The cry for justice is a common occurrence in our world isn't it? Injustice takes place at all sorts of levels and we wonder, why does God allow it? It's like what we saw in Psalm 73 a few weeks ago. Why do the wicked prosper? Why do the powerful get away with taking advantage of the weak and helpless? Why doesn't God do something about it if he's the good and powerful God that we think he is?
Those are the sorts of questions that Habakkuk struggles with as he looks at the nation of Israel. And as we'll see in a moment there's an even more difficult question that needs answering. That's the question that arises when we see evildoers being punished at the hands of those who are just as evil if not more so.
We occasionally see on the news stories of bikie gang members being shot by members of rival gangs and you think that's justice - yet it's justice carried out by someone whose as wicked as the one receiving the punishment.
It's sometime around the end of the 7th century BC. The nation has gone through a period of revival under Josiah but now he's dead and the rich and powerful are back to their old tricks.
Habakkuk describes himself as a prophet, that is someone who brings a message from God to the nation, yet his prophecy turns out to be a dialogue between him and God. As you read through it you may notice certain parallels between this and the book of Job. Habakkuk sees injustice and he turns to God and complains bitterly. God replies. Then Habakkuk complains further.
And what is it he's complaining about? Violence! And God's apparent disinterest. He says “2O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save?” Notice he isn't asking for God to save. Clearly he's been doing that for some time. No, he's asking God what's going on? What's the hold-up? Surely this is something that God wants - to see justice in the land. So why doesn't he do something about it?
And then we see something else about this complaint. He says: “3Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.” The violence here isn't being done to him; he's just an onlooker seeing its effect on other people. But it's such that it causes him distress.
What is this violence that he's so concerned about? Well, the other prophets may give us an idea. They speak about the rich and powerful taking advantage of their power to steal land, to enslave poor people, to increase their wealth through unfair trade arrangements or through bribery and corruption.
And here we see a similar thing. Those two words, strife and contention are both legal words. It implies that these people are using the law to wrong those who either don't understand it or simply don't have the wherewithal to fight their case. Sounds familiar doesn't it? What happens when the legal aid system has its budget cut so poor people can't afford to go to court any more or can't afford to be defended by a barrister?
What happens when the rich and powerful become the ones who control the legal system; when it's the people in authority who are the wrongdoers and manipulators of the justice system?
He tells us in v4: “4So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous- therefore judgment comes forth perverted.”
Habakkuk's reference to the law here may refer to the Book of the Law that Josiah found in the Temple, which initiated his reforms of the nation. But now the manipulation of the rich and powerful has even countered those reforms. The law has been paralysed. And so he complains to God. Surely the book of the law, as God's law given to his people, should be one of the things that God cares most about. So why does he let it be made impotent, paralysed by the violence of evil people? Why is justice, the determining of the straight and narrow, why is it allowed to be twisted, perverted?
It's a good question isn't it? It's a question that people have long asked. Why is God so slow to act when evil appears to be triumphing.
Well, God gives Habakkuk an answer, though it's probably not the one he was hoping for.
He begins by telling Habakkuk to look and see; to watch what's about to happen. And it's going to be a shock. He says: “Be astonished! Be astounded! For a work is being done in your days that you would not believe if you were told.”
What could it be? What could God be doing that's so unbelievable?
He tells us in the next verse: “6For I am rousing the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.” The Chaldeans are the Babylonian army. God is raising up the Babylonians to exercise his judgement on the nation of Judah.
Imagine how Habakkuk felt when he heard that! Wasn't it Israel under Joshua that God had used to exercise judgement on the people of Canaan. That was the right way around. But now these pagan Babylonians were coming to punish Judah. No wonder Habakkuk wouldn't believe it. How could God use people like that to punish his own people.
But the message just gets worse. Listen to how he describes this army: “7 Dread and fearsome are they; their justice and dignity proceed from themselves. 8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, more menacing than wolves at dusk; their horses charge. Their horsemen come from far away; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. 9 They all come for violence, with faces pressing forward; they gather captives like sand.”
The form of warfare they wage is like Hitler's “Blitzkrieg”. These days we'd describe it as shock and awe: a rapid unexpected attack with maximum force and no mercy. The Babylonians were mounted on horses which gave them a huge advantage over the foot soldiers of Judah both because of their speed and their power.
