The Problem of Evil

Sermon Transcript:

(transcribed with AI)

Promontory Community Church exists to make disciples of Jesus who know, live, and share the gospel for the glory of God.

Good morning everyone. It is good to be here with you all. My name is Jonathan. I have the privilege of being one of the pastors here, and this morning we are going to be starting on a new sermon series. If you have a Bible with you, let me invite you to open to the book of Habakkuk. I'm telling you that now so that you have a little bit of time to actually figure out where that book is. It's kind of near the end of the Old Testament — one of those little books at the end. While this is a short little book, just 3 chapters long, it is a fascinating book to work through. Partly it's fascinating because what we are going to read is essentially a conversation between the prophet Habakkuk and God, and we get to listen in as Habakkuk is talking to God. What we're going to see is that he is complaining to God. Habakkuk has some big complaints that he is going to bring to God's attention, and God is actually going to answer back.

Partly, just that is a very interesting way of writing a book, but probably what is even more interesting is the fact that the question Habakkuk is asking God is one I'm going to bet every single person either has asked or will ask at some point in their lives. Habakkuk is approaching God and asking him: why is there so much evil in this world?

I don't think you have to do much more than just turn on the news today to see exactly that. You turn on the news and you are going to be told about wars going on all around our world. You're going to be told about political scandal, corruption, all kinds of things going on all the time. We're going to see all kinds of violence, even murder, that takes place in our world seemingly every single day. That's not even to get into the truly horrific things that happen around our world — things like slavery, sex trafficking, child exploitation, truly horrific acts that are part of our world. And it's not just something that happens far away. Even within our own city, we see problems with drug abuse, homelessness, mental health problems all around us. Just drive downtown Chilliwack and you'll see it. You'll see the effects of all kinds of evil that go on around us. Whether it's on our phones or out our window, we see a broken, fallen world — and that's before we even talk about all the things we personally go through. The broken relationships, marriages, problems with work, problems with other people around us, problems with health, problems with pain in our bodies. We go through evil all the time.

Whether or not you've asked God the question, at some point we all have to wrestle with this: why is there so much evil going on? The Bible calls it sin — the effects of a broken, fallen world — but whatever you call it, we can certainly see the effects of it. Time and time again, it's one of the reasons why people don't believe in God. Maybe that's you here today. You're looking out and saying, how could a good God exist in a world with this much pain and brokenness? You walk into a Philosophy 101 class and they'll tell you this is called the problem of evil. Classically it's just 3 points: Number 1, God is good. Number 2, God is all powerful. Number 3, evil exists. You only get to have 2. We know evil exists, and so God might be good, but he certainly isn't all powerful because evil is still here. Or God might be all powerful, but then he certainly isn't good because of how much evil we see around us.

Now there are quite a number of answers to that argument. The first is that it's based on an assumption that a good God who has all knowledge and all power would have no reason to use evil. In fact, the Bible shows us time and time again that God can use evil for his good purposes. But for most of us, we don't address this problem in an ivory tower — it's something we feel. It's a problem that we experience and go through, and this is exactly what the prophet Habakkuk is crying out to God about. God, why is there so much evil in this world? And what's so fascinating about this book is that God is going to answer back. It's a conversation between Habakkuk and God. Why is there so much evil around us?

If you have found your way to the book of Habakkuk, we're going to follow along and read just the first back and forth between Habakkuk and God. It's our tradition here to stand as we read God's word. If you're able, would you stand with me?

The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. Oh 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 is paralyzed and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted.

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. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome. Their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men whose own might is their god.

Thus far the reading of God's word. You may be seated.

The book of Habakkuk begins, in one sense, very abruptly. We get one little introductory verse and then straight into complaining. Habakkuk is ready to go and complain to God. In one sense it's very fitting that that's the way this book begins, because it's a question we have been asking for thousands of years. As long as people have been around, we've been asking this question: why? Why is there so much evil?

It's helpful for us, if we're going to understand God's answer to this question, to realize what is going on in Habakkuk's day. A few weeks ago we were going through the life of David — looking at David and Saul. Saul was the very first king of Israel. Well, this is now jumping forward about 500 years. A lot has happened between those two points. Very notably, a civil war broke out in Israel. The whole country fractured into two different countries: the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah. By the time of Habakkuk, the northern kingdom has already been destroyed. The Assyrians, the superpower of the day, came down and utterly wiped them off the map. All that's left is tiny Judah.

