John Calvin Commentary Habakkuk 1:13

"Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he;" — Habakkuk 1:13 (ASV)

The Prophet here reasons earnestly with God, not as at the beginning of the chapter. For he does not here, with a holy and calm mind, undertake the defense of God’s glory, but complains of injuries, as oppressed men do when they go to a judge and implore his protection. This complaint, then, must be distinguished from the former one. At the beginning of the chapter, the Prophet did not plead his own cause or that of the people; rather, zeal for God’s glory roused him, so that he, in a way, asked God to take vengeance on such great obstinacy in wickedness. But he now descends to express the feelings of men, for he speaks of the thoughts and sorrows of those who had suffered injuries under the tyranny of their enemies.

And he says, O God, thou art pure in eyes, thou lookest not on evil. Some render the verb טהור, theur, in the imperative mood as clear the eyes, but they are mistaken, for the verse contains two parts, one contrary to the other. The Prophet reasons from the nature of God, and then he states what is of an opposite character. You, God, he says, art pure in eyes; therefore you cannot look on evil; it is not consistent with your nature to overlook the vices of men, for every iniquity is hateful to you. Thus the Prophet considers the nature of God. Then he adds that experience contradicts this. For the wicked, he says, exult, and while they miserably oppress the innocent, no one offers any help. How can this be, unless God is sleeping in heaven and neglecting human affairs? We now, then, understand the Prophet’s meaning in this verse.

By saying that God is pure in eyes, he assumes what should be considered certain and indubitable by all pious people. But as God’s justice does not always appear, the Prophet has a struggle, and he shows that he, in a way, vacillated. For he did not see in the circumstances before him what his piety nevertheless dictated to him—namely, that God was just and upright.

It is indeed true that the second part of the verse borders on blasphemy. For though the Prophet always thought honorably and reverently of God, yet he murmurs here and indirectly charges God with excessive slowness, as God connived at matters while seeing the just shamefully oppressed by the wicked.

But we must notice the order that the Prophet maintains. For by saying that God is pure in eyes, he undoubtedly restrains himself. As there was a danger that this temptation might carry him too far, he confronts it in time and, in a way, confines himself within this boundary: that we ought to retain a full conviction of God’s justice. The same order is observed by Jeremiah when he says, I know, Lord, that thou art just, but how is it that the ungodly do thus pervert all equity? and thou either takest no notice, or dost not apply any remedy. I would therefore freely contend with thee. The Prophet does not immediately break out into such an expression as this: O Lord, I will contend with thee in judgement. But before he mentions his complaint, knowing that his feelings were strongly excited, he makes a kind of preface and, in a way, restrains himself, so that he might check that extreme passion which might otherwise have carried him beyond proper limits; Thou art just, O Lord, he says. In a similar manner does our prophet speak here: Thou art pure in eyes, so as not to behold evil; and thou canst not look on trouble.

Since, he says, thou canst not look on trouble, we find that he confirms himself in that truth—that the justice of God cannot be separated from His very nature. And by saying, לא תוכל, la tucal, thou canst not, it is the same as though he had said, "You, O Lord, are just, because you are God; and God, because you are just." For these two things cannot be separated, as both the eternity and the very being of God cannot exist without His justice. We therefore see how strenuously the Prophet struggled against his own impetuosity, so that he might not indulge too much in the complaint which immediately follows.

For he then asks, according to the common judgment of the flesh, Why dost thou look on, when the ungodly devours one more just than himself? The Prophet here does not strip God of His power but speaks in doubt, contending not so much with God as with himself.

A profane man would have said, "There is no God, there is no providence," or, "He does not care for the world; he takes his pleasure in heaven." But the Prophet says, "You see, Lord." Therefore he ascribes to God what peculiarly belongs to Him—that He does not neglect the world which He has created.

At the same time, he here inclines two ways and alternates: Why does thou look on, when the ungodly devours one more just than himself? He does not say that the world revolves by chance, nor that God takes His delight and ease in heaven, as the Epicureans hold. Instead, he confesses that the world is seen by God and that He exercises care over human affairs. Nevertheless, as he could not see his way clear in such a confused state of things, he argues the point more with himself than with God. We now see the significance of this sentence. The Prophet, however, proceeds—