Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge: I. Habakkuk: Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5) -- December 11, 2024

We continue studying Habakkuk's interaction with God this week with an investingation into Habakkuk's Description of How the Babylonians Treat Other Nations (1:14–17)

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Wednesday July 24, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We spent the last two weeks making our way through the side by side review of Habakkuk as a lament, as a genre of literature, and showing that passages in Habakkuk parallel Lament passages elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Lament literature, particularly in the Old Testament, transcends beyond a mere expression of sorrow or grief. It embodies a profound legal and judicial framework that reflects the covenant relationship between God and His people.

This is evident in what is also called the

Law-Court Pattern of Prayer, where biblical figures like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and others argue with God in a way that mirrors legal appeal and court behavior.

The Law-Court Pattern of Prayer:

An address to God the judge.

A presentation of the facts of the case, the complaint, and the petition brought against God and to God.

A concluding petition or request made by the individual (or Israel). In certain cases, an additional component may follow.

A divine response to the petition.

In this pattern, the lament is both a cry of despair and is a structured plea for justice. It often involves an accusation against God for apparent injustices, followed by a plea for vindication based on the covenant promises. For instance, the Psalms contain about fifty examples where the psalmist employs this pattern to question God’s justice and plead for deliverance.

The lamenters present their case as if standing in a court of law, expecting God, the Judge of all the earth, to act justly per the covenantal terms agreed upon at Sinai. This legalistic aspect of lament is a powerful expression of faith, where the lamentor holds God accountable to His standards of righteousness and justice, as seen in the passionate debates and negotiations with God throughout the scriptures.

Moreover, lament literature serves as a theological reflection on the nature of suffering and the quest for divine justice. It actively challenges the reader to engage with the complexities of innocent suffering and the expectation of divine intervention. The lament psalms and books like Job and Lamentations provide a language for the faithful to express their deepest anguish while maintaining hope in God’s ultimate justice and faithfulness.

In summary, lament literature in the Old Testament is a multifaceted genre that not only allows for the expression of profound sorrow but also engages with the legal and judicial dimensions of the Israelites’ relationship with God. It is a form of spiritual and theological discourse that upholds the principles of justice and righteousness, which are central to the covenantal faith.

The use of Rhetorical Figures of Speech in Habakkuk

Psalm 14 is almost identical to Psalm 53 and is a lament over the human race: they are all fools! They are corrupt, spoiling whatever they do. Their actions are vile and they do abominable things that the Lord hates. Without faith no one can please God, so there are none who do good. No - not one!

Rhetorical Devices of Habakkuk

See Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 205. [1]Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 269–271.

Proverbs

Proverb is a מִ֭שְׁלֵי MISHLE, or מָשָׁל MASHAL a saying that encapsulates wisdom. It may be directive, or illustrative, exhortative or condemning, it my be mocking or jesting or derisive.

Proverbs 1:1-7 sets the stage for understanding proverbs. It seems that Solomon accumulated proverbs like he accumulated wealth and prosperity … and women.

Proverbs 1:1–7 NKJV

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Habakkuk 1:9; Habakkuk 2:6

Simile

Simile - compares two different things to highlight a similarity between them. It is often introduced by words like “as” or “like.”

Sharp as a tack.

Habakkuk 1:8b, 9b, 14; 2:5; 3:4, 14, 19

Metaphor

Metaphor -- describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison. It states that one thing is another thing, even though it isn’t actually the case in a literal sense.

Life is a highway.

Habakkuk 1:8a, 9a, 11a , 15–17 ; 2:16 ; 3:8–10, 11, 14

Habakkuk 1:8a NKJV

8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.

Habakkuk 1:9a NKJV

9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.

Habakkuk 1:11a NKJV

11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

Habakkuk 1:15–17 NKJV

15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. 16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful. 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

Habakkuk 2:16 NKJV

16 You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you, And utter shame will be on your glory.

Habakkuk 3:8–10 NKJV

8 O Lord, were You displeased with the rivers, Was Your anger against the rivers, Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation? 9 Your bow was made quite ready; Oaths were sworn over Your arrows. Selah You divided the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw You and trembled; The overflowing of the water passed by. The deep uttered its voice, And lifted its hands on high.

Habakkuk 3:11 NKJV

11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; At the light of Your arrows they went, At the shining of Your glittering spear.

Habakkuk 3:14 NKJV

14 You thrust through with his own arrows The head of his villages. They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me; Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.

Allegory

Allegory -- characters or events represent or symbolize ideas and concepts. It’s a story that functions on two levels: the surface story entertains or informs, while the deeper level conveys a more profound moral, political, or philosophical meaning.

Habakkuk 2:15–16 NKJV

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness! 16 You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you, And utter shame will be on your glory.

Metonymy

Metonymy -- a word or phrase is substituted for another with which it’s closely associated.

Grave for death;

Habakkuk 2:5 ; 3:2, 9

Habakkuk 2:5 NKJV

5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.

Deeds for God;

Habakkuk 3:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

Waters for the Exodus event

Habakkuk 3:9 NKJV

9 Your bow was made quite ready; Oaths were sworn over Your arrows. Selah You divided the earth with rivers.

Merismus

Merismus -- a way of expressing totality by mentioning separate elements that make up that totality. High and Low.

Habakkuk 3:7 NKJV

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.

Tents and curtains or dwellings for all the enemies

Heniadys

Heniadys -- a single idea is expressed by two words connected with “and” instead of using one word to modify the other. Nice and Warm vs. Nicely Warm.

Rejoices and is glad vs. gladly rejoices;

Write and make plain vs write plainly

Habakkuk 1:15 ; 2:2

Habakkuk 1:15 NKJV

15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV

2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole -- exaggerated statements or claims that are not meant to be taken literally. Could eat a Horse.

Armies pictured larger than life; destruction pictured in apocalyptic terms

Supposedly:

Habakkuk 1:6–11, 3:6b, 11

Habakkuk 1:6–11 NKJV

6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. 7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. 9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand. 10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. 11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

Habakkuk 3:6b NKJV

6 He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting.

Habakkuk 3:11 NKJV

11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; At the light of Your arrows they went, At the shining of Your glittering spear.

Actual:

Habakkuk 1:8-9, 11

Habakkuk 1:8–9 NKJV

8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. 9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.

Habakkuk 1:11 NKJV

11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

Paronomasia

Paronomasia -- a pun or wordplay exploiting multiple meanings of a term or similar-sounding words for intentional humor or rhetorical effect. Often producing a double meaning or a twist in the familiar expression.

Parody of idols;

Multiple meanings of rō ʾš, head, leader, top of house

Habakkuk 2:19 ; 3:13–14a

Habakkuk 2:19 NKJV

19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all.

Habakkuk 3:13–14 NKJV

13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people, For salvation with Your Anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked, By laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah 14 You thrust through with his own arrows The head of his villages. They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me; Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.

Personification

Personification -- non-human objects or concepts given human qualities or behaviors; making abstract ideas or inanimate objects seem more relatable and vivid by describing them as if human

Nation becomes individual people;

wine becomes person;

God’s deeds, plague, tents, sun and moon

Habakkuk 1:7–11 ; 2:5, 11 ; 3:2, 5, 7, 10

Habakkuk 1:7–11 NKJV

7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. 9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand. 10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. 11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

Habakkuk 2:5 NKJV

Habakkuk 2:11 NKJV

11 For the stone will cry out from the wall, And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

Habakkuk 3:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk 3:5 NKJV

5 Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet.

Habakkuk 3:7 NKJV

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.

Habakkuk 3:10 NKJV

10 The mountains saw You and trembled; The overflowing of the water passed by. The deep uttered its voice, And lifted its hands on high.

End of 7/24/2024

Wednesday July 31, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical Question – an obvious answer; a statement phrased as a question.

A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked to make a point rather than to elicit an answer. It’s often used for effect, to emphasize something, or to provoke thought, rather than to get an actual response.

Rhetorical questions are frequently used for irony, sarcasm, and facetiousness along with serious emphasis. They serve as a literary device to convey the speaker’s attitude or to make a sharp point.

In Irony: Rhetorical questions can highlight the opposite of what is true, often in a subtle or wry manner. For example, after a long day of work, one might say, “Isn’t this just the perfect way to end my day?” when something unpleasant happens.

In Sarcasm: Rhetorical questions can be used sarcastically to mock or convey contempt. For instance, if someone fails to understand something simple, you might ask, “What, was that too complicated for you?”

In Facetiousness: Rhetorical questions can be used in a joking or humorous way, not meant to be taken seriously. For example, “Do bears have a strict diet plan?” Facetiousness is an entire art form. We have a pastor who came out of the Beracha pastoral feeder system and has been pastoring for forty plus years. He is in our Friday Morning pastor group … and he never says anything that doesn’t come out facetious. He’ll say, “Did you know that Jesus is correct 95+ percent of the time ..” He used to have to hold up a sign when he was talking that said “Facetious”

The frequency of rhetorical question use can vary greatly depending on the context, the speaker, and the audience. In casual conversation, they might be more common, while in formal writing, they may be used sparingly for effect. The key is that the speaker does not expect an answer; the question itself makes the point.

Habakkuk 1:12 ; 2:13, 18 ; 3:8

Habakkuk 1:12 NKJV

12 Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

Habakkuk 2:13 NKJV

13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the fire, And nations weary themselves in vain?

Habakkuk 2:18 NKJV

18 “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?

Habakkuk 3:8 NKJV

8 O Lord, were You displeased with the rivers, Was Your anger against the rivers, Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation?

Repetition

Two different words for net are repeated. This is so commonly seen in Hebrew writing that we have presented this in other classes as a Hebraism, where the word is replaced with a variant to expand both the connotation of the word and the denotation. Denotation is the term for the lexical meaning of a word, whereas connotation is the term for the implied

It can be used to reinforce an idea, create rhythm, evoke emotion, or make a message more memorable. Here are some common forms of repetition used in literature and rhetoric:

Repetition

Alliteration: The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words, such as “She sells seashells by the seashore.”

Anaphora: The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences, like in Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Epistrophe: The opposite of anaphora, it’s the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive sentences, such as “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

Anadiplosis: The repetition of the last word of a preceding clause at the beginning of the next one, like “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words in a sentence, such as “The lumpy, bumpy road.”

Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words, like “How now, brown cow?”

Habakkuk 1:15b–17 NKJV

16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful. 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

Synecdoche

Synecdoche -- a part is used to represent the whole, or the whole for a part. It’s a way to refer to something by one of its attributes or components. Lend me a hand.

This rhetorical device allows for more expressive language and can add depth to writing and speech. Here are two types of synecdoche:

Synecdoche

Part for the Whole (Pars Pro Toto): A part of something is used to refer to the whole entity. For example, “wheels” might be used to refer to a car.

Whole for the Part (Totum Pro Parte): The whole of something is used to refer to a part of it. For instance, “the United States won gold” could be used to refer to an American athlete winning a medal at the Olympics.

Synecdoche is often used in everyday language and literature to create a connection between the part and the whole, making the expression more vivid and sometimes more concise12. It’s a powerful tool that can make language more engaging and impactful by drawing attention to specific details or by using a broader concept to stand in for its parts.

Tents and dwellings represent whole nation

Habakkuk 3:7 NKJV

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.

Alliteration and Assonance

Alliteration and Assonance – Begins with the same letter, repetition of vowel sounds.

She sells seashells by the seashore.

“Hear the mellow wedding bells” — Edgar Allan Poe, "The Bells"

Habakkuk 1:6, 10 ; 2:6, 7, 15, 18 ; 3:2 .

Habakkuk 1:6 NKJV

6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.

Habakkuk 1:10 NKJV

10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.

Habakkuk 2:6 NKJV

6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?

Habakkuk 2:7 NKJV

7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty.

Habakkuk 2:15 NKJV

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness!

Habakkuk 2:18 NKJV

18 “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?

Habakkuk 3:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

Enjambment

Enjambment -- a literary device used in poetry that occurs when a sentence or phrase runs over from one line to the next without a terminal punctuation mark, creating a smooth transition and maintaining the rhythm of the poem.

This technique allows the poem to flow more naturally, mirroring the way people speak. It can also create suspense or urgency by pushing the reader to continue to the next line to complete the thought.

Enjambment is primarily a written device used in poetry to create a seamless flow of ideas across lines without punctuation. However, it can also influence spoken poetry and rhetoric. When a poem is read aloud, enjambment affects the reader’s pacing, intonation, and rhythm, which can enhance the rhetorical effect of the poem.

In spoken word poetry or performance poetry, for example, poets often use enjambment to maintain a certain rhythm or to emphasize particular words or phrases that might be lost if the poem were simply read silently off the page. It’s a technique that bridges the gap between written text and spoken performance, adding depth and complexity to both the reading and listening experience.

So, while enjambment is a feature of the written text, its effects can certainly be felt and utilized in spoken poetry and rhetoric to powerful effect. It’s all about how the lines are delivered and the impact they have on the audience.

Shakespeare: Sonnet 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Psalm 19:1–4 NKJV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

Habakkuk 1:13 ; 2:18 ; 3:4

Habakkuk 1:13 NKJV

13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?

Habakkuk 2:18 NKJV

18 “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?

Habakkuk 3:4 NKJV

4 His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden.

Gender-matched Parallelism

Gender-matched Parallelism -- where masculine and feminine nouns occur in parallel combinations, often in poetry or poetic prose.

Leviticus 26:19 NKJV

19 I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.

e.g. Leviticus 26:19, which says, “I will make your heaven (m.) as iron (m.) And your earth (f.) as brass (f.)” Here, “heaven” and “iron” are masculine, while “earth” and “brass” are feminine, creating a parallel structure that matches in gender.

Habakkuk 2:5 ; 3:3

Habakkuk 2:5 NKJV

Habakkuk 3:3 NKJV

3 God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise.

Anabasis/Incrementum or Staircase Parallelism

Figures of speech are organized according to reasons for omission, reasons for addition, and reasons for change. Really, it helps us to understand why something is presented different than “normal” in how the wording and presentation are made.

Staircase Parallelism -- occurs in poetry and prose where the second part of a verse or a sentence echoes or repeats a phrase from the first part and adds an element that carries forward or completes the sense. This allows the development of a thought by building upon a previous statement, and creating a “staircase” effect as the idea ascends with each line.

The Greeks called the concept of increasingor ascent, which is a growing of an idea or concept, ἀνάβασις -- ANABASIS and the Latins called it INCREMENTUM (In´-crē-men´-tum) from the Latin incresco, to grow on or upon, from which we got our words “increase” and “increment.” If the gradataion is decreasing instead of increasing, it is called Catabasis vs. Anabasis. Sometimes this growth is called AUXESIS, which means growth or increase.

If the increase is from a weaker to a stronger expression, it is called Climax.

If the increase is not one of intensity from vehemence to greater vehemence, or evil to greater evil, but is rather expressing the progression from mundane matters to spiritual matters, or from the terestrial to the celestial, then the figure is called an ANOGOGE, which means to lead or lead up, literally an up-leading.

e.g. Exodus 15:6:

Exodus 15:6 NKJV

6 “Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.

Notice the step made from the right hand of YHWH being glorious in power, to dashing the enemy in pieces. This is a step of progression from a statement of the omnipotence ability of YHWH in ability, to an expression of the omnipotence in action. From ability to action. A step.

An Anabasis that we have studied can be found in Psalm 1:1

Psalm 1:1 NKJV

1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

Note that we have a progression of the concept from walks to stands to sits. And note that there is a progression from the counsel of the ungodly to the path of sinners to the seat of the scornful. This gives us a progression from hearing from the evil doer, to being with the evil doer, to making judgment like the evil doer. This is a classic move from temptation to sin to evil, or a move from Cosmic System 1 into Cosmic System 2. But our subject is the אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ — ASHRE HA ISH or the BLESSED-MAN, so there is no progression. He does not listen to the ungodly, therefore he does not behave as the ungodly, and therefore he does not execute justice as the ungodly.

This progression is a powerful way to present a truth. You may have heard the account of the gospel preacher SM Lockridge who preached that it was Friday, but Sunday is a Comin’ which was made famous again by Anthony or Tony Compolo in the 1990’s

Here is the Message. It is short but sweet.

