Read: Habakkuk 1:12-2:20
Habakkuk was
confused that God seemed to be doing nothing about the wickedness in the
nation. But when God told Habakkuk that
He would do something about it through the wicked Babylonians Habakkuk became
even more confused. God would use an
ungodly nation to execute judgment on His own people. Habakkuk had been praying to God, pleading
for society to get better but God’s answer shows that things are only going to
get worse. God tells His people to wait
patiently and live by faith – trusting in His Sovereignty (2:4). The evil ruler to come will be puffed up
(2:4), arrogant and greedy (2:5) but God will have the last word! Five woes are pronounced against Babylon
(2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19). But we shouldn’t
think that they apply to them alone, these same woes could easily be applied to
modern day societies.
Woe 1 (2:6-8) – theft and
extortion/lust for control
Woe 2 (2:9-11) – greed and unjust gain
Woe 3 (2:12-14) – violence
Woe 4 (2:15-18) – drunkenness, lust and
corrupting others
Woe 5 (2:19-20) - idolatry
The woes in
this chapter speak of difficult times for Habakkuk’s generation and even more
so for our generation as we lead up to the return of Christ. Habakkuk had initially complained of how God
seemed to ignore injustice but now he is finding out that God is going to do
something about it after all!
Prayer and Journaling
1. In
2:3 God says, “The revelation awaits for
an appointed time”. God is telling
Habakkuk that he needs to take a long-term view and warn the people of what
will come. Is there something in your
life where you need to take a long-term view?
Ask God about this, what does He want to say to you about this situation?
2. Re-read
each of the five woes in chapter two.
Ask the Lord to show you how you can pray for our society in each of
these areas. This may include repentance
and intercessory prayer.
3. Read
the promises in Habakkuk 2:14, 20. God
is not blind to injustice or human suffering nor is He powerless to do
something about it. Spend some time
thanking and worshipping Him for this.
