Contemplations #20 (Habakkuk: part 1 of 3)

“The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save? Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous — therefore judgment comes forth perverted. Look at the nations, and see! Be astonished! Be astounded! For a work is being done in your days that you would not believe if you were told. For I am rousing the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. Dread and fearsome are they; their justice and dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more menacing than wolves at dusk; their horses charge. Their horsemen come from far away; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, with faces pressing forward; they gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and of rulers they make sport. They laugh at every fortress, and heap up earth to take it. Then they sweep by like the wind; they transgress and become guilty; their own might is their god! Are you not from of old, O LORD my God, my Holy One? You shall not die. O LORD, you have marked them for judgment; and you, O Rock, have established them for punishment. Your eyes are too pure to behold evil, and you cannot look on wrongdoing; why do you look on the treacherous, and are silent when the wicked swallow those more righteous than they? You have made people like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. The enemy brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine; so he rejoices and exults. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his seine; for by them his portion is lavish, and his food is rich. Is he then to keep on emptying his net, and destroying nations without mercy? I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint”(Habakkuk 1:1–2:1).

questions to contemplate:

(1) complaints: this particular section of habakkuk’s writing contains a complaint, the Lord’s response + a second complaint. what in particular was the prophet questioning God about + do you find the answer given satisfying (or not)? from your perspective, is complaining/protesting a legitimate/helpful form or prayer/interaction with God? what grievances/objections do you personally have with God, are you justified + have you ever voiced these to God (or to someone else)? when might a complaint degenerate into being basely confrontational/critical? alternatively, when could not speaking our mind essentially be a form of dishonesty/inauthenticity?

(2) justice: there are various ways to define what we mean by the term “justice” (e.g. people getting what they deserve, settling the score, restitution, retribution, etc). what kind of justice was habakkuk seeking on behalf of the community of faith in israel? how does the Lord apparently propose to deal with the injustice they are experiencing? when we witness/hear about violence/conflict in the world today (i.e. the contravention of human life/rights, mistreatment + mercilessness), what is our response + what do we hope/pray God will do about it?

(3) judgment: in various places throughout scripture, it speaks of God dealing with sin/evil/wrongdoing, often via judgment. what is intended/accomplished when a person faces judgment? is judgment equivalent to or more than mere punishment? how are judgment + justice related? who does God judge + why? what is God’s judgment based on + would you consider it to be fair (or not)?

quote to consider:

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life…do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends”(J. R. R. Tolkien).