Post from July 25, 2023

”👟 RSD 1183 ✅ Verse: “Then the Lord replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.’” — Habakkuk 2:2 (1+1=2:8+3=11➡️1+1=2)

The Message translation for Habakkuk 2:1-3: “What’s God going to say to my questions? I’m braced for the worst. I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to see what God says, how He’ll answer my complaint. And then God answered: ‘Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.’”

Have you ever had to read something that just didn’t make sense? Think contracts. Loans. Legal jargon. Favorable loopholes in tax laws. Language in Congressional bills. Language in many of our laws. The iTunes user agreement. The language in these things needs to be specific as to cover the originator of the contract, and, from what I understand, certain actual words need to be present to accomplish this, but I also think that the language in a lot of these things is purposely ambiguous to actually favor the originator, or, in come cases, to hide some aspects of the document. Like, the language is so muddy that it’s really hard to see every point that’s being made. Or, did you ever have a professor in college that just…didn’t? I don’t mean the subject was hard; I mean that the professor didn’t break it down and explain it to you. Or, you have a friend who’s really good at something but can’t really break it down for you when you ask a basic question about how whatever works. Many times it’s just that explaining things requires a lot of different types of analysis and creativity, and people can only do so much. Their efforts might not match what’s needed for understanding, but they’re doing their best to try in this effect. But, there are some people where this is not the case. What about the people who want their explanations to go over your head? “Experts.” Some aspects of things have inherent levels (e.g. you need to learn how to read before you can read a novel and perform literary analysis on it), and even an amazing teacher can’t “jump you ahead” until you learn the basics first. But, there are many instances (again, some college profs come to mind) where a person has the ability to explain things in plain language and simply chooses not to. They either don’t want expend the effort to explain things at an easier level, or worse: they want to retain a sense of superiority by purposefully keeping their explanation at a certain level. If you “get it,” great. If you don’t—you’re just unworthy. You’re just not as smart (enlightened, clever, etc.) as they are.

Now, not everything is for everybody (e.g. not everyone is going to be an accomplished musician or actor or a computer engineer for NASA or a color specialist in the field of cosmetology…a lot of people just can’t envision the final product for these things: it’s just not where they excel), and, no matter how good the teacher, not everybody is going to be able to learn every thing. Talent and gifts are a thing, and everybody has something. Think about it: no matter how many times you watch “Fixer Upper,” you’re not going to be Joanna Gaines…and those people explain EVERYTHING. But, we’ve probably all encountered people who just didn’t seem to want to explain things clearly. They either want to maintain a level of prestige, or they want to hide part of the truth (think politicians), or they just don’t want to expend the effort. So, what’s the big deal? Well, if it’s a politician, you might not understand something crucial about a policy they’re trying to enact, something that might really affect you and your loved ones in the future. If it’s a college prof, you might not do well in the class because you simply don’t understand high-level explanations in a beginner to middle-level course (and it’s a class you needed where you did have the ability to be successful). If it’s a friend who you’ve gone to for help and they purposely chose to keep the explanation complicated, it makes you feel like you’re not smart. None of these situations are good. Learning new things is essential to the human experience, to developing our gifts, and to growing into the people God wants us to be. Someone explaining things in a way that makes sense is largely how people learn.

Today’s verse is from the Book of the prophet Habakkuk and his lamentations reaching out to God. See, things weren’t going great for Israel during Habakkuk’s time. There were many people who just peaced out on even attempting to live in the way that was respectful to God (and even to each other); even a lot of their leadership was corrupt. Habakkuk (like Jeremiah who we’ve previously discussed) was one of those people who did his best to live in a way that was pleasing to God, and he was one of those people who God gave a “heads up” to so that he could advise his community and Israel at-large about where they stood with God and how their current trajectory (of selfishness, injustice, greed, etc) would play out. The way people (especially in power) were treating ordinary people was reprehensible. If you were just a normal person trying to live life in Habakkuk’s Israel, you would be at the mercy of wealthy businessmen, landowners, and officials who (via taxes, rent, work contracts…changing contracts) would purposely create a system where you were always in debt to them, where you didn’t have a fair shake in the justice system. There was a great deal of violence because justice was unequally distributed and favored the wealthy and the esteemed. And, basic human decency to your fellow brethren as outlined in the Torah (the scriptures of Genesis through Deuteronomy in the Hebrew Bible, which are also the first 5 books of the Christian Bible) was out of vogue. So, if you were an ordinary Hebrew citizen, especially if you were trying to live the way God would want you to amidst all the chaos, life was difficult. Habakkuk noticed all of this and was sad and frustrated (for both himself and others); he didn’t just go, “Oh, well I’m doing MY best to live the way God wants me to, so I’m Gucci,” and then not worry about it anymore. God had given Habakkuk the gift, not only of prophecy (the “heads up” thing), but also of compassion and empathy, really seeing people and their struggles. Habakkuk 1:1-4 highlights his thoughts on their current situation (this is The Message translation). “God, how long do I have to cry out for help before You listen? How many times do I have to yell, ‘Help! Murder! Police!’ before You come to the rescue? Why do You force me to look at evil, stare trouble in the face day after day? Anarchy and violence break out, quarrels and fights all over the place. Law and order fall to pieces. Justice is a joke. The wicked have the righteous hamstrung and stand justice on its head.” Habakkuk had the same lamentations that a lot of us do today. Where is God when everything around us is going wrong?

