Faith When God Is Absent

I want you to follow as I read from Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 1 through chapter 2 verse 1. We'll be looking particularly at chapter 1 verses 12 through chapter 2 verse 1, but let's get the context of this dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God. The conversation that they have with one another. It's in the Minor Prophets, so you may have to use your table of contents.

Habakkuk chapter 1, verse 1. The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear? or cry to you violence and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me, strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed and justice never goes forth.

For the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted. Look among the nations and see, wonder and be astounded. for I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told for behold I am raising up the Chaldeans that bitter and hasty nation who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own they are dreaded and fearsome their justice and dignity go forth from themselves their horses are swifter than leopards more fierce than the evening wolves their horsemen press proudly on their horsemen come from afar They fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward.

They gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress and they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on. Guilty men whose own might is their God. Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One?

We shall not die O Lord you have ordained them as a judgment and you O rock have established them for reproof You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook.

He drags them out with his net. He gathers them in his dragnet so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet. For by them he lives in luxury and his food is rich. Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever? I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower and look out to see what he will say to me and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

Father, open up the words of this ancient prophet to us so that we can see that you speak to us this day, not just to people long ago. Make this not mere history, but rather the living word of God that penetrates our heart, that separates that which is inseparable, that exposes our intentions and thoughts. help us father to change in light of this passage for our good and your glory and we'll thank you in jesus name amen imagine for a moment that you have prayed for this nation united states for years and maybe some of you have living here you've seen pornography pornography grow to incredible proportions so that now it's even hard to walk into the local Walmart. The killing of the unborn and the old have continued on unchecked.

Strife and conflict abound and the streets run red with blood because of the violence on the streets and in the schools. No one considers marriage sacred anymore as divorce rates run amok in every state-sanctioned same-sex marriage. And so you have prayed for years, God, end all of this wickedness. God, let your holiness reign in our nation Oh God revive the church of God And then through an extraordinary turn of events too complicated to explain the United States of America becomes the largest Islamic state in the world Pornography ends as Sharia law reigns.

Abortion is no longer legal. Violence ends as well since thieves have their hands chopped off if they dare steal anything. Divorce statistics plummet, and same-sex marriage is just not even an issue since homosexuals are beheaded. Would you then turn to God in an outpouring of thanksgiving for answering your prayer? Hmm. Now you have a sense of how Habakkuk feels about the way God has answered his prayer.

He's been praying, you see, in chapter 1, verses 2 through 4. He's been praying and saying, God, look at the violence. Look at the wickedness. Look at all that's going on. God, when will you do something about it? End the violence.

End the wickedness. God, the law is paralyzed. There's no justice. Bring justice. and then beginning in verse 5 and going through verse 11, God's answers. God answers that prayer. He says, Habakkuk, I am going to end the violence.

I'm going to end the injustice. And this is how I'm going to do it. I'm going to bring the Babylonians and they're going to sweep through and they're going to destroy everything. I'm going to send these bloodthirsty, violent, fierce, and unstoppable Babylonians And they will deal with your nation. And so now, beginning in verse 12, Habakkuk responds to God again.

This is the only prophet in the Old Testament in which there's this ongoing dialogue with God. He says something, God answers. He prays again, God answers. This dialogue goes on. and Habakkuk is shocked at the answer to his prayer. He's shocked at what God has just said. He says, you're bringing the Babylonians.

Now when you look at this here is the question you need to ask How do we, as the people of God, respond to the dark providences in our lives? that is to say how do you respond to God when he answers your prayer in a way that stuns you and it stuns you because the means that God uses seems to contradict his character and so we have this conversation between Habakkuk and God so Habakkuk has prayed God, end the violence end the unfaithfulness to your covenant bring justice God responds I'm bringing the bloodthirsty Babylonians in that's how I'm going to do it now, here's Habakkuk's response to the revelation of God's very dark providences for his country verse 12 are you not from everlasting O Lord my God, my Holy One we shall not die oh lord you have ordained them as a judgment and you oh rock have established them for reproof you who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he you make mankind like the fish of the sea like cray crawling things that have no ruler he brings all of them up with a hook he drags them out with his net he gathers them in his dragnet so he rejoices and is glad therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet for by them he lives in luxury and his food is rich is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower and look out to see what he will say to me and what I will answer concerning my complaint. As Habakkuk looks at the history of God's dealing with his people, the first thing he does is he affirms certain truths about God's character. Like Habakkuk, you can have an orthodox faith.

You can have a true faith, a faith that depends and looks upon God and sees him in the right light. Oh Lord God, he starts out, you are from everlasting. You are eternal, unchangeable, self-existent. You exist independently of people. You exist independently of all events. Nothing can change your character.

Nothing can change your promises. Lord God, we can count on you. Lord, you're faithful and just in all your ways. We will not die, he says. You're faithful to your promises. You will not cast off your people completely.

You will not allow us to be annihilated. Lord, you are the epitome of reliability, stability, and faithfulness because you are our rock, he says. Now Moses, this idea of God as a rock goes back centuries. Moses, if you remember, in Deuteronomy chapter 32, composes a song to God. And in that song, he sings this. I will proclaim the name of the Lord.

O praise the greatness of our God. He is the rock. His works are perfect and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong. Upright and just is he. that is the God that is why he's a rock he's faithful and just he does no wrong his works are perfect his ways are just and therefore he's a rock that we can depend on because he's perfect because all his ways are just and righteous you can find refuge in him he says God you are sovereign over all you've ordained these Babylonians as a judgment You've established them for reproof.

You've appointed them to execute judgment. You've ordained them to punish. Notice, Habakkuk doesn't even think of questioning the sovereignty of God. He realizes that the Babylonians are no fluke. He knows that they're not a chance happening on the sea of history. They are indeed the instruments of God in accomplishing his purpose.

He recognizes that. He knows God is sovereign. He doesn't even deny that. But above all, he says, you are holy. You are the holy one. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil You cannot tolerate wrong Now we all read stories like this The jogger who jogging out through the park or through some forest and suddenly comes upon a decomposing corpse laying off in the ditch.

And at the sight of it, it sickens him, right? The sight of it just causes him to get sick to his stomach. Well, so it is with God. The sight of sin is sickening to him. Like the jogger who shies away from that sickening sight, God turns away from sin. He demands purity from his people.

His own ways must be consistent with his character. They also must be holy. If you think like Habakkuk, you too have an orthodox faith. Your conception of God is accurate. his conception of God is accurate he's formulating a proper view of God and that is exactly why he cannot understand why God would use bloodthirsty Babylonians to deal with his people if God is holy how can he be using these people now suppose you have a place in the country you don't own it you're renting it it's a beautiful place it's got some land around it you're not able to buy it but the owner whoever he is you're not sure who that owner is you're working through a middle man he's letting you rent it and so there you go and you rent it it's surrounded by beautiful farmland and forests and you not only that you have a fantastic neighbor he lives just up the road a bit and he is the kindest most gentle guy you have ever met every time he sees you he smiles and waves every time he stops by your house he pets the dog on the porch He talks to your children, unlike most adults.

He's a very friendly guy. He and his wife have had you over to their house for several meals. And whenever he cooks out or barbecues, he always invites you and the entire family. He is extraordinarily kind and gracious. One day a deputy arrives at your door with some papers. The owner of your place has sold the property, and the new owner expects you out of the house in seven days so he can develop the land.

Guess who the new owner is? your neighbor and you in absolute complete shock How can this guy who so kind and gentle and loves us and is so hospitable how can he do this to us Have we misunderstood him How could he do that That's how Habakkuk feels. That's exactly what Habakkuk is saying to himself. God, you are eternal, faithful, holy, and just. So how could you possibly be using these people? it's not consistent with your character that's the problem and so like Habakkuk you can have not just an orthodox faith you can have a bewildered faith a confused, a perplexed faith at times notice what he says right after he says this, right?

Verse 13. You are of pure eyes unto see evil and cannot look at wrong. Why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook. He drags them out with his net.

He gathers them in his dragnet so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet for by them he lives in luxury. His food is rich. See, then to keep on enjoying, emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever. As a man of faith, you look at God and his ways and you're confounded, you're perplexed, you're confused.

