We comfort ourselves sometimes with the thought that things can’t get much worse. The problem is that things often do get worse. Decision-makers in society continue to make worse decisions and don’t seem to learn from their own or other people’s mistakes. The UK’s recent dramatic relaxation of the law to protect the unborn and their mothers in England and Wales is an example of something that is flagrantly morally wrong and self-evidently harmful, yet presented with fanatical assurance as something compassionate and helpful. In George Hutcheson’s view, once people get in the habit of rejecting God’s way, it sets them on such a self-destructive path that they often don’t even notice the signs that things are going badly. Nothing can get through to them that they need to change course. George Hutcheson was reflecting on the terrible distress that the prophet Habakkuk experienced as he witnessed the societal breakdown in his own times. Habakkuk cried out in desperation to God to please make the injustice and violence stop. Whereas we would normally expect a happy ending in which God answers His servant’s prayer, God’s shocking response to Habakkuk was that things were going to get very much worse, simply as the righteous consequence of the people’s wilful rebellion and flagrant sinning. As the following updated extract shows, instead of comforting ourselves with how “things” usually work out for the best, we need to lift our eyes and our hearts to the covenant-keeping God, whose holiness and power is infinite. His faithfulness is such that we can appeal to His mercy merely as such, without needing to point to any positive developments or encouraging signs. We can rely on his faithfulness and his justice as we increase our efforts to share the gospel and a godly way of life.

His cry

In the first chapter of his prophecy, Habakkuk begins by expostulating with God, speaking in his own name and the name of the godly. “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!” (Hab. 1:2) With the generality of the people being so desperately wicked, why does the Lord in His patience still bear with them, and take no course to vindicate His own glory, or abate this deluge of sin one way or other?

Habakkuk brings in various considerations. For one thing, he has worked so hard with these people, but to no purpose. Instead, with their injustice swelling up and breaking out in open violence, he had been forced for a long time to cry to God against them. Yet his prayer was not regarded, neither were the oppressed saved from violence, and Habakkuk finds this so strange.

We are not to understand this as if Habakkuk were quarrelling with God, nor as if he didn’t care about this people (later on in his prophecy he evidences great tender-heartedness toward them). Instead, the problem is that he has worked among them for so long, and pleaded with God for so long for some success to his ministry, yet he finds that iniquity still abounds, to the dishonour of God, and oppression of the godly. Not so much out of any hatred against them, but rather out of zeal to God’s honour, hatred of sin, and pity toward the oppressed, Habakkuk complains that there was no redress of this, and that God was not stopping the course of sin, either by amending them or by correcting them.

The iniquities which Habakkuk mentions are especially sins against the second table of the law (commandments 5 to 10, setting out our duties towards each other). The duties of the second table are a touchstone, by which we can test the sincerity of those who profess to be true believers within the visible church. Equally, when people once reveal their unsoundness by breaking these commandments, they may readily come to a very great height in such sins. Here, they had come to the extremity of “violence” among themselves.

The iniquity of a visible church may come to such heights that those who would normally want to stand in the gap to plead with God on the people’s behalf may be ready, if not to cry against them, yet to submit if God were to send judgements. Habakkuk is so hard pressed, with how their sin dishonours God, and oppresses the godly, that he cries that God would one way or other stop the course of their iniquity.

The godly, and especially those who are called to carry the Lord’s word to His people, have to factor into their expectations, not a smooth and easy life, but a life of wrestling under much humbling, toil and vexation. That was Habakkuk’s lot here, and the lot of the godly, in whose name he complains. Yet the best way to make people’s endeavours in their calling effectual (especially those who are employed in dealing with souls) is to be much with God in prayer. Cries to God are our best weapons against sin.

His concern

Habakkuk goes on to amplify his complaint. “Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me, and there are that raise up strife and contention” (Hab. 1:3).

This makes the reason why he was complaining clearer, and sets out more of the people’s sin. Their wickedness was seen in vexing and grieving one another, and the godly amongst them, and in their violent spoiling of one another, together with their way of starting and pursuing lawsuits and contentions All these were not only public and open in the view of Habakkuk and the godly, wherever they went, but a great grief and vexation to them. Their hearts were over-charged when they saw such wickedness — and God taking no action against it.

But when once people shake off the fear of God, it is righteous of Him to give them up to break all the bonds of love, humanity and civil society. These godless people are given up to iniquity, grievance, spoiling, violence, etc. In this way the Lord shows how unfixed people become in all things when they do not hold not fast the root of His fear.