It’s Friday Jesus is praying Peter’s a sleeping Judas is betraying But Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday Pilate’s struggling The council is conspiring The crowd is vilifying They don’t even know That Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday The disciples are running Like sheep without a shepherd Mary’s crying Peter is denying But they don’t know That Sunday’s a comin’!

It’s Friday The Romans beat my Jesus They robe him in scarlet They crown him with thorns But they don’t know That Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday See Jesus walking to Calvary His blood dripping His body stumbling And his spirit’s burdened But you see, it’s only Friday Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday The world’s winning People are sinning And evil’s grinning.

It’s Friday The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands To the cross They nail my Savior’s feet To the cross And then they raise him up Next to criminals.

It’s Friday But let me tell you something Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday The disciples are questioning What has happened to their King And the Pharisees are celebrating That their scheming Has been achieved But they don’t know It’s only Friday Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday He’s hanging on the cross Feeling forsaken by his Father Left alone and dying Can nobody save him? Ooooh It’s Friday But Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday The earth trembles The sky grows dark My King yields his spirit.

It’s Friday Hope is lost Death has won Sin has conquered and Satan’s just a laughin’.

It’s Friday Jesus is buried A soldier stands guard And a rock is rolled into place.

But it’s Friday It is only Friday Sunday is a comin’!

Habakkuk 3:8 NKJV

8 O Lord, were You displeased with the rivers, Was Your anger against the rivers, Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation?

Wednesday August 7, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are continuing our review of figures of speech that are used in the Hebrew, and are often evident in the English too. Last week, we reviewed Anabasis or Incrementum or Staircase Parallelism.

Anabasis/Incrementum or Staircase Parallelism

We had looked at the famous sermon — It’s Friday, but Sunday is a Coming. It builds in intensity using the same phrase over and over until the end conclusion is reached.

Funny how many had thought this was a black preacher technique. But in truth it is a figure of speech that has been used in many languages in an effective way. This figure of speech can transcends any particular languages and be translated effectively into other languages.

That sermon ended after railing on and on from a human viewpoint perspective about the tragedy of the trail of sorrow and suffering that led to the crucifixion, but married it to an enjoinder to remember that it is Friday … but Sunday is comin’ with the implied reference to the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, proving that the human viewpoint that sees current circumstances vividly cannot see clearly.

the final three stanzas:

It’s Friday Hope is lost Death has won Sin has conquered and Satan’s just a laughin’.

It’s Friday Jesus is buried A soldier stands guard And a rock is rolled into place.

But it’s Friday It is only Friday Sunday is a comin’!

Use of the this staircase parallelism or Anabasis is powerful

We move onto the next type of a figure of speech which is a subset of Anabasis in a form called

Climatic Parallelism

This is the climactic form of Anabasis that we looked at previously.

Climatic Parallelism -- repetition of a word or phrase from one line in subsequent lines, building until a theme is developed and culminating in a main idea or statement. This form of parallelism creates a sense of climax or crescendo, intensifying the impact of the words as the reader progresses through the lines.

here is a simple phrase used of Julius Caesar that has been quoted into infami, about his own swift victory over Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela.

He came, he saw, he conquered.

It is actually a translation of the Latin

“Veni, vidi, vici”

Which is not only climactic parallelism, it is alliterative and assonantal in that it has the same consonants, it has the same vowels, it is repetitive and it is climactic parallelism.

In the third person Latin like we quote it in English, it would be

“Venit, vidit, vicit”

Climactic parallelism, also known as staircase parallelism or climax, is a rhetorical device where words, phrases, or clauses are arranged in ascending order of importance or intensity. The purpose of this technique is to create a sense of building excitement, tension, or significance, leading to a peak or culmination that emphasizes the final element.

This device is often used to:

Enhance impact: By arranging ideas from least to most important, the speaker or writer can lead the audience to a powerful conclusion.

Create rhythm: The repetition of structure in parallelism adds a musical quality to the language, which can make the message more memorable.

Focus attention: The gradual increase in significance draws the listener’s or reader’s focus to the most important point.

Persuade: In speeches or advertising, climactic parallelism can be used to persuade by presenting arguments in a way that makes the final point seem the most compelling

Here’s an example of climactic parallelism:

He is a man who has lost his dreams, his dignity, and finally, his humanity.

In this sentence, the ideas escalate in emotional weight, culminating in the most impactful concept, “his humanity,” which leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

Climactic parallelism is a powerful tool in both written and spoken language, capable of moving an audience and leaving a strong impression of the message’s key points. Psalm 29:1-2

Psalm 29:1–2 NKJV

1 Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength. 2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

In Habakkuk we have an example of double parallel, climactic parallelism

Habakkuk 3:2

Habakkuk 3:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

When we get to it we will see that there is a strong link with verse 16

Habakkuk 3:16 NKJV

16 When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered my bones; And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble. When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops.

We seem to forget that Israel based its religion on the work of God and not on any mystical experience. But Habakkuk makes his appeal to the actions of God in the future to reflect the actions of God in the past.

Pivot-pattern Parallelism

Pivot-pattern Parallelism -- involves the use of a pivot word, which serves as a fulcrum in a sentence or line of poetry, allowing the meaning to shift in a significant way. This pivot word typically appears in the middle of a parallel structure, creating a balance while also introducing a turn or change in the direction of the thought.

She danced through the day, and through the night, the stars.

Here we see that the phrase and the thought pivots on “through.” After the pivot the idea changes from dancing through the diurnal cycle to dancing through the stars.

One hand she dances through the day and night;

on the other hand she dances from earth to the stars

Pivot pattern parallelism, also known as antithetical parallelism, is a rhetorical device that involves presenting two contrasting ideas in a parallel manner. The purpose of this technique is to highlight the contrast between the two ideas, which can emphasize a point, create a memorable impact, or clarify a concept by juxtaposing it with its opposite.

This form of parallelism can serve several rhetorical purposes:

Pivot Pattern Parallelism

Emphasize Contrast: By placing opposing ideas side by side, the contrast between them is accentuated, making each idea stand out more clearly.

Create Balance: The parallel structure provides a sense of balance and symmetry in the writing, which can be aesthetically pleasing and rhetorically effective.

Enhance Rhythm: The repetition of structure adds a rhythmic quality to the language, which can make the argument more persuasive and the prose more engaging.

Strengthen Argument: By comparing and contrasting ideas, a writer or speaker can make a stronger case for their viewpoint.

An example of pivot pattern parallelism could be:

To err is human; to forgive, divine.

In this sentence, the human capacity to make mistakes is contrasted with the divine quality of forgiveness, creating a powerful and memorable statement about the nature of humanity and forgiveness.

Overall, pivot pattern parallelism is a versatile and effective tool in rhetoric that can add depth and resonance to both written and spoken language. It’s particularly useful in persuasive writing and speeches where the goal is to influence the audience’s thoughts and feelings.

Habakkuk 1:17 NKJV

17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

Chiasmus

Chiasmus -- words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form. The Greek word “khiasmos” means “crossing,” and it’s used to create an artistic effect by reversing the structure of phrases or clauses.

“Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.”

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

“Never ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”

Chiasmus is a rhetorical device that serves several purposes in speech and writing. It involves the reversal of the structure of two parallel phrases, creating a mirrored or crisscross pattern that can enhance the impact of the words.

Chiasmus:

Emphasis: Chiasmus can be used to highlight a particular point or to draw attention to a specific concept or idea.

Artistic Effect: The mirrored structure of chiasmus often produces an artistic effect, making the phrase more memorable and pleasing to the ear.

Balance and Symmetry: By inverting the order of words or phrases, chiasmus creates a sense of balance and symmetry in the language, which can be aesthetically pleasing.

Contrast: Chiasmus can emphasize contrasts between ideas or themes, often enhancing the meaning through the juxtaposition of opposing concepts2.

Rhythm and Beauty: The use of chiasmus adds rhythm and beauty to prose or poetry, making the text more engaging and lyrical.

Memorability: The distinctive structure of chiasmus makes it easier for the audience to remember the phrase or the point being made.

Overall, chiasmus is a powerful tool in rhetoric that can make language more effective and impactful. It’s often used by writers and speakers to leave a lasting impression on their audience.

This is very common in the the book of proverbs.

Proverbs 11:18:

Proverbs 11:18 NASB95

18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.

Here we have a transposition between the fruit of labor, here called earning wages in the beginning and called the true reward or sure reward in the NKJV and KJV which all mean a genuine reward.

This is a non verbal sentence, so the “gets” is not actually in the sentence. This is done to make the point more intense or strong. The intense idea is intended to emphasize that there is a genuine reward for the righteous.

While that was our example, notice that this verse is in the midst of an expanded quintuplet of Chiasmic verses on the same subject. Chiasmic is so common that we often simply refer to it as a Hebraism, this technique of parallel transposition used in Hebrew prose and poetry.

Proverbs 11:17-21.

These Chiasms are all contributors to the economic idea that true compensation is provided by the Lord, and that both righteousness and real labor have reward, whereas cruelty and economic abuse causes personal harm.

Proverbs 11:17–21 NKJV

17 The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh. 18 The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward. 19 As righteousness leads to life, So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death. 20 Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord, But the blameless in their ways are His delight. 21 Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.

There are a number of Chiasmi in Habakkuk; you may also notice other rhetorical figures of speech incorporated, like Anabasis Parallelism, climactic, pivot

Habakkuk 1:2, 3, 4 ; 2:1, 6, 9, 14, 16 ; 3:3.

We are going to look at Habakkuk verses 1-3 which are all in 3+2 meter, whereas verse 4 is in 3+3 meter. An example of that in Enhlish is

For the 3+2 meter:

Bright Day’s End,

Stars shine.

A whole poem would be:

Bright day's end,

Stars shine.

Moon ascends,

Night's sign.

Dreams extend,

Incline.

For the 3+3 meter:

Day is bright,

Night takes flight,

A whole poem in 3+3 meter:

Day is bright,

Night takes flight.

Stars ignite,

Moon's soft light.

Dreams alight,

Hold them tight.

Peace in sight,

Sleep's delight.

Wednesday August 14, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

Here are some key aspects of Habakkuk's writing:

1 -- Dialogue with God: Unlike other Hebrew prophets, all of Habakkuk’s words are addressed to God. His book tells us about his personal struggle to believe that God is good when there is so much tragedy and evil in the world.

2 -- Use of Lament: Many of Habakkuk’s words are poems of lament, similar to the lamentations in the book of Psalms. In a lament, the poet lodges a complaint to draw God’s attention to the suffering and injustice in the world and then demands that God do something, conveying the urgency and fervor of his plea.

3 -- Chiastic Structure: The book of Habakkuk has been discovered to consist of a closely knit chiastic structure throughout. This is a specific literary form where thoughts are arranged in a pattern of parallel thoughts arranged with non-parallel thoughts.

4 -- Journey from Confusion to Confidence: Habakkuk wrote to show that God is righteous to judge His people and that uncertain times need to be met by a necessary faith. He details his own journey from confusion to confidence, beginning with “why” and ending with worship.

5—Rich in Poetry and Prose: Habakkuk’s work consists mostly of poetry with some prose discourse. It is divided into three parts, each addressing different themes, such as Israel’s injustice, the woes God pronounces against Babylon, and the call to trust God and his ultimate justice.

These elements contribute to the richness and depth of Habakkuk’s work, making it a magnificent contribution to the literary and theological landscape of the Old Testament.

We are continuing our review of figures of speech that are used in the Hebrew, and are often evident in the English too. Last week, we reviewed Anabasis or Incrementum or Staircase Parallelism, Climactic Parallelism, Pivot-pattern Parallelism, and finally we started on Chiasmus. Chiasmus is about reversing the order of something like the saying "When the going gets tough, the tough get going” or RFK’s famous line “Never ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”

Chiasmus Figures of Speech in Habakkuk

Now as we look at these keep in mind that the chiasmus is in the Hebrew, and the English translators often don’t put the effort into reflecting the chiasmus in the English.

Habakkuk 1:2, 3, 4 ; 2:1, 6, 9, 14, 16 ; 3:3.

Habakkuk 1:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.

Habakkuk 1:3 NKJV

3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.

Habakkuk 1:4 NKJV

4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

Habakkuk 2:1 NKJV

1 I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.

Habakkuk 2:6 NKJV

Habakkuk 2:9 NKJV

9 “Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!

Habakkuk 2:14 NKJV

14 For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:16 NKJV

16 You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you, And utter shame will be on your glory.

Habakkuk 3:3 NKJV

3 God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise.

Inclusio

Inclusio -- repetition of a certain phrase or theme at both the beginning and the end of a literary work or section within it.

Inclusio is a rhetorical device that serves to frame a section of text by using repetition at both the beginning and end. This technique can have several rhetorical functions:

Inclusio

Structural Purpose: It provides a clear structure to the text, signaling the start and end of a particular section or theme.

Emphasis on Theme: By repeating phrases or concepts, inclusio emphasizes the central theme or message within the framed section.

Unity and Coherence: It creates a sense of unity and coherence, tying together disparate parts of a text or argument.

Highlighting Relationships: Inclusio can highlight the relationship between the opening and closing material, often revealing a deeper connection or contrast.

Aesthetic Appeal: The repetition can add an aesthetic quality to the text, making it more memorable and engaging for the reader.

Interpretive Clue: It can provide interpretive clues to the reader, suggesting how the enclosed material should be understood in relation to the repeated phrases.

Overall, inclusio is a powerful literary tool that writers use to organize their work, reinforce their message, and engage their audience. It’s commonly found in ancient literature, including biblical texts, where it helps to highlight significant passages and themes.

Habakkuk 2:4, 20e

Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV

4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

Habakkuk 2:20e NKJV

20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

I’ve given you a couple of outlines in our introduction. Here is our outline of Habakkuk that we will be mostly working from.

- Outline of Habakkuk

Title Verse: The Oracle of Habakkuk (1:1)

I. Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

-1 — Habakkuk’s First Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (1:2–4)

- 2 — God’s First Answer: Look and Be Amazed (1:5–11)

- (1) The Revelation of God’s Work (1:5–6)

- (2) The Description of the Babylonian Army (1:7–11)

-3 — Habakkuk’s Second Question: Why Do You Tolerate the Treacherous? (1:12–17)

- (1) A Description of the Lord (1:12–13)

- (2) A Description of How the Babylonians Treat Other Nations (1:14–17)

- 4 — God’s Second Answer: Write the Revelation of Righteousness (2:1–5)

- (1) The Prophet on the Watchtower Awaiting an Answer (2:1)

- (2) The Lord Promising Revelation (2:2–3)

- (3) The Lord’s Contrast of Wicked and Righteous (2:4–5)

II. Anonymous, Scornful Words of Woe (2:6–20)

- 1 — Woe to the Extortioner (2:6–8)

- 2 — Woe to the Greedy and Arrogant (2:9–11)

- 3 — Woe to Those Who Build on Bloodshed (2:12–14)

- 4 — Woe to the Drunk and Violent (2:15–17)

- 5 — Woe to the Maker of an Idol (2:18–20)

III. Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1–19)

- 1 — The Title Verse: A Prayer of the Prophet (3:1)

- 2 — Habakkuk’s Confession and Petition: Renew Awesome Deeds (3:2)

- 3 — A Description of the Lord’s Appearing in Angry Power (3:3–15)

- 4 — Habakkuk’s Response to the Lord: I Wait Quivering and Patient (3:16)

- 5 — Habakkuk’s Confidence in the Lord: God Is My Savior No Matter What (3:17–19)[1]

[1]Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 287.

Habakkuk 1:1–2 NKJV

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.

Can any book be more up-to-date than one that questions the prosperity of the wicked and the demise of the righteous? Habakkuk asked the questions the suffering people of his day were asking:

How can the wicked prosper?

How can God not answer when the righteous suffer?

More importantly, he was not content to hear human philosophies about these questions.

He asked God to answer these questions.

The prophet’s challenge to God makes the book unusual in the Old Testament, but not without precedent. In his confessions Jeremiah complained to God about the troubles he faced. Moses complained to God about God’s apparent silence. Job complained about his suffering. The largest part of the Psalms addresses human laments to God about earthly injustice. The Book of Habakkuk deals with the prophet’s questions and God’s answers to the dilemmas of individuals and nations. The book closes with one of the most significant affirmations of faith in any religious book.

