Habakkuk
Book Type
The eighth book of the Minor Prophets; the thirty-fifth book of the Old Testament; the thirty-fifth book of the Bible.Introduction to the Book of Habakkuk
The book of Habakkuk examines injustice from the experience of a righteous person crying out to God for a remedy. God responds to the prophet: Be patient, observant, and steady in your faith, for my judgment will happen at the appointed time. God’s response allows Habakkuk to rejoice in God’s saving power—even while struggling with a question that every generation asks: Why is evil allowed to thrive? The answer is profound yet difficult: Trust God because He is both powerful and just.“Why do you allow injustice?” Habakkuk asked God. “Why do you tolerate evil?” God did not answer Habakkuk’s questions directly. Instead, much as he did with Job, God gave Habakkuk a vision of his deity. Whether or not the prophet understood God’s ways, he could safely trust him. Habakkuk’s questions echo in the hearts of all God-fearing people. The book of Habakkuk does not offer easy answers to the problem of evil in the world. Instead, it gives sound reasons to exercise faith in the sovereign, holy, and just God, who will ultimately bring justice to his world.The book of Habakkuk, one of the Minor Prophets, is unique in its style. Rather than speaking to the people on God’s behalf, Habakkuk spoke to God on behalf of the people. Habakkuk struggled with how to understand God’s actions in history, especially his use of an unrighteous nation as the instrument of his justice. God’s answer to Habakkuk’s objection was that “the righteous one will live by his faith” (2:4).Theme & Overview
The prophet Habakkuk argues with God over God's ways, which appear to him unfathomable, if not unjust; after receiving replies from God, Habakkuk responds with a beautiful confession of faith. In this dialogue between Habakkuk and God, the prophet argues with God over God’s ways, which appear to Habakkuk unfathomable, if not unjust. According to the NIV Study Bible, Habakkuk was perplexed that wickedness, strife, and oppression were rampant in Judah but that God seemingly did nothing. When told that the Lord was preparing to do something about it through the “ruthless” Babylonians, his perplexity only intensified: How could God, who is “too pure to look on evil,” appoint such a nation “to execute judgment” on a people “more righteous than themselves”? God makes it clear, however, that eventually the corrupt destroyer will itself be destroyed. In the end, Habakkuk learns to rest in God’s sovereign appointments and await his working in a spirit of worship. He learns to wait patiently in faith for God’s kingdom to be expressed universally. Habakkuk contends with two main questions: why God permits evil to flourish (Hab 1:1–4), and how, if God is righteous, a wicked nation could function as the means of judgment (Hab 1:12–2:1). Habakkuk also protests that the righteous—himself included—are suffering punishment alongside those who deserve such judgment.
Yahweh answers by declaring that the righteous shall live by faith (Hab 2:4)—in other words, the prophet will have to trust that God knows what He is doing. Centuries later, New Testament writers like the Apostle Paul quote this verse to show that faith is the only path to righteousness (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38). Within the book of Habakkuk, Yahweh clarifies why He is just in bringing calamity via the Babylonians (Hab 2:6–20). The end of the book signals that Habakkuk finds God’s answer sufficient: In the closing verses, he praises God (Hab 3:1–19).We still find ourselves in Habakkuk’s predicament—we wrestle with God as we try to understand the presence of evil in the world. We are easily and quickly discouraged. Habakkuk reminds us to shift our questions from the evil surrounding us and instead focus on the ways of God. We might not always understand how God works, but if we truly seek Him, we will learn the same thing Habakkuk did: God is just, faithful, and worthy to be praised. We can always cry out to God, knowing that He is good. It takes patience to see Yahweh’s plans come to fruition, but ultimately He will prevail.By the end of the book, Habakkuk