Habakkuk 1 – 3

Habakkuk is questioning God why he must destroy his people. Verse 1:3 I assume is his response to visions God gave him:

Why do You force me to see these atrocities?
    Why do You make me watch such wickedness?
Disaster and violence, conflict and controversy are raging all around me.

But then again it may be what he is experiencing. I keep going back and forth on this one. Either way, imagine if Habakkuk came today, would he have the same response. Think about how isolated we are from the world today, if we don’t like what we see we just turn off the TV, although most tend to become glued to the atrocities and often waste time gawking.

We get so caught up in life’s problems we often do nothing. We wait on God to “save” us from the transgressions. I hope the we are not like Israel when Jesus came expecting a savior that looks one way and getting something unexpected. Often that little voice that says “do” means take action. Speak up, step out and take action, often we need to be God’s hands and feet to make an impact in the world.

Verse 1:13 had me say “really”:

Your eyes are too pure to even look at evil.
    You cannot turn Your face toward injustice.
So why do You stand by and watch those who act treacherously?
    Why do You say and do nothing
When the wicked swallows up one who is more in the right than he is?

Think of it this way, if God is omnipresent, His eyes look on evil every day. Not saying that He condones or is not offended, but he looks at evil every day and cries.

Verse 2:5 talks about pride:

Indeed, wine betrays the proud man who is always restless.
    He has a big appetite; it is like the deep, dark pit of the dead.
Like death, he is never satisfied.
    He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the people for his own purposes.

A general theme of many writings about God is His hatred for the proud. Why is that? Think about a proud man, they don’t need God and can do it on their own. We need to follow a path of humble, thankful, adoration of God. We need to know all things flow from Him and we may never understand the whys until years or decades later. Habakkuk sees the world where the good suffer and the wicked prosper, like always, and is questioning. I understand and ask the same questions, God gives us some clarity on the whys in this book.