Iniquity
“Why must I see iniquity?”
Habakkuk 1:3
Those who love God don’t like to see iniquity. God has told us in the Bible that iniquity is wrong and that we should not even think about it[1] – yet Habakkuk observes that God allows us to see it around us all the time. Why?
God seems to want us to have to make the choice between evil and good. He will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear,[2] but he does want us to practise making the right choice. So we need to make sure that we are constantly rejecting evil and choosing good.
And then Habakkuk gets to his main question. The earlier comments were just an introduction.
Why do you [God] idly look at wrong?
Habakkuk 1:3
Habakkuk is asking why God looks at wrong but does nothing about it. He is suggesting that because God does this, destruction and violence are everywhere as are strife and contention. Furthermore, as a direct result of this, law is paralysed and justice never goes forth.
These are Habakkuk’s complaints, and we do well to think about them.
In various countries around the world, there are millions of court cases pending, some of which have been waiting for more than 5 years. Many people charged with offences cannot get bail, but spend years in jail waiting for a trial that could only sentence them to a much shorter time in jail if they were found guilty.
Habakkuk is arguing that justice must be quick or it is not justice.
Is this true?
A few comments from the Bible:
- Ecclesiastes 8:11: Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.
- Isaiah 5:18-19: Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes, who say: “Let him [God] be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!”
- Isaiah 57:11: Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you do not fear me?
- Isaiah 26:10: If favour is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the Lord.
These passages tell us that whether justice comes quickly or slowly, many evil people will not learn. It seems that quick justice can control evil people, but it won’t teach them righteousness. However, slow justice does give righteous people time to repent of their evil deeds; time to reflect; time to think of what they have done, to recognise their sin and repent.
God could give instant justice. Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden of Eden and God could have killed them immediately. If he had, there would have been no children and no human race. Likewise for all of us. If God had killed each of us when we first sinned, there would be no children. No human race.
Most of the time, however, God does not punish swiftly – but he did command his nation to control evil by judging swiftly. Most countries now have many people staying in prisons for long periods of time, but God’s commands were for quick judgement and quick punishment – but only where two or more witnesses were available. Other crimes were not to be punished by mankind. God, who is witness to everything, would punish in due time.
Government of the world has been given to mankind, but God still intervenes as he chooses from time to time. He also chooses the rulers[3] and he will judge the results in the end.[4]
Summary of Habakkuk’s complaint
Habakkuk complains that evil flourished in Israel. Violence was everywhere; the law was paralysed; justice was never done. Then he asked the vital question: why does God let it happen that way?
God answers Habakkuk’s question, but it wasn’t the sort of answer that Habakkuk expected or wanted.
To be continued….
Notes
[1] Matthew 5:27-28; Ephesians 5:3; Philippians 4:8
[2] 1 Corinthians 10:13
[3] Daniel 4:17, 25 & 32; Romans 13:1-5
[4] Romans 14:12
