Habakkuk 1:12-Habakkuk Expresses His Faith in the Lord Before Questioning His Decision to Use Babylonians to Discipline Judah

Habakkuk 1:12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times; my sovereign God, you are immortal. Lord, you have made them your instrument of judgment. Protector, you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment. (NET)

Habakkuk 1:12 begins the third section of the book, which ends in Habakkuk 1:17, and which section records Habakkuk questioning the Lord’s choice of the Babylonians as His instrument of judgment to discipline the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah in 605 B.C.

Habakkuk 1:12 contains a rhetorical question followed by three assertions.

The prophet Habakkuk addresses the Lord in this rhetorical question and asks if He was in fact not from eternity and of course, this question demands an emphatic positive response.

Therefore, it is affirming that the Lord was from eternity.

The second statement in the verse emphatically asserts that the Lord would never die.

Therefore, the second statement after the rhetorical question continues to describe the character and nature of God.

The first affirmation derived from the rhetorical question describes God as from eternity past whereas the second affirmation describes Him as eternal with respect to the future.

Thus, the two assertions affirm that the Lord was from everlasting to everlasting.

In other words, they are describing the eternality of the Lord.

Now, in the rhetorical question in Habakkuk 1:12, we noted that “Lord” (yhwh) is the covenant-keeping personal name of God and is used here in connection with His covenant relationship with the nation of Israel and in particular the southern kingdom of Judah.

Specifically, it is used in connection with the covenant relationship that existed between God and Habakkuk and his fellow citizens of the kingdom of Judah.

Thus, it also expresses God’s sovereignty over the kingdom of Judah.

The second statement solemnly asserts that Habakkuk’s God, his Holy One will absolutely never die.

When Habakkuk addresses the Lord as “my God, my Holy One,” he is expressing the covenant relationship that existed between the prophet Habakkuk and God who is holy.

“God” (ĕlōhîm) emphasizes the transcendent character of the Lord God of Israel, who the New Testament identifies as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This word refers to the Lord’s complete sovereign power over all creation and every creature and over every nation and ruler as evidenced by fulfilled prophecy.

The implication of Habakkuk’s use of the word ĕlōhîm here in Habakkuk 1:12 emphasizes that the Lord would sovereignly intervene and discipline the southern kingdom of Judah for her apostasy as a result of not adhering to the commands and prohibitions of the Mosaic Law.

This is indicated by the fact that the Lord in Habakkuk 1:6-11 informs Habakkuk that He will use the Babylonian army to discipline the apostate citizenry in the southern kingdom of Judah.

Secondly, Habakkuk 1:12-17 presents Habakkuk’s response to the Lord using the Babylonian army to discipline his nation.

Also, in the second statement in Habakkuk 1:12, we noted that “Holy One” (qā·ḏôš) describes the God of Israel as being unique and pure in the sense of possessing superior moral qualities and possessing certain essential qualities in contrast to human being and angels.

In other words, it describes God as being distinct from His creatures and creation and expressing His absolute perfect character which is sinless in contrast to both angels and human beings.

Therefore, this word speaks of God’s transcendent character as creator and sovereign ruler over all of creation and every creature.

What is evil or sin is defined by God’s holy character, which is revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God and through His actions in judging nations and their rulers as well as their citizens for not adhering to His holy standards which are written on the soul of every human being (cf. Rom. 2:13-14).

This is unlike the ancient Near Eastern view of their gods and holiness since they did not associate morality with deity or holiness because their gods were more evil than they were.

By addressing God as “Lord” and “my God” and “my Holy One,” and describing Him as “from eternity” and asserting that He “will absolutely never die” in Habakkuk 1:12, the prophet Habakkuk is expressing His faith in God.

So therefore, when he questions God’s use of the wicked Babylonians to discipline the apostate citizenry in his nation, he is not expressing unbelief but rather confusion about God’s ways.

In other words, the prophet is trying to understand how God could use such a wicked pagan nation to discipline his own who were in apostasy.

At least those in his nation, who were in apostasy, possessed a covenant relationship with God but the Babylonians did not.

Now, in the third statement in Habakkuk 1:12, the prophet Habakkuk solemnly asserts that the Lord ordained the Babylonian army as His instrument to judge the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah.

The fourth statement explains the third and asserts that the Lord appointed the Babylonian army as His instrument to discipline the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah.

Therefore, a comparison of these two assertions indicates that when Habakkuk asserts that the Lord ordained the Babylonian army as His instrument to judge the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah, he means that the Lord appointed them to discipline the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah.

In other words, the fourth assertion defines the concept of judging the nation as discipline.

This indicates that those in Judah who were about to be judged by God through the Babylonian army were in a covenant relationship with Him and not unregenerate since God only disciplines His children and never the unregenerate.

Therefore, when Habakkuk asserts that the Lord has appointed the Babylonian army as His instrument to “discipline” the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah, it implies that latter was in a covenant relationship with God.

God would use the Babylonians to break the sinful patterns of behavior of the apostate citizenry of Judah such as idolatry which never was a problem again for the Jews after the Babylonians three invasions and deportations of this nation in 605, 597 and 586 B.C.

Idolatry was never again a problem for Judah after the Babylonian exile.

Now, in the third assertion in Habakkuk 1:12, Habakkuk addresses the Lord as “O Rock” (ṣûr) which is used in a metaphorical or figurative sense for the Lord God of Israel to describe His omnipotence, immutability and loyal or faithful love.

The term expresses the firmness, and permanence and strength of God.

In relation to the concept of strength, the Lord was a “rock” to Habakkuk because He was omnipotent which gave the prophet assurance that the Lord was strong enough to deliver him from any enemy and any adversity in life.

In relation to firmness, the Lord was a “rock” because His love expressed itself to them by remaining faithful and loyal to Habakkuk and the citizens of Judah even when they were unfaithful or disloyal to Him.

In relation to permanence, the Lord was a “rock” to Habakkuk because He was immutable which means He never changes.

Therefore, by addressing the Lord as “a Rock” the prophet Habakkuk was expressing the idea that his life was on a firm foundation because of the assurance he received by knowing that God was omnipotent and that His love for him would never change.

In Habakkuk 1:6-11, the Lord made clear to Habakkuk that He caused the Babylonians to come to power with the implication that He would use this pagan, Gentile nation to discipline the citizens of the Judah who were in an unrepentant state of apostasy but this ran counter to the theology of the citizens of Judah including Habakkuk (cf. Jer. 5:12; 6:14; 7:1-34; 8:11; Lam. 4:12; Amos 6).

However, this use of another Gentile nation to discipline the nation of Judah was in accordance with the Mosaic Law (cf. Deut. 28:49-50; 1 Kings 11:14, 23; Jer. 4; 5:14-17; 6:22-30; Amos 6:14).

Therefore, Habakkuk and this faithful remnant in Judah should have known that God uses wicked pagan Gentile nations to discipline His covenant people since He employed the nation of Assyria as His instrument to discipline the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.

It appears that this faithful remnant in Judah felt that God would never use a pagan Gentile nation to discipline their nation because they possessed Solomon’s temple and Jerusalem, the city of David was its capital.

However, they soon found out that possessing Solomon’s temple and the city of Jerusalem as their center of worship and capital respectively did not stop God from destroying both.

Indeed, He would use the wicked, arrogant, Gentile Babylonians as His instrument to do so.

Unlike the northern kingdom however, the Lord would leave a remnant from the southern kingdom of Judah who would return to the land after seventy years in exile in Babylon and begin again.