The initial section of Habakkuk (1:1–2:5) contains a series of challenges and questions by Habakkuk and answers from the Lord. Habakkuk questioned how God could remain silent in the presence of wickedness. How could God not punish the wicked in Judah? “How long Yahweh waits before moving against sin and why Yahweh waits must be answered if the earlier parts of the Twelve are to remain viable warnings.”1

God responded to Habakkuk’s plea by showing what he would soon do in history, rousing the wicked Babylonians to punish Judah. God’s surprising answer raised a second question: How could God use such a wicked instrument to punish Judah? God’s reply has reverberated throughout the history of the church: the righteous will live by faithfulness.

Wednesday August 21, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

The Oracle of Habakkuk (1:1)

As we begin our exegesis, which means the drawing out from the text of the passage, of Habakkuk, I want to start by showing you some different translational work of verse 1 of chapter 1.

I want to see if you can notice some of the differences.

Habakkuk 1:1

Habakkuk 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

Habakkuk 1:1 NIV

1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.

Habakkuk 1:1 NASB95

1 The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

Habakkuk 1:1 KJV 1900

1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.

Superscription

1:1 Prophetic books usually contain a superscription or title verse with the essential information needed by the person hearing or reading the prophecy. The larger books generally contain more detailed information than the smaller ones.

The Book of Habakkuk contains only the most essential information. From the title verse the reader knows only that the message comes from a prophet named Habakkuk, who is otherwise unknown in the Old Testament.

Neither the prophet’s hometown (see Nah 1:1 ) nor his lineage (see Zeph 1:1 ) is known.

Nahum 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

Zephaniah 1:1 NKJV

1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

Information about dating the prophet is also missing, as is information about his audience (cp. Amos 1:1 ; Mic 1:1 ; Isa 1:1 ; and Nah 1:1 ).

Amos 1:1 NKJV

1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Micah 1:1 NKJV

1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Isaiah 1:1 NKJV

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Nahum 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

Back to our Superscription:

Habakkuk 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

Superscriptions, also known as titles, are found in many of the books in the Hebrew Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms. They provide additional context or information about the text that follows, such as the author, the intended audience, the purpose of the text, or instructions for its use.

In the Psalms many of the 150 canonical psalms have superscriptions or titles, such as “Of David,” “For the choirmaster,” and “According to the lilies.”

These superscriptions are often displayed in fine print in English Bibles, suggesting to the modern reader that these superscriptions are secondary in some way. However, in the best manuscripts, such as the famous and respected Aleppo Codex (ca. AD 930), the superscriptions form the first line or even pair of lines in the psalm. They are not written in smaller script as if they are secondary to the biblical text.

To the Chief Musician. With Stringed Instruments. A Psalm of David.

Psalm 4:1 NKJV

1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

The phrase "Of David" (לְדָּוִד ledawid in Hebrew), is found in 84 superscriptions, has been a subject of debate among scholars. It could mean “for (the reigning descendant of) David” or "belonging to David" in the sense that he is the author.

It's important to note that while the superscriptions provide valuable context, their interpretation can vary, and they should be considered alongside the following text.

Were these superscriptions in the Psalms original? Or were they added at a later time?

Most English Bibles display the superscriptions in fine print. This suggests to the modern reader that these superscriptions are somehow secondary.

But this is not what we find in our best manuscripts; as far back as the famous and respected Aleppo Codex (ca. AD 930), carefully written Hebrew Bibles display poetry in couplets—pairs of lines separated by spacing or accents. Although the psalm superscriptions sometimes appear centered over the first pair of lines, they usually form the first line or even pair of lines in the psalm. Either way, tiny accent marks in the text indicate that the superscriptions either are verse 1 or are part of verse 1 in each psalm.

In the Hebrew Manuscripts the superscriptions are not written in smaller script as if they are secondary to the biblical text.

In the Masada Psalms Scroll (MasPsa) from the late first century BC, the psalm titles' layout, spacing, and writing precisely match that of the Aleppo Codex. So, the tradition in the Aleppo Codex goes back to our earliest manuscripts. In some Dead Sea Scrolls, the psalms are written as prose and not laid out in parallel lines (for example, 11QPsa). Even in such manuscripts, the titles are always the first part of the psalm text in normal writing. Yet again, there is no indication that they are secondary or added later.

Scholars have long debated the meaning of the Hebrew phrase ledawid, since it is found in 84 superscriptions that is over half of the Psalms.

They wonder if it could mean “for (the reigning descendant of) David?”

The most natural meaning of the phrase לְדָּוִד ledawid is “of David” (le = of; dawid = David), in the sense of “belonging to.” This could mean belonging to a Davidic psalm collection or belonging to David, in the sense that he is the author.

The use of the same le preposition in Isaiah 38:9 and Habakkuk 3:1 shows that authorship is grammatically possible;

Isaiah 38:9 NKJV

9 This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

Habakkuk 3:1 NKJV

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.

These verses attribute authorship to Hezekiah and Habakkuk, respectively (many scholars, even if they disregard these titles, believe that the Masoretic scribes who gave us the Hebrew Bible intended to communicate Davidic authorship through these titles).

There is more evidence to consider: 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18 record the same psalm, and the title of 2 Samuel 22:2 clearly states that “David spoke [these words] to Yahweh.”

So ledawid in Psalm 18 must mean “belonging to David” as the author. Also, psalm titles with historical notes contain information that supports David’s authorship (for example, Ps 51:1–2).

Psalm 51:1–2 NKJV

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

Many verses concern David’s poetic gifts and interest in the liturgy. Finally, and importantly, the New Testament interprets the titles this way (Matt 22:43-45 ; Mark 12:36-37 ; Luke 20:42 ; Acts 1:16 ; 2:25 ; 4:25 ; Rom 4:6; 11:9

Matthew 22:43–45 NKJV

43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’? 45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”

Mark 12:36–37 NKJV

36 For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ 37 Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.

Luke 20:42 NKJV

42 Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,

Acts 1:16 NKJV

16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;

Acts 2:25 NKJV

25 For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.

Acts 4:25 NKJV

25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?

Romans 11:9 NKJV

9 And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them.

; Heb 4:7 .

Hebrews 4:7 NKJV

7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”

The same le preposition is prefixed to

Solomon (Pss 72, 127),

Moses (Ps 90),

Asaph (12 times),

Heman the Ezrahite (Ps 88),

Ethan the Ezrahite (Ps 89),

and the sons of Korah (11 times).

These are all best understood in terms of authorship. This uniformity is not contradicted by the phrase “for the choir director,” for there the le preposition does not function in the same way, as is evident from the structure of the titles (see below).

Some have argued that because the Psalms speak of the temple, the poet could not be David, for the temple was not yet built in his time.

Note, however, that both “house of Yahweh” (1 Sam 1:7, 3:15 ) and “temple” (1 Sam 1:9, 3:3 ) are used in the narrative of Hannah during the time of the judges, and there was no temple then, either.

1 Samuel 1:7 NKJV

7 So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.

1 Samuel 3:15 NKJV

15 So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision.

1 Samuel 1:9 NKJV

9 So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord.

1 Samuel 3:3 NKJV

3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down,

These terms can refer to the institution rather than the building. Scholars have also argued that some Aramaic expressions in the Psalms are evidence of a later date for their composition.

However, the same mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic in Psalm 139, attributed to David, is also displayed in the Panammu and Zenjirli inscriptions of the ninth century BC. This cannot be an argument for a late date.

The reliability of the superscriptions in the Psalms

Most scholars from 1880 to 1990 were skeptical about the age and the value of the psalm superscriptions. However, it is mischievous to pit historical methods against linguistic, literary, and theological methods. Elsewhere in the ancient Near East, hymns have superscriptions and subscriptions.3

Titles are frequently lacking in the latest psalms, such as the post-exilic Psalm 137.

Authorship is given in Exodus 15; 2 Samuel 1, 22; Habakkuk 3; and Isaiah 38:9.

If there was a tendency to add titles at a later time, why do we have so many orphan psalms—psalms with no title?

Why would later editors introduce material into the title not found in the historical books or readily inferred from the psalm (see Pss 7; 30; 60)?

And if the psalm titles were added at a later date, why were they not understood by those who translated the ancient versions?

Phrases like “for the choir director” (or “leading musician”) were actually misunderstood by both the Greek translators of the Septuagint (ca. 200 BC) and the later Jewish revisers like Theodotion, Aquila, and Symmachus (ca. AD 150).

They interpreted the term according to its meaning in post-biblical Hebrew.

If the titles had been added later, the language would not have been obscure to them. Instead, the language in the titles was already archaic and obscure by the second century BC. Similarly, the rubrics of ancient Sumerian hymns are just as obscure to Sumerologists.

Using the Psalm superscriptions

Since the superscriptions in the psalms are part of the inspired text of Scripture, how can Christians make better use of them in Bible study?

The first step is careful analysis. The psalm titles have a consistent structure.

The nucleus or core of these titles presents either the genre of the text (maskil = “contemplative,” shir = “song,” tehillah = “praise,” tepilla = “prayer,” mizmor = “psalm”), or the name of the author to whom the psalm is attributed (David, Asaph, Korah), or both pieces of information.

The address, such as “to the choirmaster,” can precede or follow this core.

Between the address and the nucleus, musical instructions occasionally appear. These focus on the instrumentation or the manner of playing: “on stringed instruments”; “on [the tune of ] the doe at dawn.”

Following the nucleus, one sometimes finds liturgical instructions: “a psalm for the Sabbath day”; “a psalm of love.”

Historical information may also appear: “when Nathan came to him because he went in to Bathsheba.”

The second step is to consider what the superscription tells you about the context and purpose of whatever psalm you read.

The confessions of Psalm 51 mean far more because of the circumstances surrounding the psalm—David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah.

The superscription of Psalm 56 sheds light on the psalm and the situation in 2 Samuel, which gave rise to it.

All evidence suggests that we should respect the psalm titles as part of the original text of the Psalter as a book. It is heartening to see recent scholars using the evidence in the titles to show what motivated the arrangement of the Psalms as a book.

Burden — מַשָּׂא -- MASSAH

Habakkuk 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

The reader knows only that the book contains the burden (oracle) that Habakkuk, the prophet, saw. “Oracle” or “burden” (maśśāʾ) is a common way to describe prophetic material, especially material that deals with prophecy against foreign nations. It is the least understood of the words describing the content of the prophetic books. The word describes prophetic utterances that primarily speak of foreign nations, but the word carries the idea of a load or burden as if the prophet was burdened with the message he received from the Lord. It has “negative, ominous tones,” but in Habakkuk, it has “a broader meaning.… It refers to all the divine words the prophet receives, regardless of their nature … (and) is synonymous with ‘divine revelation.’ ”

The commentator Weis has described the process of producing such an oracle. A person, or persons, in the prophet’s community asks a question about God’s intervention or lack of it in some experience of the community. God gives the prophet the oracle as the response. An oracle is thus based on revelation concerning a forthcoming divine action. The oracle may give either insight into the future or directions for the audience’s present actions.

The title verse finds a structural parallel in 3:1.

This raises the exegetical question: is 1:1 an introduction to the book's first two chapters or the book as a whole?

The same phenomenon is found in Isa 1:1 ; 2:1 ; 13:1 ; 14:28 ; 15:1 ; 17:1 ; 21:1, 11, 13 ; 22:1 ; 23:1

Isaiah 1:1 NKJV

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Isaiah 2:1 NKJV

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Isaiah 13:1 NKJV

1 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

Isaiah 14:28 NKJV

28 This is the burden which came in the year that King Ahaz died.

Isaiah 15:1 NKJV

1 The burden against Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste And destroyed, Because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste And destroyed,

Isaiah 17:1 NKJV

1 The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.

Isaiah 21:1 NKJV

1 The burden against the Wilderness of the Sea. As whirlwinds in the South pass through, So it comes from the desert, from a terrible land.

Isaiah 21:11 NKJV

11 The burden against Dumah. He calls to me out of Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?”

Isaiah 21:13 NKJV

13 The burden against Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will lodge, O you traveling companies of Dedanites.

Isaiah 22:1 NKJV

1 The burden against the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,

Isaiah 23:1 NKJV

1 The burden against Tyre. Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, So that there is no house, no harbor; From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them.

Chapter 3 contains its own introduction, calling the chapter a prayer of Habakkuk. It is most probable that both Habakkuk and Isaiah intend the original superscription to cover the entire canonical book, the following superscriptions being limited to the section or chapter they introduce.

Habakkuk’s message burdened the prophet, and it burdened the righteous in Judah. How could righteous Josiah die at the hands of a pagan king? How could Jehoiakim ever reign in the place of Josiah on the throne of Judah? Habakkuk, burdened with the apparent success of the wicked, sought to unload his burden on the Lord. Through Habakkuk’s questions, God spoke an eventual message of hope and deliverance to the people of Judah.

Although the name of a prophet often seemed to have significance in the Old Testament, Habakkuk’s name appears to have been an exception. The name means “to embrace” or “to caress.” An additional suggestion takes the name to have been a word for an Assyrian garden flow possibly used as a nickname. In the apocryphal Bel and the Dragon, the prophet is called “Habakkuk, son of Jesus of the tribe of Levi,” a tradition linking Habakkuk to the priesthood.

End of 8/21/2024

Wednesday August 28, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

The Oracle of Habakkuk (1:1)

Superscription

In the Superscript we have reference ot the Burden, which is the prophecy itself,

Burden — מַשָּׂא -- MASSAH

and reference to he who is burdened, the Prophet Habakkuk.

The Prophet — נָבִיא -- NAVI

Habakkuk 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

The title verse identifies Habakkuk as “the prophet,” an unusual designation for the title verse of a prophetic book. Only Habakkuk, Haggai, and Zechariah are identified in this way in the title verses. The Hebrew word for “prophet” (nābîʾ) has traditionally been interpreted as coming from a Hebrew root meaning “to bubble up,” apparently indicating the overflowing message of the prophet. More recently, Semitists have related nābîʾ to an Akkadian term meaning “to call,” but the question remains whether this is active, one who calls (i.e., a speaker or preacher who is calling out) or one who God calls out for service to Himself. Most often, contemporary scholars prefer the passive interpretation emphasizing the divine calling, of being called, or called out.

The prophet is God’s “authorized spokesman” (Exod 6:28–7:2 ; Num 12:1–8 ; Deut 18:9–22 ). Here are some examples.

We start with our first example, which comes with a twist.

Exodus 6:28-7:2

Exodus 6:28–7:2 NKJV

28 And it came to pass, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?” 1 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.

Earlier we see the same/similar conversation in verse 12

Exodus 6:12

Exodus 6:12 NKJV

12 And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

This analogy is an example of a qal wahomer comparison. It is an argument by inference from the light (qal) to the heavy (homer), from the simple to the more difficult. If the Israelites, who are Yahwists, would not listen to him, it is highly unlikely Pharaoh would.

So even though Moses is the established prophet, he says that the people of Israel will not respect or listen to him, because his lips are uncircumcised.

Many make this seem that Moses is inept in speech. But that is because of their English translation ...

Exodus 6:12 NASB95

12 But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?”

Exodus 6:12 NIV

12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?”

Really the translators have led the readers astry in my thinking. This has led to a view that Moses was an incapable speaker. Yet we have many instances where he addressed the nation and spoke admirably and eloquently.

I think the idea that Moses was saying that his lips were uncircumcised was a reflection that to the people of Israel, they say Moses, a scion of Egypt, educated in Egypt, possibly with the dialect of the Midianites to some degree? But he likely did not sound like a Hebrew, or was viewed as a fake Hebrew because of his Egyptian heritage (which he threw away to follow the Messiah).

Remember that the Midianites were a people group descended from Midian who was one of Abraham’s sons via his wife after Sarah, named Keturah.

Genesis 25:1-4

Genesis 25:1–4 NKJV

1 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

Here is a modern day map, so you can think about this.

There have been significant Midianite archaeological finds in the Oasis of Qurayyah.

This site has been extensively excavated and is believed to have been a major urban center in the land of Midian. Archaeologists have uncovered distinctive painted pottery known as Qurayyah Painted Ware, as well as evidence of trade and cultural connections with Egypt, the Levant, and Mesopotamia

Exodus 6:9

Back to Moses we are told in verse 9 that the people paid no attention to him because they were defeated and crushed.

Exodus 6:9 NKJV

9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

In other words, the sons of Jacob, were not seeing themselves as the sons of the promise, the sons of Israel. They could only see their circumstances. They could not believe God or someone who came and spoke on behalf of God who did not share their voice, their experience, their labor, their grief.

