S131P3 – The questions of Habakkuk: God’s sovereignty
Hab. 1:12
Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.
We know the work that God completed through Pharaoh. This king would not free God’s people, so He brought a plague to move him to relent. The first plague did not move him to let go, so a second came. Again, Pharaoh kept them captive. More plagues came followed by more stubbornness and continued captivity. Doubtless, many of the Iraelites tired of this process early on. They likely wondered why their God did not simply free them or destroy Pharaoh instead of waiting until the tenth plague made the king relent. This is the same question Habakkuk asks after the Lord tells him that He will use the Chaldeans to rise and bring conflict on the land. He wants to know why the soveriegn God will allow them to have their treacherous ways.
Habakkuk certainly has some insight into the future of the Chaldeans. He recognizes that God has marked them for judgment and correction. Of course, that is not in their immediate future. God first will use them for His purposes even though they are wicked and violent. The question is not so much why God would use them as why He would even put up with them when He is sovereign over all. I see the answer haveling two components: timing and purpose. In God’s sovereignty, it is for Him to determine the hour of judgment or correction. We cannot forget that He is long-suffering. We also must recognize His sovereignty to use the means necessary to complete His will, which can include steering the hands of the wicked for His good result.
This might be an instance of presumption preceding understanding. Habakkuk does not appear to see any value in these wicked people remaining let alone being used by God. God sees great value and purpose in them even though they do not follow Him, and we might encounter similar people in our lives. We might wonder why God suffers them because they are so wicked, yet they remain. It does not make him any less soveriegn. If He has allowed them to remain, it is for His good reason and in His good timing, and He just might use them for His will and our good. Father, give us the wisdom to understand the ways in which You deal with the wicked, and help us to be long-suffering as You are.