Nahum 1
Habakkuk 1 begins with the prophet Habakkuk’s plea to God, and has a structure in which his questions and God’s response intersect. Habakkuk asks God about the injustice and wickedness of the age and the suffering caused by them (verses 1-4), and God reveals His plan to judge Judah by raising up a powerful nation, Babylon (verses 5-11). Then Habakkuk voices another concern, asking questions about the mystery of God’s ways (verses 12-17).
1verseA revelation about Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2verseThe LORD is a jealous God and avenges. The LORD avenges and is full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he maintains wrath against his enemies.
3verseThe LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. The LORD has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4verseHe rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel languish. The flower of Lebanon languishes.
5verseThe mountains quake before him, and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, yes, the world, and all who dwell in it.
6verseWho can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the fierceness of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken apart by him.
7verseThe LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who take refuge in him.
8verseBut with an overflowing flood, he will make a full end of her place, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
9verseWhat do you plot against the LORD? He will make a full end. Affliction won’t rise up the second time.
10verseFor entangled like thorns, and drunken as with their drink, they are consumed utterly like dry stubble.
11verseOne has gone out of you who devises evil against the LORD, who counsels wickedness.
12verseThe LORD says: “Though they are in full strength and likewise many, even so they will be cut down and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.
13verseNow I will break his yoke from off you, and will burst your bonds apart.”
14verseThe LORD has commanded concerning you: “No more descendants will bear your name. Out of the house of your gods, I will cut off the engraved image and the molten image. I will make your grave, for you are vile.”
15verseBehold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, Judah! Perform your vows, for the wicked one will no more pass through you. He is utterly cut off.
Verses 1-4: The Prophet’s Cry
Habakkuk laments why wicked people flourish and why justice is ignored. He asks, “Why do you make me see wrongdoing?” and witnesses the violence, plunder, strife, disputes, and perverted law widespread in his day. In such circumstances, the heart yearning for God’s justice and response is revealed.
Verses 5-11: God’s Response and the Rise of Babylon
God responds in an astonishing way. God foretells the beginning of a new era for Habakkuk and the people, saying that He will raise up Babylon (the Chaldeans) and use it to judge Judah. Babylon is described as a fierce and terrifying people, seemingly poised to swallow up the whole world, trusting in its own strength. In this process, it suggests that God’s plan may differ from human common sense.
Verses 12-17: The Prophet’s Second Question
Habakkuk points out that Babylon is a nation that commits even greater evil, and asks God again. He confesses that God is eternal and that He is the One who judges, but he cannot understand why Judah must suffer at the hands of a cruel person like Babylon. Here, the prophet stands before the mystery of God’s justice and patience.
Points for Meditation
- Habakkuk’s questions are on the minds of many people who seek answers even amid today’s suffering and injustice.
- God’s response shows that what God does can go beyond human thoughts and methods.
- The path of faith teaches us that we need patience and honesty to ask God honestly and wait for His answer.
Apply It to Yourself
- When there are unresolved questions and frustrations in the reality of your life, let’s check whether you are approaching God in truth like Habakkuk.
- You come to realize that you need time to look again at the everyday events or circumstances of the current age through God’s perspective and to ask humbly about His will.
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