THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK

INTRODUCTION:

1.HABAKKUK was a prophet of Pre-Exile Judah about 607 BC, early in the reign of Jehoiakim - 1:1. He was different from other prophets, in that:

a.He did not address either Judah or foreigners, but God alone.

b.The Book does not deliver a message directly to the people, but wrestles with a problem.

2.CONTEXT: 2Kg 23:31-24:7; 2Ch 36:1-8.

3.The BOOK concerns the invasion of Judah, and also the doom of the Babylonians. J. Sidlow Baxter said, “The focus of Habakkuk’s problem and prophecy is Babylon. Of the enemies which afflicted the covenant people long ago, three were outstanding -- the Edomites, the Assyrians, and the Chaldeans, or Babylonians. It was given to three of the Hebrew prophets specially to pronounce the doom of these three powers. The prophecy of Obadiah sealed the fate of Edom. The prophecy of Nahum tolled the knell over Assyria. The prophecy of Habakkuk dug the grave of Babylon.” (EXPLORE THE BOOK, Vol. 4, page 207, par. 3).

4.NAME: Means “One Who Embraces” -- Habakkuk chose to cling to God and to embrace His will regardless of events.

5.The method of the BOOK is different from others: His message was to the people of God, but not in direct address.

a.Other prophets pled with the people on the behalf of God.

b.Habakkuk pled with God on behalf of the people.

6.He asked God why He was not dealing with the wickedness of Judah.

7.He prophesied on the eve of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion; God told him this invasion was to stop the wickedness of Judah.

8.This raised another question for Habakkuk: Why would God use people more wicked than Judah to punish His own people?

9.Thus Habakkuk wrestled with the age-old problem of evil: Why do bad people prosper while good people often suffer?

a.This has caused some to compare Habakkuk to Job and to call him “The Job Of The Prophets”.

b.He has also been called “The Doubting Thomas Of The Old Testament.”

c.Someone said this BOOK “is distinguished for its magnificent poetry” (Hebrew poetry repeats thoughts rather than sounds).

10.“The BOOK OF HABAKKUK opens in gloom and closes in glory. It begins with a question mark and closes with an exclamation mark.” - Author of this quote is unknown.

1.A “BURDEN” -- CHAPTER 1: FAITH GRAPPLING
WITH PROBLEMS

A.HABAKKUK’S FIRST PROBLEM, 1:1-4.

1.Habakkuk was unable to make any sense out of what was happening.

a.He wanted to know why God was allowing iniquity, injustice, and violence to go unpunished in Judah.

b.The people of Judah sinned, but there was no punishment; Justice was perverted -- Why did God permit evil? Was He unconcerned?

c.He struggled in his faith when he saw men violate God’s law, with no indication of any Divine intervention.

2.NOTE: Habakkuk was not afraid to wrestle with issues that tested his faith; Truth is always open to investigation -- Never be afraid to question and to study.

B.GOD’S FIRST REPLY, 1:5-11.

1.1:5, God is NOT indifferent: The people held the things of God in contempt, and destruction would surely descend upon them (“I WILL WORK A WORK . . .”); It might not be done just as Habakkuk wanted it, but it would be done.

2.1:6, God would WORK this WORK by the Chaldeans, whom He would RAISE and send to punish Judah.

a.1:6, Their rise to power was of God; He had a purpose.

b.1:7-11, They were doing their own will; Their character was of themselves: God USED them, but THEY were guilty.

C.HABAKKUK’S SECOND PROBLEM, 1:12-17.

1.Habakkuk thought the first solution raised an even bigger problem.

2.1:12-13, He acknowledged that Judah deserved punishment; But
how could God use ungodly people like the Chaldeans to do the punishing?

3.1:14-17, Could God reward the Chaldeans for their cruelty and idolatry? Why did He not destroy this wicked nation?

4.2:1, Habakkuk waited upon the TOWER (the guard post) for
God’s reply.

D.Chapter 1 is a “BURDEN” with a twofold problem: Faith sighs.

2.A “VISION” -- CHAPTER 2: FAITH GRASPING
FOR SOLUTIONS

A.GOD’S SECOND REPLY, Verses 4,14 is in the form of a double pledge.

1.Judgment was not immediate, but it was sure: The Chaldean (Babylonian) power would in turn be destroyed.

2.2:2, Habakkuk’s responsibility: “WRITE THE VISION, AND MAKE IT PLAIN” -- So people would understand, hasten to obey, and then tell others about it.

3.2:3, God is slow to wrath, but in His time and according to His wisdom all iniquity eventually will be punished.

4.2:4, Permanent values were now crystallized in one clear statement.

a.The “Great Divide” in humanity: Anything against God flows to destruction; Those who do right move toward God.

b.Applied to the problem of Habakkuk:

1)He saw everything that was crooked, proud, and violent; And saw all of it flourishing -- While the righteous people were oppressed, broken, and dying out!

2)Where was God? -- Why wasn’t He doing something? HE WAS DOING SOMETHING!

3)That which is self-centered cannot last; That which is God-centered is permanent, and is the only hope for those who
want to LIVE.

c.Applied to our own problems: The idea may not have been emphasized in our thinking that THE JUST SHALL LIVE.

1)We too think we see evil flourish and right suffer.

2)Look again (get the “Big View”): Finally, all that is not of faith (the proud and the crooked) will pass away and perish; So we had better leave it alone!

3)But the righteous (though poor, in difficulty, despised and downtrodden) SHALL LIVE!

5.A “parable” in a series of five woes shows that God moves among nations, and that the Chaldeans would be destroyed.

a.2:5-8, WOE because of their greed and aggression.

b.2:9-11, WOE because of their effort to build a government through cruelty.

c.2:12-14, WOE because of their violence and bloodshed; With Verse 14 compare Mk 16:15; Col 1:23.

d.2:15-17, WOE because of their cruel treatment of subjected people.

e.2:18-19, WOE because of their idolatry.

