Habakkuk (Session One)

Introduction

Habakkuk is a part of the group of books in the OT known as the Minor Prophets (minor only in the length of the books, not minor in significance).

The name “Habakkuk” seems to come from the Hebrew word for “embrace.”

The name “Habakkuk” seems to come from the Hebrew word for “embrace.”

We know very little about the person Habakkuk. Almost no information is given about his family or background. Some speculate that not only was Habakkuk a prophet he was also a priest.

The book was set during a time when the Chaldeans were coming to power. The Chaldeans would later come to be known as the Babylonians—who we read about in the book of Daniel. The Chaldeans were powerful and able to dominate the kingdom of Judah. Note: some tradition suggests that not only was Habbakuk a contemporary of Daniel but that he also helped Daniel, even that he brought food to Daniel while he was in the lion’s den. But there is no biblical basis for this.

The first and second chapters is composed basically of a kind of conversation between Habakkuk and God. In these chapters, Habakkuk offers a complaint to God and then God responds.

In the second chapter, God offers a more complete response to the complaints Habakuk raised in chapter 1.

The third chapter is essentially a song in which Habakkuk expresses his trust in God even in the face of danger at the hands of the Chaldeans.

One of the basis questions that Habakkuk deals with that is likely of interest to people today is why does God allow evil to flourish?

Habakkuk 1:1–4 LEB

1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2 O Yahweh, how long shall I cry for help and you will not listen? How long will I cry out to you, “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you cause me to see evil while you look at trouble? Destruction and violence happen before me; contention and strife arise. 4 Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice does not go forth perpetually. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.

The vast majority of prophets (if not all) focused their energy and words delivering messages of judgement towards human beings—toward the king or toward the people in general. Habakuk turns this around and challenges God on how he could allow Israel to be in such danger (“How long will I cry out to you, ‘violence!’ and you will not save?”)? He even goes so far as to suggest that the reason the law has become paralyzed (LEB), ineffective (CSB), slack (NRSV) is because God has not destroyed the evil that surrounds Judah.

Have you ever challenged God about some event? Is it wrong to challenge God? Why or why not? Story of Walter Swain. Can you think of any other characters in the Bible who challenged God? Job would certainly be an example:

Job 13:13–15 NLT

13 “Be silent now and leave me alone. Let me speak, and I will face the consequences. 14 Why should I put myself in mortal danger and take my life in my own hands? 15 God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him.

Job 13:23–28 NLT

23 Tell me, what have I done wrong? Show me my rebellion and my sin. 24 Why do you turn away from me? Why do you treat me as your enemy? 25 Would you terrify a leaf blown by the wind? Would you chase dry straw? 26 “You write bitter accusations against me and bring up all the sins of my youth. 27 You put my feet in stocks. You examine all my paths. You trace all my footprints. 28 I waste away like rotting wood, like a moth-eaten coat.

Job challenged God because he felt that God had treated him unjustly—he did not deserve the hardship that had come upon him.

Jonah was also angry with God because he showed mercy to people he did not believe deserved mercy—the people of Ninevah:

Jonah 4:1–4 NLT

1 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. 3 Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” 4 The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

All of this is essentially the same question that many pose to today: if God is just then how could he allow . . . .? or If God is loving, how could he allow . . . .?

The difference with Job and Jonah and Habakkuk is that they speak directly to God and are very specific in their charges.

Habakkuk offers several terms to describe the injustice he sees taking place: violence, wrongdoing, destruction, strife, conflict. In Habakkuk’s mind, the law was intended to keep this injustice in check. But he says, in effect, the law has been overwhelmed by the evil that is taking place.

The question is the identity of the wicked in verse 4? Who are they? It is unclear but it would seem to be those in Israel who are living and treating others unjustly.

Much like Job, this charge by Habakkuk against God leaves the reader amazed at Habakkuk’s brashness and wondering how God is going to respond? Is God going to respond with anger, is he going bring a lightning bolt on to Habakkuk’s head, will he respond with compassion—will he even answer Habakkuk?

I will give you a hint: God’s answer to Habakkuk would have been even more shocking to the people of his time than anything we can imagine.

Habakkuk 1:5–11 LEB

5 “Look among the nations and see; be astonished and astounded. For a work is about to be done in your days that you will not believe if it is told. 6 For look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, the bitter and impetuous nation, the one who walks through the spacious places of earth to take possession of dwellings not belonging to it. 7 They are dreadful and awesome; their justice and their dignity proceed from themselves. 8 Their horses are more swift than leopards; they are more menacing than wolves at dusk. Their horsemen gallop; their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle that is swift to devour. 9 All of them come for violence, their faces pressing forward. They gather captives like the sand. 10 And they themselves scoff at kings and rulers are a joke to them. They laugh at every fortification, and they heap up earth and take it. 11 Then they sweep like the wind and pass on; they become guilty, whose might is their god!”

So, according to these verses, how does God answer Habakkuk’s call for help? (v. 2) What does God say he is going to do about the evil that Habakkuk described?

Essentially, God responds to Habakkuk by saying, “Okay, I will do something about the evil you see. I will send the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to wipe out the evil. The speaker in these verses is never explicitly identified, but it is clear that God is the one responding to Habakkuk.

It is also clear that God’s response was not the response that the people of Israel—even those who saw the same problems that Habakkuk did—would have expected. Habakkuk wanted God to do something about the “wicked” he saw all around him but I am not sure that sending a foreign, invading army was really what Habakkuk was looking for!

For the people of Israel, the shock would have come in the fact that God would choose to use a nation that did not even recognize him, much less follow him to correct Israel’s unfaithfulness. In fact, from the point of view of Israel, the Chaldeans were about as bad as humanity could get. Even God calls them a “ruthless and impetuous people” (v. 5)

What are some of the other ways that God describes the Chaldeans (Babylonians) in this section? From a human perspective, they seem a pretty overwhelming force. For a small country like Judah, it would seem like there was no defense against them. In fact, God calls them dreadful and awesome (v. 7, LEB) or feared and dreaded (NIV).

I think that they way the second part of v. 7 is translated in the NIV is a little misleading. In the LEB, this is translated their justice and their dignity proceed from themselves. What does that mean? They were arrogant, their law came only from themselves and they had no recognition of Yahweh what-so-ever. Verses 10 and 11 essentially say that they feared no one.

So, in this first part of chapter one, Habakkuk challenges God about why he allows evil to exist in Israel and asks God to do something about it, the help them. God, in essence, says “Okay, I’ll do something. I will send the Chaldeans.”

This is not the way the people of Israel would have expected God to respond but it does go a long way to explaining what was about to happen or was happening (depending on exactly when this was written). The Chaldeans conquered Israel and sent them off into exile because God led them to do it. This was God’s way of bringing an end to the unfaithfulness shown by so many in Israel.

What do you think about this?