Cities in the seventh century BC were often built with stone towers on top of the city walls so a watchman could easily see approaching visitors. That’s the imagery[1] Habakkuk uses when he says, “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” (Hab 2:1).[2] The context of this verse is Habakkuk asking questions about God’s characteristics (1:12–13), the Babylonians (1:14–17), and now we see Habakkuk’s determination to wait.[3]
Let’s take a note of three characteristics of Habakkuk as he concludes his questions of God. The first is that he’s standing (v. 1a). It’s easy when experiencing struggles to get discouraged and sink down into confusion and hopelessness. Instead Habakkuk stands up, holds his head high, his eyes are open, and he’s looking out. The second is he’s watching (v. 1b). Habakkuk compares himself to a watchman that keeps his eyes open for approaching messengers or danger. The third is he’s waiting (v. 1c). Habakkuk waits patiently for divine revelation and braces himself for a rebuke.
Old Testament scholar O. Palmer Robertson writes that Habakkuk “will not attempt to reconcile in his own mind the apparent contradiction between the election of Israel by God as the object of his special love and the devastation of Israel at the hands of the rapacious Chaldeans as ordered by the Lord himself. He will not resort to the sources of human wisdom. Instead, he will watch for an answer that can come from the Lord.”[4]
Habakkuk expects to get a reply. Sometimes only God can answer our questions. One lesson we learn from this passage is this: we have confidence that God will reply. When God replies he might correct us or comfort us, but we should have confidence that he will reply to us. And we need a place to go to wait for his reply just as Habakkuk did.
We need a place to get above the mess we are in and a place to escape from the distractions we face. It might be quiet time in the morning with coffee, a Bible, and a journal. It might be late at night after everyone is sleeping when you can quietly pray. Maybe you sneak away in the middle of the day and go sit in your car on your lunchbreak while at work.
When we encounter tough times we usually respond to God in two ways. One response is to leave God. When we leave God we withdraw from Sunday worship, stop attending a weekly Bible study, quit giving, or discontinue serving. Another response we might have when we encounter tough times is to lean into God. When we lean into God we rigorously study his Word more, seek counsel from Godly friends or family, and spend more time in fellowship with church people.
I want to encourage you to lean into God. God knows what you’re going through, he knows what you’re feeling, and he knows what to do. You can be confident that he will reply. Difficult situations require a certain level of human responsibility. If God speaks, we must be ready to listen. And when we lean into God it shows Him that we are ready to listen and that we are ready for his correction or his comfort.
[1] Other prophets used a similar image of a watchtower to explain their attitude of expectation (Isa 21:8; Jer 6:17; Ezek 3:17; 33:2, 33)
[2] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[3] The verse designations in our Bible were not originally placed there by the writers. Instead, they were added much later. https://bible.org/question/how-and-when-was-bible-divided-chapters-and-verses
[4] O. Palmer Robertson, The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990),165.