• Do you ever get frustrated when you see injustice, like criminals who do not suffer the consequences of their crimes, corrupt leaders who oppress those entrusted to their care, the mean kid at school who is never confronted?
• Yesterday we looked at Habakkuk’s boldness before God in prayer and at how he poured out his heart before the Lord with the things that were troubling him.
• Now we will examine more closely the complaints that Habakkuk brought before God as he cried out to Him in prayer.

Habakkuk 1:12-17 

O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die.O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net,he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food. Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy? 

• These passage of Scripture is a response to God’s prophecy that people more wicked than Israel would come and bring about the judgment on God’s people who had rebelled against Him. Obviously, this upset Habakkuk, even though he knew that God was just and that His people had rejected God’s commandments, deserving punishment.
• In these verses, Habakkuk points out the apparent inconsistencies with God’s nature and His allowing all these wicked people to prosper. God is from everlasting, holy, just, and pure, while those who are evil are treacherous, oppressive, and idolatrous.
• Habakkuk wonders why God can tolerate such people and allow them to remain unpunished, much less allowed to prosper.

SOMETIMES EVIL APPEARS TO PROSPER 

It Seems as if God is Blind

Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Habakkuk 1:3

• Habakkuk is a godly man, so like God, he longs to be pure, holy, and just. As such, he hates all the injustice, wrongdoing, destruction, violence, and strife that is around him going unpunished, and—it seems—unnoticed.
• Habakkuk is bewildered. Was God blind? Did He not see all that was happening?

It Seems as if God Doesn’t Care

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? Habakkuk 1:13

• Of course, Habakkuk knew that God sees all and hears all that men do and say, so his next question was “do You care, God, that all this evil is going on?”
• Habakkuk knew of God’s righteousness and purity. He wanted to know why God kept silent about all the injustice going on.
• Do you ever feel like God doesn’t see or that He just doesn’t care about all the injustice and sin going on in the world? In your own life?

It Seems as if Being Righteous is Useless

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. Psalm 73:13

• While this verse does not come from Habakkuk, it seems like something he might have been thinking to himself at the time.
• All around him, the wicked were prospering and the weak and righteous were being oppressed. Why not just give up trying to follow God and start living a life of sin like all those others who seemed to be doing really well?
• But Habakkuk knew, and heard God say, that the wicked would not go unpunished, that His divine retribution would be sure and swift against the wicked people, both Israelites and those who would come to oppress them.
• In this we can be sure, that God is always good, always just, and always true to His word. Though we may not understand His ways or timing, we surrender ourselves to His good judgment, trusting that He ultimately has the victory in all things.

BUT GOD WILL BRING JUDGMENT 

God Sees Everything

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13

• Habakkuk knew this, David who wrote many of the Psalms knew this, the writer of Hebrews knew this, and we all can be sure of this, too. That God sees everything plainly and openly is certain.
• Even the deepest darkness in the hearts of those who appear righteous, holy, and pure is seen by God, because He dwells in inapproachable light that shines into all the darkest places of our hearts and our world.
• God knew what the rebellious Israelites were doing; He knew the wickedness in the hearts of those whom He was sending to bring judgment upon His people; He knew the purity of Habakkuk’s heart when he cried out to Him for justice.

God is Patient

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

·         Sometimes it does seem as if God doesn’t see or doesn’t care or is powerless against all the darkness that fills our world, but the truth is that God is patient.·         Yes, He will ultimately bring judgment against all those who do not walk according to His ways, but He sincerely wants to see people repent of their wickedness—no matter how great it may be—and turn from their darkness to His light. 

God is Just

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3

·         God’s word is never failing, and His faithfulness to what He has spoken is true. We can trust and believe and hold onto all the promises spoken to us in His word. We can know that God is just and not doubt it.·         God promises that all will be repaid according to their works, as Habakkuk knows. This gives us reason to hope and rejoice, because in the midst of any persecution, we can be sure that God will ultimately win over any evil.·         Sometimes, it may seem that God will never act, but as He says here to Habakkuk, we must wait for His judgments and look for them and be ready.
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS EVIL 

Resist Evil

See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous will live by his faith— Habakkuk 2:4

• So what do we do in the meantime, while darkness seems to be spreading rampantly everywhere we look?
• First, we decide that we will not join with the wicked, but resist them and their works. We will be righteous and this we will do by faith in Jesus.

Reserve Vengeance for God

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19

• Secondly, we will not take the work of God into our own hands. God says that we are not to take revenge or repay evil for evil. Instead, we save vengeance and retribution for God.
• Let us not rob God of His own justice, but, as Paul wrote, “leave room for God’s wrath” to happen in His perfect way according to His perfect will.

Raise Your Voice

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? Habakkuk 1:13

• Lastly, we can, like Habakkuk, come before God in fervent prayer. We can intercede for those who are being oppressed and persecuted and for the righteous, that God would act swiftly on their behalf.
• Jesus is our mediator, allowing us to come before God in boldness to present our petitions, requests, and intercessory prayers to Him. Let us speak up for those in need and against the darkness that threatens them.

In closing

Psalm 73:3-20 

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  

They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”  

This is what the wicked are like— always carefree, they increase in wealth.  

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.  

If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.  

Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. 

• The Psalmist who wrote this particular psalm came before God like Habakkuk, wondering why the wicked were allowed to prosper despite all the horrible things they were doing. He almost gave in to the thought that all of his purity and righteousness were in vain and useless.
• However, upon further meditation in God’s presence, he remembered all that He knew about God: that He was just and that the righteous would be delivered.
• Let us remember God’s faithfulness, especially when we think about all the bad things going on in our world today. We are not to despair and lose hope, but to run to God and cry out to Him for justice.

Have a great day

John

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