Habakkuk 1:2
Verse
Context
Habakkuk’s First Complaint
1This is the burden that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision: 2How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? 3Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.
Sermons
David Platt
Chuck SmithChuck SmithChuck Smith
Brian BrodersenChuck Smith
Horatius BonarSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
O Lord, how long shall I cry - The prophet feels himself strongly excited against the vices which he beheld; and which, it appears from this verse, he had often declaimed against, but in vain; the people continued in their vices, and God in his longsuffering. Habakkuk begins his prophecy under a similar feeling, and nearly in similar words, as Juvenal did his Satires: - Semper ego auditor tantum? Nunquamne reponam? Vexatus toties rauci Theseide Codri? Sat. 1:1. "Shall I always be a hearer only? Shall I never reply? So often vexed?" Of violence - The most unlawful and outrageous acts.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
The prophet's lamentation. Hab 1:2. "How long, Jehovah, have I cried, and Thou hearest not? I cry to Thee, Violence; and Thou helpest not! Hab 1:3. Why dost Thou let me see mischief, and Thou lookest upon distress? devastation and violence are before me: there arises strife, and contention lifts itself up. Hab 1:4. Therefore the law is benumbed, and justice comes not forth for ever: for sinners encircle the righteous man; therefore justice goes forth perverted." This complaint, which involves a petition for help, is not merely an expression of the prophet's personal desire for the removal of the prevailing unrighteousness; but the prophet laments, in the name of the righteous, i.e., the believers in the nation, who had to suffer under the oppression of the wicked; not, however, as Rosenmller and Ewald, with many of the Rabbins, suppose, over the acts of wickedness and violence which the Chaldaeans performed in the land, but over the wicked conduct of the ungodly of his own nation. For it is obvious that these verses refer to the moral depravity of Judah, from the fact that God announced His purpose to raise up the Chaldaeans to punish it (Hab 1:5.). It is true that, in Hab 1:9 and Hab 1:13, wickedness and violence are attributed to the Chaldaeans also; but all that can be inferred from this is, that "in the punishment of the Jewish people a divine talio prevails, which will eventually fall upon the Chaldaeans also" (Delitzsch). The calling for help (שׁוּע is described, in the second clause, as crying over wickedness. חמס is an accusative, denoting what he cries, as in Job 19:7 and Jer 20:8, viz., the evil that is done. Not hearing is equivalent to not helping. The question עד־אנה indicates that the wicked conduct has continued a long time, without God having put a stop to it. This appears irreconcilable with the holiness of God. Hence the question in Hab 1:3 : Wherefore dost Thou cause me to see mischief, and lookest upon it Thyself? which points to Num 23:21, viz., to the words of Balaam, "God hath not beheld iniquity ('âven) in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness (‛âmâl) in Israel." This word of God, in which Balaam expresses the holiness of Israel, which remains true to the idea of its divine election, is put before the Lord in the form of a question, not only to give prominence to the falling away of the people from their divine calling, and their degeneracy into the very opposite of what they ought to be, but chiefly to point to the contradiction involved in the fact, that God the Holy One does now behold the evil in Israel and leave it unpunished. God not only lets the prophet see iniquity, but even looks at Himself. This is at variance with His holiness. און, nothingness, then worthlessness, wickedness (cf. Isa 1:13). עמל, labour, then distress which a man experiences or causes to others (cf. Isa 10:1). הבּיט, to see, not to cause to see. Ewald has revoked the opinion, that we have here a fresh hiphil, derived from a hiphil. With שׁד וגו the address is continued in the form of a simple picture. Shōd vechâmâs are often connected (e.g., Amo 3:10; Jer 6:7; Jer 20:8; Eze 45:9). Shōd is violent treatment causing desolation. Châmâs is malicious conduct intended to injure another. ווהי, it comes to pass, there arises strife (rı̄bh) in consequence of the violent and wicked conduct. ישּׂא, to rise up, as in Hos 13:1; Psa 89:10. The consequences of this are relaxation of the law, etc. על־כּן, therefore, because God does not interpose to stop the wicked conduct. פּוּג, to relax, to stiffen, i.e., to lose one's vital strength, or energy. Tōrâh is "the revealed law in all its substance, which was meant to be the soul, the heart of political, religious, and domestic life" (Delitzsch). Right does not come forth, i.e., does not manifest itself, lânetsach, lit., for a permanence, i.e., for ever, as in many other passages, e.g., Psa 13:2; Isa 13:20. לנצח belongs to לא, not for ever, i.e., never more. Mishpât is not merely a righteous verdict, however; in which case the meaning would be: There is no more any righteous verdict given, but a righteous state of things, objective right in the civil and political life. For godless men (רשׁע, without an article, is used with indefinite generality or in a collective sense) encircle the righteous man, so that the righteous cannot cause right to prevail. Therefore right comes forth perverted. The second clause, commencing with על־כּן, completes the first, adding a positive assertion to the negative. The right, which does still come to the light, is מעקּל, twisted, perverted, the opposite of right. To this complaint Jehovah answers in Hab 1:5-11 that He will do a marvellous work, inflict a judgment corresponding in magnitude to the prevailing injustice.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
