Habakkuk 1:1-2:2-5
Readings for this week July 8 - 12
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Day 1 – The Book of Habakkuk
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Habakkuk 1:1
Habakkuk was active in Judah during the reign of King Jehoiakim. He prophesied at a very worrisome, uncertain time for the nation of Judah, between the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC and the Babylonian invasion of Judah in 588 BC, which resulted in the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple and the nation being carried off into exile. So, Habakkuk was active as a prophet of God at a very dangerous, difficult, unstable time – a time of great fear and uncertainty over Judah’s fate, a time of great anxiety for God’s people, when many questioned where God was and why he was allowing Judah to be menaced by the Babylonians. “Where is God in the face of such blatant evil? Why does evil seem to go unpunished? Why do the ungodly and unrighteous prosper so?” At the heart of the book is the question of suffering and justice and the place of God in a world that is beset by the former and in desperate need of the latter.
Because of the urgent nature of these questions, the book of Habakkuk is slightly different to most other prophetic books. Rather than simply bringing God’s word to the people, Habakkuk shows us the people’s questions being brought to God, highlighting their scepticism about God’s justice and care. Much of the book is a dialogue between the prophet and God, in which the prophet complains, God answers – and then the prophet complains again, asking the hard questions about why God’s justice seems so distant and imploring him to act on behalf of the oppressed.
Questions to Consider
What makes us sceptical about God’s justice? Where in the world do you see the most need for justice today? Why?
Prayer
Lord God, bring your justice and your mercy to the people and places of the world that need it most, to those who are oppressed and those who oppress them, wherever they are. Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 2 – A Very Personal Complaint
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Habakkuk 1:2-5
The book of Habakkuk is written in a highly autobiographical style. Immediately after the opening proclamation, we dive straight into the first-person singular, with Habakkuk placing himself in the long line of figures in the Hebrew bible who have, at one time or another, cried to God, asking “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” Habakkuk is a highly personal book, the prophet consistently speaking in his own voice, just like the individual lament psalms do, as Job did, and as the prophet Jeremiah often did also. This brings us up close to the situation, putting us in the midst of the prophet’s personal struggle, letting us hear directly from the prophet’s mouth the concerns and dilemmas he is facing.
In this first complaint, Habakkuk laments the violence and evil and corruption he sees in the world around him and asks why God is not acting to stamp it out, punishing those who do evil and oppress others; he reprimands God for his seeming indifference. As we will see with Habakkuk’s subsequent complaints, his lament is not only personal. He also cares about the cosmic nature of evil, and its effects on society; the effect of injustice on God’s people and on the oppressed and the poor; and the fate of humans in the face of suffering and evil. The book is personal, but also communal. The prophet’s concern extends beyond himself to his people, and even beyond them to God’s creation.
Questions to Consider
What happens if we are only focused on ourselves and our own complaints? How does God call us to make a wider, selfless view?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, open my eyes to injustice and the plight of others, both next door to me and on the far side of the world. May I see as you see and move as you move to fight injustice and hardship wherever it exists. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 3 – Habakkuk’s Complaints Not Denied or Ignored
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Habakkuk 1:6-11
The first chapter of Habakkuk is concerned with the problem of theodicy – how to think about and respond to God in the face of the suffering and evil present in his creation. What does the presence of such things tell us about God? About ourselves? How do we reconcile a good, loving God with the presence of pain and suffering? These are the questions that Habakkuk launches his complaint with. But notice what Habakkuk does not do. He doesn’t question the existence of God, or the efficacy of his power or even that God is good. What Habakkuk does is question whether God is actually willing to act in the face of these issues.
Notice what God does not do. He does not question Habakkuk’s right to complain or take him to task for daring to voice his questions and concerns. He does not turn away. Here we see the acceptability of protest, even to God. Perhaps even especially to God as, after all, who better to complain to than the one most able to respond and act and set things right again? The other thing that God does not do is directly answer Habakkuk’s complaint – not yet, at least – but neither does he berate him for bringing it in the first place. God’s answer is not a very helpful one. He announces the rather terrifying appearance of the Babylonians. He doesn’t directly address Habakkuk’s concerns and doesn’t even say that the Babylonians are an answer to the prophet’s questions. But the prophet has been heard; the dialogue with God has begun. More will follow.
Questions to Consider
What do you complain to God about? Why? What was God’s response?
Prayer
Sovereign Lord, thank you for hearing our cries, our complaints, our gripes, our concerns, and not turning away. May my complaints be just; may I rail against injustice and oppression, and always call for your righteousness to prevail. Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 4 – I’ll Wait
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Habakkuk 1:12-2:1
Habakkuk was in trouble. He had spoken of his worries; God had replied, but the answer (the Babylonians are coming!) was even more problematic than God’s initial perceived silence in the face of injustice. How could a righteous, holy God possibly use the pernicious, wicked, unrighteous Babylonians as the instrument of his judgement? What does it say about God that he would be willing to do this? Judgement is coming, but through Babylon? Really? How? Why? For one who believed in the utter holiness of God, this was so upsetting to Habakkuk. Having bared his soul, there were only two ways he could go now: use his concerns as a reason to renounce his faith in God or hold on to God and wait for an answer.
In 2:1 we have Habakkuk’s answer: he is willing to wait upon God for an answer. He has not given up yet. He can go no further; he has nothing left of himself to give, no other thoughts or ideas of what he can do, no other place he can go for an answer other than to God. And this is what he will do. He doesn’t understand God’s reasoning here, or what seems to be unfolding in this situation. But he will not renounce his faith; he will not turn away from his God. He will wait. As painful as it is, he will stand and await God's divine response to his complaint. He was sure that God would speak. He did not know the time when he would do so, nor exactly what he would say. But he would wait patiently until that time came, and when it did finally come, he would be ready.
Questions to Consider
When have you had to wait upon God? How did you spend this time in preparation for his response?
Prayer
Gracious God, may I always cling to you when I am uncertain. May I look to you for answers and for comfort when those answers may be long in coming. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 5 – Have the Courage and Faith to Wait
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Habakkuk 2:2-5
These verses form a sort of hinge in the book of Habakkuk. Prior to this point, the emphasis of the book had been on Habakkuk and his questioning of the way that God was running the world. Yes, God had briefly responded, but Habakkuk had yet more to say. God has heard Habakkuk’s complaints and responded again, only this time in more detail. The command to write the prophecy on tablets, a very durable medium, hints at the need to preserve the words, to keep a record of them, due to the delayed fulfilment of God’s judgement because the message will not take immediate effect. It will happen in God’s time, according to God’s purpose, but that purpose, while perhaps not happening as soon as Habakkuk might wish, will happen.
God will act in his own way, in his own time. History does not unfold without God knowing and seeing what is occurring. Due to our sinful waywardness and selfishness, events might not follow the righteous, holy, bountiful path of flourishing that God might wish for the world. We all know this; we see it every day. But history is still moving towards the goal of the coming of the Lord and the inauguration of his Kingdom. Habakkuk may be impatient for God to act, but God promises that he will act. There is always a gap between the now and the not yet, of the kingdom that is near or even in our midst, and the kingdom that is still to come; between reality and hope. Habakkuk is encouraged to be patient, to have hope, and to trust in God’s faithfulness.
Question to Consider
What has God taught you in the times you have been wating upon him?
Prayer
How long, O Lord, how long must we wait for you to end injustice, to return and fully liberate your creation from its prison? Give us active patience to follow you and hope to remain faithful when hope seems lost. Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)