WHY

WHY?
Habakkuk 1:12-2:1

Please turn in your Bible to Habakkuk, chapter 1.

Have you ever asked the question: WHY? There are many things that don’t make sense aren’t there? I read some questions recently that people have of common things in our lives:

· Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
· Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?
· If a black box in a plane is indestructible, why can't they make the whole plane out of it?
· Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"?
· If a cow laughed real hard, would milk come out her nose?
· Why does your nose run and your feet smell?
· Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?
· Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio? [I do that, and have no idea why!]
· If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?

· Why is abbreviated such a long word?

Those are why questions that really don’t mean very much to us, although they are fun to think about for a second or two. But, there are other why questions that might be a little more personal:

· Why do we all have the same inspired Word of God and yet there are disagreements among believers about almost every passage and issue addressed in the Scriptures?
· Why do we talk about having a special fellowship with other people and churches and yet we never actually get together to have some?
· Why are we expected to win a war across the seas, when we cannot see the enemy?
· Why do so many people that are obviously guilty not get convicted?
· Why do so many that are convicted not have to serve the full prison term?
· Why did God choose to put men and women together in a marriage relationship when He purposely made us so completely different?
· Why are children one of the greatest joys that can take place in life and one of the things that bring the greatest frustrations at the same time?
· Why is life so much shorter than it was in the Old Testament, when there are so many things we would love to do, including good things for the glory of God?
· Why do I have the desire to work hard and yet cannot find a good paying job that I can enjoy?

And there are yet even more serious, difficult to answer questions – ones we might ask of God:

· Why are so many babies aborted before they have the opportunity to live outside the womb? Why can’t science prove that life begins at conception?
· Why do so many children die in so many, tragic ways?
· Why do people die when hit by a drunk driver, and yet the one intoxicated seems to end up unharmed?
· Why do you allow school shootings?
· Why did you allow 9-11 to happen?
· Why do people who love you get cancer or some other disease that will take life too soon?
· Why did you bring me a spouse, knowing that we wouldn’t be able to last, having to go through a difficult divorce? Why didn’t you spare us the pain?
· Why don’t you seem to hear me when I call out to you in desperation?
· Why don’t you answer me?
· Why don’t you do something?

And then, when God does do something, we might ask: WHY did you do that God? I don’t understand!

Some of these are very personal, very difficult questions that we or others we know struggle with. People who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ have them, and those who do not. If you can relate to some of these questions, perhaps you can relate to the questions Habakkuk the prophet was asking here in the book with his name.

Last week, I introduced to you a theme of Habakkuk: Living By Faith. We will see our theme verse next week, but this theme is seen throughout this prophecy. Habakkuk has questions for God, based on what he is experiencing. He has a dialogue with God, and a main message that will be seen more clearly is that God asks us, even in the midst of confusing circumstances, to live by faith.

Let me also remind you of the background for this particular book of Habakkuk. He was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom of God’s people called Judah. Israel was already in captivity and Judah was headed there in the future. But, for that present time, Habakkuk was experiencing incredible frustration with God over the fact that the terrible sins of His people were not being dwelt with. His first question was:

When are You going to bring true justice? Your people are sinning and you have done nothing about it. Well, last week, we also heard God’s answer: I am about to judge my people for their sin, and I have chosen the Chaldeans to do it. The Chaldeans (also called Babylonians) had taken over Babylon in Assyria, and they had a terrible reputation for being a cruel people, opposed to God and His ways.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1784: “I tremble for my country, when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.” Habakkuk and Judah were about to experience God’s justice; but it was not in the form that they would have chosen.

That brings us to our passage this morning, beginning in chapter 1 and verse 12. Let’s go ahead and read the whole passage, going through verse 1 of chapter 2:

Habakkuk 1:12 – “Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.”

Habakkuk 1:13 – “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and are silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?”

Habakkuk 1:14,15 – “You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.”

Habakkuk 1:16,17 – “Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?”

Habakkuk 2:1 – “I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.”

