7/26 Even if it is slow, wait for the time
/Even if it is slow, wait for the time
Scripture: Habakkuk 2:1-4
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.
2 Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.1
4 “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.2
Th3e book of Habakkuk is a prophetic book written by Habakkuk, one of the minor prophets who dealt with questions of justice, evil, suffering, and faith. The prophecy is set against the backdrop of political turmoil and social upheaval in the late 7th century BC.
During this time, the Assyrian Empire, which had ruled the region, was in decline, and the Babylonian Empire was expanding its power. Along with these shifts in geopolitical dynamics, the domestic situation in southern Judah was increasingly plagued by corruption and injustice.
Habakkuk's prophecy was directed at King Jehoiakim, the 16th king of southern Judah, who led the people to evil in the first five years of Jehoiakim's reign (609-598 B.C.E.). His father, King Josiah, was one of the three good kings who carried out a major religious reform in southern Judah.
However, King Jehoiakim was a king who did not obey God's commands, such as reviving idol worship that his father King Josiah had abolished, burning scrolls with the message of God's judgment, and persecuting the righteous and leading southern Judah to destruction. Habakkuk is deeply concerned about the moral and spiritual state of the nation of Judah in this situation, and he is deeply frustrated by the appearance of evil triumphing over righteousness.
Habakkuk, the prophet, lived through a dark period in Judah's history and had a serious conversation about what it means to live by faith with God. After the fall of northern Israel in 722 B.C.E., southern Judah was invaded by Babylonia.
King Jehoiakim, who had a pro-Egyptian policy, imposed taxes on the people according to their income in order to pay taxes to Egypt, making it difficult for the people to live. They disobeyed God's word and worshipped pagan gods and angered God.
As a result, justice collapsed, the wicked threatened the righteous, and the law was ignored. Faithful people like Habakkuk appealed to God: "God, I cry out for mercy, but how much more will I have to cry out to come to save you?" "Why do you suffer this kind of hardship on me every day?" "Do you not see their wickedness?"
He appealed to the Lord, but the Lord replied to Habakkuk, "Wait for the time, even if it is slow." This is an answer that the prophet Habakkuk, who is struggling to endure and living a life of faith, really does not want to hear.
We would rather give up when He says "no", but waiting is often more hopeless. When the wicked are threatening the righteous, justice is broken, faith is shaken in the midst of suffering, and you doubt God's providence, what should you and I do as we stand in a righteous position before God?
First, we must put aside our reason and come out to God and appeal to God. The prophet Habakkuk, who came to appeal to God by trampling on his reason, appeals: "How long will you do this, Lord?" "Where is this injustice?" "Why leave evil alone?"
"Looting and violence occur before my eyes, and quarrels and quarrels do not stop. Does this make sense when the law is being ignored, justice is broken, and the wicked are threatening the righteous?" At that time, Southern Judah was facing a great crisis both domestically and internationally.
Northern Israel, a brotherly country, has been destroyed by Assyria for more than 100 years due to idolatry. Babylonia had destroyed Assyria and was emerging as a great power in the region, invading Judah.
However, Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and his leaders did not listen to God's word and did not stop worshiping the pagan god who had destroyed northern Israel. King Jehoiakim was an evil king in God's eyes, unlike his father, King Josiah.
In 2 Kings chapters 22-23, the deeds of King Josiah are revealed. King Josiah became king at the age of 8 and ruled Judah for 31 years.
Josiah repaired Solomon's temple, found the book of God's law, gathered the people and leaders together to listen to the word, and vowed to keep all the written commands of God. Not only that, but he removed all the utensils that had made it possible to worship pagan gods in the Lord's temple from the temple, and drove out all the priests who worshipped idols.
He was also a good king who carried out religious reforms, such as removing all the high places that had made Israel sin and he celebrated the Passover. In this way, his father, King Josiah, made a way for himself, his leaders, and all the people to return to God through the Reformation.
However, after Josiah returns to his ancestors, his son Jehoahaz becomes king, but he is deposed by the king of Egypt after three months. Later, the son of Josiah Eliakim becomes king, and King Nego of Egypt changes his name to Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:31-34).
King Jehoiakim, a pro-Egyptian, ruled Judah for 11 years. He taxed the people in order to pay Pharaoh, and the people had to pay taxes to the king according to their assessments.
