuk finally acknowledged his absolute faith in God’s plan.

Second paragraph in the DDG (p. 106)

Habakkuk 3:17–19 NASB

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls,18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.19 The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.

These verses communicate two main thoughts.

The first thought is that God’s judgment against Judah will be devastating. Habakkuk describes Judah’s punishment by listing the demise of its main sources of food and agricultural commerce: fig trees, grape vines, olive trees, produce, sheep, and cattle.

The second thought is that Habakkuk’s faith is unwavering despite the pending pain of judgment. The prophet declared his faith in saying “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”

Habakkuk finally found the joy in his journey.

It was not to be found in thwarting God’s plan

It was not to be found in understanding God’s plan

It was to be found in trusting the good, sovereign, and faithful God who saves and strengthens those who live by faith (see Ps. 73:25-28).

Psalm 73:25–28 NASB

25 Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.27 For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee.28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy works.

My Mission

It’s easy to talk of faith and rejoice in the Lord when times are easy.

It’s equally easy to look at the world around us and begin to feel a strong sense of hopelessness.

Habakkuk heard tell of, and likely witnessed the collapse of most everything that was important to him. Yet through the loss and disappointment, he was able to distinguish between what was empty and fleeting and what was most precious—the God worthy of his faith, the God who saves by faith.

It’s okay to ask God hard questions.

It’s okay to admit fears and weaknesses.

It’s okay to experience an array of emotions as we face the struggles of life.

But by faith, we know that God uses all these things to sanctify us and to shape us into the image of Christ Jesus, who saves us from our sin and will set all things right at His second coming.

Rejoice and proclaim His good news!

Session in a Sentence

God has authority over everything, which allows His people to live with faith and joy.

++God’s people can live with faith and joy even during challenging and confusing times.

DDG (p. 107)

Because we have received forgiveness and life through the greatest evil ever—the crucifixion of Christ—we live with faith and joy through the injustices and evil we experience, showing the world the reality of our hope in Jesus.

· In what areas of your life will you turn in faith to the sovereign, good God of our salvation?

· How can your group support and encourage one another as you strive to live with patience, by faith, and with joy?

· With whom will you be more open about your hope and joy in Christ with the goal of sharing the gospel?

Voices from the Church

“We cannot begin a conversation about justice anywhere but at the cross of Jesus.” 6 –Rachael Myers

Close in prayer:

References

1. “First Boston Marathon held,” History.com, January 8, 2019, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-boston-marathon-held.

2. Kurt Badenhausen, “The 2018 Boston Marathon: By The Numbers,” Forbes, April 16, 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2018/04/16/the-boston-marathon-2018-by-the-numbers/#2c43b0cd31d6.

3. Bill Cook, Sermon Notes for “Faith Is the Victory (Habakkuk 2),” Ninth and O Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, November 2013.

4. John Rippon’s Selection of Hymns, “How Firm a Foundation,” in Baptist Hymnal (Nashville, TN: LifeWay Worship, 2008), 456.

5. Martin Luther, in Select Works of Martin Luther: An Offering to the Church of God in “the Last Days,” vol. 4, trans. Henry Cole (London: T. Bensley, 1826), 535.

6. Raechel Myers, “Justice: let’s begin at the cross,” She Reads Truth, January 16, 2019, https://shereadstruth.com/2014/07/22/justice-lets-begin-cross.

7. Youssouf Dembele, “Habakkuk,” in Africa Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 1089.

8. Joe Sprinkle, “Habakkuk,” in CSB Study Bible (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2017), 1430, n. 1:2-4; n. 1:5-6.

9. Kenneth L. Barker and Waylon Bailey, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20 in The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2003) [Wordsearch].

10. Paul D. Wegner, “Habakkuk,” in ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 1723-24, n. 2:3; n. 2:4.

11. Lauren Johnson, ed., “Habakkuk,” in The Study Bible for Women (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2014), 1202, n. 2:4.

12. Kenneth L. Barker and Waylon Bailey, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20 in The New American Commentary [Wordsearch].

13. Paul D. Wegner, “Habakkuk,” in ESV Study Bible, 1727, n. 3:17-19.