Hab 1:4 | KingComments | STEP | The fragmentation of society and the cohesion among God’s people is closely related to the ignoring of “the law” and “justice”. The order in Israel is based on “the law”, while “justice” sees to it that people live according to the law ( ). If one abides by the law and justice they process the unity desired by God. The law – Hebrew torah , the five books of Moses – almost always refers to God’s law, in which He reveals His will and directs man’s life. Justice – Hebrew mispat – implies not only the exercise and maintenance of lawful decrees, but also all functions of government that are entrusted with them. Because sentence is not executed quickly, the law loses its authority and power over consciences ( ). There is a cooling of feelings towards the law. Because of this, the law no longer has an entrance in the hearts and consciences. It can be compared to hands that become unusable when they are cold. God’s law is ignored because of the spiritual coldness of people’s hearts. It is not the law, but the hard, cold heart of man. When the law is ignored, the wicked surrounds the righteous unhindered. Justice comes out in a perverted form. The wicked fixes the righteous so that he cannot carry out the law, and acts according to his own ideas, but only in twisted form. The wicked secures the righteous so that he cannot executes justice and acts according to his own judgment, so that the law is perverted and turns into the opposite of justice (cf. ). This is a dramatic change in which God is completely sidelined and everything completely turned upside down.

‏ Habakkuk 1:4

The Law Is Ignored

The fragmentation of society and the cohesion among God’s people is closely related to the ignoring of “the law” and “justice”. The order in Israel is based on “the law”, while “justice” sees to it that people live according to the law (Deu 17:11). If one abides by the law and justice they process the unity desired by God. The law – Hebrew torah, the five books of Moses – almost always refers to God’s law, in which He reveals His will and directs man’s life. Justice – Hebrew mispat – implies not only the exercise and maintenance of lawful decrees, but also all functions of government that are entrusted with them.

Because sentence is not executed quickly, the law loses its authority and power over consciences (Ecc 8:11). There is a cooling of feelings towards the law. Because of this, the law no longer has an entrance in the hearts and consciences. It can be compared to hands that become unusable when they are cold. God’s law is ignored because of the spiritual coldness of people’s hearts. It is not the law, but the hard, cold heart of man.

When the law is ignored, the wicked surrounds the righteous unhindered. Justice comes out in a perverted form. The wicked fixes the righteous so that he cannot carry out the law, and acts according to his own ideas, but only in twisted form. The wicked secures the righteous so that he cannot executes justice and acts according to his own judgment, so that the law is perverted and turns into the opposite of justice (cf. Psa 82:2). This is a dramatic change in which God is completely sidelined and everything completely turned upside down.