Habakkuk 1:12-17 - Complaining again!

1:12

Habakkuk is none too pleased with God’s answer and so complains again to God, but notice that he does this on the basis of God’s character and attributes. These are not just the whinges of a faithless man, but the agonising of one who believes in God, there is a fundamental difference between the two.

So Habakkuk starts by outlining some of God’s attributes. Of course, God does not need to be reminded of who He is or what He is like, but this is part of the conversation between Habakkuk and God. In the end it is Habakkuk who will be changed, not God. First, God is from everlasting. He is eternal, without beginning, and without end. This eternal God has appointed the Babylonians to execute judgement upon Judah, to punish Judah.

1:13

Now Habakkuk could fully appreciate the need to punish Judah, indeed their sin was the source of his first complaint, but to do this with the Babylonians? God is pure, He cannot tolerate evil. Yet His answer to Habakkuk’s first complaint involved using a nation that was even worse than Judah! Surely God should do something to stop Babylon, not be encouraging them and positively using them to punish Judah. For bad as Judah was, they were nowhere near as bad as Babylon. As an aside, a common human reaction to being accused of sin is to point someone else who is worse than us. There is always someone else who is worse than us, but that is never an excuse for our own sin.

1:14,15

Habakkuk describes the situation as being like fish in the sea. Fish were created by God to be caught, they have no overriding purpose. It seems like people, including Judah were just the same. They had no idea what they were doing in life, apart from existing, and Babylon was sweeping up the people just as a fishing boat gathers up fish. Just as the fisherman is glad with his catch, so Babylon was glad with her conquests. The world seemed to be there for Babylon’s benefit.

Habakkuk is using dramatic language to describe the situation, and note that there is no doubt in his mind that God has ordained this. There is no attempt in his mind, as there often seems to be in ours, to excuse God of responsibility.

1:16,17

Just as the fisherman is happy, so Babylon is happy. Moreover, Babylon worships her strength. She makes an idol out of her military prowess and offers incense to her idols. And the conquest seems to go on and on. Will this carry on forever?