If you know your biblical history, you know Judah had some really good kings — some really righteous leaders — and they also had some really bad kings. During Habakkuk's time, they've only got bad kings. In fact, it's been really, really horrific. Habakkuk lives at the same time as Jeremiah and Zephaniah, so we actually get a pretty good picture of what's going on at the time. People had completely abandoned following God's law. They weren't even really trying. They were bringing idols into the temple in order to worship them in God's temple. There was just open corruption. The rich, the powerful, the influential could get away with anything. The courts were on their side. There was just open abuse — no one was even trying to follow after God. God had been warning them for quite some time, but it seemed like nothing was happening. God had been warning them for hundreds of years, and seemingly everything was just carrying on as it always had. Hence Habakkuk is approaching God and crying out: God, what is going on? Why is there so much evil here?

And God's answer back to Habakkuk is: judgment is coming. This morning we're just going to look at that part of the conversation. There's obviously much more to go, and we'll get more as we continue on. But just that first question and answer is already perhaps a surprising answer that we're not expecting. God will actually punish evil. We are to remember that when we see the evil of this world, it should make us cry out to God, trusting his judgment as we come to him for forgiveness.

Let's start at the beginning and look at Habakkuk's first question: why does evil exist? Look at verse two:

Oh Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear, or cry to you "violence" and you will not save?

Habakkuk begins this conversation with complaining — it's how a lot of our conversations start. And more than that, he's saying to God: God, you're not doing anything. I've been asking you, I've been pleading with you to do something about all the problems going on around us, and God, you're doing nothing.

Verse 3:

Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?

Here's really the core of the complaint from Habakkuk. God, why am I seeing so much evil — iniquity, sin, wrong? It's so bad even I can see what's happening. But secondly, God, why are you idle? Why are you not doing anything about this? It's, in one sense, a serious charge that Habakkuk is bringing against God: God, you're not handling this. And part of the problem is it just doesn't line up with what Habakkuk is expecting from the character of God.

Listen to Psalm 33:

For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

You read that and you think, yes, that sounds beautiful — and then you look out and think, wait, really? Is it really full of the love of God? Does God really love justice and righteousness?

Psalm 103:

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.

Does he? Habakkuk's looking at a lot of people being oppressed, and he's crying out: God, where are you? Why is nothing happening?

One more, Psalm 5:

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes. You hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies. The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

So God loves righteousness and justice, he hates wickedness, he will oppose the proud. So God, where are you? Because all I'm looking at are proud people who are not facing any kind of consequence for their actions. In fact, it seems like they're getting away with it.

And so he comes to God and he is just complaining. I don't know if you've ever felt this way — looking out at the world and going, God, what's happening? Why do evildoers just seem to get away with it? At some point all of us are going to ask these kinds of questions. They seem like the kind of thing you almost shouldn't be asking as a Christian. Oh, no, you shouldn't ask that question. Apparently the Bible is okay with it. Habakkuk is straightforwardly speaking to God about this very thing.

In fact, this is not an isolated prayer either. Listen to Psalm 13:

How long, oh Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

All throughout the Bible, we have men and women just pouring out their hearts before God, asking: God, where are you? What are you doing in our world? I can't see what is happening.

Let me simply say: that's exactly what we're supposed to do in this situation. We're meant to pour ourselves out before God. Do not be afraid to come to God with an honest request — to honestly speak to God about what your life looks like. God is not afraid. Pour yourself out before him. Consistently, when you do so, what you find is that God is so much closer. If you learn nothing else from this book — and I hope you do learn more — would it be that in our sufferings, troubles, and pain, we would learn to cry out to God.

Philippians tells us:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

What should we pray about? Everything. Everything is on the table to come to God with. So pour yourself out, crying out to God. Habakkuk is never once rebuked for pointing out all the problems that are happening. In fact, we're invited and called, when we see the evil of our world, to cry out to God even more. Don't let it pull you further away — let it help you come closer to God and cry out to him.

So we need to ask the question: God, are you going to do anything about this? Are you going to do anything about all of this evil? And here's the point where God actually steps into the story. Anytime God does this in the Bible, it's always met with a far more shocking response than anyone is prepared for, and I'm going to argue this is much the same. Because God's response to Habakkuk's complaint was not what he was expecting at all. God's answer is that he is bringing judgment.

Look at verse 5:

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.

God says: actually, I am doing something, and you're not even going to believe what I am about to tell you. But even before we move on, we need to recognize what God just said: he is doing something. Despite the fact that Habakkuk couldn't see it, despite the fact that Habakkuk had just charged God with being idle and doing nothing, God's response is: I've been doing quite a lot. We need to always remember that what we can see is not the same as everything that God is doing.

