The book of Habakkuk is a “theodicy” which is an “attempt to defend God’s omnipotence and goodness in the face of the problem of evil in the world.”[iii] The book of Habakkuk tells the story of a man asking God about the evil he sees occurring in his country and in the neighboring nations. It also reveals the struggles that Habakkuk has with what he sees and what he believes God should be doing.
Many of us probably have the same questions that Habakkuk was asking. Questions such as, God do you know what’s going on? God when will you intervene? God why don’t you do something? God if you are good why do you allow evil, pain, and suffering?
In this book we don’t get all of those answers at once. Just as each of the four gospels in the New Testament give us a portrait of Jesus from different sides and with a different emphasis, the book of Habakkuk answers our questions in a series of steps building upon each other. Each step gets us closer to understanding who God is and why He chooses to do what He does in the way He does.
The first chapter of Habakkuk’s book focuses on Habakkuk’s problems. Habakkuk 1:1 serves as an introduction, and then we read about Habakkuk’s first question in Habakkuk 1:2-4 which we could summarize this way: How long will evil continue and when will you stop it? In these three verses he questions the inconsistency of God’s actions and God’s character.[iv]
Next in Habakkuk 1:5-11 we read God’s first answer to Habakkuk which could be summarized in this way: I’m going to stop it, I know what’s going on, and you’ll be surprised how. God tells Habakkuk that He will use ungodly people (Babylon) and ungodly forces to purify His people who are acting ungodly.
But God’s first answer raised a new problem for Habakkuk and that’s what we’ll examine together. Habakkuk’s second question of God in 1:12-2:1 questions the inconsistency of God’s character by asking why God would use the more serious sinners (Babylonians) punishing the less serious sinners (Judah).[v] Habakkuk is perplexed that the eternal holy God would send a nation more wicked than Judah to punish Judah, but Habakkuk waits for an answer. Let’s look at these three sections and an application for each together.
DECLARATION ABOUT GOD (1:12-13)
In Hebrew there are specific types of questions that expect a positive reply[vi] and Habakkuk’s question is one of those, “Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge; and You, O Rock, have established them to correct. Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor on those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?” (Habakkuk 1:12–13).[vii] While these appear as questions, they are actually declarations in the form of questions.[viii] These are rhetorical questions that expect the answer, “Yes of course.”[ix] With this perspective lets note a few key words from Habakkuk 1:12-13.
The name of God deserves our attention. “LORD” is used two times in Habakkuk 1:12. It’s in all capital letters in our English translation which tells us it’s a translation of YHWH[x] or transliterated as Yahweh. Some believe it comes from the verb, “to be” in Hebrew.[xi] Yahweh was the covenant name of God (Exod 3:14). The use of this name for God by Habakkuk indicated God’s covenant faithfulness and would evoke confidence in the original hearers.
The titles for God deserve our attention. Habakkuk calls God “Holy One” (v. 12b). This title describes how God transcends the affairs of people and nations. He will not allow sin to go unpunished. Habakkuk also calls God “Rock” (v. 12e).This title views God as a place where someone can go and be safe from danger. It pictures God as a place of safety and protection for His people. It evokes feelings of permanence and stability.
The attributes of God deserve our attention. Habakkuk describes God as “everlasting” (v. 12a).This was a reminder of the Lord’s saving history in Israel. Next Habakkuk describes God’s “eyes” (13a). This is an “anthropomorphism” which is the attribution of human features to God. Here it describes God’s omnipotence in how He sees everything going on in the world. God sees evil, but he does not condone evil or tolerate evil.
The activities of God deserve our attention. We read that God has “established them to correct” (v. 12e). God is going to use the Babylonians to punish, but they will not overstep God’s sovereign will. (This was the message of God to Habakkuk in 1:5-11.)
Lastly, the attitude of Habakkuk deserves our attention. Habakkuk almost seems relieved to know God is active, but God had not responded the way Habakkuk wanted. This is important to note: Habakkuk does not question that God punish Judah, but Habakkuk does question how God will use an evil nation to punish Judah. Habakkuk 1:11-12 reminds us of an important reality in the Christian life which is this.
We have confidence in the eternal God.
For Habakkuk things are not looking good, but Habakkuk still believes God is good. Thingshave been bad for 300 years in Israel and Judah, and they are not getting better. Yet Habakkuk still has confidence in the eternal God as seen in Habakkuk’s addresses to God as “Lord” “Holy One” “Rock” and “Everlasting.” Pastor John MacArthur writes, “Although the prophet could not fully comprehend the sovereign workings of his righteous God, he expressed his complete faith and trust.”[xii] While the devastation of divine judgement was terrible, Habakkuk drew hope and consolation from God’s holiness and faithfulness.
