02 What If God’s Answer Is Worse Than the Problem? (Habakkuk 1:1-2:1)

Krisan Marotta: Welcome to Wednesday in the Word. I'm Krisan Marotta, and this is my podcast about what the Bible means and how we know. This is the second talk in a series on the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. Today we're gonna study Habakkuk chapter 1, verse 1 through chapter 2, verse 1. The lecture notes are on the link below this podcast. Lecture notes are the handout I would give you if this were an in-person talk. You can also find those notes by going directly to wednesdayintheword.com slash Habakkuk 2. Habakkuk is spelled H-A-B-A-K-K-U-K. Thanks for joining me today. In the first podcast, we looked at the historical setting for this book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk was a prophet. His book occurs during the time period of biblical history that we call the divided monarchy. The nation of Israel has split into two different nations, with the northern kingdom being Israel and the southern kingdom Judah. The northern kingdom has already been taken into captivity by Assyria, and the southern kingdom of Judah is still standing. So Habakkuk is a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah during the reign of the evil king Yoakim. The nation is spiraling downward into evil and rebellion. The king is oppressing his people and the nation is a vassal state of the Babylonians. Habakkuk's world is in tremendous geopolitical turmoil, and life seems to be going from bad to worse. Into this setting then, Habakkuk seeks the Lord, and he asks, basically, how long is this going to go on? When are you going to rescue your people? So as we talked about last time, the book of Habakkuk speaks to one of the most fundamental questions of the Christian faith. We believe in a just, righteous, and merciful God, and yet we look around at the chaos, crime, and violence in the world and we say, Where are you? How long are you going to let this go on? Your people are struggling under an evil regime. The wicked seem to prosper. Those who follow you seem to perish. Life is bad and it's getting worse. We're crying out to you, but you don't seem to be listening. And our two theme questions for this study are first, how can a loving God let this happen to me or to us? And second, why believe if I'm not exempt from the tragedies of life? Well, today we're going to look at Habakkuk chapter one verse one through chapter two verse one. And first let me give you a general outline of the book, which you can find in the lecture notes. Habakkuk chapter one verses one through four is Habakkuk's first complaint. Habakkuk turns to God and he complains that people have abandoned the law and everything is getting worse, and how long is God going to let this go on? Then in chapter one verses five through eleven, the Lord responds and he says, Don't worry, I'm sending the Babylonians. And in chapter one, verse twelve through two one, Habakkuk gives his second complaint and he says, What? Why the Babylonians? And then in two, four through twenty the Lord responds. And in three, one through nineteen, Habakkuk responds to the Lord's response. He basically gives us a prayer. Well let's start with chapter one verses one through four. The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear? Or cry to you violence and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity? And why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me, strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth, for the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted. So the first two verses set the stage for us and for the book. This is the oracle of the prophet Habakkuk, so this is a record of the discussion Habakkuk had with God. The prophet turns to God to complain about all the injustice and the evil going on under the current king's rule. And he says in verse two, How long, O Lord, will I cry for help, and you will not hear? I cry out to you violence, yet you do not save. Now that word violence in verse two is more than just a destructive physical force. It includes the idea of wrongness. Things are not the way they ought to be. Everything is wrong, everything is unjust and out of place. Habakkuk's complaint is not just about criminal violence, but this whole evil, unjust reign of the king. Life is not fair, life is unjust, the government is corrupt, those who follow the Lord are being persecuted and oppressed, and it's more than a threat of physical harm, it includes all the evil corruption and injustice in the nation. And then he continues in verse three, why do you make me see iniquity and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me, strife exists and contention arises. Remember the historical context that we talked about in the last podcast. Habakkuk's world is undergoing tremendous upheaval. Under the last king, Josiah, the nation experienced something of a renaissance. They turned away from idols, they turned back to the Lord, they reinstituted the Mosaic law and they rid the government of corrupt judges and leaders. But now all of that is a thing of the past. The current king is turning back the clock, so to speak. He's undoing all the gains made by his father, and he's turning the nation back to chaos, corruption, and idolatry. And Habakkuk is asking, Does this make sense? Why are we seeing this? Why are you making me go through this? Why are you putting us through this kind of iniquity and wickedness? I don't understand how this is a good thing. We had all these reforms under the last king, we were moving in the right direction, and now it's all lost. We're right back where we started from, and things are getting worse. And then in verse four he says, Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld, for the wicked surround the righteous, therefore justice comes out perverted. I think that is verse is a very apt description of a society in chaos. When the rule of law breaks down, justice and fairness are no longer the principles governing society. Instead we see tyranny, we see abuse of power, and there's no concept of fairness or justice. When he says the wicked surround the righteous, in this context, I think the wicked are those who are hostile toward God and reject him, and the righteous are those who are seeking him and trying to follow him. So he's saying, look, it's all falling apart, the rule of law is breaking down, there's no more justice, there's no fairness, and he's asking God, why is this happening? Now notice he has his theology right in the sense that he's addressing this question to God. His question assumes that God is the one in charge and that God is the one who can do something