God, Why?

Rev. Dr. Gordon Wong, lecturer in Old Testament, Hebrew and Homiletics at Trinity Theological College, Singapore has written another excellent book. This book is on Habakkuk. The book is written in the same format as his last book, Faithful to the End: The Message of Daniel for Life in the Real Word. Each chapter is a general exposition, followed by discussion questions, and then additional notes on exegesis. I find these additional notes priceless because it save me from hours of research.

Often, if we are honest with ourselves, we find, like Habakkuk that God does not make sense. This is especially in the area of suffering. God promises to protect and deliver us from pain and suffering. Yes, at times when we need him most, he is not around.

Two books in the Bible deals specifically with the issue of suffering. Job which deals with problem of undeserved personal suffering. Habakkuk with suffering of the innocent, especially in a time of war.

The anguished mother of a child who died as a result of a suicide bomber, or the parents of a co-ed gunned down in Virginia Tech asks the same question: Why, God, why?

Gordon looks at the three chapters of Habakkuk and divides them as follows

Habakkuk 1: When God Does Not Seem to Help

Habakkuk 2: When We Feel Like Giving Up

Habakkuk 3: When Disaster is Poised to Strike

and divides his book chapters as follows

Chapter 1: Protest: When God Does Not Seem to Help (The Character of Prayer)

Chapter 2: Perseverance: When We Feel Like Giving Up (A Call for Patience)

Chapter 3: Praise: When Disaster is Poised to Strike (A Commitment to Praise)

It is a thin book but full of encouragement and wisdom. I recommend this books for all Christians, especially for preachers and teachers of the Word.

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