But YHWH did.

We see again, this calling, the calling of a prophet for God, mentioned in

Numbers 12:1-8

Numbers 12:1–8 NKJV

1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?”

Deuteronomy 18:9-22

Deuteronomy 18:9–22 NKJV

9 “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. 15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ 17 “And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

Prophets must, according to Deuteronomy 13 and Deuteronomy 18

must be an Israelite,

must speak in God’s name,

must have supernatural knowledge about the future authenticated by God’s fulfillment,

must perform signs,

and must have his words conform to those of Moses and other prophets.

End of 8/28/2024

Wednesday September 4, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

The Oracle of Habakkuk 1:1

Habakkuk 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

Superscription

In the Superscript we have reference ot the Burden, which is the prophecy itself,

Burden — מַשָּׂא -- MASSAH

and reference to he who is burdened, the Prophet Habakkuk.

The Prophet — נָבִיא -- NAVI

Prophets must, according to Deuteronomy 13 and Deuteronomy 18

must be an Israelite,

must speak in God’s name,

must have supernatural knowledge about the future authenticated by God’s fulfillment,

must perform signs,

and must have his words conform to those of Moses and other prophets.

These speakers for God had a job description:

“The prophets were preachers who communicated God’s words in order to transform their audience’s thinking and social behavior.… They were persuading people to look at life radically differently.” We see this in Jeremiah 3:6-13.

Jeremiah 3:6–13 NKJV

6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. 7 And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord. 11 Then the Lord said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. 13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.

It has been said that the role of the pastor is to Comfort the Afflicted, but the Afflict the Comfortable. Funny, this was originally attributed to the role of the Newspapers by Finley Peter Dunne, a 19th-century journalist who wrote under the pseudonym Mr. Dooley. Funny, comfort/afflict role was abandoned by the press as it abandoned true journalism and now can only be applied in other areas. But it truly applies to the role of the Pastor/Shepherd of God’s sheep.

In the Old Testament, the term “prophet” could refer to the counterfeit as well as the genuine. In Jeremiah 28, both Jeremiah and the false prophet Hananiah are designated in the same way. The prophet proclaimed the message of the Lord and served as a spokesman for God, as Exod 4:14–16 ; 7:1 indicates.

Exodus 4:14–16 NKJV

14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.

Exodus 7:1 NKJV

1 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

Prophets proclaimed a message that impacted the future and often made predictions, but the nature of the prophetic message primarily involved contemporary society.

Prophets were eyeball-to-eyeball preachers.

They called contemporary people to repentance, and they expected the hearers to act on the word of the Lord. They preached to people of their own day, but the message continues in modern society.

How can a message over twenty-six hundred years old impact our contemporary world?

(1) The prophetic message continues to speak to us because it is the message of God.

Because it comes from God, it continues to communicate the ways of God to modern people.

(2) The prophets forged their message in historical circumstances.

The message of God came to real people in the everyday experiences of life as well as in times of crisis.

(3) Though society has changed, human nature has not changed.

People still need to know that God is at work in the historical situation. People continue to face the problem of sin and the necessity for repentance.f

Habakkuk — חֲבַקּ֖וּק

Received — חָזָ֔ה — HAZAH

Habakkuk 1:1

Habakkuk 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

Habakkuk “received” (Hb. ḥ̇āzāh, “saw”) the oracle of the Lord. By translating “received,” the NIV emphasizes the nature of the revelation.

Habakkuk 1:1 NIV

1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.

The NET Bible probably has the best rendition in English:

Habakkuk 1:1 NET

1 The following is the message which God revealed to Habakkuk the prophet:

The prophet received the message from the Lord, possibly while in a prophetic trance or a related condition.

The title verse of Nahum has a related word to describe “the book of the vision of Nahum.” Use of the verb “to see” to describe the means of God’s revelation is common in the prophets (Isa 1:1 ; Amos 1:1 ; Mic 1:1 ).

Isaiah 1:1 NKJV

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Amos 1:1 NKJV

Micah 1:1 NKJV

1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

At times, a prophet is called a ḣōzeh, a “seer” (Amos 7:12 ; Mic 3:7 ; Isa 29:10 ; 2 Kgs 17:13 ; 1 Sam 9:9 ).

Amos 7:12 NKJV

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos: “Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, And there prophesy.

Micah 3:7 NKJV

7 So the seers shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God.”

Isaiah 29:10 NKJV

10 For the Lord has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.

2 Kings 17:13 NKJV

13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”

1 Samuel 9:9 NKJV

9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: “Come, let us go to the seer”; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)

It is no stretch then for us to understand that a seer is not just one who can perceive something from the future, but more importantly is one who perceives what YHWH wants to communicate.

The content of much of Habakkuk’s message points to the emphasis here on reception rather than the visionary experience, for a prophecy dominated by lament and dialogue does not appear appropriately called a vision.

The superscription then authorizes all that follows as powerful divine words, even if their form and content would lead us to emphasize the human element of lament, complaint, and questioning. God used the process of human questioning to enable the prophet to receive his word for his people.

We move into our first Major division of Habakkuk then, where we deal with this Vision, this Burden, the Prophecy, this Interaction between the Prophet and the God of Israel.

End of 9/4/2024

Wednesday September 25, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

The Oracle of Habakkuk 1:1

Superscription

We previously looked at the Superscript of Habakkuk which is in verse 1.

The superscript is speaking of a Burden

Burden — מַשָּׂא -- MASSAH

The burden is the weight of the matter that the prophet must bear to communicate for God. In this case, it is slightly different as the burden from God is a burden from the people.

And with this reference to a burden, is a mention of he-who-is-burdened, the Prophet himself, Habakkuk.

The Prophet — נָבִיא -- NAVI

So we reviewed the idea of a prophet, and the qualifications for a Hebrew prophet, or any prophet, according the YHWH.

Prophets must, according to Deuteronomy 13 and Deuteronomy 18

Received — חָזָ֔ה — HAZAH

The burden of the prophet is not his burden, but rather is one that is seen, received from God, or we can say is perceived by the prophet.

We can say this is a supernatural enablement to represent and communicate.

Normally we would say that the prophet is to represent God and present or communicate from God to man. Just like we see with Moses and Aaron as they represent YHWH to sons of Jakob aka Israel, and represent YHWH and His desire for His people to Pharaoh.

In this case, it seems that Habakkuk is representing the people of Judah before God, in asking the questions that he does of God. In truth, it is God who gave him the burden to ask the questions that He might be enlightened with the answers of God.

One aspect of what is happening in Habakkuk is that God is burdening Habakkuk with a lament, a legal contestation in the courtroom of God, which God will address and provide His judicial guidance on.

I. Habakkuk: Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

Habakkuk 1:2 — 2:5

Habakkuk 1:1 — Superscript

Habakkuk 1:1 NKJV

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

Habakkuk 1:2-4

Habakkuk 1:2–4 NKJV

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. 3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. 4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

The Book of Habakkuk has a strange beginning for a prophetic book. Let’s look at the beginning of some other books, to juxtapose, and set our comparative understanding.

Isaiah begins with God’s complaint against his people.

Jeremiah begins mysteriously with God’s description of a prenatal call experience to which the prophet raises a lament.

Ezekiel starts with an eerie theophanic experience,

Amos, with a more normal theophany, followed by oracles against foreign nations, including Israel and Judah.

Hosea begins with God’s invitation to marry a harlot.

Joel begins by asking the people questions about the causes of current conditions.

Obadiah opens with God’s call to battle against Edom, introduced uniquely by plural voices.

Micah announces a theophany.

Nahum begins with a confession of faith in a jealous and avenging God of wrath.

Zephaniah starts straightforwardly with an oracle of judgment.

Haggai begins with God’s condemning quotation of a complacent people’s refusal to do his work.

Zechariah introduces a call to repentance immediately.

Malachi begins with God confessing love for people who do not believe him.

God—his word, actions, coming, and call—opens prophetic books. In all of the other prophetic books, God sets himself up as the source of the book of prophecy and the work of the NAVI or prophet.

But in Habakkuk, the prophet’s cry of complaint sounds forth hauntingly:

The prophet is weary with the world as it is.

It warns the reader to read closely between the lines and expect something different here. We must first determine why the prophet complains and ask what answer he expects.

The opening complaint finds a response rather than an answer, obviously but not explicitly from God (Habakkuk 1:5–11 ).

Habakkuk 1:5–11 NKJV

5 “Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. 6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. 7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. 9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand. 10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. 11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

How long will God spare Israel? As long as it takes to send the Babylonians against Jerusalem.

God’s response expects amazement and disbelief from the prophet without explicitly involving Judah. The prophet responds as expected in amazement, having to check his own theological confession of faith before proceeding to question God (Habakkuk 1:12–17 ).

Habakkuk 1:12–17 NKJV

12 Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. 13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he? 14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them? 15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. 16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful. 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

The prophet, not God, talks of punishment and judgment for Judah. Such punishment by such people the prophet cannot understand as the work of such a God as he worships. He must receive an answer, so he waits for God.

The Lord explicitly replies (Habakkuk 2:2–5 ), commissioning the prophet to write the revelation, a revelation centering on righteousness and faithfulness.

Habakkuk 2:2–5 NKJV

2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. 4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. 5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.

Here, the book's first central section concludes by describing the enemy’s evil but not with a promise of victory.

The section thus gives a sense of incompleteness, a sense of looking forward, while leaving an emotional aura of a disturbed world ruled by the wrong people.

All the prophet and we find to hold on to is the mysterious call to righteousness and faithfulness.

The section is tied together literarily. “The two perplexities of the prophet are begun with a question (Habakkuk 1:2, Habakkuk 1:12,

Habakkuk 1:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.

Habakkuk 1:12 NKJV

12 Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

and each of the answers starts with an imperative (Habakkuk 1:5 ; Habakkuk 2:2 ).”

Habakkuk 1:5 NKJV

5 “Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.

Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV

2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

Human nature tends to be filled with complaints, but human beings typically complain in the wrong direction.

For example:

We tend to talk about God rather than to talk TO HIM;

We tend to complain about God rather than complaining TO HIM.

Habakkuk took his complaints directly to God. He questioned how God could remain silent while the wicked prospered. I would (Hab 1:2–4 ).

Habakkuk 1:2–4 NKJV

When God answered Habakkuk’s first complaint with the revelation that God would raise the Babylonians to punish the wicked Judah (Habakkuk 1:5–11 ), Habakkuk became even more perplexed.

Habakkuk 1:5–11 NKJV

How could God use such a wicked instrument to punish the people of God (Habakkuk 1:12–17 )?

Habakkuk 1:12–17 NKJV

The very fact that Habakkuk took his complaints to God can help believers be honest in prayer, taking all our burdens to the Lord. Habakkuk’s experience shows that God is willing to hear our needs and help us deal with our problems, even when he does not answer in the way that we expect or ask.

1. Habakkuk’s First Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (Habakkuk 1:2–4 )

Habakkuk 1:2–4 NKJV

End of 9/4/2024

Wednesday October 2, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

Last week we made our way past the Superscript and through the overview of the Text we are now expositing.

The passage that we are expositing here is broken out into:

I. Habakkuk: Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

A series of questions and answers.

The first question is not only a question, but begins a legal query to God in His courtroom that honours a well developed from of genre that has been utilized impressively in the historic text of Old Testament scripture prior to the writing of Habakkuk.

Laments

I want to reiterate what we covered in our orientation to the book of Habakkuk, because it is quite personal and obvious in this location.

This is evident in what is also called the

Law-Court Pattern of Prayer, where biblical figures like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, David and others argue with God in a way that mirrors legal appeal and court behavior.

The Law-Court Pattern of Prayer:

An address to God the judge.

A presentation of the facts of the case, the complaint, and the petition brought against God and to God.

A concluding petition or request made by the individual (or Israel). In certain cases, an additional component may follow.

A divine response to the petition.

1. Habakkuk’s First Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (Habakkuk 1:2–4 )

Habakkuk 1:2-3

In Habakkuk 1:2 A unique meter marks this opening prophetic cry, these verses representing the only instance of 3 + 2 meter in the book.

Habakkuk includes the invocation, “O Lord,” and the complaint (vv. Habakkuk 1:2-3 ).

Habakkuk 1:2–3 NKJV

Habakkuk 1:4

There, the formal elements end and something new happens in verse 4.

Habakkuk 1:4 NKJV

4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

The commentator Rudolph notes that we cannot explain why except to say that Habakkuk refused to bind himself slavishly to a literary or liturgical scheme.

This is the traditional meter for the individual lament, the precise form of these verses. Verse 4 thus stands outside the lament pattern and also outside the metrical pattern, showing a 3 + 3 meter.

Verse 4b may incorporate a proverb from wisdom circles. The content of v. 4, however, comes from the courtroom.

Habakkuk 1:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.

In Habakkuk 1:2, we see that Verse 2 falls into two parallel parts, each asking the same kind of question in slightly different terms. This kind of synonymous parallelism characterized much of the poetry of the Old Testament.

The opening “tension of unanswered prayer” sets the tone for the entire book. “Habakkuk here faces the dilemma that has confronted faithful people of every age—the dilemma of seemingly unanswered prayer for the healing of society.

I has been said that the prophet is one with all those persons who fervently pray for peace in our world and who experience only war, who pray for God’s good to come on earth, and who find only human evil.

These people pray for an expected end, but only find the opposite of their prayers, aspirations, goals, dreams being fulfilled to their horror.

But the profit in his prayer is also one with every soul who has prayed for healing beside a sickbed only to be confronted with death; with every spouse who has prayed for love to come into a home and then found only hatred and anger; with every anxious person who has prayed for serenity but then been further disturbed and agitated.

With this comes the conclusion:

Habakkuk 1:4 NKJV

4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

The central theme is justice, the word appearing twice in v. 4 and signifying “that world order ordained by God for the society of the covenant people”.…

Habakkuk’s complaint is that the people of Judah abandoned the righteous order intended by God for their society, despite the fact that they renewed their covenant with the Lord and underwent a sweeping religious reform only twelve years earlier in the time of King Josiah.

The prophet’s first complaint states such evils as violence, injustice, wrong, destruction, strife, and conflict. Such descriptions can be summarized:

“The law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails” (v. 4).

The picture is a courtroom scene where the guilty party brings so many false witnesses to court that the judge eventually gives a false verdict. This happens in the earthly courtroom all too often. The situation calls for intervention from the divine Judge, who is always just and guarantees justice for his people and his world. The problem is that such divine intervention does not come.

Thus the cry,

How long?

Habakkuk’s problem lay in what he knew about the Lord rather than what he did not know.

He knew that the Lord is holy and righteous. In the words of the great Old Testament text, Habakkuk knew the Lord to be a “compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the fathers' sin to the third and fourth generation” (Exod 34:6–7 ).

Exodus 24:6-7

Exodus 34:6–7 NKJV

6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

This passage gives the most complete description of the holy God in the Old Testament. How could this holy, pure (v. 13) God leave the guilty in Judah and Jerusalem unpunished?

Habakkuk 1:13 NKJV

How could God continue to turn a deaf ear to the prophet’s complaints?

“The sorrow he felt on account of what he had seen had not been alleviated by any evidence of God’s care or concern.”

Although Habakkuk asked a question to which he expected an answer, the question is primarily a complaint. The “how long” implies that the question had been troubling the prophet for a long time. The prophet cried to God for help, but God had not heard his cry. In the Old Testament, “hearing,” like most mental functions, implied more than simple hearing. It meant to listen and to respond. God had heard Habakkuk’s cry but had not responded to the prophet’s questioning complaint. The very sense of the question implies that Habakkuk expected that God would answer at some time in the future.

The second half of the verse continues the thought of the first half. Habakkuk used a different but similar Hebrew verb meaning “to cry.”

The second verb means “to cry out in distress or horror.” The prophet called out to God about the violence in the land. The wicked oppressed the righteous, and God seemed not to care.

Violence, the Hebrew חָמָס--HAMAS is a key term punctuating the message of Habakkuk.

(Habakkuk 1:2–3, 9 ; 2:8, 17a, 17b ).

Habakkuk 1:2–3 NKJV

Habakkuk 1:9 NKJV

9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.

Habakkuk 2:8 NKJV

8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.

Habakkuk 2:17b NKJV

17 For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you, And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.

