Trusting God When We Don't Understand

Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 - Riley Boggs

In 1947 a young Bedouin shepherd left his flock of sheep and goats to search for a stray. Amid the crumbling limestone cliffs that line the northwestern rim of the Dead Sea, he found a cave in the crevice of a steep rocky hillside. Intrigued, he cast a stone into the dark interior, only to be startled by the sound of breaking pots. This sound echoed around the world. For he had stumbled on the greatest find of the century, the Dead Sea Scrolls. Upon entering the cave, the young Bedouin found a mysterious collection of large clay jars. The majority were empty and upon examining the remaining few, he found that the jars were intact, with lids still in place. However, a closer look revealed nothing but old scrolls, some wrapped in linen and blackened with age.

After he and several of his companions, not knowing the value of what they had found, sold the sold some of the scrolls to a few people, one an Armenian antiquities dealer. Through this dealer, a professor at Hebrew University caught wind of the discovery. Het set out to investigate the significance of the finds. Braving Arab-Jewish tensions, he travelled to meet the Armenian dealer at the British divided military zone of the Jerusalem border. In this clandestine meeting, the dealer held up a fragment of leather for the professor to examine. As Sukenik peered through the wire, he recognized the ancient writing. Eager to see more, Sukenik travelled with the dealer to Bethlehem to see Salahi, who was in the possession of three Scrolls. 

Opening the Scrolls, he was amazed to see Hebrew manuscripts, one thousand years older then any existing biblical text. In his diary, Sukenik recollected: “My hands shook as I started to unwrap one of them. I read a few sentences. It was written in beautiful biblical Hebrew. The language was like that of the Psalms, but the text was unknown to me. I looked and looked, and I suddenly had the feeling that I was privileged by destiny to gaze upon a Hebrew Scroll which had not been read for more than 2,000 years.”

That is the story of the dead sea scrolls, a collection of mostly Hebrew manuscripts. They contain some of the oldest fragments of the Old Testament and other ancient writings. The discover of these scrolls and what they contained helped confirm and establish timelines for the Bible, they helped confirm translation work, and they further proved the Bible to be true. Things that happen in the New Testament prophesied in these scrolls far before they would ever happen, showing that the Bible is clearly God’s Word.

The reason I say all of this is because it’s important history for people like us who live our lives in accordance with what God has said in His Word. But also, I mention this because of one of the texts that was found in that very first cave was part of the book we are beginning. In that cave, in one of those jars, was a scroll containing the first 2 chapters of the book of Habakkuk. This morning we will we are going to look at Habakkuk 1:1-2:1. 

The book of Habakkuk is written by the prophet Habakkuk. It is a back-and-forth conversation between himself and God, as he comes to him for an answer concerning all that is happening. R.C. Sproul calls this a faith struggle, where Habakkuk is trying to keep the faith and make sense of what is happening. We’re going to address this text a bit differently than normal because of how it is written. Instead of reading the whole We’ll walk through the whole text, and I’ll explain the context as we go. After that, I’ll make 3 brief points of application. So, what we’ll be looking at this morning specifically is Habakkuk’s first complaint to God, God’s response to that, and then Habakkuk’s second complaint.

First, verse 1 tells us what we are about to read, which is simply what Habakkuk heard from God. Then we get into the conversation.

Habakkuk’s First Complaint (1:2-4)

Clearly Habakkuk is concerned about something, and he is calling out to God asking Him why He isn’t doing anything about it. What is he so concerned about? At this time Israel’s southern kingdom, Judah, was full of sin. God’s chosen people were not being marked by an obedience to God, but by a life full of sinfulness. And Habakkuk, someone who loved God and was a prophet who was to speak to the people on God’s behalf, was incredibly upset. He says in verse 4 that the law is paralyzed, that is that the people disregard it and make it useless among them. Not only that, but the wicked never get punished, but instead they prosper. It’s the evil people who are winning the day, or so it seems.

And Habakkuk is so bothered by this, and he doesn’t know what to do. He has said all that he can say. And so he says to God, how much longer is this going to happen? What am I supposed to do? I’m a man who seeks and obeys you, and I desire that your people seek and obey you, but I am being torn down. Every time I speak people lash out. I am hated for proclaiming what you have told me. What am I to do? Do you not hear me? Why aren’t you doing anything, because I know you can?