Habakkuk is still struggling, but he is now struggling with another question, another complaint, something else that he just does not understand.
This is great, because Habakkuk was like most of us. He asked God to do something, and then when God said what He was going to do, Habakkuk asked why in the world He would do it that way. It is like the experience many of us as parents have had. Our children will complain about something (yes, even the pastor’s kids do that!); and we will give them our solution, thinking that that should take care of the complaining. Only then, to hear them complain about how we were answering their original complaint. Doesn’t that just fill us with joy as parents? No. And yet, it is what Habakkuk was doing to God; and if we are honest, we have done it as well. Let’s take a closer look at Habakkuk’s specific complaint.

Habakkuk began his first complaint with a rhetorical question, and he does the same thing here with his second complaint:

Habakkuk 1:12 – “Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One?..” This is a rhetorical question because the answer is so obvious, that it needs no answer. The answer, of course, is: Yes, God is everlasting, with no beginning and no ending.

1. Habakkuk was confident in God’s character:

· God is eternal
That is important in this discussion. Because God is eternal, He has seen it all and will last through eternity, as generations come and go. The fact that He is eternal should boost confidence that God can handle anything – including the cycle of human sin that continues.

· God is holy
Habakkuk uses significant terms for God. Using Yahweh (which most of us have translated LORD, in all capital letters), he refers to the name of God that reminds us how this is Israel’s God, the faithful God who called His people, protects His people, and sometimes punishes His people. He also uses a term translated God that refers to God’s supremacy. He also makes it personal: You are my God, my Holy One.

Habakkuk 1:13 – “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong…”

Habakkuk’s confidence was that with a holy God, He would not excuse sin. This is what he was concerned about at the beginning of the chapter. But, God’s holiness also boosts confidence that God will never do anything that is wrong, even if His decisions are difficult to understand.

Habakkuk exclamation: “we shall not die” (verse 12) is hard to interpret; but the best guess is probably this. That he was talking about God’s people not passing away or being completely destroyed, because the everlasting God is Yahweh, Israel’s covenant keeping God. He was confident God would keep His promises and God’s people would never be extinguished.

This is the trust that a young child has in his parents. When he disobeys, he should know that he will be lovingly disciplined. However, that discipline is sometimes disagreeable and sometimes very painful. In fact, it could seem to the young child that his parents, because of their discipline, may not truly care for him. Yet, he must come back to the basic belief he has about the character of his parents. That they love him, even though they discipline him. And, although they may, in a moment of weakness, talk about selling their disobedient child to some foreign agency, he knows his parents are in it for the long haul, and plan to always be there for him (keeping their promises). I think that is the spirit in which Habakkuk is addressing God. He is holding onto the belief of what he knows to be true of God’s character.

Look at the second half of verse 12:
Habakkuk 1:12 – “…O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you , O Rock, have established them for reproof.”

· God is sovereign
This means that God is the creator of all, king of all, the one and only true God, and can do whatever He pleases. He is in control. Therefore, it is well within His character to choose to judge sin in any way He sees fit. In this case, God has chosen to judge His people in Judah sins with an even more corrupt people, the Chaldeans. But, Habakkuk states the truth of His character: He is sovereign. But, don’t miss another characteristic mentioned in the context of His sovereignty:

· God is a refuge
Calling God the Rock is not new for God’s people. Many times, especially in the praise writings of Israel, God would be called their Rock, referring to the fact that He was a safe haven, a protection, and refuge. One such example is from a Psalm of David:

Psalm 18:2 – “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my god, my rock, in whom I take refuge…”

Habakkuk had to count on that characteristic, when it seemed like Judah was being left unprotected by God. This was the sure, strong refuge for His people, that decided to use a more ungodly people to judge them.

Based on God’s character, there can be a conclusion drawn from this:
[Conclusion]: God will do what is right and best for His people.

