Habakkuk Habakkuk
Habakkuk
Introduction
At a Glance
Author: Habakkuk the prophet
Audience: Primarily, this was a discussion between Habakkuk and God. Habakkuk then wrote these prophetic conversations down and shared them with the people of Jerusalem.
Date: Sometime between 612 BC and 586 BC. The action of the book occurs after the Babylonians came to full power in the region around 612 BC but before Babylon captured Jerusalem and exiled the Jews in 586 BC.
Type of Literature: Prophecy
Major Themes: The problem of evil; the cycles of coercion and empire; things are not as they should be—how are the righteous to live in such conditions?; triumphant faith; seeing Jesus in the book
Outline:
I. Superscription: author and setting — 1:1
II. Habakkuk’s first question: Why does it seem like Yahweh allows evil in Judah to go unpunished? — 1:2–4
III. Yahweh’s first response: he will raise up the ruthless, godless Babylonian nation to invade Judah — 1:5–11
IV. Habakkuk’s second complaint: How can a just and righteous God use a wicked nation to punish a people who are more righteous than the invaders? — 1:12–2:1
a. The prophet’s question — 1:12–17
b. The prophet is determined to watch and wait for an answer from Yahweh — 2:1
V. Yahweh’s second response — 2:2–20
a. Yahweh declares that the prophet will receive a definite answer although it will come in God’s timing — 2:2–3
b. God contrasts the terrible fate of the godless, arrogant Babylonians with the blessed destiny of the righteous, who live by faith in God and his promises — 2:4–5
c. Yahweh’s “woe-oracles” against the idolatrous, brutal decadence of the Babylonian nation — 2:6–20
VI. Habakkuk’s prayer, expressing confidence and joy in Yahweh’s deliverance — 3:1–19
a. Habakkuk petitions Yahweh to remember mercy in the outpouring of his divine wrath — 3:1–2
b. Habakkuk rehearses the spectacular actions of Yahweh in history — 3:3–15
c. Habakkuk awaits patiently and in fear the climactic divine judgment on Babylon — 3:16
d. Habakkuk rejoices in the salvation Yahweh will bring to his people even if God punishes them with suffering and loss — 3:17–19
About the Book of Habakkuk
The books of the twelve Minor Prophets are often overlooked by readers today, but they contain incredible passages addressing timeless themes such as God’s mercy and judgment, his covenant with Israel, the day of Yahweh, and the coming of the Messiah. Habakkuk # There are two primary pronunciations of Habakkuk: The first one places the emphasis on the second syllable, bak (as in tobacco). The second places the emphasis on the first syllable, ha (as in habit). is no exception to this display of incredible richness and depth in a comparatively short book. Of the literary prophets (as opposed to Jonah, for instance, which is more narrative), Habakkuk fits into the timeline between Nahum and Zephaniah (earlier) and Jeremiah and Ezekiel (later).
Prophecy is unique to ancient Israel, at least as it is shown in the actions of the prophets and the corresponding literary form in the Old Testament. There are no true parallels to this literature within the “superior” cultures of Israel’s neighbors (and their vast empires) that inhabited the lush, fertile lands of the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers. One searches in vain for true counterparts and equals to Habakkuk (and his prophetic colleagues) in Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. Israelite prophecy is truly an exclusive and potent contribution to world literature and spiritual history. Biblical prophecy calls out in a voice that has no echo in the ancient Near East.
The task of the prophets was to call the leadership of Israel to live up to the very best aspects of their special identity, distinct in all the world, as partners with Yahweh. In the end, this centuries-long effort was a failure, and Jerusalem was sacked in 586 BC by the Babylonians.
But that same robust prophetic voice calls out to all of us today, believers and unbelievers alike, to live our best and most virtuous lives. That vigorous, primal, unvarnished cry of uncomfortable truth has outlived its speakers and even the culture from which it burst forth. Prophecy’s eternal usefulness and raw beauty can and will, even in the twenty-first century, challenge and elevate us to be more of what God created us to be.
Habakkuk spoke and wrote with considerable eloquence and literary ability. He also was able to thread the needle of challenging God without being inappropriately disrespectful. This tension is beautifully maintained during the opening dialogue between the prophet and Yahweh. He “dares to go there” but doesn’t overstep. He provides a role model for all of us during those seasons in our prayer life when things don’t make sense to us and clouds of negativity start to gather.
