Habakkuk’s First Complaint and God’s Answer

1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received.

vs 1 Look up Habakkuk in a Bible Dictionary or Study Bible. What does his name mean? What did it mean to be an Old Testament prophet? Do his words in these next few verses sound prophetic to you?

The name Habakkuk may come from the Hebrew root which means embrace. That certainly would be an appropriate name for a mother to name her child. Little is known about him. A later writing has suggested that he was of the tribe of Levi, another that he was of the tribe of Simeon. But nothing definite is known about him except what we read in this short book. A prophet was one who was appointed by God to deliver his message to Israel. Although this prophecy is in the form of a personal dialogue between the prophet and God, it is apparent that this dialogue was intended to be read. In 2:1 God tells Habakkuk, ""Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it."

Habakkuk’s words in these first 4 verses hardly sound prophetic. But as we go through this book, we will see how Habakkuk’s complaint was changed into a deeper faith and trust in God. What started off as a simple complaint, God turned into a wonderful prophecy of how his sovereign will controls even the actions and destiny of nations.

2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?

vs. 2 Have you ever felt like asking God these questions? When you felt like God was far away, what did you do? How were you able to sustain your faith?

Habakkuk has been calling out to God, but he wonders if God is listening. He pleads for justice, and yet God doesn’t do anything. How often have we felt the same way! We feel like God is ignoring us or has abandoned us. And yet, God had not abandoned Habakkuk. He was preparing an answer. But Habakkuk is like a lot of us – he was impatient for God to do something now. When we get impatient with God, we can get very discouraged. We may find our faith wavering and our confidence in God slipping. But the real problem is that we are not willing to wait for God’s answer. The problem is not that God isn’t faithful. The problem is that we give up too easily. God wants us to be men and women of genuine faith – a faith that will not waver nor diminish depending on circumstances. God wants us to be like Daniel facing the lions den and the Hebrew children facing the fiery furnace. No matter how bad things look, we trust God.

3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.

vs 3 What injustice and wrongs do we see today? What conflict and strifes do we see today? Do you feel God has abandoned America?

Our legal system is under attack. We have criminals who are being let off, we have murderers who are portrayed as victims, and we have citizens who have lost confidence in the criminal justice system. We see rampant immorality defended and righteous living ridiculed. We see a convicted killer of a policeman asked to address a college graduation via videotape while a valedictorian is refused to share his faith at his graduation ceremony. We see school children taught about occult practices, proper condom use, and tolerance toward immoral lifestyles while these same children are refused the right to pray, read the Bible, or quote the Ten Commandments in school. If something is indecent, immoral, or disgusting, our courts defend these activities as free speech. But if someone wants to share the gospel message, it is prohibited by these same courts as insensitive and intolerant. The Judeo-Christian values which were the underpinnings of America’s legal system are now being abandoned for a system of convenience and political correctness. Justice and fairness no longer prevail. Rather, it is who has the best lawyer, the political clout, or the best media spin control. Do you feel that God has abandoned America? Maybe the real question is – has America abandoned God?

4 Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

vs 4 How do we see the law paralyzed in our own society? When justice is perverted, how do you think the citizens react? How do you feel about inequities in our legal system?

The same thing that Habakkuk is complaining about is happening in our society. When we make excuses for criminals and allow them to get off on a technicality, when we tie the hands of our police force so they cannot even do their jobs, when we have so many ridiculous laws that law-abiding citizens are prosecuted as criminals, the law is paralyzed. And our society is paralyzed. Habakkuk wrote that the wicked hem in the righteous. Isn’t this exactly what is happening? If the citizens feel that the court system is not fair, then there is no longer any incentive to not do what’s wrong. If innocent people are jailed, and guilty ones get off free, then it doesn’t matter how someone lives their lives. We have become a society of political justice and tabloid prosecution. It is no longer what is right, it is what is politically expedient. It is no longer a question of a fair trial based on the facts, but rather an attempt to demonize the opposition. If we can place doubt that the police or the prosecutor weren’t scrupulously fair, then it’s deemed not fair that a killer be found guilty. What happened to common sense?