6.2:20, But Judah also was guilty, and they had better respond to God’s Sovereign Majesty if they wanted a glorious future.

B.NOTE: All of this shows us we are not capable of deciding how and when evil-doers are to perish. But God is capable! They will perish! Leave vengeance to Him - Rom12:19.

C.Chapter 2 is a “VISION” with a twofold promise: Faith sees.

3.A “PRAYER” -- CHAPTER 3: FAITH GLORYING IN ASSURANCE

A.3:1, The Book ends with Habakkuk’s psalm of confident faith in the Lord, the psalm beginning here.

1.Habakkuk had imagined that God had forsaken the faithful and left them to destruction with no hope; Now he knows better, and he breaks out into the song of praise for God.

2.The more he learned about the Planner, the more he could trust the Plan (That is true for us also).

3.No matter what God brings to pass, the faithful SHALL LIVE.

B.3:2, As God had always been with His people, He would not forsake them in THE MIDST OF THE YEARS of their captivity.

1.Habakkuk had thought God was doing nothing to punish evil; Now
he prays that in the time of WRATH (The Babylonian Captivity)
God would remember MERCY (Did he now think God was being
too harsh?)

2.Rather than being some kind of a “millennial prophecy,” this is a message of comfort to God’s people in a time of crisis in their history.

C.3:3-7, Habakkuk received a vision of God’s terrible approach from TEMAN (Edom) and PARAN (the land between Egypt and Edom)
as God soon sent the Chaldean armies to invade and plunder the
land of Judah.

D.3:8-12, Why did God thus appear? -- What was His program?

1.This poetic and figurative language seems to refer to God’s creative, redemptive, and judgmental work in the past.

2.It would give Habakkuk (and through his writing, the people) confidence in the Divine purposes at a time when he (and they)
might otherwise despair.

E.3:13-15, A psalm of praise for the Plan of God.

1.When God revealed that heathens would be His instrument of judgment, Habakkuk had been troubled because they were even
more corrupt than Judah.

2.Now he sees, appearances to the contrary, that God is still on the Throne as the Lord of history and Ruler of nations.

3.God’s Plan is perfect; Nothing is big enough to stand in the way of its fulfillment: His ultimate purpose was the SALVATION of His people.

F.3:16, Habakkuk’s terror and helplessness as he anticipated the coming judgment of God through the heathen armies.

G.3:17-19, But he now recognized God’s wisdom in the invasion and destruction of Judah, and he would trust even though his Nation would be destroyed.

1.Both then and now: Circumstances of life sometimes appear to contradict God’s revelation concerning His power, His purposes,
and His love for mankind; But FAITH rises above doubt and fear,
and TRUSTS.

2.Habakkuk learned (as did Job) to look to Jehovah, not to the circumstances; And he moved from pain to pleasure (1:2 to 3:18).

3.Joy in bad circumstances -- That is the victory of faith!

H.Chapter 3 is a “PRAYER” with a twofold product (praise for the past and confidence for the future): Faith sings.

**HABAKKUK IN SIX WORDS:

Problems Of Faith; Prayer Of Faith.

**HABAKKUK IN SIX WORDS:

Faith Sighs; Faith Sees; Faith Sings.

**HABAKKUK IN SIX WORDS:

The Just Shall Live By Faith.

**CONTRIBUTION OF THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK TO THE BIBLE:

1.The thought of 1:5 is used in Ac 13:41 (cf Ac 13:40); Like those in Habakkuk’s time, the Jews of Paul’s day would see the Nation destroyed (this time it would be by the Romans, not the Chaldeans), whether they thought so or not.

2.The sublime words of 3:17-19 have been the solace of many who have suffered for God.

a.If all God’s other gifts were to fail, we still would possess the Savior and salvation forever.

b.His presence in our lives is sometimes more apparent when the fields are bare, and we have no other one to whom we can turn.

3.So, what does the message of Habakkuk teach Christians?

a.A central thought: WAIT for whatever God has promised, 2:3; Compare 1Th 1:9-10.

b.Isn’t that easy? NO, it can be the hardest test of all!

c.How should we WAIT? On the guard post, talking to God and
listening to God.

d.Compare us with Habakkuk: When he looked at circumstances, he was perplexed; When he WAITED for God’s time and LISTENED to God, he sang in joy (Do we?)

4.The secret of this attitude is the lesson of the BOOK of Habakkuk:
A contrast of the principles or motives of the false life and those of
the true life - 2:4.

a.In effect, Habakkuk was told that God would always be true to Himself in delivering the person who maintains integrity and obeys Divine commandments.

b.The New Testament develops this theme in Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38 (all are quotations of Hab 2:4).

c.So, don’t be upset over “Why doesn’t God do something?” (He will); But be concerned to WATCH and WAIT in FAITH (This attitude may lead us to WRITE someone).

d.Faith is feeling so sure of God’s power and goodness that, no
matter how dark the day, there is no doubt as to the final and
eternal outcome.

e.For us there is a glorious future; It may be a long way off, but it is absolutely sure.

f.Message of Habakkuk: We cannot judge by appearances, and we must not judge by appearances, but rather we are to judge by the Word of God which is His oath and covenant - Rom 8:37; Rev 22:14.

g.When we have problems, take Habakkuk’s optimistic attitude.

**CHRIST IN THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK:

The word SALVATION appears three times in the Book (3:13,18); This is the root word from which the name JESUS was derived, cf Mt 1:21.

**CONCLUSION:

1.We should all strive for the joyous faith attained by the great man Habakkuk - Rom 10:17.

2.Begin the marvelous journey NOW - Mt 17:5; Mk 16:16.