Habakkuk , Sarah Barry
TOO PURE TO LOOK ON EVIL
Passage: Habakkuk 1:12~2:1  
Key verse: 1:13a
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint12 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)
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)
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we
- Habakkuk 2:1 Or and what to answer when I am rebuked
Cross references
- Habakkuk 1:12 : S Ge 21:33
- Habakkuk 1:12 : Isa 31:1; 37:23
- Habakkuk 1:12 : Ps 118:17
- Habakkuk 1:12 : Isa 10:6
- Habakkuk 1:12 : S Ge 49:24; S Ex 33:22
- Habakkuk 1:13 : Ps 18:26
- Habakkuk 1:13 : S La 3:34-36
- Habakkuk 1:13 : ver 3
- Habakkuk 1:13 : S Ps 25:3
- Habakkuk 1:13 : S Job 21:7
- Habakkuk 1:15 : Jer 5:26
- Habakkuk 1:15 : S Isa 19:8
- Habakkuk 1:15 : S Job 18:8; Jer 16:16
- Habakkuk 1:16 : Jer 44:8
- Habakkuk 1:17 : S Isa 14:6; 19:8
- Habakkuk 2:1 : S Isa 21:8
- Habakkuk 2:1 : S Ps 48:13
- Habakkuk 2:1 : Ps 85:8
- Habakkuk 2:1 : S Ps 5:3; S Eze 3:17
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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