John Calvin Commentary Habakkuk 1:4

"Therefore the law is slacked, and justice doth never go forth; for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore justice goeth forth perverted." — Habakkuk 1:4 (ASV)

The Prophet confirms here what I have already said and provides a reason for his zeal; he proves that he was not without reason led to such great passion. For he saw that the law of God was, as it were, trodden underfoot; he saw people so hardened in every kind of sin that all religion and the fear of God had nearly been extinguished.

Therefore, as I have already said, the Prophet was not impelled here by a carnal passion, as often happens with us when we defend ourselves from wrongs done to us. For when any one of us is injured, he immediately becomes incensed, while at the same time we allow God’s law to be mocked, His whole truth to be despised, and everything just to be violated.

We are sensitive only about what concerns us individually, and meanwhile, we easily forgive when God is wronged and His truth is despised. But the Prophet shows here that he was not made indignant by any personal feeling, but because he could not bear the profanation of God’s worship and the violation of His holy law.

He therefore says that the law was dissolved or weakened, as if he were saying that God’s law no longer had any authority or respect. Let us therefore learn to rouse ourselves, for we are very cold when the ungodly openly despise and even mock God. Since, then, we are too unconcerned in this respect, let us learn by the Prophet’s example to stimulate ourselves. For Paul also shows, indirectly, that there is just reason for indignation: Be ye angry, he says, and sin not (Ephesians 4:26). That is, everyone ought to regard his own sins so as to become an enemy to himself, and he ought also to feel indignant whenever he sees God offended.

This rule the Prophet now follows: Weakened, he says, is the law. We know that when a sinful custom prevails, there is little authority in what is taught; nor are human laws only despised when people’s audacity breaks through all restraints, but even the very law of God is esteemed as nothing, for they think that everything erroneously done by the consent of all is lawful. We now see then that the Prophet felt great anguish of mind, like holy Lot (Genesis 19:1–38), when he saw almost every respect for God extinct in the land, and especially among the chosen people, whom God had consecrated to Himself above all others.

He then adds, judgement goes not forth perpetually. Absurdly do many regard this as having been said from the perspective of foolish people, who think that there is no such thing as divine providence when things in the world are in a disordered state; but the Prophet simply says that all justice was suppressed.

We find nearly the same complaint in Isaiah 59:4. He then says that judgement did not go forth perpetually because the ungodly thought that they would not have to give an account. Therefore, when anyone dared to say a word against them, they immediately boiled with rage and, like wild beasts, fiercely attacked him.

All then were silent, and nearly struck dumb, when the ungodly thus prevailed and gathered boldness from the daily practice of licentiousness. Hence, Go forth perpetually does not judgement; that is, “O Lord, things are now past hope, and there appears to be no end to our evils, except You come soon and apply a remedy beyond what our flesh can conceive.”

For the wicked, he says, surround the righteous; that is, when there was anyone who continued to retain some regard for religion and justice, immediately the wicked rose up against him on every side and surrounded him before and behind. So it happened that no one dared to oppose the torrent, though frauds, plundering, outrages, cruelty, and even murders prevailed everywhere. If any righteous people still remained, they dared not come out in public, for the wicked beset them on all sides.

He afterwards adds, Therefore perverted judgement goes forth. The Prophet now rises to a higher point: that even the rulers themselves increased the rage for evils and, as it were, supplied fuel to their wickedness, as they confounded all distinction between right and wrong.

For the Prophet does not speak here of private wrongs that anyone might have done, but he speaks of the very rulers, as if he said, “There might have been one remedy; the judges might have checked such great audacity, but they themselves stretch out their hands to the wicked and help them.” Hence the tribunals, which ought to have been sacred, had become, as it were, dens of thieves.

The word משפט, meshiphith, is properly taken in a good sense. Is not judgement then a desirable thing? Yes, but the Prophet says that it was perverted. It was then by way of concession that judgement is mentioned, for he afterwards adds a word to it by which he shows that the administration of the laws was evil and injurious: for when anyone oppressed had recourse to the assistance of the laws, he was plundered.

In short, the Prophet means that all things, both private and public, were corrupt among the people. It now follows: