Habakkuk 2:4 Part 1

This post series on Habakkuk 2:4 began with listening to Charles Dennison’s sermons on Habakkuk. Then after going back and reading James Montgomery Boice’s commentary on the prophet, I wanted address issues found in his commentary. Specifically, I wanted to see how the NT used Hab. 2:4 in the three places it appears, namely Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 3:11-14; Hebrews 10:32-39. But having heard about one-third of Dennison’s sermons, I felt there is way too much to the verse and to the book of Habakkuk to just only spend one post on Habakkuk 2:4; one on Romans 1:16-17; one on Galatians 3:11-14; and one on Hebrews 10:32-39. That just seemed to not focus enough on Habakkuk and how to understand Habakkuk 2:4. So I’m expanding it out and focusing quite a bit more on the OT text first before heading to the NT. This is going to expand to may be six posts, or as litle as five. I’m just not sure. So bear with me and I hope the Lord blesses you with these thoughts.

So first let us just begin with Habakkuk 1 and specifically 1:1-4 where the prophet records the following words (reading from the ESV),

1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 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. 4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.

First is the word “oracle” in Habakkuk 1:1. The NET translates this term as “the message.” The Hebrew behind it is הַמַּשָּׂא֙ (ha masa’) and it literally means “burden” (the LXX: τὸ λῆμμα). It comes from a verbal root that means “to carry.” Masa’ is often used (for example the prophet Zechariah uses it in Zechariah 9:1 and Zechariah 12:1 and even Malachi uses it in Malachi 1:1) as a technical term for a prophetic message or vision given by Yahweh to his prophet. Thus the ESV translates it as “oracle” (along with others like NAB, NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). Thus the book the reader is about to read is a book about the message, the burdensome message that Habakkuk was given by Yahweh to preach to Judah.

Continuing on this note. Habakkuk was a prophet during the reign of Josiah starting around 612 B.C. (BCE) until the fall of Jerusalem at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire in 587/6 BCE. Habakkuk is a contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. In fact, Habakkuk shares at least one thing in common with Jeremiah: Habakkuk isn’t afraid to express his disagreement with Yahweh about the message he is to preach. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet for several reasons. One is the message he was preaching was a sad message that did not present much hope, at least until after the fall of the Judean nation when he started to preach hope. But another reason was that Jeremiah often times disliked, if not hated, the message that Yahweh commanded him to preach. Jeremiah obediently preached, but not because he loved the message so much. Habakkuk is the same way. But he isn’t the weeping prophet, he is more of the complaining prophet because so much of his role in the book is complaining, legitimate or not.

Habakkuk 1:2-4 is a prayer that the prophet offers up to Yahweh. The core of the prayer is this: “Why do you allow the righteous people be oppressed by the unrighteous with in your very own chosen and covenantal people?” The people of God are being oppressed and put down by their own countrymen and leaders. His concern is not much different than that of Ezekiel 34 after the fall of Jerusalem. God’s people cry out for him to save them and yet he allows them to remain oppressed. Why? In this prayer, Habakkuk takes on for himself, he assumes for himself, the role of priest and intercessor for the oppressed. He offers this prayer on behalf of the oppressed. But even more so, as a prophet whose life is a constant encounter with God that no other human has ever been given the privilege of having–save his fellow prophets and the Twelve + Paul–that his moral compass is in tune with God’s. The prophet cannot help but hate what God hates and love what God loves. Thus he is compelled to step into the role as priest for these oppressed people. For his own sanity he needs to know why God has allowed this.

Now zero in on Habakkuk 1:4 for it really highlights the horror of what Habakkuk is forced to see everyday, “So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” The Law of Moses is at the core of the problem. Those who are guilty of the oppression are paralyzing the Law. The very code of conduct that God handed to Moses for Israel to live by and so create the just society that Yahweh demands. But that society is not being formed! The Law is not doing what it was intended to do! Instead, it is being shown to be the weak and impotent pair of stone tablets that it is. In point of fact, the Law is actually becoming the tool that these perverters of justice utilize to pervert justice and oppress the righteous!

I get a good sense from reading the NT that Paul saw this problem and realized one central truth: the law is powerless to save. Just read Romans 7 and hear Paul lament the over the weakness of the law to bring about the righteousness that God requires. See Paul wail as sin takes the law of God and turn it into an occasion to kill Paul through deception. I believe that Paul, seeing what happened in the Old Covenant community saw that the law was not creating a morally and socially just society amongst God’s people. There was a problem more fundamental to the Israelites that the law could not address. They were sinners by nature. Their inner-most being was corrupted by sin, controlled by sin, enslaved to the whims and desires of sin. And so the people whom God had preserved like in Elijah’s day, the righteous, were being oppressed by the unrighteous. And Habakkuk hates it!.

This abuse of the law of God reminds me so much of my own time in history. Like Habakkuk, those who are to lead the people of God in obeying the gospel use the gospel in a way to serve themselves. The gospel is paralyzed and the just society that the gospel creates is not being created. I think of the health/wealth/prosperity “gospel.” Preachers exclaiming, “Send $1000 to my ministry and God will bless you with more money than you can possibly imagine.” Then people who have no business giving to this ministry send the $1000. These preachers then take the money and buy luxury boats and private planes and brand new top-of-the-line cars. But no money ever comes to these people who have sent money to this ministry. These preachers tell you that God is a bank for you to withdraw as much money as you want. As Joel Osteen is fond of saying, “God wants you to live in victory. God wants you to have your best life now.” Yet this kind of pseudo-gospel does not display the worth of God. It does not show the righteousness that God requires. It does not command repentance from a sinful world. Love for the poor is not expressed and the impoverished are stuck. The gospel is to liberate the oppressed, free captives, heal the sick and wounded, restore sight to the blind, open the ears of the deaf, loosen the tongues of the mute, enrich the souls of the poor. Yet with the H/W/P “gospel” none of this happens. Hopes are raised and then dashed to pieces like vase falling from a high table. Oh how eerily similar my day is to Habakkuk. This is but one example to illustrate that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

As I conclude this post, I have but one question: am I one who oppresses the righteous? Do I approach those who are men and women of godliness and integrity and belong to the New Covenant community and oppress them? There are days when I will answer with a quick and assured, to my shame, “Yes.” There are days when I can’t say yes or no for certain. There are days when I can joyfully say, Nope.” For the days when I say, “Yes,” or don’t know, Christ stands there waiting for me. He stands with arms open having already fully and finally paid for my sin, including my oppressing the righteous. It is mine for the taking if I will come to him and seize it. How do you answer the question? Are you an oppressor of the righteous? If you can honestly say yes and it kills your soul at night to be one who openly uses God’s good gifts as a force for evil, then know that Jesus stands there waiting for you too. God is calling you to find your happiness not in possessions like the H/W/P “gospel” says but in Jesus Christ. Come to him and find that “he is the source of strength and joy” (1 Chronicles 16:27) and that “I experience absolute joy in your presence; you always give me sheer delight” (Psalm 16:11) and that “you will make me full of joy with your presence” (Acts 2:28 (cf. Psalm 15:11 LXX)).