Silent Revelation – An Incomplete Answer               Pastor. Songsoo Park

(Habakkuk 2:1–4)

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

"See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright-- but the righteous will live by his faith –

Habakkuk’s Legacy

You’ve probably heard of the Apocrypha—those writings that are not part of the 66 books of the Protestant Bible, often because their historical facts and backgrounds are uncertain. That’s why we in the Protestant tradition do not accept the Apocrypha as Scripture. However, in Catholicism, some of these writings are included in their Bible.

Among them is a book called "Bel and the Dragon." In it, the prophet Habakkuk appears as someone who brings food to Daniel, who was thrown into the lion’s den.

One day, an angel appears to Habakkuk and tells him to bring food to Daniel, who is starving in Babylon’s lion’s den. The angel then transports Habakkuk to the den, where he gives Daniel food, and Daniel gives thanks to God and eats.

Now, to be clear, this story does not align with the historical timeline or biblical narrative.
But the fact that Habakkuk is portrayed as the one who feeds Daniel shows how highly the Jewish people regarded him.

Habakkuk is not only important to the Jews but also holds a significant place in Christian history. That famous verse in Habakkuk 2:4—“The righteous shall live by his faith”—became a foundational stone for Apostle Paul’s theology, and it was also a key inspiration for Martin Luther’s Reformation.

Yet, Despite His Importance...

Despite how important Habakkuk is, we know almost nothing about him.
We don’t know when or where he was born, or what kind of family he came from.
We’re not even exactly sure what the name Habakkuk means in Hebrew. Some commentaries translate it as “the one who embraces,” but even that is uncertain.

In this way, Habakkuk is a prophet hidden behind the Word, just like the "voice crying in the wilderness" used to describe John the Baptist.

And just as Habakkuk was hidden, the way he received God's message was also quite unique.
Let’s look at Habakkuk 1:1:

“The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision.”

What Does “Silent Revelation” (묵시 / 黙示) Mean?

Prophets received God's word in different ways.
Usually, they heard God's voice and proclaimed it directly. That's why in many prophetic books you read, "Thus says the LORD..."

Other times, they received God's message through dreams, visions, or revelations.

But Habakkuk says, right at the beginning, that he received the message in an unspoken revelation—in Korean, “Mooksi-묵시 (黙示).”

The word silent revelation (Mooksi-묵시 ) is made up of characters meaning “silent” (묵, 黙) and “reveal/show” (시, 示).
It shares the same character as in (Mooksang-묵상) , the word for meditation.

So what does this imply?
It means the message doesn’t come all at once. It comes slowly. In silence. It requires waiting. It requires patience.
In that sense, silent revelation (묵시) is an incomplete answer.
There’s an answer, but God doesn’t show it all at once. He reveals it in time.

Like a 20-Questions Game

Remember that old game we played as kids—20 Questions?

One person has the answer, and the other asks up to 20 questions to figure it out:

“Is it a person? An animal?”
“Is it dead? Alive?”
“Is it a man? A woman?”

As you ask more questions, the scope narrows until you finally reach the answer.

Habakkuk begins the same way—with questions.
Why? Because God doesn’t give him the answer he’s expecting.
So Habakkuk asks first.

Let’s read Habakkuk 1:2–3:

“How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?”

Also, verse 13:

“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?”

Habakkuk is pouring out his heart—there’s so much evil and injustice in Israel, yet God is silent.

How long will You just watch? he asks.

Then, finally, God answers—but not in the way Habakkuk hoped.

Habakkuk 1:5:

“Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

God is saying, “Yes, I’m going to act—but in a way you’ll never expect.”
And that unexpected way is through Babylon, a wicked nation.

Habakkuk’s Second Question

Now Habakkuk is even more confused.
Let’s look at Habakkuk 2:15–17:

“He catches all of them in his net;
he rejoices and is glad.
Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by these he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.
Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy?”

This is a metaphor. Babylon, like a fisherman using nets and hooks, conquers other nations with force, and then worships its own power.

So Habakkuk says—how can such a wicked nation be used as God's instrument of judgment?
Doesn’t that contradict God's justice?

The Watchtower of Waiting

So what does Habakkuk say in chapter 2, verse 1?

“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.”

He’s saying, “I’ll wait and see. I’m watching for God’s answer.”

Because what God has said doesn’t make sense to him.
It doesn’t fit his understanding of God.

Then God Responds Again

Now look at Habakkuk 2:3–4:

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.
See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous will live by his faith.”

This is the core of God's answer:

Yes, it’s frustrating. Yes, it looks like evil is winning.
Yes, your prayers feel unheard.
But despite all of that—the righteous must live by faith.
Even if the answer is incomplete, even if it delays, wait in faith.

But this... wasn’t the answer Habakkuk wanted.

Habakkuk Changes – Not the Situation

Habakkuk was a man of faith. He prayed. He knew God.
But even then, he carried deep questions. He expected things to go well if he prayed. He believed God would act right away.

When that didn’t happen, he protested.

But God didn’t answer by changing the situation.
God answered by changing Habakkuk.

How do we know? From the end of the book—Habakkuk 3:17–19:

“Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.”

This Doesn't Fit the Structure... or Does It?

At first glance, this chapter doesn’t fit the structure of the book.
How does a book filled with complaints suddenly end in a song?

But when you understand the purpose of silent revelation—of incomplete answers, of “ (Mooksi-묵시”, it all makes sense.

Habakkuk didn’t receive the full answer—but he received what God wanted him to find:
Faith. Trust. Maturity.

God Wants Us to Sing Before We See the Answer

God may not give you the answer you want right now.
He may remain silent in your pain and confusion.
But what does He want from you?

He wants you to sing “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD” even when you don’t understand.

That’s the purpose of silent revelation.
That’s why sometimes, I even thank God for the incomplete answers to my prayers.

Because not knowing keeps me alert.
God’s silence keeps me focused.
And not knowing “how long” demands more faith and more patience.

In Conclusion: When Silence Is the Answer

One last thing to remember:

When you can say—like Habakkuk—

“Though the fig tree does not blossom... yet I will rejoice in the Lord…”

That’s when you’ve already received the answer.

Because that faith—not just reacting to outcomes, but transforming outcomes through faith—is what God has been looking for all along.