Radio Streams
SA Radio
24/7 Radio Stream
VCY America
24/7 Radio Stream

CODE #

My Favorite Things
Home
NewsroomALL
Events | Notices | Blogs
Newest Audio | Video | Clips
Broadcasters
Church Finder
Live Webcasts
Sermons by Bible
Sermons by Category
Sermons by Topic
Sermons by Speaker
Sermons by Language
Sermons by Date
Staff Picks
CommentsALL -38 sec
Top Sermons
Online Bible
Hymnal
Daily Reading
Our Services
Broadcaster Dashboard
Members Only - Legacy

Jim Wetterlund | Greer, South Carolina
Contact Info | Edit
•  Email  |  Web
https://www.suberroad.org
•  Twitter
PHONE
864-801-0181
ADDRESS
Suber Road Baptist Church 445 South Suber Road Greer, SC 29650
MAILING
Suber Road Baptist Church 445 South Suber Road Greer, SC 29650
Podcast + Codes
SERMONS EMBED | Info
Mobile Apps | Info
•  ROKU TV
•  Apple TV
•  Chromecast
Enjoy sermons from this broadcaster
on a variety of mobile devices.
MyChurch: suber | Set
MyChurch Code#: 90948
Our Blog
Older
Newer
Blog
Post+
Search
  
Filter By

Frustrated with Evil!
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011
Posted by: Suber Road Baptist Church | more..
5,400+ views | 390+ clicks
This is part 3 in a series on suffering. Read parts 1 (How Long, O Lord) and parts 2 (When Suffering Hits Home).

"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." (Hab. 1:3)

In Habakkuk 1:3 the prophet shows a frustration with evil. Though evil comes in many forms, in this verse Habakkuk focuses on several forms of injustice. He lays out at least three categories of evil, all of which revolved around social justice: Oppression, Injustice, and Corruption. Two different words describe each of the three categories.

The first category fueling the prophet's frustration is oppression. Two words in verse 3, "iniquity" and "wrong," indicate that the strong were taking advantage of the weak. Jeremiah, a contemporary of Habakkuk tells us that the king opposed all who opposed him. Since the poor had no power, he refused to pay them fair wages (Jer. 22:13-19). In addition to this the prophets and priests were using their positions for their own gain: adultery, extortion. Censoring the truth always accompanies oppression. This is seen when the king burns Jeremiah's handwritten prophecy against him.

While Habakkuk was no doubt disturbed by the powerful oppressing the poor, he is especially puzzled at how God can allow powerful people to oppress those who follow His will. Difficult as it may be to understand how God allows wicked people to oppress those who are equally as wicked, it is all the more difficult to understand how God allows evil people to oppress the righteous. The psalmist gives a similar cry: "They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death" (Psalm 94:21). This was, in part, what caused the disciples on the Road to Emmaus to question their faith. Who could allow a group of wicked men to crucify this innocent, righteous man?

"Destruction" and "violence" make up the second category of injustice. Once again, the powerful were not loving the weak, but exploiting them. These two words remind us of the story of Eli's sons. They were giving a position of authority and privilege, but they abused their power, even the point of sexually harassing female worshippers.

Throughout the Word of God, God's people are called to not only abstain from abusing their power, but to use that power to help the weak. James talks about ministry to the orphans and widows. The Mosaic Law reminds employers to pay their employees at the end of each day to ensure that they can take care of their families. In Galatians Peter gives Paul his support, but reminds him to remember the poor.

Finally, corruption was everywhere. The words "strife" and "contention" may be legal terms indicating a corrupt system of justice. Strife was everywhere. Could Habakkuk be describing a sue-happy culture of frivolous law suits, where everybody is out to get one another?

The presence of such evil leads the prophet to a theological crisis: theodicy. How can a righteous God stand the sight of this injustice? His eyes are too pure to behold such sin (Hab. 1:13)! Habakkuk is not just frustrated by evil, but puzzled by it. How can a righteous God stand by and allow this to take place?

Is there any hope in this climate of corruption? Absolutely! This frustration with evil should remind us that there is coming a day when the Righteous One will right all the of wrongs and rule with both justice and mercy

You just finished reading Frustrated with Evil!! Consider leaving a comment!

Web Link:  CLICK TO FOLLOW EXTERNAL LINK
Category:  Suffering

post new | clone this | rss feed | blog top »
Text feature this blog entry
Our Blog
Older
Newer
Top


Prof. Russell Dykstra
Better is Little

Thanksgiving Day
Special Meeting
Byron Center PRC
Play! | RSS


Build-A-Vault

Hourly: True vs Self Righteousness
Chris Anderson
Bob Jones University
Staff Picks..

Sponsor:
New Book by John MacArthur

"The War on Childr­en: Prov­id­ing Refuge for Your Children in a Host­ile World"
https://www.amazon.com/war-..

Sponsor:
MacArthur Old Testament Commentaries

New series from John Mac­Arth­ur. Jon­ah/N­ahum and Zech­ar­iah now avail­able.
https://www.amazon.com/jona..

SPONSOR | 1,700+

SPONSOR




Gospel of John
Cities | Local | Personal

MOBILE
iPhone + iPad
ChurchOne App
Watch
Android
ChurchOne App
Wear
Chromecast TV
Apple TV
Android TV
ROKU TV
Amazon Fire TV
Amazon Echo
HELP
Knowledgebase
Broadcasters
Listeners
Q&A

TECH TALKS
All Tech Talks
Uploading Sermons
Webcasting
Embed Editor
SERVICES
Dashboard | Info
Cross Publish
Audio | Video | Stats
Sermon Player | Video
Church Finder | Info
Mobile & Apps
Webcast | Multicast
Solo Sites
Internationalization
Podcasting
Listen Line
Events | Notices
Transcription
Business Cards
QR Codes
Online Donations
24x7 Radio Stream
INTEGRATION
Embed Codes
Twitter
Facebook
Logos | e-Sword | BLB
API v2.0

BATCH
Upload via RSS
Upload via FTP
Upload via Dropbox

SUPPORT
Advertising | Local Ads
Support Us
Stories
ABOUT US
The largest and most trusted library of audio sermons from conservative churches and ministries worldwide.

Our Services | Articles of Faith
Broadcast With Us
Earn SA COINS!
Privacy Policy

THE VAULT VLOG
Build-A-Vault
Copyright © 2024 SermonAudio.