Habakkuk

Who Is He?

Habakkuk the prophet—doesn’t tell us much

One of few among the minor prophets who is designated as a prophet in the writing

Some suggestions are pretty wild; some have some validity

Possibly among the Levites

Good clues in chap. 3

in 3:1, Shigionoth.

Habakkuk 3:19 (ESV)

God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

Most of the work is poetic, psalmic in nature

Name means embrace, but whether he is the embracer or the embraced is disputed

When Did He Write?

Some time before the fall of the Assyrian nation, or in its immediate aftermath

Why Did He Write?

Frustration of nothing being done about the situation in the culture of Jerusalem/Judah

1:2-4 “WHY DON’T YOU DO SOMETHING, GOD?”

The Dialogue

First complaint: Why don’t you do something?

Answer: You just wait, I’m preparing the Chaldeans to take care of it

Second complaint: NOT THEM! They’re horrible people

“Now, I’ll sit and see what He says”

“Write this down…get it right; I’ll take care of them too.”

The Wrap-Up

A prayer 3:1-16

A doxology vv. 17 to end

Takeaways

The more things change, the more they stay the same

God will judge evil; in His own way, using the tools of His own choosing, in His own time

It is ours to remain faithful 3:17-19