Monday Thoughts About Sunday: Habakkuk

Here's the deal about Habakkuk. As I think back over what the Father was saying to us through the Prophet, four summaries occur to me. May the Spirit of God shape our desires throughout this week with these truths.

1) There is never a time when God is not acting.  

As Habakkuk surveyed the religious and international worlds of his day, it seemed as though God was doing nothing. Judah was acting with just as much injustice as Israel. They were being just as unfaithful to Torah as Israel. Yet, God had not sent Judah off into exile as he had with Israel at the hands of the Assyrians. Many of us have felt a similar emotion as Habakkuk and Israel. "Why do you idly look at wrong (1.3, ESV)," is a question many of us could have asked God at one time or another. With Habakkuk, and often with us, God changes our perspective when we direct our complaints toward him. "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would believe if told" (1.5, ESV). Often when it seems God is doing nothing, that is when God is up to something. Indeed, there is never a time when God is not active. 

2) The saving power of God works in unexpected ways.      

What was God up to in Habakkuk's day? God says clearly to his prophet: "I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people" (1.6, NIV). "Wait! What?" must have been his response. Yes. God would prove faithful to judge Judah and Assyria. His method, however, was to cause the Babylonians to prosper and increase in power. Babylonian prosperity served a purpose greater than the Babylonians. Through the Babylonians, God had plans to discipline his people by sending all of them - both Israel and Judah into exile. At this point, we must remember that although God planned a difficult exile for his people, God also promised an even greater return to the land (Jeremiah 29.10-14). Furthermore, the exile and return of Israel is meant to point to an even more difficult exile, Jesus' crucifixion (Luke 9.31), and an even greater return, Jesus' resurrection, which will lead to all the earth becoming the promised land (Rom. 4.13). It is indeed strange that God would use the Babylonians to accomplish his will on earth. It is even more outlandish (some would say foolish, 1 Cor. 1.18ff) that God would use a Roman cross to accomplish our salvation. But the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ works his saving power in unexpected ways. 

3) The people of God are saved in hope.        

In 2.3, Yahweh says to Habakkuk: "For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end - it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay" (ESV). Patient hope is the posture to which God though Habakkuk calls us. While the Israelites wait for God to judge Assyria through Babylon, their responsibility is to keep waiting. Instead of choosing to center their vision on the iniquity of Judah and Assyria, the Israelites can gaze with hope into the future. In the same way God challenges us "to wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans. Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated—it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked person will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will enjoy abundant prosperity" (Ps. 37.7-11, HCSB). Where does your mind wonder these days? When my mind is idle, I am faced with a choice. Do I pick up my phone and check for more political rhetoric? Instead, let us choose to invest our idle thoughts in imagining how glorious the new earth will be when all wickedness has been judged and transformed by the "restless raging fury that they call the love of God" (Rich Mullins).

4) Hope rests on the foundation of God's faithfulness. 

Hebrews defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Because faith and hope are inseparably linked to the absence of sight, they can be difficult to endure. Andrew Peterson puts it this way:

I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to
Lord, I believe
Only help my unbelief.

From the beginning, our life with God has been fueled by faith. The Bible is clear about this. God has always required faith of his people. It is by faith "the people of old received their commendation" (Heb. 11.2). The Bible is also honest about this. The life of faith is filled with ups and downs, detours and breakdowns, grit and grace. Faith, in its essence, is trust in God's ability and promise to save. You see, during times of weak faith, God does not call us to become what Bonhoeffer called "spiritual navel gazers." Instead, when our faith grows weak, instead of turning inward, we turn to Christ and ask for him to cling to us. I've heard both D.A. Carson and Tim Keller express it this way: "It is not the quality of our faith that saves. It is the object of our faith who saves." This is how our hope can begin to be described as confident. Our hope does not rest on our faith. Rather, our hope rests on the faithfulness of God in Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, many of us are facing situations that require faith. As we look upon these circumstances we are tempted to think God is idly watching. That is not true. God is active, in albeit mysterious ways, and in those moments he is calling us to believe and to hope - to rest on the foundation of his faithfulness on our behalf. Thanks be to God.

Take a listen to our exposition of Habakkuk from Somonauk Baptist Church.