Campbell McAlpine looks at Habakkuk, the prophet who cared.

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways" (Heb 1:1). He knew how applicable the messages would be to future generations. God's voice to one man, or one people, is often his voice to many men and many people.

The setting of the so-called 'minor prophet' Habakkuk was one of despair. The storm-clouds were gathering over Jerusalem. Josiah, Judah's last good king, had been succeeded by Jehoiakim, the ruler who with fearful disdain burned Jeremiah's scroll on which was written God's message to Israel, Judah and the nations. The last forty years of Judah's history had begun, and God revealed to his prophet that the end was near.

God's voice to one man, or one people, is often his voice to many.

Habakkuk's Prophecy and Ministry

Habakkuk was a man with a deep concern for the situation. His name means 'love's embrace', and he had a love for God and for God's people. He embraced the prophetic ministry God had given him, despite its difficulties.

His prophecy can be summarised under four headings: a man with a burden, a man with a vision, a man with a prayer, and a man with a song. These four-fold concerns are not unique to Habakkuk, but rather display a pattern common throughout Scripture.

Moses was a man with a burden, given to him by God: "I have indeed seen the misery of my people...So I have come to rescue them" (Ex 3:7-8). He was a man with a vision: to bring them into a "good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey" (Ex 3:8). He was a man with a prayer: he cried to the Lord. He was a man with a song: his joyous proclamation, "I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted" (Ex 15:1), is hymn number one in the Bible!

Hannah was a woman with a burden: "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me" (1 Sam 1:11). She was a woman with a vision for a son to give to the Lord all the days of his life. She was a woman with a prayer: she prayed and continued in prayer, pouring out her soul to the Lord. She was a woman with a song: "My heart rejoices in the Lord" (1 Sam 2:1).

Habakkuk's name means 'love's embrace', and he had a love for God and for God's people.

But Jesus is the pre-eminent man with a burden: "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!" (Luke 12:50). He is the man with a vision: "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32). He is the man with a prayer: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you" (John 17:1). He is also the man with a song: "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Mark 14:26). Let us now take a look at these elements in the book of Habakkuk.

A Man with a Burden

A God-given ministry will have a God-given concern. Habakkuk was greatly troubled by the apostasy of God's people and their wickedness. Like other prophets before him, such as David, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, he cried, "O Lord, how long?"

The more he prayed, the worse the situation became. Violence, iniquity, trouble, plundering and strife were everywhere in evidence. The law was powerless, and injustice ruled. It was then that God spoke to the bewildered Habakkuk, giving him a message which was even more disturbing. He was going to send against Israel a wicked, invading army that would show no mercy. Habakkuk knew all about the sin of God's people, but could not understand why God would use a people more wicked than they to bring judgment and wrath.

In his confusion Habakkuk did a wise thing. He lifted his eyes from the situation to God himself. He contemplated the character of the Almighty: "O Lord, are you not from everlasting?" (Hab 1:12).

What an example for us in our situations, even when there are circumstances we cannot understand! We know the absolute perfection of God. It is impossible for God ever to do anything unjust, unfair, or unrighteous. We know that, "as for God, his way is perfect."

In his confusion, Habakkuk wisely lifted his eyes from the situation to God himself.

We have entered a period the Bible calls the 'last days'. We are witnessing the fulfilment of Scripture. Sin and iniquity abound. God has given many a concern to pray for the situation and for the Church, and it is a privilege for us to do so. We know that God's purposes will triumph and so we can leave the results to him, confidently aware that in heaven there will be a multitude that no man can number, from every tongue, tribe and nation.

A Man with a Vision

With all the unanswered questions revolving in his mind, the prophet knew there was only one thing to do: stand, watch and wait. He was not disappointed. God spoke and told him to write down the vision, one which would be for an appointed time. Even though there would be a period of tarrying before its outworking, the prophet was encouraged to wait for it.

The vision was a denunciation of wickedness and of wicked men. The proud, the bloodthirsty, the covetous, the idolatrous and the violent may appear to prosper, but God pronounces his 'woes' against them. In the midst of the vision God declares, "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab 2:14).

Here is a beam of brilliant light shining in the darkness. God will be acknowledged and glorified. The day is coming, as Paul reminded the Philippians, when at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Evil will not prevail. The rider on the white horse who is called Faithful and True, whose eyes are like blazing fire, on whose head are many crowns and on whose robe is written King of kings and Lord of lords, will strike the nations and in righteousness will judge and make war.

Habakkuk stood, watched and waited for God's answer – and was not disappointed.

A Man with a Prayer

Having been given the vision, the prophet must now pray according to the revelation he had received. How can the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God? Revival! "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy" (Hab 3:2).

The prophet understood that the only answer for the sinfulness and desperation of the situation was divine intervention. Immediately after the plea "in wrath remember mercy," Habakkuk described true revival: "God came" (Hab 3:3). Some of us can remember saintly Duncan Campbell's account of the Lewis revival. But it was not Campbell who brought revival to the Hebrides – "God came."