about this problem. The chaos in his society is not going to be solved by instituting the right kind of laws, the right kind of social reform. It's not a question of forming the best political action committee and getting laws in place or assigning blame to the right policy or party or government, and it's not even seeking a regime change. Rather, Habakkuk cries out to the God of heaven because he is the one who can set right everything that is wrong. If anyone can turn this situation around, it's God. And as bad as this situation is, it is not outside of God's control. God has the power to bring about reforms and to bring about justice. Now God's going to answer Habakkuk, and he starts on a positive note. He says, basically, I'm here and I'm working. Let's look at chapter one verses five through eleven. Look among the nations and see, wonder and be astounded, for I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome, their justice and dignity go forth from themselves, their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves, their horsemen press proudly on, their horsemen come from afar, they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward, they gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, at rulers they laugh, they laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men whose own might is their God. Well God's answer contains some good news and some bad news. And verse five, he says, Look among the nations and see, wonder and be astounded, for I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. Here's the good news. God assures Habakkuk he's acting, he's in control. In fact, he's about to do something, something Habakkuk could never imagine and he wouldn't believe if he was told it. Then in verse six, he drops the bad news. You're not gonna like what God's about to do. He says in verse six, for behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation who marched through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. Now the Chaldeans is another name for the Babylonians. And God basically answers, Yes, I'm here, I'm about to act, I'm in control. The Chaldeans are coming to execute discipline against Judah and her evil king. Well, Habakkuk must be stunned because surely this is a case of the cure being worse than the disease. Habakkuk asks, Why is this happening? Are you even listening? How long are you going to let this go on? And notice God doesn't tell Habakkuk why it's happening. Instead he says, Here's what's going to happen next. I'm bringing the Chaldeans to execute judgment and discipline against Judah and her idolatry. And then he gives this really terrifying description of the Chaldeans. In verse seven, he says they are dreaded and fearsome, their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. Now that summary statement is perhaps the most succinct description of who they are as a people. They are autonomous. They believe their authority, the power and might that they have come from themselves and not from any God. In other words, they're beholden to no God, no king, and no other people for their accomplishments. They are a self contained force unto themselves. So essentially, they have substituted themselves for God. And then he goes on to describe their overwhelming military might. This is eight through eleven. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves, their horsemen press proudly on, their horsemen come from afar, they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward, they gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men whose own might is their God. So the Lord basically answers Habakkuk and says, Look, the Chaldeans are coming with this absolutely unbelievable, terrifying military might. They sweep down in full force against their enemies, and they laugh at anyone who tries to resist. They scoop up captives like a child scoops up sand on the beach. No fortress can stop them, they conquer everything in their path. So Habakkuk is seeing what's going to happen to Judah. It hasn't happened yet, but it's coming. And he probably has some idea how bad it's going to be because as the Babylonians have been growing in might and conquering their neighbors, the people of Judah have probably heard reports of how they have treated others, and God says now you're going to see it firsthand. And notice the bookend statement he gives in one hundred eleven. The English Standard Version has then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men whose own might is their God. I like the way the New American Standard translates it a little better. I think it's a little more clear what he means. This is their version. Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on, but they will be held guilty, they whose strength is their God. So he says in one seven, their justice and authority originate with themselves, and then he closes this summary of what they will do, they will sweep through like the wind, and he concludes with God's response. They will be held guilty, they whose strength is their God. So they will be judged and found guilty. Why? Because they were cruel, well they were, because they lacked mercy, because they were too fierce? All of that is true, but most importantly they will be judged because their strength is their God. Their evil has a cause, and that cause is they have rebelled against God and made themselves God. So why will they be found guilty? They have denied God and rebelled against him and failed to acknowledge him. In their world, he's not even there. Well that answer provokes a response from Habakkuk. And we'll see Habakkuk responds with questions that show his confusion. Basically, he doesn't understand why God would use these people to bring judgment on his people. The people of Judah are God's chosen people, and God is letting these truly ungodly folks trample all over them. Well, what's the deal? Let's look at Habakkuk's second complaint. This is in chapter one verses twelve through seventeen. We're going to walk through it verse by verse. In one twelve he says, Are you not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my holy one? