I am profoundly grateful for the fact that God permits humans to question His wisdom and decisions. The Bible contains numerous examples where God’s servants openly expressed their belief that His actions seemed unfair.
They often appealed to Him to reconsider His actions.
When God informed Habakkuk that He would correct the gross injustices in Israel by sending the Babylonians to conquer their country, Habakkuk recoiled in horror and pleaded with God to change His mind.
Are you not from of old,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
You shall not die.
O Lord, you have marked them for judgment,
and you, O Rock, have established them for punishment.
Your eyes are too pure to behold evil,
and you cannot look on wrongdoing;
why do you look on the treacherous
and are silent when the wicked swallow
those more righteous than they? Habakkuk 1.12-13
I am writing this article in a comfortable chair, in a warm house with a full stomach. It’s a little more difficult for me to identify with Habakkuk’s plea from this position.
However, if I were in a trench in Ukraine with bombs flying toward me, or a hostage in Gaza, or afflicted by warring parties in Sudan, I might be able to understand more correctly what Habakkuk is saying.
Habakkuk’s logic, as he presents his case to God, is that God will not die, but humans do. He is dismayed by death due to the actions of the Babylonians.
God cannot behold evil or look on wrongdoing, yet He is allowing the treacherous, evil Babylonians to swallow up Israelites who are more righteous than they are.
Like Fish on a Hook
Habakkuk sees the Israelites as if they are fish on a hook or caught in a net. To the enemy, they are not human; instead, they are merely animals to be captured and consumed.
You have made people like the fish of the sea,
like crawling things that have no ruler.
He brings all of them up with a hook;
he drags them out with his net;
he gathers them in his seine,
so he rejoices and exults. Habakkuk 1.14-15
The prophet uses symbolic language to depict the enemy’s actions, where the conquered people are presented as offerings to their god of war. According to Habakkuk, the enemy plans to annihilate the nation mercilessly.
Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and makes offerings to his seine,
for by them his portion is lavish,
and his food is rich.
Is he then to keep on emptying his net
and destroying nations without mercy? Habakkuk 1.16-17
Embedded in Habakkuk’s grievance is the notion that a god worshiped by the enemy might receive greater glory than God Himself. Clearly, Habakkuk is utilizing every argument at his disposal to persuade God to intervene on behalf of the nation.
Bold Speech Accepted
From Habakkuk’s dialogue with God, we discover two key principles.
First, it is an authentic exchange. Habakkuk communicates with God, and God, in response, addresses Habakkuk. This genuine interaction is evident in both the first and second sets of complaints by Habakkuk, as well as in God’s responses.
The Bible portrays God as a personal Being. It shows humans engaging in dialogue with God, and God responding to them.
He is not just a force, a mere power, or an ‘unmoved mover’; instead, He is our Heavenly Father, who communicates with us, and to whom we can speak.
If you haven’t experienced this type of relationship with God, I recommend exploring ways to be open to such a connection.
Second, the dialogue teaches us that we can freely express our thoughts to God. Our complaints neither frighten nor disturb Him. Since He already knows our thoughts, it is beneficial for us to openly share what we are thinking with Him.
One of the best things about reading the prayers of the Bible is that they permit us to approach God in a wide variety of ways.
We can praise and adore Him. We can give Him the gratitude that He is due. We can ask Him for what we need. We can complain to Him about things we think are unfair.
Each of these methods is an acceptable way to connect with God, and depending on our circumstances, we can choose the approach that best suits us at any given time.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 