Fairness and Purity

Fairness and Purity
 
“Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” Habakkuk 1.13
 

Habakkuk 1.13 is a powerful verse where the prophet wrestles with the problem of evil. He appeals to God’s absolute holiness but questions why a just God remains silent while the wicked (the Babylonians) conquer those who are more righteous (the people of Judah – God’s chosen).
 
Quite often it seems that God becomes a spectator as the world of evil pushes its agenda forward onto those who try to do the right thing. While Habakkuk knows the truth – that God can neither “behold” nor “look on” iniquity” – he has difficulty understanding why God would continue to stand by as the Babylonians oppress and subjugate God’s chosen people. Is God not aware? Does He not care? Is He inconsistent with Himself?
 
The absolute holiness of God is a truth of both natural and revealed religion. We could not worship one who was not supremely holy. Every reason we have for believing in God at all is a reason for attributing this character to Him. The words of our text are an appeal to God on the ground of His holiness; an appeal to Him to explain what seemed inconsistent with this. It is the old, old problem. Why does God tolerate the existence, even permit the triumph, of the wicked? The holiness of His personal character must be offended at them; the righteousness of His rule demands their exposure and defeat; and yet again and again we see them prosperous. The results which are brought by the rule of God in a compromised world, where sin is allowed to display itself, are just the ends which a Holy Being would delight to see reconciled.
 
Consider our skewed vision of God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness. Even though we might strive to be equitable in our judgments, we fail miserably because of our sinful nature. We see through a mud-glazed windshield into the sun barely able to keep our heap on the road. The further we try to see into eternity, the more blurred our perception.
 
Consider our pitiful pleas to the eternal God. Offering to Him our truncated appeals which are often more sporadic than consistent, we must admit to entering into less than fervent praying – both for answers and understanding. Again, we tend to stumble over our human weaknesses and falter when attempting to understand the mind of the Almighty and Eternal One.
 
Consider the methods God uses for rebuking and disciplining His children. Sometimes, as we walk along our path of life, we slip and stumble – sometimes, we willingly step out of the way. Having found ourselves off of God’s perfect path for our lives, He may choose to engage some harsh measures in regaining our attention and gaining our cry for help. To a toddler, the word “No!” may become a challenge that must be met with some firmer method.
 
Consider, finally, the fact that our view of God is, at best, nearsighted and narrow-minded. His ways are so beyond our understanding that even with our new set of eyeglasses, fitted on our faces at the Cross, we strain to get a clear glimpse of our Creator. We strain for a hint of His glory but fall short of His majesty and purity.
 
It is during those times that we trust God – even in the dark – even when our vision is obscured because we can trust Him. His eyes are perfectly pure and His vision completely accurate. Our conundrum lies in our lack of understanding; we, like Habakkuk, are hindered in our understanding, left wondering.  So, the mystery that will one day be revealed to us, remains a mystery.