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It’s been a bit since we began our study in this minor prophet, so let me briefly refresh your memory.
You will remember that Habakkuk was complaining to God, and understandably so, that he was being forced to watch the Jewish people act totally wicked and corrupt.
It was as if God didn’t care.
In fact, Habakkuk was basically questioning where the righteous and just God actually was in all of this and why it was being allowed.
Then God responds in a way that nobody really expected by basically telling Habakkuk to get ready for shock and awe.
God had raised up the wicked Babylonian empire to punish Judah.
However, even though they were the tool which God would use, they weren’t going to get away with it.
It’s been a bit since we began our study in this minor prophet, so let me briefly refresh you.
You will remember that Habakkuk was complaining to God, and understandably so, that the Jewish people were totally wicked and corrupt and acted as if God didn’t care.
In fact, Habakkuk was basically questioning where the righteous and just God actually was in all of this and why it was being allowed.
Then God responds in a way that nobody really expected by basically telling Habakkuk to get ready for shock and awe.
God had raised up the wicked Babylonian empire to punish Judah.
However, even though they were the tool which God would use, they weren’t going to get away with it.
That brings us to today’s passage.
As you can probably guess, Habakkuk was not terribly impressed by God’s response.
In fact, one might conjecture that he was somewhat fearful about what he had just heard, even though he know that God wouldn’t allow His people to be totally destroyed.
As we also noticed last time we were visiting the book of Habakkuk, he was quite bold and forthright in his conversation with God.
Yet, we also observe that he does so with a great deal of reverence and no signs of arrogance.
That ought to be an encouragement in our own personal interaction with God in prayer.
So, what do I hope that we are able to glean from today’s passage?
When we cannot understand God, we know that we can always trust God.
Character of God - 1:12-13a
Are You not from aeverlasting,
O LORD, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O LORD, have bappointed them to judge;
And You, O cRock, have established them to correct.
13 Your eyes are too apure to 1approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.
Hab
What a blessing to know that Habakkuk, in spite of his confusion and questions, still had complete confidence in Who God is.
He very clearly lets his readers know that he is totally confident in God’s justice and holiness.
Instead of our looking at this as further complaining in these two verses, I believe we can look at this as a confession of faith.
In spite of the seeming contradiction, Habakkuk knows Whom he believes and what God’s character truly is.
What a blessing to know that Habakkuk, in spite of his confusion and questions, still had complete confidence in Who God is.
He very clearly lets his readers know that he is totally confident in God’s justice and holiness.
Instead of our looking at this as further complaining in these two verses, I believe we can look at this as a confession of faith.
In spite of the seeming contradiction, Habakkuk knows Whom he believes and what God’s character truly is.
As we dig into this, I want to stop and look at the word Lord.
This is the covenantal name of God, Yahweh, which to any Jew describes the absolute sovereignty of God, along with the fact that He is unchangeable and is self-existent (not one who was created).
This word also shows that what God says, He does.
He is the same; not two different things.
This Name, Yahweh, is further described as Habakkuk asks the question Are you not from everlasting . . .
The Lord is indeed eternal and unlike anyone else.
It would seem obvious that the Great I Am would continue in His covenant relationship with Israel and would not totally forsake them.
This is what Habakkuk believed wholeheartedly because He so knew God’s character.
We might wonder why Habakkuk seems so focused here on God’s character.
I believe it goes right along with his confusion.
After all, if the people of Israel are God’s chosen people, why in the world would He use to Babylonians to wipe them out or destroy them?
After all, in contrast to the false Babylonian gods, everything about the Lord is Holy.
In everything He does, it is holy.
How the universe continues on with all the laws of nature as He created them is holy.
When He extends mercy and grace, it is based on His holiness.
When He enacts judgment, it is founded on His holiness.
In fact, the Bible states that He requires holiness because He, Himself, is holy.
And because of that, we know that wickedness must be punished because God is holy.
Thus, Habakkuk seemingly acknowledges in the middle part of verse 12: We will not die.
Simply put, Habakkuk knows that in God’s holiness and in all of His character, He will not allow His chosen people to be utterly destroyed.
Indeed, the nation must be punished; however, not for destruction, but in order to turn their hearts back to God.
We then see Habakkuk understanding the stability and strength of God as the Rock, so that in all of the upcoming horrors, there will be major correction through this punishment, yet they will not be eliminated.
In fact, this picture of God’s character is in relation to, not just Habakkuk, but being in the plural, refers to the whole of God’s chosen people.
Again, verse 13 shows that Habakkuk understands God’s character in relation to sin; it is unacceptable and intolerable.
God obviously sees it, but He does not ignore it.
Evil, wickedness, corruption, all that is not holy cannot remain in God’s presence.
God will certainly not turn a blind eye to the situation.
He will not ignore or tolerate evil and wickedness.
It may look like it to us, but He is altogether holy and pure to allow that to happen.
The NIV actually says You cannot tolerate wrong.
As 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.”
Methods of God - 1:13b-17
Why do You blook with favor
On those who deal ctreacherously?
Why are You dsilent when the wicked eswallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made men like the fish of the sea,
Like creeping things without a ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans abring all of them up with a hook,
bDrag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
and 1burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through athese things their 2catch is 3large,
And their food is 4plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their anet
And continually bslay nations without sparing?
We know that Habakkuk knew what God’s nature was like, yet his personal experiences in life raised giant questions.
In fact, with God’s nature as pure and upright as it is, seemed to cause incredible contradictions in Habakkuk’s mind.
After all, why would God choose to use a wicked, evil nation such as Babylon to punish Judah?
These are genuine questions that are not meant to show a weakness of faith or any sort of disbelief in God.
Rather, he simply could not wrap his mind around such apparent contradictions.
We know that Habakkuk knew what God’s nature was like, yet his personal experiences in life raised giant questions.
In fact, with God’s nature as pure and upright as it is, seemed to cause incredible contradictions in Habakkuk’s mind.
After all, why would God choose to use a wicked, evil nation such as Babylon to punish Judah?
These are genuine questions that are not meant to show a weakness of faith or any sort of disbelief in God.
Rather, he simply could not wrap his mind around such apparent contradictions.
Habakkuk obviously knows God’s character, so it’s understandable why he is so troubled.
To all who observe, it appears that God is passively standing by while wrong is occurring.
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