Habakkuk
I have a long history with the book of Habakkuk. The first sermon that I preached many years ago now was based on the book of Habakkuk. The messages in this book are as relevant and important today as when they were originally written.
Habakkuk was a prophet in the Kingdom of Judah. When Habakkuk was brining his message, the tribes of the Northern Kingdom had already been defeated by the Assyrians. The Chaldeans from Babylon were establishing themselves as the major power in the region.
Habakkuk was a prophet who was concerned about justice and righteousness. His book begins with a cry to the Lord about the poor spiritual state of the people. He was concerned about the level of violence in the land and that justice had become perverted. People didn't care about obeying the law anymore.
Isn't this similar to our own day and age? I know that it is where I live. There is a great deal of violence. Mass shootings, assaults and various other crimes are on the rise. People take other people's lives or harm others without the slightest bit of remorse. People don't seem to want to have anything to do with God and God's ways anymore.
Habakkuk wanted to know when God was going to do something about the unrighteousness and injustice in the land. God gave an answer to Habakkuk, but Habakkuk wondered about what God had to say to him.
God informed Habakkuk that He was well aware of the situation. There was nothing getting past the Lord's observation. The Lord was preparing to use the Chaldeans as a means of judgment upon the people due to the fact that they weren't really following Him anymore.
The Chaldeans, also called the Babylonians, were a rising power in Habakkuk's day. They were know for their fierceness in battle and for their extravagant sinful lifestyle of excess.
Hearing that God was going to use the Babylonians to bring punishment upon the people sent Habakkuk into a state of disbelief. How can this be? The prophet could not understand how it was possible that God could use a people worse than his own in this way. Habakkuk was once again left wondering what God was doing.
The prophet's questions and reactions to what God was doing are similar to our reactions. We often wonder why God does x, y or z in our lives and in the affairs of the world. One of our major questions is often why God does not bring judgment on those who are doing so much evil in the world. Why is God letting people get away with harming others? Why are the rich allowed to keep oppressing the poor? Why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people? Why does God allow so much misery and suffering in the world? People go hungry when there is plenty of food. There are people dying every day from treatable diseases, but they can't access the care that they need.
We all, at least I do, have a lot of questions. And there is nothing wrong with asking God why He is doing this or that. There is no place in Habakkuk where it states that God is angry with the prophet. It is a natural part of being a human to question and wonder why.
Sometimes, God will provide the answer to us in His word or through the work of the Holy Spirit in or lives. Ultimately, we are not going to know the full scope of things until Jesus returns or when we go to meet Him. We have to trust that the Lord is good and working to perform His will in His way.
Just to give a couple of other examples about questioning, Asaph and John the Baptist had questions. Asaph was a musician who wrote at least 12 of the Psalms. He couldn't understand why the wicked prospered. He was so upset about this, he almost lost his faith. But, he didn't. He came to understand that God is in control and will work all things out.
John the Baptist sent a delegation of his disciples to Jesus to ask if Jesus really was the Messiah, or should they be looking for someone else. He had questions, and he had heard the voice of God saying of Jesus this is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
Sometimes when we ask questions of the Lord, we don't like the answers. This can be a problem if we don't have Habakkuk's attitude. He trusted in the fact that God would always do the right thing. He never accused God of doing wrong. And the prophet never lost faith in God.
We see the prophet's response to God in the final chapter of this book. The prophet says, "The Lord is in His holy Temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him." God is sovereign. His will will be accomplished. Everything is ultimately working for the good.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 tells us about what Habakkuk's attitude and what ours should be. "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, although the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
Ultimately, Jesus will work everything out. No matter what comes into our lives we know that one day we will be with Jesus. He is our peace, and one day He will bring justice, peace and righteous to this world.
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