If you need an example, just think about asking a kid what their parents do for a living. I remember when I was young — probably 3 or 4 — my dad was a pastor, and what I thought being a pastor was, was that you got to drive the car. Because that's all I saw my dad doing. I saw him go to work in the car, he came back from work in the car. That's what my dad does — he drives the car. So often that's how we approach God: well, this is all I saw him doing. We need to remember that God is doing far more than what we could expect. Habakkuk's complaint that God was idle is not true, and so God now begins to reveal to Habakkuk what he has been doing — but again, not what Habakkuk was expecting.

Look back at verse 6:

For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans.

The Chaldeans are the Babylonians — different words, same people. God says: I am right now raising up Babylon. Everything after this is just a description of the Babylonians that is coming. If you know something of the history of the time, you'll know Babylon is a problem. Because as bad as the Assyrians were, the Babylonians were worse. Right now they had been sweeping across the world, conquering everything in their path, and they were known for being more vicious and cruel than the Assyrians, who were already bad. They were rushing through place after place, conquering, leaving them level, capturing whoever they could, and moving on. They were like a devastating plague sweeping across the ancient world.

Here's God's answer. Habakkuk asked God: why aren't you doing anything? God's answer is: I am. I am raising up an army to utterly and completely wipe them out. Habakkuk, I'm guessing, is a little shocked by this, because that's not what he was expecting God to say. This is part of God's answer to the problem of evil — he will destroy all evil.

God has seen the evil that is happening. It hasn't escaped his notice. In fact, God has already been working on a response to this, and they will face judgment for what they have done. It's going to come in the form of the Babylonians. What we get here now is a description of what it will be like.

Verse 6:

...that bitter and hasty nation who marched through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.

They are conquering country after country on their way to meet Judah.

Verse 7:

They are dreaded and fearsome. Their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.

Meaning they have their own version of justice and morality. They don't actually care what you think about how you should be treated — they're more concerned about what they think, and it turns out they think you should be captured.

Verse 8:

Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle, swift to devour.

This poetic description of their army — like leopards, wolves, and eagles. You might ask yourself: why are we getting this very pro-Babylonian description of their army? Actually, it's to make a point. They are bigger, faster, more technologically advanced than you are, and they have no conscience about coming to kill you. The point is: you're not going to stop them. This is not something that you in your own strength are going to be able to defend against.

Verse 9:

They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand.

The Babylonians are not sending diplomats — they're sending soldiers marching face forward. It's almost an ominous echo of the promise to Abraham, whose descendants will be like the sand. God said your descendants will be like sand, and now he's sending people who collect it. You're going to be gathered up.

Verse 10:

At kings they scoff, at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men whose own might is their god.

Don't trust in your status — they're not going to care if you're the king or a commoner. They don't care that you have a fortress. They will take it over and smash it to pieces, and then they will keep on going, because you are hardly even a speed bump to them. This is what is coming. The description God is giving is meant to be overwhelming, and it's meant to make Habakkuk, his readers, even us, recognize that God's judgment is coming and you cannot do anything to stop it.

Remember, Habakkuk has been complaining: God, there's so much evil, there's so much wrong in the world, how violent and corrupt everyone has become. And God's answer is: don't worry, I'm wiping all of it out. He will one day completely and utterly wipe out all evil.

I think this might challenge a little bit of how we think about God. So often we have a very easygoing version of God in our heads. He's kind, he's loving, almost like a cosmic Santa who just wants everyone to get along. We forget that God actually hates sin and evil.

Psalm 7 says:

God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day.

Habakkuk has been claiming God has been ignoring all this. Actually, the answer is no — God has seen every bit of it, and God is outraged at what he has seen. As we go through this book, we're going to recognize that God is far more outraged than Habakkuk ever has been. He is far more outraged by the corruption, the scandal, the sin that exists in our world than we ever have been. We don't often get a picture of God like this, but we are reminded that God hates sin. He can't believe how corrupt our world is either.

Whenever we are crying out to God, asking why he hasn't done something about this, we might need to take a step back and realize we may be asking a different question than God is. Very often, when we are outraged at something — when we see some evil — we're saying: God, why didn't you stop that evil? Why didn't you stop them over there? Deal with that, because I don't like that. God's response is: I am coming to deal with all evil. And so here's where we have a problem, because we're not perfect people either. God's answer is: I am going to deal with evil — in fact, I'm going to deal with all of it.

