Looking for Answers
This morning we’re looking at the words of the prophet, Habakkuk. And some of what we’re seeing from him might seem pretty familiar to us by now. He’s writing just before the Babylonian exile, roughly at the same time as Jeremiah and Obadiah. We don’t know exactly who he was or where he was writing from, but there are hints that he may have been a temple priest in Jerusalem, though we can’t say that with 100% certainty. And there’s language in here that suggests that Israel is already familiar with Babylon’s brutality. The end of chapter 1 compares the people of Israel to fish in the sea, and “the wicked foe” of Babylon catches them all in their nets, to destroy them without mercy.
Habakkuk is writing in woe and lament, as we’ve seen other prophets do at the same time about the same enemy.
What’s different about Habakkuk is that it’s written in a very different form than the other prophets.
Ezekiel is a storyteller, telling a story that’s full of vivid imagery and colorful dreams. He writes in visions filled with the strange and bizarre majesty of God’s glory.
Jeremiah writes in a much subtler narrative prose, almost like a historical chronicler. The imagery isn’t so vivid, the story not so colorful, but you get a deep sense of his mourning and sadness for the city he knew.
Obadiah’s writing comes across as almost a stream-of-consciousness. A single page that’s full of rapid-fire thoughts, leaping from one idea to the next – just a rushing torrent of fire and brimstone against Edom.
Habakkuk… Habakkuk is very different.
It’s three chapters – the first two are like a conversation between Habakkuk and God. The third is written as a poem – almost like one of the Psalms.
In the first exchange between Habakkuk and the Lord, he asks God, “How long must I call for help and you do not listen?” He sees Israel suffering – he knows what’s coming – so he’s asking God – “Why?” We can practically hear the pain in his voice as he’s bringing his suffering – Israel’s suffering – to God.
And God responds – not to answer Habakkuk’s question of “why?” but simply to tell Habakkuk what will happen. That he will raise up the Babylonians – that ruthless and impetuous people – to sweep across the earth.
Which isn’t much of an answer to the question Habakkuk asks.
So Habakkuk asks again – “You have made people like the fish of the sea… [and] the wicked foe pulls all of them up with their hooks, he catches them in his net… is he to keep on emptying his net? Destroying nations without mercy?”
And this time the Lord answers…
“See, the enemy is puffed up. His desires are not upright. But the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. Indeed, wine betrays him he is arrogant and never at rest because he is as greedy as the grave, and like death, is never satisfied…”
We get this back and forth, back and forth between Habakkuk and God several times over in the first 2 chapters. Habakkuk asking questions. And God answering in riddles. And Habakkuk asking again.
You can sense some frustration growing in Habakkuk’s questions. He simply wants to know… some bad things are happening or about to happen… why won’t God stop them?
And God doesn’t answer directly. Or answers from an unexpected angle. Which just invites more questions.
Yet in spite of all his frustrations, Habakkuk keeps asking.
He doesn’t always understand the answers. But he knows that the only answers he’s going to get – the only answers that mean anything – come from God. So he keeps going back. Over and over again. And it must feel to him like he’s banging his head against a wall. Because he’s not getting the answers he wants.
“God, why is this happening?”
God doesn’t answer that, but simply says what’s going to happen.
“God, why must we suffer?”
God doesn’t answer that, but says the enemy is puffed up.
“God, will you speak to me?”
And God’s answer there is to give him a list of woes.
Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion.
Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin.
Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice.
Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors until they are drunk so he can gaze at their naked bodies.
Woe to him who carves an idol and commands wood or stone to come to life.
Is God talking about the Babylonians here? Those who are puffed up? Who God will make great and who do those things?
Or is God talking about Israel? Those members of God’s flock who’ve turned their backs on God’s word? Perhaps they’re puffed up too.
Is there any difference between the two when it comes to God’s judgment? Is a foreign enemy who lives by violence and unrighteousness any worse than an Israelite who does the same things?
The answers that God gives to Habakkuk are not particularly satisfying from Habakkuk’s point of view. He’s very understandably concerned that Israel is under threat, that destruction is coming – indeed, is already happening – and that God should maybe do something about it.
And God’s answers aren’t exactly what Habakkuk wants to hear. Israel will suffer. Babylon will be made great. And those who traffic in greed, in fear, in lust, injustice, and idolatry, whether Israelite or Babylonian, will eventually face a judgment.
And then the Book of Habakkuk makes a strange left turn. The third and final chapter isn’t a conversation between the prophet and the divine. But simply a song of praise. It’s in a completely different style, going from a question-and-answer dialog into really, just poetry.
