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Habakkuk: Week 1
Why do the Wicked go Unpunished?
Habakkuk provides us with a personal example of spiritual practice, especially
in chapter 2. While no personal details are given, our modified historical
method tells us that it was written prior to the annexation of Judah by
Nebuchadnezzar, so before the first attack in 605. It was during a time
of spiritual decline in Judah. It was before Jeremiah, or the Chaldeans should
not be a surprise. Jeremiah
received his word in the 13th year of Josiah.
Perhaps it was during the brief reign of Amon, or since Jeremiah just said
"the north" and not "the Chaldeans", perhaps the early years of Jehoiakim,
before the arrival of Nebuchadnezzar.
- 1:3
"Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?",
"destruction and violence" - Antifa, soft target shootups, this
sounds like today.
- 1:4
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked hem in the righteous;
therefore, justice is perverted.
- 1:5
"utterly astounded" - a major clue to the timing of the prophecy.
- 1:6
"that ruthless and hasty people" - here we get a God's eye picture
of the Chaldean leaders of the coalition that took down the Assyrian
empire in Nahum.
- 1:9
"gather prisoners like sand" - Daniel and his friends were among
those prisoners. The idols and the prisoners were brought to
Babylon to show they were subject to Marduk and the Chaldeans - but
most were well treated. Even Zedekiah.
- 1:10
"They laugh at every fortress" - Nebuchadnezzar makes a
13 year seige of coastal Tyre [Ezekiel 29:17-19]
completely destroying the city [Ezekiel 26]. 200 years later, Alexander
the Great uses the ruins of the coastal city left by Nebuchadnezzar to build a
causeway to the island city, leaving no trace of the coastal city.
- 1:11
"their own strength is their god" - the downfall of Nebuchadnezzar.