True revival is accompanied by a knowledge of the Lord, a sense of his presence and - yes - fear, because the holiness of God reveals the blackness of our sin. "His glory covered the heavens, and his praise filled the earth. His splendour was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden" (Hab 3:3-4).

True revival is accompanied by a knowledge of the Lord, a sense of his presence and – yes – godly fear.

As he prayed, Habakkuk reflected on the mighty things God had done in the past: the parting of the sea, the sun and moon standing still, the overthrow of the enemy. He was awed by what God could do - and had already done - and trembled. But he knew that there was a place of refuge and a place of rest.

A Man with a Song

The prophet had come to a new place. No longer was he asking, 'How long?' or 'Why?', though he knew that God's judgments were coming. He had found not only a place of rest, but also one of joy: "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour" (Hab 3:18). "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights" (Hab 3:19).

God is in control. He is sovereign. Therefore, we can do what Paul exhorted the Christians to do, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!" (Phil 4:4).

As it was then, so it is now: "See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples" (Is 60:2). Iniquity abounds and the end of all things is near. Events are accelerating. Politicians timorously introduce their latest recipe for recovery, while we look in vain for statesmen who are bold enough to raise a standard for righteousness and integrity. People look to 'the Church' for answers, but find few voices to declare that, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Prov 14:34).

The words of the Lord Jesus echo down two thousand years of history to remind us that, "All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another" (John 13:35). But still we seem to "strain out a gnat and swallow a camel." Dialogues and disagreements abound with petty arguments, while the world is surely and certainly slipping to the very brink of hell. How puny, how pitiful! God has placed in the hands of his Church the gospel of Jesus Christ which is "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Rom 1:16).

The end draws near and people look to the Church for answers – but find few voices to declare the truth about righteousness and sin.

It is the Gospel which reveals the righteousness of God and also his wrath, about which Paul wrote in the same verse, "I am not ashamed." Jesus proclaimed, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matt 24:14). Where are the men and women with a burden, a vision, a prayer and a song? God bless you if you are one. Let us pray that God will raise up a whole army. "O Lord, revive your work, in wrath remember mercy."

Originally published in Prophecy Today, Vol 10 No 4, July 1994.

This perhaps unattractive title refers to an essential aspect of any true prophetic ministry, one which cannot be neglected without creating an unbalanced presentation of God's truth.

The prophets of the Old Testament rejoiced to proclaim God's acts of mercy in the past, delivering his people and individuals from their enemies and from disasters of all kinds. They delighted to reassure God's people that he was present with them and that the Holy One of Israel in their midst was mighty. They strained their linguistic ability to express his promise of a future deliverance and victory, when "the wolf will lie down with the lamb" and "the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea" (Isa 11:6-9).

They had also to proclaim divine warnings of the awful consequences of the continued breaking of God's laws by both individuals and nations. The people were longing for 'the Day of the Lord' but the prophets had to point out that, unless they changed their ways, it would be for them a day of darkness and disaster (Amos 5:18). "Wail, Alas for the day!" was their reaction (Eze 30:2-3), and their prophecies are littered with such expressions as "Woe", "Ah, Lord God", "Alas" (for this) and "Alas" (for that), all of which expressed their reaction to the prophetic 'burden' they were called to bear.

Today's Prophets

As we give further thought to the prophet's role, we must stress the unchanging responsibility of today's 'forth-tellers' to declare God's laws and the consequences of ignoring or rejecting them. We have heard any number of prophecies which assure us that all is well; like the people of Isaiah's day, we want today's prophets to "tell us pleasant things" (Isa 30:10). We are living in serious times, far more serious than many imagine.

At the same time I am not calling for a rash of heavy condemnatory utterances which reveal more of the personal animosity of the prophet than they do of the heart of God. Like Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other prophets who said, "I weep...I drench you with tears"..."I will weep and wail...and take up a lament" (Isa 16:9 and Jer 9:10), we need to stand in the presence of God until we feel his heart-beat before we can even begin to share their ministry.

There are any number of prophecies assuring us that all is well. What we need is to feel God's heart-beat – even if it's one of lament.

Weeping Prophets' Vocabulary

'Alas!' is an exclamation of unhappiness or alarm expressing grief and voicing concern. It occurs only about four times in the Old Testament but expresses the anguish of the prophets who voiced it (Jeremiah 30:7, Ezekiel 6:11, Joel 1:15 and Amos 5:16). The word 'Alas!' occurs in the RSV rendering of these verses.