It begins, “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known, in wrath remember mercy…”
And I won’t recite the entire poem here, because it is a little bit lengthy, but he goes on to recount some of the many times that God has come to the aid of his people. When God saved Israel from natural disasters, floods and fires, from plagues and famines, from the armies of its enemies.
And he concludes with the idea that even though God’s solution for the Babylonians isn’t what Habakkuk probably wants, that God is to be praised anyway.
“I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.” So he knows their time will come, but it won’t be today or tomorrow… he’s going to have to wait, probably a while.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen, nor cattle in the stalls…” Habakkuk writes this knowing that Israel will suffer. They will go through lean times. Food will be scarce. There won’t be any luxuries or extra comforts and even the necessities will be hard to come by.
“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior. The sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”
In spite of everything… in spite of God’s riddles and obtuse answers… in spite of the rise of Babylon… in spite of Israel’s misfortune and coming suffering… he knows that God will see the nation through this dark time. That for Israel to emerge stronger, more faithful, more resilient and more righteous, they must go through this ordeal. And that God will be with the nation every step of the way, even as the people cry out for an end to the suffering. And that through it all, God must be praised and glorified.
This isn’t to feed God’s ego. Not to say, “oh thank you, Lord, for treating us so terribly!”
But because everything God does for us is ultimately out of love. The human experience is one of love and loss, joy and pain, laughter and tears. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad, sometimes the bad outweighs the good. But God never removes the pain or gives us carefree and easy lives. God never lets us live a less human life. But God stays beside us through the difficult times. Whether in our own lives, or that of our nation, or the entirety of God’s people.
Habakkuk goes to God looking for answers. And while he may not like or understand or agree with God’s reasoning, he knows enough to trust in God. That ultimately God has our best interests at heart. That God is in control of all things. And that God’s will is always to bend towards mercy. Towards justice. Towards righteousness. And towards love. And for that God is always, constantly, loudly, enthusiastically, to be praised. Amen.
Let us pray.
Holy God, we give you thanks simply for being a part of our lives. For inviting us into your story. For making us a part of your people. Lord, help us to look to you for answers in all things. Grant us understanding when your answers confound us. Grant us patience when your answers make us wait. Grant us the courage and faithfulness to sing your praises even when we don’t like what you’re saying. Fill our hearts with overwhelming confidence in your ever-loving grace for us. We pray this in the name of our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
This morning we’re looking at the words of the prophet, Habakkuk. And some of what we’re seeing from him might seem pretty familiar to us by now. He’s writing just before the Babylonian exile, roughly at the same time as Jeremiah and Obadiah. We don’t know exactly who he was or where he was writing from, but there are hints that he may have been a temple priest in Jerusalem, though we can’t say that with 100% certainty. And there’s language in here that suggests that Israel is already familiar with Babylon’s brutality. The end of chapter 1 compares the people of Israel to fish in the sea, and “the wicked foe” of Babylon catches them all in their nets, to destroy them without mercy.
Habakkuk is writing in woe and lament, as we’ve seen other prophets do at the same time about the same enemy.
What’s different about Habakkuk is that it’s written in a very different form than the other prophets.
Ezekiel is a storyteller, telling a story that’s full of vivid imagery and colorful dreams. He writes in visions filled with the strange and bizarre majesty of God’s glory.
Jeremiah writes in a much subtler narrative prose, almost like a historical chronicler. The imagery isn’t so vivid, the story not so colorful, but you get a deep sense of his mourning and sadness for the city he knew.
Obadiah’s writing comes across as almost a stream-of-consciousness. A single page that’s full of rapid-fire thoughts, leaping from one idea to the next – just a rushing torrent of fire and brimstone against Edom.
Habakkuk… Habakkuk is very different.
It’s three chapters – the first two are like a conversation between Habakkuk and God. The third is written as a poem – almost like one of the Psalms.
In the first exchange between Habakkuk and the Lord, he asks God, “How long must I call for help and you do not listen?” He sees Israel suffering – he knows what’s coming – so he’s asking God – “Why?” We can practically hear the pain in his voice as he’s bringing his suffering – Israel’s suffering – to God.
And God responds – not to answer Habakkuk’s question of “why?” but simply to tell Habakkuk what will happen. That he will raise up the Babylonians – that ruthless and impetuous people – to sweep across the earth.
Which isn’t much of an answer to the question Habakkuk asks.
So Habakkuk asks again – “You have made people like the fish of the sea… [and] the wicked foe pulls all of them up with their hooks, he catches them in his net… is he to keep on emptying his net? Destroying nations without mercy?”