Reading about God’s potential judgment requires a reflection on God’s promises to Israel. Scripture written before the book of Habakkuk said God would remain faithful to the Patriarchs based on the covenant with Abraham (Gen 17:2-8; 26:3-5; 28:13-15). Scripture also revealed that God would remain faithful to Israel as they were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exod 3:3-15; Deut 7:6; 14:1-2; 26:16-18). Furthermore, God would remain faithful to the house of David in how God told David that David would always have a descendant on the throne (2 Sam 7:12-29).[xiii]
While there were promises given to Israel then, God also gives promises to believers living today. Promises that we will always be tied to God because of His love (Rom 8:38-39). Promises that we are adopted as sons and daughters (Gal 3:26-27). These promises give us confidence in the eternal God.
Where I live in Washington we sometimes experience snow and icy conditions in parking lots. One important element of walking on ice is to look for parts of a parking lot or sidewalk that do not have ice. When walking you look for the solid parts and step there. You avoid the slippery spots and walk on the solid parts. In a similar way, we rest and focus on the elements of God we know for sure. We don’t know everything about God, but we stick with what we do know. Pastor J. Vernon McGee once said, “My friend, do not be disturbed if you are not thinking as God thinks. You are not God. Unfortunately many folk try to take His place.”[xiv] What a blessing it is to have the benefit of confidence looking back at these things. But Habakkuk does not have that benefit. So let’s continue as he shares his concerns with God.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BABYLONIANS (1:14-17)
Helplessness of Humanity (vv. 14-15)
Habakkuk tells us about the helplessness of humanity by using the analogy of fishing, “Why have You made men like the fish of the sea, like creeping things without a ruler over them?” (Habakkuk 1:1). This is an analogy because fish have no leader and they’re easy to catch. These fish represent human society to the Babylonians. In other words, Judah is as helpless as fish and they are going to be easy to catch without a leader.
Habakkuk tells us about the catch of the sea for the Babylonians, “The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, drag them away with their net, and gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore they rejoice and are glad” (Habakkuk 1:15). This is what the Babylonians do. The “Chaldeans” were a tribe within the Assyrian Empire that rose up and overtook the Assyrian Empire. Nabopolassar rose up into power in 625 BC and Nebuchadnezzar inherited the powerful kingdom in 605 BC. The Chaldeans were the original tribe name of the nation known as the Babylonians.
The Babylonians had a tradition of driving a hook through the lower lip of their captives, stringing them together, and then walking them together in a single-file line as their captives.[xv] Brutality was seen when they captured king Zedekiah, killed his sons in front of him, then they gouged out his eyes (2 Kings 25:7).
Haughtiness of Babylonians (vv. 16-17)
The haughtiness of the Babylonians is seen in how they believe in themselves, “Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net and burn incense to their fishing net; because through these things their catch is large, and their food is plentiful” (Habakkuk 1:16). The Babylonians attributed their success to their own military might, worshipped what brought them success, loved their livelihood, enjoyed their luxury, and they lived by the plunder of the people that they conquered. Those helpless fish they gathered up indiscriminately and caught in their net were their life.
The haughtiness of the Babylonians is also seen in how they battle anyone they want, “Will they therefore empty their net And continually slay nations without sparing?” (Habakkuk 1:17). They fill the net, empty it, then fill it again. As we read about the arrogance and self reliance of the Babylonians it reminds us as Christians about an important principle we follow.
We have confidence that we achieve nothing without god
The pride of the Babylonians we read here matches what we read earlier in this chapter, “Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, they whose strength is their god” (Habakkuk 1:11). The Babylonians believed everything they achieved was because of their might. Their strength was their god. They believed that what they achieved was because of their effort. As a result there was no acknowledgement of a god in heaven that was allowing them to do what they were doing. And that’s why God will eventually bring them down.
That same attitude can creep into our lives as believers if we’re not careful. If we’re not careful we might start to depend on our connections, creativity, experience, education, family, or innovativeness. We as Christians must remind ourselves that God is provider and sustainer of everything that we achieve and have. Everything we have is God’s blessing to us.
All of our success is God’s provision for us. A parent might hear from a teacher that her kids are doing excellent in school. Give God the credit! Someone working in food service might receive grateful compliments from the people she is serving food. Praise God for the honor of doing the work! A mechanic on a car might receive good reviews online for his work. Let the glory go to God!
I started working at the church I now serve in July of 2021 during COVID when a lot of people were not attending church in person. Within two years of me pastoring that church attendance had doubled in size. For me I had no other choice than to attribute the growth to God’s timing of when He had me start and with the fact that people were now attending church again in person.
It’s important to praise God when things go well because it’s our human nature to attribute our success to our work instead of to God. The Swiss reformer John Calvin once wrote it was “necessary that God should empty us by his special grace, that we may not be filled with this satanic pride, which is innate, and which cannot by any means be shaken off by us, until the Lord regenerates us by his Spirit.”[xvi] Thus we remind ourselves that we have confidence we achieve nothing without God.
