HABAKKUK A Case Study in "Why Bad Things Happen To Good People"
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Life is Not FAIR but GOD IS!
Habakkuk A Case Study in “Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People”
Habakkuk is a wonderful short, sweet, powerful Book in the Old Testament that is packed with wisdom. The prophet Habakkuk asks God, “Why are things not fair? And why does God not do something? He prophecies during the final reign of the Assyrian Empire and right when the Babylonians began to increasingly grow in power to control and dominate the world. The Chaldeans were being sent to judge Judah. The key scripture is: “Lord I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.”
This miniature book illustrates just how powerful God is, consisting of only three chapters! God can use any situation to demonstrate His mighty power! God eventually answers Habakkuk; this is why this book is so valuable. God tells him to “Look among the nations and watch~ Be utterly astounded!” For a season God allowed the cruel treatment to take place. It is here He uses the unbelieving decadent Babylonian pagan nation to reprimand His rebellious nation of people! The Babylonians in time would also suffer punishment for their wickedness...
The Book of Habakkuk boldly demonstrates that our complete Faith and Trust must be in God! We can have complete confidence in Him! When there is much pain, sickness, trouble and distress one must turn first to God and not man! Allow Him to direct you! Remember “Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart and lean not to your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He WILL direct your path.” Proverbs 3 Although we can study and learn intellectually what actually opens the door to our spiritual wisdom and understanding is our relationship with the Lord. It is so important to know God’s Word! It is here through the Divine power of His Holy Spirit; The Comforter and Teacher where learning the essential keys of life resides! Despite everything that goes on in the world it is important to keep in mind “God is STILL in CONTROL!” God alone deserves to be worshipped, honored and PRAISED!
Habakkuk cries out to the Lord for help! There is very little known about Habakkuk, there is less personal information recorded on him than any other prophet. There was much going on about him. Just like it is in the 21st century today! Like Habakkuk we too can turn to the Lord in times of distress. He tells us “Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem the righteous, so that justice is perverted. Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed.” Look how applicable this is today! Remember, although “bad things are happening to good people” God has not forgotten us! When you know that things are not right, when you know that there have been injustices against you it is important to know God in His time will vindicate you! Sometimes you just have to be patient and humbly wait! Knowing that what is important is that “God Knows,” in the meantime draw close to the Lord! You must learn to put things in their proper perspective!
How often have you heard someone say; “That’s not fair!” What does it mean to be fair? According to Webster’s’; pleasing to the eye or mind a flawless quality; clear legible, unbiased or impartial. What makes anyone think that life is fair? Life is not fair, but God is! God is ALWAYS right! As Habakkuk says; “The righteous will live by Faith!” The Apostle Paul also says this in Romans and again in Galatians! It is also once again confirmed in Hebrews! The question is often asked; "Why does bad things happen to good people?" Really, in essence the TRUTH is only God is good!
Judah, God’s people had a series of wicked kings that did not subscribe to God’s way, they rejected Him and His principles they adopted the ways of the world. Judah had a young King Josiah, he believed and trusted in God but his successors did not. King Josiah tried to turn their hearts back to the Lord but it only lasted for a season. He had instituted significant spiritual reforms in Judah! Eventually they were finally invaded and taken into Babylonian captivity under King Nebuchadnezzar. During captivity they were oppressed, persecuted and their possessions were taken away. The Babylonians were a strong military force they were a nation that plundered the goods of many. Does any of this sound familiar? Habakkuk was aware that the Babylonians were being used to punish Judah. He realized that there were some things that they would experience that did not seem fair…
Habakkuk realized that the people were actually being disciplined. He prays to God on their behalf and asks for mercy. He did not quite understand why this was happening but He trusted God anyway! “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in your day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Regardless how things look or appear and no matter what happens God always does what is right! There are many things in our little finite minds that we will never quite understand. But we can surely always lean and Trust on an all knowing Infinite God who knows exactly what is going on! Habakkuk knew that God would triumph. We too can be reassured He will in His time vindicate us when we are sincere and faithful to Him! We must learn how to patiently wait for Him. We must focus on God and not the circumstance. Our strength and Joy comes from the Lord! Even though it may appear that the wicked prosper at your expense sometimes, in the long run they really don’t !
Today when many are turning away from God’s principles, When right is yoking up with what is wrong, When the world is saying this is right and the scriptures is saying that is wrong… When nothing seems to make sense; “wait on the Lord!” We never get to the point that we are not susceptible to spiritual attacks and oppression no matter how much we plan or grow spiritually. This is why we have to continuously pray and daily seek God’s face. This is why we need a Savior! Praise God! Hallelujah anyhow!!!
