We’ve all heard news that was too good to be true. Statements on the radio or TV tell us: “You’ll never have to pay an energy bill again after you put solar panels on your house,” or “Drinking a glass of water before bed will cause you to lose thirty pounds in a month,” and my personal favorite, “This kind of chocolate is healthy and good for you.”
While those statements are too good to be true, the people living in Judah in 607 BC were about to receive news that was too bad to be true. When they heard it they might have said, Could you repeat that? or I heard what you said, but it was so odd, I must have misunderstood you.
Habakkuk 1:1-4 recorded the cry and concern Habakkuk shared with God. Habakkuk pleaded with God to do something about the evil, wickedness, and violence that Habakkuk saw occurring in the nation of Judah. In Habakkuk 1:5-11 we read God’s response to Habakkuk.
Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days— You would not believe if you were told. “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs. They are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from afar; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour. All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They collect captives like sand. They mock at kings And rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress And heap up rubble to capture it. Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god. (Hab 1:5–11)[1]
When we ask questions of God, we have to be ready for His answers. We might not like those answers, but God is faithful. He will respond when we ask, even if we don’t like what we hear. The response from God that we don’t like or don’t want to hear is a reminder that God is God and we are not. It’s a reminder that He’s in charge and we are not. It’s a reminder that He’s the leader and we are the followers. It’s a reminder that He’s the master and we are His servants.
[1] 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.