Perplexed

Introduction

Life is unfair. While we seek, beg, and plead for fairness, the reality is that life is unfair. I cannot explain the fairness of being born in the United States to a person born in a 3rd world county. I cannot explain the fairness of having choices that half the world doesn’t understand. I cannot explain the fairness of being able to worship today freely when fellow believers are in places of secrecy. Life is unfair. We want fairness but then what we really mean by that is we want things to be fair the way we want think things ought to be fair. We want the evil punished but when we are evil we want our punishment to be lenient. We are interested in justice especially when we are involved. We tend to view life through our own eyes.

But we are not the first generation to view life this way. Seeing the unfairness and injustice, Habakkuk begs God to step in and stop such things. He pleads for God to end the violence and the injustice. But God is silent. Habakkuk begged God to stop the evil. God said he would bring a cruel and ruthless nation to end the evil. And God’s answer left Habakkuk confused. So confused that he offered a second question for God to answer. It is this second question that we will examine today. Life is unfair. We long for a time when that will not be the case. We long to be with God. We long to trust when we don’t understand.

Expectations

Habakkuk is confused. Waiting for God to deal with evil has been difficult enough. But now that he has heard that God is going to send the Babylonians to deal with evil and injustice has left Habakkuk confused. The question is basically this---how can you use something that is more evil to deal with evil. In Habakkuk’s mind there are other options available---use the good to deal with the evil would make more sense. Or maybe just “zap” the evil ones and that will do it. But notice in verse 12 how Habakkuk begins his second question.

He acknowledges that God is eternal and holy. God has no beginning and no end. God also is pure and complete and perfect. In other words, God has no rivals and in terms of motivations and character he is absolutely pure. No evil exists in him. So with that firmly established, Habakkuk asks, “surely you are not going to wipe us out?” There is evil but let’s not go too far here. Not everyone is evil. But since you are nothing but purity how can you allow some nation that is so much worse to deal with a righteous nation like Israel? Wait a minute. A little while ago, Habakkuk was begging for God to do something with this evil nation and now he is calling them righteous. I guess it is all relative. ILL. “Getting a ticket.” We compare ourselves to others and believe that our evil is far less disturbing than theirs. We deserve better treatment than they do. We deserve leniency in our evil; they deserve far worse. We deserve God’s mercy; they deserve God’s wrath.

Boldly Habakkuk continues. Surely you aren’t going to let us be treated like a bunch of fish caught in the fisherman’s net. He says, if the Babylonians destroy us they will brag on their ability to catch fish. They will praise their nets for being efficient and productive. You will get no praise. Surely you will not let this happen. Surely you will not allow them to do this and get away with it. And Habakkuk ends his questioning with the promise to wait on God to answer. The wording suggests as well that Habakkuk may believe that God will rebuke him. But he will wait.

God’s Answer

God answers Habakkuk with a promise. Write down what will happen to the Babylonians. They will not last long. They are only going to bring evil for a short period of time. Write it down and watch what I am going to do. In fact, God’s answer that encourages us is found in verse 4. The righteous will live by faith. There are many twists and turns to this verse. Go back to Genesis 15:6. Abraham is without children and God is promising so many descendants that they cannot be counted. An old man promised countless descendants. The impossible promised by one who put the stars in the sky. God says to Abraham, this will happen. Mark it down. Add it up. You will have more descendants than you can count. And Abraham believed or trusted him and God declared him righteous or justified. The righteous are those who trust God. Now look at 1:12. Surely we are not going to die. No you will not. Life is found in faith. Are we going to die? No. The righteous will live and they will live in faith. They live because of God and in living they continue to trust God. Like Abraham who had no children he trusted God to make it happen. God declared Abraham justified or right with him and Abraham lived in faith by engaging in sexual intimacy with his wife and a son was born.

Habakkuk is confused. Using a kingdom that is more evil than the one he is living in means that some innocent people are going to die. God says while evil will deal with evil, there will be life for those who trust in him. There will be a remnant saved but more importantly, those who have already trusted God in faith will continue to live in faith as these events unfold. God calls Habakkuk to faith. He doesn’t deny Habakkuk’s concerns. He doesn’t evade the question. His answer is that he will destroy the Babylonians after they complete the work he has for them to do. God’s answer is that life is found in trusting him. Next week’s lesson will deal with Habakkuk’s response but God’s answer cannot be missed. Trusting God in the promise brings life and life gives way to living in faith.

Lessons

Living by faith is not easy. Living by faith means that we acknowledge that life is unfair but that God is still present. Confusion and frustration can lead to walking away from God. Philip Yancey in his book Disappointment with God writes that when life is unfair, there are several possible conclusions:

God does not exist. Elie Wiesel who survived a concentration camp in World War II came to that conclusion based on what he experienced. He could not imagine that God would sit on his hands while 6 million Jews were murdered.

God is powerless. Harold Kushner came to that conclusion as he watched his son die from a terrible disease. He believed God existed but that he was powerless to deal with the chaos that is in the world.

Unfairness is temporary and will be rectified in this universe. This is the Hindu view that we go through millions of reincarnation events so that eventually good and evil balance out.

Deny unfairness. This was the promise of Job’s friends. They held on to their view that the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished. They insisted that Job was wicked otherwise he wouldn’t suffer. This view is easy to believer unless you are Job.

The final view is simply stated---Life is unfair. By this statement we do not force God to act nor are we bitter and resentful when things do not go well. We hurt, cry, mourn, and beg for more comfort but we understand that life isn’t fair. We also trust God. This is the challenge.

Habakkuk 2:18-20 puts things in perspective. The Babylonians had their idols. God points out that the idols are dead. Covered in gold and silver they are not able to provide help. They are lifeless and without power. But God is still God. God has answered Habakkuk. God has power. He is the one who orchestrates the Babylonians work and will bring his people once again into favor. The prophecy will occur. Be patient. Wait for it. If it seems to long for its fulfillment then wait a bit longer. It will happen. So let all the earth “hush.” Let the entire earth wait and watch in breathless silence as God carries out his purpose.

We may not understand, but we wait.

We grow weary in waiting, but we trust that God will bring about his purpose.

We have life because of God and we live in faith.

Others may tell us that God is dead. We know that his will is working out.

Others tell us that God is powerless and demand that prove his power. And we remember that his power shown at different times does not obligate him to answer again in the same way and at the same time.

What we are left with is to trust God or not to trust God. We can trust that which does not have life. Or we can act like the God we claim to trust is still alive. Trusting God means that we wait. Trusting God means that we believe he will reveal his will in his time.

This is the challenge of faith but the alternative is to trust in things that have short term power and life. Invitation.

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