The Prophet Habakuk
A quote of Habakkuk:
God, my Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet swift as those of hinds and enables me to go upon the heights. (Book of Habakkuk 3:19)
At the time of Habakkuk's prophecy time, around 605-597 B.C, Judah wasn't doing too well, being full of intrigue and idolatry. Nebuchadnezzar had lead the Chaldeans to conquer Judah, and soon to be Jerusalem. Nothing seemed to be going well, and possibly for the first time in Israelite text, a man questions God. That man was the prophet, Habakkuk. Habakkuk asked God about his governing of the world, why his people were being crushed before his eyes. God replies that his is going to use Babylon as an instrument of vengence against Chaldea, and Jerusalem would not be destroyed.
Habakkuk is mentioned in the Book of Daniel as well as his own book. It is written that he was carrying food to some local workers, when an angel consulted him, and sped him off to the cave where Daniel was stuck in by carrying him by the crown of his head. He offered his food to Daniel, and soon after was sent back to his original spot by the angel.
                      By: Will Hentz
From the Book of Habakkuk's Introduction:
      This prophecy dates back from the years 605-597 B.C., or between the great Babylonian victory at Carchenish and Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Judah which culminated in the culminated in the capture of Jerusalem. The situation of Judah was desperate at this time, with political intrigue and idolarty widespread in the small kingdom. The first two chapters consist of a dialogue between the prophet and the Lord. For what may be the first time in Israelite literature, a man questions the ways of God, as Habakkuk calls him to account for his government in the world. To this question God replies that he has prepared a chastising rod, Babylon, which will be the avenging instrument in the calamities about to be visited by the nation.
      The third chapter is a magnificen religious lyric, filled with reminiscences of Israel's past and rich in literary borrowings from the poetry of ancient Canaan, though still expressing authentic Israelite faith. God appears in all his majestic splendor and executes vengence on Judah's enemies. The prophecy ends with a joyous profession of confidence in the Lord, the Savior.
Unfortunately, almost no personal information of Habakkuk is availiable, such as where he lived, his family and friends, who he acually was, besides being a prophet, and the years of his life.
                     Sources

~Saint Joseph Edition of The New American Bible. Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York. 1991.

~New Catholic Encyclopedia Second Edition 6 Fri-Hoh. Gale. 2003.

~Amos, Hosea, Micah,Nahun, Zephaniah, Habakkuk. The Liturgical Press. Stuhlmueller, Carroll. Collegeville, Minnesota.
Habakkuk at the King's Church
QUIZ!!!
1. Which Nation did God choose to use as his chastising rod over Chaldea?
2. Which book of the Bible other than his own is Habakkuk mentioned in?
3. What years do the prophecy begin and end?
4. From the part of the quote, fill in the blank:
         "...he makes my feet swift as those of _____ and enables..."
Want to know the answers? Click here.