Habakkuk 1:11 Devotional

Habakkuk is probably one of my favorite Old Testament books. I was first taken in by the name: Habakkuk, its one of those bizarre and clearly foreign names that seem so ancient. Names like David, Elisha, Joshua, and Esther are more palatable, but only because they have become so common place across many cultures and countries. Next, as I read the book, I loved the imagery present in the poetry. It is hard to find the rhythm, beat, or rhyme in the English versions, but the imagery speaks volumes. Finally, I began to identify with the book because at times I saw myself as the Babylonians: strong, powerful, and merciless. Other times I saw myself as the people of Judah: seemingly righteous, feeling like the victim of a greater power against which I could do nothing, and being called to task for the sins I have tolerated in my life.

So I present to you a short devotional I did on Habakkuk 1:11 during my final semester of Hebrew when I was in seminary. Perhaps I will do a Habakkuk series to share this beautiful book with you all, but this is the start at least:

אָ֣ז חָלַ֥ף ר֛וּחַ וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר וְאָשֵׁ֑ם ז֥וּ כֹחֹ֖ו לֵאלֹהֹֽו׃

Then they sweep on as the wind and pass through. They are guilty, these ones, their strength is their god.

Biblical Context:

            Habakkuk is lamenting to God that evil surrounds him in Judah and asks how long he will have to tolerate it. God answers him and says that the violence and injustice in Judah will be met with more violence because he is raising up the Babylonians to be his instrument of judgment upon the house of Judah. This verse describes the Babylonians as unstoppable and guilty. The guilty will bring the judgment of God upon the guilty. The people of the Northern Kingdom of Judah felt that they were innocent and righteous and that this punishment was undeserved. God goes on to tell them that this is a just punishment for them for they are neither righteous, nor innocent.

            A grammatical note: all the verbs in the verse are in the third, masculine, singular form, yet the verse is translated as “they” rather than “he” or “it”. This is because the singular form is used throughout the passage to refer to the Babylonians as a single unit rather than as a plural group. The Babylonians come as a united force to punish the people of Judah who are also seen as a single unit. Judgment is being poured out on a nation-wide scale, and not just individually.

Life application:

            They Babylonians made strength their god. They didn’t ascribe power to the Lord, the creator of the heavens and the earth, but to their own might as seen in their numbers and military prowess.  Ultimately God will judge them for their guilt, but not yet. When we rely on our own power and ability and strength to move through life and problems, we too become guilty of thinking we are more powerful and more sovereign than we truly are. Relying on ourselves rather than God may work for a while, but soon, we find we are in over our heads and have to turn back to the One who is all powerful and almighty if we want to survive our own judgment. Humility is understanding that God is God and we are not, and living in light of that fact every day. It means relying on God’s strength to pull us through life’s trials and success, and not our own. When we are continually successful, it is tempting to feel that we can attribute that success to ourselves only, rather than to God. But God is sovereign, which means He is always in control of everything, therefore we need Him in our successes to keep us humble, and in our failures to endure and survive.

            Furthermore, when bad things happen to us because of other people, we should remember that God is fully in control and knows the true heart of everyone. We will all be judged for our intentions and actions. Therefore, let us not ask “Why me?” but rather let us acknowledge that God is greater than those who come bent on hurting us and that our suffering should draw us back to Him, rather than make us more self reliant.