What other scriptures address God's response to injustice and evil? Seeing God’s Heart in Habakkuk 1:13 “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do You tolerate the treacherous? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” • Habakkuk voices the cry we still feel: “Lord, why does injustice seem to win?” • The verse affirms two bedrock truths: – God’s eyes are “too pure to look on evil” – He is utterly holy. – He “cannot tolerate wrongdoing” – He must and will deal with sin. Echoes of Purity and Justice in the Law and Prophets • Deuteronomy 32:4 – “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A faithful God without injustice, righteous and upright is He.” – From Israel’s earliest songs, God’s flawless justice is non-negotiable. • Isaiah 30:18 – “For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.” – Waiting does not cancel justice; it positions us to see it fulfilled. • Nahum 1:2-3 – “The LORD is avenging and wrathful… the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” – God’s patience (slow to anger) never negates His eventual reckoning. • Isaiah 10:1-3; Micah 6:8; Jeremiah 11:20 – the prophets repeatedly denounce corrupt rulers and trust God to vindicate the oppressed. God’s Justice Sung in the Psalms • Psalm 9:7-9 – “He judges the world with justice… the LORD is a refuge for the oppressed.” • Psalm 94:1-2, 14-15 – “O LORD, God of vengeance… Rise up… For the LORD will not forsake His people.” • Psalm 73 (esp. vv. 17-20) – Asaph’s perspective changes in God’s sanctuary: the wicked’s end is sudden ruin. • These songs turn frustration into worship by rehearsing God’s righteous track record. Promises in the Teaching of Jesus • Luke 18:7-8 – “Will not God bring about justice for His elect…? I tell you, He will swiftly grant them justice.” – Persistence in prayer is paired with certainty of divine response. • Matthew 25:31-46 – the Son of Man separates the nations; mercy and cruelty are judged openly. – Jesus personalizes judgment: “Whatever you did to one of the least… you did to Me.” Apostolic Assurance of Final Reckoning • Romans 12:19 – “Do not avenge yourselves… ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” • 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 – “It is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you… when the Lord Jesus is revealed.” • Acts 17:31 – “He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed.” • Revelation 6:10; 19:1-2 – Heaven’s martyrs and multitudes praise God’s true and just judgments. Lived Confidence Today • God sees every act of oppression (James 5:4). • He invites us to shelter in Him while He handles the verdict (Psalm 9:9; Proverbs 21:12). • Our calling is patient faith, steady righteousness, and bold hope, trusting the God whose “eyes are too pure to look on evil” to finish what He has promised. |
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