It was also the time of King Jehoiakim when Babylon invaded Judah, and the Lord also sent the armies of the sons of Syria, Moab, and Ammon to fight against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah (2 Kings 24:2-3). The Bible records that Egypt, on which King Jehoiakim relied, was also occupied by Babylon, so the king of Egypt never went out of his borders again (2 Kings 24:7).
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign, the Lord said to the prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 36.
1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now.
3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.”
4 So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.
5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to the Lord’s temple.
6 So you go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.
7 Perhaps they will bring their petition before the Lord and will each turn from their wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”
8 Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the Lord’s temple he read the words of the Lord from the scroll.
9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah4.
15 They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.” So Baruch read it to them.
16 When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.”5
17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”67
18 “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scro8ll.”9
19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide. Don’t let anyone know where you are.”10
20 After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and report11ed everything to him.
21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him.
22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him.
23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.12
24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.13
25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.
26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden them.
King Jehoiakim, who burned the scroll with the word of God's judgment written on it, was a king of disobedience, an idolater, a king who did unrighteousness, and a king who did not live according to the word. The people of faithful faith under the rule of such a king are bound to be victims of God's judgment, injustice, lawlessness, and the victory of the wicked due to the king's disobedience.
If so, we have no choice but to appeal to the Lord. When a believer, a spiritual leader, asks, "Where is God?" it is natural to ask. In this situation, it is rather strange not to ask questions or appeal to God.
When Habakkuk, the prophet of God, had no choice but to doubt his faith—when his distrust of God was growing, he doubted His providence, and when things happened that he could not understand with his understanding, faith, and reason—he did not remain silent or conceal and appealed to God. When we are full of darkness and we cannot see light, our rational judgment is worthless.
It is faster to let go of reason and go to God and appeal to God. Second, we must prepare to hear the worst words and go up to the castle tower to see and hear what the Lord is saying.
In chapter 1, the prophet Habakkuk appeals to the Lord, and the Lord responds to Habakkuk, but the Lord's response further confuses Habakkuk. Why was it confused? The Lord answers Habakkuk's appeal like this (Habakkuk 1:5-13).
Habakkuk 1:5-13
5 “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.14
6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwel15lings not their own.16
7 They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.17
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen18 come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;19
9 they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.20
10 They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them.21
11 Then they sweep past like the wind and go on— guilty people, whose own strength is thei22r god.”
12 Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
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?
When the Lord said that He would use the more evil Babylonia to strike the disobedient Judah, Habakkuk could not understand. Habakkuk appeals to the Lord again.
Babylonia is more evil, more vicious, and more ruthless, so how can God raise up that beastly Babylonia to destroy his chosen people? We can't understand it either.
The prophet Habakkuk thinks that the people of Judah are a good people rather than Babylonia, but how can God be silent while the wicked try to devour the good people? Habakkuk was complaining to the Lord.
But God will do that. Our rational judgment is worthless. We can make rational judgments about the idea that we should not do that, but all authority belongs to God.
It is God who uses the wicked. It is entirely up to God to decide how He will use you and them. The only thing to note is that you and I will not be like the disobedient people of Judah, nor will we be like the wicked Babylonians who are used to destroy them.
God is a God who transcends all perception. We should not judge God's choices and judgments again because we cannot understand them.
The prophet Habakkuk, who does not understand what God is doing, stands on the tower where he is watching again to hear the word of the Lord. It is the words in Habakkuk 2:1.
Habakkuk 2:1
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.
Climbing the castle tower means a quiet place separate from the world. Therefore, he tried to listen to God's word with all his heart and mind.
The Lord spoke to Habakkuk according to his appeal, but he did not understand everything God was doing. Then Habakkuk went up to the tower and told God to wait when he saw what God was saying.
"I will wait and see what he will say to me, and I will see how he answers my questions." This scene shows how important the prophet Habakkuk valued God's word.
When you try to listen to God's words, are you concentrating all your heart and thoughts? Heading to a quieter place? When we are about to have a very serious conversation with an important person, we will go to a quiet and undisturbed place.
Why can't I miss anything? We must listen to God's word with all our heart.
Third, the Lord answers Habakkuk's question (Habakkuk 2:2-4)
Habakkuk 2:2-4
Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.
God commanded Habakkuk to write down God's words. The written word is eternal. It means unchanging. This is the weight and importance of God's word.
Engraving on a plate is to make it visible to everyone. And the Lord gives commands like promises.
"Even if it is late, wait and I will definitely respond without delay." He continues, "But the righteous live by faith." God's promise will always be fulfilled. Even if it's slow.
