Triumphant Faith - Message 2 - Questioning God. Habakkuk begins his Book of Prophecy by describing a burden he is bearing. The burden consists of his questions for God and of God's answers to his queries. In fact, Habakkuk begins by questioning God's judgment. He asks God two questions, “How long?”, and “Why?” Judah had fallen back into wickedness after the death of Josiah, rejecting his reforms and the revival that they brought. They ran back into iniquity and sin. Habakkuk complains that the people are involved in iniquity and trouble, plundering and violence, and strife and contentions. Society is breaking down, corruption is spreading, people are suffering, and at the root of it all is injustice. The law has been abandoned and the judges who rule are perverting justice. Habakkuk knows that the Lord has promised to judge such behavior. He knows the warnings from prophets in the past, from the Law (the Torah), and from men of God who are living in the same day as he. So his questions persist. How long will God not hear? God has been listening. He does hear the prayers of Habakkuk. And when He finally does answer the questions He begins by making an announcement. God says, “Look! Watch! Be astonished! Wonder!” He tells Habakkuk that he and the people are going to see things that they cannot believe as He begins to respond to the sins of Judah. Judah was facing violence, injustice, iniquity, and war. But God had a purpose in it and was going to use the Chaldeans to bring about judgment and eventually restoration to His people. In the face of impending doom, Habakkuk's questions were answered with this fact, God was at work through it all. |