All of us who think deeply have been troubled by the problem of evil. If God is totally good and all-powerful, from where do suffering and malice come? It’s never enough just to answer with “human free will” because some terrible things happen that have nothing to do with human choices. Habakkuk wrestled with God (Jerome’s insight) because of this very issue. It is also a valid question for us today: How do we, as people of faith, live with integrity when we are in an unjust social structure or when the tides of history do not seem to be aligning with what a benevolent God would ordain in the first place?
The middle section of the book (Hab. 2:5–20) deals with curses and woes against the oppressor Babylon. The original hearers of Habakkuk’s prophecies would have known exactly about whom he was talking. And these curses apply, even today, to any malicious oppressor.
The third section of the book (3:1–19) is a prayer, breaking out in song, which beautifully showcases Habakkuk’s new insights after wrestling with God. He used potent imagery of God’s mighty acts in the exodus to remind the people of God’s faithfulness and power and petitioned Yahweh to remember mercy in the carrying out of his wrath. Thus, no matter what the current circumstances (i.e., with the enemy Babylon at the doorstep), the prophet would live by faith in Yahweh, the Savior of Habakkuk and the people of Judah, and would trust the divine vision and purpose for creation.
Purpose
As a result of his direct, urgent interactions with God during a harrowing historical moment in time, Habakkuk rose to a new level of understanding. The purpose of the book is to share that fresh insight, that “the righteous will live by his faith” with everyone who reads it (2:4).
God’s people were in deep trouble. There was corruption within Israel. But emerging in the East was an even greater evil, oppression, and coercion headed their way. The new superpower empire of Babylon had set its plundering sights on Jerusalem. With fatal forces at work and accelerating within and without, God’s people were headed straight over the cliff.
Terror gripped Habakkuk, and he started the book with “Yahweh, how long must I cry for help and you turn a deaf ear?” (1:2).
Much to Habakkuk’s chagrin, Yahweh let him know that he was going to use Babylon, of all possible tools, to punish Judah and Jerusalem for their corruption and idolatry. This did not sit well with Habakkuk, who reminded God that the Babylonians were far worse than the Israelites. How could this be fair? Habakkuk mounted his watchtower to await a response from God.
Yahweh was quick to respond and show Habakkuk the bigger picture. There is an endless cycle of people living luxuriously from the labors of other people and using force and violence to keep it that way. Empires craft level upon level of mandatory service to those closer and closer to the top, where the ruler puts himself or herself in the place of God. This is not sustainable, and empires must gobble up nearby nations to feed the system. To bring down these corrupt systems, God uses other corrupt systems (like the Babylonian Empire) to dispense justice. After all, there are no perfect people or nations in the world. But in the end, Yahweh painted a solid vision of a time when true justice and righteousness will prevail and people will be free to enjoy the blessings of the salvation he will bring. God has done it before—at the time of the exodus from Egypt when he set his people free from Egyptian captivity—and he can do it again. He encouraged Habakkuk to wait patiently, trust this vision, and live his life in alignment with it even when there was no apparent evidence to back it up.
This insight brought Habakkuk to the point where he chose, despite the messed-up world in which he lived, to set his sights on Yahweh’s vision and his redemptive activity and to set his heart, mind, and actions in the direction of that vision. The righteous will live by his faith.
The Creator will have his way with his creation. We all have a choice to focus on the brokenness of the world or aim our lives toward the promise of God’s coming and lasting restoration. This one choice determines virtually everything about how we speak, act, and live our lives.
Author and Audience
Habakkuk referred to himself as a nabiʾ. Although Jewish tradition includes all of those who speak for God under the banner of nabiʾ, or “prophet,” very few of those prophets called themselves by this title. The word nabiʾ (pronounced “nah-bee” or “nah-vee”) carries the rich root meaning of “bubbler” or “one through whom the Word of Yahweh springs forth like a fresh spring.” Have you ever experienced a brand-new truth from God—one that you could not have learned in any conventional way—spring up from inside you? The apostle Paul encouraged all believers to be receptive to this phenomenon (1 Cor. 14:5). That is the heart of prophecy.