End of October 2, 2024

Wednesday October 9, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

Last week we left off talking about the question that is coming from Habakkuk and he is emphasizing the idea that there is violence in the land. This theme is continued througout the interaction that he has with YHWH.

Violence, the Hebrew חָמָס--HAMAS is a key term punctuating the message of Habakkuk.

The concept of violence is seen in passages across Habakkuk.

(Habakkuk 1:2–3, 9 ; 2:8, 17a, 17b ).

Habakkuk 1:2–3 NKJV

Habakkuk 1:9 NKJV

9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.

Habakkuk 2:8 NKJV

8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.

Habakkuk 2:17b NKJV

17 For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you, And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.

It “denotes flagrant violation of moral law by which man injures his fellowman primarily (e.g., Gen 6:11 ).

Genesis 6:11 NKJV

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Its underlying meaning is one of ethical wrong, of which physical brutality is only one possible expression (e.g., Judg 9:24 ).”

Judges 9:24 NKJV

24 that the crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers.

When did such violence and oppression occur? Since God revealed the coming power of Babylon and its control of Judah, the latest possible date would be the Battle of Carchemish of approximately 605 BC. After that battle, every discerning person would know that the balance of power had shifted in the Near East. Babylon, not Egypt nor Assyria, would dictate the future of states such as Judah.

The earliest possible date for Habakkuk’s outcry appears to have been the death of Josiah in 609 b.c. at the hands of Pharaoh Necho at the Battle of Megiddo (2 Kgs 23:29 ).

2 Kings 23:29 NKJV

29 In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him.

Before his untimely death, Josiah led the nation to a time of reform, removing the places of idolatrous worship and concentrating worship in Jerusalem, which apparently satisfied the teaching of the Book of Deuteronomy.

In the appraisal of the writer of the Kings material, Josiah reigned as a good king because of his attempts at reformation (2 Kgs 22:2 ).

2 Kings 22:2 NKJV

2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Since going back prior to the ascension of Josiah (639 b.c.) appears too early for Habakkuk’s complaints, the book must have originated between 609 and 605 b.c., most likely earlier rather than later in this period. Jeremiah knew Jehoiakim (who came to the throne in 609 b.c.) as a ruthless and merciless ruler. He cut up the scroll Jeremiah prepared and threatened the lives of Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch (Jer 36:20–26 ).

Jeremiah 36:20–26 NKJV

20 And they went to the king, into the court; but they stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the hearing of the king. 21 So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, and he took it from Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king. 22 Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him. 23 And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. 24 Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. 25 Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

The background of Jehoiakim’s reign supports the anguish of Habakkuk. Of all Judah’s evil kings, only of Jehoiakim is it said that he killed a prophet. Manasseh had shed much “innocent blood,” but only Jehoiakim had a prophet killed who is specifically named in the Old Testament (Jer 26:20–23 ).

Jeremiah 26:20–23 NKJV

20 Now there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath Jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. 21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid and fled, and went to Egypt. 22 Then Jehoiakim the king sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor, and other men who went with him to Egypt. 23 And they brought Urijah from Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

No wonder Habakkuk cried “violence” and wondered when God would act on behalf of his people.

Habakkuk 1:3

Habakkuk 1:3 NKJV

3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.

Habakkuk’s additional question continued the thought of the passage. How could God allow the prophet to see such trouble?The question implies that God’s inactivity had allowed wicked people to dominate Judah.

Such wickedness had come upon the whole land, including the prophet himself. The language picks up themes from Num 23:21 with similar verbs and objects.

Numbers 23:21 NKJV

21 “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them.

The second part of the question refers to God’s inactivity. The prophet was incredulous: how could God look at such trouble and do nothing? The NIV has caught the force of the question:

Habakkuk 1:3 NIV

3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.

“Why do you tolerate wrong?”

Though the interpretation seems free from difficulty, the remainder of v. 3 presents several problems for the translator.

The passage contains four nouns that indicate the problems in Judah during the reign of Jehoiakim. Jerusalem and Judah, under the leadership of Jehoiakim, could be described as a city of destruction and violence where contention and strife abound.

Moving to the content of the Questions in Habakkuk 1:4

Habakkuk 1:4

Habakkuk 1:4 NKJV

4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

The result of God’s abandonment of mishpat (justice) in Judean society is a state of chaos: the law is numbed, parlyzed, you might say it seems like neuropathy where the need for justice is not felt, and therefore justice does not seem to go out. The wicked surround the righteous, and justice is perverted. No wonder the prophet complained about such a sorry state of affairs. With the breakdown of the social order, the nation lacked the elemental necessities for existence. When law is paralyzed and justice perverted, the righteous become the pawns of the wicked.

Who were the wicked?

Although some interpreters have looked to identify the wicked with Babylon, most modern biblical scholars see the wicked as inhabitants in Judah, probably during the reign of Jehoiakim (609–598 b.c.).

It turns out that there is nothing in this passage that points to a foreign nation. Those who do hold to such a view do so on other grounds than the passage.

It has been pointed out by commentators that , Normally where ‘justice’ and social ‘violence’ are being opposed in the Old Testament, the ‘wicked’ are Israelites unless they are identified in other terms (e.g., Exod 23:1–9 ; Isa 5:7–15 ).”

It seems that the terms “law” and “justice” would apply to Judah more naturally than to Babylon.

Exodus 23:1–9 NKJV

1 “You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 2 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. 3 You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. 4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it. 6 “You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 7 Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous. 9 “Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 5:7–15 NKJV

7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. 8 Woe to those who join house to house; They add field to field, Till there is no place Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land! 9 In my hearing the Lord of hosts said, “Truly, many houses shall be desolate, Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant. 10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, And a homer of seed shall yield one ephah.” 11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them! 12 The harp and the strings, The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the Lord, Nor consider the operation of His hands. 13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst. 14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself And opened its mouth beyond measure; Their glory and their multitude and their pomp, And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it. 15 People shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

End of 10/9/2024

Wednesday October 16, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are in our study of the book of Habakkuk, which is broken up into the Questions and Answers that run from Chapter 1 verse 2, through Chapter 2 verse 5.

I. Habakkuk: Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

Then we have the words of Woe in Chapter 2:6 through 20.

II. Habakkuk: Words of Woe (2:6-20)

Then there is the Prayer of Habakkuk that runs from Chapter 3 verse 1 to the end in verse 19.

III. Habakkuk: Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1-19)

We pick up from our Questions and Answers portion where we have been looking at who the wicked are who are called out in the passage.

Some identify it with Babylon.

But most see it as the inhabitants of Judah during the reign of Jehoiakim (609-598 BC).

Part of the reason that we understand the opposition of Justice and Violence being commited to be about Judah is because the terms “law” and “justice” don’t really apply to the enemies of Judah, but do indeed apply quite naturally to the covenant client of YHWH.

To follow this argument we need to trace the meaning of the term for law in the Old Testament, TORAH.

So we are in the Paragraph in our outline of

I. Habakkuk: Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

1. Habakkuk’s 1st Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (1:2-4)

Our text reads,

Habakkuk 1:2–4 NKJV

and we are addressing the topic of the law.

Torah — תּוֹרָה

The law (תּוֹרָה--tôrāh) may refer to any form of authoritative ‘teaching’ (e.g., Prov 3:1 ; 4:2 );

Proverbs 3:1 NKJV

1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;

Proverbs 4:2 NKJV

2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.

Almost invariably then, TORAH refers to God’s ‘law,’ by which he reveals his will and directs the life of man.

When used in the singular without clear definition, as here, ‘law’ signifies God’s covenantal code established with Israel, given through Moses, and set forth particularly in the Book of Deuteronomy (e.g., Deut 1:5 ; 4:8 ; 17:18–19 ; 31:9 ; 33:4 ; Josh 8:31–32 ).”

Deuteronomy 1:5 NKJV

5 On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying,

Speaking of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 4:8 NKJV

8 And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?

Deuteronomy 17:18–19 NKJV

18 “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,

Deuteronomy 31:9 NKJV

9 So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:4 NKJV

4 Moses commanded a law for us, A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.

Joshua 8:31–32 NKJV

31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

This may be importing too precise a definition from the Pentateuch into prophecy.

The “law” can refer to a number of different ideas such as the Ten Commandments, the law of Moses, or specific sets of law material. The most natural meaning is the “instruction” of God without reference to specific passages of Scripture.

Now in our Habakkuk text, we can understand that God’s instructions had been violated.

Habakkuk complained to God that the prophet dwelt in the midst of a people without moral restraints or abiding values.

Does God have anything to say when society appears to be disintegrating?

Is there a message from God for a wicked age?

These became the questions of Habakkuk. Where is God, and why is he not doing something?

The righteous in every age ask similar questions.

One of the helpful lessons to be learned from Habakkuk is that God does know what is happening. He is not oblivious to wickedness in high places. In his time and his way, the Lord judges those who oppress the weak.

With the law paralyzed (lit., “numbed” or “ineffective”), justice cannot prevail.

End of 10/16/2024

Wednesday October 23, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are in our study of the book of Habakkuk, which is broken up into the Questions and Answers that run from Chapter 1 verse 2, through Chapter 2 verse 5.

In the Old Testament, justice and righteousness are intertwined. Righteousness means that a person meets the demands of a relationship.

Righteousness toward God meets the demands of the relationship with God; righteousness toward a fellow human being meant meets the demands of the relationship with another.

Justice carried righteousness into the legal sphere.

The prophets demanded righteousness in the gate, the place where justice was dispensed.

In prophetic contexts such as the one under discussion, ethical and legal standards are the same.

Justice and righteousness are the express essence of the divine will. They embodied the central authority from which the cohesion of social order stems.

Law was extensively “paralyzed” by “corruption of the religious and civil leadership of the nation” and not by foreign powers.

The lack of justice meant that the wicked had hemmed in the righteous.

and therefore without justice, the righteous have little recourse.

Unwilling to resort to the devices of the wicked, the righteous suffer when justice does not prevail.

Habakkuk 1:4 NKJV

4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

The final verb (in v. 4) describes what happens when the law is paralyzed, and justice is not carried out: the wicked hem in the righteous, and justice is “bent out of shape.” Another meaning of the verb is that justice is made “crooked.”

“The Israelites’ rejection of God’s authority mediated through the law merely exposed them to the harsher experience of his authority mediated through an alien people.”

2. God’s First Answer: Look and Be Amazed (1:5–11)

Habakkuk 1:5-11

Habakkuk 1:5–11 NKJV

Without warning to the reader, the speaker changed. Instead of the prophet questioning God, the Lord responded to the prophet's complaints. “The answer God gives to those prayers is comforting and confounding.”59 Though the Lord did not respond specifically to the prophet’s questions (e.g., why the Lord tolerated evil), he addressed the basic thrust of the prophet’s complaint. Habakkuk wanted to know what God would do about wickedness in Judah. The Lord responded in ways that amazed and frightened the prophet.60

God told the prophet that he was at work. Herein lies an amazing fact, especially for modern people.

God is at work.

God works in a world that only considers that humans are at work.

Alongside the “men at work” signs stands another, more important sign: “God at work.”

(1) The Revelation of God’s Works

Habakkuk 1:5-6

Habakkuk 1:5–6 NKJV

1:5 Verses 5 and 6 have a 3 + 3 meter, though v. 5a could be read 3 + 2.

The expected form would be an oracle of salvation answering the preceding lament.

Normally, a priest or cult prophet would deliver such an oracle to the one offering the lament, but Habakkuk’s response came directly from God.

Furthermore, that response involved not an oracle of salvation but an announcement of God’s action in raising up a mighty, powerful, godless people to action.

This is presented in two parts:

a call to look among the nations (v. 5)

and a description of the Chaldeans (vv. 6–11).

As Smith says, “One is left to assume that the coming of the Chaldeans is to punish Judah for the evil described in 1:2–4.”

Habakkuk 1:6 NKJV

6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.

Notice the phrasing in the NIV

Habakkuk 1:6 NIV

6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.

Verse 6 “sets forth the character of the Babylonians (‘ruthless’), their conduct (‘who sweep’), and their motivation (‘to seize’), each element being elaborated in vv. 7–11.”

In the Hebrew text, the first four verbs are plural imperatives (“be utterly amazed” translates into two Hb. verbs, which are different forms of the same root). The use of the imperatives emphasizes the urgency of the command as well as the incomprehensible nature of the revelation of the Lord. Such use also shows that God directed his answer to a group of people supporting the prophet, not just the prophet himself. Prayer for help was and is the occupation of more than one person in God’s community of faith.

The Lord instructed the prophet to look among the nations.

This must mean that God’s work could already be seen by the person attuned to the “strange work” of the Lord (Isa 28:21).

Isaiah 28:21

Isaiah 28:21 NKJV

21 For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon— That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.

Does this imply that Babylon had already begun to move against the nations? Practically any date between 612 b.c. and 605 b.c. would fit such a context.

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God told Habakkuk to “be utterly amazed.”

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God would do a work “in your days,” that is, soon or in the prophet’s lifetime, which would astound him and all who witnessed the events from the perspective of the nation Judah.

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“I am going to do something” can be rendered more literally either “a deed is doing” or “doing a deed,” supplying (as the NIV) God as the subject. The verb is a participle that can refer to a present, continuous activity, or the immediate future. The point is that God is already at work. Habakkuk and his hearers would be surprised at the Lord’s answer. Who could expect the Lord to use such a wicked instrument to judge a nation more righteous than they are?

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Habakkuk argued this way in his next question (1:12–17). The Lord’s answer indicates his sovereignty. He is not bound by the listener’s whims or by their standards of “fairness.” He responds according to his sovereign will. He is the Lord of history who works in history to accomplish his purpose.

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Habakkuk’s questions reflect the questions of many people. Especially when we deal with personal insults, difficulties, and disappointments, we desire to know where God is and what he is doing. Habakkuk reminds us that God is at work. He is the Lord of the universe who works to accomplish his purpose in his world and our lives.

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Habakkuk1:6

Habakkuk 1:6 NKJV

6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.

Who could have believed that God’s answer to the wickedness in Judah would be “Babylon”? Who are these Chaldeans? Chaldea lay in central and southeastern Mesopotamia between the lower stretches of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern Iraq, close to the border with Iran, touching the head of the Persian Gulf. Several Aramean tribes entered the area between 1000 and 900 B.C. They found a homeland with few natural resources, a flat alluvial plain, marshlands, flooding, and hot summers. They rejected all urban society and its customs and manner of life. Still, they gradually developed military power under Merodach-Baladan and then a century later under Nabopolassar, who founded a Chaldean dynasty in Babylon, defeated the Assyrians, and captured Nineveh in 612 B.C. This was the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

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In case anyone needed a history lesson, the Lord described them as “ruthless” (or “bitter”) and “impetuous” (or “hasty”). They were known for their cruelty and speed in conquering much of Western Asia. This was the nation whose armies marched through the expanse of the earth, enriching themselves at the expense of other countries. Babylon proved to be a worthy successor to the Assyrian army with its thirst for power and plunder.

“In effect, the Lord’s answer to ‘violence’ is ‘violence,’ as stipulated in the ‘law,’ whose paralysis concerning injustice is only temporary. See this

Isa 55:11

Isaiah 55:11 NKJV

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

2 Tim 2:9

2 Timothy 2:9 NKJV

9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.

“In this vivid description of a seemingly unstoppable power, one of Habakkuk’s great theological themes begins to surface: Evil has within itself the seed of destruction.

Babylon will not have the last word after all, for within the empire are self-destructive traits:

Habakkuk 1:6 — greed

Habakkuk 1:6 NKJV

6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.

Habakkuk 1:7 — cruelty

Habakkuk 1:7 NKJV

7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

Habakkuk 1:7 — arrogance and self-sufficiency

Habakkuk 1:7 NKJV

7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

Habakkuk 1:10 — haughtiness

Habakkuk 1:10 NKJV

10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.

Habakkuk 1:11 — blasphemy

Habakkuk 1:11 NKJV

11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

Smith similarly explains, “God allows tyrants to spring up and flourish for a little while, but they become guilty by the abuse of their power and, like a plant before it is firmly rooted, God blows on them, and they wither.” This is the God Hosea pictured as the husband, the family leader of Israel. The family leader has authority over much more than a family. He is sovereign over all of the nations. He has the power and right to use a wicked foreign power to punish his wicked people.

