A Prayer for Justice

March 8, 2020 Background Scripture: Habakkuk 1 Lesson Passage: Habakkuk 1:1 – 4, 12 – 14 Today’s lesson is a continuation of the series that examines some of the messages of the Minor Prophets. Habakkuk is the author of today’s text. The prophet had questions that he knew only God could answer. Habakkuk acknowledged that God had opened his eyes and allowed him to behold the atrocities that were taking place among the people of God. The first question Habakkuk posed to God was, “How can You allow such injustice to happen among Your people with no end in sight?” (Sometimes God will allow us to see sin through His eyes that we may become offended by it just as He is.) God answered Habakkuk’s question by warning him that he was going to be in shock as to how God was going to address the plight of His people. The prophet knew that God’s way of judging the sin of His people can be just as confusing to us as not judging it at all. God was going to allow a vicious heathen nation to come in and wreak havoc over His people. The heathens would show no mercy and execute punishment quickly. They would besiege the people of God and then overrun them. They would be as vicious as wild animals when they attack the people of God. There would be no defensive measures that would protect the people—even those within fortified cities. However, the heathen’s downfall will come because they would ascribe their battlefield success to their heathen god(s). Although they will be used by God to punish His people, they would not give God glory or honor for the victories they secure. By this action, they will greatly offend God. Their offense will be more so than the offenses of the people of God. This prompted Habakkuk to ask God a second question, “Since God is eternal, the people of God must also be everlasting. Why then would God allow heathens to punish His people when the wickedness of the heathens exceed the unrighteousness of the people of God? Why wouldn’t God restrain the wicked and not allow them to show no pity upon the people of God?” As the dialog pressed on, God answered all of Habakkuk’s questions. Today’s lesson focuses on the nature of the dialog between God and Habakkuk. First and foremost, the dialog is happening because God allowed the prophet to view the spiritual condition of His people through His eyes. If the prophet could not see things through the eyes of God, he might have put limitations on his assignment to prophesy to the people of God. Because God allowed Habakkuk to see the sins of the people, Habakkuk would not hesitate to tell the people what “thus said the Lord”. Knowing that God’s punishment of His people was going to be very harsh, the urgency of warning the people of God became a priority for him. Secondly, although the prophet pleaded with God for justice for the righteous, God’s answer to his plea was harsher than the prophet could have imagine. If God used the heathen to punish and restrain the wicked among His people, will He also set limits on the heathen to prevent them from plundering the people unchecked? In other words, Habakkuk’s prayer was for God to rescue the righteous from the deeds of the wicked but don’t allow heathens to hurt God’s people without restraint. God’s response to Habakkuk’s second question will be in next week’s lesson. Robert C. Hudson February 24, 2020