I do believe that Habakkuk, God’s prophet, was confident in God’s character. However, it is also very clear, from this passage, that:

2. Habakkuk was confused by God’s choices

Why does God allow certain things to happen? Not long ago, Virginia DiGiorgio and her husband came to the Theater district in Cleveland for the opening night of the production of “The Lion King”. According to the Plain Dealer, “…before the Brecksville couple made it to the show, a 13-year-old boy and 3 of his friends, fleeing police in a stolen car, barreled toward them…Everyone in the car was under 15. DiGiorgio’s husband saw the car coming and tried to pull his wife to safety. But it was too late. The [car]…stolen from a public housing project a day earlier, hit her and barely missed him. DiGiorio, 57, was [dead]…”

There are many questions that could be asked here. We have questions for the boy who was driving, as to why in the world he would get behind the wheel at his age. We have questions for the guardians of this boy. We have questions for his friends that were in the car and for their guardians. We have questions for the police about the chase. We have questions for the husband. But, mainly, our questions go to God, the sovereign, loving, holy God, that allowed this to happen. WHY?

Habakkuk could be confident in the character of God, but still, like us at times, he was confused by the choices God made. It doesn’t make any human sense.

Habakkuk 1:14 – “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and are silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?”

Here is Habakkuk’s 2nd question: WHY would you use a more wicked people to judge your own?

Habakkuk is saying: You are a holy God, and I have no problem with you judging your sinful people Judah. It has been one of my greatest frustrations. But, God, since you are so holy, how in the world could you use a more wicked, corrupt people like the Chaldeans to do your judgment? Habakkuk uses the phrase “swallow up” to describe what the Chaldeans will do to the people of Judah. They are going to completely devour us. It doesn’t seem fair. God: What about their wickedness, which in my opinion, is much worse than ours? I don’t like it.

· They are more sinful than we are (v.13)

It would be like a brother feeling good about the fact that his parents are going to finally punish one of his sisters (she deserved it!); and then to be horrified that his parents hired the neighborhood street gang to bring down judgment in their own special way on her. Are you crazy parents? What do you think you are doing. My sister may be sinful and I think she deserves to be punished; but by the more wicked, corrupt gang in the neighborhood? No way! They deserve your punishment more than my sister. This doesn’t make sense!

Habakkuk believed in God’s holiness, but it seemed that His actions (using the Chaldeans) would contradict His holiness, wouldn’t it?

Daily we read about things in our justice system that make no sense, don’t we? Though a Massachusetts convict violated his probation by buying a lottery ticket, a judge says he can keep the $1 million prize he won. Are you kidding me? He’s a convict, in violation of his parole and he is rewarded – an instant millionaire? That is in contradiction of justice. Where is the justice in that? It’s not fair. It’s not right! But, it is a reality. And Habakkuk needed to deal with this reality that God had revealed. In order to strengthen his problem with this, Habakkuk added:

· They are unstoppable (vs. 14-17)

And to make this point, he uses the analogy of fishing.

Habakkuk 1:14,15 – “You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.”

What God has put in place, Habakkuk says, is like this scenario of fishing. The Chaldean people is the fisherman, the hooks and nets are their methods of powerful warfare, and the fish they easily catch are the nations they have conquered. He tosses the caught ones aside and mercilessly goes after another catch. The fisherman’s success only makes him desire more and gain greater pleasure in the demise of others.

According to the Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary: “Habakkuk’s fears were not unfounded, for the Chaldean war machine was effective enough not only to gain for them political dominance across the northern part of the fertile Crescent… to the borders of Egypt but also to create the mighty Neo-Babylonian empire with the city of Babylon as the chief beneficiary.”

They continued to build their strength and going after more nations. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would eventually go into the borders of Egypt itself. Could they ever be stopped? These are people who have no regard for God or His ways.

Habakkuk 1:16 – “Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich…”

This fisherman is so happy about his devouring of the fish that he celebrates by worshipping the tools of his trade. This is how he makes his money and he has everything he desires. The analogy demonstrates that the Chaldeans have no desire for God, and ignoring Him, they worship false gods and even their own strength. Their military victories and domination over others makes them a very rich people, as well as powerful.

How could God allow this people who actively oppose Him and trust in their own wisdom and power? I thought hated this type of pride. So, how could he bless them by way of giving them victory over His people?