It’s a painful cry. One that maybe some of you have cried yourself. You’ve gone about things in a selfless God-honoring way, only to lose out to someone who is an arrogant cheater. It hurts. It feels like you’ve been wrong, because you have done the right thing and yet you have seemingly lost. And in that moment, you may cry out to God and say, why? Why don’t you do something about this? That’s what Habakkuk did, and God responded.

God’s Response (1:5-11)

God responds here and tells Habakkuk the plan that He has. He says, yes, I do see what is happening, and I am bringing about a plan to make things right. A plan, that is a part of a greater work that is so great, that if I were to tell you, you wouldn’t believe me. So here is only this part of the plan. He says I am going to use one of the surrounding nations, the Chaldeans, also known as the Babylonians, to bring justice in Judah. He says that he is going to raise them up and they will give the sinful Israelites what they deserve, as they refuse to obey God and run headlong into sin, unwilling to listen to the warnings of God.

And then God describes what kind of people they are. He says they are dreaded and fearsome. They are swift, fierce, and they devour. They all come for violence and gather captives like sand. They scoff and laugh at authorities like kings and rulers, and their fortresses. They do all this quickly, and then carry on to the next. 

Now you might think that Habakkuk would be thrilled, right? He goes to God and says, why are you being inactive? Don’t you see the evil prospering? And then God responds and says, I am doing something so great that you wouldn’t believe me if I told you the whole plan. The first step is that I am going to raise up a nation to bring about justice. The evil will soon end.

But Habakkuk is confused. He doesn’t like what he has just heard. And so, he responds.

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint (1:12-2:1)

Habakkuk is bothered by this plan because he doesn’t understand how God could use such a wicked people. It doesn’t make sense to him that a Holy God would use the Babylonians, who are known for their wickedness. They are known for their violence, for being idolators, and for destroying nations. They aren’t a God-honoring or God-following people. This doesn’t sit right with Habakkuk at all. How could God use such a terrible people to bring about justice in Judah?

Habakkuk wanted a response, and he wanted justice, but to him, this feels wrong. He questions God and ask, are you not the eternal Holy god? Isn’t Israel your chosen people? Aren’t you pure, and don’t you hate evil? If this is all true, how could you do this? How could you use a people who are so wicked? It doesn’t make sense.

Then he describes how terrible the Babylonians are and what they will do if God does this. Starting in verse 15, he says that they will capture everyone, like a fisherman captures a net full of fish. And they will be glad of it, because there will be nothing they can do. And then they will go on, doing it over and over again. Gathering up nations, living in luxury, and profiting off the merciless killing of nation after nation.

Put simply, Habakkuk is confused on why God would do this. To him, it seems that surely there has to be a better way than this. There must be a better way to judge Judah for their sinful ways besides raising up an even more wicked nation to destroy them. Yet, this is the way God tells the prophet it will happen.

Maybe even to you it feels a bit wrong, like God could do something better. But I would encourage you to not think that way. Whatever God will do, is best. That is the truth that Habakkuk clings to actually, and it’s why he says what he does in the first verse of chapter 2. He says, “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.” Now at first reading it may seem like Habakkuk is saying, “answer me God, so I know how best to rebuttal”, but that isn’t what the meaning of what he is saying. Rather, he is saying that he will stop talking and simply wait on the Lord to speak so that he can tell Judah what God has said, fulfilling his role as prophet. We won’t look at it this morning, but after God responds again, Habakkuk doesn’t complain again. His intention wasn’t to listen, but to trust. Even if it didn’t make sense to him, even if it felt a bit wrong, he decided to wait on God to respond.

What are the lessons for our lives? I don’t think this is a hard passage to apply to ourselves. Many of you may have been applying throughout the story. I simply want to make 3 points of application. None of them are profound, none of them are new. They are just reminders that we keep fresh on our minds.

1.) Our circumstances do not tell the whole story

Habakkuk raised the initial complaint because all he could see what the sinfulness around him and he did not see God doing anything about it. But the first thing that God told him in response was, “I am doing a work in your days.” Brothers and sisters, this is important for us to get. There is more going on than you can see, more going on than your circumstances might seem to indicate. God has a plan He is not hands off. He is not idly watching the world go on and is waiting to jump back into action. No, He is Sovereign over it all and He is fulfilling a plan.

