Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Habakkuk Chapter 1
Metaphysically Interpreting Habakkuk 1:1-17
1:1The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. 1:2O Jehovah, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save. 1:3Why dost thou show me iniquity, and look upon perverseness? for destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention riseth up. 1:4Therefore the law is slacked, and justice doth never go forth; for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore justice goeth forth perverted.
1:5Behold ye among the nations, and look, and wonder marvellously; for I am working a work in your days, which ye will not believe though it be told you. 1:6For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.1:7They are terrible and dreadful; their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 1:8Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves; and their horsemen press proudly on: yea, their horsemen come from far; they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour. 1:9They come all of them for violence; the set of their faces is forwards; and they gather captives as the sand. 1:10Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a derision unto him; he derideth every stronghold; for he heapeth up dust, and taketh it. 1:11Then shall he sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty, even he whose might is his god.
1:12Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction. 1:13Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he; 1:14and makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
1:15He taketh up all of them with the angle, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them in his drag: therefore he rejoiceth and is glad. 1:16Therefore he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his drag; because by them his portion is fat, and his food plenteous. 1:17Shall he therefore empty his net, and spare not to slay the nations continually?
May 12, 1940: Habakkuk 1:12-17
What does the name Habakkuk mean? It means “embracing,” “infolding,” “a struggler.”
With what subject did Habakkuk's mind struggle? Habakkuk was preoccupied with the effort to reconcile the evil that he saw in the world with the good, or to account for the evil while admitting the omnipotence of God. Discerning the causes of events within his own consciousness, he tried to hold to the good, only at the same time that he undertook to do away with evil.
To whom does the habit of recognizing evil as real appertain? To the natural man.
How does he finally resolve the problem? He decides that the wicked who oppress others are “ordained” for judgment and “established” for correction. Wickedness finally eliminates itself.
What faith has the man who uses his power over others selfishly? Such a one is a materialist with no higher ideal than the satisfaction of his own desires. “He sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his drag.”
June 4, 1950: Habakkuk 1:1-4
What is the proper attitude to take toward the phenomena of good and evil in the world? The proper attitude is to fix our mind and thought on the good, refusing to let negative appearances affect or disturb us. “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what he will speak with me, and what I shall answer.” In the words of Emerson, “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.”
Is it helpful to write down our convictions? Yes. To make a written statement of our convictions clarifies them in our own mind, making it easier for us to hold to faith.
What vision was Habakkuk told to write? That the righteous shall live by his faith. Not only must we test our faith to prove whether it is based on Truth and is valid, but we must continue to use it daily. Our habitual attitude should be one of firm faith and confidence, and our actions should bear out our mental and spiritual attitude.
June 4, 1950: Habakkuk 1:12-13
Can we be sure that we are meant to have eternal life? God the Father is from everlasting, and we His children partake of His nature. Therefore we have within us the desire and the capacity for eternal life. “We shall not die.”
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-24-2014
