Habbakuk

Chronologically, Habbakuk is in the middle of Jeremiah. Jeremiah had just prophesied Babylonia’s coming takeover of Judah. And Habbakuk goes up to wrestle his issues of faith with God.

I found this about 20 years ago while working at a camp and keep it in as my place holder in Habbakuk, not that I read it a lot, but it’s cute. Long time readers of ours will remember Hab. 2:3 which we have taken somewhat “as our own” as we have gone through many trials and struggles:

“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.”

Habbakuk is often divided into two sections-The problems and the praises. He first asks God how long he will let the wickedness of Judah go unpunished. God answers that the Babylonians will be His rod of judgment and will be the answer to Judah’s crimes. This, as you can imagine, brings about Habbakuk’s second problem. You would think the problem has to do with the punishment being too harsh-but that’s not so much Habbakuk’s issue. He knows Judah needs to be punished. What he doesn’t understand is how God can use someone way more wicked than Judah to punish it (1:12-2:1). God answers that yes, He is aware of their sin, and it won’t go unpunished either, but Judah is guilty of the same. 2:20 says, “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.” Basically-I AM GOD, I AM SOVEREIGN. In an east coast kinda way, He is saying I am God, I know what I am doing, now be quiet.

Habbukuk ends by declaring his trust in God’s salvation, verses 3:17-19. Though all these things happen (v.17), “Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” (v.18)

May we all seek to exult Him. Through the joys of course; but through the hurts, the disciplines, the not-understandings…because in the end it’s all about GOD’S GLORY, not our own.