Habakkuk
חבקוק
Reading 0,08 - 3 Chapters - 56 verses - 1,476 words
Vital Statistics
| Purpose: | To show that God is still in control of the world despite the apparent triumph of evil |
| Author: | Habakkuk |
| Original audience: | The people of Judah (the southern kingdom) |
| Date written: | Between 612 and 589 B.C. |
| Setting: | Babylon was becoming the dominant world power and Judah would soon feel Babylon's destructive force |
| Key verse: | Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. |
| Key people: | Habakkuk, the Babylonians |
| Key place: | Judah |
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.
Habakkuk Interpretive Challenges
The queries of the prophet represent some of the most fundamental questions in all of life, with the answers providing crucial foundation stones on which to build a proper understanding of God’s character and His sovereign ways in history. The core of his message lies in the call to trust God (2:4), “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.”
The NT references ascribe unusual importance theologically to Habakkuk. The writer of Hebrews quotes Hab 2:4 to amplify the believer’s need to remain strong and faithful in the midst of affliction and trials (Heb 10:38). The apostle Paul, on the other hand, employs the verse twice (Ro 1:17; Gal 3:11) to accentuate the doctrine of justification by faith. There need not be any interpretative conflict, however, for the emphasis in both Habakkuk and the NT references goes beyond the act of faith to include the continuity of faith. Faith is not a one time act, but a way of life. The true believer, declared righteous by God, will habitually persevere in faith throughout all his life (Col 1:22, 23; Heb 3:12-14). He will trust the sovereign God who only does what is right.
Outline
| I. | Title (1:1) |
| II. | Habakkuk's First Complaint: Why does the evil in Judah go unpunished? (1:2-4) |
| III. | God's Answer: The Babylonians will punish Judah (1:5-11) |
| IV. | Habakkuk's Second Complaint: How can a just God use wicked Babylonians to punish a people more righteous than themselves? (1:12-2:1) |
| V. | God's Answer: Babylonia will be punished, and faith will be rewarded (2:2-20) |
| VI. | Habakkuk's Prayer: After asking for manifestations of GOd's wrath and mercy (as he has seen in the past), he closes with a confession of trust and joy in God (ch.3) |
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 | | |
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| | | | | | | Ashuretililani 633-629 | Fall of Nineveh |
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Kings of Babylon | | | | | | | Nabopolassar 626 605 | Nebuchadnezzar 605 562 |
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Kings of Judah (Southern Kingdom) | | | | | | | | | | | | Jehoiachin 3 months |
| | | | | | 640 Josiah 609 | Jehoiakim 609-597 | Zedekiah 597-586 | |
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| | | | | | | | | | Jehoahaz 3 months | |
| | | | | | | | | | Judah taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. |
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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 |
Habakkuk Horizontal
1:1 - Oracle Habakkuk saw |
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1:2 - How long cry? | Chaldeans sent |
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1:5 - Rousing the chaldeans | to |
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1:12 - Marked them for judgment | punish JUdah |
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1:15 - The enemy brings all |
| Habakkuk’s |
2:1 - Stand at my watch-past |
| questions |
2:2 - Write the vision |
| and |
2:6 - Alas - you who heaps |
| God’s |
2:9 - Alas - get evil gain | Alas upon Sin | answers |
2:12 - Alas - build by bloodshed |
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2:15 - Alas - make neighbors drink |
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2:18 - Alas - say to wood |
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2:20 - Lord in holy temple |
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3:1 - A prayer |
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3:2 - Heard of your renown | God’s deliverance |
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3:16 - I tremble within | of His People | Habakkuk Prayer |
3:17 - Lord is my strength |
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3:19b - With stringed instruments |
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Notes
