Habakkuk

חבקוק

3 Chapters 56 verses, 1,476 words.

Author

    Littles is know about about Habakkuk except that he was a contemporary of Jeremiah and a man of vigorous faith rooted deeply in the religious traditions of Israel. The account of his ministering to the needs of Daniel in the lions' den in the Apocryphal book Bel and the Dragon is legendary rather than historical.  

Date

    The prediction of the coming Babylonian invasion (1:6) indicates that Habakkuk lived in Judah toward the end of Josiah's reign (640-6909 B.C.) or at the beginning of Jehoiakim's (609-598). The prophecy is generally dated a little before or after the battle of Carchemish (605), when Egyptian forces, which had earlier gone to the aid of the last Assyrian king, were routed by the Babylonians under Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar and were pursued as far as the Egyptian border (Jer 46). Habakkuk, like Jeremiah, probably lived to see the initial fulfillment of his prophecy when Jerusalem was attacked by Babylonians in 597.    

Theological Message

    Among the prophetic writings, Habakkuk is somewhat unique in that it includes no oracle addressed to Israel. It contains, rather, a dialogue between the prophet and God.  In the first two chapters, Habakkuk argues with God over his ways that appear to him unfathomable, if not unjust. Having received replies, he responds with a beautiful confession of faith (ch. 3). 

    This account of wrestling with God is, however, not just a fragment from a private journal that has somehow entered the public domain. It was composed for Israel. No doubt it represented the voice of the godly in Judah, struggling to comprehend the ways of GOd. God's answer therefore spoke to all who shared Habakkuk's troubled doubts. And Habakkuk's confession became a public expression - as indicated by its liturgical notations (3:1). 

    Habakkuk was perplexed that wickedness, strife and oppression were rampant in Judah but God seemingly did nothing. When told that the Lord was preparing to do something about it though the "ruthless" Babylonians (1:6), his perplexity only intensified: How could God, who is "too pure to look on evil" (1:13), appoint such a nation "to execute judgment" (1:12) on a people "more righteous than themselves" (1:13)? 

    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 (2:3-4) for God's kingdom to be expressed universally (2:14).

Literary Features

    The author wrote clearly and with great feeling, and he penned many memorable phrases (2:2,4,14,20; 3:2,17-19). The book was popular during the intertestamental period; a complete commentary on its first two chapters has been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.  

Outline

The Rulers and Prophets of Habakkuk's Time 

720	710	700	690	680	670	660	650	640	630	620	610	600	590	580	570	560
Kings of Assyria					Ashurbanipal 669                                        633					Sinsharishkun 629            612		Ashuruballit 612-609
									Ashuretililani 633-629			Fall of Nineveh
Kings of Babylon									Nabopolassar 626              605			Nebuchadnezzar 605                        562
Kings of Judah (Southern Kingdom)														Jehoiachin 3 months
								640         Josiah          609				Jehoiakim  609-597		Zedekiah  597-586
												Jehoahaz 3 months
												Judah taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.
Habakkuk and His Contemporary Prophets (Southern Kingdom)							650         Nahum         620				HABAKKUK621      609
														593 Ezekiel 559
												605            Daniel             536
									627                   Jeremiah                   574
								636 Zephaniah 623
720	710	700	690	680	670	660	650	640	630	620	610	600	590	580	570	560

Notes

Rousing Chaldeans	Chaldean-Habakkuk