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

Habakkuk 1:13-2:1


13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;

you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?

Why are you silent while the wicked

swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,

like the sea creatures that have no ruler.

15 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.

16 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.

17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,

destroying nations without mercy?

1 I will stand at my watch

and station myself on the ramparts;

I will look to see what he will say to me,

and what answer I am to give to this complaint



God graciously revealed Himself to us. He let us know a significant amount of information that would not have been known unless He revealed. He let us know what He intended to do very often before He does it. Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” In our times, most of God’s intentions and His plans are already known through the Scripture. But when it comes to specifics and details, there are times that we have no idea at all what God is up to. Why is it so? The reason is simple. We have knowledge of the plan and will of God either through His servants or through the written revelation, but our knowledge of God always has limits. Our knowledge of God is neither comprehensive nor extensive. Therefore it is no wonder that we face situations that are beyond our comprehension. A lot of biblical characters such as Moses, David and Job faced such situations. What did they do? They asked God. Habbakuk is doing the same in today’s passage. Habbakuk says that he knows who God is. God is righteous and almighty. God hates idols and those who worship idols. Habbakuk knows that God is angry at the people of Israel for their disobedience. But he couldn’t understand the situation that the worse idol-worshipping nations rampage throughout Israel with the mass destruction of people and land. The invaders fill the land with worse idolatry. So Habbakuk is asking God why? We can’t find a clear answer to Habbakuk’s question in the book of Habbakuk. It seems what matters to God is Habbakuk’s attitude in such situation. He is asking God and waiting upon Him. Even though God doesn’t give specific answers to Habbakuk’s question, He honors Habbakuk’s attitude. I feel as if God is saying to us, “Will you do the same as Habbakuk in the same situation? Ask Me. Trust Me. And wait for me.” We want an answer. And fast, even from God. We think that is our faith. God is asking, “Is it really? Can you trust Me and wait upon Me?” What would you say to Him?