is a changed person—he has learned to wait and trust in God, who works out all things for his glory. Habakkuk, like Job, questions God’s justice, but in the end both realize that God is sovereign and his justice is far beyond their comprehension. Habakkuk’s message of judgment on Judah would not have been well accepted, for the nation had been blinded by sin while false prophets were declaring that God would not punish his chosen people. But God’s justice demands that wickedness be punished, whether found in pagan nations or in his own people.Key Themes1. God is just and merciful, even though his people may not always understand his ways (2:4).2. Wickedness will eventually be punished, and the righteous will ultimately see God’s justice (2:5–20).3. God uses some wicked nations to punish other wicked nations, but ultimately God will judge all nations (1:6; 2:5–20).4. The key phrase “but the righteous will live by his faith” summarizes the path of life God sets for his people and is quoted three times in the NT (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38), each time highlighting a different aspect of the phrase’s meaning.Author
Habakkuk, as noted in Habakkuk 1:1.Recipients
Habakkuk wrote for the Jews living in Judah prior to the Jewish exile to Babylon. Justice seems to have been forgotten in the land, as Assyrian and Babylonian powers continue to grow in strength and conquer kingdoms, threatening God's people. Habakkuk shared his concerns, likely representative of other godly people in his time, and offered prayers for God's mercy upon their people.Date
Between approximately 610 and 605 BC.Background
BackgroundThe opening verse identifies the book as the oracle of the prophet Habakkuk. His name seems to come from the Hebrew word for “embrace.” Habakkuk might have been a Levite and even a priest, since the end of the book contains musical instruction, typically associated with Levites (Hab 3:19). A dual role as prophet and priest was not necessarily uncommon: The prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah also served as priests.The book of Habakkuk was written during a time when the Chaldeans were gaining significant power. The Chaldeans were a Semitic people living in southeastern Babylonia (modern-day Iraq) after migrating from Aram (modern-day Syria). The Old Testament sometimes uses the term “Chaldeans” to refer to the Babylonians (e.g., Gen 11:28; Job 1:17; Ezek 23:14). The Hebrew text of Habakkuk does the same; consequently, some English translations use the term “Babylonians.” Habakkuk probably was written in the late seventh century BC—when the Babylonians were beginning to overtake the Assyrians as the major power in the ancient Near East.
Habakkuk lived during a time when Judah had long been under the power of Assyria. The Assyrian empire had engulfed most of the ancient Near East, from Mesopotamia to the Egyptian capital city of Thebes. But by Habakkuk’s day (late 600s BC), Assyria was showing signs of the weakness that would ultimately spell its doom. After finishing military campaigns in the mid 640s BC, the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal became preoccupied with literary and artistic pursuits. His growing inattention to the administration of his empire brought weakness abroad and uprisings within.At Ashurbanipal’s death, Assyria was faced with a new threat. In Babylon, King Nabopolassar (626–605 BC) proclaimed his independence from Assyria and laid the foundation for a Neo-Babylonian empire that would last for nearly a century (626–539 BC). Nabopolassar conquered one after another of Assyria’s principal cities. The capital city of Nineveh fell in 612 BC, and the remaining Assyrian forces were subsequently defeated at Haran (609 BC) and Carchemish (605 BC).The Setting of Habakkuk, 609~605 BC.
Habakkuk probably prophesied during the reign of Jehoiakim (609–598 BC), before the Babylonian invasion in 605 BC. When Habakkuk received his messages from the Lord, JUDAH had descended into wickedness. Between 612 and 605 BC, the Babylonians conquered the Assyrians and then, in 605 BC, swept unopposed into Judah. Thus began the process leading to the destruction of Judah and JERUSALEM in 605–586 BC.
