Commentaries:
Habakkuk expected an answer to come from God, thinking, "Well, if God answers this way, then I'm going to respond to Him this way, and if He says this other thing, then I will reply to Him this other way."
John W. Ritenbaugh
Faith (Part Two)
Notice what the prophet says: "God, I don't understand. It looks like You're doing wrong to Your people. But unlike some, I'm not going to jump to any conclusions. There is something I don't understand, so I'm going to do what You said. You told me to look and watch, and I'm going to do just that. I want to know from You why this is happening. And when You correct my thinking on this, then I'll figure out how I should respond to You."
This is a smart thing to do. When we do not know what is going on, and we have deep questions about how God is handling things, it is wise just to look, watch, and wait. Once we see God's answer, then we can respond. It is dangerous to jump to conclusions with God because His character is perfect. He knows what He is doing. We do not.
God answers Habakkuk, but it is not the answer he wanted. He wanted a straight-forward answer, but God's answer only seems to raise more questions.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Habakkuk
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Habakkuk 2:1:
Habakkuk 1:14-17
Habakkuk 3:1-19