Monday, June 27, 2016

Habakkuk 1: When The Wicked Prevail

Habakkuk's questioning of God is rather startling for a Hebrew prophet.  As he foresees the coming Babylonian invasion of Judah, Habakkuk struggles to comprehend how God could bear to use such a wicked nation against His own people.

"Your eyes are too pure to behold evil, and you cannot look on wrongdoing; why do you look on the treacherous, and are silent when the wicked swallow those more righteous than they?" (vs. 13)  Habakkuk simply doesn't understand how God, who is known to be intolerant of sin, can willingly enable the Chaldeans to sweep down upon a people more righteous than themselves (i.e. Judah).  How does this hypocrisy square with the Lord being a God of justice and holiness?

After all, earlier Habakkuk complained, "The wicked surround the righteous - therefore judgment comes forth perverted" (vs. 4).  When the wicked prevail, what does this say about the Lord's character and will?  Are the evil to go on winning?  "Is he then to keep on emptying his net and destroying nations without mercy?" (vs. 17).

Although not a complete answer, Habakkuk may realize that those who are executing God's judgment at present will themselves have to answer to that same judgment in the future.  It is not completely clear who Habakkuk is referring to in verse 12 when he says, "O Lord, you have marked them for judgment; and you, O Rock, have established them for punishment."  If he has in mind the Babylonians that he was just describing in the preceding verses, then he senses that those who are God's executioners today may themselves be executed tomorrow.

Like many of his fellow Israelites, Habakkuk is trying hard to understand how God could bring such disaster upon His people while willfully using the wicked Chaldeans as his instrument of choice.

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