One can be encouraged as Habakkuk reminds us how “the sun and moon stood still in their habitation!” This happened when Israel gained victory over the Amorites at Gibeon the Lord made the sun stand still, during a battle for Joshua! (See Joshua 10) Although we cannot see what God is doing we have to learn to trust Him! We should always consult God and let Him know how we are feeling even though He already knows! God will take us through the test and trials designed by man and over the landmines put in our path. Look around today and see there are many economic difficulties, families in crisis, marriages resulting in divorces, sickness, diseases and natural disasters! Know God is Able! God is here to help us endure any hardships that may arise in life! It is to Him we must look to, He is Sovereign and greater than any situation! Habakkuk concludes with an illustration of a deer! Notice how a deer can manage to scale and climb up the rugged terrain of seemingly impossible mountain and doesn’t slip! As Habakkuk says: “Yet I will REJOICE in the Lord, I will be JOYFUL in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my STRENGTH; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.” Keep looking to the Lord! It is here in Habakkuk we find “The Lord is in His Holy Temple. Let all the earth keep silent before Him” Praise God!
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Great Hub Deborah K.!! This story certainly puts things in perspective, and encourages us to keep the FAITH no matter how bad things seem at the moment. "The Righteous will live by Faith!" quotes Habakkuk and Paul. Two very wise men of the Bible.....who walked the walk! Thanks for the message of FAITH!! In His Love.
Proudgrandpa, Thank you NEIL for your prompt response! You are quite welcome! Thank you for sharing your insightful comments! It is wonderful knowing that God's GRACE is a gift! You are so right "you can't buy it, you can't earn it, it just IS." And NO ONE can take it! Praise God! Blessings!
Peacenhim, Thank you! Yes we must always "Keep the Faith" no matter what! Just keep in mind "this too shall pass" be encouraged! Continue to look to Him! Yes "The righteous will live by FAITH! In His love & Blessings!
Thank God for He has not left the affairs of this world on the hands of men. Thank God for He alone determines how far a man can go in life. Thank God for He is not a man. Thank you for this inspirational book of Habakkuk. Remain blessed.
At this stage, many of us are as Habbakkuk was. He saw what was happening, knew God had a reason, and chose to maintain his faith believing God for His infinite wisdom. Still, there are others who defiantly claim there cannot be a God who would allow these atrocities to occur to innocent people. During my 2.5 tours in Nam, I was of the latter.
When your life is a physical nightmare day in and day out and all you see is the burning and raping and wanton destruction of human life solely for the enforcement of political ideals, I challenge anyone to get off their idealistic high horse and see why some have gotten so hardcore when it comes to faith and all related issues. It's one thing to see it on the evening news. It's quite another to hold a 1-2 year old baby in your arms burned up from napalm and have some army chaplain tell you to praise the Lord.
Why am I saying this? Life is not fair. It really in the end don't matter. EVERYTHING IS A TEST! What I had to learn for me is that we were not guaranteed a quiet stroll down the yellow brick road when we gave our lives to Christ. What we were guaranteed was that we now have someone we can turn to. What happens is not for us to ask why. It is not for us to know. We don't see the big picture. All we have is a few pieces of a 1,000,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. That's it.
A timely Hub - I have read and heard a lot of people say "Where is God"? in the Haiti situation. I thought to myself - If I was asked that question, I wouldn't know how to answer the people, because God is Love after all.
How do I begin to explain.
Also, bad things happen to christians too. This Hub is an eye opener. May God's mercies be upon as all.
Have a lovely day. :)
DeBorrah,
You are right in saying that the book of Habakkuk is a book packed with wisdom. I love the ending of the third chapter, where Habakkuk really gets it saying, " Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall be fruit in the vines; the labor of the olives shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
Great Hub
God Bless
gp beat me to the punch line. Great hub DeBorrah. God has made the world and he said, "it is good!" There are natural elements within creation such as the moving of plates in the crust of the earth that can cause disasters, earthquakes, volcanos and their related repercussions. People who live in California make a choice to live on the edge of disaster. The Japans are full of disaster waiting to happen, but people stay. We all want to believe that bad things will not come near our door, but that is a falicy. As Christians we have 1 solid unshakable truth from God that says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom.8.38,39 We have one consolation in our prayers, from the Lord's prayer, "keep us from, (or deliver us from) the evil one..." Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless his Holy Name.
Phillipo, You are quite welcome! Thank you for sharing your keen insight! Yes, Thank GOD HE is not a man! Thank God that we can lean and depend on HIM no matter what happens! Thank you for taking the time to visit! In His Love & Blessings!
