Waiting For God's Intervention
HABAKKUK 1:12-13
One of the functions of temple prophets was to give responses to worshippers who came seeking divine guidance: when the problem was stated, the prophet inquired of God and obtained an answer.
Where is the “focal point,” or heart, of this pericope? We believe it is at the top of our Lord’s answer to Habakkuk: “Look among the nations and watch—and be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe…” [1:5].
From this center of what we will loosely call chapter one (indeed, the chapter break after 1:17 surely is ill-advised), we derive the title and subject for our message: “Waiting For God’s Intervention in History.”
OUR OUTLINE WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:
A. Our Distress Over Our Moral Condition 1:2–4
1. In Our Sensitivity to Wrong 1:2–3a
2. In Our Helplessness in the Presence of Wrong 1:3b
3. In Our Frustration Over the Loss of Law and Justice 1:4
B. Our Amazement Over the Divine Intervention 1:5–11
1. In His Unbelievable Work 1:5
2. In His Use of Such Unlikely Instruments 1:6–11
C. Our Distress Over God’s Use of the Wicked 1:12–17
1. So Contrary to His Name 1:12a
2. So Contrary to His Nature 1:12b–13
3. So Contrary to His Justice 1:14–17
D. Conclusion 2:1 [1]
A. OUR DISTRESS OVER OUR MORAL CONDITION
The opening complaint has to do with Judah's moral and spiritual decline and the apparent unwillingness of Yahweh to intervene. The section takes the form of a lament.
1. The ‘How Long’ of the Complaint
a. How Long?
The first part of the complaint: “O Lord, how long shall I cry…” [1:2].
§ יְהוָ֛ה - “O Lord” [1:2], ‘covenant, redeemer God of Israel’ [Exo.3:14];
§ עַד־אָ֧נָה - “how long” [1:2], interrogative marker of a period of time,
i. The Covenant History
The covenant God of grace had asked the same question with regard to the covenant people:
§ Israel and the manna: “LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws…” [Exo.16:28].
§ The spies: “the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me…” [Num.14:11].
b. The Unanswered Prayer
The repeated prayer: “shall I cry, and you will not hear…” [1:2].
§ שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי - “cry” [1:2], piel perfect, ‘cry for help’; ‘plead for relief’; the verb is usually used in ‘psalms of lament’ or in a ‘hymn of thanksgiving’;
§ לֹ֣א תִשְׁמָ֑ע - “not hear” [1:2], ‘perception of hearing to process information’; in the OT, implies ‘action, response, and obedience’;
§ The history of the covenant community: “our fathers cried unto thee…they were delivered” [Psa.22:5].
i. The Covenant People
The consummate consequence of Israel rejecting God as king is that the wicked monarchy would bring them into a state of oppression: “they have rejected me that I should not reign over them” [1Sam.8:7].
§ At the time of Israel’s insistence on the establishment of the monarchy, the Lord warned them through his servant: “you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day” [1Sam.8:18].
§ The wickedness brought in by Manasseh and his predecessors has sealed Israel’s fate. The prophet cries but the Lord will not hear.
2. The Cry for Help
The cry for help: “cry unto thee of violence…” [1:2].
§ אֶזְעַ֥ק - “cry” [1:2], qal imperfect, ‘cry for help in time of distress’;
a. The Violence
The particular distress: “cry unto thee of violence…” [1:2].
§ חָמָ֖ס - “violence” [1:2], ‘a strong, fierce, destructive force resulting in acts that maim, destroy, kill, often implying a lawlessness, terror, and lack of moral restraint’; “because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein…” [2:8].
§ Noah used the same word to decry the society in his own day: “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence…” [Gen.6:11].
b. The Covenant Community
The unique situation; those set apart to be God’s people are instigating violence among themselves:
§ Jehoiakim exploited his subjects for his own aggrandizement and had no concern for justice or mercy: “he taxed the land…he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of everyone according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaoh-nechoh” [2Kgs.23:35].
§ Those who held subordinate positions of power in the land took their cue from him. The result was widespread oppression, injustice, and violence.
§ The covenant curses: “day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you” [Deu.28:29].
c. The Salvation?
The cry for help was not answered: “thou wilt not save” [1:2].
§ לֹ֥א תוֹשִֽׁיעַ - “not save” [1:2], hiphil imperfect, ‘rescue from danger’;
§ Job puzzles over God’s failure to answer his cry: “Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment” [Job.19:7].
