“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?”
~ Habakkuk 1:13
Hi James and Ellen,
Would you be happy James if your dad and ma had named you Habakkuk? How would you like to have a name that some guys say means garden plant? Habakkuk lived about 600 years before Jesus’s birth on planet Earth. Habakkuk was a prophet to the Israelite people group’s guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area. Do you know what a prophet who lived over 2500 years ago was to do? When Habakkuk lived on planet Earth, prophets were tasked by God to warn His specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group, what He was going to do to them if . . . during the years that Habakkuk lived on planet Earth, there were good and bad prophets. During the years that Habakkuk lived on planet Earth, the guys and gals who lived in Judah’s land area acted out despicably. Despicable means shameful or disgraceful. What will happen to you if you behave despicably – like if you disobey your dad and/or ma? Does your dad punish you? God chose Habakkuk before He created planet Earth to be a prophet to His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area. Habakkuk encountered a perceived problem being a prophet. Habakkuk knew that God had called him to be a prophet. Habakkuk knew that God had called him to warn His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area, Habakkuk just was not seeing any results from the warnings that he was giving to God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area. Habakkuk could not believe that God would let His own specially chosen guys and gals continue to live in such awful debauchery. God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area during the years that Habakkuk lived on planet Earth lived filthy, disgustingly perverted lives. God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area were no longer doing what would please and bless God. Habakkuk 1 is Habakkuk trying to come to a personal resolution as to why God had not sent an enemy – like the scary, powerful Babylonians, to destroy or take captive God’s specially chosen guys and gal who were living in Judah’s land area because of all the evil, atrocious things they were doing and because they were being disobedient to God. Habakkuk knew what had taken place about 130 years earlier to God’s specially chosen guys and gals who had been living in Israel’s land area. God’s specially chosen guys and gals who had been living in Israel’s land area had either been killed or taken captive by the Assyrian army for the very same reasons that the guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area were doing.
Do you think that there is a lot of despicableness and debauchery taking place today on planet Earth? A question that you may have when you get older is – why does God allow despicable behavior and debauchery to exist on planet Earth? Your grandpaa wants you to grow up knowing big words. Your grandpaa wants you to grow up knowing the answer for why God lets guys and gals do awful, filthy things with their lives. Your grandpaa wants you to grow up knowing why God permits guys and gals to corrupt their lives with evil, sinful thoughts and why God allows guys and gals to pervert their lives by doing vile, aberrant things. Your grandpaa wants you to know what it would be like to end up living your lives without ever knowing God. What do you think your lives would be like if you did not know who is your dad and/or ma? Many kids – and adult guys and gals, do not know who is their dad and/or ma. Many of these kids – and adult guys and gals, want to know who is their dad and/or ma. Until these kids – and adult guys and gals, know is who their dad and/or ma, they will sense a feeling of emptiness in their lives. When a guy, gal or kid does not know God in a personal, born again way, the guy, gal or kid senses that he or she is missing something in his or her life. God had given laws through Moses to the guys and gals who He had specially chosen for Himself and who were living Judah’s land area so that they would have the opportunity to escape having a feeling of emptiness or a sense of missing something in their lives. Because of God having sent His Son Jesus to planet Earth to suffer and die on a cross, the guys, gals and kids today who God specially elected for Himself will have God the Spirit lead them to know Him. By the time that God’s mercy is sensed by a guy, gal or kid who He specially elected for Himself, the guy, gal or kid will have come to realize how terribly sinful that he or she is. It was God’s plan to lead His specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group, and now – the guys, gals and kids who He specially elected to know that the only way to fill what is missing in their lives is to accept God’s grace gift which will take away the missing feeling – replacing the missing feeling with a feeling of hope.
What Habakkuk witnessed 2600 years ago is still taking place today. Despicableness and debauchery can be found everywhere on planet Earth. Evil and wickedness can be seen today in the behavior of guys and gals towards each other. Evil and wickedness can be seen today on TVs, computers and in movies. Habakkuk struggled with how God allows despicable guys and gals – who were filled with debauchery, to live as God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Habakkuk wrote in verse 13 his feelings about God “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” Habakkuk wanted to have results from his warnings. Habakkuk is sick of being around sick, awful, evil guys and gals. Habakkuk wants to know why God does not punish evil. Habakkuk wants to know why God does not answer his prayers. In His time and in His will, God does punish evil and He will answer prayers.
Habakkuk 1 (134)