God answers Habakkuk, basically saying things will get worse before they get better but also that, in time, things will greatly improve. Now, you’ve probably heard it said that “God’s time is not our time,” so it can seem that we have to wait and wait and wait before we see any inch of improvement. One of the things God gives Habakkuk a “heads up” about is that Babylon is going to take over Israel, which was unwelcome news. Habakkuk basically says to God that these other people are even worse, but God points out that Israel had basically created a system that made their independence unsustainable. Free will—it doesn’t always go well. God does offer some encouragement though, and it’s encouragement that still helps us today: that He will use even unfavorable situations to work toward good. That can be difficult for us to get on board with; hard times are disheartening, scary, frustrating, and take a toll on both our psyche and our spirit. But, God tells Habakkuk that He’s still present, even in these hard times, and that He’s going to stay close to those who lean on Him. Ultimately, God’s perfect plan will prevail; Babylon will fall too. It’s like this. Have you ever heard the song “Bless the Broken Road”? The Rascal Flatts redid it in 2005; it’s a love song (so the “you” is this person’s true love), but I think the lyrics will help with the point we’re discussing because it’s about things not working out…until they did, and the speaker here recognizes that God was at work throughout. “I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow and kept pushing through; I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you. That every long lost dream led me to where you are. Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars pointing me on my way into your loving arms. This much I know is true: that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.” Feeling lost on a difficult journey is human, but God tells us in the Book of Habakkuk and throughout the Bible that He’s always there working. This is super important information, and God wanted it to be clear.

So, in today’s verse, God tells Habakkuk to make sure he relays the information he’s gifted with in a “plain English” (really plain Hebrew) way. God tells Habakkuk to “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run.” God wants the message to be communicated clearly. It stands to reason that Habakkuk was probably a decently smart guy—I mean, he’s able to sift through these complex problems, ideas, and emotions, and he has obviously studied the Torah a lot as to gain the best understanding he can. It might not be smarts in the way we think of it, rather these complex lamentations could be more revelations given to him by God (God’s answers to him certainly were), but Habakkuk was definitely wise enough to listen to God and to do his best to do the Lord’s work; even though he didn’t understand why God was allowing bad events to take place, he believed God’s words that He would ultimately use everything that happens for good and that God would be there for His people. Some scholars (religious and otherwise) back in Habakkuk’s day (and even today as well) always want to be extra special and don’t do their duty to reach out a loving hand to bring others up in knowledge and understanding; they flat-out don’t care if other people succeed in their quest to live as best they can. Habakkuk was charged to relay the words of warning and encouragement from God to his people in a way that they could understand them. If the message is unattainable, no one benefits, so messages need to be clear.

Communication—it’s a vibe, essential for living with ourselves and with others. Think about how much conflict we could avoid if ideas were communicated clearly, honestly, and respectfully. Habakkuk’s words have survived for thousands of years, and both the warnings and the encouragements are still needed. The warnings? Babylon coming in to wreck shop can take on many forms—I don’t just mean country vs. country. These can be between different societal groups or even between individuals in social groups. It can be trends in how we treat each other or in the global economy. It can be trends in how we regard the words of God. Babylon comes in different forms to destroy in different ways. The enemy armies of Babylon find chinks in the armor of our character and lead us into undesirable situations that destroy us and to habits, etc. where we destroy ourselves. Part of practicing clear communication is communicating with ourselves regarding what we are doing well and what we need to work on (you know, what unfavorable things are trying to win in our lives?). Here comes the encouragement. In the times when Babylon is trying to conquer us, God is there. God will help us throughout with our grit, our tenacity, our strength, our patience, our faith, and our hope. As far as God’s deliverance from difficult situations, “If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” God will “bless the broken road” that leads you safely to where you’re meant to be. Regarding life and the difficulties it may present, Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” How’s that for clarity?”