As with most of the prophets (except, most notably, Jeremiah), we know very little about Habakkuk outside of his book. He lived and worked during the twilight of the kingdom founded some four centuries earlier by Saul, David, and Solomon. The storm clouds of disaster were gathering, and the final catastrophic sunset (586 BC) of First Temple Jerusalem was at hand.
His name is taken from the triliteral verbal root hbq, meaning “to enfold,” “to embrace,” or “to caress.” Jerome suggested that this is at least a hint of the close, affectionate relationship between Yahweh and his prophet. # J. Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 25, col. 1273. Martin Luther, apparently in agreement with Jerome over the meaning of the name, discussed how appropriate the name was for Habakkuk’s task, saying that in a sense he embraced his people comfortingly through his prophecy. And seen another way, the book of Habakkuk is the honest struggle of a man who learned to embrace the ways of God.
Primarily, Habakkuk was speaking to God, and God was responding. However, by writing these conversations down, he certainly intended a larger audience. Interestingly, much as with compounding interest, the book seems to mean more and more to people as the generations pass. It speaks to a universal audience of people of faith everywhere who are trying to do the right thing and attempting to make sense of a world that sometimes makes no sense.
Although, undoubtedly, many felt the force of Habakkuk’s written words before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, his prophecy took on special meaning to Jews in Babylonian captivity. The situation seemed upside down. If their God, the Creator of the universe, let pagans destroy his temple and enemies take his people prisoner in a foreign land, what, then, is the correct way for people of faith to live out their lives and to relate to a God who allows such things to happen? Habakkuk’s prophecy and his emotionally transparent wrestling with God took on a new and elevated meaning during this season of Israel in exile.
Israel had so many occupiers between 586 BC and AD 1947 that Habakkuk has continued to carry a strong resonance throughout the centuries among the Jewish people, who were virtually always living under the authority of some other nation. Those of the Qumran community (living in the first century before Christ) in their commentary Pesher Habakkuk (1QpHab) likely saw their Roman conquerors in the place of the Babylonians in Habakkuk’s prophecy, at least symbolically.
Even though the book meant a certain thing during its composition, Habakkuk continues to mean a great deal to those who, for whatever reason, are wrestling with God and trying to make sense of what he has done in history and is doing now.
Major Themes
The Problem of Evil. Philosophically, this problem has never been solved to everyone’s satisfaction. If God is all-good and all-powerful, from where did evil emerge? There are four typical answers:
One: God is all-loving but limits his power. Some things happen outside of his will. Some or all of the physical universe is left to random chance. Bad things happen, but they are no one’s fault.
Two: Human free will is the cause of all evil. This works, partially, for many situations, but what about horrible birth defects or natural disasters that destroy innocent lives?
Three: Everything is truly good, in the ultimate sense, but we just don’t understand it yet.
Four: The devil is the cause of all evil (John 10:10). But that still begs the question: How could a good God allow such a being? And if one gives the devil too much power, he becomes a second god with all the powers of a god. The Bible is clear that there is one God (Deut. 6:4).
Habakkuk was facing this very problem of evil when Yahweh told him that he was going to use Babylon (eviler than Israel) to punish Israel. Habakkuk pushed back firmly but with grace in chapter 2 and went to his watchtower to await an answer.
The Cycles of Coercion and Empire. The book of Habakkuk is a scorching rebuke of invading empires bending other nations to their will. Coercion, like a Ponzi scheme, is never sustainable, and nations resort to occupying and controlling their neighbors to “feed the beast” of empire. Empires eventually (100 percent of the time) collapse under their own weight. Even if Yahweh used Babylon to punish Israel, in the end, Babylon was going down. The children of Israel are still alive to this day, but it’s hard to find a solid Babylonian. It is a common sight around the Arch of Titus in Rome, any day of the week, to see Jewish people chanting in Hebrew, “The children of Israel live!” at the very monument built to celebrate the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire in AD 70. Much of Rome is still in ruins, yet the children of Jacob continue to flourish all around the world.