Should not God's providence reflect something of his own purity and justice? should not the way he accomplishes his purpose reflect his character. God, your holiness seems to make no difference in your dealings. You tolerate treachery. These instruments of yours display the same evil qualities as those against whom you execute judgment, but their unrighteousness is on a larger scale. you do nothing while evildoers swallow up those who are more righteous hey listen God we may have been evil I been praying about this for years God we may have been evil but these people are far worse and you using them Besides God those who did remain faithful to you are punished right along with those who are unfaithful.

You see, when the Babylonians come in, they're not going to set up tribunals, and they're not going to determine who is faithful to the covenant with Jehovah and say, oh, you were faithful? Well, we won't kill and deport you. Is that what happened? No. They sweep in and deport and kill whoever gets in front of them, whether they've been faithful to God or not.

God, how can you do that? How can you use people like that who are more wicked than we are? More wicked than people who were faithful to you? How can you do that? Lord, we sang your praises at the temple, and here's what we sang to you. You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil.

With you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors. Lord, we sang that in the temple.

Is that not true? Is it not true? Were our hymns accurate? Lord, the cure seems worse than the disease. God, have you forgotten the justice, faithfulness, and stability that made you our fortress and our rock? Instead, you've made us like fish and sea creatures with no ruler.

For years, I would go with the 6th grade class at Elgin West to Camp Ohio. They always had this annual trip where they would go to Camp Ohio. And I always went. Whether my kids were in the class or not, I always went. I was known as a lifer. So anyway, every time we'd go, I always got, in my view, I always got stuck with stream studies, which meant I was the guy who, the kids who signed up for that, I took them in the stream, and we caught fish and crawdads and all that kind of stuff and tried to identify and look them up.

You know, you'd see all these minnows, like, on the side of the, like, along the bank. You just had to stick your little finger in there, and those minnows would just scatter. Right? That's the picture. That's the picture that Habakkuk is drawing here. He says that his people are like that.

They have no leader. They have no refuge. There's no refuge left for them. They scatter like fish with no leader. Lord, you are a rock, but not now. Where are we going to go?

Where are we going to go? Such creatures are ripe for exploitation, and so the enemy with hooks and nets and dragnets hook and capture the nations, and then they rejoice in all the wealth that they've accumulated from their conquests. they gloat at the distress and the helplessness and the slaughter of those they've conquered God where is the promise of refuge and protection where is your justice in all of this verse 16 God the jealousy you exhibit for the honor of your name doesn't seem to exist now the picture he draws looks a little bit silly doesn't it They use their nets and their hooks and they get all these nations and then they offer sacrifices to their nets. It looks a little ludicrous, but he's making a point.

The conquerors give credit to their own strength and their own ingenuity for their great victories. But it is God who has given those victories. Habakkuk knows that. Lord, these pagans do not give you the honor you deserve because you are the one who has given them this. You know, a few years later, a few years later, not much later than the writing of these words, there's a king.

His name is Nebuchadnezzar. Do you remember what he says? Look at all the great things I have accomplished. And what does God do? He makes him learn the lesson. I am the one who gave you everything you have.

I am the sovereign. You are not. The reason why you are so rich is because I rule the heavens and the earth. my dominion is the one that matters and here Habakkuk is saying Lord you've told us never to worship anything or anyone but these and you've even struck down our people for their disobedience to that and here these pagans are giving themselves credit do you not have the jealousy you've revealed to us to exalt your honor and exalt your name Lastly God where your compassion This is not like you God Verse 17 Are they to keep on emptying their nets Are they to keep on slaughtering mercilessly all these nations Where is your compassion How long will you watch the merciless slaughter of the nations without intervening Where is your compassion And so the man of faith often has a confused faith, a perplexed faith.

When facing the providences of God that you can't explain. We've all been there. Lord, you promise good to those who love you. And you are the giver of all good things. Why then did you take my son in that car accident? Lord Jesus I want to love my wife as Christ loved the church why is she leaving me God you're loving and compassionate so I do not understand how you could have taken my baby girl with that disease right often it appears to us that God's providence does not fit his character.

And so we question. We're unsatisfied. We're just downright confused by it all. Have you been there? Have you been there? God, this just doesn't seem like you.

