How Long, O Lord?
[ READ ] Habakkuk 1
Habakkuk's Complaint
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
4 So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.
The Lord's Answer
5 “Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.
7 They are dreaded and fearsome;
their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
9 They all come for violence,
all their faces forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10 At kings they scoff,
and at rulers they laugh.
They laugh at every fortress,
for they pile up earth and take it.
11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,
guilty men, whose own might is their god!”
Habakkuk's Second Complaint
12 Are you not from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
Habakkuk 1:2-12
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
4 So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.
The Lord's Answer
5 “Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.
7 They are dreaded and fearsome;
their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
9 They all come for violence,
all their faces forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10 At kings they scoff,
and at rulers they laugh.
They laugh at every fortress,
for they pile up earth and take it.
11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,
guilty men, whose own might is their god!”
Habakkuk's Second Complaint
12 Are you not from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
Habakkuk 1:2-12
It is a struggle old to man: how to understand God’s actions in the world, while calling us to faith in God’s good purposes.
The book of Habbuk opens with a dialogue between Habukkuk and the Lord in two sections. Each is a complaint by the prophet followed by the Lord’s answer.
In his intimate talk with the Lord; Habukkuk asks: “How long must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save?
The Lord answers him in a shocking way: “Look at the nations and observe - be utterly astounded!..Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter, impetuous nation that marches across the earth’s open spaces to seize territories not its own…their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than wolves of the night…their hordes of faces moves forward..they gather prisoners like sand.”
As context,Habakkuk, many scholars believe, was of the tribe of Levi, possibly a musician, a prophet given an oracle (often judgments) by God. He was not a soldier, so how the words from God must have hit him so sharply. Babylon was the greatest military power at that time and had great confidence in their own power (whose strength is their god). So what was the real issue here? That God would use the Babylonians to punish the wickedness of Judah.
Even when Habakkuk cries to the Lord with his second complaint, he begins his response by acknowledging the eternal character of God. Are you not from everlasting, O Lord, My God, My Holy One?
Then Habakkuk poses the central question of the book: Why are you silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?
It is a central question we wrestle with today. With such evil and madness in our world, why are those who are righteous suffering so? Yet God is not mocked. He will avenge and judge those who hurt his people. Until then, we are called to be light in the darkness, quiet strength to those who are suffering, to be the truth tellers with the real story of life and life abundantly to those who are lost and ultimately, without hope.
- Eileen Dowd
The book of Habbuk opens with a dialogue between Habukkuk and the Lord in two sections. Each is a complaint by the prophet followed by the Lord’s answer.
In his intimate talk with the Lord; Habukkuk asks: “How long must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save?
The Lord answers him in a shocking way: “Look at the nations and observe - be utterly astounded!..Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter, impetuous nation that marches across the earth’s open spaces to seize territories not its own…their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than wolves of the night…their hordes of faces moves forward..they gather prisoners like sand.”
As context,Habakkuk, many scholars believe, was of the tribe of Levi, possibly a musician, a prophet given an oracle (often judgments) by God. He was not a soldier, so how the words from God must have hit him so sharply. Babylon was the greatest military power at that time and had great confidence in their own power (whose strength is their god). So what was the real issue here? That God would use the Babylonians to punish the wickedness of Judah.
Even when Habakkuk cries to the Lord with his second complaint, he begins his response by acknowledging the eternal character of God. Are you not from everlasting, O Lord, My God, My Holy One?
Then Habakkuk poses the central question of the book: Why are you silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?
It is a central question we wrestle with today. With such evil and madness in our world, why are those who are righteous suffering so? Yet God is not mocked. He will avenge and judge those who hurt his people. Until then, we are called to be light in the darkness, quiet strength to those who are suffering, to be the truth tellers with the real story of life and life abundantly to those who are lost and ultimately, without hope.
- Eileen Dowd
[ EXAMINE ] the passage. At this point, answer some questions about the meaning of the text. Take time to reflect:
+ As you read this first chapter of Habukkuk, do you also wrestle with: “Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?” Take time to reflect on this passage with your community group or fellow believers.
+ The passages are written with such amazing descriptions of the Chaldeans: “Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on”. Please take time to see the picture painted here; then put yourself in the picture. What do you see? How do you feel? Explore what God is saying and then read how Habukkuk responds.
+ As you read this first chapter of Habukkuk, do you also wrestle with: “Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?” Take time to reflect on this passage with your community group or fellow believers.
+ The passages are written with such amazing descriptions of the Chaldeans: “Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on”. Please take time to see the picture painted here; then put yourself in the picture. What do you see? How do you feel? Explore what God is saying and then read how Habukkuk responds.
[ APPLY ] the passage to your own life:
+ Is there sin to confess to clear the way for God to use me in his perfect purpose?
+ Take a moment to reflect on how deeply and dearly Habukkuk spoke to the Lord. Do you have that kind of relationship with Jesus? Would you like him to be more in your life than He has been - and not because the Lord hasn’t been there all the time, but because you and I have drifted from Him through hurry, worry and life’s many distractions? If so, now is a good time to quietly reaffirm and recommit to longer stretches of time with the King of Kings, our Lord and Savior.
+ Why not set aside 30 minutes each morning and begin the day with the Bible? How about a Bible app for study? Just a few ideas to get you started!
+ Is there sin to confess to clear the way for God to use me in his perfect purpose?
+ Take a moment to reflect on how deeply and dearly Habukkuk spoke to the Lord. Do you have that kind of relationship with Jesus? Would you like him to be more in your life than He has been - and not because the Lord hasn’t been there all the time, but because you and I have drifted from Him through hurry, worry and life’s many distractions? If so, now is a good time to quietly reaffirm and recommit to longer stretches of time with the King of Kings, our Lord and Savior.
+ Why not set aside 30 minutes each morning and begin the day with the Bible? How about a Bible app for study? Just a few ideas to get you started!
[ PRAY ] through the passage and your application, and ask God to change your heart and your life.
(e.g., your family around the dinner table, a friend, co-worker or neighbor- for help join a community group at downtownhope.churchcenter.com/groups)
+ Dear Father, as I read the words of your prophet, Habukkuk, I am struck by my, at times, indifference, toward my own sin. Please help me see the way you see me and change my heart. I want to be the one that follows you no matter what the world does.
(e.g., your family around the dinner table, a friend, co-worker or neighbor- for help join a community group at downtownhope.churchcenter.com/groups)
+ Dear Father, as I read the words of your prophet, Habukkuk, I am struck by my, at times, indifference, toward my own sin. Please help me see the way you see me and change my heart. I want to be the one that follows you no matter what the world does.
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