Habakkuk 1

Habakkuk has prayed a valid prayer.  How long Lord until you judge the extreme wickedness of Your people?  God is gracious to give an answer.

·        1:5-11: God’s answer to Habakkuk.

o   1:5: God’s answer involves another nation.  And it will be an event that Habakkuk nor any of the people could have imagined.

o   1:6-10: The nation is the Chaldeans, the ancient name for the Babylonians.  What cannot be imagined is how efficient they will be in carrying out God’s judgment.  They are faster, bigger, more ruthless than any before them.  Their military techniques (they heap up earthen mounds) cannot be defended against.  And note, they possess places that are not theirs. 

o   1:11: This is important, but perhaps Habakkuk does not realize its import.  The Babylonians, after they do some conquering as the Lord’s sword will then commit a fatal sin; they will ascribe their successes to their own god!

·        1:12-2:1: Habakkuk contends with God.

o   1:12: There are some things that bother Habakkuk.  He is, in fact, arguing with the Lord.  First he says, we shall not die.  It sounds to Habakkuk like God is sending a sword/nation that will destroy what’s left of the nation.  So note the way the prophet, whose name means embrace, speaks of God.  It is O LORD my God, my Holy One.  He holds tightly to his God.  And then he reminds God that Hs is Rock, a name of God that has its origins in the great Song of Moses (Deut. 32:4,15,18,30,31).  That is the Song God gave to Israel to remind them that He would be faithful to judge their sin, and also that He would be faithful not to destroy them completely. 

o   1:13-14: Another problem Habakkuk has with God is that in using the Babylonians He is really using people more wicked than Judah.  You are of purer eyes than to behold evil; and yet God is saying He will actually bless the Babylonians as they carry out His will.

o   1:15-17: And then there is the issue that God Himself raised.  The Babylonians will worship their god because of their military successes.  The net and dragnet are the means by which they capture the people of Judah; and they sacrifice and burn incense to these.

What we see is that Habakkuk pleads with God based on things he knows about God.  It is true God promised to spare Israel from complete destruction.  It is true God will never allow evil to be triumphant.  Yet see that Habakkuk also trusts God.  The prophet knows God never does wrong; He is, after all, my Holy One.  Thus we see the proper attitude in 2:1: I am waiting to see how God corrects me.  Let us remember this when we contend with God.  Like Job, and like Habakkuk, when we argue with God it is only because we are missing something.  He is ALWAYS righteous; ALL things work together for good to those who trust Him.