Things Are Not as They Should Be—How Are the Righteous to Live in Such Conditions? When we face spiritual, emotional, financial, and other “headwinds” in life, how are we to respond? Many just give up on faith altogether. Habakkuk shows us a different way: to trust that the forces of evil, forever carrying the seeds of their own destruction, will fail in the end and that living by faith, no matter what happens, is the best path forward. The rituals and rules of human religion may have some benefit (for instance, honoring our parents is an eternal truth worth practicing), but when facing the bigger storms of life, we have to build our lives upon a rock. This rock is God himself. And we need to exercise a rock-like faith in a God who saved us before and can save us again.
This latter requirement is of paramount significance. Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3 begins with a plea for Yahweh to remember mercy when he dispenses his wrath. Habakkuk also asked Yahweh to renew his deeds in the prophet’s generation. The particular act of redemption singled out by the prophet was Yahweh’s deliverance of his people from their captivity in Egypt. It was a rescue that sounded the death knell of the Egyptian army and forced the surrounding nations to cower in fear before Israel’s almighty Lord. Ultimately, Yahweh’s plan of redemption for his people will culminate in the person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord, God’s Son. This is the consummate focal point for our saving faith.
Triumphant Faith. Rather than leading to despair, the challenges that Habakkuk and Israel were facing led to a raw and honest back-and-forth conversation with God that, in turn, led to a breakthrough to a higher way of living. This way is characterized by a triumphant faith, one that is certain of final victory, despite the apparent lack of evidence for such an outcome in our current circumstances. God will be victorious with everything. Let’s align our thoughts, words, and actions with that victory firmly in mind.
Seeing Jesus in the Book. There are four specific passages in Habakkuk’s prophecy that provide us with an insight into how this book may be seen as an anticipation of the climax of God’s redemptive plan in Jesus Christ.
First of all, in Habakkuk 2:4, there is the iconic declaration that “the righteous will live by his faith.” The context of this declaration is the beginning of Yahweh’s response to Habakkuk’s second complaint, where God promises to provide an answer to the prophet’s dilemma, although the revelation of that response will be in God’s timing—not man’s. The outworking of saving faith in the life of the just believer stands in stark contrast to the consequences of the brutal, godless arrogance and wickedness of the Babylonians, who were doomed to destruction, as a punishment for their evil ways, at the hands of a righteous and wrathful God. We can find the ultimate and supreme example of faithful living in the face of an apostate and godless evil world in the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah, who found himself living under the power and authority of the pagan Roman Empire. His faithful dependence on and trust in God his Father was flawless. Furthermore, his perfect obedience and submission to his Father’s plan of salvation, as his righteous Son, led to the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting for all those who would place their lifelong faith and trust in him. The destiny of all these righteous followers is everlasting life in the new heavens and the new earth, in intimate relationship with God the Father and his resurrected Son. Today, we “live by faith” by constantly trusting in that faithfulness of Jesus and hoping in that resulting promised renewal—despite our circumstances.
Second, in 3:2, Habakkuk prayed that Yahweh would renew his redemptive actions in history in the prophet’s own time. Habakkuk then explicitly asked that God would remember mercy in his wrath. God’s ultimate act of redemption was expressed in the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice on the cross atoned for the sins of the world. The spiritual reality at the heart of this redemptive sacrifice is that God turned his back on his Son as the sins of the world were placed upon him just before he died. In effect, Jesus bore the wrath of God so that God might grant his mercy to all who believe in what theologians refer to as Christ’s substitutionary atonement—namely, that Jesus died in the place of sinners so that their transgressions may be forgiven.
Third, in 3:3–15, there is an extended discourse on the miraculous divine deliverance of the Israelite people from Egypt, the exodus. This reminder of God’s past faithfulness points forward to another exodus: Jesus Christ is the ultimate Passover Lamb, delivering his people from the enemies of God—not earthly enemies but the twin evils of sin and death, along with Satan himself, all of whom were defeated and destroyed by Christ’s atoning sacrifice. This victory was a consummate spiritual one, accomplished by Jesus on the cross.
Finally, 3:18 is one of the strongest affirmations of faith in the whole of Scripture, as Habakkuk joyfully declared: “I still have Yahweh, and I will rejoice in him . . . for I have a Savior-God.” And again, the salvation provided by God is consummated in the person of Jesus Christ.