Application
Habakkuk stands among the innocent rather than as a propagator of violence. As prophetic mediator, his petition is offered in behalf of the whole of the faithful remnant. Why should not this prayer be answered?
3. The Why? Of the Complaint
The specifics of Habakkuk’s complaint are spelled out more fully in three couplets:
a. Trouble & Suffering
i. The Trouble
The trouble: “who dost thou show me iniquity…” [1:3].
§ תַרְאֵ֤נִי - “show” [1:3], hiphil imperfect, ‘to see, view’;
§ אָ֙וֶן֙ - “iniquity” [1:3], ‘the primary meaning of the word seems to have two facets: a stress on trouble which moves on to wickedness, and an emphasis on emptiness which moves on to idolatry’; ‘wickedness, calamity’;
§ Generally, biblical theologians have given little attention to ˒āwen as a contributor to an understanding of sin. Since the word stresses the planning and expression of deception and points to the painful aftermath of sin, it should be noted more;
ii. The Suffering
The suffering: “cause me to behold grievance” [1:3].
§ תַּבִּ֔יט - “cause to behold” [1:3], hiphil imperfect, ‘to gaze at’; ‘to consider’;
§ וְעָמָ֣ל - “grievance” [1:3], ‘misery, hardship’; ‘distressing experience’;
b. Plundering & Violence
The plundering and the violence: “for spoiling and violence are before me…” [1:3].
§ וְשֹׁ֥ד - “spoiling” [1:3], ‘destruction, ruin’;
§ וְחָמָ֖ס - “violence” [1:3], ‘a strong, fierce, destructive force resulting in acts that maim, destroy, kill, often implying a lawlessness, terror, and lack of moral restraint’;
§ לְנֶגְדִּ֑י - “before me” [1:3], ‘towards counterpart’;
c. Strife & Contention
The strife and contention: “there are that raise up strife and contention” [1:3].
§ יִשָּֽׂא - “raise up” [1:3], qal imperfect, ‘to lift up’;
§ רִ֦יב - “strife” [1:3], ‘contention’; ‘hostility’; ‘legal dispute’;
§ וּמָד֖וֹן - “contention” [1:3], ‘strife, dissension, verbal quarrel’;
Application
4. The Loss of Law & Justice
In this situation, possessing the Book of the Law does Israel no good.
a. The Stifling
The law of God is numbed: “therefore the law is slacked…” [1:4].
§ תּוֹרָ֔ה - “law” [1:4], ‘Torah’; ‘written prescription’; ‘Book of the Law’;
§ תָּפ֣וּג - “slacked” [1:4], ‘paralysed’; ‘incapable of functioning in the normal way’;
b. The Failure to Judge
The sensitivity of the Law to the cause of right has been stifled: “judgment doth never go forth…” [1:4].
§ מִשְׁפָּ֑ט - “judgement” [1:4], ‘deciding a legal dispute or case’;
§ לֹֽא־יֵצֵ֥א - “never go forth” [1:4], ‘leave an area with linear motion’;
c. The Strength of the Wicked
The wicked outnumber the righteous and enforce their own will on the people: “the wicked doth compass about the righteous…” [1:4].
§ רָשָׁע֙ - “wicked” [1:4], ‘unrighteous’; ‘wrong’; ‘to act wickedly’; ‘to condemn as guilty’;
§ מַכְתִּ֣יר - “compass” [1:4], hiphil participle, ‘surround, encircle’;
§ רָשָׁע֙ - “righteous” [1:4], ‘upright’; ‘in accordance with an accepted standard’;
d. Justice
Justice is not carried out, but is perverted instead: “therefore wrong judgement proceeds” [1:4].
§ מִשְׁפָּ֖ט מְעֻקָּֽל - “wrong judgement” [1:4], ‘perverted, distorted’; ‘morally twisted or crooked’;
§ יֵצֵ֥א - “proceeds” [1:4], ‘go out, come out’;
Application
The very Law that King Josiah had rediscovered buried in the temple trash and rejoiced over so greatly was abandoned by his son Jehoiachin.
§ The worst thing a righteous person could do would be to appeal to the courts of the land for the adjudication of his case. It is certain that the decision would be rendered against him.
§ There was a time when the wicked would have been more hesitant to challenge their victims so forthrightly, but now, encouraged by their own successes, they had placed a stranglehold on their victims—and on righteousness itself.
