Main Point
Habakkuk knew God’s judgment would be unpleasant and harsh, but he welcomed it because he knew it was the only way to get the people’s attention. God always uses judgment for the purpose of restoring and reconciling His people unto Himself.
"1 The pronouncement that the prophet Habakkuk saw.
2 How long, Lord, must I call for help
and you do not listen
or cry out to you about violence
and you do not save?
3 Why do you force me to look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4 This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted."Habakkuk 1:1-4 CSB
Taking Problems to God (Habakkuk 1:1-4)
Christ-followers should refuse to be apathetic about what we see happening in the world around us.
It can often seem as if the enemy is winning, and evil is prospering. We can take our concerns and questions to the Lord, trusting that He alone will set things right and He is the final judge of the world.
"5 Look at the nations and observe —
be utterly astounded!
For I am doing something in your days
that you will not believe
when you hear about it.
6 Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter, impetuous nation
that marches across the earth’s open spaces
to seize territories not its own."Habakkuk 1:5-6 CSB
God Answers (Habakkuk 1:5-6)
God changed Habakkuk’s focus from the issues weighing him down to the promise of what God would do.
God sees all things, and He has a plan in place that may very well astonish us when it unfolds.
"7 They are fierce and terrifying;
their views of justice and sovereignty
stem from themselves.
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards
and more fierce than wolves of the night.
Their horsemen charge ahead;
their horsemen come from distant lands.
They fly like eagles, swooping to devour.
9 All of them come to do violence;
their faces are set in determination.
They gather prisoners like sand.
10 They mock kings,
and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh at every fortress
and build siege ramps to capture it.
11 Then they sweep by like the wind
and pass through.
They are guilty; their strength is their god."Habakkuk 1:7-11
Trusting God’s Judgment Will Come (Habakkuk 1:7-11)
God can use anyone He chooses to carry out His plan—even those who have no idea they are instruments of the Lord.
God does and has always taken sin very seriously, and we can trust that He will deal with it in His timing.