Unchained Grace, What you say is quite true! We can see what is happening… One must remember! Jesus who never sinned, yet in the flesh He greatly suffered as well as His disciples… His suffering was for us! He redeemed us and in Him we have SALVATION and the gift of Eternal Life! God has given us His Word to reassure us that regardless of what is going on “He is STILL in CONTROL!” This is why I say; "Life is not fair, But God is!" Thank God for His Holy Spirit!
I do not know firsthand of the atrocities of Vietnam… But three of my natural born brothers served in Vietnam. One being a special officer… I can recall the many letters, stories, pictures of devastation and…. I also know that they all experienced much emotional anguish never to be the same again…. The consequences of war is ongoing….
We are living in some very interesting times. The fulfilling of the Lord’s Word is all around us! This is so if you choose to believe in God or not! It does not change the fact that He is! We sing the hymn “We Are Soldiers In The Army” we are! But that does not necessarily mean to just march around the building as an usher… It is important to know God’s Word and realize that life will bring some serious challenges. But we can ALWAYS “Lean and trust on God” Yes as you say “we are pieces of a puzzle!” But Praise be to God He is the Maker of us all! ALL of His WORD is TRUE! “ALL things work together for the GOOD for those who Love HIM, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Thank you for sharing your heartfelt comments! In His Love & Blessings!
I love you deborrah k
DeBorrah, I couldn't help while reading this, to think of Josiah; how he went out breaking the idols, cutting down the groves, and tearing down the high places. You stated emphatically that the Lord alone should be worshipped, honored and praised. A person's spiritual captivity can be equated to the many captivities the Yisraelites found themselves in. All too often, they walked into it by worshipping, honoring and praising the accomplishments of other men. We live in a world of monuments to memory. Reminders of these past glories can blind us to the truths of today. In our lives, we need to realize that there will always be more tests and trials. We need to prepare ourselves spiritually for those things to come or find ourselves too oppressed by the past for the Lord to help us. It can be a difficult balance if we try to hold onto everything. We just have to let go and let Yah. Peace.
Lady E, Our ultimate purpose in life is to KNOW the Lord and discover His plan for our lives! In the Lord there is always HOPE no matter what the situation! HE is ABLE!
There is so much going on in this world! Tsunamis, Rwandan Genocide, Sept 11, Wars, Earthquakes in divers places... The latest disaster in Haiti situation is unfortunate... On the other hand, NOW they are finally receiving the worldwide attention that has been needed for some time! Finally many are coming together to their aid! Much continued pray needed for them of course!
I see the Word of God being fulfilled! Habakkuk saw many things happening and asked "why" as well? Then he realized that in spite of what was going on "God is in control" We too must continue to TRUST God and turn to Him! GOD has not forsaken us and never will... "He is through everlasting"
There is more to come... It is important that we as believers seek Him daily. And encourage those who do not know Him to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior! "It is by His mercy we are not consumed!" As long as there is breath in the body one can turn to the Lord Thank you as always and much love, Peace & Blessings!
godPreacher, Habakkuk is wonderful! The ending prayer in the 3rd chapter is powerful! Yes! "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in the God of my Salvation."
Thank you for visiting and sharing your kind and insightful comments! In His Love & Blessings!
Saintatlarge, Thank you! You have made some really great points! As you stated;“There are natural elements within creation such as …” It is not realistic to think that nothing bad will happen. Nor must we live paranoid afraid to do anything because something will. This is why I say it is important to learn to TRUST GOD! Each day we can find something to be thankful for…
"Life is not always Fair, but GOD IS!" This is a powerful and wonderful scripture you have shared from Romans! I so agree! “I am convinced that neither death nor life nor…” Thank you for visiting and sharing Yes! “I will Bless the Lord at all times His PRAISE will continually be in my mouth….” Peace & Blessings!
Farooqueum, Thank you! In His love, Peace & Blessings!
A M Werner, It is really interesting how hard Josiah tried to get them back on track! It is clear he knew how important it was to “Worship God!” You have made a really good point here!
You are quite right we do need to prepare ourselves spiritually! There will always be more test and trials… There is much to learn from the many illustrations we have in the Word, That can help to prepare us for what's ahead... This is why we must learn to Trust God … Thank you for visiting and taking the time to share! Peace & Blessings!
Another great hub-
No life is not necessarily meant to be fair;but perhaps acute on chronic hardships suffered by people ie Haiti could have been prevented-or at least the inpact of them; if we all looked after each other in a more Christlike way-from sharing building techniques to not supporting sweatshop labour Some day we may all have to answer the question'What did I not do,that I could have done to make life a bit more tolerable for my fellow men-My neighbours.
There are no guarantees in life-except the obvious one-we all die.
I love God with my whole heart-but I must show this love by recognising His image in all and through His grace avail of whatever opportunities I can to help with 'damage linitation' and help prevent the avoidable Bad Things.
