And the LORD answered me:
Habakkuk 2:2
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
The Lord answers Habakkuk’s complaint! God doesn’t just have an answer for Habakkuk. He wants him to write it down and pass it on. This message is for everyone!
A Clear Explanation
The Lord has a vision for Habakkuk (the word hazon was previously discussed in Habakkuk 1:1) which he wants clearly written down.
The phrase “make it plain” is the Hebrew word ba’er. It is only used in two other places, both in Deuteronomy. The book opens by saying that Moses came to “explain this law” (Deuteronomy 1:5). Near the end of the book, Moses instructs the people to “write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly” (Deuteronomy 27:8).
There are times when God feels cryptic or unclear. However, there are other times that God is being very clear and straightforward. When it came to instructing his people on how to live, God (through Moses) sought to make it as clear as possible. He has revealed what we need to know, but has kept other information hidden: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Write on Two Tablets and Call Me in the Morning
What is Habakkuk supposed to write on? God is specific to write the vision on “the tablets”. The word tablet (לוּחַ, luach) most frequently refers to the two stone tablets which had the Ten Commandments (ex: Exodus 24:12, 31:18, 1 Kings 8:9, and many more).
The Ten Commandments, of course, were not the only words written on tablets. Tablets could be made from stone, clay, or wood. Below are a set of clay tablets found in cities around Babylon with Jewish names during the Babylonian exile.
Writing something on a tablet (versus on papyrus or only speaking it) gives the words more permanence. God instructs Isaiah to write judgments on a tablet (Isaiah 30:8). God tells Jeremiah that Judah’s sin is written “on the tablet of their heart” (Jeremiah 17:1), which sounds scary!
We find more positive examples of writing on tablets, too. Proverbs has other ideas to write on the “tablet of your heart”: “steadfast love and faithfulness” (Proverbs 3:3) and commandments and teachings (Proverbs 7:2-3). Also, while a tablet isn’t mentioned, Jeremiah prophecied that God will similarly write his Torah on the hearts of his people (Jeremiah 31:33). These all sound like something good to have written within us!
Take It and Run With It
What is supposed to happen to Habakkuk’s tablets? Someone is supposed to run with them and read them. Imagine someone running from place to place, stopping in the city square, calling people together, and reading loudly in front of the people to get a message out.
We see Habakkuk hinting back to Moses with the tablets and his explanations to the people. We see how others used writing on a tablet. God’s message of judgment has been clear and widely distributed. Moses first warned it would come if they turned away. Other prophets have been warning the people for generations. The people had no excuse for not knowing.
To Ponder…
Do you ever wish God was clearer? Could there be anything God has revealed that you are ignoring? Have you ever made excuses that you didn’t know what was right even though you did?
Which would you like written on the tablet of your heart: your sins or God’s commands? How does that happen? What lifestyle leads there?