What's going on? And yet through Habakkuk, God gives us direction in our confused state. Chapter 2, verse 1. I will take my stand at... This is Habakkuk now. I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower and look out to see what he will say to me and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

Lastly, here's what God says. you've got to have patient faith patient faith Habakkuk says I will be like a sentinel in the watchtower of a fortress I'm going to climb up into that watchtower and I'm going to sit there and I'm going to watch and I going to look and I not going to sleep I not going to do anything and I going to look I going to keep up the watch And like a watchman I going to wait for the divine messenger with the divine message I'll wait. I'm going to wait. What does that teach us?

What does that teach us? You know the response may not come immediately, but it will come. The answer from God may not come immediately, but it will come. You must be willing to wait. You must be willing to wait. You must remember that only God can straighten out your confused state of mind.

And so you pause and you wait for his reply. You're going to wait. That's the hard part, isn't it? You're going to wait. Because you know God has an answer. He's not giving it to you right now.

And so you're going to wait. In fact, you're determined to wait. You will be willing to station yourself on the ramparts. By stationing yourself, you show determination. You will not leave. There's an unwillingness to leave until the answer arrives.

And so you go to the ramparts. You seclude yourself like a watchman in the tower. You prepare yourself to search and to examine God's word. You shut out all worldly thoughts and fleshly imaginations. in order to find the answer in God's word. And when you lose your husband, when the doctor says cancer, when the slaughter of innocents seems to have no end, you will be mystified and confused at times.

You will. You will experience agony and questions you may have never entertained before. And they're going to plague your mind. But you must never give up. You must go to the tower with the scriptures in your hand and you must wait. As you search, you must wait.

And as you station yourself on those ramparts, can I tell you this? As you station yourself on those ramparts and you look out into the mists, slowly but surely you ought to see one thing. You know what it is? It the cross emerged from the mists And even though the answer does not come to you right away how is this part of God purpose How can this be part of God's purpose?

How can this dark providence in my life be consistent with the character of God? As you look in the Word of God, as you sit in that watchtower, and you look out into the mist, slowly but surely, the cross of Jesus should emerge. and even though you may not have the answer right now for you, you can see this, that God can work his good purposes in the darkest of the dark providences. And you will find how in the darkest of all events, the very death of God's Son, God worked good purposes.

And you see how the disciples of Jesus' day, and I know Dan reminded you of this just two weeks ago, Right? They're walking down the road to Emmaus thinking, all is lost. Right? And as they looked at the dark providences of God, they could see no good. But from our vantage point, from our vantage point, we can find and see that in the darkest of all events, God can still be holy, upright, just, and good.

You can see it at the cross. And so although you don't have the answer right now for you, you can be sure, you can be sure that God's answer will answer your questions. Because in the deepest, darkest providence of all, He was all those things He said He was. Just, upright, holy, and good. you know the darkest times are going to come upon the people with the greatest faith great faith does not shield you from dark providences they don't shield you from dark providences and you'll have an orthodox faith you believe all the right things about god and there'll be times when god's providence in your life will seem so puzzling so perplexing And it may lead to great confusion and great agony, but you must be patient.

Be patient, and you must remember that God answers your petitions in ways that may confound you, but they will always be in concert with His character. He has given His Son to guarantee that. Will you look and will you wait? Will you? I look, every time I look at the word of God and I say the words that I have said here today, I look at you and I think dark providences are on the way.

And I don't know who's going to go through them. And neither do you. Now is the time to learn this. Now is the time to be anchored firmly to the cross and the revelation of what God has done in Jesus in order to understand that God has answers and that He never acts contrary to His character. God thank You for Your goodness Your grace Your mercy Your holiness your justice And Father we confess to you like Habakkuk that we can look at what going on and we will not question your power, we won't question your sovereignty, but we'll question your character.

God, when those times of perplexity come upon us, when those times of confusion are ours, we pray that you would give us the grace for a patient faith, that we'll go to the watchtower with the word of God, never give up searching that word until the answer comes, and cause us to look at your word always through the lens of the cross as we see how you work in the darkest of dark providences for the good of your people and the glory of your name. Father, we don't know what you have planned for us, but we pray. We will learn this now.

So when the times of perplexity and confusion come upon us, we will have the patience that we need. Give us that grace, we pray, when those times arrive. In Jesus' name, amen.