Habakkuk
Triumphant Faith
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationHabakkuk Habakkuk
Habakkuk
Introduction
At a Glance
Author: Habakkuk the prophet
Audience: Primarily, this was a discussion between Habakkuk and God. Habakkuk then wrote these prophetic conversations down and shared them with the people of Jerusalem.
Date: Sometime between 612 BC and 586 BC. The action of the book occurs after the Babylonians came to full power in the region around 612 BC but before Babylon captured Jerusalem and exiled the Jews in 586 BC.
Type of Literature: Prophecy
Major Themes: The problem of evil; the cycles of coercion and empire; things are not as they should be—how are the righteous to live in such conditions?; triumphant faith; seeing Jesus in the book
Outline:
I. Superscription: author and setting — 1:1
II. Habakkuk’s first question: Why does it seem like Yahweh allows evil in Judah to go unpunished? — 1:2–4
III. Yahweh’s first response: he will raise up the ruthless, godless Babylonian nation to invade Judah — 1:5–11
IV. Habakkuk’s second complaint: How can a just and righteous God use a wicked nation to punish a people who are more righteous than the invaders? — 1:12–2:1
a. The prophet’s question — 1:12–17
b. The prophet is determined to watch and wait for an answer from Yahweh — 2:1
V. Yahweh’s second response — 2:2–20
a. Yahweh declares that the prophet will receive a definite answer although it will come in God’s timing — 2:2–3
b. God contrasts the terrible fate of the godless, arrogant Babylonians with the blessed destiny of the righteous, who live by faith in God and his promises — 2:4–5
c. Yahweh’s “woe-oracles” against the idolatrous, brutal decadence of the Babylonian nation — 2:6–20
VI. Habakkuk’s prayer, expressing confidence and joy in Yahweh’s deliverance — 3:1–19
a. Habakkuk petitions Yahweh to remember mercy in the outpouring of his divine wrath — 3:1–2
b. Habakkuk rehearses the spectacular actions of Yahweh in history — 3:3–15
c. Habakkuk awaits patiently and in fear the climactic divine judgment on Babylon — 3:16
d. Habakkuk rejoices in the salvation Yahweh will bring to his people even if God punishes them with suffering and loss — 3:17–19
About the Book of Habakkuk
The books of the twelve Minor Prophets are often overlooked by readers today, but they contain incredible passages addressing timeless themes such as God’s mercy and judgment, his covenant with Israel, the day of Yahweh, and the coming of the Messiah. Habakkuk # There are two primary pronunciations of Habakkuk: The first one places the emphasis on the second syllable, bak (as in tobacco). The second places the emphasis on the first syllable, ha (as in habit). is no exception to this display of incredible richness and depth in a comparatively short book. Of the literary prophets (as opposed to Jonah, for instance, which is more narrative), Habakkuk fits into the timeline between Nahum and Zephaniah (earlier) and Jeremiah and Ezekiel (later).
Prophecy is unique to ancient Israel, at least as it is shown in the actions of the prophets and the corresponding literary form in the Old Testament. There are no true parallels to this literature within the “superior” cultures of Israel’s neighbors (and their vast empires) that inhabited the lush, fertile lands of the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers. One searches in vain for true counterparts and equals to Habakkuk (and his prophetic colleagues) in Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. Israelite prophecy is truly an exclusive and potent contribution to world literature and spiritual history. Biblical prophecy calls out in a voice that has no echo in the ancient Near East.
The task of the prophets was to call the leadership of Israel to live up to the very best aspects of their special identity, distinct in all the world, as partners with Yahweh. In the end, this centuries-long effort was a failure, and Jerusalem was sacked in 586 BC by the Babylonians.
But that same robust prophetic voice calls out to all of us today, believers and unbelievers alike, to live our best and most virtuous lives. That vigorous, primal, unvarnished cry of uncomfortable truth has outlived its speakers and even the culture from which it burst forth. Prophecy’s eternal usefulness and raw beauty can and will, even in the twenty-first century, challenge and elevate us to be more of what God created us to be.
Habakkuk spoke and wrote with considerable eloquence and literary ability. He also was able to thread the needle of challenging God without being inappropriately disrespectful. This tension is beautifully maintained during the opening dialogue between the prophet and Yahweh. He “dares to go there” but doesn’t overstep. He provides a role model for all of us during those seasons in our prayer life when things don’t make sense to us and clouds of negativity start to gather.
