“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.” (Habakkuk 1:1-4 ESV)
Justice is ubiquitously sought but rarely obtained. Human rulers and authorities, with hearts corrupted by sin, regularly abdicate the responsibility of their position in exchange for money or power. We are left discouraged, and we can begin to wonder if God sees or cares about the plight of those against whom such injustices are carried out.
As we dive into the minor prophet book of Habakkuk, we find someone who faced this question in a more extreme way than we likely ever will. As a member of God’s covenant people of Israel, Habakkuk was faced with the impending destruction and subsequent captivity of Israel by the nation of Babylon. Israel had faced the consequences of sin many times before (e.g. Joshua 5:6), but in Habakkuk’s day, Israel was facing a disaster that came by a nation characterized by even greater sin.
Habakkuk does not fancy Israel to be sinless, nor that punishment would be unjust. Rather, his contention to the Lord is, “Why do you idly look at wrong?” He knows that the Lord’s holy character does not allow him to approve of sin (1:13), yet from his perspective, it seems the Lord is doing just that. In language reminiscent of other biblical authors (Psalm 13:2, Psalm 62:3, Jeremiah 47:6), he impatiently appeals, “O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?”
He is deeply wrestling with two truths that seem incompatible given his current state of affairs. How can a just and holy God who sees all things and hates sin remain absent and inactive in the face of such injustice? How can God love and protect his covenant community while at the same time they face violence at the hands of a pagan aggressor? Habakkuk sees no way forward. He cannot reconcile what he knows with what he sees.
How often do we find ourselves in just such a position today? How often can we offer our heartfelt echo to Habakkuk’s words, “For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted”? Doubtless, many of us could point to multiple instances within the last week in which we witnessed something in the news or experienced something in the workplace which aroused our displeasure and hatred of injustice toward the righteous (in the relative sense) at the hands of the wicked.
Like Habakkuk, we should not walk away from such things unaffected. We should not be able to happily turn a blind eye to the way in which sin ravages the world and our experience within it. Like Habakkuk, we firmly hold on to the justice of God, while, at the same time, we recognize the reality of injustice in the world. This will naturally produce a sense of angst and unrest in our hearts and minds, which should drive us to the Lord, as it did for Habakkuk.
Our experience over two and a half millennia later is nearly identical to Habakkuk’s experience in this respect. We are not facing the same events of a physical exile from the promised land into captivity by God’s enemies. However, we are an exiled people. Our home is not in this world, nor will we ever find rest on this side of eternity. Habakkuk could not psychologize his way out of his theological dilemma, and neither can we.
The message we preach to ourselves, and to the world embroiled in sin, is the same message Habakkuk would soon receive. Unable to settle the disturbed waters of his heart of his own accord, he brought his appeal to the Lord.
Though caught in a seemingly impossible situation, Habakkuk would come to find, as William Cowper would pen centuries later:
“Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
We often find ourselves confused and saddened by the continual injustice we see and experience in the world around us. Like the prophet Habakkuk, may we wrestle with these difficulties in a way that drive us not further from you but closer to you. May we see understanding and peace from your hand as the author and finisher of our faith.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for those affected by Hurricane Helene and for the relief efforts that are underway.
- Wednesday: Pray for local church ministry in Ukraine.
- Thursday: Pray for aviation ministry in South Asia.
- Friday: Pray for evangelism and community engagement work in Uganda.
- Saturday: Pray for missionaries who are suffering from chronic illness.
- Sunday: Pray for safety for underground churches as they gather for worship today.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries with young children.
