About the Biblical Book, Habakkuk

Occasionally, as I search for an idea or theme or topic to write about, I will go back to the Bible and I will review the books of the Bible. I did this in 1999 and I wrote on the book of Philippians. This time, as I looked over the Bible, The book of Habakkuk stood out like a beacon in the darkness.

In my writing, I'm always comparing and commenting on the two sides: good and evil. To quote a poem by an Anonymous: "Look On The Sunny Side, There are always two sides, the good and the bad, The dark and the light, the sad and the glad-, etc." The poem concludes by saying, "You are never alone For God is beside you."

The book of Habakkuk reminds me of the present time. The book is about a prophet who asks "how long" God will you let the wicked oppress the righteous and who learns that the righteous live by faith. The book concludes with a prayer or psalm by the prophet. There are only three short chapters but the author wrote clearly and with great feeling, and penned many memorable phrases (2:2,4,14,20;3:2,17-19).

I chose this book for two reasons. 1) because of the questions asked, and 2) because it can happen to America and its darkside. Recently, I heard, on television, someone predicting that what happen to the Roman Empire will happen to America.

The circumstances then and there.

Habakkuk prophesied in Judah about 605-597 BCE. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Nahum, and Zephaniah. The Babylonians were threatening to conquer Judah.

The prophet complains that God does not hear the cries of his people while the Babylonlans advance. God replies that the Babylonians are God's own instrument. The prophet asks how God can let the wicked Babylonians conquer those who are more righteous. God replies that the righteous must live by faith (2:4). Five woes are directed against the invaders who plunder the nations and practice violence and idolatry. Habakkuk prays in the confidence that God will save his people. Faith flourishes despite adversity.

The book is a prediction of the doom of the Chaldeans. With Assyria (Nimeveh) destroyed, Babylonia and Egypt contend for supremacy, Habakkuk invites God's judgment on Babylon and pleads with God on behalf of His people. The book is a dialogue on the problem of evil. Habakkuk asks: Why does God permit evil? (1:1-4); Godts reply (1:5-11); Habakkuk then asks: What about the moral problem? (1:12-17); God's reply (2:1-5). Then follow the five woes or taunts (2:6-20) and a prayer-hymn (3:1-19).

The book contains many noteworthy verses, but its chief message is patience and the assurance that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4). The passage is given a deeper meaning by Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. For Luther this was a key discovery. Also see Isaiah 26:2-3.

To quote the Concordla Study Bible: "Habakkuk was perplexed that wickedness, strife and opp£ession were rampant in Judah but God seemingly dld nothing, When told that the Lord was preparing to do something about it through the 'ruthless~ Babylontans (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 appointments and await his working in a spirit of worship."

"Habakkuk, which probably means /one who embraces (or clings),' presents God's grace particularly in the last chapter. The prophet's dialog with the Lord increases his understanding of the person, power and plan of God, causing him to conclude with a prayer of praise. He confidently asserts: '...I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior' (3:18). Twice Paul cites Habakkuk as evidence that salvation is he result of the grace of God and not of our deeds: '...the righteous will live by his faith' (2:4; cf. Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11)."

Outline in two parts

I) Dialogue with God (1:1-2:20)

........A) Title (1:1)

........B) The prophet's first cry or complaint: Why does the evil in Judah go unpunished? Why does God permit evil? Why do youmake me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.(1:2-4)

The questions vary depending on what Bible versions you are looking at but they all are saying the same thing.

. . .....C) God's answer: The Babylonians will punish Judah for its disobedience. (1:5-11)

.... . .D) The prophet's second complaint: How can a just God use wicked Babylon to punish a people more righteous than themselves? What about the moral issue? (1:12-2:1)

.... .. E) God's answer: Babylon will be punished, and faith will be rewarded (2:2-20)

...............1) The Lord's answer (2:2-3)

...............2) The vision (2:4-5)

...............3) The five woes or taunts (2:6-20)

.....................a) The viewpoint of the woes (2:6a)

.....................b) The taunt against the cruel plunder (selfish ambition) (2:6b-8)

.................... c) The taunt against the greedy builder (covetousness) (2:9-11)

.....................d) The taunt against the guilty city builder (exploiters/exploitation of people) (2:12-14)

....................e) The taunt against one who makes his neighbors drunk (drunkenness and violence) (2:15-17)

.................... f) The taunt against the makers of idols (idolaters/idolatry) (2:18-20)

II) 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)

.........A) He prays to God (His work) (3:1-2)

........B) He ponders God's ways (His greatness) (3:3-15)

.......C) He praises God. This is one of the greatest confessions of faith found anywhere in Scripture (3:16-19)

The circumstances here and now.

I realize that the circumstance are different today. Iris not the Christians who are wicked and disobedient; it's the ungodly and the apostates in this country. I realize that the United States is not being invaded by todays Babylonians but that the United States ls being invaded within its boundaries. (Refer back to Josh McDowell's book, The New Tolerance)

The United States faces a moral crisis but most people in the United states is in total denial of such an issue. Only about twelve percent of the population that go to church on a regular basis are aware of the crisis.

But not to worry. The righteous live by faith. The ungodly and the apostates who continue to promote immorality will face, sooner or later, the five woes or the consequences. The godly will pray in the confidence that God will save his people.