violence . . . Why dost thou show me iniquity?--Similar language is used of the Chaldeans (Hab 1:9, Hab 1:13), as here is used of the Jews: implying, that as the Jews sinned by violence and injustice, so they should be punished by violence and injustice (Pro 1:31). Jehoiakim's reign was marked by injustice, treachery, and bloodshed (Jer 22:3, Jer 22:13-17). Therefore the Chaldeans should be sent to deal with him and his nobles according to their dealings with others (Hab 1:6, Hab 1:10-11, Hab 1:17). Compare Jeremiah's expostulation with Jehovah, Jer 12:1; Jer 20:8; and Job 19:7-8.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
1:2-4 To Habakkuk, God seemed indifferent to the evil permeating society in Judah (1:3-4) and unresponsive to his complaints about it (1:2). 1:2 call for help? . . . do not listen! The call/answer motif in Scripture often demonstrates the speaker’s trust in God as a refuge or guide (see Ps 102:1-2) and indicates intimate communion between the believer and God (Ps 145:18; Isa 65:24).
Habakkuk 1:2
Habakkuk’s First Complaint
1This is the burden that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision: 2How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? 3Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Questioning God
By David Platt3.0K43:25HAB 1:2HAB 2:4HAB 2:14HAB 3:2HAB 3:17
This sermon delves into the book of Habakkuk, where the prophet wrestles with God over injustice, evil, and suffering. Habakkuk questions God's actions amidst the impending Babylonian invasion, highlighting the struggle of faith and deep praise that emerges. The sermon emphasizes God's use of painful experiences for His sovereign purposes, urging listeners to trust in God's timing and live by faith. It concludes with Habakkuk's profound declaration of finding joy and strength in God despite dire circumstances, pointing to the eternal victory found in Christ's suffering and resurrection.
(Through the Bible) Galatians 3
By Chuck Smith2.2K47:48GEN 12:3GEN 22:18HAB 1:2GAL 2:16GAL 3:10GAL 3:15In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that true belief in God is not just a verbal assent to the truth, but it is demonstrated through actions. He uses the example of a hypothetical earthquake to illustrate this point. The preacher also highlights the impossibility of being justified before God by works, as no one can be perfect. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of faith in God's grace for salvation. The sermon concludes with the reminder that God's blessings come through Jesus Christ and His covenant, and that the law cannot nullify God's promises.
The Victory of Faith
By Chuck Smith2.1K38:37VictoryEXO 12:21HAB 1:2HAB 2:4HAB 3:17MAT 17:20HEB 11:1JAS 1:2In this sermon, the speaker discusses the challenges and injustices faced in a society filled with gang warfare and corruption in the legal system. The speaker shares a personal experience of being falsely sued for slander and emphasizes the importance of including God in our reasoning and understanding of difficult situations. The sermon highlights the need for faith and trust in God's plan, even when we don't understand it. The speaker encourages listeners to commit their ways to the Lord and trust in His perfect will, reminding them that God is in control and will work things out for His glory and their good.
The Coming King
By Chuck Smith1.1K37:27PSA 132:11EZK 34:23AMO 9:11HAB 1:2LUK 1:32JHN 15:18JHN 18:36REV 19:1REV 22:20This sermon delves into Revelation 19, highlighting the worship in heaven, the anticipation of the marriage of the Lamb, and the ultimate reign of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. It contrasts the fallen earthly monarchies with the promised eternal kingdom of God, emphasizing the need for individuals to choose to live under the righteous rule of Jesus. The message underscores the current state of the world under Satan's influence and the hope for the future when Jesus will establish His kingdom of light and peace.
Reflection on the Election and a Call to Revival
By Brian Brodersen1.0K39:37HAB 1:2
This sermon emphasizes the importance of responding to challenging times with faith and trust in God's sovereignty. It encourages believers to pray for mercy, revival, and to have a positive attitude despite difficult circumstances. The message highlights the need to pray for leaders, including the president, with respect and love, trusting in God's ability to work in their lives.