§ As Proverbs 29:18 affirms, “Where there is no vision [i.e., no input from God’s revelation], the people become unmanageable; but he who keeps the law, oh how truly blessed that one is” (author’s translation.). Judah’s people became their own enemy as they turned their back on Josiah’s revival of 621 b.c., and especially as they turned away from their Lord.
B. OUR AMAZEMENT OVER THE DIVINE INTERVENTION
1. The Lord’s Unbelievable Work
The first reply [1:5-11] sets forth the coming destruction of Judah by Babylon as Yahweh's discipline for errant Judah.
a. The Preparation
Preparatory to unveiling his resolution to this injustice, the Lord warns with the ominous words the awesomeness of that which the prophet shall see:
§ The alert: “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously…” [1:5].
§ The unbelievable judgement: “I will work a work in your day which you will not believe…” [1:5].
b. The Unlikely Instrument
The Lord then identifies the specific instrument he has prepared to bring judgement: “for, lo, I will raise up the Chaldean…” [1:6].
§ The Lord characterises with as many as twenty details the coming force for retribution: “that bitter and hasty nation…” [1:6]; “they are terrible and dreadful…” [1:7]; “their horses are also swifter than leopards…” [1:8]; “they shall come all for violence…” [1:9]; “they shall scoff at the kings…” [1:10].
§ The instrument of judgment now exalts itself to the level of deity: “then shall his mind change…” [1:11].
Application
The wicked in Israel shall not by any means escape judgment. As a matter of fact, they shall be devastated by the awesome tool raised up by the Almighty.
§ The invitation in 1:5 to “look,” “watch,” and “be utterly amazed” was not directed only to the prophet, for the imperatives and the pronouns are all second person plural forms.
§ The whole generation (and, apparently, each subsequent generation) was to watch international developments carefully, for God was about to intervene in a shocking and astonishing way.
C. OUR DISTRESS OVER GOD’S USE OF THE WICKED
The Lord’s answer ended up troubling the prophet more than his original question. Habakkuk becomes exceedingly bold. He actually challenges the Lord over his intention to punish the wickedness of Judah. Not a weak faith but a perplexed faith torments Habakkuk.
1. So Contrary to God’s Name
a. The Perplexity
Habakkuk is perplexed at the sudden turn of events: “are you not from…” [1:12].
§ הֲל֧וֹא – “are you not” [1:12], particle interrogative, particle negative,
b. Habakkuk’s God
i. The Everlasting God
The prophet bolsters his confidence by reminding the Lord of the everlasting character of his own nature: “art thou not from everlasting, O Lord…” [1:12].
§ מִקֶּ֗דֶם - “from everlasting” [1:12], ‘ancient, long ago’; ‘timeless’; ‘eternal’;
§ The prophet echoes the reassuring words spoken by Isaiah to the faltering faith of Hezekiah when Sennacherib of Assyria had threatened Jerusalem earlier: “Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times that I have formed it? Now have I brought it to pass …” [Isa.37:26].
ii. The Personal & Holy God
The personal God: “my God, my Holy One” [1:12].
§ יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהַ֛י - “O Lord my God” [1:12],
§ קְדֹשִׁ֖י - “my Holy One” [1:12], ‘pure, sacred, consecrated’;
§ This title refers to God’s purity and incomparability. God’s holiness is the standard for all right acting, thinking and living: “you shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy” [Lev.19:2].
iii. The Rock
The prophet also reassures his soul by recalling that God is the Rock: “O mighty God…” [1:12].
§ וְצ֖וּר - “mighty” [1:12], ‘rock’; ‘mass of stone material’;
§ The image of God as Rock dates back to the time of Moses: “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he” [Deu.32:4].
§ also used by the Psalmist at different times: “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God” [Psa.62:8].
§ This name spoke of God’s steadfastness and continuity. n Him could be found security, protection, refuge and constancy.
c. The Facts
i. The Impossibility
The prophet’s faith affirms that because Yahweh is their God the people cannot perish: “we shall not die…” [1:12].
§ לֹ֣א נָמ֑וּת - “not die” [1:12], ‘be killed and so be in a state of the physical absence of life’;
ii. The Instrument of Justice
Instead of serving as an instrument of annihilation, the enemy being raised up by God against Israel must function as the divine tool for justice: “you have ordained them for judgement…” [1:12].
