Justice for All

Habakkuk 1:12–2:20 NASB95

Are You not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O Lord, have appointed them to judge; And You, O Rock, have established them to correct. Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they? Why have You made men like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things without a ruler over them? The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, Drag them away with their net, And gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net and burn incense to their fishing net; Because through these things their catch is large, And their food is plentiful. Will they therefore empty their net And continually slay nations without sparing? I will stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the Lord answered me and said, “Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay. “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith. “Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, So that he does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all nations And collects to himself all peoples. “Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him, Even mockery and insinuations against him And say, ‘Woe to him who increases what is not his— For how long— And makes himself rich with loans?’ “Will not your creditors rise up suddenly, And those who collect from you awaken? Indeed, you will become plunder for them. “Because you have looted many nations, All the remainder of the peoples will loot you— Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants. “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity! “You have devised a shameful thing for your house By cutting off many peoples; So you are sinning against yourself. “Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework. “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with violence! “Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing? “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea. “Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk So as to look on their nakedness! “You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor. Now you yourself drink and expose your own nakedness. The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, And utter disgrace will come upon your glory. “For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, And the devastation of its beasts by which you terrified them, Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants. “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, Or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols. “Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’ To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’ And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is no breath at all inside it. “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

Last week, we began this series in Habakkuk and explored the prophet’s complaint before God regarding the injustice in Judah. He was hoping that God would intervene with revival, but instead God told him that He would intervene with judgment at the hands of the Babylonians.

We asked the question, “Why does God seem to permit evil? Where was God in the midst of 6th Century BC Judah?” We left last week confessing that God is not idle- He is on His throne, sovereign over ALL. The question we have to deal with is whether or not we would trust God even though He answers prayers differently than we might hope.

Today, we continue the dialogue and see Habakkuk bring forth another set of crucial questions. Now we are going to walk through his argument, but let me just summarize his question for you first:

Where is God’s Justice?

Why do evil men prosper?

Does God show favor to wicked people?

So, let’s try to understand Habakkuk’s plea:

First, he did not like what God had to say. It’s perhaps even more confusing to him than the so-called God-fearing people of Judah that practiced injustice.

(v.12) God, I understand that you are eternal… that your wisdom is far greater than mine, but is this really the plan? Here’s the tension: Habakkuk certainly understands that God keeps a remnant, but the picture of a Babylonian conquest is a bleak outlook. God has established them to correct and bring judgment upon God’s people, but Habakkuk is struggling to comprehend how this is even possible.

(v.13) Here’s his question in v. 13- How can a holy God look upon the Babylonians, who are wicked, and show them favor? Why should they get to benefit and enjoy wealth, victory, freedom, etc.?

-How can God use a wicked nation to bring judgment upon Judah, which Habakkuk says is more righteous than Babylon.

There are some pretty real concerns Habakkuk raises. For one, the righteous in Judah will face the same fate as the unrighteous in regards to being conquered and enslaved by the Babylonians. -

ILL- this reminds me of how our whole football team would be punished with extra running, up-downs, etc. because of a few players who disregarded the rules.

Habakkuk might be asking, “Does God know what He’s doing? Does He understand what it will mean for Babylon to sweep through the land of Judah?”

Habakkuk does not believe that God can be holy and allow wretched, despicable Babylon to be the instrument of judgment. (not that he would have been happier if another nation who was not as wicked were to be that instrument)

You see, Habakkuk’s complaint is now centered upon a comparison between Judah and Babylon. Babylon was evil- they would bind their slaves, place a hook in their noses and march them in humiliation through their city streets. And they would not stop- they would continue to conquer, pillage, and enslave. They boast of their power and violence and worship their military means. Was this just?

Where is God’s Justice?

Now, what we can see is that Habakkuk has seemingly forgotten the injustice and wickedness of Judah. This is the problem we face with comparisons- we can always see the justice that others deserve, but lack the perspective to understand what is due us and our own people. Habakkuk has placed himself in a position where he is now condemning God’s methods and questioning His character… in fact, he perches himself at the watch tower and waits for God to respond.(2:1)

This whole complaint is very emotional; Habakkuk is likely fearful, hurt, confused. And he waits for God to answer. And God does answer. And he answers by drawing a line between the righteous and the wretched.

I love how He answers. He says, Habakkuk, write this down. Write it down clearly so that it will be understood by all who hear it. This would be a promise for the people of Judah leading up to the event, and a witness of God’s faithfulness afterwards.

So what exactly does God say?

The Wretched Live in Futility (4)

Let’s just walk quickly through what God has to say about the so-called prosperity of the wicked. They might look like they have all the earth has to offer, but God says that their souls are not right within them- How?

They are never satisfied (5)

He compares their appetite to death- always wanting more. There is never enough money, never enough power. They always are striving for something more. The cannot attain happiness, they are never satisfied.

They are never at peace (6-8)

Because they live a life of taking advantage of others, they have enemies at every corner. They cannot go out in public without receiving threats. No one trusts them and everyone hates them. I imagine this would make you quite uneasy- maybe a bit paranoid!

They are never secure (9-11)

It does not matter how big his house is, how much armed security he may have; It matters not how high of a wall he has built, because of his sins against the people - the oppression, the violence of his hands, he will always feel vulnerable. v. 11 says even the materials used in the house will be a testimony of his wickedness- a reminder of the sinful gains that he has made.

They are never fulfilled (12-13)

That is their life has no real meaning- its futile. The city that the wicked establishes through bloodshed is work for naught. You might imagine a great architecturally designed building- one with beautiful windows and exquisite timber-work… 35000 square feet, but it is not sound and therefore useless- condemned as a hazard. That is what the life of the wicked are like. From the outside looking in, it appears that they have it all- that they are prospering in ways that you have only dreamt about. But their lives are empty.

They face certain destruction (15-17)

The disgrace that they once imparted upon others will soon be imparted upon them. They will drink of the cup of the Lord’s wrath. He will see to it that they are brought to justice. “Thus says the Lord, vengeance is mine.”

They have no refuge (18)

They worship carved images who cannot even speak, much less save them from the calamity that lies ahead for them.

They are trusting in their own creation to save them… it’s literally like making a piece of furniture and then bowing down to it, expecting that table to bless them and save them...

The Righteous Live in Faith (4b)

The word translated faith here is better translated ‘integrity’ or ‘steadfastness’. Those who live clinging to God and persevering in faith stand in stark contrast to the wicked.

God is enough. We are fully satisfied in Him. He is the author of our peace and though the world convulses in chaos around us, we can have peace knowing that we are in His hand!

ILL - There is an older song called, The Anchor Holds. Do you know it? I am so grateful that we are secure and at peace because of our God!

v. 14 says the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God. Hey listen, there won’t be a single place that will be unaware of the greatness of God! We may face uncertain days in the flesh, but we look forward to an eternity of basking in His glory!

Folks, as Habakkuk writes in v. 20, the Lord is in His holy temple! He is present, He is powerful, He is worthy to be praised!

I want to ask you this morning, which side of this line do you fall?

Are you steadfastly trusting in the Lord through the midst of the insanity of 2020 America? Or are you trusting in the political and man-made institutions to bring about stability?