All of us who think deeply have been troubled by the problem of evil. If God is totally good and all-powerful, from where do suffering and malice come? It’s never enough just to answer with “human free will” because some terrible things happen that have nothing to do with human choices. Habakkuk wrestled with God (Jerome’s insight) because of this very issue. It is also a valid question for us today: How do we, as people of faith, live with integrity when we are in an unjust social structure or when the tides of history do not seem to be aligning with what a benevolent God would ordain in the first place?
The middle section of the book (Hab. 2:5–20) deals with curses and woes against the oppressor Babylon. The original hearers of Habakkuk’s prophecies would have known exactly about whom he was talking. And these curses apply, even today, to any malicious oppressor.
The third section of the book (3:1–19) is a prayer, breaking out in song, which beautifully showcases Habakkuk’s new insights after wrestling with God. He used potent imagery of God’s mighty acts in the exodus to remind the people of God’s faithfulness and power and petitioned Yahweh to remember mercy in the carrying out of his wrath. Thus, no matter what the current circumstances (i.e., with the enemy Babylon at the doorstep), the prophet would live by faith in Yahweh, the Savior of Habakkuk and the people of Judah, and would trust the divine vision and purpose for creation.
Purpose
As a result of his direct, urgent interactions with God during a harrowing historical moment in time, Habakkuk rose to a new level of understanding. The purpose of the book is to share that fresh insight, that “the righteous will live by his faith” with everyone who reads it (2:4).
God’s people were in deep trouble. There was corruption within Israel. But emerging in the East was an even greater evil, oppression, and coercion headed their way. The new superpower empire of Babylon had set its plundering sights on Jerusalem. With fatal forces at work and accelerating within and without, God’s people were headed straight over the cliff.
Terror gripped Habakkuk, and he started the book with “Yahweh, how long must I cry for help and you turn a deaf ear?” (1:2).
Much to Habakkuk’s chagrin, Yahweh let him know that he was going to use Babylon, of all possible tools, to punish Judah and Jerusalem for their corruption and idolatry. This did not sit well with Habakkuk, who reminded God that the Babylonians were far worse than the Israelites. How could this be fair? Habakkuk mounted his watchtower to await a response from God.
Yahweh was quick to respond and show Habakkuk the bigger picture. There is an endless cycle of people living luxuriously from the labors of other people and using force and violence to keep it that way. Empires craft level upon level of mandatory service to those closer and closer to the top, where the ruler puts himself or herself in the place of God. This is not sustainable, and empires must gobble up nearby nations to feed the system. To bring down these corrupt systems, God uses other corrupt systems (like the Babylonian Empire) to dispense justice. After all, there are no perfect people or nations in the world. But in the end, Yahweh painted a solid vision of a time when true justice and righteousness will prevail and people will be free to enjoy the blessings of the salvation he will bring. God has done it before—at the time of the exodus from Egypt when he set his people free from Egyptian captivity—and he can do it again. He encouraged Habakkuk to wait patiently, trust this vision, and live his life in alignment with it even when there was no apparent evidence to back it up.
This insight brought Habakkuk to the point where he chose, despite the messed-up world in which he lived, to set his sights on Yahweh’s vision and his redemptive activity and to set his heart, mind, and actions in the direction of that vision. The righteous will live by his faith.
The Creator will have his way with his creation. We all have a choice to focus on the brokenness of the world or aim our lives toward the promise of God’s coming and lasting restoration. This one choice determines virtually everything about how we speak, act, and live our lives.
Author and Audience
Habakkuk referred to himself as a nabiʾ. Although Jewish tradition includes all of those who speak for God under the banner of nabiʾ, or “prophet,” very few of those prophets called themselves by this title. The word nabiʾ (pronounced “nah-bee” or “nah-vee”) carries the rich root meaning of “bubbler” or “one through whom the Word of Yahweh springs forth like a fresh spring.” Have you ever experienced a brand-new truth from God—one that you could not have learned in any conventional way—spring up from inside you? The apostle Paul encouraged all believers to be receptive to this phenomenon (1 Cor. 14:5). That is the heart of prophecy.
