Questions, questions!  Certainly, that’s what we see here in this prophetic work from a man named Habakkuk, who served as a prophet right before the exile of the people from Judah (the southern kingdom) when the empire of Babylon was in the dominant nation of the time.  We should be used to these questions by now … as we learned back in our winter message series, the prophet Ezekiel, who served the same group of people spent much of his time pondering and responding to a very important one; “why is this happening to us?”  Our friend Habakkuk is very much on the same track, as he ministers to these people just before the first exile (around 597 B.C. or B.C.E.).  The first one can be found in chapter one and it has to do with the age old question “why is there evil?”  If Yahweh is God, why does He countenance the bad that happens to everyone and is currently happening to the Hebrew nation?  The question is most clearly articulated in chapter one, verses 2-4.  But the one we want to focus on today is the second question as stated later in chapter one;

“You have made men like fish in the sea,
like sea creatures that have no ruler.
The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,
he catches them in his net,
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
and so, he rejoices and is glad.
Therefore, he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
and enjoys the finest food.
Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy?

— Habukkuk 1:14-17

At first glance it may seem like he’s asking a different version of the first question and it would be understandable if the reader would draw such a conclusion.  But look more closely … our prophet friend goes from the subject of evil to those who act out these terrible deeds.  The writer acknowledges that God is the author of all creation, including humankind, that He makes them like “fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler (v. 14).”  But ah, “there’s the rub” to paraphrase Shakespeare.  To follow the analogy further the prophet writes about a “foe” who pulls these “sea creatures” (humankind) up with “hooks and dragnets.”  And there is the subject for our exploration of God’s word today.  True, there is a problem with evil … but there are always people involved in these unfortunate acts.  I am suggesting that the important question Habakkuk may be asking is this … “why are the wrong people always in charge?”

It all has to do with power, of course.  There have always been, and always will be, people and groups who, on the basis of their abilities, cleverness, wealth, might, etc. become prominent.  If they exercise their influence fairly and benevolently, all is well.  But such is not always the case.  I have a friend who went through a takeover of the company he was serving at a very high level in their hierarchy.  When I asked him, a few months later, how things were going he described it this way … that the new bosses had done their homework, were competent and skilled in this line of work.  “But for lack of a better term”, he said, “they are basically ruthless.”

Such is the problem during the time of Habakkuk.  The Babylonian nation was a wicked foe” (v. 15), abusing its subjects (v. 15), then worshipping the tools of their conquest as if they represented some deity (v. 16a).  Finally, they were carelessly involved in conspicuous consumption (v. 16b) … all without a shred of mercy to those around them (v. 17). The prophet suggests that they were not worthy of the success that they enjoyed. 

The scene described in this ancient text is not far off what we experience today.  Individuals endowed with giant egos control so many of what we call our “tech giants” which hold sway over the destinies of so many in our world today.  The will and frantic grip on power, in many cases by one person, seen in some corners of our world affects the lives of thousands of people and displaces many.  In our own country we bear the brunt of ineffectual politics when the ones who represent us, as American humorist Will Rogers stated decades ago, “have their minds more on their next term than on their country.”  We would agree with the prophet and ask the same question … “Why are the wrong people in charge?”

To Habakkuk’s despair, Yahweh responds … and he responds in such a way that we receive a blessing in our own time, as we are asking the same question.  And the solution has to do with three of the most famous passages in all of scripture, each with a timeless truth to help us meet the challenge of living, no matter what time in human history;

“See, she is puffed up;
his desires are not straight/right-
but the just lives by means of his trust.”

— Hab.2:4

It is a credit to the ancient scriptures that this problem of responsible leadership is addressed as both a male and female problem.  The first verb in the sentence is clearly a third person feminine, not a masculine as the NIV chooses … but enough with the grammatical analysis!  In answering His prophet, Yahweh is suggesting that there is a way to “live” in the midst of influential nations, businesses and individuals who misuse their power.  As followers of Jesus, we don’t live on the basis of legislative policies of governments or the decisions about how to conduct business made around board tables thousands of miles away.  “The just one lives by means of his trust.”  I know that the word can be translated “faith”, the understanding of which transformed Martin Luther from a guilt-ridden Roman Catholic monk to a courageous reformer of the church, empowered by a new-found gratitude toward the God of love and grace.  It can also be translated “faithfulness”, which might suggest a works-oriented faith where grace can be attained through self-discipline.  We might prefer the translation of “trust” because it reflects more of our proper relationship with the Master.  The word used in the New Testament translated “believe” also means “to trust.”  It is not enough to believe that Jesus lived … we must begin to entrust our daily lives to Him.  When we begin to learn to do this, the impact of those in charge of our lives is greatly diminished. 

The second truth-laden scripture is v. 14;

“For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea.”

One of genuine problems in life, related to the question around those in authority, is the pervasiveness issue.  When the wrong people are in charge, they usually occupy a great deal of the landscape, whether in business, politics or media.  This can be disheartening because the large size of an organization does not always transfer into good service.  Things develop somewhat along these lines … a company or organization (and this can include churches) becomes “successful”; they decide to attempt to extend their success, so they open up what we might call “branch locations” (in the case of churches, they call them “campuses”); things usually go better for a while then begin to decline due to the challenge of replicating process and, more importantly, passing on the strong dual vision of quality and service to the folks who are working on behalf of the vision.  The reason this is so disappointing is that people become dependent on these organizations which are doomed to fail them.  Hence the welcome word above, from the prophet … that the presence of the Lord Yahweh is pervasive as well, but He does not disappoint.  The stamp of His personality is made on each of us who gives his or her heart to Him.  And, since He is able to stamp our hearts with his Spirit, He is able to maintain His purposes.

The final truth that comes from Habakkuk’s “vision” involves the ongoing maintenance that is so important to keep the vision of any movement, cause or organization current and alive.  Of course, this always involves an experience of congregating where the purposes and defining principals are celebrated.  The ancient Babylonians employed such congregational events … but they were evaluated by the prophet and found wanting;

“Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it?
Or an image that teaches lies?
For he who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.
Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;
there is no breath in it.

— Hab. 2:18-19

Therein lies the difference between the faith system of their captors and that of the Hebrew nation.  When the Babylonians gathered together to worship there was no potential for the “guidance” that was offered within the context of Hebrew worship.  All they needed to do was to heed the advice given in the last verse;

“But the Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.”

— Hab. 2:20