In this section of Habakkuk’s response to God we are seeing Habakkuk’s experience. We have read about Habakkuk’s declaration that taught us we have confidence in the eternal God. We have read about Habakkak’s description that taught us we achieve nothing without God. Last, we see Habakkuk waiting for a reply.
DETERMINATION TO WAIT (2:1)
Cities in the seventh century often were built with stone towers on top of the city walls so a watchman could easily see approaching visitors. That’s the imagery that Habakkuk employs here[xvii] 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” (Habakkuk 2:1). While the verse designations in our Bible were not originally placed there by the writers, I’d like to point out three characteristics of Habakkuk 2:1.
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, has 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 braces himself for a rebuke, “when I am reproved.” Habakkuk waits patiently for divine revelation.
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.”[xviii]
Habakkuk expects to get a reply. Sometimes only God can answer. The last 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.
As this relates to us, we need a place to get above the mess we are in and get away from the distractions we face. It might be some quiet time in the morning with coffee and 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 in two ways. Sometimes we leave God. When we leave God we withdraw from Sunday worship, stop attending a weekly Bible study, quit giving, or discontinue serving. Sometimes we 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. He 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. These types of 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.
Reading Habakkuk’s reply in these verses gives us confidence in the eternal God, confidence that we achieve nothing without God, and confidence God will reply.
CONCLUSION
I hope that reading through the book of Habakkuk causes us to admire the man Habakkuk. We find Habakkuk here waiting for God’s reply. He wants to honor God, to see God’s people change their lifestyle, and he wants to make Judah a place holy and honorable before God. Yet he has to wait for God’s reply.
This is tough because we don’t like to wait. We’re taught waiting is bad. We’ve been trained that waiting is an enemy. We have ATMs that give us instant cash, same day deliveries from Amazon, meals made in minutes, as well as have movies, books, and music that appear instantly on our TVs, tablets, and phones when we want them. Author Jen Wilkin states, “But being able to wait is distinctly Christian. In fact, it’s a mark of Christian maturity.”[xix] We as Christians can wait and be confident.
Sometimes the answers come immediately, but most of the time God reveals those answers much later—sometimes, months or years pass—then we finally get an answer from God for why He’s done what He did in our lives, for why He caused us to endure what we went through, and for why He allowed people to do or say certain things. While we wait we can have confidence in the eternal God, we can have confidence that we achieve nothing without God, and we can have confidence that God will reply.
[i] Originally prepared and delivered at Lakeview Missionary Church on April 30, 2023, third in a series “Reverent Wrestlings” from Habakkuk.
[ii] Christopher L. Scott serves as senior pastor at Lakeview Missionary Church in Moses Lake, WA.
[iii] Page Brooks and D. A. Neal, “Theodicy,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
[iv] Christopher L. Scott, “Wondering and Waiting: Habakkuk 1:1-4” in Word & Deed, vol XXVI Number 2 May 2024, 93-101.
[v] Habakkuk has good reason to be puzzled. In 722 BC the Assyrian army arrived in Israel in the north and wiped out Israel. As a result the nation had been removed from the ancient near eastern landscape. Habakkuk naturally wondered if that might be the same fate of Judah? These questions Habakkuk asks likely are in 607 BC.
[vi] Habakkuk 1:12 begins with the interrogative particle, halo.
[vii] 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.
[viii] J. Ronald Blue explains, “In Hebrew, the form of the question-O LORD, are You not from everlasting?-requires an affirmative reply. It is as much a declaration as an interrogation” (J. Ronald Blue, “Habakkuk,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 [Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985], 1511).
[ix] The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005).
[x] According to one lexicon it occurs 6,823 times in the Old Testament (Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977).
[xi] Other forms based on the Hebrew are “God” from Elohim and “Lord” from Adonai.
[xii] MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 1289.
[xiii] Richard Patterson, Habakkuk, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, vol. 10 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2008), 412.
[xiv] J Vernon McGee, Nahum and Habakkuk, Thru the Bible Commentary Series, vol. 30 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 80.
[xv] Numerous commentaries cite this. O. Palmer Robertson, The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990), 163 and Thomas Constable, Notes on Habakkuk, 2023 edition, p. 23. Accessed May 27, 2024, https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/habakkuk.pdf. Both Constable and Robertson cite the W. Rudolph, Micha-Nahum-Habakuk-Zephanja (sic), KAT 13/3, second edition (Gütersloh: Gerd Mohn, 1975), 211. Also see the “Stele of victory from Susa” which depicts enemies caught in a net from 2371-2316 BC (Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019], 1551).
[xvi] John Calvin and John Owen. Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 52.
[xvii] 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)
[xviii] Robertson, Habakkuk, 165.
[xix] Jen Wilkin, “Waiting on the Word,” Christianity Today, April 2022, p. 30.