(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see how)
Focus Question:
How are Habakkuk's complaints like ours?
Intro:
Hope you’re ready for some tasty vittles here at the ForTheHope diner, because today’s special is….Habakkuk! One of my fave books, and the source of today’s focus question, “How are Habakkuk's complaints like ours?”
But…we begin with the NT, and today in 2 Corinthians 3 you’re going to hear Paul refer to Moses and veiling his face. It’ll be useful to remember that waaay back in Exodus chs 32-34 is the story of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai — the place where God gave the 10 commandments — and his face was shining to beat all get out, so he put a veil over it. So…listen for how Paul uses this to contrast the old covenant with the new.
New Testament segment:
Passage: 2 Corinthians 3
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 18
Words: ~424
3:18 Here Paul draws his conclusion regarding the superiority of the new covenant. Under the new economy, (1) not one man alone but all believers see and then reflect “the Lord’s glory”; (2) unlike the Jews, who still read the law with veiled hearts (vv. 14–15), Christians see the glory of Yahweh (which is Christ) “with unveiled faces” in the mirror of the gospel; (3) glory is displayed inwardly in the character, not outwardly on the face; (4) far from waxing and waning, this glory progressively increases until the believer gains through resurrection a “glorious body” like Christ’s (Phil 3:21).(1)
Now we turn to Habakkuk, another of the minor prophets who, unlike all the other prophets, never mentions Judah…it’s all a dialogue between him and God.
The first two chapters are organized around Habakkuk’s prayers (or, more correctly, complaints) and the Lord’s replies. Habakkuk saw the rapid progress of Judah’s moral and spiritual deterioration and this deeply troubled him. Yet God’s response puzzled him even more…(2)
See you on the other side.
Old Testament segment:
Passage: Habakkuk
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 56
Words: ~1356
So how are Habakkuk’s complaints like ours? Well, one of the (if not the most frequent) complaints against God is moral. If God’s good, how does he allow this mess? Or why doesn’t He answer prayer? In Habakkuk, through,
God makes it clear that both nations are to be judged and appropriately punished for their evil acts. Although Habakkuk may not fully understand, he has learned to rely totally on the wisdom and justice of God to bring about the proper resolution in ways he could never have imagined. This God is certainly worthy of Habakkuk’s praise and worship, which is how the book ends…(2)
(Habakkuk) …is straightforward, with two questions put to God by Habakkuk, each of which is followed by God’s response. The first concerns Yahweh’s apparent toleration of sin, especially injustice (1:2–4), and is followed by the assurance that it will be dealt with by God using the Chaldean or Neo-Babylonian Empire as his instrument (1:5–11). …But this raises a yet greater moral problem for Habakkuk. How can he use as instruments of judgment a people who are much more cruel and inhumane than those who are being punished (1:12–17)? …Habakkuk responds to this assurance of God’s justice and love in a psalm of worship (ch. 3)… (and) closes with a moving expression of the prophet’s trust in his God (3:16–19a).(3)
Wisdom segment:
Passage: Psalm 128
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 6
Words: ~98
The bottom line:
Interestingly, Habakkuk isn’t rebuked for complaining, and I’d argue that the problem for us isn’t complaining or doubting, it’s how we respond. God’s direct response, which is quoted three times in the NT, is “the righteous shall live by faith.” In other words, if “faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (He 11:1, CSB), and faith is about the object — or person — you’re putting your faith in, then even when we don’t feel like it we can choose to trust God. And perhaps most importantly, His ultimate goodness. And like Habakkuk, this gives us something to sing about.
Love you!
Roger
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) Douglas J. Moo, “The Letters and Revelation,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 2086.
(2) Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1719–1720.
(3) David W. Baker, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 43–44.