What was the most precious thing in Habakkuk's time? Turning to God, establishing justice, a life where the wicked are punished and the righteous triumph, plundering and violence stop, loving brothers, etc.
If injustice, evil, plunder, violence, and idolatry were the problems in that era, Habakkuk and God's people were pursuing the opposite life. Then, how to accomplish it in that era of King Jehoiakim's rule?
It will be a life of faith as a righteous person before God. The phrase "but the righteous live by faith" is written throughout the Bible.
Romans 1:17, "The righteous will live by faith," Galatians 3:11, "The righteous will live by faith," Hebrews 10:38, "My righteous will live by faith." However, these verses have differences a bit in their meanings.
The apostle Paul's meaning of "the righteous will live by faith" in Romans is written to explain the righteous on the way to salvation. The faith of the righteous he speaks of is "faith in God.
It is not the law but the righteous person who trusts in the word of God, which justifies those who believe in Jesus, not the law, and trust is the act of faith. Then you will live.
Trust is salvation. Just like Abraham was saved by trusting in God. The meaning of "the righteous will live by faith" in Galatians is that it is the faith that the righteous show not to do something for God, but to accept what God has done for us.
In Hebrews 10:38, "The righteous will live by faith," is the faith that those who have a right relationship with God live in deep trust and do not turn away and run away. On the other hand, the meaning of "but the righteous live by faith" in Habakkuk's time means that person who stands in the right position before God, that is, a righteous person lives a life of faith that is loyal and unwavering.
Why does the Lord require loyal and consistent faith from the righteous? Because we must survive in this reality where injustice, plunder, violence, ruthlessness, and justice are prevailing.
It is time to live until the God of justice comes to judge all injustice in His time. Our faith is the power to live in the present with God.
Only by living with a steady, steady, and loyal believing in your current life can you truly live. The life that contrasts with the righteous who live by faith is the life of the proud.
The Lord says: "Behold, his heart is proud, and he is not honest in it." Who is a proud person? He is not a person who stands in the position of God and righteousness.
Because they are people who do not have God in their souls, their thoughts and desires are not right in them. The proud people that God speaks to the prophet Habakkuk are the kings and leaders of Habakkuk's time, and the nations such as Babylonia.
Because they are not in the right position before God, they can live in injustice, ruthlessness, plunder, and violence. His soul does not know that what they are doing is not right.
Because God is not in them. Their end is death and destruction. How do I know? The Lord says: Habakkuk 2:12-17.
Habakkuk 2:12-17
12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?23
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.24
15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on t25heir naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.26
17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
A proud person cannot stand in the right position before God. However, the righteous are those who stand in the right position before God.
Living as a righteous person in that day must have been suffering itself. However, God promises eternal life. "Wait for the time, even if it is slow," "It will surely come."
Approaching God with personal problems, communal problems, and national problems is not a betrayal of God or a failure to glorify God. When a child comes to his parents with a problem, it is proof that parents are doing a good job as a parent and that they are standing well in their parents' position.
In my field—whether at home, at work, at school, or at church—what do I need to appeal to the Lord? When the Lord's answer is not good, appeal again.
Go to a quiet place and concentrate with all your heart so that you can hear the Lord's words. Obey the words, "Wait for the time, even if it is slow," and "the time will surely come."
Remember that the righteous are fully alive through loyal and consistent faith. A proud person is destined to be destroyed because his soul is not right before God.
However, our souls who believe in God have been put in the right position before God through Jesus. Live by faith! The proclaimed word of God does not change forever.
The words will also be inscribed on a tablet and will be a promise for those who has a right standing before God. The promise of God will be with us forever and so that we will live by faith until the time when Jesus returns.
Let me conclude by reading Habakkuk 2:1-4 as The Message Bible:
Habakkuk 2:1-4 (The Message Bible)
1 What’s God going to say to my questions? I’m braced for the worst. I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to see what God says, how he’ll answer my complaint.
2 And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run.
3 This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.
4 “Look at that man, bloated by self-importance— full of himself but soul-empty. But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive.
Let us pray. Just as the Lord gave Habakkuk a problem, let us think about the problem that the Lord has given you.
It may be a family problem, a work problem, a relationship problem, a children's problem, or a community problem. God does not suppress our emotions.
Therefore, you and I must come before the Lord and appeal to Him. And be prepared to hear the worst answer and wait for the Lord's answer.
God's word and promise will always be fulfilled. Let us confess and pray, "Even if it seems slow, I will only live through faith that I must wait for that time and be more patient.
