Does Life Feel Meaningless? (Habakkuk 1-3)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

What do you do when life doesn’t feel worth living, and all hope seems gone?

This was a question the minor prophet Habakkuk faced somewhere around 612 and 605 B.C. His name, which comes from the Akkadian word for some plant or tree, means “one who embraces,” and as John MacArthur notes, “By the end of this prophecy, this name becomes appropriate as the prophet clings to God regardless of his confusion about God’s plans for His people.”[1]

Distinct from many of the other books of the Bible is the open honesty in which Habakkuk engages with God. It almost reads like a scene from the life of Job or one of King David’s psalms where God responds in a conversational tone. The people who are expected to read this exchange are those of the southern kingdom of Judah who are suffering as a result of their sin.

God has seen what has happened to his people, and he longs for them to be united and brought back to him. However, he realizes that this will only happen through oppression. At this time, the Chaldeans (Babylonians) were beginning to emerge as the dominant world power, replacing the title once held by the Assyrians. They would be the force God used to point his people back to him.

As a prophet, Habakkuk was an intermediary between God. Unfortunately, Israel had broken their covenantal relationship with God. As a result, God is going to use a force of evil to bring them back to him. As this unfolds, Habakkuk has two primary questions. First, how can “good people” get away with sowing bad fruit? From the beginning verses in Chapter 1, Habakkuk begins his open conversation with God. He first starts by complaining about Judah's sins. He says these words:

² How long, Lord, must I call for help
and you do not listen
or cry out to you about violence
and you do not save?
³ Why do you force me to look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
⁴ This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Habakkuk is not ignorant. He looks around and can clearly see how the people’s hearts are not directed towards God. Knowing that their breach of the covenant required judgment, Habakkuk is bewildered by God’s seemingly slow response. But Habakkuk is about to get more than he bargained for because God’s response in verses 5-11 outlines how he is raising up the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to march against Judah. They are a devastating force that uses brutality to crush all who would oppose them.

Habakkuk's second question is: Why would God use bad people to punish the sinful fruits of “good people?” In verses 1:12-2:1, Habakkuk voices his commitment to the Lord but also his deep struggles. In Verse 13, he says, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are you silent while one who is wicked swallows up one who is more righteous than himself?” He then goes on in the following verse to remind God of the great wickedness of the Babylonians.

Then, as Habakkuk positions himself to listen, God responds in Chapter 2 and lays out the coming demise of the Babylonians. He notes that because of their arrogance, they will be brought low. Indeed, roughly 70 years later, in 539 B.C., Cyrus the Great of Persia would come along. Even though Babylon’s walls were considered impenetrable, their vulnerability would be displayed. History notes that during a great Babylonian national feast, Cyrus’ troops diverted the Euphrates River, which passed through the city of Babylon. Even though iron gates were placed on the river to prevent intruders, without water, the Persians were able to march in, remove these barriers, and take the city.

After listening to this, in Habakkuk 3:1-15, Habakkuk focuses his gaze. Rather than continuing to voice a litany of concerns, he steps back and offers a simple prayer to God. Next, he acknowledges his fears. In the first part of Habakkuk 3:16, he says, “I heard, and I trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood.” Habakkuk realizes the seriousness of this situation. He knows what a Babylonian captivity would look like for his nation. He knows the brutality that lies ahead and can envision the cruel faces of his captors. He can picture the coming siege on God’s city of Jerusalem. He can see families devastated as mothers are separated from their children, fathers are beheaded, and young men and women are taken as slaves. Still, he offers these powerful words:

¹⁶ Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress
to come against the people invading us.
¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though the flocks disappear from the pen
and there are no herds in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will celebrate in the Lord;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
¹⁹ The Lord my Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!

Habakkuk’s commitment involves two components: waiting and rejoicing. He knows what lies ahead, and it scares him to death. Yet, he still rests it all in God’s hands.