As far as Habakkuk was concerned, God’s first answer hadn’t been an answer at all. In fact, it only created a new problem that was even more puzzling: inconsistency on the part of God. How could a holy God use a wicked nation to punish His own special people?
The holiness of God (vv. 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). “Men of faith are always the men who have to confront problems,” wrote G. Campbell Morgan, for if you believe in God, you sometimes wonder why He allows certain things to happen. But keep in mind that there’s a difference between doubt and unbelief. Like Habakkuk, the doubter questions God and may even debate with God, but the doubter doesn’t abandon God. But unbelief is rebellion against God, a refusal to accept what He says and does. Unbelief is an act of the will, while doubt is born out of a troubled mind and a broken heart.
Habakkuk’s argument with God is a short course in theology. He started with the fact of the holiness of God. The Babylonians were far more wicked sinners than the people in Judah, so how could God use evil, idolatrous Gentiles to punish His own chosen people? Yes, His people deserved punishment, but couldn’t God find a better instrument? Would this mean the end of the nation? No, for “we shall not die” (Hab. 1:12). God had purposes to fulfill through the Jewish nation and He would preserve His people, but they would experience painful trials.
The prophet needed to remember two facts: (1) God had used other tools to chasten His people—war, natural calamities, the preaching of the prophets—and the people wouldn’t listen; (2) the greater the light, the greater the responsibility. Yes, the Babylonians were wicked sinners, but they were idolaters who didn’t know the true and living God. This didn’t excuse their sins (Rom. 1:18ff.), but it did explain their conduct. The Jews claimed to know the Lord, and yet they were sinning against the very law they claimed to believe! Sin in the life of a believer is far worse than sin in the life of an unbeliever. When God’s people deliberately disobey Him, they sin against a flood of light and an ocean of love.
Habakkuk reminded God that He was eternal, and therefore knew the end from the beginning and couldn’t be caught by surprise. He was the Mighty God (“Rock” niv) who had all power and never changed. So, what about His covenants with the Jews? What about His special promises? As a holy God, He couldn’t look with approval on sin (Hab. 1:13); yet He was “tolerant” of sin in the land of Judah and “silent” as the Babylonians prepared to swallow up His people! Habakkuk wanted God to say something and do something, but God was silent and seemingly inactive.
Keep in mind that this wasn’t simply a national problem to Habakkuk, or a theological problem; it was a personal problem as he cried out, “My God, my Holy One” (v. 12 niv). National and international events were affecting his personal walk with God, and this concerned him greatly. But wrestling with these challenges is the only way for our “faith muscles” to grow. To avoid tough questions, or to settle for half-truths and superficial pat answers it 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 (vv. 14–15). After presenting his case on the basis of the holiness of God, Habakkuk argued from the viewpoint of the helplessness of the people (vv. 14–15). Judah could never survive an attack from the savage Babylonians. To the Babylonians, life was cheap, and prisoners of war were expendable. People were like fish to be hooked or sea creatures to be trapped.
How could God allow His weak people to be invaded by such a heartless and ruthless nation? Of course, the false prophets in Judah were saying, “It can’t happen here” (see Jer. 6:14; 8:11; 14:13ff.), but their blind optimism would soon be exposed as lies. For forty years, the prophet Jeremiah warned the people of Judah and begged them to turn back to God, but they refused to listen. What Judah needed wasn’t great military strength but obedient faith in God.
The haughtiness of the enemy (vv. 16–17). The prophet’s third approach was to point out the way the Babylonians lived and worshipped. They trusted in their mighty military machine (“their net,” vv. 16–17) and worshipped the gods of power (See v. 11) and violence. The Babylonians were “puffed up” (2: niv) with arrogance and self-confidence. How could God honor them by giving them a victory over Judah? God was filling their net with victims, and the Chaldeans were emptying the net by destroying one nation after another (1: niv).
Habakkuk could have said more about the abominable religion of the Babylonians. They believed in a multitude of gods and goddesses, with Bel as the head of their pantheon. Anu was the god of the sky, Nebo the god of literature and wisdom, and Nergal was the sun god. Sorcery was an important part of their religion, including honoring Ea, the god of magic. Their priests practiced divination and consulted omens, all of which was prohibited by the law of Moses. It seemed unreasonable that the Lord would allow such spiritually ignorant people to conquer Judah, the land that housed His own temple.
Habakkuk finished his defense and waited for God to speak. Like a servant, he stood waiting and watching (2:1), wondering how God would respond to his “complaint.” The answer God gave is recorded in chapter 2.
But before we listen to God’s encouraging reply, we must pause to examine our own hearts. Are we fully yielded to God and willing for Him to have His way with us and with those whom we love? There’s nothing wrong with wrestling with the problems of life and seeking a better understanding of God’s will, but we must beware lest we start debating with God and trying to change His mind.
We admire Habakkuk for being an honest man and wanting God to spare the people he loved. We want to imitate him in his openness and sincerity and in his willingness to wait for God’s answer. But we want to remember that Paul wrote to the believers in Rome: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the