"These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11

(5) Look ye on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, Ye do not believe though it is declared. (6) For, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its own. (7) Terrible and fearful it `is', From itself its judgment and its excellency go forth. (8) Swifter than leopards have been its horses, And sharper than evening wolves, And increased have its horsemen, Even its horsemen from afar come in, They fly as an eagle, hasting to consume. (9) Wholly for violence it doth come in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And it doth gather as the sand a captivity. (10) And at kings it doth scoff, And princes `are' a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth it. (11) Then passed on hath the spirit, Yea, he doth transgress, And doth ascribe this his power to his god. (12) Art not Thou of old, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O Jehovah, For judgment Thou hast appointed it, And, O Rock, for reproof Thou hast founded it. (13) Purer of eyes than to behold evil, To look on perverseness Thou art not able, Why dost Thou behold the treacherous? Thou keepest silent when the wicked Doth swallow the more righteous than he, (14) And Thou makest man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing -- none ruling over him. (15) Each of them with a hook he hath brought up, He doth catch it in his net, and gathereth it in his drag, Therefore he doth joy and rejoice. (16) Therefore he doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, For by them `is' his portion fertile, and his food fat. (17) Doth he therefore empty his net, And continually to slay nations spare not?


In the first chapter, the prophet Habakkuk was upset with God because He had made prophecies regarding where Judah's punishment would come from—from the Chaldeans. Habakkuk was irritated by this because he considered the Chaldeans to be worse than the Judeans. His questions run: "God, why are you doing this? Why don't you at least punish us by a righteous nation instead of sending upon us a nation far worse than we are?"

That was the way Habakkuk looked at it. God did not look at it that way because He would not have sent the Chaldeans if He did not think it was the right thing for Him to do. Maybe they were worse in an overall sense, but who was more responsible for what they were—the Chaldeans or the Jews? Had the Chaldeans had God's way revealed to them as the Judeans had? Of course not. Maybe the Judeans were not as bad on paper, maybe statistically, but they were more responsible. To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).

God would punish them with a hasty nation, He says, a nation violent and rapacious in the way it did things. Habakkuk did not like that one bit, so he appealed to God, and his appeal was hotly delivered.

— John W. Ritenbaugh

To learn more, see:
Faith (Part Two)



 

Topics:

Chaldeans

God's Judgment

God's Justice

God's Punishment

Habakkuk

Judah's Punishment

Prophecy

Prophesying

Punishment of Judah

Responsibility to Obey

Responsibility, Sense of




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