Habakkuk 1:12

"Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction."

The last paragraph of Habakkuk 1 (Habakkuk 1:12-17) is to be understood in connection with what has preceded.

Question: Habakkuk asked God, "How long" would the wickedness of Judea be tolerated? (Habakkuk 1:2-4).

Answer: God's reply (Habakkuk 1:6-11) was the revelation that a vicious new world-state would soon arise and destroy both Assyria and Judah.

This answer did not completely solve the problem as it was understood by Habakkuk. The destruction of Assyria which had already been revealed through other prophets by the Lord was welcome news indeed; but the answer God gave in Habakkuk 1:6-11 was a vision of another Assyria, a variation of the same old disaster. This meant that there was to be no permanent improvement of life upon earth. Furthermore, the evil states used by God in the punishment of his people, were even more wicked than the ones punished. How could the holy and righteous God do such a thing? The faithful prophet, perplexed though he was, did not complain about God to men, but brought his perplexity and doubt to God himself and waited patiently for the answer (Habakkuk 2:1f).

The complete answer to the theological problems raised by Habakkuk and thoughtful men of all ages was not given all at once to any single prophet, but "line upon line, here a little and there a little, precept upon precept, line upon line" throughout the ages, all of the holy prophets participating in the giving of the total answer.

Despite the fact of many mysteries yet remaining, the Christian students of the present age may clearly discern the broad outlines of the total purpose of God in his government of human affairs. A brief statement of that appears thus:

"In that rebellion of the human race in Eden, the whole human family rebelled against God and chose the service of the devil.

"God had already given the sentence for such conduct. `In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.'

"God neither repealed, commuted, nor changed that penalty. It still stands, and it will be executed upon Adam and Eve in the person of their total posterity `in that day,' interpreted to mean this current dispensation of God's mercy. The sole survivors of that eventual punishment will be the true people of God.

"God deferred the penalty of death upon humanity in order to prevent the frustration of his purpose of redeeming unto himself a people from among the posterity of Adam.

"The continuity of Adam's race upon earth in a confirmed state of rebellion against God necessarily entails the proliferation of injustice, tyranny, war and bloodshed in perpetuity. The Lord warned that `wars and rumors of wars' would not be the sign of the approaching end of the world. These shall continue until God's purpose is achieved and the state of human rebellion has attained a condition requiring the execution of the long-deferred penalty of death for all men. That must be identified as the time of the Second Advent of Christ and the final judgment.

"The prospect is therefore not a bright one; but what else could be expected by a Creaturehood in rebellion against its Creator? There was no justice or reason in Habakkuk's bold arraignment of God. Troubles ahead for God's people? Certainly! But what else could reasonably be expected by citizens of the kind of world in which we live."

That there are problems for the devout believer in such considerations as these is evident. Hailey paraphrased Habakkuk's complaint thus: "How can Jehovah, a righteous God, use a wicked nation like the Chaldeans?"[24] "The answer is given in Habakkuk 2:1-4."[25] The answer, more fully given in the passage cited, was simply that God knows what he is doing, that the whole chain of events is related ultimately "to the end, the appointed time" when God will summarize and conclude his Operation Adam.

"Art not thou from everlasting...?" In this, Habakkuk already had the essential element in the answer which he sought. Of course, God is indeed from everlasting.

"We shall not die..." The meaning of the Hebrew here (Masoretic text) is that, "Since Jehovah ever has been and ever shall be, he will in some way spare Judah from total destruction."[26] The Eternal will not be frustrated in his purpose of redemption. Here indeed is the anchor of the soul, sure and certain throughout all time to Eternity.

"Ordained him for judgment ... established him for correction ..."

The answer in this is, "Yes." Indeed God was using powers like those of both Assyria and Babylon to achieve his purpose on earth. Such powers are God's battle-ax (Jeremiah 51:20,21) and God's razor (Isaiah 7:20), in that latter passage the king of Assyrian being identified as the razor.