TOO PURE TO LOOK ON EVIL

Passage: Habakkuk 1:12-2:1

Key verse: 1:13a

NIV

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?(A)
    My God, my Holy One,(B) you[a] will never die.(C)
You, Lord, have appointed(D) them to execute judgment;
    you, my Rock,(E) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure(F) to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(G)
Why then do you tolerate(H) the treacherous?(I)
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(J)
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
    like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked(K) foe pulls all of them up with hooks,(L)
    he catches them in his net,(M)
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
    and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense(N) to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
    and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
    destroying nations without mercy?(O)

2 I will stand at my watch(P)
    and station myself on the ramparts;(Q)
I will look to see what he will say(R) to me,
    and what answer I am to give to this complaint.[b](S)

Footnotes
  1. Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we
  2. Habakkuk 2:1 Or and what to answer when I am rebuked
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Habakkuk's Second Complaint

12 Are you not (A)from everlasting,
    O Lord my God, my Holy One?
    (B)We shall not die.
O Lord, (C)you have ordained them as a judgment,
    and you, O (D)Rock, have established them for reproof.
13 You who are (E)of purer eyes than to see evil
    and cannot look at wrong,
(F)why do you idly look at traitors
    and (G)remain silent when the wicked swallows up
    the man more righteous than he?
14 You make mankind like the fish of the sea,
    like crawling things that have no ruler.
15 (H)He[a] brings all of them up (I)with a hook;
    he drags them out with his net;
he gathers them in his dragnet;
    so he rejoices and is glad.
16 (J)Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and makes offerings to his dragnet;
for by them he lives in luxury,[b]
    and his food is rich.
17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net
    (K)and mercilessly killing nations forever?

2 I will (L)take my stand at my watchpost
    and station myself on the tower,
and (M)look out to see (N)what he will say to me,
    and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

Footnotes
  1. Habakkuk 1:15 That is, the wicked foe
  2. Habakkuk 1:16 Hebrew his portion is fat
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil (1:12-17)

Habakkuk complained to God once more. God's plan to punish his people wasn't fair. God's people were corrupt, but they were far better than the Babylonians! How could the Holy, Eternal God, the unchanging Rock, ordain such evil men to punish his people. How could God tolerate wrong?

2. Wicked fishermen (1:18-2:1)

The Babylonians were like wicked fishermen, and people were like fish in the sea with no ruler or shepherd. So the Babylonians caught nations and people in their nets like fish. They lived in luxury and worshiped their nets. Habakkuk cared about justice and righteousness; he also cared about his people. He knew that God cared about these things too, so he would stand watch and wait to see how God would answer his complaint.

Prayer: Lord, still we live in a world in which the wicked seem to triumph and evil men swallow up those more righteous than themselves. Lord, teach us to wait patiently on you.

One Word: Wait on God