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Wednesday October 30, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are in our study of the book of Habakkuk, which is broken up into the Questions and Answers that run from Chapter 1 verse 2, through Chapter 2 verse 5.

Again, here is the outline of Habakkuk. It breaks out into three parts.

I. Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

Then we have the words of Woe in Chapter 2:6 through 20.

II. Words of Woe (2:6-20)

Then there is the Prayer of Habakkuk that runs from Chapter 3 verse 1 to the end in verse 19.

III. Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1-19)

We pick up from our Questions and Answers portion. We have already reviewed Habakkuk’s first question

1. Habakkuk’s 1st Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (1:2-4)

2. God’s First Answer: Look and Be Amazed (1:5–11)

God’s Answer was:

(1) The Revelation of God’s Works

God’s answer was that he was queing up and sending Babylon

We move into today’s subject matter:

(2) The Description of the Babylonian Army (1:7–11)

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Habakkuk 1:7-11

Habakkuk 1:7–11 NKJV

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1:7 These verses, Habakkuk 1:7–11, vividly describe the Babylonians' arrogance (v. 7b) and unrivaled military power.

The people of the world rightfully dreaded Babylon's power. Who tells Babylon what to do? Do they stand before a world court? No, they are a law unto themselves. They set their own rules about how they should treat other people, which means violence and terror.

Their strength is their god (1:11). Babylon determined its agenda and timetable. They represent heathen power, lawlessness, and ruthless cruelty – some say they epitomize these things. As a mighty power, Babylon does not concern itself with mercy nor believe destruction will ever come its way.

It was this great nation that God called forth to punish the wicked in Judah and show God's power.

Let’s tease out this thread of parallelism.

There is a parallelism that needs to be seen:

• Judah has rejected God’s MISHPAT or order in its society (v. 4);

• Therefore, Babylonia’s order (MISHPAT, v. 7, NIV “law”) will be imposed upon it.

• Judah has opted for violence among its inhabitants (v. 2);

• Therefore, Babylonia’s violence will be its punishment (v. 9).… The punishment fits the sin.

Judah has rejected God’s MISHPAT or order in its society (v. 4);

‌Habakkuk 1:4

Habakkuk 1:4 NKJV

4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

Therefore, Babylonia’s order (MISHPAT, v. 7, NIV “law”) will be imposed upon it.

Habakkuk 1:7 NKJV

7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

Judah has opted for violence among its inhabitants (v. 2);

Habakkuk 1:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.

Therefore, Babylonia’s violence will be its punishment (v. 9).… The punishment fits the sin.

Habakkuk 1:9 NKJV

9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.

That God could use foreign nations for his purposes, even purposes of punishment for his people, did not surprise Habakkuk. Prophets long before him had taught that. The surprising, shocking news beyond understanding was that God would use people who acted like this and would underline the terror and violence they would use.

“A nation that deified itself shall be an instrument of the true God!”

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God’s actions to rouse the Chaldeans to punish Judah emphasize other truths beyond those raised by the prophet. God is not confined to the nation of Judah. Many people in the ancient Near East assumed that each nation had its gods. People who moved to Judah came under the sway of the God of Judah. Naaman asked for two mule loads of dirt to take to Syria so he could worship the Lord in Syria. He assumed he had to be on the Lord’s land to worship the Lord

2 Kgs 5:1–19

2 Kings 5:1–19 NKJV

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.” 8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. 18 Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing.” 19 Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.

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God’s raising the Chaldeans showed that he is sovereign over the whole earth and not confined to one nation or one people (cf.

Amos 9:7

Amos 9:7 NKJV

7 “Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel?” says the Lord. “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, The Philistines from Caphtor, And the Syrians from Kir?

God can work through other people to accomplish his purpose. God used the Assyrians as the “rod of his anger” to punish recalcitrant Judah at an earlier time.

Isa 10:5-15

Isaiah 10:5–15 NKJV

5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’ ” 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.” 13 For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. 14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people, And as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; And there was no one who moved his wing, Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.” 15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!

He chose Cyrus the Mede to deliver the people of Judah from the exile imposed by the Babylonians.

Isa 45:1

Isaiah 45:1 NKJV

1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:

In Habakkuk’s day, God would use Babylon to punish Judah for rebelling against the Lord.

‌End of 10/30/2024

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Wednesday November 13, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are in our study of the book of Habakkuk, which is broken up into the Questions and Answers that run from Chapter 1 verse 2, through Chapter 2 verse 5.

Again, here is the outline of Habakkuk. It breaks out into three parts.

I. Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

Then we have the words of Woe in Chapter 2:6 through 20.

II. Words of Woe (2:6-20)

Then there is the Prayer of Habakkuk that runs from Chapter 3 verse 1 to the end in verse 19.

III. Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1-19)

We pick up from our Questions and Answers portion. We have already reviewed Habakkuk’s first question

1. Habakkuk’s 1st Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (1:2-4)

2. God’s First Answer: Look and Be Amazed (1:5–11)

God’s Answer was:

(1) The Revelation of God’s Works

God’s answer was that he was queing up and sending Babylon

We move into today’s subject matter:

(2) The Description of the Babylonian Army (1:7–11)

Habakkuk 1:8

Habakkuk 1:8 NKJV

8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.

The verses describe the fierceness of the Babylonian army. Their horses and soldiers seem larger than life. The sinister aspect accented here is the swiftness of the military troops, their ability to appear out of nowhere, accomplish their gruesome work, and suddenly vanish again. A second emphasis is the army’s resemblance to wild beasts of prey, with their eagerness to attack, plunder, kill, and slip away to enjoy the spoils of the hunt. Who could stand before armies of this magnitude?

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The Lord first described the horses of the Babylonians. Horses, because of their relative scarcity, would frighten and fascinate the people of Judah and the surrounding region. Horses and chariots made sense in other areas but not in the central hill country of Judah. The Philistines probably failed to dominate Israel because of the uselessness of the chariot in the hill country. On the Philistine plain, horses and chariots ruled the day but proved worthless in mountainous terrain.

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Babylon’s horses struck fear in the hearts of the people of Judah. Most of the biblical references to horses are connected to warfare. Using horses for agriculture or for pulling burdens was practically unknown. The Lord described the horses as swifter than leopards and fiercer than wolves at dusk. The literal Hebrew expression describes “wolves of the evening,” a hunting, feeding, hungry wolf. In Palestine, wolves hunt during the evening hours, which means that the wolves are hungrier and fiercer after not eating for a period.

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The second half of v. 8 presents several translation difficulties, but the meaning must be clarified.94 The Lord continued to describe the power of the army coming to attack Jerusalem and thus punish Judah and Jerusalem's wickedness. The second half of the verse describes the horses and their riders who would descend on Jerusalem.

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The problem in translation revolves around the word “horse,” a Hebrew word different from the one used earlier in the verse. The word found in the second half of the verse can describe both the horse and its rider. How should the verse be translated?

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The context supports the idea that the horse (Hb. pārāš) in the first instance in the second half of the verse refers to the horse alone. The Hebrew text describes the horses as “springing about” or “pawing the ground” (the Hb. verb can have either meaning). This seems to describe horses that would be nervous and ready to run.

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The second use of the word pārāš appears to refer to the riders of the horses: “Their horsemen come from afar.” The NIV seems to take a sensible view of the translation, making the first instance refer to the cavalry while the second word refers to the riders: “Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar”

Habakkuk 1:8 NKJV

8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.

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The last simile in the verse refers to the swift attack of the cavalry. They attacked like vultures swooping down to take their prey. Though “vulture” probably is the best translation, most English readers should consider the eagle, known for its power and strength. Like the suddenness of a bird of prey, the Chaldean army would attack Jerusalem and end the wickedness of Judah’s leaders. God had indeed been at work in the world. The Lord revealed to the prophet that even in Habakkuk’s day, he was doing a work that would astound him.

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Habakkuk 1:9

Habakkuk 1:9 NKJV

9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.

Babylon’s purpose was clear. They were bent on violence, the same Hebrew term the prophet used to describe the situation in which he complained to God in v. 3 and about which he cried to God in v. 2. “They” in Hebrew is “he.” However, the NIV and other translations are no doubt correct in referring to the army or cavalry of Babylon, even though the last reference in Hebrew was to the horses. The army of Babylon would sweep into Judah bent on plunder and destruction.

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“Their hordes advance like a desert wind” is a conjecture in the NIV. Since the first word in the line is found only once in the Old Testament, the translation has been almost impossible. The NIV carries the idea of the swiftness of the hordes that are bent on violence.

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The result would be clear. The Babylonians would sweep into the region with faces determined to take Jerusalem. The number of their captives would be like grains of sand. No wonder God told the prophet he would not believe what he was told.

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Habakkuk 1:10

Habakkuk 1:10 NKJV

10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.

Everyone should fear one in whom no fear exists. The Babylonian army mocked kings and made rulers objects of derision. They had “contempt for all other authority.” “They” (Hb. “he”) is emphasized in the Hebrew text. Though no one else would dare do so, they scoffed and made sport of the rulers of the people. What could the common people do if the army did not tremble before kings?

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Nothing could stand before the Chaldean army. The Babylonians (again emphasized) laughed at the fortresses of the nations. Though Jerusalem presented a formidable stronghold, the Babylonians scorned such defenses, overcoming them by throwing up siegeworks that eventually overpowered the city.

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One method of defeating a walled city or fortress involved making a dirt ramp by which the attackers would climb and then overtake the city. The Romans took Masada with this strategy. The Babylonians followed the practices developed by the Assyrians in besieging a city. After building a ramp or a causeway, the attackers constructed war machines mounted on four or six wooden wheels. From these, warriors could shoot directly at the defenders on the walls, or the machine could be used as a battering ram. At the same time, the walls of the besieged city would be undermined by digging a tunnel. At the appropriate time, the full-scale assault would begin, and the heavily armed infantry would scale tall ladders. Archers then increased the attack with arrows, which protected the infantry. No wonder the Chaldean attackers scoffed at kings. No one seemed able to stand before them.

‌Habakkuk 1:11

Habakkuk 1:11 NKJV

11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

Though ordained of God to carry out his purpose

Habakkuk 1:6

Habakkuk 1:6 NKJV

6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.

Habakkuk 1:12

Habakkuk 1:12 NKJV

12 Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

the Babylonians worshiped only might and the strength of their hands. They bowed to no man and listened to no god. Thus, the person coming under the army's sway had little hope. This bitter and hasty army swept the earth like the wind and hurried on to plunder other nations. “Such people acknowledge no accountability, seek no repentance, and offer no reparations while violating the most fundamental order of created life.

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The emphatic position of this statement about the godlessness of the Babylonians beckons the reader to expect more. This cannot be God's entire answer to the prophet’s lament. Surely, God will deal with the godless.

Wednesday November 20, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are in our study of the book of Habakkuk, which is broken up into the Questions and Answers that run from Chapter 1 verse 2, through Chapter 2 verse 5.

Again, here is the outline of Habakkuk. It breaks out into three parts.

I. Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

Then we have the words of Woe in Chapter 2:6 through 20.

II. Words of Woe (2:6-20)

Then there is the Prayer of Habakkuk that runs from Chapter 3 verse 1 to the end in verse 19.

III. Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1-19)

We pick up from our Questions and Answers portion. We have already reviewed Habakkuk’s first question

1. Habakkuk’s 1st Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (1:2-4)

2. God’s First Answer: Look and Be Amazed (1:5–11)

God’s Answer was:

(1) The Revelation of God’s Works

God’s answer was that he was queing up and sending Babylon

We move into today’s subject matter:

(2) The Description of the Babylonian Army (1:7–11)

We move into the next section

Habakkuk 1:12-17

3. Habakkuk’s Second Question: Why Do You Tolerate the Treacherous? (1:12–17)

Habakkuk 1:12–17 NKJV

Habakkuk’s second complaint reflects many features of the first:

Invocation

Habakkuk 1:2 NKJV

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.

Habakkuk 1:12 NKJV

12 Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

Urgent Question

Habakkuk 1:2–3 NKJV

Habakkuk 1:12–13 NKJV

Habakkuk 1:17 NKJV

17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

Justice and Righteousness

Habakkuk 1:2–4 NKJV

Habakkuk 1:12–13 NKJV

Habakkuk 1:15 NKJV

15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

Habakkuk 1:17 NKJV

17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

This second complaint appears to come on the heels of the Lord’s answer to Habakkuk’s first complaint and seeks another answer to explain the first one. How could the Lord use the Babylonians, a wicked and unclean instrument, to carry out his purpose to punish the wickedness in Judah (1:12)?

Habakkuk 1:12 NKJV

12 Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

Could the holy and just God do such a thing (1:13)?

Habakkuk 1:13 NKJV

The remainder of the complaint contains a description of how the Babylonians treated the nations it conquered (1:14–17).

Habakkuk 1:14–17 NKJV

14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them? 15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. 16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful. 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

The Babylonians caught men with a hook and gathered them with a seine. By the catch the Babylonians lived in luxury. Habakkuk ended the section by asking if the Babylonians could go on doing this with impunity.

End of 11/20/2024

Wednesday November 27, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are in our study of the book of Habakkuk, which is broken up into the Questions and Answers that run from Chapter 1 verse 2, through Chapter 2 verse 5.

Again, here is the outline of Habakkuk. It breaks out into three parts.

I. Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

Then we have the words of Woe in Chapter 2:6 through 20.

II. Words of Woe (2:6-20)

Then there is the Prayer of Habakkuk that runs from Chapter 3 verse 1 to the end in verse 19.

III. Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1-19)

We pick up from our Questions and Answers portion. We have already reviewed Habakkuk’s first question

1. Habakkuk’s 1st Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (1:2-4)

2. God’s First Answer: Look and Be Amazed (1:5–11)

God’s Answer was:

(1) The Revelation of God’s Works

God’s answer was that he was queing up and sending Babylon

We move into today’s subject matter:

(2) The Description of the Babylonian Army (1:7–11)

We move into the next section

Habakkuk 1:12-17

3. Habakkuk’s Second Question: Why Do You Tolerate the Treacherous? (1:12–17)

The apparent contradiction:

If this is the case, the true description of God, how can he stand silent and inactive before the horribly evil and violent Babylonians?

Should the text read “we will not die” or “you will not die?” “We will not die” indicates the prophet’s certainty that God would leave a remnant though the Babylonians would take the land.

We find that despite Israel’s certain chastisement, God will remain faithful to His promise to the patriarchs, to Israel, and to the house of David.

Patriarchs: (Gen 17:2–8 ; 26:3–5 ; 28:13–15 ),

Genesis 17:2-8

Genesis 17:2–8 NKJV

2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

Genesis 26:3-5

Genesis 26:3–5 NKJV

3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

Genesis 28:13-15

Genesis 28:13–15 NKJV

13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

to Israel (Exod 3:3–15 ; 14:1–6 ; Deut 7:6 ; 14:1–2 ; 26:16–18 ),

Exodus 3:3-15

Exodus 3:3–15 NKJV

3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’

Exodus 14:1-6

Exodus 14:1–6 NKJV

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. 5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him.

Deuteronomy 7:6

Deuteronomy 7:6 NKJV

6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 14:1-2

Deuteronomy 14:1–2 NKJV

1 “You are the children of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead. 2 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 26:16-18

Deuteronomy 26:16–18 NKJV

16 “This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice. 18 Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments,

and to the house of David (2 Sam 7:12–29 ).”

2 Samuel 7:12-29

2 Samuel 7:12–29 NKJV

12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” 17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. 18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? 20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, know Your servant. 21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. 22 Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God. 25 “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You. 28 “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

“You will not die” parallels the earlier statement that the Lord is from everlasting. This continues to describe the nature of God. He is from everlasting to everlasting.

The second half of v. 12 continues the description of the nature of God. Two vocatives begin the discussion of God’s work with the Babylonians. The Lord is addressed as Yahweh, the covenant name discussed in the preceding paragraphs, and as the Rock, a common address for God in the Old Testament. Both “Lord” and “Rock” evoke feelings of permanence and stability. The Rock was the protector of the covenant people.

End of 11/27/2024

Wednesday December 4, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are in our study of the book of Habakkuk, which is broken up into the Questions and Answers that run from Chapter 1 verse 2, through Chapter 2 verse 5.

Again, here is the outline of Habakkuk. It breaks out into three parts.

I. Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

Then we have the words of Woe in Chapter 2:6 through 20.

