“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (3:17–18)
Habakkuk is a book for troubled hearts in troubled times.
Essentially, the question the prophet is wrestling with is this: Where is God in the midst of injustice? Where is God in the midst of suffering? Where is God in the midst of widespread, deep, and brazen rebellion? Habakkuk gives voice to this concern in the opening verses:
“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you, ‘Violence!’ and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” (1:2–4)
Pain at seeing wickedness ravage the land. Anguish from feeling utterly helpless to prevent it. Confusion as to why God seems indifferent to such obvious evil. These are just some of the questions broiling in the prophet’s heart, and they form the impetus of the entire book.
Time does not permit us to trace out all the various ways these questions are dealt with throughout the course of the book. For now we should simply note that the Bible is no stranger to questions of suffering and injustice. In fact, Scripture is more attuned to these themes than we are. Those raw, aching questions that threaten to tear the soul apart in times of severe affliction—the Bible knows them, and God’s people have wrestled with them before. Indeed, such feelings are not deviations from the life of faith, they are part and parcel of what it means to trust the Lord in a fallen world.
Instead, we should fix our attention on where Habakkuk concludes, for here we find rich instruction:
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (3:17–18)
Here Habakkuk departs from what is perhaps the normal course in suffering. He doesn’t simply wilt under the pressure of affliction. Nor does he resign himself to despair and let his heart drift for days in the fog of discouragement and dejection.
Instead, he preaches to himself. He takes his soul by the horns and directs it toward what is ultimate and true, what is unfailing and eternal: God Himself. And more than that, he resolves to rejoice, to exult in the God whose wisdom and majesty are an anchor for our souls when all else is stripped away.
This is the hard but glorious truth of the life of faith—hard because it is difficult to practice, but glorious because it is possible: that in Christ Jesus there is always cause to rejoice. The man whose God is the LORD is never without a reason to give thanks; never abandoned to arbitrary whims of fate or random “chance.” All things, as the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us, come to us “by His fatherly hand.” Indeed, they work together for our good (Rom. 8:28), driving us along like wind in the sail toward that great and final day when the dwelling place of God will be with man and death shall be no more (Rev. 21:3–4).
This is our hope, and it is certain and unshakeable. And the example of the prophet Habakkuk reminds us that even when circumstances would tempt us otherwise, then, more than ever, we have need to fix our eyes upon Christ and rejoice.
A timely message for many.
Thanks
Thanks for sharing!