Psalm 20:7 – “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”

God, we are the ones who trust in your name. I realize that we have been very sinful recently and deserve punishment. But, they are the ones who don’t trust in you at all. They are the ones who are trusting in themselves. How could they be your choice as the tool to discipline your chosen people? How could you reward them for their sin?

They built their own riches and trusted in them. Commentator Richard Patterson writes: “Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon would prove to be a spectacle of opulence…access to Babylon was gained by 9 major gates. The most famous of these, the Ishtar Gate, was flanked on either side by 40-foot towers…the sacred processions…to [one of the temples]was a paved street bordered by high walls decorated with brilliantly colored animals painted on a blue background. Ancient historians counted Nebuchadnezzar as the builder of the famed Hanging Gardens, heralded as one of the seven wonders of the world.”

In reference to their worship of other gods, D.J. Wiseman says of the main shrine of this temple complex: “One king claimed to have redecorated the Marduk shrine with gypsum and silver alloy, which Nebuchadnezzar replaced with fine gold. The walls were studded with precious stones set in gold place, and stone and lapis lazuli pillars supported cedar roof beams. The texts describe the god’s gilded bedchamber adjacent to the throne room.

Herodutus described two statues of the god, one seated…Herodutus was told that 800 talents of gold (16,8 metric tons) were used for these statues and for the table , throne, and footstool A thousand talents of incense were burned annually at the festivals while innumerable sacrificial animals were brought in to the two golden altars…”

They were powerful and they were rich. Habakkuk is wondering why God would allow it?

Have you ever wondered that in different areas of life? Why did that co-worker get the raise or higher position when he is ungodly, gossips against management and in reality, is a worse worker than you? Why does that student get special treatment from the teacher, just because she looks a certain way or is a special athlete? Doesn’t the teacher know that she cheats in order to get good grades? Does the teacher realize what she does when no one is looking? How did that neighbor get the great paying job, the nicer home, the nicer cars, the better vacations? Doesn’t God know that every other word out of their mouths is a swear word, usually taking His name in vain? They have raucous parties, get drunk, and show no love for us. They don’t go to church, and they couldn’t care less about God. Why does God seem to bless them anyway, and we who love Him are struggling to make ends meet? Have you ever wondered those things? Then, you can relate a little bit to Habakkuk’s concerns.

What Habakkuk doesn’t know is what will eventually happen to wicked Babylon. The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah were going to prophesy about the coming destruction of Babylon because of their materialism and religious worship. This is why in the book of Revelation, the term Babylon is used as a symbolic term for everyone who lives in selfishness and is opposed to God and His ways.

But, for now, all Habakkuk knows is that God is going to use the wicked Chaldeans from Babylon to bring destruction to His people. In fact, God would be the One raising them up for this particular purpose. That does not sit very well with him.

Habakkuk 1:17 – “Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?”

This is what is seemed like for Habakkuk. Is this just going to keep going on and on and on and on? Can they ever be stopped. God, will this go on forever? It is like the frustration people feel when a criminal is let out of prison only to commit another crime.

Out of New York City: “Paris Drake is accused of a senseless and brutal crime on a busy Midtown street in broad daylight. Whether or not he is convicted of bashing a woman's head with a brick, his arrest has highlighted the criminal justice system's failure to deal with repeat offenders.

Before the alleged attack, Drake had been jailed more than twenty times and was a free man for exactly 17 days out of the last eight years. Like many of his fellow inamtes, Drake was arrested several times on drug-related charges (an estimated 70% of the City's 70,000 inmates have a history of drug abuse). Most of his crimes were misdemeanors, which typically bring sentences of only a few weeks or months in jail.

Clearly, the system doesn't work for Drake and thousands of others who spend years cycling in and out of prison. Prison advocates call for more drug programs, but too often inmates themselves complain that these programs don't work. When Drake, for instance, was finally ordered to seek treatment after years of revolving-door prison stints, he blew it off.