2 Corinthians 5 tells us:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

As we have been crying out for justice — God, why haven't you brought justice — as soon as it should come, I think we'd be crying out: mercy, God, will you give us mercy? Because God is not simply going to deal with the evil over there that we don't like. God is going to deal with all evil. God has not been idle. He has been paying attention. And that means we actually have a problem, because this unstoppable wrath of God that we have just seen is what waits in front of us as well.

1 Peter says:

But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on him as Father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourself with fear throughout the time of your exile.

God has called us to be holy — that is, perfect in every sense of that word — and God will judge impartially. He will not be swayed according to what we have done. He will judge rightly and fairly every single person, and hear me: we're not going to come out looking good. The fear of God is recognizing that he will hold me accountable for everything I do. God is determined not simply to punish the evil out there, but in here as well.

Jesus even warns his disciples:

I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Every word that is carelessly spoken, slipped out in anger, or even typed into your phone will be held to account. God's answer to the problem of evil is that he will destroy all evil, and every single person without exception will be held to account for every single thing that they have done or said. No status, no safe havens will save us from it. Everyone will stand before God. And God is more outraged by your sin than you ever have been. It turns out God has found our desire for justice not too strong, but far too weak.

So the question then is: if that's all true, if that's God's answer — why hasn't he done it yet? Now, Habakkuk is going to keep going. It's not the end of our conversation. But we need to ask the question: if this is where we stand before God, what's about to happen next?

Here's where we need to make sure we don't have an improper picture of who God is. In Ezekiel, God says:

I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord, so turn and live.

God is not longing for judgment. He is patient with us so that we might turn from our sin. God is going to deal with sin and evil, but that's because he loves what is right and good. He's not longing for judgment — he is longing that we might experience his goodness.

In fact, when God reveals himself to Moses, this is what he says:

The Lord, the Lord, God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation.

This tension of both the abounding love of God and his justice is what we are brought into in this book, and ultimately it is a tension that is never fully resolved until Jesus comes. Because this is why Jesus comes — to resolve this tension between the judgment looming against our sin and God's abounding desire that we would be forgiven.

Jesus enters into this picture. He comes to this earth in order to deal with the wrath of God in our place. There is a judgment against our sins, and Jesus has stepped in our place, and the judgment fell on him instead. For everyone who would trust in him, the judgment would fall not on our shoulders, but as Jesus hung on the cross hour after hour, it was crushed down on him. Do we realize how much Jesus endured on that cross? Not because he had done anything wrong, but because he had done it in our place. Do we realize how great his love for us was that he would endure all the way until death that we might be saved?

Unless we have seen God's dreadful seriousness in judging all evil, we will never love our Savior as we should. Jesus has not only taken the wrath against our sin — he did it while we were still sinners. While we didn't even want him to, Jesus stepped in our place, still deserving of his wrath.

Romans 5 says:

Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood — the punishment fell on Jesus — much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Jesus died when we were still his enemies, deserving of his wrath. Jesus took that in our place, and as he has risen again, how much hope do we now have in his life that we shall be with him. While we were crying out to God for justice, Jesus was standing in our place, taking its demands. While we were crying out for the punishment of sinners, it was Jesus being punished on behalf of sinners.

Because of Jesus, those who deserved his judgment have now been reconciled. The perfect holiness that God demanded has been given to us in Jesus. And so this is the invitation to every sinner here today — not if you're a good enough person to deserve it. Jesus died to save sinners from the judgment of their sin. The invitation is for everyone who would place their trust in Jesus Christ, that he is the one who has stood in our place, that whoever trusts in him would be saved. We have this incredible salvation that is all the more beautiful when we realize how much Jesus has saved us from.

God is going to bring judgment against all sin and all evil, and he has sent Jesus that we might be saved. When we look at the problem of evil around us, we're reminded that we can always go to God with these things. In fact, we should carry all of our burdens before God, because he has not forgotten about them. He has not ignored them — he knows them, and in fact is working all things together for our good and for his glory. God has not abandoned us. We know that a day is coming when all the suffering of this world will be put to an end. And so in that hope we trust in Jesus, the one who has dealt with the wrath of God against our sins so that we might be reconciled.

Let's pray together.

Oh heavenly Father, we are so thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ — that you would send him to this earth to take the wrath that we deserve, to take the punishment and judgment that we have earned, that we would be able to approach you, that we would be forgiven of our sins, that we would be reconciled with you, saved from all of the judgment against our sin. Father, thank you for that promise. Thank you that anyone who would come to you will be saved. Father, I pray that we would always, as we see the problems of this world, come crying out to you, the one who has all of the future in his hands. We ask all these things in your name. Amen.