5 Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

vs 5 Who is speaking in this verse? Does this seem like something God might be saying today? How can we prepare for what God has for the future of our nation?

Verse 5 begins God’s reply. In spite of injustice and immorality, God says, "Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed." In spite of our frustration and discouragement, God is still in control. He will do something that we would not believe, even if we were told. God was going to temporarily punish Judah by taking them into captivity. But 70 years later they would return with a new resolve and commitment toward God and against idolatry.

I don’t know what God has in mind for America in the new millennium. But it seems time for a new outpouring of God’s Spirit. It seems time for a renewal of faith. It seems time for a revival of morality. If we truly want to see God move in our church and in our community, we need to be doing some things. We need to be praying. Every revival has been accompanied by people who fervently prayed. We need to be sharing our faith. We cannot be secret Christians. Let us not be afraid to let people know about the wonderful gift that Christ is offering them. We need to be changing. Allow the Holy Spirit to clean up our own lives of all those wrong desires and misplaced priorities. We need to be excited. God is, after all, in control. We serve the Creator of the universe. That should cause us to rejoice and be excited. And we should anticipate. If God is preparing to do something in America, let us be prepared to reach out to those who will be seeking for answers, who will be confused by life’s problems, and be discouraged by society’s ills. Let us prepare for a new restoration in America – a restoration of the gospel of Christ.

6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own.

7 They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.

vs 6-7 What kind of people were the Babylonians? Why would God use them? Does God sometimes use ruthless and wicked people to work his divine plan? How do you feel about that?

The Babylonians were notoriously harsh. We have been reading about some of the atrocities in Kosovo, but their crimes don’t come close to what the Babylonians did. They had a reputation for being exceedingly cruel. You may ask why God would use them. This is what Habakkuk did. It is not for us to know why or how God purposes to do his will. The world was shocked and dismayed to learn about the Nazi persecution of Jews during World War II. It was indeed a cruel and difficult time for those people. And yet from this persecution, came the desire to return to the land of their fathers – the great exodus which resulted in the settlement of the nation of Israel and the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland. When Jesus returns, the Jews are living in Jerusalem. He sets his foot on the Mount of Olives to rule and reign in the world with Israel as his capital. Perhaps God is preparing the world for that event.

We may not understand why God uses misery to work his will in the world. We certainly don’t like it when he does it in our own lives, but we know how God has used some of the darkest times of our lives to help us draw closest to him and for our faith to grow the greatest. So we may not understand it, but God’s ways are much higher than our ways. So we need to trust in him, and not worry about what’s happening.

8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like a vulture swooping to devour;

9 they all come bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.

vs 8-9 List the many metaphors used in these two verses to describe the Babylonian army. What does this tell you about what will happen to Judah? Why in verse 9 does God mention gathering prisoners?

These words that God is giving to Habakkuk will be published throughout Israel. Notice how God is preparing the nation for what is about to happen. He uses wonderful metaphors to describe this army. Horses – swifter than leopards and fiercer than wolves at dusk. They fly like a vulture swooping to devour. Hordes – advance like a desert wind, gather prisoners like sand. The Jews understood what these terms meant – leopards, wolves, vultures, desert wind, and gathering sand. It seems God is preparing them for what will happen. They must be prepared to go into captivity, because only there will they finally get rid of their idolatry and serve the one true God.

10 They deride kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; they build earthen ramps and capture them.

11 Then they sweep past like the wind and go on-- guilty men, whose own strength is their god.

vs 10-11 What was God’s opinion of the Babylonians morality? How can strength be a god? What do you sometimes place in your life as a god?

God calls these conquerors "guilty men." He does not approve of their immorality. Instead of trusting in the one true God, they are trusting in their own strength. We do this also. As long as we can handle a situation, we continue doing it our own way. Only when we get in trouble, do we look to God for help. But God wants us to come to him first. God does not want us to only depend on our own strength or ability or talent. We condemn Israel for worshipping idols, but we have many idols that we worship – things that we place in a more prominent place than God. What are those areas in your life? Allow God to remove them and become your strength and your help.

Footnotes:



	Habakkuk 1:1-11