Habakkuk
Complete Jewish Bible
This is the prophecy which Habakkuk the
prophet saw:
ADONAI (My LORD), how long must I cry
without Your hearing?
“Violence!” I cry to You, but You don’t
save.
Why do You make me see wrongdoing, why do
You permit oppression?
Pillage and cruelty confront me, so that
strife and discord prevail.
Therefore Torah (the Law) is not followed;
justice never gets rendered, because the wicked fence in the righteous.
This is why justice comes out perverted.
“Look around among the nations! What you see
will completely astound you!
For what is going to be done in your days
you will not believe, even when you are told.
I am raising up the Kasdim (Chaldeans), that
bitter and impetuous nation, who march far and wide over the earth to seize
homes that are not their own.
Fearsome and dreadful they are; their rules and
strength come from themselves.
There horses are swifter than leopards,
fiercer than wolves at night.
Their cavalry gallops in from afar, flying
like vultures rushing to feed.
All of them come for violence, their faces
set eagerly forward, scooping up captives like sand.
They scoff at kings; princes they deride.
They laugh at any fortress; they pile up
earth and take it.
They sweep on like the wind, but they become
guilty, because they make their strength their god.”
ADONAI, haven’t You existed forever? My GOD,
my holy one, we will not die.
ADONAI, you appointed them to execute
judgment.
Rock, You commissioned them to correct us.
Your eyes are too pure to see evil, you
cannot countenance oppression.
So why do You countenance traitors?
Why are You silent when evil people swallow
up those more righteous than they?
You make people like fish in the sea, like
reptiles that have no ruler.
The evil haul them all up with their hooks,
catch them in their fish net, or gather them in their dragnet.
Then they rejoice and make merry, offering sacrifices
to their fishnet and burning incense to their dragnet; because through them
they live in luxury, with plenty of food to eat.
Should they, therefore keep emptying their
nets?
Should they keep slaughtering the nations
without pity?
I will stand at my watchpost; I will station
myself on the rampart.
I will look to see what [GOD] will say
through me and what I will answer when I am reproved.
Then ADONAI answered me; He said,
“Write down the vision clearly on tablets,
so that even a runner can read it.
For the vision is meant for its appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and it does not lie.
It may take awhile, but wait for it; it will
surly come, it will not delay.
Look at the proud: he is inwardly not
upright; but the righteous will attain life through trusting faithfulness.
Truly, wine is treacherous; the arrogant
will not live at peace but keeps expanding his desires like Sh’ol (hell); like
death, he can never be satisfied; he keeps collecting all the nations for
himself, rallying to himself all the peoples.
Won’t all these take up taunting him and say
about him, in mocking riddles, ‘Woe to him who amasses other people’s wealth! –
how long must it go on?’ – and to him who adds to himself the weight of goods
taken in pledge!
‘Won’t your own creditors suddenly stand,
won’t those who make you tremble wake up?
You will become their spoil.
Because you plundered many nations, all the
rest of the peoples will plunder you; because of the bloodshed and violence
done to the land, the city and all who live there.
Woe to him who seeks unjust gain for his
household, putting his nest on the heights,
in order to be safe from the reach of harm.
By scheming to destroy many peoples, you
have brought shame to your house and forfeited your life.
For the very stones will cry out from the
wall, and a beam in the framework will answer them.
Woe to him who builds a city with blood and
founds a town on injustice, so that people toil for what will be burned up, and
nations exhaust themselves to no purpose.
Isn’t all this from ADONAI-Tzva’ot (The LORD
of Armies)?
For the earth will be as full of the
knowledge of ADONAI’s glory as water covering the sea.
Woe to him who has his neighbor drink, adds
his own poison and makes him drunk, in order to see him naked.
You are filled with shame, not glory. You,
drink too, and stagger!
The cup of ADONAI’s right hand will be turned
against you; your shame will exceed your glory.
For the violence done to the L’vanon (Lebanon)
will overwhelm you, and the destruction of the wild animals will terrify you;
because of the bloodshed and violence done to the land, the city and all who
live there.’”
What good is an idol, once its maker has
shaped it, a cast metal image and a teacher of lies that its maker puts his
trust in it, and goes on making non-gods, unable to talk?
Woe to him who tells a piece of wood, “Wake
up!” or a speechless stone, “Rouse yourself!”
Can this thing teach? Why, it’s covered with
gold and silver, without the slightest breath in it!
But ADONAI is in His holy Temple; let all
the earth be silent before him.
This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet (on
musical instruments called shigyonot).
ADONAI, I have heard the report about You.
ADONAI, I am awed by Your deeds.
Bring Your work to life in our own age, make
it know in our own time; but in anger, remember compassion.
GOD comes from Teman, the Holy One from
Mount Pa’ran.
His splendor covers the sky, and His praises
fill the earth.
His brightness is like the sun, rays come
forth from His hand – that is where His power is concealed.
Before him goes pestilence, and close
behind, the plague.
When He stands up, the earth shakes; when He
looks, the nations tremble, the eternal mountains are smashed to pieces, the
ancient hills sink down; the ancient paths are his.
I saw trouble in the tents of Kushan (Cushan)
and the tent hangings shaking in the lad of Midyan (Midian).
ADONAI, is it against the rivers, against
the rivers that Your anger is inflamed?
Is Your fury directed against the sea?
Is that why You ride on Your horses, and
drive Your chariots to victory?
You brandish Your naked bow and order it
filled with arrows.
You split the earth with rivers.
The mountains see You and tremble; a torrent
of water streams by; the deep thunders forth, as it raises enormous waves.
The sun and moon stand still in the sky at
the light of Your arrows speeding by, at the gleam of Your glittering spear.
