Dr Paul Allen

In the early chapters of The Institutes of the Christian Religion written by John Calvin, Calvin makes a statement that goes something like this:  "Hence that dread and terror by which holy men of old trembled before God, as Scripture uniformly relates." What Calvin was saying is this: that there is a pattern to human responses to the presence of God in the Scripture and it seems that the more righteous the person is described, the more he trembles when he enters the immediate presence of God. There is nothing cavalier or casual about the response of Habakkuk when he meets the holy God. Do you remember Habakkuk's complaint? Where he saw all of the degradation and injustices that were sweeping across the landscape in his homeland and he was so offended by this that he went up into his watchtower and he complained against God and he said "God, you are so holy that you can't even behold iniquity.  How can you stand by and let all of these things come ...

Perhaps no book of the Bible captures the current cultural mood of the world as painfully and perfectly as the ancient book of Habakkuk. Rarely preached on, often overlooked, and brief in length, it is the painful plea from a broken man to God. He opens his dialogue by asking - Why God is there evil and “how long” it will last? Anytime you turn on talk radio, the same thing happens call after call and day after day. People call in to vent their frustration with politics, economics, and pop culture. They rant about how unjust the world is since the bad guys are winning while the good guys are weeping. Philosophically, this pain is often referred to as the problem of evil. The Problem of Evil The Bible reveals that God created this world in a good state. Upon the creation of the man and woman, God declared his entire creation “very good”( Gen. 1:31). This intended state of beauty and harmony in all things is described in the Old Testament as “shalom” (Isa. 2:2–4; 11:1–9; 32:14–20; 43:...

The prophet Habakkuk was sorely distressed. His misery was provoked by the spectacle of the threat of the pagan nation of Babylon against Judah. To this prophet it was unthinkable that God would use an evil nation against His own people; after all, Habakkuk mused, "God is too holy even to look upon evil." So the prophet protested by mounting his watchtower and demanding an answer from God: "And the LORD answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith" (Hab. 2:2–4). The final words of this utterance, "the righteous shall live by faith," are cited three times in the New Testament by the familiar words, "the just shall live by faith." In this phr...

Habakkuk the prophet, Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) We have manifold references in Scripture to believers bitterly complaining and almost accusing God of unfairness or harshness. We sometimes look at these instances and think, “Well, if Moses can do it, if Job can do it, then it must be my prerogative as a Christian to voice my bitterness and complaints.” But we need to notice not just the complaints the biblical saints sometimes make, but the responses God gives. Let’s take Job’s complaint as an example. As Job struggled with his afflictions, he found it impossible not to grumble that God would let one as righteous as he was suffer so greatly. Eventually, however, God answered Job’s complaints with stern words: “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me” ( Job 38:2–3 ). What did Job say? Did he continue to complain? No. Instead, he declared...

Habakkuk the prophet, Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it." ( Habakkuk 2:19 ) How foolish are those who worship idols--objects of wood and stone with no life in them, not even when they are adorned in silver and gold. Can inanimate objects come to life and even become teachers? A child knows better. But not college professors! All over the land, these proud purveyors of "science falsely so called" are indoctrinating young minds with the absurd belief that inorganic substances can somehow first become simple living substances and then eventually organize themselves all the way up to being people. They would not, of course, suggest that sticks and stones could suddenly become human (neither did the ancient idolaters, for that matter). They just be...

English: Fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah Русский: Бегство Лота из Содома (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Bible provides us with many examples of people who stood before God in confusion, grief, anxiety, or fear and addressed their questions to him. It would be well worth doing a comprehensive survey of all the questions we find in the Bible. Many are rhetorical, of course—merely a way of making a strong affirmation. But many of the questions in the Bible seem to arise out of a profound longing to understand the ways of God when he speaks or acts or when he declares his intention to do so, in ways that transcend our comprehension. Abraham is bold enough to become the first person in the Bible to initiate a conversation with God by asking him questions, questions about the justice of his intentions regarding Sodom and Gomorrah . “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” he asks (Gen. 18:25). Sarah’s question, locked in the reality of barrenness and muttered in bitter laughter, was ...

Image via Wikipedia "When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favor." ( Isaiah 27:11 )   Like a mighty tree towering over the forest, God raises up a mighty nation from time to time, with a great leader, to accomplish some purpose in the divine plan.  He "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation" ( Acts 17:26 ).   But when that nation and its leaders become proud, and its people become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, it becomes like a tree whose branches wither and whose core becomes riddled with insect-caused decay.  Finally, the boughs break, the kingdom will fall, and down will come that nation, its leaders and all!   Tha...

Image via Wikipedia When Abraham arrived in Canaan , it was by no means a great nation. But he dwelt there, living in tents . God may have prepared a mansion for him in heaven, but in Canaan all he had was a tent.  The only parcel of Canaan he ever actually owned was his burial plot . Abraham waited. This is perhaps the hardest test of faith. Unrealized expectations make for bitterness and despair in many people’s lives.  But Abraham waited in faith, just as God later required of the prophet Habakkuk , when He said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (Hab. 2:2–3). Abraham waited in faith and died in faith. With the rest of the Old Testament saints, it was said: “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not rece...

Image via Wikipedia "O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy." ( Habakkuk 3:2 )   Habakkuk had long been grieved by the apostasy and injustice in Judah. A sensitive man who trusted God completely, he could not understand why God allowed such rampant sin to go unpunished. Knowing God must have a reason for His actions, he asked in faith the question, "Why?" ( 1:3 ).   In love God honors Habakkuk's sincere question, but the answer caused him even greater concern: "For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not their's" ( v. 6 ). God intended to use the vicious Babylonians to punish His chosen people ( vv. 5-11 ).   This prompted the prophet's second question, "How?" How could God use such an evil people...

Image via Wikipedia Some of the people in the biblical narratives seem to bargain with God . For instance, Hezekiah reminds God of what a good king he has been. Is it proper to pray in this fashion? Scripture is brutally honest with us, revealing the faults and vices of the saints, as well as their virtues. We see inappropriate conduct even from great men such as Abraham , Moses , and David .  Thus, the fact that the Bible tells us that various men tried to bargain or negotiate with God should not communicate to us that this is the appropriate way to deal with Him. Scripture is simply revealing this common human tendency, not sanctioning it.  The fact is, people do this all the time. I’ve found myself trying to make deals with God, saying, “God, if you’ll just give me one more chance, I’ll do this, this, this, and this.” God doesn’t listen to that kind of prayer , for we are in no position to bargain with Him. To attempt to do so is to insult His character. Scripture also co...

Image via Wikipedia Some of the people in the biblical narratives seem to bargain with God . For instance, Hezekiah reminds God of what a good king he has been. Is it proper to pray in this fashion? Scripture is brutally honest with us, revealing the faults and vices of the saints, as well as their virtues. We see inappropriate conduct even from great men such as Abraham , Moses , and David .  Thus, the fact that the Bible tells us that various men tried to bargain or negotiate with God should not communicate to us that this is the appropriate way to deal with Him. Scripture is simply revealing this common human tendency, not sanctioning it.  The fact is, people do this all the time. I’ve found myself trying to make deals with God, saying, “God, if you’ll just give me one more chance, I’ll do this, this, this, and this.” God doesn’t listen to that kind of prayer , for we are in no position to bargain with Him. To attempt to do so is to insult His character. Scripture also co...