§ שַׂמְתּ֔וֹ - “ordained them” [1:12], ‘cause an object to be located in a certain place’;
§ לְמִשְׁפָּ֣ט - “judgement” [1:12], ‘deciding a legal dispute or case’;
iii. The Instrument of Rebuke
And also as a divine tool for rebuke: “O mighty God, thou hast established…” [1:12].
§ יְסַדְתּֽוֹ - “established” [1:12], ‘lay a foundation’; ‘establish base for a construction’;
§ לְהוֹכִ֥יחַ - “correction” [1:12], ‘prove, reprove’; ‘prove arguments’; ‘make a decision in a legal dispute’;
§ The Davidic covenant: “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men…” [2Sam.7:14].
Application
The prophet expresses confidence in God. God’s name is unchanging, and his eternal purpose finds faithful refection in the events of history now being unfolded to him.
§ It was this reassuring fact that kept Habakkuk from total despair when confronted by the problem of theodicy—reconciling the goodness and justice of God with the recent announcement of His intention to use the wicked Babylonians against Judah.
§ Since the choice of Israel originated in the eternity of God’s own nature, how could he now speak in tones threatening annihilation?
§ Corrective justice indeed the prophet desired for Israel. But utter devastation at the hands of the Chaldeans seemed to be far too much.
2. So Contrary to God’s Nature
Despite his confidence in God, Habakkuk must still proceed in all honesty to offer his questions before God.
a. The Source of the Problem
Habakkuk first of all deals with the source of the problem:
i. The Purity of God
Habakkuk eases into the problem by first affirming what he knows must be true despite his own perceptions; God does not condone or tolerate evil: “thou art of purer eyes than to behold…” [1:13].
§ טְה֤וֹר - “purer” [1:13], ‘clean, flawless, perfect’;
§ מֵרְא֣וֹת - “behold” [1:13], ‘to see, look at, view’;
§ וְהַבִּ֥יט - “cannot look on” [1:13], hiphil infinitive construct, ‘to look, behold, gaze’; the root is ‘that which one does with the eyes’;
§ לֹ֣א תוּכָ֑ל - ‘not able’;
§ Yahweh and his own people: “He has seen no misfortune in Jacob; and he has perceived no trouble in Israel” [Num.23:21].
ii. The Wicked Chaldeans
The wickedness of the Chaldeans: “to behold evil…” [1:13].
§ רָ֔ע - “evil” [1:13], ‘wickedness’; ‘pertaining to that which is not morally pure or good according to a proper standard, implying this evil hinders or severs a relationship to a person or principle which is proper’;
§ עָמָ֖ל - “iniquity” [1:13], ‘labour, toil, trouble, mischief, sorrow’;
b. The Question
The prophet is baffled by God’s tolerance of the wicked: “why do you look upon…” [1:13].
§ לָ֤מָּה - “why” [1:13], particle interrogative,
i. God Overlooks
Why does God condone: “wherefore do you look on them…” [1:13].
§ תַבִּיט֙ - “look upon” [1:13], hiphil imperfect, ‘to look, behold, gaze’; the root is ‘that which one does with the eyes’;
§ בּֽוֹגְדִ֔ים - “deal treacherously” [1:13], ‘be unfaithful’; ‘commit adultery’; ‘betray’;
ii. God does not Intervene
Why does God not intervene: “and hold your tongue when the wicked…” [1:13].
§ תַּחֲרִ֕ישׁ - “hold thy tongue” [1:13], hiphil imperfect, ‘not to take action’; ‘to be silent’;
§ רָשָׁ֖ע - “wicked” [1:13], piel infinitive construct, ‘class of persons who are evil with a focus on the guilt of violating a standard’;
§ בְּבַלַּ֥ע - “devours” [1:13], ‘swallow up, devour’;
§ צַדִּ֥יק מִמֶּֽנּוּ - “more righteous” [1:13], ‘just’; ‘being a person in accordance with a standard’;
iii. The Big Question
Habakkuk’s puzzlement represents one of the most basic questions that must arise if God is to effect redemption among fallen humanity:
§ The question finds its precursor in the constant query of the psalmists of Israel: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me…?” [Psa.22:1-2]; “why do you hide your face and forget our affliction…” [Psa.44:24-25]; “O God, why have you cast us off for ever? why does your anger…?” [Psa.74:1].
§ This question reaches its apex of perplexity in the ‘Why?’ of the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Mat.27:46].