As with most of the prophets (except, most notably, Jeremiah), we know very little about Habakkuk outside of his book. He lived and worked during the twilight of the kingdom founded some four centuries earlier by Saul, David, and Solomon. The storm clouds of disaster were gathering, and the final catastrophic sunset (586 BC) of First Temple Jerusalem was at hand.
His name is taken from the triliteral verbal root hbq, meaning “to enfold,” “to embrace,” or “to caress.” Jerome suggested that this is at least a hint of the close, affectionate relationship between Yahweh and his prophet. # J. Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 25, col. 1273. Martin Luther, apparently in agreement with Jerome over the meaning of the name, discussed how appropriate the name was for Habakkuk’s task, saying that in a sense he embraced his people comfortingly through his prophecy. And seen another way, the book of Habakkuk is the honest struggle of a man who learned to embrace the ways of God.
Primarily, Habakkuk was speaking to God, and God was responding. However, by writing these conversations down, he certainly intended a larger audience. Interestingly, much as with compounding interest, the book seems to mean more and more to people as the generations pass. It speaks to a universal audience of people of faith everywhere who are trying to do the right thing and attempting to make sense of a world that sometimes makes no sense.
Although, undoubtedly, many felt the force of Habakkuk’s written words before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, his prophecy took on special meaning to Jews in Babylonian captivity. The situation seemed upside down. If their God, the Creator of the universe, let pagans destroy his temple and enemies take his people prisoner in a foreign land, what, then, is the correct way for people of faith to live out their lives and to relate to a God who allows such things to happen? Habakkuk’s prophecy and his emotionally transparent wrestling with God took on a new and elevated meaning during this season of Israel in exile.
Israel had so many occupiers between 586 BC and AD 1947 that Habakkuk has continued to carry a strong resonance throughout the centuries among the Jewish people, who were virtually always living under the authority of some other nation. Those of the Qumran community (living in the first century before Christ) in their commentary Pesher Habakkuk (1QpHab) likely saw their Roman conquerors in the place of the Babylonians in Habakkuk’s prophecy, at least symbolically.
Even though the book meant a certain thing during its composition, Habakkuk continues to mean a great deal to those who, for whatever reason, are wrestling with God and trying to make sense of what he has done in history and is doing now.
Major Themes
The Problem of Evil. Philosophically, this problem has never been solved to everyone’s satisfaction. If God is all-good and all-powerful, from where did evil emerge? There are four typical answers:
One: God is all-loving but limits his power. Some things happen outside of his will. Some or all of the physical universe is left to random chance. Bad things happen, but they are no one’s fault.
Two: Human free will is the cause of all evil. This works, partially, for many situations, but what about horrible birth defects or natural disasters that destroy innocent lives?
Three: Everything is truly good, in the ultimate sense, but we just don’t understand it yet.
Four: The devil is the cause of all evil (John 10:10). But that still begs the question: How could a good God allow such a being? And if one gives the devil too much power, he becomes a second god with all the powers of a god. The Bible is clear that there is one God (Deut. 6:4).
Habakkuk was facing this very problem of evil when Yahweh told him that he was going to use Babylon (eviler than Israel) to punish Israel. Habakkuk pushed back firmly but with grace in chapter 2 and went to his watchtower to await an answer.
The Cycles of Coercion and Empire. The book of Habakkuk is a scorching rebuke of invading empires bending other nations to their will. Coercion, like a Ponzi scheme, is never sustainable, and nations resort to occupying and controlling their neighbors to “feed the beast” of empire. Empires eventually (100 percent of the time) collapse under their own weight. Even if Yahweh used Babylon to punish Israel, in the end, Babylon was going down. The children of Israel are still alive to this day, but it’s hard to find a solid Babylonian. It is a common sight around the Arch of Titus in Rome, any day of the week, to see Jewish people chanting in Hebrew, “The children of Israel live!” at the very monument built to celebrate the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire in AD 70. Much of Rome is still in ruins, yet the children of Jacob continue to flourish all around the world.
