In the late 7th century BC a prophet named
Habakkuk recorded the oracle he received from God (1:1). It was put into
written form (2:1) and spread through the land, though we know almost nothing
about the man or how that was accomplished. He is mentioned in an
extra-biblical book from the period, Bel
and the Dragon, in which Habakkuk supplied food and water to Daniel when the
latter was in the den of lions (Daniel 6), but the book is not considered by
scholars to be historically dependable.
In any case, Habakkuk’s oracle begins with a complaint,
expressed with apparent fervor to God (1:2-3). Around him Habakkuk sees
violence and evil, so that people are plundered while they hide behind forms of
legality that shield them from justice (1:4). He wonders why God is silent, and
wonders how long God will refrain from acting. God responds that indeed he is
active, but that when Habakkuk hears what he is doing Habakkuk won’t be able to
believe it (1:5). God is correct, Habakkuk is not merely astounded, but
appalled, and lets God know it (1:12-2:1).
Sometimes the ancient Hebrew prophecies in Scripture are
deemed intellectual suspicious, a form of religious literature that educated,
modern people will find tedious to read and difficult to believe. Anyone who
accepts that obviously hasn’t read Habakkuk’s oracle. The social conditions
that tear at Habakkuk’s soul—violence, destruction, the plundering of the
powerless—seem torn from today’s headlines. And the question he raises—just
where is God in all this?—is as current as today’s editorial.
The oracle also illustrates the learning theory of Jean
Piaget (1896-1980). He saw that learning occurs when we discover something that
doesn’t fit into our thinking, and so results in some unease until we figure
out how everything fits together. It’s a process, from equilibrium, through
disequilibrium, to a new equilibrium, and reading the oracle of Habakkuk is
like walking through Piaget’s discovery.
So, what did Habakkuk learn? Well, the record is more richly
layered than this, but these three lessons seem clear—and are remarkably
applicable to our own age:
1. The God of Scripture is the God who listens—even to
complaints, doubts, and accusations launched against him.
2. God’s way of working is never what we would expect.
3. Placing hope in preferred political outcomes will always
disappoint.
Graphics: Statue of Habakkuk by Donatello (1386-1466) on the
exterior wall of the Duomo, Florence, Italy. Still from the movie The Road (2009) based on the novel by
Cormac McCarthy.
This entry was posted
at Monday, February 07, 2011
and is filed under
Disequilibrium,
Justice,
politics
. You can follow any responses to this entry through the
comments feed
.