All we can do is continue to believe there is a reason; but we must understand the objections of many.

Meanwhile, as the story goes: in the camps the Rabbis held enquiry as to whether God is ‘guilty’ of permitting evil; and ultimately decided ‘Yes’. Then they said “and now we must return to our prayers”.

And so must we, knowing that we do not have the answers, but that God does.

Habakkuk lived during the final decades of Israel’s southern kingdom. He prophesied some time before coming of the Babylonian army and the destruction of Judah. He saw the rising threat of Babylon but unlike other prophets, Habakkuk does not accuse Israel; he doesn’t even speak on God’s behalf to the people. Rather all of his words are addressed personally to God and his struggle of trying to believe that God is good when there is so much evil and tragedy in the world. The prophet makes a complaint and then draws God’s attention to suffering and injustice in the world, asking God do something.

Habakkuk makes two complaints to which God offers two responses. His first complaint is that violence and injustice is being permitted by Israel’s corrupt leaders. Habakkuk is asking God to do something but nothing seems to change. But suddenly God responds and says He’s very aware of the corruption and the armies of Babylon will bring his justice on Israel. But Habakkuk has a problem with this answer and offers his second complaint. He says Babylon is even worse than Israel, they are more corrupt and violent. They treat humans like animals, gathering them up like fish in a net, and devouring nations in order to build their own empire. He wonders why the cure is worse than the disease! He wants an explanation and in fact he depicts himself as a watchman on the city walls waiting for God’s response, which eventually comes.

God tells Habakkuk to get some tablets and write down the vision about an appointed time in the future, even though it may seem slow in coming, it will eventually come. The divine promise that God wants Habakkuk to write down is that God will bring Babylon down. But the fact that God might for a time use a corrupt nation like Babylon does not mean that He endorses everything they do. He holds all nations accountable to his justice and so prideful Babylon will fall. In fact, God says the righteous person will live because of his faith. We are called to live by faith…faith as tiny as a mustard seed.