Things Are Not as They Should Be—How Are the Righteous to Live in Such Conditions? When we face spiritual, emotional, financial, and other “headwinds” in life, how are we to respond? Many just give up on faith altogether. Habakkuk shows us a different way: to trust that the forces of evil, forever carrying the seeds of their own destruction, will fail in the end and that living by faith, no matter what happens, is the best path forward. The rituals and rules of human religion may have some benefit (for instance, honoring our parents is an eternal truth worth practicing), but when facing the bigger storms of life, we have to build our lives upon a rock. This rock is God himself. And we need to exercise a rock-like faith in a God who saved us before and can save us again.
This latter requirement is of paramount significance. Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3 begins with a plea for Yahweh to remember mercy when he dispenses his wrath. Habakkuk also asked Yahweh to renew his deeds in the prophet’s generation. The particular act of redemption singled out by the prophet was Yahweh’s deliverance of his people from their captivity in Egypt. It was a rescue that sounded the death knell of the Egyptian army and forced the surrounding nations to cower in fear before Israel’s almighty Lord. Ultimately, Yahweh’s plan of redemption for his people will culminate in the person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord, God’s Son. This is the consummate focal point for our saving faith.
Triumphant Faith. Rather than leading to despair, the challenges that Habakkuk and Israel were facing led to a raw and honest back-and-forth conversation with God that, in turn, led to a breakthrough to a higher way of living. This way is characterized by a triumphant faith, one that is certain of final victory, despite the apparent lack of evidence for such an outcome in our current circumstances. God will be victorious with everything. Let’s align our thoughts, words, and actions with that victory firmly in mind.
Seeing Jesus in the Book. There are four specific passages in Habakkuk’s prophecy that provide us with an insight into how this book may be seen as an anticipation of the climax of God’s redemptive plan in Jesus Christ.
First of all, in Habakkuk 2:4, there is the iconic declaration that “the righteous will live by his faith.” The context of this declaration is the beginning of Yahweh’s response to Habakkuk’s second complaint, where God promises to provide an answer to the prophet’s dilemma, although the revelation of that response will be in God’s timing—not man’s. The outworking of saving faith in the life of the just believer stands in stark contrast to the consequences of the brutal, godless arrogance and wickedness of the Babylonians, who were doomed to destruction, as a punishment for their evil ways, at the hands of a righteous and wrathful God. We can find the ultimate and supreme example of faithful living in the face of an apostate and godless evil world in the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah, who found himself living under the power and authority of the pagan Roman Empire. His faithful dependence on and trust in God his Father was flawless. Furthermore, his perfect obedience and submission to his Father’s plan of salvation, as his righteous Son, led to the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting for all those who would place their lifelong faith and trust in him. The destiny of all these righteous followers is everlasting life in the new heavens and the new earth, in intimate relationship with God the Father and his resurrected Son. Today, we “live by faith” by constantly trusting in that faithfulness of Jesus and hoping in that resulting promised renewal—despite our circumstances.
Second, in 3:2, Habakkuk prayed that Yahweh would renew his redemptive actions in history in the prophet’s own time. Habakkuk then explicitly asked that God would remember mercy in his wrath. God’s ultimate act of redemption was expressed in the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice on the cross atoned for the sins of the world. The spiritual reality at the heart of this redemptive sacrifice is that God turned his back on his Son as the sins of the world were placed upon him just before he died. In effect, Jesus bore the wrath of God so that God might grant his mercy to all who believe in what theologians refer to as Christ’s substitutionary atonement—namely, that Jesus died in the place of sinners so that their transgressions may be forgiven.
Third, in 3:3–15, there is an extended discourse on the miraculous divine deliverance of the Israelite people from Egypt, the exodus. This reminder of God’s past faithfulness points forward to another exodus: Jesus Christ is the ultimate Passover Lamb, delivering his people from the enemies of God—not earthly enemies but the twin evils of sin and death, along with Satan himself, all of whom were defeated and destroyed by Christ’s atoning sacrifice. This victory was a consummate spiritual one, accomplished by Jesus on the cross.
Finally, 3:18 is one of the strongest affirmations of faith in the whole of Scripture, as Habakkuk joyfully declared: “I still have Yahweh, and I will rejoice in him . . . for I have a Savior-God.” And again, the salvation provided by God is consummated in the person of Jesus Christ.
Habakkuk
Triumphant Faith
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