II. Words of Woe (2:6-20)

Then there is the Prayer of Habakkuk that runs from Chapter 3 verse 1 to the end in verse 19.

III. Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1-19)

We pick up from our Questions and Answers portion. We have already reviewed Habakkuk’s first question

1. Habakkuk’s 1st Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (1:2-4)

2. God’s First Answer: Look and Be Amazed (1:5–11)

God’s Answer was:

(1) The Revelation of God’s Works

God’s answer was that he was queing up and sending Babylon

We move into today’s subject matter:

(2) The Description of the Babylonian Army (1:7–11)

We move into the next section

Habakkuk 1:12-17

3. Habakkuk’s Second Question: Why Do You Tolerate the Treacherous? (1:12–17)

The apparent contradiction:

The contradiction lies in Habakkuk 1:12-13.

Habakkuk 1:!2-13

Habakkuk 1:12–13 NKJV

Last week looked at how God will remain faithful to His promise to the patriarchs, to Israel, and to the house of David.

The New Testament applied the title to Christ (1 Cor 10:4 ; 1 Pet 2:6–8 ).

1 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

1 Peter 2:6–8 NKJV

6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

These two descriptions of God cut directly to the problem Habakkuk encountered. God had “appointed” and “ordained” Babylon to execute judgment against Judah and to punish the wicked in Jerusalem. How could the holy and everlasting God do such a thing? “Instead of reproof it appears that the Babylonians aim at extinction of their victims.”

The modern reader of the Bible might ask similar questions. How could God set up a godless nation to punish a nation filled with Christian churches? This was something of Habakkuk’s dilemma. Habakkuk saw that the Babylonians had been established by God to do this. The Lord controlled history and worked his will among the nations. “Man may determine by his conduct how he will encounter God’s sovereignty, but he cannot escape it!”

The Commentator Achtemeier reminds us, “International relations are understood to be always under the sovereignty of God. World history does not take place by chance, according to the Scriptures, nor are human beings ever the sole effectors of it. Human actions result in particular events, to be sure, but human actions are always also accompanied by God’s effective actions as he works out his purpose.”

Habakkuk 1:13

Habakkuk 1:13 NKJV

Verse 13 consists of two statements about God followed by two questions addressed to God. It begins and ends with a comparative statement: (lit.) “Purer are the eyes than seeing evil … when the wicked swallow those more righteous than them.” The Hebrew term for wicked picks up the same term used for the guilty parties in Israel in v. 4b.

Habakkuk 1:4 NKJV

4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

Similarly, the word for “tolerate wrong” repeats from v. 3.

Habakkuk 1:3 NKJV

3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.

Habakkuk continued to describe God according to his holy nature. How could the holy God use the wickedness of a pagan people to punish Judah? How could God tolerate the wickedness of Babylon? God’s “eyes” are too pure to look on evil. Here the eyes stand for the whole person. God is holy and cannot tolerate wrong. Yet God did tolerate the unrighteous and in fact used evil nations to accomplish his sovereign purpose. No wonder Habakkuk felt confused!

The prophets saw that God works in history to accomplish his purpose, even using godless nations to perform his designs. God used Assyria as the “rod of his anger” to chastise Judah in Isaiah’s day (Isa 10:5–15 )

Isaiah 10:5–15 NKJV

and worked through the designs of Cyrus the Persian to deliver those exiled to Babylon (Isa 44:28–45:7 ).

Isaiah 44:28–45:7 NKJV

28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’ 1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 2 ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’

Those who see only the short term always miss the significance of the work of God. Habakkuk, focusing on the short term, questioned how God could do such a thing.

God appeared to be doing the opposite of what Habakkuk believed of God. The God who is too pure to look on evil in fact tolerated the treacherous and stood silent while the wicked swallowed up the righteous. “Sometimes the silences of God can be explained by the people’s sins and their failure to repent. But that is not always true.” Judah, of course, could not be described as righteous (Hab 1:2–4 ),

Habakkuk 1:2–4 NKJV

but in comparison to Babylon, Judah lived as a righteous nation. The Hebrew text uses a device for the comparative degree to show the contrast between “wicked” Babylon and “righteous” Judah.

Habakkuk used the metaphor of “swallowing up” to describe the wicked actions of Babylon, an apt description of the swiftness of the Babylonian army in overrunning other nations. God appeared to watch silently as these atrocities occurred.

Wednesday December 11, 2024

Habakkuk: Why God Allows the Evil to Judge

Review

We are in our study of the book of Habakkuk, which is broken up into the Questions and Answers that run from Chapter 1 verse 2, through Chapter 2 verse 5.

Again, here is the outline of Habakkuk. It breaks out into three parts.

I. Questions and Answers (1:2–2:5)

Then we have the words of Woe in Chapter 2:6 through 20.

II. Words of Woe (2:6-20)

Then there is the Prayer of Habakkuk that runs from Chapter 3 verse 1 to the end in verse 19.

III. Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1-19)

1. Habakkuk’s 1st Question: How Long Must I Call for Help? (1:2-4)

2. God’s First Answer: Look and Be Amazed (1:5–11)

God’s Answer was:

(1) The Revelation of God’s Works (1:5-6)

God’s answer was that he was queing up and sending Babylon

We move into today’s subject matter:

(2) The Description of the Babylonian Army (1:7–11)

3. Habakkuk’s Second Question: Why Do You Tolerate the Treacherous? (1:12–17)

(1) A Description of the Lord (1:12–13)

(2) A Description of How the Babylonians Treat Other Nations (1:14–17)

Habakkuk 1:14–17 NKJV

14You have made men like fish in the sea,

like sea creatures that have no ruler.

15The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,

he catches them in his net,

he gathers them up in his dragnet;

and so he rejoices and is glad.

16Therefore he sacrifices to his net

and burns incense to his dragnet,

p 315 for by his net he lives in luxury

and enjoys the choicest food.

17Is he to keep on emptying his net,

destroying nations without mercy?

Habakkuk 1:14

Habakkuk 1:14 NKJV

14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them?

Habakkuk knew God, and he knew the events of the day. The remainder of the first chapter of Habakkuk describes how the Babylonians treated the nations they conquered.

Habakkuk states the problem In figurative language (Habakkuk 1:14 ),

Habakkuk 1:14 NKJV

14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them?

described the setting, still in figurative language (Habakkuk 1:15–16 ),

Habakkuk 1:15–16 NKJV

and raised serious question about the future still in figurative language (Habakkuk 1:17 ).

Habakkuk 1:17 NKJV

17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

Habakkuk 1:14 NKJV

14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them?

The grammatical structure shows the intricacy of the prophet’s argument.

He begins with direct address to God stating in a proposition (“why do you make”) that is tied syntactically by a waw consecutive to the preceding questions of v. 13.

I’m not trying to teach you Hebrew, but it is helpful to know that a waw consecutive verb is a grammatical construction in Biblical Hebrew used to indicate sequential actions, usually in narrative texts. It plays a crucial role in structuring Hebrew sentences and indicating the flow of events. It tells us that what is stated now is based on what was stated before.

Verse 15 then returns to third person singular describing the Babylonians, repeating the grammatical constructions of God’s speech in 6b–11.

The results of such actions are then given in a series of clauses introduced by “and so” (the adverbial particle ʿal kēn; 15b, 16a, 17a), the last of which is in the interrogative mode.

The argument thus runs: God, you made us like helpless fish without a leader; the enemy Babylonians took advantage of the situation; the natural result is his rejoicing, his self-worship because he is so prosperous so that we must ask if he is allowed to keep this up forever.

The continuing problem of evil in the world and God’s involvement in it raised theological concerns for Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 1:14 NKJV

14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them?

Habakkuk knew that the Lord is the Sovereign of the universe. The Lord had made men like fish of the sea and like crawling things without one to guide them. Had the Creator now forgotten his creatures? Had the powerful Babylonians become so powerful they exercised control over what God had created? Are these godless people being rewarded more and more for their godless actions?

Habakkuk’s point seemed to be that people of the earth (Habakkuk uses the word ʾādām for human beings) are no less than the fish of sea, subject to the whims of the more powerful.

Habakkuk’s word translated “sea creatures” refers to swarming things in general whether in the sea or on land (“crawling things,” such as ants, locusts, or other swarming insects, RSV). These swarming things had no ruler and stood defenseless. “This is a forceful picture of the way other nations were helpless before the Babylonian armies.”

Habakkuk 1:15

Habakkuk 1:15 NKJV

15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

Continuing the thought of the previous verse,134 the prophet compared the people of Judah to the fish of the sea. Before the wicked foe the people of Judah would be as defenseless as fish caught on a hook or trapped in a net and dragged onto the shore. The Babylonians rejoiced at their good fortune, catching men in nets. The “net” referred to a small net cast by one person while the “dragnet” would require a number of people to cast the net and pull it in a semicircle through the water.136 How could God allow such behavior to go on? How could God cooperate with a people who had no consideration for other people but treated them as the lowliest of creatures (cp. Gen 6:20 ; 8:19 ; Ps 8:8–9 )

Genesis 6:20 NKJV

20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

Genesis 8:19 NKJV

19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

Psalm 8:8–9 NKJV

8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

without anyone to protect them (Prov 6:7 ; 30:27 )

Proverbs 6:7 NKJV

7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,

Proverbs 30:27 NKJV

27 The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;

and whose capture brings no risk or danger.

According to Achtemeier, Habakkuk’s point is that such divine behavior does “not hasten the coming of God’s order. It simply replaces a chaotic society with one that is totally godless—with the rule of a foreign people that makes it own might its god (Habakkuk 1:11 )

Habakkuk 1:11 NKJV

11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

and that worships that might as the source of its life (Habakkuk 1:16 ).…

Habakkuk 1:16 NKJV

16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful.

God] has seemed to move even further distant from the goal of the establishment of his right order in the world, and Habakkuk cannot understand that any more than can we.”138

Habakkuk 1:16

Habakkuk 1:16 NKJV

16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful.

The same Hebrew root (ʾkl) connects this verse (“enjoys food”) with v. 8 (“devour”). The same two words for “net” and “dragnet” are used in v. 16 as in v 15. Most peoples of the ancient Near East practiced sacrifice and the burning of incense.139 The Hebrew word for sacrifice is used to describe a peace or communion offering (Lev 3). The worshiper brought the peace offering to the priest, who took part of the offering for himself and offered part to God. The remainder went to the worshiper who ate the offering with the priest while the offering went up in smoke to God as “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” (Lev 3:5 ).

Leviticus 3:5 NKJV

5 and Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is on the wood that is on the fire, as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

Burning incense symbolized prayer going up to God. Habakkuk described the Babylonians as sacrificing to the net and burning incense to the dragnet.

The symbolism is quite clear. The Babylonians lived by the plunder of helpless peoples. In effect, the net and the dragnet became their gods, supplying the people of Babylon with the finest things that plundering the world could bring. “The Babylonian rejoices and shouts for joy because of his success. Then he worships those things that make him rich and successful. How prone are people today to worship whatever makes them rich and successful?”

Habakkuk 1:17

Habakkuk 1:17 NKJV

17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

In this context Habakkuk’s complaint takes on profound meaning. How long can a holy, pure, immortal God remain silent? Can God use the Babylonians as instruments of his wrath? How long can Babylon continue to empty its net? “As will be evident, his views of God were right (cf. Ps 82 ; Isa 57:15 ), but his perspective was too limited.

Psalm 82 NKJV

A Psalm of Asaph. 1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. 2 How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah 3 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable. 6 I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. 7 But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.” 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.

Isaiah 57:15 NKJV

15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

He had looked for the punishment of the wicked so that the prosperity of his people could be assured, but God, who knew the end from the beginning, looked for the punishment of Habakkuk’s people so that they could be restored to fellowship.”

Habakkuk has two alternatives now. “He can allow his doubts to be either destructive or creative. He can use his doubts, struggles, and agonizing questions to turn from God and to renounce his faith. Or he can keep his hold on God, trusting him for an answer.”

4. God’s Second Answer (2:1–5)

Habakkuk 2:1-5

Habakkuk 2:1–5 NKJV

1 I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. 2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. 4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. 5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.

1I will stand at my watch

and station myself on the ramparts;

I will look to see what he will say to me,

and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

2Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation

and make it plain on tablets

so that a herald may run with it.

3For the revelation awaits an appointed time;

it speaks of the end

and will not prove false.

Though it linger, wait for it;

it will certainly come and will not delay.

4“See, he is puffed up;

his desires are not upright—

but the righteous will live by his faith—

5indeed, wine betrays him;

he is arrogant and never at rest.

Because he is as greedy as the grave

and like death is never satisfied,

he gathers to himself all the nations

and takes captive all the peoples.

Habakkuk 2:1

Habakkuk 2:1 NKJV

1 I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.

The second chapter opens with a prophetic announcement (v. 1) followed by a divine word (Habakkuk 2:2–4 ) to which is attached a separate description of the enemy,

Habakkuk 2:2–4 NKJV

the nature of which scholars continue to debate. R. L. Smith notes that the passage implies some time passage since the first oracle, for there Babylon was just appearing on the scene as a conqueror, while here it is seen as a ruthless oppressor.

“There is no more important passage in Habakkuk than this one, and few in the OT more significant because of the later use of it by the apostle Paul and Martin Luther.”149 Habakkuk worried about God’s silence, which he had to endure. That was part of the prophetic task. Not even a prophet could force God to answer what appeared to be a burning, immediate issue, even an issue defending God’s (and the prophet’s) honor (see Jer 28:11–12 ; 42:7 ; Job).

Jeremiah 28:11–12 NKJV

11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.’ ” And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 12 Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

Jeremiah 42:7 NKJV

7 And it happened after ten days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

All the prophet could do was sit and wait for God’s timing. That is Habakkuk’s action here.

The final section of the communication with the Lord contains three parts. Part one appears to be preparatory (2:1). The prophet waited for the answer. The answer itself contained an introduction that provided instructions for the prophet (2:2–3) and the main part of the message from the Lord (2:4–5). Whether or not v. 5 should be grouped with the preceding or following verses is not clear. Though the verse seems anticlimactic to the profound message of v. 4, the text seems to fit better with the answer of the Lord in 2:1–4 than with the series of woes in 2:6–20. R. L. Smith correctly concludes: “Actually v. 5 should be seen as a transitional verse. It relates to both v. 4 and v. 6.” Later Smith claims that only v. 4 was written on the tablet, v. 5 being “an additional explanation by the prophet.” Elliger emends the text to make v. 5 the first “woe” oracle. The Septuagint has v. 4 in first person, “my soul (desires),” and “my faith.” Elliger accepts the first person reading of v. 4 as original, reading: “Behold, on the arrogant has my soul no pleasure.” Patterson describes the prophet’s “distinctive format: introductory formula (v. 2a), preliminary instructions (vv. 2b–3), general guiding principles (v. 4), and particular detailed application (vv. 5–20).”

In preparation for the Lord’s second answer, Habakkuk purposed to take his stand upon his watch and to station himself upon the rampart. Both statements reflect a sense of purpose. The resolve of the prophet may be taken literally. He had a position, much like the military watchman who had a post above the city looking out for the approach of enemy armies (2 Kgs 9:17; cp. Nah 2:2; Jer 51:12). Wherever his watch post was, the prophet went there to withdraw from normal society and concentrate specifically on God and what God would say when God decided to speak. The prophet knew he could not give an answer himself and would be permitted to speak again only when he received the divine decision. Thus he clearly possessed the gift to distinguish between the human and the divine voice in his innermost parts.159 Here we see the nature of the prophetic office clearly. As Achtemeier phrases it, “Prophets have no independent wisdom of their own—they are dependent on the word of God (cf. Jer 42:5–7)—as we too are dependent for a true understanding of what God is doing and must ever search the word now given us in the Scriptures.”160

The verse stresses the importance of the work of humans alongside the work of God. In the first half of the verse Habakkuk determined to station himself so as to receive the revelation of God. In the second half of the verse the prophet expected that God would indeed answer Habakkuk’s complaint. Habakkuk needed “to know how to respond to God’s ways, both in his assessment of injustice and in his conduct amid the consequences of injustice. He revealed a mature wisdom in his determination that this response be shaped by what God himself would say. It is a wise man who takes his questions about God to God for answers.”161

Human responsibility and divine providence are complementary teachings in the Old Testament. These doctrines appear to run on parallel tracks, each necessary for the completion of the other. God certainly may work in his world without the cooperation of human instruments, but the biblical evidence indicates that God chooses to use the work of his chosen servants. For example, God used Moses’ mother and sister to preserve Moses’ life (Exod 2). Moses’ mother devised a plan to save her child’s life. At the same time the biblical text shows the providence of God in the life of the child. God apparently chose to work and also to use human instrumentality to deliver the child from the plan of Pharaoh.