Background
When Nabopolassar’s son Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BC) succeeded him, his empire extended over vast portions of the ancient Near East. Nebuchadnezzar launched a series of campaigns against the kingdom of Judah, successfully attacking Jerusalem on three occasions and carrying many of its people into slavery. The last of these attacks (586 BC) resulted in the final overthrow of the kingdom of Judah.Except for the final years of the godly king Josiah (640–609 BC), violence and injustice characterized Judean society from the evil reign of Manasseh (697–642 BC) to the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC). In many ways Manasseh was the opposite of his godly father, Hezekiah (see 2 Kgs 21:1–9; 2 Chr 33:2–9). Manasseh actively promoted pagan rites that pre-Israelite settlers of Canaan had practiced. This apostasy doomed Judah. Manasseh’s later repentance and attempts to undo his earlier evils (2 Chr 33:15–19) did not result in lasting change. When his son Amon took the throne, he reintroduced all of the paganism practiced by his father (2 Kgs 21:21–22). The subsequent ministries of prophets such as Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the reform efforts of Josiah (2 Chr 34:1–35:19) failed to produce lasting change. Even during Josiah’s reforms, the people of Judah remained entrenched in their apostasy. As a result, Judah’s later kings were all condemned for their wickedness (2 Kgs 23:32, 37; 24:19; Jer 22:1–30; 27:1–22; 36:30–31).Both externally and internally, the nation of Judah was in a precarious state. It was during this last, tragic period of Judah’s history as an independent state that Habakkuk saw wickedness and injustice all around him (1:2–4).The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
When violence and corruption abound and evil appears to rule, the faithful may be tempted to wonder whether God really cares or is really in control. Habakkuk’s dialogue helps us to understand that God does not despise such questions when they are carried to him in prayer from an honest heart.Habakkuk’s prophecy reaffirms that God is in control of history and that his dealings are always just and right. Believers must be willing to accept God’s answers and delight in his will, even if those are completely foreign to their own thinking. God does see and care deeply about what happens on earth. Although people may not perceive it, God’s sovereign hand is at work, and he will ultimately bring matters to a proper and just conclusion (2:2–3, 14).The Babylonians worshiped the raw power that brought them bounty. God’s charges against the Babylonians remind readers to worship God alone (cp. 1 Jn 5:21).God’s message to Habakkuk emphasizes that the believer’s holy life of faith and faithfulness must reproduce God’s high moral and ethical qualities (1:12; 2:4). Those who trust and actively serve God will be able to rejoice in the Lord (3:18; Phil 4:4) and live triumphantly under any circumstances (2:20; 3:16–19). NT writers reinforce this message (Rom 1:16–17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:35–39).Like the book of Job, Habakkuk deals with the problem of understanding God’s ways: Why does God allow injustice to prevail (1:3)? How can God use the more wicked Babylonians to punish the less wicked Judeans (1:13)? How long will God allow evildoers to dominate the world (1:17)?God did not give clear answers to the questions Habakkuk raised. Instead he called on the godly to have faith (2:4). When Habakkuk declared he would rejoice in God no matter what (3:17–19), he showed that he had accepted and appropriated this message to his own life.GOD’S SOVEREIGN GREATNESS Habakkuk shows the greatness of God. He is eternally alive (1:12), unlike dead idols of wood or stone (2:18–19). His prophecies come true (2:3). He can raise up nations to accomplish his purposes (1:6), and he shakes the world through pestilence and war (3:2–15).GOD’S HIDDEN JUSTICE Habakkuk’s God is holy (1:12). The prophet expected him to oppose injustice (1:2–4, 13a), though sometimes it is hard to see the justice of God working through the events of human history (1:13b). But though God may use the wicked acts of men for his good purposes and allow evil to prevail for a time, ultimately the wicked will pay for their crimes (2:6–14) and God will come to save his people and crush the wicked (3:13–15).FAITH The key verse of Habakkuk is 2:4b: “The righteous one will live by his faith.” Though we find it difficult to fathom the ways of God with man, we can learn, as Habakkuk did, to trust and exult in God’s goodness despite our imperfect understanding (3:16–19).CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLEThe book of Habakkuk looks at an issue that often confronts people: trying to discern God’s purposes in the midst of this world. There is a realization of the will of God for this world. This truth is seen throughout the Scripture: God’s promises to Abraham; God’s desire for us to have life abundantly; and God’s will for a human community of joy, security, and righteousness. We ultimately triumph in the world and live abundantly only through faith. Habakkuk’s message that the righteous will live by faith prepared the way for the greater understanding of this truth in the NT, which emphasizes salvation through faith in Christ (Rm 1:17; Gl 3:11; Heb 10:38–39).Key Verses (ESV)
