WAITING FROM THE WATCHTOWER

By John Santosuosso

I will stand at my watchpost

and station myself on the rampart.

I will keep watch to see what he will say to me

and what he will answer concerning my complaint.

Then the Lord answered me and said:

Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so that a runner may read it.

For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

it speaks of the end and does not lie.

If it seems to tarry, wait for it;

it will surely come; it will not delay.

Look at the proud!

Their spirit is not right in them,

but the righteous live by their faithfulness.

Habakkuk 2:1-5

NRSV, updated edition

One of my favorite theologians has written an outstanding Biblical commentary. Unfortunately, he completely ignored the prophecy of Habakkuk. Perhaps he should be forgiven. Few Biblical readers ever spend much time with it. Admittedly, it is easy to miss, as it is short and is only one of the so-called "Minor Prophets." Nonetheless, what it lacks in length it makes up with a very powerful if often overlooked message.

Very little is known about Habakkuk. In one respect he does seem rather unique. There is no Biblical record of him having received a call from God to be a prophet. He took this burden up without waiting for such an event. That burden was one which some better-known prophets, such as Jeremiah, knew all too well. It was the invasion of Judah by the Chaldeans (New Babylonians) and eventual exile for most of its inhabitants.

Psalm 137 reveals the anger, despair, and hopelessness that the exiles felt. They even wanted to bash the heads of the Chaldean babies upon the rocks. Habakkuk's prophecy may date just a few years before the exile, but he definitely knew of the invasion, and there is a good probability he knew of the exile and may himself have been a victim of it.

Habakkuk was aware of how his fellow Judeans felt. There was no reason to look forward to the future. The future would only be one of servitude to the invading Chaldeans. However, Habakkuk was a righteous man. He understood that the righteous are faithful to their God, and that God is faithful to them. It is with that confidence that he ascends to a watchtower to wait for a vision from God. He does not know or really care how long he will have to wait. He understands that when the vision comes it will be so clear it will not be misunderstood.

In our day it takes faith and courage to follow in the footsteps of Habakkuk. We are a world divided, a world that has known too much war, hate, starvation, and a whole host of other tragedies. As a child, I remember hearing that old Gospel song, "In Times Like These We Need a Savior." God has provided a Savior, but we may feel perhaps the job of salvaging this mess is too great even for Him. If Habakkuk were in our midst today I believe his message would be, "Are you living in righteousness? If so, then be faithful to your God. Your God has not forgotten you. The message will come; wait for it in faith."

Good Friday is followed by the first rays of sunlight on Easter morning.



The disciples learned that the tomb was empty. There is no more powerful message than that. There is a message for our day. Wait for it in faithfulness. In the fullness of time it will surely come. Until that day, remember Babylon, the Chaldean capital, is in ruins, but "He shall reign forever and ever."