Two years ago this month I wrote about the age-old
struggle believers have to try and understand why God allows evil to seemingly
prosper in this world. Often God seems silent while people struggle,
hurt, and search for answers. This is certainly true when we consider the
recent mass-shooting in Law Vegas. But, even greater than that one single
event is the struggle to understand why God allows day to day immorality to be
the rule and traditional Christian morality to be increasingly the
exception. The Prophet Habakkuk wrestled with God on these questions as
he tried to understand the justice of God.
Allen
Raynor Weblog: The Question of God’s Justice
in
the Face of Growing Evil
(Oct.
8, 2015)
These are trying times for Christians. If you
are like me, you have probably seen more ungodly and sinful things happen in
just the last 6 months than you perhaps believed you would ever see in your
lifetime. There is no need to rehash all those things here.
Believers know what the Bible teaches and what Christianity has stood for its
entire 2000 year existence. Further, we know what God has said from the
very beginning going back to His creation of the world. So, in light of
those things, why do the wicked seem to be winning? Why is sin celebrated
and seemingly every evil cause championed from the President, to some
candidates running for President, to many members of Congress, to judges,
governors, mayors, the Hollywood community, and other influential
leaders? Is the situation really new or does it only seem new since it is
beyond the scope of what we have personally known? Will we experience any
relief from all that is happening? How best should we process these things?
The Prophet Habakkuk struggled to understand seeming contradictions within the
framework of God’s justice. He grappled with how the God of love could
allow perceived injustice and even go so far as to use unjust people for His
purposes. The theological question of “theodicy” is explored in the 3
short chapters of the Book of Habakkuk. Theodicy seeks to answer the
question “Is God just?” When things happen that appear to contradict what
we know about the justice of God; how then can we continue to believe He is
just in all His ways?
He asks God a first question and then a second. He is reverential in the
manner in which he asks, but still feels the compelling need to ask. His
questions and God’s responses leave us with some important implications about
God and how He works. First; personal faith can lead to powerful
problems. Having faith does not answer every question. In fact,
there are times where it creates even more questions. Faith is trusting
when we do not know everything. Second; the response believers should
have in the face of evil is trust. Trust is not always easy and often
seems to be against our natures. Third; thinking rationally cannot
penetrate all the mysteries of evil. But it is faith that strengthens us
in the face of great evil.
One popular myth says that when you trust Christ as your Savior, all your
problems will vanish. The truth is, your biggest problem has gone away,
but many of the smaller problems remain. However, the way you view those
problems and the perceived weight of those problems will, almost certainly,
change. Problems are a part of life. Even evil itself is a nasty
reality. Sometimes we feel like echoing David’s words in Psalm 22:1 where
he cried out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Many apply this
to America, believing God has somehow turned His back on us. But,
something we must always keep in mind is that nations, countries, and all
geographical territories for that matter, are relatively inconsequential to God.
His eternal plans are about bringing a people unto Himself, saving them from
the wrath that will befall this world. The fate of every nation is
exactly the same. They all will cease to exist sooner or later.
There are no countries, as we understand them, within the Kingdom of God.
So often the big picture is lost because of the glaring light of the little
picture. Our view of the whole forest is obstructed by the thousands of
trees all around us.
Mankind has no shortage of advice as he grapples with the ability to understand
the world in which he lives in rational terms. The folly of man is seen
in Job as one by one Job’s friends offer their insights, but in the end these
are truths only known to God. Mankind has always been afraid to utter the
words “I don’t know.” But we ought not be so frightened to defer to our
God, Who is omniscient.
From Habakkuk’s vantage point, God seemed indifferent. How could God
allow the wicked Babylonians to lay a hand on God’s chosen people? It
seemed exploitative and certainly unjust. But God used the wicked all
throughout the course of biblical history to accomplish His ultimate
purposes. This will be true right up until the end. In the Book of
Revelation, evil will do what evil does right up until the point God destroys
it once and for all. We naturally ask why God will allow the things
described in Revelation to actually take place. After all, He could
prevent them and all could happen in a different way. God has voluntarily
bound Himself to His Word and He is glorified in the proclamation and execution
of all He has declared to be true. If he altered anything, the most
fundamental truth of Christianity, the reliability of His Word, would be
destroyed. Therefore truth is held as a higher priority than satisfying
the passing daily desires of mankind. Besides all of that, mankind only
has in view 1 piece of a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle by which to understand God’s
ultimate plan. But, he has described for us what the final picture, when
assembled, will look like and he has promised that there will be a day when it
will be fully assembled. That picture is described in Revelation 21 and
22.
In Hab. 2:4, God tells the prophet, “The just shall live by his faith.”
If we trust God, we must live by faith. How do you trust anyone or
anything? It is a voluntary commitment, just like making a wedding
vow. It is saying I consciously commit myself to trusting/having faith in
you. It is no different when it comes to God. We must determine
that, even though evil is rampant and the foundations of this world are shaking
and will soon crumble, our trust is in the Lord.
In the end, Habakkuk makes one of the most pointed and beautiful confessions of
faith in all the Bible (3:17-19) but it did not come apart from much mental
anguish. Commentator John Currid writes “At the close of the book we see
no complaints by the prophet. He now understands. So what we see is
Habakkuk’s pure, unadulterated joy and triumphal singing to the sovereign God
of Israel.” (John Currid; The Expectant Prophet: Habakkuk Simply Explained;
136) He finally came to understand that no matter what happens on this
earth, God will deliver His people, not necessarily from the discomfort of
today but for His glory for all eternity.
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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