And this time the Lord answers…
“See, the enemy is puffed up. His desires are not upright. But the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. Indeed, wine betrays him he is arrogant and never at rest because he is as greedy as the grave, and like death, is never satisfied…”
We get this back and forth, back and forth between Habakkuk and God several times over in the first 2 chapters. Habakkuk asking questions. And God answering in riddles. And Habakkuk asking again.
You can sense some frustration growing in Habakkuk’s questions. He simply wants to know… some bad things are happening or about to happen… why won’t God stop them?
And God doesn’t answer directly. Or answers from an unexpected angle. Which just invites more questions.
Yet in spite of all his frustrations, Habakkuk keeps asking.
He doesn’t always understand the answers. But he knows that the only answers he’s going to get – the only answers that mean anything – come from God. So he keeps going back. Over and over again. And it must feel to him like he’s banging his head against a wall. Because he’s not getting the answers he wants.
“God, why is this happening?”
God doesn’t answer that, but simply says what’s going to happen.
“God, why must we suffer?”
God doesn’t answer that, but says the enemy is puffed up.
“God, will you speak to me?”
And God’s answer there is to give him a list of woes.
Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion.
Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin.
Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice.
Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors until they are drunk so he can gaze at their naked bodies.
Woe to him who carves an idol and commands wood or stone to come to life.
Is God talking about the Babylonians here? Those who are puffed up? Who God will make great and who do those things?
Or is God talking about Israel? Those members of God’s flock who’ve turned their backs on God’s word? Perhaps they’re puffed up too.
Is there any difference between the two when it comes to God’s judgment? Is a foreign enemy who lives by violence and unrighteousness any worse than an Israelite who does the same things?
The answers that God gives to Habakkuk are not particularly satisfying from Habakkuk’s point of view. He’s very understandably concerned that Israel is under threat, that destruction is coming – indeed, is already happening – and that God should maybe do something about it.
And God’s answers aren’t exactly what Habakkuk wants to hear. Israel will suffer. Babylon will be made great. And those who traffic in greed, in fear, in lust, injustice, and idolatry, whether Israelite or Babylonian, will eventually face a judgment.
And then the Book of Habakkuk makes a strange left turn. The third and final chapter isn’t a conversation between the prophet and the divine. But simply a song of praise. It’s in a completely different style, going from a question-and-answer dialog into really, just poetry.
It begins, “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known, in wrath remember mercy…”
And I won’t recite the entire poem here, because it is a little bit lengthy, but he goes on to recount some of the many times that God has come to the aid of his people. When God saved Israel from natural disasters, floods and fires, from plagues and famines, from the armies of its enemies.
And he concludes with the idea that even though God’s solution for the Babylonians isn’t what Habakkuk probably wants, that God is to be praised anyway.
“I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.” So he knows their time will come, but it won’t be today or tomorrow… he’s going to have to wait, probably a while.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen, nor cattle in the stalls…” Habakkuk writes this knowing that Israel will suffer. They will go through lean times. Food will be scarce. There won’t be any luxuries or extra comforts and even the necessities will be hard to come by.
“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior. The sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”
In spite of everything… in spite of God’s riddles and obtuse answers… in spite of the rise of Babylon… in spite of Israel’s misfortune and coming suffering… he knows that God will see the nation through this dark time. That for Israel to emerge stronger, more faithful, more resilient and more righteous, they must go through this ordeal. And that God will be with the nation every step of the way, even as the people cry out for an end to the suffering. And that through it all, God must be praised and glorified.
This isn’t to feed God’s ego. Not to say, “oh thank you, Lord, for treating us so terribly!”
But because everything God does for us is ultimately out of love. The human experience is one of love and loss, joy and pain, laughter and tears. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad, sometimes the bad outweighs the good. But God never removes the pain or gives us carefree and easy lives. God never lets us live a less human life. But God stays beside us through the difficult times. Whether in our own lives, or that of our nation, or the entirety of God’s people.
Habakkuk goes to God looking for answers. And while he may not like or understand or agree with God’s reasoning, he knows enough to trust in God. That ultimately God has our best interests at heart. That God is in control of all things. And that God’s will is always to bend towards mercy. Towards justice. Towards righteousness. And towards love. And for that God is always, constantly, loudly, enthusiastically, to be praised. Amen.
Let us pray.
Holy God, we give you thanks simply for being a part of our lives. For inviting us into your story. For making us a part of your people. Lord, help us to look to you for answers in all things. Grant us understanding when your answers confound us. Grant us patience when your answers make us wait. Grant us the courage and faithfulness to sing your praises even when we don’t like what you’re saying. Fill our hearts with overwhelming confidence in your ever-loving grace for us. We pray this in the name of our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