§ The big question is, How can the favoured of God suffer such devastation? Chastenings must be taken with a sober humility. But a destruction that resembles an utter devastation? How could it be? A deportation that reverses the total direction of God’s electing mercies?
Application
The prophet acknowledges God’s divine prerogative to set up and carry out His royal decree, but the agonizing problem is this: How can God appear to stand by in silence as the wicked swallow up the righteous? It seems as if God is tolerating all that He opposes. Habakkuk stops short of charging God with wrong-doing, but, nevertheless, he is unable to resolve the basic problem.
§ How could Yahweh favour the depraved Chaldeans over the well-being of his own beloved people?
§ Should not Yahweh’s instrument for the accomplishment of his purpose reflect something of his own purity and righteousness? The cure was far worse than the disease!
The puzzlement of Habakkuk arises out of the seeming injustice of the judgement which the Lord has shown him, and the utter devastation which the coming of the Chaldeans forces him to envision.
3. So Contrary to God’s Justice
Secondly, Habakkuk points to two factors which intensify the problem:
a. The Lack of Justice
The prophet acknowledges the sovereignty of Yahweh: “you make men as…” [1:14].
§ The creation order: “have dominion over the fish of the see, and the fowl of the air…” [Gen.1:28].
§ The man is now brought low, with no ruler to protect or guide: “you have made men as the fish of the sea…no ruler over them” [1:14].
§ The Chaldeans carried on the Assyrian tradition of driving a hook through the sensitive lower lip of their captives and stringing them single file: “they take up all of them with a hook…” [1:15].
§ The prophet enforces the picture of brutality: “they catch them in their net…” [1:15].
§ The Chaldeans gloat in their capture: “therefore they rejoice and are glad” [1:15].
b. The Success Attributed to False Gods
The Chaldeans worship their instruments of human torture and cruelty: “they sacrifice unto their net…” [1:16].
§ In their twisted imagination, they somehow have found a way to claim righteousness in their brutal deeds: “because of them their portion is fat…” [1:16].
§ The relentlessness of the oppressor also causes the prophet to tremble: “shall they therefore empty their net…” [1:17].
Application
The prophet could not understand the breadth of the oppression that the Lord now revealed to him.
§ His heart and mind were wounded with such awesome prospects.
§ He dared to question the Almighty – and then had to await a response.
D. THE CONCLUSION
Habakkuk knows that, in accordance with the nature of the prophetic office in Israel, revelation from God alone can answer his perplexity. No matter how great the prophet’s perplexity (and it was great), he will wait patiently until he receives further revelation.
1. The Prophet’s Faith
a. The Watch
The prophet will wait for the Lord: “I will stand upon my watch…” [2:1].
§ אֶעֱמֹ֔דָה - “stand” [2:1], cohortative in form and meaning, ‘present’; ‘stand in front of’;
§ עַל־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֣י - “my watch” [2:1], ‘requirement’; ‘responsibility’; ‘guard’; ‘post’;
§ וְאֶֽתְיַצְּבָ֖ה - “set me” [2:1], ‘be in a standing position, implying one stays in the same position for an extended period of time’;
§ מָצ֑וֹר - “tower” [2:1], ‘stronghold’; ‘defensive structure’;
b. The Prophetic Role
This was the prophet’s role in Israel: “Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he sees” [Isa.21:6].
§ The prophet remained in post: “I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime…” [Isa.21:8].
2. The Prophet’s Expectation
a. Revelation
The prophet’s faith waits for a revelation from God: “watch to see what he will say to me…” [2:1].
§ וַאֲצַפֶּ֗ה - “watch” [2:1], piel imperfect, ‘look out for’;
§ לִרְאוֹת֙ - “to see” [2:1], ‘see, look, view’;
§ מַה־יְדַבֶּר־בִּ֔י - “what he will say” [2:1], ‘speak, tell, say’;
b. The Answer
The prophet’s faith waits for an answer: “and what I shall answer when I am reproved” [2:1].
§ אָשִׁ֖יב - “answer” [2:1], hiphil imperfect, ‘to bring back, return’;
§ תּוֹכַחְתִּֽי - “reproved” [2:1], ‘rebuke, correct’; ‘to show strong disapproval’;
Application
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[1]Kaiser, Walter C. ; Ogilvie, Lloyd J.: The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 23 : Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Nashville, Tennessee : Thomas Nelson Inc, 1992 (The Preacher's Commentary Series 23), S. 154