The messenger and the message
The book of the prophet Habakkuk has a very personal character. He does not bring messages directly to the people, but the reader witnesses a dialog between God and Habakkuk. Habakkuk sees how evil and unjust God’s people are behaving. He asks God why He is simply watching. God replies that He will chastise His people through the Chaldeans – the kingdom of Babylon. This, in turn, raises the question in Habakkuk’s mind as to whether it is just for a wicked nation like Israel to be judged by a completely godless nation like Babylon. God also gives Habakkuk an answer to this …
Glimpses from the prophet Habakkuk
“Why do you let me see disaster and look at hardship? … Why do you look on robbers, keep silent when the wicked devours the one who is more righteous than he, and make men like the fish of the sea, the worm that has no ruler? … I will stand upon my lookout, I will stand upon the tower, and I will peep to see what he will speak to me, and what I shall answer to my complaint … O Lord, I have heard thy tidings, I am afraid; O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy! … But I will rejoice in the Lord, I will exult in the God of my salvation” (Hab 1:3, 13b, 14; 2:1; 3:2, 18).
Does God let injustice pass?
Who doesn’t know what Habakkuk experiences here: things happen that I can’t or don’t want to put up with. A classmate is on my back and gets away with it. A colleague at work bullies me and makes a career for himself. My (biological) brother or sister tells on me and gets away with what they do wrong. It is even worse when someone from God’s people, like Habakkuk, completely disregards God’s will at the expense of others. All of this is unjust; it violates God’s justice – and yet God does not intervene. It seems as if He is watching indifferently. Questions arise: “Why does God allow this? Why doesn’t He help me? Why does He let evil things happen?”
How does a believing Christian deal with such situations? You can fight: justice must prevail, so be like Robin Hood! You can doubt: Does God even exist if I don’t notice Him acting? You can resign yourself: Living faithfully according to God’s word is simply no longer feasible in this day and age. You can blame God: It is unjust that the righteous are worse off than the unrighteous! You can become cynical: If God seems to reward the wicked, then I can do worse or at least pay back in kind. Are these the right reactions?
Asaph went through something similar and wrote a psalm about it. It was almost unbearable for him that ungodly people could seemingly live carefree lives and become richer and richer (Ps 73:12). How he dealt with this is instructive: first, he did not imitate the wicked, but remained faithful to God (Hab 1:15). Second, it helped him to realize God’s plans and goals anew: he held on to the truth that God is righteous and will judge injustice. Not now, but in His own time. In doing so, it was certainly useful for him not to dwell on thoughts of revenge but to focus on God and rejoice (Hab 1:17, 23). Sure, it was difficult for him (Hab 1:6), but it was worth it: God freed him from frustration and bitterness and gave him joy and patience.
Habakkuk receives a similar answer to Asaph here: The unrighteous people will be overrun by Babylon (Hab 1:6.). This is an answer that removes the basis for doubt and resignation: God is just. We simply have to hold on to that. This also means that injustice (i.e., everything that contradicts God’s will) is condemned – in His time. Habakkuk had injustice in mind, especially among God’s people. That is where God begins His judgment, even today (1 Pet 4:17).
Why does God do what He does?
Habakkuk was not content to simply point out that the righteous God does not let injustice pass in the long term. And sometimes we feel the same way. We don’t want to make it that easy for ourselves, but we would like to understand why God acts the way He does. “Why questions” are allowed. We often read in the Bible that people of faith have asked God “why” – the reason for His actions. Such questions are only wrong if they accuse God. But shouldn’t God accept questions that are asked in the expectation that He can help and restore inner peace?
This was the case with Habakkuk (cf. Hab 2:1). And he seems justified in asking further questions: Is it fair that God wants to use an even worse, indeed utterly godless people, of all people, to judge His people (Hab 1:13)? God has three answers to this. First: “The righteous will live by his faith” (Hab 2:4). This confirms to Habakkuk that no believer will perish in this judgment (cf. Hab 1:12). Second, the wicked whom God has used for judgment will also be judged himself (Hab 2:6ff.) – God does not overlook sin. And third, God is sovereign and does not have to give an account of his actions (Hab 2:20).
From questions to peace and joy
God’s answers bring Habakkuk to reverent praise (Hab 3). He is impressed by God’s omnipotence and sovereignty. He allows God’s greatness and power to pass before his inner eye and becomes very small himself (Hab 3:16). How good that he doesn’t have to be afraid of God. On the contrary, he enjoys peace and can rejoice in being accepted by Him (Hab 3:16, 18, 19) – accepted by the almighty God who reigns, even if we cannot (yet) see it. Thus, Habakkuk receives peace and joy through the answers to his questions. Anyone who has questions for God can experience this. God does not always give concrete answers. But He gives peace (Phil 4:7), and when you have it, you can rejoice – even if you still don’t understand.