This type of story infuriates people, especially those whose lives are forever changed because someone committed a crime against a loved one; and that someone, in public opinion should never have been let out of prison. Well, Habakkuk was having the same kind of frustrating thoughts. The Chaldeans destroy one nation and then they go after another. God, you are the holy and righteous judge. How could you allow this to continue; especially when they are coming after Your people!

In the midst of confusion, Habakkuk had to come to a conclusion:
Conclusion: I will wait to see what God will do

Habakkuk 2:1 – “I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.”

Like a watchman in the king’s service, standing high above all, he is awaiting the message to be delivered. Habakkuk is going to wait and see what God will say. He may expect that God is going to reprove him, or help him to see things clearly. He may expect God to seemingly change His mind, and not use the corrupt Chaldeans to judge His people in Judah. But, either way, he is going to “wait and see what God says and what God does. And then Habakkuk will respond once again concerning this complaint.

Tim Hansel was about as active a person as anyone could be. He lived in Central California and his passion was mountain climbing. He loved it so much that he made his work leading mountain climbing expeditions. But one day in 1973 around dusk when the snow-covered mountain turned to ice, Tim fell and suffered an injury that would cripple him for the rest of his life. It wasn’t that he would be bound by a wheel chair, he wasn’t. He could move around fine. But his spine was unalterably damaged so that every movement gave him excruciating pain. Pain so intense that it shook him to the core of his being.Tim spent several years questioning God. “Why did this have to happen to me? Why don’t you take away the pain?” As you can imagine, the longer Tim lived with the pain the more intense the questions got. But then after a couple of years, Tim’s questions began to be answered. As you read through his journal, you can get glimpses into the answers that God was giving him.

Winter 75. “Perhaps this is the ultimate realization--when we recognize that all questions have the same answer that comes from you, O Lord, from you.”

Spring 76. “At times I whisper in the night: “God I’ve learned enough now! I’m ready for the next test.”

Summer 76. “Learning patience. . . takes a lot of patience.”“What a test of character adversity is. It can either destroy or build up, depending on our chosen response. Pain can either make us better or bitter.”

Spring 78. “If your security is based on something that can be taken away from you--you will constantly be on a false edge of security.”

Tim, over a period of time, in trying to figure out WHY God would allow this, had to wait…to learn more about God through it…more about himself. He needed patience…endurance. So did Habakkuk…So do we.
So, we need to answer the question for ourselves:

SO WHAT? [based on this passage from Habakkuk, what are we supposed to do?]
When confused by life’s circumstances and you’re asking the question: WHY:

1. Commit it to God
Habakkuk was not just stewing about this in his mind and heart, becoming more bitter toward God for his inaction and then confusing action. He was, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, being very direct with God with the confusion and frustration he was experiencing. In other words: Pray. Don’t go into depression first. Don’t tell all your friends about your frustrations first. God directly to God, who desires you to tell Him exactly what you are thinking and feeling, even though He already knows! Bringing God in on your personal experience is the first and best move.

2. Rest in God’s character
This is what Habakkuk had to do, although he still didn’t fully understand. But, when you are confused about what God is doing, what He is allowing, you must center in on the revealed character of God. Trusting in the fact that God is faithful, right, loving, just, holy, forgiving and trustworthy, etc. should allow you, in the midst of difficult, confusing circumstances, to rest as you trust in Him. You have seen Him at work before, and He will do what is absolutely best for your spiritual good – in His way, in His time. Are you willing to trust in what you know to be true about God?

3. Wait and see what God will do.
In the beginning of the confusion, you need to commit it to Him; and all the way through the difficult times, you have to commit it to Him. And when you have come to end of your strength, and you realize it is out of your control, leave it with God. Stand back and see what God decides to do. You know it will be right. You know it will be best.

Is there some area of confusion in your life right now? Is there something God is doing or has allowed that you just can’t quite figure out? Are you willing to take some time right now, to commit this all to Him? Are you willing to stop trying to manipulate everything to your liking, and allow God to do what is best? Are you willing to share your heart with God, pray, and then recognize what He decides to do as what is best?

Let’s pray.