Habakkuk 1:2
By Chuck Smith0Trusting God's PlanFaith in AdversityISA 55:8HAB 1:2HAB 2:4Chuck Smith addresses the challenge of experiencing God's silence in times of distress, as exemplified by the prophet Habakkuk, who cried out for justice amidst moral decay and lawlessness in his nation. Despite feeling unheard, Habakkuk learns that God is at work in ways beyond human understanding, even using the Babylonians for judgment. Smith emphasizes the importance of faith and trust in God, even when circumstances worsen, and encourages believers to rejoice in the Lord regardless of their situation. The sermon highlights that true faith is steadfast, even in the face of despair, and that God’s plans are ultimately for our good.
Rev. 6:10. How Long?
By Horatius Bonar0God's Patience and Long-sufferingThe Cry for JusticeEXO 10:3PSA 6:3PSA 13:1PSA 35:17PSA 79:5JER 4:14HAB 1:2MAT 24:32PE 3:12REV 6:10Horatius Bonar explores the profound question 'How long?' as expressed in Revelation 6:10, emphasizing its significance in human experience and divine communication. He categorizes the cry into three main dialogues: from man to man, from man to God, and from God to man, illustrating the deep yearning for justice and understanding in a world filled with suffering and evil. Bonar highlights the themes of complaint, submission, inquiry, and expectation in the human cry, while also reflecting on God's long-suffering, admonition, and earnestness in His call to humanity. Ultimately, the sermon serves as a reminder of the hope and faith that believers hold onto as they await God's ultimate justice and redemption.
Only Believers Experience the Problem of Pain
By G. Campbell Morgan0Pain and SufferingFaith in GodPSA 30:5PSA 34:18ISA 41:10HAB 1:2MAT 5:4JHN 16:33ROM 8:222CO 1:31PE 5:10REV 21:4G. Campbell Morgan emphasizes that the problem of pain is uniquely felt by believers, as it arises in the context of faith and the awareness of God's presence. He explains that while pain exists universally, it becomes a profound challenge for those who believe in God, leading them to question His actions amidst suffering. Morgan references Habakkuk's lament and the struggle of believers who grapple with the apparent silence of God in times of distress. He asserts that the sensitivity to pain is a reflection of God's love within us, and it is through this love that we find hope amidst our suffering. Ultimately, the sermon highlights that our understanding of pain is intertwined with our relationship with God and the hope He provides.
God Is Honest
By Allan Halton0GEN 32:10PSA 27:8HAB 1:2ACT 26:192CO 3:18EPH 4:22PHP 4:6TIT 1:2HEB 4:10HEB 6:18Allan Halton reflects on a profound experience in prayer where he encountered the sincere, faithful, and honest nature of God, realizing the depth of God's truthfulness beyond words. Through Bible verses like Hebrews 6:18 and Titus 1:2, he explores the impossibility of God lying and the human struggle to trust in God's promises. This encounter stirs a longing to see God's beauty, a desire for character transformation, and a personal commitment to trust in God's faithfulness despite doubts and fears.
How Long Is This Valley?
By Richard E. Bieber01KI 19:1PSA 13:1PSA 23:4JER 12:1HAB 1:2LUK 18:7Richard E. Bieber preaches about the journey from receiving a vision from God to seeing that vision become a reality in our lives, emphasizing the necessity of passing through valleys where the vision is shaped and formed within us. He highlights the importance of not avoiding these valleys but rather committing ourselves to Jesus to allow Him to work in us. Using examples from the lives of biblical figures like Elijah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk, he encourages believers to express their feelings to God, hold on to the vision, and practice God's presence in the midst of long valleys, ultimately turning them into places of glory.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
O Lord, how long shall I cry - The prophet feels himself strongly excited against the vices which he beheld; and which, it appears from this verse, he had often declaimed against, but in vain; the people continued in their vices, and God in his longsuffering. Habakkuk begins his prophecy under a similar feeling, and nearly in similar words, as Juvenal did his Satires: - Semper ego auditor tantum? Nunquamne reponam? Vexatus toties rauci Theseide Codri? Sat. 1:1. "Shall I always be a hearer only? Shall I never reply? So often vexed?" Of violence - The most unlawful and outrageous acts.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