Habakkuk 1:2: "O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, \ and you will not hear? \ Or cry to you 'Violence!' \ and you will not save?" Habakkuk 1:5: "Look among the nations, and see; \ wonder and be astounded. \ For I am doing a work in your days \ that you would not believe if told."Habakkuk 1:12: "Are you not from everlasting, \ O LORD my God, my Holy One? \ We shall not die. \ O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, \ and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof."Habakkuk 2:2–4: "And the LORD answered me: \ 'Write the vision; \ make it plain on tablets, \ so he may run who reads it. \ For still the vision awaits its appointed time; \ it hastens to the end—it will not lie. \ If it seems slow, wait for it; \ it will surely come; it will not delay. \ Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, \ but the righteous shall live by his faith.'"Habakkuk 2:20: "But the LORD is in his holy temple; \ let all the earth keep silence before him."Habakkuk 3:2: "O LORD, I have heard the report of you, \ and your work, O LORD, do I fear. \ In the midst of the years revive it; \ in the midst of the years make it known; \ in wrath remember mercy."Habakkuk 3:19: "GOD, the Lord, is my strength; \ he makes my feet like the deer's; \ he makes me tread on my high places. \ To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments."Key Passages (NLT)
Hab 1:1–3:19 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision. How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever…Structure & Outline 1
StructureThe book includes an oracle (Hab 1:1–2:20) and a hymn-like prayer (Hab 3:1–19). Within the oracle, two sections follow a similar order of events—Habakkuk puts forth a complaint, to which Yahweh then offers an explanation. In Habakkuk’s first complaint, he asks why the wicked go unpunished (Hab 1:1–4). God responds: The Babylonians (or Chaldeans) will be an instrument in His plan to judge Judah for its sin (Hab 1:5–11). Before Yahweh restores His relationship with His people, they must repent of the evil actions separating them from Him. Yahweh intends to use a foreign power to cause His people to change.In his second complaint, Habakkuk asks how God can use a wicked nation like Babylon to carry out His judgment on Judah (Hab 1:12–2:1). God responds that while Babylon will bring about his judgment on Judah, He will also judge Babylon (Hab 2:2–20). The implication is that God also disapproves of the Babylonians’ wickedness, but in the short term He will use them to carry out His purposes. In the long term, Babylon also will be held accountable. In the book’s closing prayer, Habakkuk declares his faith in Yahweh, even in the face of future calamity (Hab 3:1–19). He realizes that his perspective is more limited than God’s and trusts that God’s ways are good.Outline • Habakkuk’s first complaint (Hab 1:1–4) • God’s first answer (Hab 1:5–11) • Habakkuk’s second complaint (Hab 1:12–2:1) • God’s second answer (Hab 2:2–20) • Habakkuk’s prayer (Hab 3:1–19)Outline 2
Habakkuk includes three chapters with two general themes. The first two chapters express Habakkuk's concerns along with responses from the Lord. His first words to the Lord ask why God was not answering his prayers for help (Habakkuk 1:2–4). God will answer that He is at work in a way Habakkuk would not expect (Habakkuk 1:5–11). Habakkuk then offers his second complaint (Habakkuk 1:12—2:1): why would God use the wicked to punish God's people? His ways do not seem just from a human perspective. God answers that He has future plans for the righteous who live by faith (Habakkuk 2:2–20). God's enemies would not reign for long, but would receive their just punishment as well (Habakkuk 2:6–17). These opponents trusted in idols, which would not be able to save them in the end (Habakkuk 2:18-20).Chapter 3 shifts from Habakkuk's dialogues with the Lord to his prayer before the Lord. He begins with a desire for God's mercy upon him and his people (Habakkuk 3:1–2). Habakkuk also praises God for His almighty strength, which far exceeds other nations or their gods (Habakkuk 3:3–16). Habakkuk ends by rejoicing that the Lord will be his salvation (Habakkuk 3:17–19). The final sentence, "To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments," suggests this prayer was set to music and sung among the Jewish people.