Even though it is the duty of the Lord’s people and faithful servants, not to carve out what shall be their own lot and success in the world, yet they ought not only to keep themselves unspotted from the sins of their times, but to be seriously affected and vexed with these iniquities of the times. Habakkuk says, “Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance?” He is not so much quarrelling with God’s providence towards him as testifying to his own vexation and the vexation of the godly at seeing these things (Ezek. 9:4; 2 Pet. 2:7–8).

His ineffectiveness

Something else that adds weight to Habakkuk’s complaint (and displays yet more of the iniquity of the times) is taken from the consequence of God’s indulgence toward them — that they were emboldened to sin by it, and only grew worse in response to being spared! “Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth” (Hab. 1:4).

When the prophets preached, and the people rebelled, and yet God spared them, they took from this that they could despise the law and word of God as a dead thing, having no vigour nor authority, and so they ran on in all sorts of mad courses. As it so often proves, the Lord’s forbearance and long-suffering becomes a snare to the wicked, hardening them in their evil course. The effect was that no justice was to be found; for, if there were any who respected equity or right, they were so overpowered by the multitude of the wicked ones that they dared not appear, nor could achieve anything, and so justice was inevitably wrested.

The godly should endeavour to have their zeal against sin cleanly, and arising on justifiable grounds. Here Habakkuk makes it clear that his zeal against the iniquity of the times did not flow from any harm he sustained from it, but from the over-turning of all religion and the justice that appeared in it.

It is not simply the fact that we have the Word of God that will make us blessed, but when it has authority and vigour in our hearts and practices. This people had the law, but Habakkuk’s lament is that it was lifeless in its authority. “The law is slacked,” he says, using a figure of speech that refers to the faint or lifeless pulse of a dying man.

Contempt for the authority of God’s Word opens the door to all wickedness, for these two things are conjoined, “the law (of God)” and “judgment going forth.” Justice goes to ruin in society when Christianity has no place.

The guiltiness of a land reaches a terrible point when judicatories and courts of justice become corrupt. That is the height of their impiety, and the evidence of a despised law.

Times of general defection ordinarily prove to be times of great trial to the godly and righteous. “Then the wicked compasseth about the righteous, therefore wrong judgement proceedeth.” Not only are their souls vexed, and they are supplanted in their righteous cause, but they dare hardly appear against the stream of injustice. Or, if they do speak out, they are unable to bring about anything that is right, but everything keeps going wrong, whatever they do.

His worst fears confirmed

When the Lord answers Habakkuk, it is to give a terrifying announcement that the people would be destroyed by a Chaldean invasion (vv.5–11).

When people harden themselves in their evil ways because of God’s forbearance, and the Word has no authority among them, then the Lord will speak in a different way, i.e., by His rod. The Lord’s long-suffering patience toward impenitent sinners will not last for ever. When their iniquity comes to a height, it will end in sad judgements, and abuses of the mercy offered to the church deserves sadder judgements than the sin of heathens.

Yet it is usual that when judgement comes on an impenitent people, they don’t manage to interpret it properly, but are surprised with to the point of astonishment under it. This response flows from their now-ingrained contempt of God’s Word, a contempt which stupefies them to the extent that judgements cannot pierce their stupefaction. So it proves fruitless, and only portends the further ruin of those who continue in it. God is only just when those who dote on their privileges and despise the Word meet with unexpected and incredible judgements. Divine indignation against sin is more terrible, and will appear more sad when it is inflicted, than complacent sinners ordinarily imagine.

His bare faith

From verse 12 to the end of the chapter is Habakkuk’s response to this answer. In a speech directed to God, he confirms his own faith and the faith of the godly that God’s church will be preserved from destruction in this calamity, and not be totally extinguished by her captivity in Babylon. His confidence is in God’s covenant with them, His eternal immutability, His holiness, and His purpose, power, and providence in appointing the Chaldeans to punish and “correct” the church (but not destroy it).

When believers have God’s promise to preserve His church, they may humbly carve their own response according to it, and when they come to God in prayer, they may by faith tell Him what they are looking for and are confident of getting. This is how Habakkuk can tell the Lord, “We shall not die” (v.12).

When we know God as our own covenant-keeping Redeemer, we can derive comfort from Him in the saddest times. Habakkuk gathers his confidence from “the Lord my God.” Our faith is strengthened when we take in the nature, properties, and way of God, the covenant-making and promise-making God. “My God is Jehovah,” Habakkuk reasons, “able to give a being to things promised.” He is “from everlasting,” and so immutable in His purposes, and will eternally have a people to be His spouse and subjects. “He is from of old the Lord my God, or the church’s God, by a covenant of grace,” Habakkuk says. And “He is my Holy One,” without all taint of impurity, and therefore, as He disapproves of sin, and punishes it in His people, so He will not spare it in enemies, far less falsify His own covenant and the promise He made to His people.

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