Seeking for the truth
© 2004 -
The Lord still speaking:
.....Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like a vulture swooping to devour;
they all come bent on violence.
Their hordes advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners like sand.
They deride kings and scoff at rulers.
They laugh at all fortified cities;
they build earthen ramps and capture them.
Then they sweep past like the wind
and go on-
whose own strength is their god."
Habakkuk's Second Complaint:
O LORD, are you not from everlasting?
My God, my Holy One, we will not die.
O LORD, you have appointed
them to execute judgment;
O Rock, you have ordained
them to punish.
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous
than themselves?
Habakkuk 1:8-
Habakkuk now looks around him, and he still sees violence in the land, and he pictures the Babylonians bringing more violence.
It is OK to complain to tell God how we feel, as long as we don't start to resent the Lord's dealings, and we mustn't lose our relationship with Him.
This drives the prophet to prayer, and he declares some truths, and worships:
"O LORD, are you not from everlasting?
My God, my Holy One, we will not die."
The "we will not die" bit I see that as speaking of God's people.
While the world carries on, God will have His Church, His people upon this earth.
"I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death."
Habakkuk acknowledges the Lord's ways and dealings with His people:
O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment;
O Rock, you have ordained them to punish." Psalms 118:17-
It was God who gave the Babylonians their power, He ordained them to do two things unknowingly:
1) To discipline and correct His people.
2) For judgement against His enemies, those people who were Jews or gentiles, but who were hostile towards God.
But Habakkuk has a problem:
"Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up
those more righteous than themselves?"
He finds it difficult to see how an evil invading army can fulfil God's purposes.
Surely this whole thing is too indiscriminate?
How can God manoeuvre the actions of these soldiers, to unknowingly discipline some, and to carry out judgement on others.
God knows how!
He does not approve of sin, "you cannot tolerate wrong"
He is the Holy One.
"You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.
The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.
You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors." Psalms 5:4-
But at times He seems to allow these arrogant, bloodthirsty people to live undisturbed.
For many servants of God this has caused a problem in their thinking;
"Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?
They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes.
Their homes are safe and free from fear;
the rod of God is not upon them." Job 21:7-
The Psalmist thinks the same:
“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?"
This is what the wicked are like-
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!" Psalm 73:2-
Images: thanks to Serif ART Gallery CD
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