Daily Devotions
Habakkuk
"Why do You show me iniquity"
Text: Habakkuk 1:3
DID GOD NOT ANSWER HABAKKUK
Habakkuk complained that God had not heard his prayers. Did God really not answer his prayers?
“Why do You show me iniquity,
And cause me to see trouble?
For plundering and violence are before me;
There is strife, and contention arises.”
Habakkuk 1:3
1. “Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble”
a) God did hear and answer Habakkuk’s prayer.
b) God did two things for Habakkuk.
i) He showed Habakkuk the “iniquity” committed in the country.
ii) He caused the prophet to “see trouble”.
c) God did hear and answer Habakkuk’s prayer.
d) But the answer God gave was not what the prophet had hoped to hear.
2. God’s profound answer
a) In showing the “iniquity” of the nation of Judah, God had given Habakkuk an answer.
b) In causing Habakkuk to see “the trouble” that was obvious in the land was the divine answer.
3. Habakkuk noted the following problems that prevailed in the country
a) Plundering
b) Violence
c) Strife
d) Contention
THE LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES
What were some of the logical consequences that lay before the nation if the above problems continued to prevail? The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah faced these problems as well in his ministry.
1. Sins form a barrier
The sins in the country formed a barrier between God and the nation (Isaiah 59:1-3).
2. Forsaking the Lord
These sins would indicate that the people had forsaken the Lord and His laws (Jeremiah 4:18).
3. Unconfessed sins result in the withholding of good
If the people would not deal with their sins by confessing them, then good would be withheld from them (Jeremiah 5:25).
4. Confession must be made
Confession of sins is an absolute must before one may be delivered (Jeremiah 4:14).