The prophet's lamentation. Hab 1:2. "How long, Jehovah, have I cried, and Thou hearest not? I cry to Thee, Violence; and Thou helpest not! Hab 1:3. Why dost Thou let me see mischief, and Thou lookest upon distress? devastation and violence are before me: there arises strife, and contention lifts itself up. Hab 1:4. Therefore the law is benumbed, and justice comes not forth for ever: for sinners encircle the righteous man; therefore justice goes forth perverted." This complaint, which involves a petition for help, is not merely an expression of the prophet's personal desire for the removal of the prevailing unrighteousness; but the prophet laments, in the name of the righteous, i.e., the believers in the nation, who had to suffer under the oppression of the wicked; not, however, as Rosenmller and Ewald, with many of the Rabbins, suppose, over the acts of wickedness and violence which the Chaldaeans performed in the land, but over the wicked conduct of the ungodly of his own nation. For it is obvious that these verses refer to the moral depravity of Judah, from the fact that God announced His purpose to raise up the Chaldaeans to punish it (Hab 1:5.). It is true that, in Hab 1:9 and Hab 1:13, wickedness and violence are attributed to the Chaldaeans also; but all that can be inferred from this is, that "in the punishment of the Jewish people a divine talio prevails, which will eventually fall upon the Chaldaeans also" (Delitzsch). The calling for help (שׁוּע is described, in the second clause, as crying over wickedness. חמס is an accusative, denoting what he cries, as in Job 19:7 and Jer 20:8, viz., the evil that is done. Not hearing is equivalent to not helping. The question עד־אנה indicates that the wicked conduct has continued a long time, without God having put a stop to it. This appears irreconcilable with the holiness of God. Hence the question in Hab 1:3 : Wherefore dost Thou cause me to see mischief, and lookest upon it Thyself? which points to Num 23:21, viz., to the words of Balaam, "God hath not beheld iniquity ('âven) in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness (‛âmâl) in Israel." This word of God, in which Balaam expresses the holiness of Israel, which remains true to the idea of its divine election, is put before the Lord in the form of a question, not only to give prominence to the falling away of the people from their divine calling, and their degeneracy into the very opposite of what they ought to be, but chiefly to point to the contradiction involved in the fact, that God the Holy One does now behold the evil in Israel and leave it unpunished. God not only lets the prophet see iniquity, but even looks at Himself. This is at variance with His holiness. און, nothingness, then worthlessness, wickedness (cf. Isa 1:13). עמל, labour, then distress which a man experiences or causes to others (cf. Isa 10:1). הבּיט, to see, not to cause to see. Ewald has revoked the opinion, that we have here a fresh hiphil, derived from a hiphil. With שׁד וגו the address is continued in the form of a simple picture. Shōd vechâmâs are often connected (e.g., Amo 3:10; Jer 6:7; Jer 20:8; Eze 45:9). Shōd is violent treatment causing desolation. Châmâs is malicious conduct intended to injure another. ווהי, it comes to pass, there arises strife (rı̄bh) in consequence of the violent and wicked conduct. ישּׂא, to rise up, as in Hos 13:1; Psa 89:10. The consequences of this are relaxation of the law, etc. על־כּן, therefore, because God does not interpose to stop the wicked conduct. פּוּג, to relax, to stiffen, i.e., to lose one's vital strength, or energy. Tōrâh is "the revealed law in all its substance, which was meant to be the soul, the heart of political, religious, and domestic life" (Delitzsch). Right does not come forth, i.e., does not manifest itself, lânetsach, lit., for a permanence, i.e., for ever, as in many other passages, e.g., Psa 13:2; Isa 13:20. לנצח belongs to לא, not for ever, i.e., never more. Mishpât is not merely a righteous verdict, however; in which case the meaning would be: There is no more any righteous verdict given, but a righteous state of things, objective right in the civil and political life. For godless men (רשׁע, without an article, is used with indefinite generality or in a collective sense) encircle the righteous man, so that the righteous cannot cause right to prevail. Therefore right comes forth perverted. The second clause, commencing with על־כּן, completes the first, adding a positive assertion to the negative. The right, which does still come to the light, is מעקּל, twisted, perverted, the opposite of right. To this complaint Jehovah answers in Hab 1:5-11 that He will do a marvellous work, inflict a judgment corresponding in magnitude to the prevailing injustice.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
violence . . . Why dost thou show me iniquity?--Similar language is used of the Chaldeans (Hab 1:9, Hab 1:13), as here is used of the Jews: implying, that as the Jews sinned by violence and injustice, so they should be punished by violence and injustice (Pro 1:31). Jehoiakim's reign was marked by injustice, treachery, and bloodshed (Jer 22:3, Jer 22:13-17). Therefore the Chaldeans should be sent to deal with him and his nobles according to their dealings with others (Hab 1:6, Hab 1:10-11, Hab 1:17). Compare Jeremiah's expostulation with Jehovah, Jer 12:1; Jer 20:8; and Job 19:7-8.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
1:2-4 To Habakkuk, God seemed indifferent to the evil permeating society in Judah (1:3-4) and unresponsive to his complaints about it (1:2). 1:2 call for help? . . . do not listen! The call/answer motif in Scripture often demonstrates the speaker’s trust in God as a refuge or guide (see Ps 102:1-2) and indicates intimate communion between the believer and God (Ps 145:18; Isa 65:24).