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. Well, that phrase in verse twelve, we will not die is problematic for many scholars, because in fact, a lot of God's people did die when the Babylonians eventually leveled Jerusalem. The event is often described as the first Holocaust because about 1.2 million Jews were slaughtered and many more were taken into captivity. But I think what's going on here is we have to read this with the rest of the statement. Habakkuk is affirming his faith in God that God will not abandon his people. God will not let his people be crushed entirely. He says, You've ordained them as a judgment, you've established them for reproof. You're not going to wipe them out. Judgment will come, but you won't wipe us off the face of the earth. You won't forsake us and wipe us out completely. As a people we will remain and a remnant will continue. Then he goes on in one hundred thirteen, you who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? Well Habakkuk is asking the tough questions. He's asking the real question of this book, Why, Lord, why would you use such wicked people to bring judgment? Why look with favor on them and allow them to get away with all these evil actions when we, your people, as bad as we are right now, at least we're more righteous than the Babylonians. Habakkuk is not claiming that the children of Israel are perfect or holy, he knows that they are sinful too, but they are more righteous in the sense that they have been forgiven and chosen by God. They are seeking him. God has marked them as his own and they acknowledge him. Now, in particular individuals, their particular actions and attitudes are not necessarily more righteous in their behavior they're sinful too, but because of their position in God's plan, they are more righteous in the sense that they are God's people and he has chosen them, and in some sense they are his and they are forgiven. He goes on in one fourteen and fifteen. You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook, he drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his dragnet, so he rejoices and is glad. Here I think Habakkuk is trying to work out his confusion. He's puzzled and he's thinking it through, and he's saying, God, why would you make your people directionless like fish? And why would you make them so vulnerable that the Chaldeans can just easily gather them up and take them into captivity as easily as a fisherman drops his net in and hauls up a catch of fish? In one sixteen he says, Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet, for by them he lives in luxury and his food is rich. He's saying, So why are you letting your people be caught up in the net of the Chaldeans? The Chaldeans thank their net for their catch of fish rather than worshiping God. Why would you let this happen to your people? People who acknowledge you when the Chaldeans mock you, rather than acknowledging that you, O Lord, are the one who gives victory into their hands, the Chaldeans see themselves as self reliant. They see their victories as a result of their own tools, their own might, their own efforts. They think that their net full of fish results from their own prowess and their own success rather than acknowledging that all good things come from your hand. Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever? Essentially Habakkuk saying Look, how can you let a godless nation, a nation who ignores you, who doesn't know your name and who thinks they are God like you, how can you let them continually slay nations? Why are you rewarding them? And that's the essential question of the book. How can you bring judgment like this on your children, especially with these kind of people? Essentially he's asking, why do you let evil and tragedy overtake your people, especially when the people overtaking them with evil and tragedy are so wicked? And yet, despite all that confusion, he affirms his trust in God. In chapter two, verse one, he says, I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me and what I will answer concerning my complaint. So Habakkuk responds to God with some despair about the future, asking, How are you gonna let this happen? Why are you gonna let this happen? And yet in two one he says, Despite how confused I am, despite the coming chaos and the terrifying horrors of the Chaldean Empire bearing down upon us, I will seek my God, I will trust him. I will go to my watch post. I will stand there and I will wait to see how God will answer. I'm going to wait on God. It's a horrible, terrible thing that is coming. But I will trust God and wait to see how He will answer me. Now, if you think about it, from Habakkuk's point of view, it would have been a much better answer if God had said something like, Oh, you know what? I'm going to bring another king like Josiah. I'm going to put a new king on the throne, and this new king is going to trust me, and he will be as good as King Josiah, maybe even as good as King David, and all the people will turn back to God. Well, that would be a great plan, right? We think that would be much better news. But that wasn't the message. Rather, God's answer was this truly horrible military force is going to sweep through the nation and destroy everything in its path. In the light of that answer, which must have been a gut-wrenching, heart-dropping answer, Habakkuk says, I'm going to stand on my rampart, I'm going to watch, I'm going to wait for you. And that's the first lesson of this book. We may not know why bad things happen. God's plan may not look anything at all like our plan. Our plan is usually a smooth, straight line from start to finish, no bumps in the road, no bad times, and certainly no devastating tragedy. But God's plan involves hills and valleys and ups and downs and good times and bad times and sometimes truly horrible times. But he is still God. His promises still stand. He will not forsake his people and he has not lost control. We can stand on our guardpost, we can watch and we can wait. There is no other God to turn to, and we can't solve these problems on our own. But like Habakkuk, we can trust him. He will not fail us. He has not forsaken us. We can trust him no matter what. Thank you for listening to Wednesday in the Word, the podcast that explains not only what a passage means, but also seeks to teach you how to figure that out. You can find all the episodes in this series on my website, wednesdayintheword.com, as well as many other series, and you can also find them in your podcast feed wherever you listen to your podcasts. There is no charge, no spam, and no ads. It's all free to help you improve your study skills and understanding. I do ask if you've been blessed by this podcast, please subscribe to the mailing list, leave a positive rating or review wherever you listen. But most importantly, tell a friend what you learned. And if you can, mention where you learned it. Our theme music is graciously provided by my friend and favorite musician, Reggie Coates of Heartfeltmusic.org. You can listen to all his music and find his CDs by going to his website, heartfeltmusic.org. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Krisan Marotta, and I'll see you next week at Wednesday in the Word.