Have you heard the saying that God always answers our prayers, but it’s not always the answer we want? Today’s passage offers a master class in exactly that principle.

In verses 2–4 Habakkuk questioned whether God would allow evil and injustice to rule the land of Israel. In verses 5–11 the Lord answers, but it’s not quite the answer the prophet had in mind. Verse 5 is one of the more well known verses in Habakkuk; it’s often cited as a promise that God will do something big and amazing—and it is! “Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told” (v. 5). But we must be mindful of the context. What is this amazing thing the Lord would do? “I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people” (v. 6).

The Babylonians! Isn’t this the people who would later sack Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and take Daniel and his three friends—along with many thousands more— into captivity? Yes, those Babylonians. The Lord describes them more fully in the remaining verses of today’s passage. They “seize dwellings not their own” (v. 6) and “are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor” (v. 7). These people are “intent on violence” (v. 9), they “mock kings and scoff at rulers” (v. 10), and they are a “guilty people, whose own strength is their god” (v. 11).

In other words, the Lord responds to Habakkuk’s complaints about wickedness in Israel by saying that He is raising up a mighty and incredibly powerful nation—a nation that worships only itself. The implication is clear: God will use Babylon to discipline His people.

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