The NIV follows the Hebrew text in the second half of the verse where the prophet would wait for the Lord’s answer and for how the prophet would respond to his complaint. The ancient Syriac version, followed by a number of modern translations, makes the prophet wait for the Lord’s answer and for p 321 how God would respond to the prophet’s complaint. Either reading is defensible in the text and from the standpoint of theology. Textually, the difference is only one Hebrew letter.162

In the reading of the Hebrew Text and the NIV, the prophet apparently determined to wait for God’s answer and to seek to understand the question for himself. Though the other reading seems easier, the NIV is consistent with the personality of the prophet. Anyone who asks questions also tries to answer them. Habakkuk wanted an answer from God concerning God’s work in the world. He also wanted to understand the character of God and his purpose in history.163

God answered the prophet’s complaint by commanding that the prophet write the vision so that anyone running might read the message. God rewarded the prophet’s willingness to wait and to watch to see the message of the Lord. God cares for the one who is willing to take his needs to the Lord. Habakkuk might be characterized as a doubter. Like Thomas among the disciples and Moses and Jeremiah of the Old Testament, Habakkuk questioned. The significant characteristic of each of these questioners is the willingness to talk to God rather than about God. Habakkuk’s experience suggests that God will help with our questions and concerns.

How could the holy and just God tolerate the wickedness in Judah? More importantly, how could he tolerate the wickedness of Babylon against Judah? “Because of the way he gains his knowledge …, Habakkuk takes the reader into the council of God (cf. Jer 23:18) and demonstrates the process of how God ‘reveals His plan to His servants the prophets’ (Amos 3:7). Therefore, p 322 Habakkuk serves as revealer, interpreter, and guide, even as he fulfills the traditional function of a prophet (2:1).”164 Armerding describes Habakkuk’s role as “discharged in attentive, reverent prayer by the same conscientious watchfulness and persistence demanded of the literal watchman.”165 The vision he looked to see was something God would say, so that a close connection exists between prophetic seeing and prophetic saying. Visions could be transposed into sayings.

One of the wonders of Habakkuk’s message is the engagement of God with his people. He answered Habakkuk. God dealt with the prophet’s complaints and answered his concerns but in an expected way. He began with an imperative, not an indicative, a command to the prophet, not a word for the prophet. Like Job, Habakkuk seemed content that the God of the heavens is concerned with his people and answers from heaven. God’s second response is more than an indication of concern; it is the answer for the ages. God is faithful and calls for faithfulness on the part of his people. Still, the answer does not yet address the prophetic questions, just as God’s answers never addressed Job’s issues.

2:2 The first two verbs of God’s response are imperatives. God commanded the prophet to write the vision and to make the message plain on tablets. The writing material is not identified in the verse though the word for “tablets” is the same as that used in Exodus to describe the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Rudolph notes that we do not know if Israel used such tablets for public “bulletin board” announcements and that God had to insist on making the writing clear and plain because not every person could write and those who could did not always have enough practice materials to be able to write clearly and legibly without hard work.166

The remainder of the verse presents some difficulty. The Hebrew reads literally “in order that he will (or may) run the one reading it.” The NIV takes this to mean that a herald may take the message and run with it from village to village. The note to the NIV text provides an additional possibility, “so that whoever reads it” may run with it. This reading indicates that the reader speedily obeys the message. Heflin contends that “the Hebrew here clearly puts the emphasis on the running of the reader, not the reading of the runner.… It means that the person who reads the message will adopt it as a guide for living … will run through life according to it.”167

p 323 The traditional interpretation seems best: make the message plain enough so the person running (Hb. participle) may read the message. The GNB supports this interpretation with the reading “so that it can be read at a glance.” “In this respect it would be like a large modern advertisement beside a main road.”168

2:3 Verses 2 and 3 prepared the prophet for the handling of the message. Verse 3 is the reason or motivation for v. 2. It guarantees certainty of the coming of the revelation and provides evidence of fulfillment for those who will experience that fulfillment. The content of the message is found in v. 4.

Impatience is the normal human response to God’s promise to answer his people. God warned the prophet to wait on the prophecy. The answer of God would surely come, but the prophet should write down the message because from the prophet’s point of view the prophecy might seem slow. The prophet was to “preserve it until its fulfillment could be demonstrated historically.”169 God had already decided upon a solution and would reveal it according to his timetable, but God was not indebted to any human to reveal the answer before he chose to. “Habakkuk, like all of us, was living ‘between the times,’ between the promise and the fulfillment.”170 Heflin notes that the end here “may refer to the termination of Babylonian power but, more likely, to the eschaton.”171

The “revelation” (lit., “vision”) of v. 2 is connected with the same word in v. 3 by use of the word “for.” Though the appointed time of the revelation has not yet come, God reassured the prophet that the time would come. In fact, the revelation “hastens” or “pants” to the end. The NIV “speaks” fails to catch the certainty of the Hebrew verb, which literally reads, “And it will pant to the end and not lie.”172 “That which may seem delayed or halted by our reckoning has p 324 not been impeded at all. God’s purpose cannot be thwarted.”173

The prophet’s humanity demanded that God provide a warning about impatience, one even more important to people living in the exhausting pace of modern society. Whether in prayer or prophecy, contemporary worshipers demand that God act according to the dizzying schedule of those pressed for time. God reminded the prophet of the certainty of the message174 but without the promise of meeting Habakkuk’s time schedule. “It does not mean that the future events predicted in the vision will come soon, without delay. Only God knows the time for such events. The comment rather means that the fulfillment will not miss God’s scheduled time; it will not delay a moment beyond its appointed time.”175

The answer may delay, but it is sure. “The world is not as God intended it, and God is setting it right. God’s purpose cannot be thwarted (cf. Isa 55:10–11); it is speeding toward its completion. Indeed, those actions of God that seem to reverse his march toward his goal—as the Babylonian conquest of Judah seemed to Habakkuk to reverse that march (1:12–17)—may not be reversals at all but integral parts of God’s purpose to save his earth. Certainly Luke (21:24), Paul (Rom 9:22–24), and the author of 2 Peter (3:9) were sure that was true.”176

2:4 Finally, God revealed the message itself. “It is short but comprehensive.”177 In the day of turmoil and destruction, the righteous person shall live by his faithfulness to God. The answer dealt with Habakkuk’s frustrations and fears. Would God leave the guilty—in Judah and in Babylon—unpunished? Would the righteous be consumed with the wicked?

God answered the prophet by means of a strong contrast. The first half of the verse apparently refers to the wicked described in 1:7, 11, 13 (without using the term) while the second statement explicitly describes the righteous person.178 By means of a strong contrast, the Lord answered the complaints p 325 of the prophet. The one whose life is puffed up in pride and arrogance will die; the righteous, in contrast, by his faithfulness will live. Whether in Judah or Babylon, those in rebellion against God would die.179 “Wherever human beings rely on something of this earth—whether it be intellectual achievement or wealth or military might or aesthetic ability and appreciation or pride of birth and status or even the ability to cope and solve problems and master the complexities of modern life—wherever confidence is placed in human prowess and not in God for the achievement of a satisfying and secure manner of living, there true life cannot be had.”180

The righteous are those courageous enough to accept God’s word of promise in a world dominated by the horrors of Babylonian power described in the preceding verses. To look for salvation in a world dominated by persecution requires faithfulness. World history may not indicate it, but God is leading his world to accomplish his purposes. The righteous are also those whose lives correspond to God’s leadership.181 The righteous are not perfect, but they do live according to their relationship with God. To be righteous means to meet the demands of a relationship. Righteousness toward God involves a strong ethical dimension—it is to meet the demands of God toward him and toward others. The righteous person will stand before God in the day of the judgment (cp. Ps 1) and will stand before God on his holy hill. Psalm 15 gives excellent examples of the behavior of the righteous. They use speech, money, and influence in positive ways. They recognize righteous acts and other righteous persons and treat them properly.182

The message to Habakkuk referred to the righteous person living by faithfulness—an important Old Testament term describing loyalty as well as truth and p 326 trust. Jepsen demonstrated that “faithfulness” (ʾĕmûnâ) is a way of acting that flows from inner stability. It indicated one’s “own inner attitude and the conduct it produces.” Thus it is a type of behavior characterized by genuineness, reliability, and conscientiousness. Jepsen used the terms “sincerity,” “faithfulness,” “reliability,” and “stability” to describe the righteous person who lives by faithfulness.183 The NIV, along with most other English translations, uses “faith” in the translation, probably to emphasize the importance of the text to the New Testament. “Habakkuk was not to wait with folded hands and bated breath for all this to happen. He was to live a life of faithfulness.”184

“Faith in God was the key to consistent living, even though violence abounded and justice was perverted (1:2–4). That short statement helps believers to persevere even though God chastens them (1:5–11) and they cannot understand his ways (1:12–17). It provides a solution to the doubt they sometimes feel in His all-wise providence (2:1–3), and helps them to understand his righteous judgments (2:4–20). In the final analysis, faith provides the key to understanding the Lord’s sovereign purpose, and it leads men to worship (3:1–19).”185

The New Testament writers quoted the verse three times (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38).186 Paul used this idea as the hallmark of his teaching concerning the primacy of faith in salvation. He took God’s message to Habakkuk to its final emphasis: those who are judged righteous as a result of their faith shall live. Habakkuk’s questions supplied Paul with his beginning and ending point that faith is the key. God recognizes the faithfulness (faith) of his people and gives life.

Habakkuk’s revelation emphasized the life-giving nature of God. He cares for his people even when he appears distant and uninvolved. Though the revelation may take what appears to be an agonizingly long time to appear, wait for it. God knows and cares for his people.

2:5 The NIV and RSV take this verse as part of God’s message to Habakkuk that immediately precedes.187 Others (GNB) close the quotation at p 327 the end of 2:4, giving it either an independent section or one attached to the “woes” that follow.188 Rudolph may well be correct in saying, “from the general principle that injustice will be punished, v. 5 makes the application to the Chaldeans and emphasizes that their role as a tool of punishment for Yahweh is only temporary, the last word about them having not yet been spoken.… That they cannot, despite all infringements on the rights of others (1:13b–17), reach, much less maintain, their goal of controlling the world is the comfort for the prophet which must for the present satisfy him.”189 Roberts sees v. 5 as linking back to 4a. He describes its meaning succinctly, “v. 5 seems to portray the outcome of a life not directed by God at all.… The reliability of the vision (v. 4) is set over against the deceitfulness of wealth and power.”190

The Dead Sea Scroll of Habakkuk makes “wealth” (hôn) the subject of the opening line, a reading followed by a number of translations.191 This change makes good sense, especially from the remainder of the verse, which describes the Babylonians as being as greedy as the grave. Both the NIV and RSV hold to the MT with its usage of “wine” (hayyayin). Armerding admits “wine” is unexpected here but “is appropriate to the present verse, being associated with arrogance, unfulfilled greed, and social injustice elsewhere in the OT (e.g., 1 Sam 30:16; 1 Sam 30:12, 16; Prov 31:4–7; Isa 5:11–12, 22–23; Amos 6:6).… indeed, the Babylonian regime was to be overthrown in just the circumstances of drunken pride portrayed here (cf. Dan 5:1–31)—such drunkenness being attested among ancient historians as characteristic of the Babylonians.”192

The verse describes the arrogance of the Babylonians by looking back to the image of 1:13. Like death and the grave (Sheol), the Babylonians never have enough.193 Sheol often is pictured as being greedy, always enlarging itself to receive more of the dead. “Death never takes a holiday. The Babylonian, like death, continues to sweep the nations into his net (cf. 1:15).”194

The Babylonians sought more and more nations to devour, taking captives away to Babylon. Babylon, like Assyria before it, practiced exiling captives to far-away lands. The Babylonians added to this brutal practice by bringing captives from other lands to occupy the lands of those deported to other places. Roberts correctly notes, “This is no benign gathering in of the scattered and oppressed as imperialistic propaganda might wish to portray it; rather, it is a devouring of the nations that would destroy their identities as they are absorbed into the body of the Babylonian empire.”195

Though probably not in Habakkuk’s time frame or in Habakkuk’s way, God proved himself faithful. Long after Habakkuk’s lifetime and that of his audience, Babylon fell to Persia in 538 b.c. God is the Lord of history. He works in the world to defeat oppression and to deliver the oppressed. God showed himself ready to work on behalf of his people and to hear the needs of his people. Modern society seems even more complex and confusing than Habakkuk’s. In this modern age God is faithful to his people. He remains the Lord of history, working to bring all people to him in faith and obedience. His working in history may appear as mysterious and inconsistent to us as it did to Habakkuk. The answer is not in rejecting God or in disconnecting him from our history. The answer is in waiting for his timing to bring about his purposes. Such waiting calls for faithfulness in having faith.

(1) A Description of the Lord (Habakkuk 1:12–13 )

Habakkuk 1:12–13 NKJV

Habakkuk 1:12

Habakkuk 1:12 NKJV

12 Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

The verses function as a resumption of the lament in vv. 2–3, but they have neither the meter nor the formal characteristics of a lament. Instead, the content is that of a confession of faith describing the characteristics of God. Even this form is altered by the use of interrogative mood and negative statements.

Rudolph dates this a year or so after 605 when Nebuchadnezzar made regular military marches westward. In explaining the text Rudolph relies on a major exegetical rule: a prophet or whoever speaks must be understood by his original audience.

Habakkuk’s complaint indicates the prophet’s familiarity with both the Lord and the Babylonians. Israel’s prophets showed an amazing understanding of how the world worked. They demonstrated knowledge of geography, history, and politics. They also served as conduits and tutors for who the Lord is and how he works in the world. Can the modern-day pastor be any less conversant in any of these areas? As Moses attested, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets” (Num 11:29).

The prophets taught the people the ways of God, particularly concerning the current situations of the day. Because Habakkuk knew so much of the Lord, he appeared incredulous concerning God’s work among the nations. How could the holy and righteous God use an unholy instrument to punish Judah? Did this fit Habakkuk’s understanding of God? The lament does not fundamentally deal with a situation in the outside world such as sickness or war for which the prophet can ask for a specific divine act. The heart of the problem is that the outside world of history contradicts the interior certainty of the nature of God himself. A holy, righteous God cannot endure the godless acts of a ruthless oppressor, can he? Has the divine Rock lost the power to protect and serve as a refuge for his people? Habakkuk thus turned to lament to address God. Rudolph notes the contrast to Jeremiah, who in the same time period of the Babylonian victory at Carchemish in 605 recognized God’s decision to use Nebuchadnezzar as a “servant of Yahweh” and to judge all nations and all prophets by whether they surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar or not (see Jer 27).

Habakkuk’s question dealt with the nature of God. “O Lord, are you not from everlasting?” Habakkuk used the covenant name of God in his address. The “I AM WHO I AM” (Exod 3:14)

is the God who promised to be with his people. As God has been in the past, he will be in the future. The covenant name indicated eternal faithfulness and should “elicit confident dependence” from those who call on the name of the Lord.

Habakkuk’s question fits the use of the covenant name for God. The Lord is not a Johnny-come-lately God. He is from everlasting. The Lord always has been God. The Hebrew term for “everlasting” focuses particularly on God’s past acts in Israel’s salvation history. God, being Israel’s “eternal” God, knows the thoughts of human beings and works his righteousness in the world.

Knowing these things about God made Habakkuk perplexed.

God is holy. Among the prophets Isaiah gave new emphasis to the holiness of God. While other nations thought of their gods as holy in the sense of “otherness,” that is of being god and not flesh, Isaiah added the idea of perfect moral purity to the holiness of God. Other nations could speak of the otherness of their gods, but their gods might not be “good.” Isaiah and Habakkuk knew that God is deity and not flesh and that he is perfect moral purity. Such holiness is unchanging, separating all humans and all creatures and thus all sin from God. Nothing evil can stand before his holy purity. As Rudolph notes, he cannot distance himself even for the blink of an eye from his holiness.

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