Isaiah encountered the holy God and responded, “Woe is me! For I am lost.“ Another Hebrew prophet, Habakkuk, also encountered the holy God.

We find Habakkuk complaining in chapter 1, and he does so the right way—directly to God, not to others about God. It is very Hebraic to argue, to wrestle with God, and I suspect it is very healthy to do so. Not disrespectfully, but honestly. Tell him what’s on your heart, speak to him of your concerns: Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you (Psalm 55:22).

Listen to his forthright, even unsettling, honesty:

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law [torah] is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted (Habbakuk 1:2-4).

Habakkuk’s assessment of society around him is harsh yet all too familiar: violence, sin, and destruction are evident everywhere. God’s Torah is ignored so justice is absent, even perverted against those trying to live faithfully. He wants answers. The one he gets will absolutely boggle his mind. However, we won’t fully appreciate what’s going on unless we understand the holiness of God.

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told” (Habbakuk 1:5).

I have heard this text quoted in churches to encourage whatever it is they propose to do in the name of Jesus. Everyone rejoices because it is so exciting. God is about to do something wonderful, marvelous, and awesome. Um, excuse me. What about the context? Poor Habakkuk’s reaction tell a different story.

God says, “I am raising up the Babylonians.” The Babylonians? No wonder Habakkuk’s mind is blown: Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever (1:17)? Habakkuk well knows what this means. The Babylonians are a war machine, an elite fighting force of ruthless men intent on conquering, unlike anything the world had ever seen. They were feared and dreaded in the ancient world. But worse than all of that, they are pagans. Will the Holy One of Israel indeed use them to discipline his children, his chosen people?

Holiness teaches that God has the right to do whatever he pleases because he alone is holy.

How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways (Romans 11:33). His ways are not our ways. He has the right to do exactly what he wants to do to achieve his purposes because his name is holy, and it is for his sake, his honor, that things must be accomplished. C.S. Lewis pictured this memorably in his wonderful fantasy novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. New to the land of Narnia, the children are to meet Aslan, the lion.

Susan: “Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

Mrs. Beaver: “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

Lucy: “Then he isn’t safe?”

Mr. Beaver: “Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.

The prophet replies: O YHWH, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O YHWH, and I fear. Did Habbakuk strut into God’s throne room and demand an answer? No. The humble prophet wrestled honestly with the Holy One, who honored him with a response. It was an encounter that, like Isaiah, left him undone: I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me (Hab 3:2, 16).

Yet, my dear friends, listen to his final words: Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in YHWH; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places (3:17-19).

This reminds me of the familiar refrain in Psalm 118:24: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

The Hebrew word “bo” can mean either “it” or “him.” The grammatical construction allows for both. And both, in the dialectical tension of Hebrew thought, are true. But I think the more profound meaning is “Let us rejoice and be glad in Him.” Especially when we don’t understand what is going on.

• Though the fields yield no food, says Habakkuk, “I will praise you.” You alone are holy.
• Though I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, says Isaiah, “I will go for you.” You alone are holy.

This is the God of our salvation. And it is precisely because he is holy that you can rejoice and be glad in him, no matter whether it rains or shines, whether you are experiencing adversity or abundance. You may not like the day or the circumstances it brings. But never forget this, the One who is Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh has committed himself to your best. And though all else fails, he will not fail to be Immanuel.