When Adam and Eve sinned and plunged humanity into sin, the plan for the great redemption story was already written. When Israel turned from God and strayed from Him, the judgment plan was already written. And when your life goes through ebbs and flows, good days and bad days, expected and unexpected, anything. The plan for you was already written, and if you are in Christ, it is a story that is best for you. Now, what we might think is best for us isn’t necessarily what is best for us. 

When we think of what is best for us, we might think of healthy bodies, financial success, and happiness all the time. Those are good things, and I hope that God gives you those. But let me say this. What is actually best for you is a deep love for God and for His church. A strong faith, holiness, and a desire to know God more and more. Joy that is unwavering. Endurance. All of these things are what God wants for us, and the means by which He will bring them about is not always easy. But we were never promised easy, we were promised best. And we can rest assured, God will do what is best.

2.) God can do no wrong

Another simple truth that we would all agree to. Of course God can do no wrong, He is perfect in every way. He is the definition of perfection, He is Holy. But this truth can become a bit fuzzy is our own minds when God does things that don’t make sense to us. Consider what Habakkuk is thinking, we can see it in his second response. If God uses such a wicked nation to judge Judah, isn’t God in some way condoning evil? Maybe He isn’t committing evil, but I mean, if He is raising up a nation of people for this very purpose, who are wicked, doesn’t it seem close? 

I’m borrowing from one of my previous pastors on this text who says that it’s okay to wrestle with this, so that we may see God’s faithfulness and grow in our own faith. He points to the cross as the greatest example of this. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to earth, lived a sinless life, and was then crucified on the cross. The greatest act of injustice to ever take place in all of history, the death of the truly innocent one. Now let me ask you this, was this in the plan of God? Did God’s plan include the greatest injustice ever in it? Of course, we know this with certainty. 

In Acts 2, Peter preaches and says this, “22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it”

It was certainly God’s plan for Jesus to die, all along. Yet, God did no wrong in this. These truths might feel conflicting to you at times, but it isn’t. And I would encourage you to believe what the Bible says concerning these things. The way that this all plays out is a mystery to us on this side of heaven, but we can know 2 things for sure. God’s plan does include things like Jesus’ death and the raising up of an evil nation to judge Israel. And at the same time, God has never and will never do any wrong. It is not a contradiction to believe these things, they are both true, and by God’s grace we will have the faith to hold strongly to them.

One of the clearest examples of how to understand this dynamic and believe what is true is the story of Joseph. Joseph was wronged by his own brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt, yet from such horrible thing, he rises in the ranks and becomes a leader in Egypt, and leads them through a great time of difficulty. And when he sees his brothers again, he looks to them and says, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” 

This is it. The enemy and evil people carry out evil deeds, and God means it for good to bring about something good. This is the way of our God.

3.) Even when we struggle to understand, we must listen to God’s Word

The way that Habakkuk ends his second complaint is crucial. He stops talking and waits to hear from God. Even though the plan revealed didn’t settle well with him, he chose to listen to God’s Word. Church, we have to take the same posture. Even when we struggle to understand, we must listen to God’s Word. Our trust in God’s Word as revealed to us in the Bible, cannot be contingent on whether or not it makes sense to us. God’s Word is true, and it is good, no matter what. Always and forever.

This is why our service is completely driven by God’s Word. We read His word, sing His word, pray His word, preach His word, and carry out the commands of His word. It is why I don’t stand up here and give you Riley’s best advice. No, what we need is God’s Word being exposited and preached and applied. Why? Isaiah 40:8 tells us. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” His Word is eternal, it is true, and it is for you.

Let your gut reaction be to listen to God’s Word, even when it’s a bit hard to understand. Like Habakkuk, resolve yourself to listen to what God says, even when things aren’t working out like you may want. 

The rest of this book is so good, and deciding what chunk to preach first wasn’t easy. But I chose here for a couple different reasons. The main reason, however, is that I think it sets up the rest of this book really well. I can relate to Habakkuk, and I remember very clearly at one point in my life wondering why God wasn’t doing something about my circumstances. And then when He did, I was confused why He was doing it like this. I didn’t understand, and for a time I think it made me a bit closed off to God’s Word. The exact opposite of what I should’ve done. I should have said, “God, I don’t understand. But I know who you are, I know you love me, I know you are doing what is best for me, and I am simply going to turn to your Word and have faith.”

And so that is my encouragement to you. Next week we will see what it is that God says back to Habakkuk.

https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/learn-about-the-scrolls/discovery-and-publication

https://reformedmargins.com/who-is-responsible-for-the-murder-of-jesus/