Our heart’s concerns and what they say about us
Hab 1:1-4
Recently, a pastor friend shared how upset he felt about a new building of a sect and the false teachings about God that the members there are advocating. While a group of us gently teased him about getting so worked up about it, I was reminded of the apostle Paul whose spirit was provoked by the many idols in the city of Athens (Acts 17:16). Behind such strong emotions is the desire to see the gospel spread and change lives. I also remember many a time when I walked out of a Christian church I visited on holiday and was distressed over the lack of good teaching and the superficial nature of the Christian faith displayed. For many today, justice and the right of those who are weak and vulnerable is a central concern and behind someone’s advocacy is often the memory of personal hurt or one passed down through family or even the experience of seeing others we know or care about being mistreated. Strong reactions like these reveal something about what matters to us.
Dismay over wickedness and injustice
For Habakkuk, the cause of his dismay is the violence and wickedness around him and God’s lack of response to it (Hab 1:2).[1] As mentioned in the Introduction to Habakkuk, his prophecy seems to have come around the time of King Josiah’s death (609 BC) when the country reverted back to idolatry and corrupt practices. In fact, the lifestyle of Josiah’s son, Jehoiakim who reigned for eleven years is also condemned by Jeremiah (Jer 22:13-18), who describes how the king built a luxurious palace with expensive cedar wood (v.14), was only concerned about making more money by whatever means he could and never mind the oppression or death of innocent people (v.17). That Habakkuk’s concern is for the injustice among God’s people rather than more generally in the world is clear from his reference to the law and to the righteous (Hab 1:4). Israel had no excuse for acting wickedly when God instructed them into the right way of living through the law given at Sinai. The righteous refer to godly people, those who are in a right relationship with the Lord and who therefore live faithfully for Him.
Where is God?
No doubt the prophet suffered because his heart was engaged and concerned for God’s people and because he wanted to see them live in the right way (v.4). It is when we care for others that we feel their pain as our own. However, his anguish goes deeper because of God’s silence and absence (Hab 1:2-3). How could the just ruler of the universe tolerate wickedness and do nothing? The two common questions ‘why?’ and ‘how long?’ that the prophet expresses echo our own in the face of suffering. Significantly though, Habakkuk brings these distressing questions to the Lord. Like the psalms or Job’s questioning amid his suffering, such honest prayers do not faze God but are appreciated by Him (cf. Job 42:7-8).
What our reactions reveal about our heart
Looking at the world around us as current events unfold among the political powers, we may be dismayed by the injustices around us, amidst all the false rhetoric and the lies. It is unsettling as we wonder what God is going to do about these events, if anything. Yet, Habakkuk challenges us to go deeper and ask where our heart’s concerns are. Are we worried for our own safety or do we genuinely care for those caught up in the midst of world powers struggling for dominance? Closer to home, does our heart hurt for God’s people, whether the ones suffering from war or persecution or those who show little sign of walking with God and display only meagre fruit? Are we concerned to see the Church become a faithful witness to the Lord and a beacon of light in a dark world? May the Lord soften our hearts to care for others and look to Him for answers and help.
[1] It may strike us as strange to talk about an oracle being ‘seen’ (Hab 1:1) when much of what follows in the book is not particularly visual, but it probably refers to spiritual perception given to the prophet. The oracle given to him may also be translated as ‘burden’ (the literal meaning of the Hebrew massa’, v.1), which is used elsewhere for prophecies of judgment (especially against foreign nations, eg. Isa 13:1; 15:1; Zech 9:1; though not exclusively, e.g. Mal 1:1). The word here also plays on the idea that the prophet carries a heavy burden as he is affected by the wrong done around him, as well as the message that will not be easy to digest.
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