Habakkuk 1:2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Habakkuk 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
This short book by the unknown prophet has many small lessons, but the large overarching lesson is about God’s sovereignty and our acceptance of it, especially when it seems to be working against what we thought was His will. Habakkuk lived during a time when Israel was falling to the Babylonian Empire and its allies. This was a horrible time to be an Israelite. The land you lived on was connected to the promise of God, and it was being overtaken, and the people driven out. The temple was being destroyed and desecrated by bands of idolatrous soldiers, and The kings and princes of Israel were living lives more wicked than those of the world around them. We can see how some of the promises about a land flowing with milk and honey would be hard to reconcile with the current reality of that day.
The current situation Habakkuk is in has filled his mind with questions about God’s attentiveness: “O LORD, how long shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto Thee of violence, and Thou wilt not save! Why dost Thou show me iniquity and cause me to behold grievance?” Then his questions give way to a detailed report of the hour: “For spoiling and violence are before me; and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore, the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth; for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore, wrong judgment proceedeth.” Have you ever been in such a terrible situation that you begin to question God’s attentiveness toward you? “Lord, have You not heard me crying? Did You not see what they did? How long will You make me wait?” God has an answer for our Prophet and everyone who finds themselves in his shoes.
Our answer to reconciling God’s goodness and sovereignty with the chaos we see around us is found in two passages in this book: Chapter 2:4: “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” Then in Chapter 3:17-19: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be on the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon my high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments."
Our passage from 2:4 teaches us that the just shall live by his faith. I would remind you that we walk by faith, not by sight. Our eyes can be far-sighted or near-sighted; we can see mirages in the desert that mislead and disappoint us. We are prone to miscalculation and judgments, and sight is a poor guide for the life of the Christian. As proven in the life of Habakkuk, he saw the Babylonians and the Chaldeans ransacking the temple, abusing God’s people. He saw the wicked princes and their idolatry. He saw the land he loved being lost to enemy forces, and all of this added up to the belief that God had forsaken them. Once again, this is an example of how sight is deceptive. This could not have been further from the truth. God had not forsaken them; this was simply His chastening hand, which I would remind you is also His loving hand: “He chasteneth every son that He loveth.” So, be sure that your “soul is not lifted up in you.” Don’t be so proudly sure that your evaluation of the current situation is correct. Instead, live by your faith in our God, who sees, knows, and has control over all things.
Our last passage both teaches a lesson and shows the outcome of total faith in our Lord. The Lesson is that our hope is not laid up in what God is going to do for us or what He has done for us but in who He is. Notice carefully Habakkuk’s words: “The LORD God is my strength” and “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will joy in the God of my salvation.” If He is blessing us and the land is flowing with milk and honey, then faith that rests on His works is thriving and healthy. But let famine come or invasion, and all of a sudden, the foundation of our faith (His blessing) is shaken, and we are troubled and left questioning God, as Habakkuk did. Here is the lesson of the whole book: we need to shift our faith from God's action to God's character. This is not only the key to rejoicing but also to rejoicing amid an invasion. This is not just the key to strength but to strength amid weakness. Our God is of too great a nature to do anything wrong. Our faith should rest alone on the Rock of Ages, which can never be moved by a thousand armies: “I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”
Endeavor this morning to shift your foundation to Him. What is greater: the gift or the giver? Our faith should rest on the giver and not on gifts. Then the outcome of this life is rejoicing amid trials, invasions, questions, famine, and every season of life: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be on the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will joy in the God of my salvation.” When we have shifted our faith to the Rock of Ages, nothing can shake us because nothing can shake Him!
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