But notice the way they're described in vs 7 & 9.
First of all, their justice and dignity, or authority, derives purely from themselves. These people don't acknowledge God as the source of righteousness. They think they can do what they like simply because they have the power.
And what motivates them? They come for violence. They glory in it. Their faces press forward in the hope of more violence. But isn't that what Habakkuk has been complaining about: the violence of the powerful towards the weak? How can God justify using violence to punish violence, especially at the hands of such ruthless men?
Then he says they gather captives like sand. The people that they conquer are no more valuable than a few grains of sand by the seaside.
Finally, in v11 we read “11Then they sweep by like the wind; they transgress and become guilty; their own might is their god!” There's no recognition that Yahweh might be God. Instead they see themselves as gods.
So it's not surprising that Habakkuk is confused. Yet his confusion doesn't stop him from thinking this through.
There's actually a good model here for us when we're confused about the state of the world; when we wonder whether God's paying attention; when we're not sure if he cares what's going on.
Habakkuk stops and does a short theological reflection.
He begins with what he knows about God: “12Are you not from of old, O Lord my God, my Holy One? You shall not die. O Lord, you have marked them for judgment; and you, O Rock, have established them for punishment. 13Your eyes are too pure to behold evil, and you cannot look on wrongdoing;” He knows that God is from everlasting to everlasting. He knows that God will not allow the unrighteous to live; that he can't even look on evil and wrongdoing. Yet the question still hangs there: “Why do you just look on and are silent when the wicked swallow those more righteous than they?” Why doesn't God at least say something? Of course, for God to speak means for God to act. When his word goes forth things happen. Well, unfortunately for Habakkuk God has spoken but the result of his words is the Babylonians coming to conquer all in their path.
Again, Habakkuk reflects on what the Babylonians are doing. He says it's like a fisherman with a dragnet catching everything in its path, indiscriminately. And not only that; he then offers a sacrifice to his nets. He treats them as his god because he thinks they've provided him with his food. Surely God can see that this sort of pagan worshipper deserves to be punished, not used to punish others.
As he reflects on all of this his conclusion appears to be that no, God won't let the unrighteous Babylonians go unpunished. He will judge them for their violence and their pagan worship. So there must be some sort of explanation for what's happening in the world at the moment.
So he stops and says to himself: “1I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.”
As much as he wants God to act, he realises that it's not for him to set the time and type of response. All he can do is to wait and watch to see what God will say to him, what God will do with his complaint.
As God's people we're often forced to wait for God to answer, aren't we? We ask him to do something but no immediate answer comes back. All we can do is wait and keep asking. Sometimes we don't see an answer until we look back and see how God has acted. At other times we just keep waiting.
I'm reminded of the early disciples who were waiting for Jesus to return as he'd promised. It was a bit disconcerting to think how the years had passed and nothing had happened when they thought he'd return in their lifetime?
Well, Peter, in his second letter, addresses that question. Here's what he says: “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) His answer was that God's slowness was connected with his loving patience, as he waited on more people to call on Jesus for forgiveness.
That may well be part of the answer to Habakkuk's complaint. As he cried out for an end to violence he didn't realise what it was he was asking for. Yes, God would bring an end to the violence of the powerful in Jerusalem, but it'd be at the cost of thousands of lives as the Babylonian army came to conquer the whole land and drag off the survivors to exile in Babylon. And it would cause huge dismay among believers when they saw how Jerusalem was being destroyed by this pagan army.
Well, let's think for a moment about what we can learn from this first chapter of Habakkuk.
First we need to be careful what we ask for when we make our complaints to God. Sometimes God delays bringing justice to the world because the price of justice is so high.
Second. we shouldn't be surprised if we see God's justice being brought about by unjust men and women. Remember that the forgiveness of our sins was brought about by Jesus' death at the hands of wicked men and women.
Third, remember that when you see things happening that you don't think are right, stop and take a moment to think it through theologically, starting with your knowledge of God, then be prepared to wait to let God decide when's the right time to act to right the wrongs of this world.
Finally remember that God's ultimate answer to the injustice and evil in our world was to send his son to die at the hands of those sinful men and women so that we might be made righteous by faith in him.
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