A. Habakkuk’s Complaint: Human Injustice and Divine Inactivity (1:1-4) - Asbury Bible Commentary

Asbury Bible Commentary – A. Habakkuk’s Complaint: Human Injustice and Divine Inactivity (1:1-4)

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A. Habakkuk’s Complaint: Human Injustice and Divine Inactivity (1:1-4)

The prophet is living in a society filled with violence and injustice, and he feels the impact of that injustice as if he were its victim. It is characteristic of godly people to grieve over that which pains God. The prophet feels personally the pain of the violence and injustice because he knows it is unacceptable to God (v.3a). Moreover, he is confused by Yahweh’s silence. How long must he wait to receive an answer? Yet God is quiet.

This opening paragraph deals with many of the great themes of OT theology. One of the results of social corruption is the paralyzing of the law (tôrâ), the teaching of which was the special responsibility of the priests. It had been recently reinforced by Josiah and served as an indicator of the nation’s covenant faithfulness (2Ki 23:24). The prophets task was to apply tôrâ to the contemporary situation. But if corrupt priests turned the law into a means of increasing personal wealth (Mic 3:11), the prophetic task was thwarted. And once divine instruction was ignored, “justice” was sure to cease. “Righteousness” (ṣed̠eq) is the principle of right action, whereas justice (mišpāṭ) is the embodiment of that principle.