God Bless-and excuse length .
Habakkuk is one of my favorite prophets. He could say, "God, are you crazy!?" and still have the utmost faith in Him. He is proof that the bible is by about real people with very real questions and fears, and that God is good even when it looks bad.
Itakins, You are so right! I definitely believe some of the chaos in Haiti could have been prevented. Inferior building and sweat shops a big No NO! Living in California I am aware that an earthquake can come at any moment. Not that it makes a building or home invincible, but there are additional construction requirements! There is no doubt that the construction was inferior… We have helped to sponsor a mission group that has taken doctors, school supplies and ... Over the years they expressed their concerns….
Your comments are most appreciated and welcomed, however long or short! We are on the same page here! A lot of what is happening could have been prevented… Now it is a must that HAITI be rebuilt… I too love the Lord! All too often He is blamed for something that could have been avoided by man! This is why I say that “Life is not FAIR, but God Is!” Thank you for taking the time to visit and share, In His love & Blessings
BDazzler, Habakkuk was so down to earth and quite inspiring! Yes! It really is wonderful to know that the Bible was written by genuine, real inspired people! God truly is GOOD! Thank you for visiting and sharing. Please do come again! Peace & Blessings!
i love you
Great Hub Deborah K
While reading this WONDERFULLY stimulating hub, Psalm 137 drifted into my mind. It comes from another time and from another people held prisoner far from home. Overcome by devastation, they asked, “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” The Christian community is always, in some sense, away from home. We are a band of exiles whose hopes are fixed on another home, the New Jerusalem.
How can we, in the meantime, sing the Lord’s song in a world that is turning its back on our Lord and becoming increasingly hostile and violent?
We sing it as those prisoners sang it in the Japanese camps in the Pacific. We sing it as Blacks did in the cotton fields of the south. We sing it as the Jews did in the concentration camps of Auschwitz. We sing the Lord’s song even though the world is not as it should be. We sing it to sustain us; we sing in defiance; and we sing it as a bold sign to the world of our hope in Jesus Christ.
As “resident aliens,” how can we eat, laugh and raise our voices in song when the planet is stressed out and its people spiritually dislocated? We sing the Lord’s song as a gesture of hope, as an act of trust and confidence that God is not finished with the human race yet. We sing the Lord’s song not only to keep our spirits up, not only in defiance to show our dissatisfaction with the way things are, but we sing it in faith. We sing the Lord’s song in the sure and certain hope that the God who has been at work all through human history is still at work and in full control. We will keep on singing, even with tears in our eyes, even with sorrow in our hearts, and even with heavy burdens on our backs.
No, "life is not fair, but God is." Notice escapes His notice and He is working everything out according to His wisdom and purpose. This is our song and ever shall be.
Thank you for this priceless hub DeBorrah. It is indeed a jewel.
Forever His,
i love you revlady
Rev Lady, Thank you as always! Very powerful Scriptures! As you stated: “The Christian community is always, in some sense, away from home. We are a band of exiles whose hopes are fixed on another home, the New Jerusalem.” We really do have to be mindful that our final destination is with the Lord and live each day in preparation for that time….
Wonderful illustrations you have give of those oppressed for various reasons. However we sing and say Hallelujah anyhow, because “The JOY of the Lord is our strength.”
As you so powerfully stated: “We sing the Lord’s song not only to keep our spirits up, not only in defiance to show our dissatisfaction with the way things are, but we sing it in faith. We sing the Lord’s song in the sure and certain hope that the God who has been at work all through human history is still at work and in full control. We will keep on singing, even with tears in our eyes, even with sorrow in our hearts, and even with heavy burdens on our backs.” Amen & AMEN! There is much PEACE when we truly KNOW that God knows our hearts!
You are quite welcome… Thank you for your humbling comments. I thank the Lord for you be the rare precious jewel you are in your consistent sincere efforts to make a difference for the Lord! May His FAVOR and PEACE rest upon you! Thank you for sharing & caring! In HIS love & Blessings!
It looks like you have attracted a new fan there. :D
The article on Habakkuk is excellent as are all of your works. Many lessons are drawn out by you here from this little book. You are expert at explicating God's Word. That is quite a gift. Thank you.
James A Watkins, Thank you for your witty as well as editorial observations! Habakkuk is delightful and powerful! I am humbled by your encouraging comments! Your presence here is appreciated, In His Love & Blessings!
To GOD Be The GLORY!
proudgrandpa 2 years ago
Great food for thought Deborrah. I once read that the universe isn't fair, but them it isn't unfair, it is just the universe. Thanks for raising one of the great quandries for those that think they can earn God's grace. You can't buy it, you can't earn it, it just IS. NEIL