When God Doesn’t Seem to Make Sense.

June 14, 2020 • Habakkuk 2:2-20

The Lord’s Answer

Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald[a] may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it[b] will certainly come
    and will not delay.

“See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness[c]
indeed, wine betrays him;
    he is arrogant and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
    and like death is never satisfied,
he gathers to himself all the nations
    and takes captive all the peoples.

“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!
    How long must this go on?’
Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
    Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
    Then you will become their prey.
Because you have plundered many nations,
    the peoples who are left will plunder you.
For you have shed human blood;
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain,
    setting his nest on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,
    shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
    and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
    that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,
    that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,
    pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
    so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
    Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed[d]!
The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
    and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    and your destruction of animals will terrify you.
For you have shed human blood;
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;
    there is no breath in it.”

20 The Lord is in his holy temple;
    let all the earth be silent before him.

Habakkuk pours out his heart in a complaint to God, questioning him as to why he appears to be silent and uncaring toward the situation.

 Habakkuk must let go off his own expectations and wait patiently for God to fulfill his divine purposes in his timing and ways. 

In the end, Habakkuk’s complaint gives away to a beautiful trust in God that is not based upon the prophet’s circumstances.  When we face dark, painful, and hard times, we can out pour our hearts and unedited emotions to God.  

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

COMPLAINT #2:  

Babylon is worse than Israel!  What are you thinking, LORD? Habakkuk demands an explanation.

 REPLY #2:  

God will bring Babylon down!

God’s Timing 

God is always at work, and while his work might seem slow to us, God will, in his own time and own ways, fulfill his Word. As we wait on God to faithfully fulfill his Word, we put our trust and confidence in the Lord and not rely on our own understanding. 

Why do you think the LORD God wants the prophet to clearly write on a stone tablet? 

The phrase “will live by his faith” can also be translated as “live by his faithfulness.”  The former translation focuses on a dependence on the Lord to act faithfully.  The latter gives the impression that we focus on our ability to do things in a faithful or loyal way.  Which one would fit better with Habakkuk’s prophecy as well as with our daily living?  

How are you living by faith – depending on God’s doing – as you navigate these current, crazy days? 

The LORD God now turns his attention to the Babylonian army and nation.  The LORD God answers Habakkuk’s lament about Babylon as an answer to his initial questions.  The Lord tells the prophet that he will bring Babylon down, but that answer doesn’t make sense.  Why shouldn’t that answer make sense to Habakkuk?  Why shouldn’t we expect God’s answers to always make sense to us?

God’s Working 

The LORD God responds to Habakkuk’s further question with a series of 5 woes in response to how he will deal with Babylon:

  • 1 and 2: Unjust Economics 
  • 3:  A Critique of Slave Labor 
  • 4: Irresponsible Leadership  
  • 5: Idolatry  

This series of woes is in direct response to Habakkuk’s complaint regarding Babylon as a poor answer to the cry for justice.  

The violence and oppression of the nations creates a never-ending cycle of revenge. How is this cycle of injustice part of God’s answer to oppression and injustice?  

Consider:  Most nations become “Babylon.”  

Evaluate:  Asking God for clarity is the wrong question to ask.