I analyzed a poem in a high school English class as homework. I spent a lot of time on it. I entered class on the following day ready to answer every question. However, as the discussion progressed, I quickly realized all my time and effort had barely scratched the surface. Whether my classmates read cliff notes about it or were simply better poem interpreters, I may never know. But one thing I do know: After the teacher explained the meaning of the poem in class, the mystery of the poem dissolved so quickly that I forgot it had ever been mysterious.
Biblical prophecy is similar. It seems like a mystery until someone who has studied it in depth explains it to you. Then it seems so clear that you forget that it was ever difficult to understand.
The book of Habakkuk in the Bible is like that. Habakkuk is a minor prophet. A prophetic book of the Bible means it contains prophecy. Prophecy is something that will happen in the future. Some Bible prophecy has already been fulfilled and some has yet to be fulfilled. The Old Testament contains 12 “minor” prophets at the end. What make them minor you ask? Great question! They were children. Just kidding. They only told half or partial prophecies. Kidding again. The name “minor prophet” is actually just a name given to that section of the Bible by Bible Scholars. The only reason they are “minor” is because their books of prophecy are shorter than those of the “Major prophets.” The major prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel have books in the Bible ranging from 48-66 chapters long! The minor prophets’ books are more like 1-15 chapters long. They are not any less important, just shorter. Maybe they were more concise.
Let’s look at a passage of prophecy from Habakkuk together.
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
That’s a pretty neat sounding verse, right? And I’ll give you a clue. It’s not yet been fulfilled.
Most of Habakkuk 2 explains the evil people have done and got away with. This verse serves as a reminder that it will not always be that way. One day, everyone will know of God! Everyone!
In other words, those doing evil will not get by with it forever. The Lord does see and He will do something about it. Just as it seems like evil is currently reigning all over the world, one day God will reign all over the world. He is patiently waiting for more people to come to know Him before He returns to make that happen. What will it look like for the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord?
One day, everyone will know about God. Habakkuk said so.
“For the earth
will be filled
with the knowledge
of the glory
of the Lord
as the waters
cover
the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
Do you ever wonder, “where is God?” when it seems as if evil reigns? I’m Habakkuk 2, God answers that question. As the list of evil continues, it ends answering where God is.
“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20).
In other words, God does see! God will punish. It will all be OK in the end. And we do not need to worry, fear, or question Him. To be silent means to trust the One in authority.
Sometimes, after my kids go to bed, I often hear them misbehaving, but I do not always intervene or correct them right away. Then sometimes the oldest tells on her siblings. I have to remind her that she is not their momma and that I will deal with them when the time comes (which is usually 2.3967 minutes later). It’s the same with God. We are not God. Therefore, we should trust Him to deal with evildoers in our world in His timing. Just as a mom knows what her kids are up to by only listening, so God knows. He knows it all.
[1] NIV Study Bible: Habakkuk Introduction. 1985 version. Zondervan. Pages 1411-1412.