'Ah, Lord God' or 'Ah, Sovereign Lord' are special phrases used by both Jeremiah and Ezekiel, occurring four times in each of their prophecies. It is used to express their bewilderment at what God had allowed to happen, or to challenge the situation. They reason with the Lord and even tell him that he has deceived them. This poignant little phrase indicates both their respect for God but also their involvement with his people and the awful tension that these situations created (Jer 4:10, 32:17; Eze 9:8; 11:13). Jeremiah was so distressed that he even cursed the day he was born (Jer 15:10).

'Woe!' is the most frequently employed word in this connection. It is used nearly 60 times and occurs in ten of the prophetic books of the Old Testament. It is a word of condemnation and as such used in both the Old and New Testaments. But it speaks of sadness as well as of judgment. Although it may have the nature in prophetic denunciation of pronouncing an anathema or curse, it also conveys an element of grief and distress. This is true also of the 'Woes!' of the Lord Jesus recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke (Matt 11:21, 23:13-16; Luke 6:24, 11:42-47).

'Woes!' Addressed to Individuals

In Habakkuk 2:5-20 there are five 'Woes!' (verses 6, 9, 12, 15 and 19), and they are addressed to the man who piles up stolen goods, who builds his kingdom by extortion, who resorts to bloodshed in his building programme of self-glorification, who gets his neighbour drunk with evil sexual intent, and who makes an idol and bids it "Come to life!".

There is a similar list of six 'Woes!' in Isaiah 5:8-23. Like those in the Habakkuk passage, they are all addressed to individuals. There is still a place for a prophetic word today to individuals, pointing out where their conduct is contrary to what we know to be the word of God. Spoken in the power of the Spirit, such a word can lead to repentance and a change in lifestyle.

There is still a place for prophetic words to individuals, spoken in the power of the Spirit to provoke repentance.

'Woes!' Addressed to Nations

In order to gain the full force of what the Old Testament prophets felt about their ministry to nations as well as to individuals, we need to re-discover a word that is now hidden if we are using one of the more recent versions of the Bible. In the King James' rendering we come across the word 'burden', which is used frequently to describe the prophets' awareness of the weight and importance of the message God gave them to speak to the nations.

From a Hebrew word which means 'to lift up or to bear away', it has the dual meaning of that which is borne by a man and that which is born to a man. A prediction of severe judgment might well be a 'burden' that would render both body and mind uneasy. It might even be spoken of as being more than someone can bear. Such a prophetic word would be a 'burden' to the one who carried it, as well as to the one for whom it was destined. The word is translated as 'oracle' in most modern versions, by the prophet called to announce it.

The Prophet's Burden

The earlier chapters of Isaiah speak of the vision he saw (Isa 1:1) or of the word he received (Isa 2:1) but from chapter 13 onwards each prophecy is introduced by a different expression: that of a 'burden'. This continues until chapter 23.

God had things to say to Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Idumea, Arabia, Tyre and the Negev, as well as Jerusalem herself. To each of the nations or communities quite detailed and specific messages were conveyed - one wonders whether they were ever received. What is clear is that a considerable part of Isaiah's prophecy is taken up with foreign nations. Are we to assume that God had things to say to those ancient nations but has nothing to say to the nations of today? Is prophecy to be limited to the local church and its activities? Is there not a burden on our shoulders, too, to find out what the Lord wants proclaimed?

Considerable parts of Isaiah's prophecy are addressed to nations other than Israel. Are we to assume that God had things to say to them but has nothing to say to the nations of today?

Are We God's Burden?

In a foreboding passage in Jeremiah (23:33-40) the people are told by the prophet that when asked "What is the burden of the Lord!" they were to reply "You are the burden and I will cast you off". Instead of carrying God's word to whoever he had sent it, they were a burden and an obstruction to his purposes.

Later on in the same passage it is clear that the burden they were carrying was not the divine word but their own word, and in so doing they were perverting the words of the living God. Judgment is inevitable on those who stand in the way of sending forth God's word or who pervert the truth as they pass it on to others.

Expressing God's Compassion

One book in the Old Testament expresses particularly well the compassion, even agony, of a prophet - in this case Jeremiah - at the disaster that had overwhelmed Jerusalem. In Lamentations we see the kind of attitude that today's prophets ought to take over those who reject the Lord's word and plunge themselves into terrible trouble.

One could go almost through the alphabet with words that are used in this book to express the feelings felt in such situations: affliction, anguish, betrayed, bitterness, calamity, crushed, crying out, disgraced, downcast, destroyed, disturbed...right through to weary, wasting away, weeping, without pity and without hope! How the nations need prophets who will care like Jeremiah did!

The 'Woes!' of Jesus

There was one who cared even more than Jeremiah. Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth, wept over Jerusalem. He did not pray for that city, because it was now too late. He could only weep and exclaim, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not" (Matt 23:37). For Jerusalem, the Lord's special city, it was too late. There is still time, though perhaps not much, for us to get God's word to the nations. "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" (Isa 6:8). It is those who care who will reply: "Send me!"

First Published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3 No 6, November/December 1987.