Jun. 01, 2022

“GOD’S DEALINGS WITH MAN”

“HABAKKUK WONDERING AND WORRYING”

HABAKKUK 1:1-17

Background: Habakkuk was a contemporary of Nahum, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah, which places him in the reigns of Josiah (640-609 B.C.) and Johoiakim (609-598).

His name means “to embrace” or “to wrestle,” and in Habakkuk, he does both.

The prophets statement, “The just shall live by faith” (2:4) is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). The emphasis in Romans is on “the just,” in Galatians on how they should “live,” and in Hebrews on “by faith.” It takes three books to explain and apply this one verse.

Key Idea and Key Verse: Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.”

*Habakkuk Wondering And Worrying:

“Why do good people suffer and evil people prosper?

1.   “Why Does God Permit Evil?” Habakkuk 1:2-11

*The Prophet’s Concern:

Habakkuk 1:2-3 “O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. 3Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble?
For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.”

*The Cause:

Habakkuk 1:4 “Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.”

The nation’s problems were caused by leaders who wouldn’t obey the law.

Exodus 23:6-8

*God’s Answer:

Habakkuk 1:5-11

God answered His servant and assured him that He was at work among the nations even though Habakkuk couldn’t see it.

Habakkuk learned that God was not indifferent to the sins of the people of Judah. The Lord was planning to chasten Judah by allowing the Babylonians to invade the land and take them into exile.

2.   “Why Would God Permit His People To Be Punished By A Nation More Wicked Than They? Habakkuk 1:12-17

How could a holy God use a wicked nation to punish His own special people?

*The Holiness of God:

Habakkuk 1:12-13

The prophet focused on the character of God, as Jonah had done when he disagreed with what God was doing:

Jonah 4:2

The prophet needed to remember two facts: 1. God had used other tools to chasten His people 2. The greater the light, the greater the responsibility.

To avoid tuff questions, or to settle for half-truths and superficial pat answers is to remain immature, but to face questions honestly and talk them through with the Lord is to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)

*The Helplessness of the People

Habakkuk 1:14-15

How could God allow His weak people to be invaded by such a heartless and ruthless nation?

*The Haughtiness of the Enemy 

Habakkuk 1:16-17 

The Babylonians were “proud or puffed up” 2:4 with arrogance and self-confidence. How could God honor them by giving them a victory over Judah?

Habakkuk finished his defense and waited for God to speak.

Romans 11:33-36