In fury You stride across the land, in anger
You trample the nations.
You come out to save Your people, to save
Your anointed One; you crush the head of the house of the wicked uncovering its
foundation all the way to the neck.
With their own rods you pierce the head of
their warriors, who come like a whirlwind to scatter us, who rejoice at the
prospect of devouring the poor in secret.
You tread down the sea with Your horses,
churning up the mighty waters.
When I heard, my whole body trembled, my
lips shook at the sound, weakness overcame my limbs, my legs gave way beneath
me.
But I wait calmly for the day of trouble,
when it comes upon our assailants.
For even if the fig tree doesn’t blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines, even if the olive tree fails to produce, and the
fields yield no food at all, even if the sheep vanish from the sheep pen, and
there are no cows in the stalls; still, I will rejoice in ADONAI.
I will take joy in the GOD of my salvation.
Elohim Adonai is my strength!
He makes me swift and sure footed as a deer
and enables me to stride over my high places.
For the leader, With my stringed
instruments.
What a study
of today this book is! While it was written to the Jews about their impending
judgment at the hands of the Chaldeans and GOD’s faithfulness, it is filled
with language that speaks of today and GOD’s impending judgment of the world.
There are several references that reflect the Revelation of Jesus Christ the
end times than many believe we are in now.
One of it’s
universal questions is why does GOD allow evil and wickedness to continue in
the world. There are many running around trying to bring their version of
justice to the nations of the world and they cannot. GOD’s righteousness and
justice cannot prevail in a world where humanity has the ability to choose to
do right or wrong. The power of GOD’s love will not overcome the desire to do
evil if the person does not want to live in GOD’s love. Human love cannot overcome
evil either because when we try to impress our love on a person that does not
want it we open the door to do evil ourself. This is what religion does in the
name of love for the lost they force them to convert, not because the person realizes
that they are a sinner and need salvation but because the religious person
wants to convert them, willingly or not. Why is that true? Because, GOD’s enemy
the devil makes us his enemy as well, he hates us because we are made in GOD’s
image and in eternity we will rule over the Heavenly Host with Christ. Jesus
said the devil does nothing but lie, steal and destroy, the only thing we can
count on from the devil is pain, loss and eternal death.
Jesus said
things like, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father
except through Me.” “The road to destruction is wide and many are on it, the
road to righteousness is narrow and there are few who find it.” “Many are
called but few are chosen.” “Those who have ears to hear let them hear.”
The Gospel
is the good news of eternal salvation to those who believe, confess and
surrender their life willingly to do the will of the Father. Jesus said, “To
those who believe in Him He gives the ability to become children of GOD.” “Whosoever
believes in Him will be saved.” The reason we preach the Gospel is so that
people will understand their need of salvation and have the opportunity to make
that decision for themselves.
A second
universal question is does GOD use pain, sickness, captivity, evil events,
natural catastrophes and disasters to punish people, to direct peoples’ lives
or to call people to salvation. Yes and no.
No, GOD does
not randomly go around destroying peoples’ lives so that someone will become a
Christian or stop living in a way that does not please GOD. That is the result
of humanities free will, GOD takes the tragedy created by sin (our rebellion
against GOD) and works in the lives of those who are willing to be transformed
by GOD and do the work of His kingdom in the earth.
Yes, from
the beginning of creation GOD has revealed Himself to humanity and told us what
He expects from us; how to live, treat others, serve Him and take care of His
creation. But our rebellion from the beginning creates the need for discipline
and resistance to discipline means more or greater discipline; this applies to
individuals, families, communities and nations.
Also Jesus
taught us that we would be persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and murdered for
our faith and obedience to Him. Based on their experiences the Apostles taught
that we would experience trials, tests and tribulations and that we should
rejoice in them for the opportunity to grow in faith, grace and the love of
GOD.
A third
universal question is does GOD speak to people. Yes He does, the prophecy is
from GOD, and Habakkuk quotes GOD twice in the three chapters. Jesus spoke to
the Father and told us to pray (speak) to Him also. The Apostles spoke with
Jesus after His resurrection and ascension and they spoke with Holy Spirit
throughout their lives.
There is one
wrong teaching in the Church that comes from this book. That GOD cannot look on
evil and therefore He had to look away from Christ when He was on the cross. “Your
eyes are too pure to see evil,” along with Christ’s cry just before He died, “My
GOD, My GOD, why have You forsaken Me?” Many teach that the Father could not
look upon Jesus as He hung on the cross. That is just not true. Jesus was very
GOD, the fullness of the GODhead manifest in the flesh. The Father could not
look away from Himself, first let us remember that The LORD our GOD is one GOD,
He is triune in nature and we are made in His image. Just as we cannot, not
watch when something bad is happening to us; GOD the Father had to watch as
Jesus gave His life by becoming sin and taking our punishment to redeem us back
to the Father. Also the Bible teaches us that the eyes of GOD move throughout
the earth always looking for the just and the unjust and that there is nothing
hidden from GOD, He knows everything said and done. If GOD could not look on
evil how would He know that humans do evil, would He just not see the wicked?
In the end
Habakkuk gives glory to GOD for He alone is righteous and holy, no matter what
happens in life GOD is the one who will work it for our good. GOD is the one
who is just in His judgments and all His actions. Knowing that giving us a free
will would lead to humanity rebelling before the foundations of the earth was
laid He ordained that Christ would die on the cross for the sins of the world
so that humans could be redeemed and restored in relationship to GOD. Like Job
Habakkuk says that no matter what happens in his life, good or bad, he will
proclaim and worship GOD because the glory of GOD fills the whole earth.
